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

Outside the amusement park gate, Yukino Yukinoshita, ever since she met up with Chiya Minamoto and whispered something in his ear without any hesitation, under the watchful eyes of others.

The two of them suddenly became very close.

Today, the five of them teamed up to play together in the Rift. Regardless of what the other three thought, they had already locked in their lane, and the two of them silently plunged into the bottom lane.

Yukino, Eriri, and Rikka, each with their own thoughts, watched as Chiya went to the store to buy ice cream.

He let Yang Nai choose first, and then distributed the rest to them.

Although it wasn't a big deal, someone had to make the first choice, and the three of them weren't petty enough to fuss over something like this.

But the fact that Chiya and Haruno consciously slowed down and followed behind them afterwards, and the contrast with their usual behavior, made people feel that something was wrong.

When did these two become so close?

However, the reality is not as complicated as they thought.

The reason why Yukino Yukinoshita is here today is not simply because she is looking for fun.

As the eldest daughter of the Yukinoshita family, she is expected to have a bright future, and her schedule is usually very tight, so she doesn't have much free time to run around as she pleases.

If you just want to tease your sister, you can do it anytime at home.

The fact that I specifically took time out of my busy schedule today, especially in such hot weather, is obviously for a specific purpose.

Yuan Qianye had previously asked her to try to find out the specific reason why Toka's emotions were not right.

And now, she has the answer.

However, some things are not suitable to be said directly over the phone.

Moreover, she also wanted to confirm it in front of Yuan Qianye up close.

Whether the guesses that have welled up in my mind are correct is the most important thing today.

As for the younger sister who never takes the initiative and Eriri, that cute little girl, their reactions were just a side effect of the unexpected idea.

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 group of five bought tickets and entered the amusement park.

The staff provided them with a park map, which showed in detail the locations of all the functional areas and rides.

It features family-friendly attractions suitable for all ages, such as a carousel, live puppet shows, a rotating swing, and a sightseeing train.

There are also drop towers, roller coasters, pirate ships, and death swings, which are specially designed for brave warriors to challenge themselves and demonstrate their courage.

Holding the map in her hand, Yukino's entire demeanor changed drastically after entering the amusement park, where Mr. Pan's influence was evident everywhere. Her eyes were filled with gentleness and healing, and she no longer cared much about her sister's ambiguous and flirtatious interactions with her childhood friend.

He took the lead and led everyone to the nearest amusement park attraction, called the Dream Jungle Adventure!

It's really just about taking a slow ride on a small train and going around an indoor space filled with Mr. Pan's dolls.

Almost every adult in line was holding the hand of a child, making this group of five teenagers stand out.

Eriri felt a little embarrassed.

After getting on the bus, she was about to whisper something in Yukino's ear when Yukino, sitting upright with a serious expression, gestured for her to stop her.

"Quiet down, it's about to begin!"

I was also given such a serious and earnest instruction.

This is an amusement park where you can have fun, not a library or a movie theater.

Just how much do you like Mr. Pan?

Unable to speak to Yukino, who was already in a kind of pilgrimage-like state, Eriri reluctantly followed the staff's instructions and fastened her seatbelt.

She glanced back.

Rikka was right behind her, with a little kid sitting next to her. It's hard to say whether Rikka is still a child at heart or if kids these days are just precocious, but the two of them were chatting quite happily about a popular tokusatsu drama that was airing nearby.

Several seats behind them, Chiya and Yono sat together.

Haruno noticed Eriri's gaze and waved to her with a smile.

Eriri smiled politely and then looked away.

Upon closer inspection, Yang Nai is quite beautiful, tall, intelligent, and has a great temperament.

She even put sparkly rhinestones on her fingernails today, which looked shimmering in the sunlight, making her fingers appear light, slender, and beautiful.

And then compare it to yourself?

Today, following my mother's recommendation, I chose a white inner layer paired with a denim overall skirt for my outing. Before leaving, my mother commented that it was quite cute and would definitely make Qianye's eyes light up when we met.

But nothing happened after they met at the amusement park entrance.

It wasn't that she was greedy and wanted Qianye to react with the same exaggerated reaction as her mother to her carefully chosen outfit.

You don't even need polite compliments like "You look great today." Just spending a few more seconds looking at her would be enough.

But even such a small psychological expectation failed to meet expectations.

Ugh……

Eriri's current mood is directly inversely proportional to today's extremely high temperature.

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.

As cheerful announcements sounded, the adorable dream train slowly set off.

Sitting at the very back, Gen Chiya had no interest in the many sights along the way that could make Yukino look adorable; his mind was completely occupied with Toka.

"Now it's about time to tell, isn't it?"

"Really, why are you in such a hurry?"

Honestly, that's why I'm in such a hurry—because I want to do something.

“…Yang Nai-jie, if you continue to maintain this personality, it would be better if you went out around noon in the future.”

"why?"

"Because something bad was bound to happen sooner or later."

"How terrifying!"

Sensing the dissatisfaction in Gen Chiya's words, Yono laughed and drew out the last syllable, completely unconcerned.

But it really worked, so I'll stop keeping you in suspense.

“A few days ago, I specifically asked Shihua to have dinner with me. We chatted for a long time, and I did make some discoveries.”

As Haruno finally got down to business, Chiya Minamoto showed a very attentive expression as he listened intently.

The entire Dream Train was filled with laughter and joy, but the scene was completely different for the two of them.

"I feel like I don't even need to say much, you can already guess what it is, right? It's the reason why Shihua has been so preoccupied lately."

"Ah."

Gen Chiya nodded. After all, he was the one who first noticed something amiss; otherwise, he wouldn't have asked Yang Nai for help.

"She's probably worried about the upcoming match, nervous... or anxious or something."

He shared his guess.

He felt that his idea was correct, but Yang Nai shook his head unexpectedly.

She held up her index finger: "That's just one of the most obvious reasons on the surface."

"How to say?"

"What deeper reason do you think caused her to have this mentality?"

Yang guided her patiently, seemingly wanting Yuan Qianye to deduce the answer herself.

But clearly, because Yang Nai had been dodging the issue since they met and only now got to the point, Yuan Qianye had long lost interest in playing along with her. He now just wanted to skip the foreplay and get to the bottom of things quickly and directly.

Seeing that he was staring at her without saying a word, Yang Nai's eyes, hidden behind her sunglasses, narrowed slightly. At the same time, she slowly pointed her index finger at him, revealing the answer.

Yuan Qianye found it unbelievable: "Me?"

Yang Nai nodded.

"But what does this have to do with me?"

"Although Toka didn't say it explicitly, I think that's the correct way to put it."

As friends, and also standing in the same female perspective, Yang is clearly able to see more clearly through Shika's inner thoughts.

Yuan Qianye was completely bewildered, his mind a jumbled mess, unable to make sense of anything even after knowing the answer.

"Sister Yang Nai, could you please tell me in detail?"

This time, the way he addressed her as "Sister Yang Nai" was clearly much more respectful than before.

They even used polite language in their words.

This guy, who was incredibly arrogant even when he was very young and would launch into long-winded lectures on grand principles, is now so worried about Toka's situation, while simultaneously adopting such a humble attitude...

You two... you can't really be going to each other, can you?

Yang Nai's heart was in his throat.

She is a fun-loving person, but she has no interest in sitting on the sidelines happily watching her friend get caught up in such a complicated situation.

Not to mention the current situation, with his own sister involved.

The relationship, which has been entangled since kindergarten, is like two balls of yarn twisted together into a knot that is impossible to untangle.

"Did Shihua mention at home that she doesn't actually have much confidence in rhythmic gymnastics anymore and has started to have thoughts of giving up?"

"She said that to you?" Yuan Qianye was quite surprised.

From his perspective, Shihua has been actively training at the school gymnasium recently, often leaving early in the morning and not returning home until evening.

He was covered in sweat, looking very enthusiastic, and showed no sign of wanting to give up.

But Yang Nai nodded: "This is what she told me herself. The reason she wanted to give up wasn't because she was tired or because the interpersonal relationships in the club weren't harmonious. She just felt that she didn't have any particularly outstanding talent in this field."

"The match she's currently preparing for..."

"Yes, this could very well be her last competition."

"..."