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

However, there are always people better than you. Although there were rankings in this competition, they were not as satisfactory as the previous individual clubs and ball exercises champion and runner-up.

Shihua only won the runner-up in the individual clubbing event and a Best Newcomer Award, which was more of a consolation prize than an honor.

On the way home, at Chiya's prompting, Rikka kept happily congratulating her older sister.

Even though the family's cheerful one tried her best, she couldn't improve the dejected mood on Shihua's face.

After dinner, she said she wanted to clear her head, so she grabbed her phone and went out.

Yuan Qianye naturally wouldn't let a girl like her leave the house alone late at night, so he followed her from a distance.

…………

Finally, I'm on vacation! I'm free from the misery of working overtime!

I saw that Hedgehog Cat is having an event.

Just three chapters short of paying off the previous bounty.

So let's open another bounty, this time for a longer period, ending at midnight on February 9th when the event ends.

The rules for extra chapters remain the same—

(Each update is 2000 words)

One extra chapter for every 200 monthly votes.

200 blades plus one more.

One extra chapter for every 2000 recommendation votes.

An extra chapter will be added for every 20000 donations.

The Golden Treasure Chest (a happy ending for all), plus ten more chapters, and an additional 10,000-word extra chapter with a separate storyline, the plot of which can be specified by the generous donor (the kind that can be written).

These are the current results.

I hope everyone will take good care of me. Thank you all during my nap!

I also wish everyone a prosperous and successful new year, long life, and eternal awesomeness!

070: The thing I was worried about still happened.

The streets of Tokyo were still bustling at 8 p.m.

The signs of various shops shimmered with colorful lights under the night sky, office workers put their arms around each other and lifted the curtains of izakayas, and the sound of pachinko from pachinko parlors never stopped, day or night.

Takanashi Touka was immersed in her own melancholy world, ignoring the hustle and bustle outside, and quietly walked along the sidewalk to the park she was used to.

Apart from the occasional passing vehicles and nocturnal birds, there are no other noises in the park.

This is a place where she can truly relax.

She walked into the park with her head down, looking at the footprints left on the stones under the dim streetlights.

He didn't pay attention to the obvious footsteps behind him and let him approach from behind.

"Don't go to places like this late at night. What if you run into bad guys?"

A familiar voice, a familiar tone.

Shihua continued walking slowly forward, her hands behind her back, smiling. It was quite amazing.

When she left the house, she wondered if he would come along with her.

When her guess came true, she suddenly felt much better for some reason.

Even though Rikka tried so hard to coax herself before, it was no use.

“If you weren’t following behind me, I wouldn’t have gone to a place like this.”

The little bird, Toshika, smiled and didn't continue deeper into the park.

Yuan Qianye feigned surprise: "You actually found out?"

"It would be hard not to discover it."

Shihua sat down on a bench on the beach where children often came to play during the day.

Seeing her clap her hands to indicate that she should sit down as well, Yuan Qianye thought for a moment and then did nothing more. He simply took a fallen leaf from the table and then sat down next to her.

Just as he was about to say something, Toka, as if she had expected it, looked up at the stars in the night sky and said, "Don't try to coax me. The more you do that, the more of a failure I'll feel."

This immediately choked off what Yuan Qianye was about to say.

He knew that Shika was calm and strong-willed. Even if others ignored her disappointment, she would probably be able to process it on her own after a period of quiet solitude and readjust her mood.

But he couldn't possibly do what she said.

Previously, it was because Rikka, who was by her side, was still young, and Junko's mother was busy with work, which forced her to develop this habit of healing alone in such an environment.

But things are different now. Now she's part of our family. Now that we're all under the same roof, we'll all have to take care of each other. How could we possibly let her heal alone any longer? That would be too lonely.

"Don't worry, I won't say anything useless. But since I'm your bodyguard now, could you spend some time with me after you've finished watching the stars? Anyway, the competition is over, so you should have plenty of free time now."

The boy's voice was clear and magnetic, and under the moonlight, it presented a reassuring tranquility.

Because we've been spending so much time together, we've gradually overlooked how handsome this guy is...

Shihua turned her head to look at him and nodded.

Later that evening, Chiya Minamoto left the park with Toka.

While waiting for the traffic light to change, he took out his phone.

Shihua glanced at him intently; he was searching for the keywords "movie".

So, is he trying to take me to the movies to dispel my bad mood?

He's so good at sweet-talking people at such a young age... No wonder Eriri, Riha, and the others like to stick to him so much.

Shihua couldn't help but mutter to herself.

But contrary to what she expected, the place that Gen Chiya ultimately took her to was indeed a movie theater.

But it's not a movie theater; it's a private cinema.

Although both places are primarily for watching movies, they are vastly different.

Putting aside other considerations, one is an indisputable public space, while the other is relatively private.

Once the room is closed and the safety belt is fastened, no one will know what happens inside.

Now that Shihua is in high school, she has heard from her friends about which classmates are having sex in hotels and restaurants.

Therefore, when she saw Yuan Qianye checking in at the front desk of the private cinema, she couldn't help but feel her face burning.

However, once she got to the room, she calmed down a bit.

The rooms in this private cinema are decorated in a pink, cartoonish style. A TV and DVD player are standard, along with a long sofa and a hanging basket suspended from the ceiling by an iron chain.

The most important point is that there was no bed in sight.

Shihua breathed a sigh of relief, but then realized she had been overthinking things and angrily scolded herself several times in her mind.

“If we go to the cinema, there might be people talking or walking around, and we can’t just choose which movie to watch. So I chose this place. I’ll call home later and tell you we’ll be back later. You didn’t eat much for dinner, so if you’re hungry we can just order takeout. Let’s not think about anything today and just relax.”

Yuan Qianye had arranged everything, so Shihua didn't need to think about anything else; she just needed to follow his instructions.

This feeling of being taken care of... inexplicably reminded her of the time when her parents had an accident and were not at home. Although she did not show it on the surface, she was actually quite anxious and uneasy inside.

At that time, it was Yuan Qianye who stepped forward, becoming the pillar of the family like a real man, taking away all the pressure on her shoulders, and using practical actions to completely solve the problem of insufficient savings in the family, allowing her to truly put her mind at ease.

That feeling is something to cherish.

And now, it's back again.

"You seem familiar. You used to bring Eriri and the others here often, right?" Toka pretended to be calm as she sat in the hanging basket. As she gently swayed, her slippers fell off her toes, revealing clean white socks.

At this moment, Yuan Qianye was squatting in front of the TV, turning it on and checking what movies were in the DVD cabinet: "No, I've never been to a place like this with them before. This is my first time coming with you, Shihua-jie."

first……

The toes, encased in white socks, curled slightly.

Shihua suddenly didn't want to continue chatting with her sworn brother in this small, enclosed space.

She got up from the hanging basket and squatted down next to Yuan Qianye to choose a movie, eager to get the TV to play something and make some sound.

So she randomly picked out a disc and said, "Let's watch this one."

When Yuan Qianye took it, he saw that it was a well-received classic film, "Léon: The Professional," directed by Luc Besson.

Although he had seen the film before, seeing that Shika was interested in it, he didn't mind watching it again with her.

They put the disc into the DVD player and sat back on the sofa.

The private cinema offers a fantastic viewing experience, with excellent sound and crystal clarity providing the best possible cinematic experience.

Midway through the meal, a waiter brought over the juice and fruit platter that Chiya had ordered.

Shihua, who was initially restless and lost in thought, gradually became immersed in the movie's plot.

The heartwarming bond between a helpless little girl and a silent killer, from their first encounter to their growing acquaintance and eventual companionship, brings a smile to her face.

But in the end, when she saw that the male protagonist had tried everything but couldn't escape, and could only sacrifice himself to save the female protagonist, the story ended so tragically.

She stared at the film's credits and fell into a long silence.

Yuan Qianye didn't feel anything about it. He wasn't so easily empathized with the movie, partly because he had seen it before and was already mentally prepared.

However, the way Shika, who was standing next to him, was looking unhappy and sullen was actually quite cute to him.

We never usually see her express emotions so clearly.

"How about we watch a comedy next?" Yuan Qianye suggested after thinking for a moment.

Using comedy to alleviate the gloomy mood left by the disappointing movie is a good idea.