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

Kazusa was indeed sitting in her usual spot, but tonight she wasn't playing the piano; instead, she was quietly wiping the keys with a dust-free towel.

Hearing footsteps, she glanced back, then turned back to face him expressionlessly, showing no particular reaction to Yuan Qianye's arrival.

Although she didn't show anything particularly obvious, Yuan Qianye could still tell that she was a little unhappy.

After all, he had just experienced a similar situation.

After a few hours of celebration, he finally managed to escape the entanglements of congratulatory and well-wishes from all sides and get to his friends.

Two girls with long, straight black hair, who wished to remain anonymous, had already shown remarkably similar reactions to him.

Why do all of you with long, straight black hair look like this?

Just like a man who feels at ease returning home after a long day at work, Chiya pulled down the collar of his shirt and came to Touma Kazusa's side.

He held the pudding in front of her, and when she stopped wiping the piano keys, he gently shook it closer.

"I brought this back especially for you, since it's your favorite food."

The concept has been slightly altered.

It was indeed brought back on purpose, but it wasn't said who brought it back specifically.

Touma Kazusa, who originally displayed an aloof and unapproachable demeanor like an iceberg, easily melted away much of her outwardly strong but inwardly weak nature.

She took a shallow breath, looked at Yuan Qianye's sincere expression, and finally accepted it.

That's why they say no one knows a daughter better than her mother; the solution she provided was both simple and efficient.

"I'm sorry, I was too busy tonight and didn't have time to entertain you. I asked Rikka to keep you company later, but you had already left by then."

Gen Chiya brought over a high stool and sat down next to Kazusa.

He immediately adopted a humble attitude, apologizing as the host for the evening for any shortcomings in hospitality towards the guests.

He had done something similar twice before, so he was naturally very skilled at it now.

“I understand that you are the focus of the entire event today, and it is impossible for you to be considerate of everyone.”

Kazusa nodded.

They behaved surprisingly well, so there was no need to waste any more words or flattery.

In contrast.

Yuan Qianye recalled those two who spoke coldly and acted pitiful and wronged...

Kazusa can resolve all her dissatisfaction with just one pudding.

The difference in the magnanimity of these three is immediately apparent!

"Come on." Kazusa stood up with the pudding in her hand, making way for her seat in front of the piano.

Yuan Qianye was taken aback: "What's coming?"

"The first round of the piano competition is about to begin. With your mediocre skills, you should definitely make the most of every opportunity to practice."

Half-baked...

Yuan Qianye glanced speechlessly at the clock hanging on the wall: "But it's almost one o'clock now."

Not to mention that he got up very early this morning, spent most of the day competing in the Jade Dragon Flag competition, and then entertained various people afterward.

Both physically and mentally, I am feeling a little tired at this moment.

Even if he has an exceptional physique, he can't keep working like this all the time, right?

Kazusa tilted her head, her expression a mix of regret and disdain: "It's one o'clock, so what? You... can't make it?"

"..."

Alright, alright, you're waiting for me here, huh?

Chiya Minamoto decided to retract her previous assessment of Kazusa; this girl had her own quirky sense of humor and wasn't as innocent as she appeared on the surface.

However, even though it was a very clumsy attempt to provoke me, I actually accepted the challenge!

Come on, I'm not saying it's to prove anything.

I was staying at Dongma's house for the past two days because I was thinking of giving myself a final push to improve before the race.

Gen Chiya sat down at the piano bench, looked at Kazusa beside him, and tilted his head slightly: "If you are sleepy, you can go back to rest anytime."

Kazusa leisurely unwrapped the pudding and touched its bouncy surface with the included spoon: "If you keep bouncing, I'll stay here forever."

"If you stay here, I'll keep playing."

A strange competitive spirit arose.

"..."

Kazusa didn't reply, but she found it amusing and returned a provocative smile.

This time, she was genuinely in a much better mood.

Because no matter what happened before, at least at this moment, he was all alone by his side.

Meanwhile, after taking a shower, Touma Yoko applied body lotion to herself in her room.

After a full body treatment, Meimei was just about to go to sleep.

Still feeling uneasy, he went out of the room to check.

Approaching the practice room, I quietly peeked inside through the door.

It wasn't surprising, really. She saw that at 2 a.m., Yuan Qianye was still practicing the piece that she had helped her choose for the piano, accompanied by her daughter.

Yoko's lips involuntarily curled up, and she couldn't help but marvel at how good the physical fitness of young people was.

She didn't intend to intervene and quietly left again.

It's so good to be young.

Seeing Kazusa is like seeing myself when I was younger.

Let's do it the way they like.

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.

The All-Japan Youth Piano Competition is spearheaded by the All-Japan Piano Association and sponsored by numerous domestic foundations.

The rules of the kendo competitions that He Yuanqianye had participated in before were very different.

This is normal, as these are completely different fields of competition.

One belongs to competitive sports, while the other belongs to music and art.

The overall duration of this piano competition was stretched out considerably.

Thanks to the foresight of Touma Yoko, Minamoto Chiya passed the initial preliminary round of video submission very early on.

The main competition then proceeds to the first round, the semifinals, and the finals.

The three rounds of the competition will take approximately ten days in total.

In fact, according to the normal standards of international competitions, after each round of the competition, the players who have successfully advanced will be given an appropriate rest period.

The timeframe varies, ranging from a few weeks to over a month.

However, this competition is mainly aimed at teenagers, and its popularity and scale are far from reaching the standards of international competitions.

Therefore, many of the rules have been simplified.

This is a good thing for Gen Chiya.

Following closely behind the Yulongqi competition, he will be able to achieve good results in another piano competition after winning a championship.

It is likely that the news media will treat him as a topic of discussion for a long time to come, and will spontaneously carry out extensive reporting and publicity.

Yuan Qianye has indeed enjoyed the benefits that come with the honors and increased fame.

The ability to quickly convert money into cash in a short period of time is truly remarkable.

If you want to achieve a comfortable life through hard work, this is the right path.

Ten flowers... and six more. Just wait a little longer, and you'll all have your own rooms soon.

For example, Eriri came to stay at our house, but there was nowhere for her to sleep, so she had to share a single bed with Rikka.

That night, however, the situation where Rikka, who has terrible sleeping habits, kicked him to the ground will never happen again!

With this rather simple and unpretentious wish in mind, Chiyo Minamoto soon welcomed the All-Japan Youth Piano Competition.

On the day of the first round of the main competition, Chiya Minamoto and Kazusa sat in the back seat, and Yoko Touma personally drove them to the competition venue.

There is a lobby backstage where you can see many young men and women dressed in formal attire, accompanied by their families and friends, looking either nervous or anxious.

The arrival of Gen Chiya and his group drew attention from many people.

But in this situation, almost everyone's focus is not on Gen Chiya, who has been touted in the news media as the "reincarnation of the Sword Saint" in the past two days.

It was none other than the renowned pianist, Yoko Touma!

And then there's Touma Kazusa, a rising star who has swept countless awards in various youth competitions over the years, earning her the nickname "Big Demon King".

Within the domestic youth piano competition circle, although no one mentions it openly, there is a general consensus on this matter.

In any competition that Touma Kazusa participates in, unless she makes a mistake, the championship is hers for sure, and the others can only try their best to win the runner-up or third place.

This demonstrates just how dominant this seemingly cool but actually quite clumsy girl is in the field of piano, despite her complete lack of physical skill and near-falling on the treadmill.

With a smile, Touma Yoko shook hands with the two contestants who had approached her to chat, expressing her encouragement, and then walked through the crowd to the inner part of the area.

She politely declined any further attempts to strike up a conversation with others.

As for Kazusa beside her, she maintained a rather indifferent expression throughout.

Gen Chiyo felt amusement in the mostly hostile gazes emanating from those around him.

It's unclear whether their gazes were simply a display of competitive spirit towards Kazusa, their rival.