Anime Crossover: My Part-Time Job as a Giant of Light While Studying Abroad in Chiba

Watching the two of them sing and laugh at each other in a ridiculous manner, Duan Zilian mentally ranted and raved.

Just as he was about to say something to stop her, Yukino Yukinoshita spoke first.

"Okay."

A cool voice reached Duan Zilian's ears. Duan Zilian was startled and turned her head to look at the girl beside her.

Yukino Yukinoshita seemed to sense his surprised gaze, and her shoulders trembled slightly.

She glanced quickly at Duan Zilian, then quickly turned her head away.

Yukinoshita picked up her coffee and took a sip. Under the cover of the coffee cup, a charming blush crept up her ears.

“Mr. Kai is right. If humans do not exercise after eating, their brains will become sluggish due to insufficient blood supply.”

Yukino put down her cup, trying her best to keep her voice steady and calm.

"Duan Jun, you probably don't want your brain to become even more hopeless, do you?"

Hearing the girl's still arrogant voice, Duan Zilian's lips twitched, and then she smiled helplessly.

"That's right, then I would appreciate it if the knowledgeable minister could give this academically challenged student some pointers."

…………

"Ding-a-ling—" The wind chimes above the coffee shop rang out in response.

The boy and girl, each with their own little thoughts, walked out of the shop side by side, their shadows stretched long in the midsummer sunlight.

Hibino Mirai and Kurenai Kai watched them leave from the glass window.

"Indeed... it's time to let Duan Jun relax a bit."

With a look of satisfaction in his eyes, he spoke softly.

"Only by balancing work and rest can you unleash your strongest potential! Bonds are a very important thing."

Hong Kai stretched out his arms with a pretentious air, his tone unusually serious for once.

"Alright! Let's start cleaning as Kaisan suggested!"

Wei Lai suddenly turned around, rolled up his sleeves, and his face was full of energy.

"Wipe the tables, wipe the windows, mop the floor, clean the coffee machine—let's open on time tomorrow! Sally, go!"

Just as he was preparing to make a big splash in the future, he noticed that Hong Kai, who had been so full of vigor just moments before, suddenly became stiff in his movements.

"Cough...cough cough!"

Hong Kai suddenly clutched his stomach dramatically, his brows furrowed, as if he were in great pain.

"Well... Mirai, I think I ate my bento too fast just now, and now I suddenly feel a little uncomfortable in my stomach."

As Hong Kai spoke, he made a hasty, slippery move toward the toilet.

"I think I need to go to the bathroom for a two-hour session, probably to contemplate the balance of the universe..."

"Kaisan!!!"

Knowing he was unreliable, she yelled and grabbed the back of Hong Kai's floral shirt by the collar.

"Stop making excuses! Get back to work!!!"

Chapter 224 The Beauty of the Heavenly Valley Tree

My footsteps on the streets of Chiba still felt a little unreal.

Although it lacks the hustle and bustle and extravagance of Tokyo, and the dazzling neon lights.

But this slightly outdated street scene gave Duan Zilian an incredibly comforting sense of belonging.

"Chiba... he repaired it much faster than I expected, it's amazing."

Duan Zilian looked at the buildings around her that had been restored to their former glory and couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

Just over a week ago, this place was still groaning under the scorching heat of Magpieton.

Today, those charred marks have been covered with new tiles and paint, and the city is regenerating with an amazing vitality.

"Because of the successive monster disasters, all buildings now need to be reinforced to withstand earthquakes, and civil engineering has become the most popular major right now."

Yukino walked beside Danzi Rei, and Danzi Rei could even smell the faint fragrance emanating from her.

"Speaking of which... Yukino, you mentioned earlier that you went back to the Makuhari main family. Was it to handle family affairs?"

Duan Zilian asked casually, and Xue Zhixia's steps did indeed pause slightly, a hint of sadness flashing in her eyes.

"Because of the school holiday after the Chiba Monster incident, my mother called us back to our family home to discuss with my father the future plans of the family construction company in terms of post-disaster reconstruction."

"After all... my family is in the architecture and politics business."

Duan Zilian thought to herself, "Wow, isn't this just making a fortune off the war?"

“In name, they were calling my sister and me back, but in reality, most of the time their eyes were only on my older sister. I was just an accessory.”

Yukino gave a self-deprecating twitch at the corner of her mouth.

Upon hearing Yukino say such self-deprecating words, Duanzi Rei paused slightly in her steps.

"Huh? Why..."

That's just how they are.

“My mother raised my older sister as the absolute future heir, imposing the strictest discipline and expectations on her, while she left me to my own devices and ignored me.”

Yukino raised her head and looked up at the cleansed sky over Chiba.

"It's like in that family, my purpose was to highlight my sister's excellence, and my sister... seemed to have tacitly accepted this approach."

“From childhood to adulthood, I’ve always been compared to my perfect older sister, like I’ve always lived in her shadow. So I want to become better, to prove that I’m no worse than my sister, I want to change some things, but…”

Yukino stopped mid-sentence.

In fact, this was a belief she had always held firmly.

However, after the monsters started appearing one after another, she suddenly realized that... her sister seemed to be playing fewer pranks on her.

Even in her eyes, Yukino could always see a kind of restrained protectiveness, concern, and...heartache.

Yukino didn't know what these feelings were, so she could only choose to run away.

Looking at the girl's slightly forlorn profile, Duan Zilian suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

He had thought that the seemingly perfect and rational minister actually harbored such worries and burdens deep down.

But it is precisely this fragile imperfection that makes Duan Zilian feel that she is now one step closer to Yukinoshita.

"Well... how should I put it?"

Duan Zilian scratched his hair in frustration. He knew he wasn't good at handling such delicate emotional issues, but he still decided to pour out all his thoughts.

"I think this can actually be considered a form of indirect protection, right?"

"Protect?" Yukino turned to look at him, somewhat surprised.

"Yeah, that's how it's portrayed in TV dramas and light novels, isn't it? There are so many rules in big families, and families like yours must have a ton of rules and messes."

Duan Zilian clasped her hands together, speaking with the air of someone who had been through it all.

"Your sister seems to have a lot of power and be very successful, but in reality, she may be taking on a lot of disgusting things for you behind your back."

"For example, the pressure from public opinion and the internal power struggles are annoying just thinking about them."

"Maybe she just doesn't want you to get involved with those dirty things, so she deliberately pushes you away. After all, older sisters love their younger sisters, right? Maybe she just wants you to live a happy and free life."

Duan Zilian finished speaking in one breath, then guiltily looked away, awaiting the judgment to come.

"Your statement..."

Yukino lowered her head and murmured something softly, but surprisingly did not refute it. She simply walked quietly, as if savoring the meaning of those words.

Seeing the atmosphere becoming somewhat heavy, Duan Zilian sensed something was wrong and quickly used his best technique: "topic shifting."

"Ah... how about this, let me tell you about some things that happened to me in Tokyo! I also made a group of quirky friends there."

Yukino was taken aback by his abrupt change of direction, but she didn't refuse.

"Mmm." She nodded gently.

……

And so, the two strolled along the tree-lined path in Chiba in the afternoon, passing by Sobu High School, which had been mostly renovated.

The boy, with his hands behind his head, exaggeratedly described to the girl beside him the everyday life behind the thrilling events of Tokyo.

At first, the girl just listened quietly and nodded gently.

"After that, I asked that blond-haired guy, Buggy, to deliver Mr. Pan to you. But I never expected that not long after he ran away, the giant monster crisis broke out in Tokyo."

"That guy who always brags managed to escape unscathed by sheer luck, I guess that's just a case of fools having good fortune."

Duan Zilian said with a smile, but her tone held a deep sense of nostalgia.

"There, I also met a man named Miyamoto Kami."

He stopped and looked at the drifting clouds in the sky, his tone becoming somewhat gentle.

"That man was aloof and taciturn, not good at communicating, and looked like a fierce fellow, but for the sake of justice in his heart, he protected everyone."

"I think he will be able to protect those he cherishes in the days to come, he will."

As she listened quietly, she suddenly remembered the old man with the red bow tie she had met at the seaside park.

As long as he turns around and sees your unharmed, smiling faces again, that's enough for him.

All you need to do is stand here and listen quietly to his clumsy words.

"Heh..." Yukinoshita chuckled softly.

…………

As they walked, the two gradually arrived at a park.

"Where is this..." Duan Zilian was stunned for a moment.

"Is this the location of your first mission in the Service Department, the one where you lost your harmonica? Do you remember?"

"Ah... I remember now, we fed the stray cats here that day, right?"

Duan Zilian smiled and pointed to a bench next to the fountain.

Yukino Yukinoshita did not answer, but walked ahead with her hands behind her back, speaking in a calm tone.

"At the time, I never imagined that Duan Jun, who seemed so terrible, would actually be that kind of person."

"What?! So I was really bad in your eyes back then?"

Duan Zilian suddenly felt that the man's self-esteem had been hit by a thousand points of damage, and hurriedly asked him.

"And now? In the minister's mind, is my evaluation slightly higher now?"

Upon hearing this slightly impatient question, Yukino Yukinoshita stopped and turned around slightly.

Sunlight shone on her delicate face, and a mischievous smile played in her eyes.

"You can try to guess, Duan Jun. If you guess right... I'll tell you."

"Hey, how could anyone possibly guess that..."

Duan Zilian was momentarily stunned by the girl's sudden smile, his face flushed, and he could only awkwardly rub his nose.

……

Just as the two were joking with each other on a park bench, a soccer ball suddenly rolled out of the bushes beside them.

Just as Duanzi Lian and Yukino saw the soccer ball clearly, they saw a person and a dog rushing towards them.

"Sabre! You're running too fast! Wait for me!"

The innocent, childlike voice of the little boy was left behind by a series of cheerful barks from the dogs.

The next second, Sabre, with his brown fur, was the first to brake suddenly, nudging the football with his nose and wagging his tail triumphantly at the little boy.

"Seriously! Sabre, you cheated! You jumped the gun!"

On the other side, the little boy, who arrived late, was panting and complaining. However, because he was running too fast, he couldn't stop and fell flat on his face on the grass, even his little yellow hat flew off.