In crossover anime, who isn't a childhood friend?

The curves beneath the white shirt, accentuated by the body's forward-leaning posture, appear even more breathtaking.

With her captivating charm, coupled with the fact that it's late at night in a hotel room, she's alone with a man, and they're half-naked, getting a massage to relax... it's like a classic scene from some unspeakable movie.

With a combination of factors, it was really difficult for Yuan Qianye, who was in the prime of his life, to be completely free of distractions.

So every night at this point, he would subconsciously try to find some work-related topics to talk about, in an attempt to distract himself and calm down those unspeakable thoughts.

After all, others are sacrificing their own holidays to keep your work progress on track, and you're thinking about that kind of thing? That's really impolite.

"By the way, Miyoko, Eriri's results should be out by now, right?" He asked, as usual, choosing a safe topic.

"Ah, that's exactly what I was going to tell you, boss!" Miyoko's face lit up immediately: "It went very well! Eriri won the Newcomer Manga Award! And it was the top prize, first place!"

…………

237: Debut as a Comic Artist (5k)

In mid-March, after finishing her nationwide autograph tour, Gen Chiya immediately held a celebration party for Eriri upon her return.

The celebration banquet was held at the bar that Yuan's father had just opened.

Although Japanese law explicitly prohibits minors from entering such places, since it is their own property and parents are present to supervise the entire process, there is no problem as long as they do not touch tobacco or alcohol.

Knowing that his son was bringing friends, Mr. Yuan reserved the most luxurious private room well in advance and instructed the staff to arrange everything in advance.

That evening, as everyone arrived, Gen Chiya raised his glass first: "So, everyone! Let's all congratulate Eriri!"

Congratulations, Eriri!

"awesome!"

"cheers--!"

The crisp clinking of glasses and enthusiastic cheers filled the private room.

Eriri, surrounded by her friends in the center, had her face flushed with excitement.

This time, the award she received is extraordinary, far surpassing any previous regional or niche art awards.

The Tezuka Award is one of the highest-level awards for new manga artists, recognized in the manga industry and even the global anime and manga field.

It is the gateway to success that countless aspiring comic artists dream of.

With this award, she successfully signed a contract with Shueisha and got her own dedicated editor, just like Shiwa.

She will expand her original story manuscript submitted for the competition into a full-length novel, and will soon begin serializing her manga in Weekly Shonen Jump, thus becoming a true manga artist!

This has always been her dream!

And the fact that this dream was able to become a reality so quickly was inseparable from Chiya's help.

From the moment he made the suggestion a few months ago to the moment his dream came true, everything happened so fast that she often felt dazed.

But the heavy trophy at home, the contract email from the editor, the sincere smiles of her friends... all told her that this was a real miracle!

The celebratory banquet is in progress, and the atmosphere is lively.

Eriri invited not only her closest friends, but also several girls from her class who were close to her.

They surrounded Eriri, pulling her to take photos with them while pouting, grabbing the microphone to sing Best Friend with her, and smearing her face with cream from the celebratory cake, laughing and shouting, "Our Eriri is amazing! When you become a great manga artist, don't forget to sign autographs for us!"

"Haha, definitely, definitely... Oh, stop applying so much!"

The private room was filled with the cheerful laughter and playful chatter of the girls, creating an extremely lively atmosphere.

Yuan Qianye sat on the spacious sofa in the corner, picked up a piece of chilled watermelon with a fork and put it in his mouth, smiling as he watched the scene full of youthful vitality in front of him, his eyebrows and eyes gentle.

At that moment, Shiyu, carrying her bag, walked up to him.

"I have to go now," she said succinctly.

"So early?" Yuan Qianye quickly put down his fork, took out a tissue to wipe his mouth, and then picked up his phone to check the time: "It's only a little past seven, it's quite lively there."

Shiyu shook her head: "I've already been very supportive. I only came here today because I had some free time. I have to go to TBS radio later for a radio program about my new book interview. The schedule was booked two weeks ago and I can't cancel it."

"I see. If you have important business to attend to, then there's nothing I can do." Yuan Qianye nodded knowingly and stood up. "Then I'll see you off."

"No need, you stay here and take good care of today's main character and the others. Anyway... we'll be meeting again later tonight, won't we?"

Her gaze drifted meaningfully toward Saeko, who was talking quietly with Kazusa not far away.

Saeko seemed to sense something, looked up, and their eyes met in the air, revealing a knowing smile to each other.

"Then I'll have Uncle Zhangtian drive you there. It's hard to get a taxi at this hour." Yuan Qianye was still a little worried and had already taken out his phone.

"Really, there's no need to go through all that trouble..."

“Alright, listen to me.” Yuan Qianye’s tone was gentle but firm. He had already dialed the number: “Hello, Uncle Zhangtian, could you please drive the car to the store entrance… Yes, take my friend to TBS radio station… Yes, she’ll be out soon.”

Seeing that he had made all the arrangements, Shiyu stopped insisting.

She turned around again and walked toward the main character of tonight's celebration banquet.

Eriri had just put down the microphone when she belted out a song, causing beads of sweat to appear on her forehead and her little face to turn rosy; she was clearly having a great time.

Seeing Shi Yu walking towards her, she subconsciously straightened her back, a hint of wariness flashing in her eyes.

Based on past experience, this fat woman in black stockings is definitely not going to have a nice word to say!

However, to her surprise, Shi Yu stopped in front of her with a... gentle smile on her face.

"Congratulations, Eriri." Utaha's voice was less lazy and sarcastic than usual, and more serious: "A remarkable step. You are indeed talented. Please keep up the good work, future manga artist."

Huh...?!

Eriri was stunned, staring blankly at Shiho who was smiling in front of her, her mind unable to process what was happening for a moment.

Is this...is this really Kasumigaoka Utaha herself? Or is she some twin sister impersonating her?

"Hey, Eriri!" The classmate next to her quietly nudged her with her elbow and whispered a reminder.

The senior student is sincerely congratulating you; your blank stare is so rude!

"Ah! Oh... th... thank you..." Eriri snapped out of her daze, quickly concealing her surprise and forcing a somewhat stiff smile. "I... I'll keep trying..."

"Mm." Shi Yu nodded, her tone returning to its usual calm: "I have something come up today, so please excuse me. I'm glad you invited me today. I hope you have a good time."

"Okay, okay." Eriri waved her hand subconsciously.

"Bye-bye, Shiyu-senpai~" Several girls next to her also said goodbye with smiles.

Once Shiyu's figure disappeared at the door of the private room, several girls immediately gathered around Eriri, lowering their voices and chattering amongst themselves.

　“Eri, didn’t you say that you had a bad relationship with this Kasumigaoka-senpai? You even said that you wouldn’t have invited her if it weren’t for Rikka’s sake… But judging from her attitude just now, that’s not the case at all?”

"Who knows what medicine she took today..." Eriri muttered softly, still somewhat incredulous.

"It must be mutual respect between strong people!" another girl analyzed seriously. "Because Eriri, you won such a prestigious manga award, proving your strength, so Kasumigaoka-senpai, who is very good at studying, feels that you are a worthy peer, and her attitude has naturally changed!"

Would that guy really be that kind of aware?

Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

Eriri didn't believe it at all.

Anyway, this guy is only giving me some face today because of Chiya or Saeko-nee, and he's just saying a few polite words!

"Alright, alright, stop analyzing! The next song is starting, who requested it? Come on, sing it!"

"Me! Me! Me! This song is so good! I'm going to call Rikka over too, that girl just hides over there eating! Her face has gotten noticeably rounder lately, and she's still eating like that!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After Shiyu left, there was an empty seat in the middle of the sofa.

Gen Chiya naturally wriggled over and sat down next to Saeko.

Saeko smiled slightly at him, then put down her drink, stretched her slender body, and stood up: "I've been sitting for a while, I'll go and have some fun with Eriri and the others."

As she spoke, she walked to the other side and reached out to pull up Yukino, who was quiet and seemed to be isolated from the hustle and bustle: "Yukino, let's sing a song together? It's not good to always sit."

"Eh? Me? I'm not very good at it..." Yukino looked embarrassed and tried to politely decline.

"It's okay, just sing whatever you want, having fun is the most important thing." Saeko said without further ado, smiling as she pulled her along and joined the group of girls.

I don't know who requested the song, but as the intro began, it was the classic "Snow Flower".

“Elongated shadows lined up side by side on the asphalt road, as we strolled together in the twilight…” Saeko handed another microphone to Yukino and spoke first.

Her ethereal voice resonated strangely with the song's mood.

Yukino stood stiffly with the microphone in her hand, but under Saeko's encouraging gaze and the influence of the surrounding atmosphere, she eventually began to sing along softly.

Her clear and melodious voice is surprisingly well-suited to the mood of this song.

So, for the time being, only Minamoto Chiya and Kazusa were left on the sofa.

Kazusa does indeed have a special fondness for desserts.

The various dishes and snacks prepared by Yuan's father were so plentiful that the huge celebration cake in the middle was hardly touched, except for some cream that Eriri's classmates scooped out while they were playing around.

At this moment, several empty dessert plates were already placed in front of Kazusa. Judging from the amount, she had probably already eaten more than a sixth of the cake by herself.

Was the child genuinely hungry, or was he trying to mask his slight sense of unease and discomfort in this lively setting by constantly eating?

"Kazusa," Minamoto Chiya called out as he moved closer to her.

Kazusa raised her eyelids and glanced at him, her expression unremarkable. She didn't open her mouth, but simply responded with a nasal "Mmm," without stopping the fork of cake in her hand.

"How have you been lately?" Yuan Qianye started a conversation.

"What do you mean?" Kazusa asked vaguely, then popped another small piece of cake into her mouth.

"In all aspects—studies, physical health, and mood."

"Well, it's the same as always, nothing special," she replied casually.

“I see…” Yuan Qianye nodded, resting his hands on his knees, and cast a gentle glance at the girls singing not far away.

"...Why are you suddenly asking this?" Kazusa was silent for a few seconds, but couldn't help asking again in a stiff tone.

"Of course it's out of concern." Yuan Qianye turned his head, looked at her beautifully sculpted profile, and said frankly.

"..." Kazusa paused for a moment while holding the fork before casually putting the cake into her mouth.

She chewed slowly, but her gaze was somewhat unfocused.

"You really are..." She swallowed the cake and muttered under her breath.