In the anime, who is not a childhood sweetheart?

Gen Chiye and Busujima Saeko, who had already decided to participate in the Jade Dragon Flag tournament, were sparring repeatedly in the kendo field, their bamboo swords colliding with each other with a constant snapping sound.

Saeko was very surprised. She had thought that Gen Qianye had not touched the bamboo sword for half a month in isolation, and his skills should have become a little rusty after a long period of no training.

But the reality is completely different. His movements are still standard and his reaction is still amazing.

Moreover, compared to before, he has made more significant progress in strength, and his ability to suppress her has been greatly enhanced.

She even had the illusion that Qian Ye could now rival her father, who was in his prime, in terms of strength.

Three people on the sidelines.

Eriri and Rikka would exclaim "Oh" from time to time at the wonderful competition between the two, and clapped their hands from time to time, acting as the atmosphere group.

Xueno watched as the two of them continued to spar for over an hour without any signs of fatigue and remained energetic, and was deeply shocked by their monstrous physical fitness.

As for her, she started to feel out of breath after playing a few games of tennis with her sister.

After a few more rounds, it’s time to put your hands on your knees and start breathing with your mouth assisted.

Of course, that was also related to her sister's malicious use of superb ball skills that drove her to run around the court, but in the final analysis, it was because her own physical fitness was not good enough.

As Yukino stared intently, Rikka whispered in her ear, "I'm right, aren't I? After seeing their performance live, you suddenly feel more confident."

Yukino nodded.

Rikka was right. Watching a kendo match live was much more intuitive than watching a TV broadcast.

Qian Ye, who usually seemed quiet and nonchalant and had little interest in anything, could appear so vigorous after picking up the bamboo sword. It was like he was a completely different person. The loud shouts he made while swinging the sword were also very powerful.

The same goes for Busujima Saeko. All she needed to transform from a Yamato Nadeshiko into a handsome female swordsman was a bamboo sword. Once she entered the kendo field, she no longer had any gentle and lovely image. With the mask on, she faced the "enemy" Minamoto Chiye with full fighting spirit, and her determination to attack was so obvious.

If he hadn't been wearing protective gear and hadn't known about it in advance.

It is quite believable to say that the two people before us are engaging in a life-and-death duel.

At this moment, Yukino suddenly thought of her childhood when she was learning Aikido. The experienced coach repeatedly emphasized to them that when facing the enemy on the field, they must have murderous intent, murderous intent!

This is probably the feeling they are presenting now.

When it comes to kendo, it all depends on the efforts of Gen Chiye and Busujima Saeko. The best others can do is to help and cheer them on from the sidelines.

That afternoon, Xue Noi faced Yuan Qianye, who was suddenly about to participate in the Yulong Flag Competition. She was thinking about the meaningful words her sister said to her before leaving, but in the end she still couldn't find a chance to talk to him alone.

But it doesn’t matter, there’s still a cell phone.

In the past, we just said whatever we wanted to say, and we didn’t care much about each other. But now, as we grow older day by day, we are getting taller and taller, and we understand more and more things.

I thought that the lost innocence could be replaced and supplemented by some better existence, but in the end that was just wishful thinking. Some things are lost and there is no follow-up in the form of any compensation.

Unless you work hard on your own.

Yukino's fingers were fixed on the sending interface of the half-formed message, and she sighed softly.

This was not the first time she had clearly sensed this unpleasant feeling.

For some reason, the scene of the fierce confrontation between Busujima Saeko and Minamoto Chiya in the sword training field today flashed through my mind.

Then, the two people who were just attacking each other turned around and sat aside with all their anger gone. Although their foreheads and necks were covered with sweat, they still talked to each other and laughed heartily.

Yukino tapped the screen hard with her thumb, deleting the words she had entered one by one.

I glanced at the time in the upper right corner of my phone. It was a little after eight in the evening, which didn’t seem too late.

Finally, I mustered up the courage and took the initiative to call that person.

"Hey……"

----

"Hey, Yukino."

Yuan Qianye's voice came clearly.

It was answered in seconds. It was answered in seconds!

This caught Yukino off guard as she was still trying to figure out what to say during the call.

But after thinking about it carefully, it is not surprising. In this era, short videos are very popular.

It is normal to hold your phone in the quiet moments before going to bed and watch some short and quick videos that may be relaxing, funny, or posing to relax your tense nerves after preparing for the whole day.

After all, they are childhood sweethearts with the longest seniority. Yukino won't be afraid of the stage before a battle. She is not Eriri.

"Good evening, I hope I didn't disturb you."

"Don't bother me, just talk."

Xueno vaguely felt that there seemed to be an echo of Yuan Qianye's words. After a few clicking sounds, there was also a strange rustling sound.

But she didn't pay too much attention to it, just thinking it was just environmental noise from his side.

She remembered her sister's words and took a deep breath to make her next words sound natural.

"I didn't ask much at Saeko-san's house today, but you participated in the Jade Dragon Flag Competition. Did that mean you've clarified your future path?"

"No," the young man replied immediately. He felt that Saeko had already seen through it, so it was okay to tell Yukino: "I'm just poor and need money, that's all."

"?"

Although she did get the answer she wanted, the content of his answer was so straightforward and without any concealment, which was something Yukino never expected.

She knew that due to the recent flu, the income of various physical businesses had dropped significantly.

But has the Yuan family's current financial situation become so bad that even Qian Ye, a student, has to worry about his livelihood?

Xueno felt sad for her childhood friend, but she also felt a little fortunate at this moment. The image of her sister, whom she had always regarded as a target of pursuit and competitor, suddenly became much more familiar in her mind.

After all, if her sister hadn't reminded her, she might still not know the predicament he is facing.

And now, she could find a way to formally extend a helping hand to him.

Just like what he did to himself, to Eriri, and to many others when they were little.

Do what you can do first, and other things that she cannot do with her current ability.

Just like my sister said, maybe I can ask my mother for help and listen to her advice.

"If you don't mind, could you tell me more about it?"

Yukino is essentially a very gentle girl, but her cold expression that keeps people at a distance makes people mistakenly think that she is a person with a cold personality.

This is a bit like a shellfish. Once you get past the solid outer layer of defense, you'll find that its interior is very soft.

The same is true when she speaks now. She takes care of the inner self-esteem of teenagers of this age, and her voice is as soft as a cloud.

Yuan Qianye's response was: "What did you say? Sorry, I was washing my hair and didn't hear clearly."

"..."

So the strange sound I noticed before was the sound of him scratching his head after squeezing out shampoo.

Yukino maintained her composure, trying not to imagine his posture in the bathroom, nor did she ask him why he could answer the phone while taking a shower. There were more important things at the moment.

She repeated what she had just said.

Yuan Qianye heard it clearly this time, but he didn't quite understand: "What exactly did you say?"

"It's about... the specific difficulties you are facing now."

"I don't have any difficulties."

"But you just said that you...seemed to be having some financial problems."

I originally wanted to say the same thing as Yuan Qianye, "lack of money".

But Xue Noi reacted and chose a statement that was more considerate of the other person's feelings.

"You can tell me anything. We are friends. I am willing... I, I want to help you."

After saying this, Yukino held the phone with both hands.

She held her breath, waiting for the other party's response.

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment: "Wait a moment."

"Ah."

"呲-"

There was a clear sound of water coming from Yukino's microphone.

She had been to Yuan's house to disturb him and had also used his bathroom, so she knew the layout of his bathroom.

Although I repeatedly told myself not to think too much, the image of him sitting on a small wooden stool, holding the shower head and washing my hair, white foam slowly sliding down his broad shoulders and strong arms...

Yuan Qianye pulled up his bangs, shook off the water droplets on his hands, and took the phone that was on speakerphone beside him.

"Yukino, you must have misunderstood something. When I said we were short of money, I meant we needed to move into a new house. We have no problems with our current life. The clothes Rikka wore when she went out today were new clothes she just bought."

"..."

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

Yuan Qianye called Xue No's name again, and then she responded.

"But why did you suddenly want to move house?"

"Before, it didn't matter to me and my father alone, but now that he's remarried and has Juuka and Rikka, with so many people, our small home is already a bit crowded."

Speaking of this, Yuan Qianye thought of Xue Noi's cautious voice just now and couldn't help laughing.

"Did you just think that my family's financial situation is worrying and even I have to worry about making a living?"

It cannot be said that the guess is inaccurate, it can only be said that it is completely consistent.

Yukino's voice suddenly turned cold: "So what? It's only natural that if you don't explain yourself clearly, it will cause misunderstandings."

I'm used to using the tactical armor of cold words to disguise myself and try to cover up something. It's been a long time since I last did that.

"But I'm still very happy. After all, this means that even if I really go bankrupt and can't afford to eat, I don't have to worry about it. At least I still have a friend who is willing to help me."

Although it was a small mistake, Yuan Qianye still sincerely thanked Xue No for saying these words and showing his attitude.

"Thank you, Yukino."

"No, there's no need to thank me so formally. I didn't do anything in the first place."

The light blue bed sheet was wrinkled due to the curling of the girl's pink toes.

"Okay, you... I'm glad you're okay. I won't tell you anymore."

"Ah."

call--

After hanging up the phone, Yukino breathed a sigh of relief, as if she had finally crossed the finish line in a long-distance race.

She touched her face and could clearly feel the overheating temperature on her fingertips.

Is this the first time in her life that she sought to take the initiative but unexpectedly suffered an accident?

In the end, it seemed that I couldn't help him at all.

But according to my sister's theory, isn't it enough to express concern at this time?

"Buzz."

The phone suddenly vibrated.

Someone sent a message.

[Oh, I forgot to mention that the cardigan you're wearing today looks great with the solid-colored dress. It really suits you.]

Yukino froze after reading this message.

It was just a simple compliment, but it caused her heart rate, which had finally calmed down, to soar to its peak again.

He is... He is really...

----

Touma Yoko, in her early thirties, is a pianist and a single mother.

The most important person in her life is undoubtedly her daughter, Touma Kazusa.