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

"Here's the last dessert for you." Yuan Qianye's expression remained unchanged as he brought the dessert box closer.

"No...it's not that I can't eat it now."

"It shouldn't matter much since it's so small."

"...!"

Looking into his eyes at close range, Kazusa even felt she could see her own blushing reflection in his deep, beautiful pupils.

It seemed like only a moment had passed, but the atmosphere suddenly became a little strange.

Kazusa reached out and took it, taking a small bite. It was very sweet, even sweeter than she remembered.

He doesn't seem to be... deliberately teasing me as I previously thought.

He is still... very gentle...

"Eat in small bites. It's almost time. I'll go cook you some porridge."

Yuan Qianye gave a few instructions, then got up and went to the kitchen.

The Dongma family is wealthy; their kitchen is very large, and the rice in the cupboards is divided into several types.

He turned around and asked Kazusa for her opinion: "What kind of rice would you like to drink as porridge?"

Kazusa had already finished the small snack and was quietly wiping her hands with a tissue. This quiet action pleased Chiya.

But the admiring look in his eyes made Kazusa misunderstand something and feel uncomfortable facing him.

"casual."

After her brief period of being a chatterbox ended, she reverted to her usual aloof and arrogant piano prodigy.

But Yuan Qianye still preferred her when she was talking non-stop, because that made her more energetic.

"Then I'll cook you some millet porridge. Millet porridge is good for your stomach."

"Mm." After giving a simple reply, Kazusa, who was beginning to care about Chiyo's opinion of her, added, "Thank you."

"You're welcome. After all, I promised Aunt Yaozi I'd come over tonight. It was just a small favor."

With practiced ease, Yuan Qianye scooped rice into a small pot and gently rinsed it under the tap.

The living room is some distance from the kitchen, so the two of them didn't have to raise their voices when they were sitting together on the sofa earlier.

Kazusa doesn't like to speak loudly, which is related to her personality since childhood. She also doesn't like the feeling of sitting on the sofa and watching him busy for her from afar.

So she wrapped herself in a blanket, took a hot water bottle, and sat down at the long bar counter on the outer side of the kitchen, just like the last time he came.

Today, however, there is no mother; it's just the two of them.

Although I'm still just sitting and watching, the distance has been reduced quite a bit, and the place I'm sitting in now is part of the kitchen.

Whether it's a piano competition or a kendo competition, there are always spectators, so he can also be considered a spectator while he's cooking.

So this can be considered as some degree of involvement!

Kazusa couldn't help but feel proud of her brilliant thinking.

Although Yuan Qianye had his back to her, from God's perspective, he knew that she had come over and could see more clearly the faint smile on her face.

This child is so happy just from eating a small snack and getting some sugar; she's unexpectedly as easy to please as Rikka...

And she has a pretty smile...

After washing the rice, when Gen Chiya turned to the side, the smile on Kazusa's face vanished instantly.

"By the way, what are your plans for Christmas Eve in the past?" Yuan Qianye asked casually, wiping the water stains under the small saucepan with a rag, pretending not to notice anything.

Kazusa thought for a moment and shook her head: "Nothing special. It's basically just the two of us eating together at home. Before she found out she was sick, she liked to drink a lot, so every time she came back she would get drunk, calling it relaxation. Several times she got so drunk that she lost consciousness, and I had to drag her back to her room."

"You've had it tough too..."

"However, there were also some good memories."

"Oh?"

"It happened on Christmas Eve the year before last. My mother was very happy that year because she won a big prize in an international competition. Instead of just staying at home with me like before, she took me to the Sky Deck restaurant on Tokyo Tower for dinner. We could see a beautiful light show outside while we were eating."

After that, we went for a walk in Shiodome. We could see Tokyo Bay in the distance, and the buildings under the night lights were very beautiful. We each bought an apple candy from a roadside stall. The outer coating was very sweet, but the apple inside was very sour. My mother and I threw it away after eating a few bites.

On our way back, we passed an izakaya (Japanese pub) with a piano at the entrance. My mother went up to play and was recognized. A group of people surrounded her, asking for autographs, and she couldn't get away. In the end, a patrolling traffic policeman came to help maintain order so we could finally go home.

The funniest thing was that the traffic police officer who escorted us away seemed to be a fan of my mother's; we even asked her to take a picture together at the tram stop.

As Kazusa recounted the happy moments she had shared with her mother, she became more talkative, and her usually sharp features softened.

Yuan Qianye had already placed the small pot on the stove, but as she spoke, he hesitated to turn on the switch to light it.

The flu isn't too serious in Tokyo right now, only a few cases. If we're careful to wear masks... it should be fine...

After weighing the pros and cons, Gen Chiya asked, "Touma-kun, how are you feeling now?"

"The snack I just ate should be fine; my stomach doesn't hurt anymore."

"Is it okay for you to stand up and walk?"

Kazusa nodded, thinking about her physical condition when she stood up and walked over.

But her nodding motion quickly stopped as she realized the deeper meaning in Yuan Qianye's words.

"You...you're asking this because..."

"Well, if you're alright, shall we go out for a walk together? Let's follow the procedure you just mentioned." Yuan Qianye picked up his phone and glanced at the time: "It's not even seven o'clock yet, we have plenty of time to go out now."

Touma Yoko: [Please be sure to take Kazusa out for a stroll!]

Ok? !

Not only was Touma Kazusa stunned at this moment, but Minamoto Chiya was also stunned by the message that popped up on his phone at this very moment.

No! It's not a coincidence at all.

He immediately scanned the living room ceiling from a god-like perspective and, sure enough, found a camera hidden in the intricately decorated ceiling light!

Ah this...

How bored must this mother be to secretly watch her daughter chatting with others from across the ocean?

Oh, she's locked up in the hotel now and can't even leave... That's alright then.

Kazusa didn't notice Chiya's unusual expression; all she could feel was her heart pounding rapidly in her chest. "But...but...you..."

After hesitating for a long time, he finally said, "...Why did you suddenly say that?"

"Seeing how happy you were when you were talking about that memory, I thought I'd recreate it after two years. Of course, that's on the condition that your health has improved and you can walk on your own without any problems."

"Why……"

"Ok?"

Kazusa mustered her courage: "Why are you so good to me?"

Yuan Qianye was amused by her: "Isn't it good that others are nice to you? Do you want me to give you the cold shoulder or even scold you?"

Kazusa turned to the other side: "That's not what I meant... I meant that no one would be nice to a stranger for no reason."

“This is the second time we’ve met, and we’ve been talking for so long today, how can we be strangers?”

"Aren't we...then we are..."

The courage to speak vanished, and Kazusa's voice gradually grew softer.

Looking into her timid, beautiful eyes, Yuan Qianye couldn't help but chuckle once more, and made the final decision for her: "Of course we're friends, at least I think that's right."

"Friends...does this mean we're friends now?"

“Otherwise,” Yuan Qianye shrugged lightly. “I’m quite curious about the beautiful view from Tokyo Tower that you mentioned, as well as the beautiful buildings under the night lights of Tokyo Bay. If you’re going out, you’d better change your clothes quickly; it’s already seven o’clock.”

"I...I'll be quick!" Kazusa jumped off the chair, the small shawl draped over her body landing directly on the ground. Her bare, white feet, without slippers, thumped loudly on the floor before slowly disappearing into the distance.

Pianists need to be careful to protect their hands, but they also need to pay attention to their feet, since they have to use the piano pedals. Next time I see her doing this, I'll remind her that walking around barefoot is not a good habit.

Chiya was infected by Kazusa's overflowing excitement and became happier herself, and there was indeed a lighthearted atmosphere that should be present during the festival.

He picked up the blanket, still warm from the yarn, and put it back on the sofa.

On her phone, Touma Yoko sent several more messages during this time.

I'll arrange a restaurant for you. Just go to the Tokyo Tower area. Don't worry about the cost; someone will call you to meet up there.

That child never talks about these things with me before. Honestly, I haven't seen her so happy in a long time. I hope you all had a good time tonight.

[Oh, by the way, I didn't mean to peek at you. It's just that Kazusa wasn't feeling well today, and I was really worried about her. Chiyo, you're so sensible, you should understand a mother's concern for her child...]

If I remember correctly, Chiyo, your family doesn't have a car yet, right? Go back and ask your parents what car brands they like...

Does your sister like limited edition bags...?

Oh, and I've never gotten that drunk before. I just thought it was cute how Kazusa took care of me when I was drunk...

Aunt Yaozi, can I say you're really mischievous?

And he truly deserves to be called a world-class pianist; his fingers are so nimble.

The entire screen of text was typed out and sent over in less than a minute, without any typos.

Yuan Qianye remembered that she had just finished eating, so she took out chewing gum from her pocket and put it in her mouth.

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.

Minato Ward, Tokyo.

A VIP room inside a high-end custom kimono shop.

Yukino stared blankly at the Tokyo Tower in the distance through the shop's floor-to-ceiling windows.

It wasn't until her older sister's remark brought her back to her senses: "Wow, the streets are still very lively this Christmas Eve."

Yukino accepted the black tea her sister offered and thanked her.

Yang Nai sat down beside her, watching her younger sister gently blowing on the air, and asked with a smile, "What's wrong? You look like you have something on your mind."

"It's not really a worry, I just happened to be thinking about some things."

"Isn't this still the same thing?"