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

Rikka's heart skipped a beat, and the smile on her face froze.

Eriri's expression changed from a relaxed, sunbathing look to one of horror as if she had realized she hadn't applied sunscreen: "Chiya and Saeko-nee can't team up like last time!"

Yukino nodded: "There's a second point. In the Jade Dragon Flag competition, the number of people from each team who can compete on stage has increased from three to five."

Upon hearing this, Eriri and Rikka both fell into complete silence.

The act of peeling green beans in his hands also stopped.

Before Yukino explained the detailed rules of the competition, the two of them had the same thought.

That is, Minamoto Chiya and Busujima Saeko, who, by simply picking up one of their own, once again dominated the field like gods descending to earth, under the same best-of-three system as before.

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

Even if Saeko and Chiya can each guarantee that they get one point without any unexpected events.

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

They had a lot of confidence in Saeko and Chiya, but they had absolutely no confidence in the rest of the Kawara Kendo Club!

Yukino looked at the two silent people, though she was reluctant to directly shatter their confidence in Chiya and Saeko.

But then I thought about it again and realized that knowing now is better than being full of expectations only to be disappointed later.

So Yukino paused for a moment and continued, "And according to the team elimination tournament format, the players from both teams take turns playing until one side is completely wiped out..."

"Wait a minute!" Rikka suddenly stopped Yukino: "What do you mean by 'gauntlet' and 'total annihilation'? Isn't the match a best-of-five series?"

Yukino shook her head: "No, the core of the Jade Dragon Flag competition is that the winner can stay on the field and continue to fight against the opponent's next opponent."

Eriri snapped out of her daze and asked rather urgently, "What if we keep winning?"

"Of course, we will continue to stay on stage to welcome the opponent's third contestant, and so on."

As soon as Yukino finished speaking, Rikka and Eriri both breathed a sigh of relief and simultaneously wiped the sweat from their foreheads and put their hands on their hips, reverting to their usual giggling manner. Their synchronization was off the charts.

"What? Yukino, you scared me."

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

"I told you that neither of them would do something they weren't sure of."

"Since it's a team wipe system similar to the King of Fighters game, it's very simple. Just defeat all five opponents by taking on one, and you can breathe a little easier."

"..."

Yukino was puzzled by the cat face.

Competitive sports are not games. Just participating in a single match is a huge test of physical fitness, let alone one against five... It's not as simple as it sounds.

The two of them were talking happily when they raised their hands together and clasped them in prayer.

They also wanted to bring Yukino along.

Yukino didn't reach out; she was both confused and deeply shocked.

"I know you have a lot of confidence in Chiya and Saeko, but do you really think that in a team competition, they can lead their respective teams to the finals just by relying on their individual abilities?"

"It should be fine, after all, Chiyo is very strong," Rikka said.

"Saeko-nee too, not to mention that she's facing only girls this time, so there shouldn't be any problem for her," Eriri added.

Aren't you guys having way too much faith in those two?

To make them understand the situation, Yukino decided to go straight to the data.

"Last year's Yulongqi competition had nearly 300 teams from universities across the country participating. For the sake of calculation, let's take a lower number and assume there are 256 teams participating this year. If Qianye wants to win the championship, according to Yulongqi's winner-takes-all format, he would need to win eight consecutive rounds to win the championship. And each team has five people."

"Yes, I understand, I understand."

Rikka then reached out and patted Yukino's shoulder, giving her a thumbs-up with her other hand.

"Yukino, it's normal for you to be worried because you haven't seen Chiya and Saeko's match in person and don't know their strength."

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

She witnessed the two men's dashing and agile figures at the competition. They were so dazzling when they won the championship. She will probably never forget that moment.

Eriri is more emotional than Yukino, which gives rise to her strong confidence in the two of them.

Not to mention that when she was young, Yuan Qianye had already acted as a hero, leading her from the dark life of being isolated by her classmates to a brighter and wider world, making her stronger. Looking back on those nightmarish times that haunted her, she can now smile calmly and give the evaluation that it was nothing special.

Yukino found it somewhat unbelievable and tried to explain to her just how difficult the match Chiya was about to face was.

But Eriri simply believed, without any reason, that the hero who had saved her in the past would also naturally and easily achieve the goal she wanted to pursue this time.

This stems from an unwavering, unconditional trust deep within her heart. Even knowing that this competition is not as simple as before, she still sticks to her initial idea and only has eyes for him.

Looking at Rikka and Eriri's expressions, Yukino was surprised to find herself moved by their confident demeanor.

She lost the will to continue recounting how brutal the subsequent Jade Dragon Flag competition was, and even began to reflect on herself.

It is only natural to show support to friends, and even if you are worried, you should keep it to yourself, instead of trying to persuade others and make them understand your thoughts.

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

Her sudden move caught Eriri and Rikka completely off guard.

When the two people behind her asked Yukino why she suddenly thanked them and then apologized, she was shy and kept giving vague answers without giving a clear one.

"You guys, are the green beans ready yet... Tsk, the three of you have been working so hard all this time and you've only peeled this little bit? We're about to make soup." Yuan Qianye, who came over from the kitchen, looked at the fruits of their labor and was quite speechless.

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

"I'll go to the kitchen to help Saeko-nee. You stay here and help peel the green beans."

Without giving Chiyo any time to think or react, Yukino quickly got up, walked past him, and headed towards the kitchen.

Gen Chiyo watched her leave, then turned his head, pointed behind him with his thumb, and looked at Eriri and Rikka, asking, "Her face was all red. What were you two talking about?"

Eriri and Rikka both shook their heads.

"We were just talking about your and Saeko's upcoming competition, and then she suddenly stopped talking."

"They even suddenly thanked us... The sun was shining brightly today, but the temperature wasn't high enough to cause heatstroke."

Yuan Qianye didn't say anything, but glanced towards the kitchen.

Saeko was helping Yukino, who was looking up, tie her apron; the two seemed to be working together quite well.

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.

Fanatical fans are irrational when facing their idols.

After today's casual chat over peeling green beans in the corridor of Busujima's parents' house, Eriri and Rikka have already been silently labeled as the former in Yukino's heart.

As for the latter, it is undoubtedly Minamoto no Chiya.

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

When Yukino was helping Saeko cook in the kitchen, she directly asked Saeko, who was directly involved, for her opinion on the upcoming match.

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

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

This is consistent with her usual mild-mannered demeanor in public.

Yukino gradually discovered something she had never noticed before.

Thinking about it carefully, it seems that Saeko Busujima only occasionally shows a side of herself that she wouldn't normally show when she's with Chiya Minamoto.

They might be mischievous, have a bad sense of humor, or be joking.

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

Well, she is indeed very elegant and approachable.

But I always felt like I was wearing a mask, and there was a vague sense of unreality to it.

Is it just my imagination?

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

The afternoon sun was still shining brightly, and there was no wind, making it perfect for various outdoor activities such as picnics and outings.

Having decided to participate in the Jade Dragon Flag competition, Gen Chiya and Busujima Saeko sparred repeatedly in the sword-fighting dojo, their bamboo swords clashing together with a constant cracking sound.

Saeko was quite surprised. She had thought that after being in quarantine for half a month without touching a bamboo sword and without training for a long time, Minamoto no Chiya's skills should have become rusty.

But the reality was quite different; his movements remained precise, and his reflexes were still astonishing.

Moreover, compared to before, he has made significant progress in strength, greatly increasing his ability to suppress her.

She even had the illusion that Qianye was now strong enough to rival her father, who was in his prime.

The three people on the sidelines.

Eriri and Rikka frequently exclaimed "Oh!" at the two's amazing sparring match and clapped their hands, acting as the atmosphere-setter.

Yukino was deeply shocked by their monstrous physical abilities as she watched the two of them practice continuously for more than an hour without showing any signs of fatigue and still full of energy.

She said that after playing a few tennis matches with her sister, she was already out of breath.

After a few more rounds, you should be able to support your knees with your hands and start using your mouth to assist your breathing.

Of course, it was also related to her sister's mischievous use of her superb ball skills to keep her running around on the court, but ultimately, it was because her own physical fitness was not good enough.

As Yukino watched intently, Rikka gently leaned close to her ear and said, "Am I right? After seeing their performance live, don't you suddenly feel more confident?"

Yukino nodded.

Rikka is right. Watching a kendo match live is definitely more immersive than watching it on TV.

The usually quiet and indifferent Chiya, who seemed uninterested in anything, became incredibly fierce after taking up the bamboo sword. It was as if he had become a completely different person, and his shouts while swinging the sword were also very imposing.

Saeko Busujima is another example. Her transformation from a Yamato Nadeshiko to a cool female swordsman only required a bamboo sword. Once she stepped onto the kendo dojo, all her gentle and lovely image vanished. With her mask on, she faced her "enemy," Chiya Minamoto, with full fighting spirit and an obvious offensive intent.

If I hadn't been wearing protective gear and hadn't been informed beforehand...

It would be entirely believable to say that the two people in front of you are having a life-or-death spar.

At this moment, Yukino suddenly remembered when she was learning Aikido as a child, and how her old coach repeatedly emphasized that when teaching them, they must have a killing intent when facing their opponents on the field!

This is probably the feeling they're projecting right now.