In the anime, who is not a childhood sweetheart?

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090: Auntie, please have some tea (8500) (12)

It's approaching noon.

Busujima Saeko went to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

Yuan Qianye wanted to talk to her alone about something, so he offered to help her.

Eriri and Rikka also wanted to help, but Busujima Saeko, who understood Minamoto Chiya's thoughts, assigned them another task.

So the two of them took a trash can and a clean basin to the outer corridor of the restaurant next to the kitchen, and helped peel the green beans while basking in the sun.

Both of them were wearing white socks today. Rikka's socks were white over-the-knee socks that were gathered to the sides of the sock opening above the knee, and a cute dog head print could be vaguely seen.

Ying Lili is wearing lace stockings with complex fluffy folds at the sock opening. The socks are also translucent, and the delicate soles of her feet can be vaguely seen under the socks.

The two people's little feet were swaying on the outside of the corridor, and they looked even more dazzling under the sunlight.

As for Yukino, since she could see that the two of them obviously had something they wanted to say to each other alone, she didn't want to make herself bored, so she quietly came to Eriri and Rikka and helped them peel the beans.

Ying Lili obviously noticed that her best friend was in a bad mood. She had been smiling calmly on the way here, and would occasionally bring up topics to chat with her. Why did she suddenly look so worried when she got here?

With this doubt and confusion, Eriri asked cautiously: "Yukino, are you okay?"

Yukino forced a smile back at her worried friend, "Why do you ask that all of a sudden?"

"Look at you, you look so worried, it's obvious that something is on your mind."

Eriri said this, and Rikka also noticed something: "Yukino, you are not still worried about Saeko-nee and Chiya participating in the competition, right?"

Yukino breathed out softly.

By accident, it turned out that Ruka was right.

There was nothing wrong with admitting this, she nodded.

When Eriri realized that Yukino was worried about this, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief and showed a relaxed expression, as if saying, "What? So that's all."

She narrowed her eyes and smiled, the canine fangs on the left side of her mouth protruding into a small, pointed shape, looking quite adorable. "Don't worry, Qianye and Sister Saeko just acted so confident. They were clearly certain of their own abilities, as if they were certain of victory. Let's not worry about them."

"That's right, they're definitely going to be like they were in the previous match, cooperating perfectly and dispatching all opponents cleanly and efficiently. Finally, they'll both win the championship medal and become the hottest topic on the sports news channels once again!"

Rikka has already made up her mind. If her Onii-chan wins the championship again this time, she will set up an official account for him online and manage it herself on a daily basis.

During the period when Qianye won the national junior high school kendo championship, his family received letters every day from people all over the country expressing praise or wanting to make friends.

When he won the championship again this time, he successfully signed a contract with the company and became a well-known spokesperson, and his influence expanded again.

Then he will definitely have more fans by then. When the time comes, she will raise her arms and call for help as Qianye Yimoduo, and there will surely be countless responses. She will be able to gather a fan club for him in minutes!

This way, when he plays in the next game, he won't have to rely on a few of them to cheer him on until his voice is hoarse, as he did before.

If a whole fan club comes on stage and everyone cheers for him, they can definitely blow the ceiling of the stadium off!

Rikka was still immersed in the fact that her own Onii-chan was about to win the championship and she would become the leader of her fan club and manage a group of people, so she was laughing foolishly.

But Yukino poured a bucket of cold water on them mercilessly: "Although I also believe in their abilities, considering the reality, I'm afraid that their subsequent competitions will not be so smooth."

From what Rikka had just said, Yukino understood why Eriri and Rikka were so confident in Saeko and Chiya. She explained the situation directly, "The rules of this Kendo Jade Dragon Flag competition are completely different from the national competitions they've participated in before."

As expected, Eriri and Rikka both quieted down and looked like they were listening attentively.

Just now, everyone was mainly discussing the fact that the two of them were going to participate in the competition.

Except for Yukino's initial doubts, she learned from Saeko that this was a competition that both high school and junior high school students could participate.

The two of them were completely unaware of some other more detailed rules.

The origin of the Yulongqi competition, the cultural heritage it inherits, the significance of its holding, its importance in the field of kendo, comparable to baseball in Koshien... blah blah...

Yukino deliberately omitted these aspects because she knew that Eriri and Rikka probably had no interest in hearing them.

So she only talked about the key points: "First and foremost, although the Yulong Banner competition is still a team system, it is divided into men's and women's groups. The men's and women's competitions are held separately and do not interfere with each other. Do you understand what this means?"

Rika's heartbeat slowed down a beat and the smile on her face froze.

Eriri's expression suddenly changed from the peaceful expression of lazily basking in the sun to a look of horror, as if she had just realized she hadn't put on sunscreen. "Chiya and Saeko-nee can't team up like last time!"

Xue No nodded and said, "And the second point is that for the Jade Dragon Flag competition, the number of players on each team will be increased from three to five."

After these words were spoken, Eriri and Rikka fell into complete silence.

He also stopped peeling green beans.

Before Yukino started explaining the detailed rules of the competition, the two of them had the same thoughts in their minds.

They were Minamoto Chiye and Busujima Saeko. They just picked up someone else and, just like before, under the best-of-three system, they once again slaughtered everyone like gods.

But now, with the men's and women's groups competing separately, not only can they not be in the same team, they have even become five people.

In this way, even if Saeko and Qianye can each ensure that they get a point without any accident.

But in a best-of-five format, how do you get the other two points?

They have great confidence in Saeko and Chiye, but they have no confidence at all in the other people in the Kawanan Kendo Club!

Yukino looked at the two silent people, and although she felt a little reluctant to directly shatter their confidence in Chiya and Saeko.

But on second thought, I felt that knowing it now is enough to be mentally prepared, and it is definitely better than having high expectations but having them dashed in an instant.

So Xue Nai paused and continued, "According to the team round-robin format, the players from both teams will take the field in turn until one team is completely wiped out..."

"Wait!" Rikka suddenly stopped Yukino. "What do you mean by round-robin and total elimination? Isn't the match a best-of-five format?"

Xue No shook her head: "No, the core point of the Jade Dragon Flag competition is that the winner can stay on the field and continue to fight against the next player from the other side."

Eriri suddenly came back to her senses and asked anxiously, "What if we continue to win?"

"Of course, I will still stay on stage to greet the opponent's third contestant, and the same will be true for the future."

As soon as Yukino finished saying this, Rikka and Eriri breathed a sigh of relief at the same time, and simultaneously wiped the sweat from their foreheads and put their hands on their hips, and became giggly again. The two of them were in sync with each other.

"What? Yukino, you scared me."

"This rule should have been told to us from the beginning."

"I said that the two of them would not do anything that was not sure."

"Since it's a team-wipe system similar to the King of Fighters game, it's pretty easy. Just go one-on-five and defeat all of them. I can breathe a sigh of relief."

"..."

Yukino was puzzled by the cat face.

Competitive sports are not games. Just participating in a match is a huge test of physical fitness, and one against five... this is not as easy as it sounds.

As the two of them were talking, they were quite happy and raised their hands to each other and clasped them together.

They also wanted to drag Yukino along.

Xue No didn't reach out, she was confused and shocked.

"I know you have great confidence in Qianye and Saeko-nee, but you really don't think that they can lead their respective teams to the finals in the team competition just by relying on their individual abilities, right?"

"It should be fine. After all, Qianye is very strong." Liuhua said.

"The same goes for Saeko-sister, not to mention that the opponents she's competing against this time are all girls, so there shouldn't be any problem." Eriri continued.

Aren't you too confident in these two people?

In order to make them understand the situation, Xueno planned to directly upload the data.

"Last year, nearly three hundred teams from universities across the country participated in the Yulong Banner competition. For ease of calculation, let's round down and assume there are two hundred and fifty-six teams participating this year. If Qianye wants to win the championship, according to the Yulong Banner's winner-advances-loseout format, he'll have to win eight rounds in a row to claim the title, and a team consists of five people."

"Yeah, I understand, I understand."

At this time, Rikka reached out and patted Yukino's shoulder, and gave a thumbs-up with her other hand.

"Yukino, since you haven't seen Chiya and Saeko-nee's match in person, you don't understand their strengths, so it's normal for you to be worried."

Eriri also nodded vigorously: "But please trust them. No matter if they are high school students or how many people there are, I believe they will not lose!"

She had also witnessed the two men's handsome and graceful figures at the competition. They were so dazzling when they won the championship. She would probably never forget that scene.

Eriri is more emotional than Yukino, and because of this, she has a strong confidence in both of them.

Not to mention that when she was young, Yuan Qianye had already been a hero who brought her from the dark life of being isolated by other classmates to a brighter and wider world, making her stronger. Looking back on the nightmare times that had haunted her in the past, she could now smile calmly and give such an evaluation.

Xueno found it a little unbelievable and tried to explain to her how difficult the competition Qianye was about to face was.

But Eriri had no reason to believe that the hero who saved her in the past would naturally achieve the goal she wanted to pursue this time.

This was the unshakable and unconditional trust that came from deep within her heart. Even though she knew this competition was not as easy as before, she still insisted on her original idea and only had eyes for him.

Looking at the expressions of Rikka and Eriri, Yukino was surprised that she was also moved by their confident performance.

She lost the urge to continue talking about how cruel the Yulong Flag Competition was, and even began to reflect on herself.

It is natural to express support for friends. Even if you are worried, you should keep it to yourself instead of trying to convince others and make them understand your ideas like you are doing now.

So the next moment, after reflecting on her thoughts, Yukino suddenly spoke solemnly and formally to Rikka and Eriri: "Thank you, and... I'm sorry, I said too much."

Her sudden action actually made it difficult for Eriri and Rikka to deal with the situation.

The two people behind asked Yukino why she suddenly thanked and apologized. She was shy and kept being vague without giving a clear answer.

"You guys, are the green beans ready? ... Tsk, the three of you have been busy peeling only a few until now, and we have to make soup soon." Yuan Qianye came from the kitchen and looked at the fruits of the labor of these three people, speechless.

However, his appearance gave Yukino an opportunity to escape from here.

"I'll go help Saeko-san in the kitchen. You stay here and help shell the green beans."

Without giving Yuan Qianye any time to think or react, Xueno quickly stood up and walked past him towards the kitchen.

Yuan Qianye watched her leave, then turned his head, pointed his thumb behind him, looked at Eriri and Rikka and asked, "She's blushing, what were you talking about just now?"

Eriri and Rikka shook their heads at the same time.

"We were just chatting about your upcoming match with Saeko-san, and then she suddenly stopped talking."

"He even thanked us out of the blue... The sun is shining brightly today, but the temperature isn't too high, so you won't get a heat stroke."

Yuan Qianye said nothing and glanced towards the kitchen.

Saeko was helping Yukino tie her apron as she looked up, and the two of them seemed to be working well together.

----

Fanatical fans are irrational when facing their idols.

After today's casual chat while peeling green beans with Busujima in the main corridor, Yukino had silently labeled Eriri and Rikka as the former in her heart.

As for the latter, it is undoubtedly Yuan Qianye.

Although Yukino was unexpectedly persuaded by Eriri and Rikka during the conversation, she still had the necessary worries, she just didn't say them out loud.

While helping Saeko cook in the kitchen, Yukino also directly asked Saeko what she thought about the upcoming competition.

Saeko's answer was appropriate, and she didn't sound contemptuous or arrogant like she did when she was with Minamoto Chiye before.

The core message of his answer can be summarized in six words: "Do your best and leave the rest to fate."

This is consistent with the gentle demeanor she has always displayed to the outside world.

Xueno also gradually discovered something she had never discovered before.

When I think about it carefully, it seems that Busujima Saeko only occasionally shows a side of her that she doesn't usually show when she is with Minamoto Chiya.

Either naughty, or funny, or joking.

Her attitude towards the outside world when he was not around.

How should I put it, she is indeed very elegant and approachable.

But I always feel like I'm wearing a mask, and there's a vague sense of unreality.

Is it my own illusion?

After a delicious lunch, everyone thanked Saeko for her hospitality.

The afternoon sun is still very good and there is no wind, which is suitable for outings and other outdoor activities.