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

After the first few steps, I could feel the soles of my shoes pressing against something soft and of unknown origin.

In addition, a faint, mixed aroma of sandalwood, green tea, and flowers filled my nasal cavity. This fragrance was refreshing and invigorating.

Soon, Yuan Qianye stopped and spoke gently.

"Alright, Toka, you can open your eyes now."

Shika slowly opened her eyes, and the next moment her pupils dilated slightly because of the scene before her.

Countless warm yellow LED strings twinkled and shimmered like starlight, outlining a warm halo on the wall, like the Milky Way.

A few scented candles flickered quietly in a safe corner, illuminating the pink petals scattered on the ground.

On the marble table directly in front, a metal sign sits quietly.

【Chef—Tsukika Takanashi.】

Behind the bar is a complete set of commercial electrical appliances, so new that there is no sign of use.

At this moment, Shika realized what was happening. It felt as if her heart was being gently grasped by a warm hand, and a bittersweet warmth unexpectedly surged into her nose and eyes.

"Qianye, you..."

The man beside her, for once, had a rare glint of anticipation and nervousness in his eyes.

The scene from the day he confessed his love at the seaside hotel was playing out again at this moment. He slowly knelt down on one knee in front of her, under her gaze.

He presented the bouquet of red roses, a symbol of his burning love, with both hands.

"I'm not a romantic person, but I want to give you the best I can think of, and I hope you like it."

A very simple sentence, yet it was like a precise key that instantly unlocked Shihua's emotional floodgates.

She didn't keep Yuan Qianye waiting; she suddenly threw herself into his arms and buried her burning cheeks deep in his chest.

Then, their foreheads touched, and Shihua took the initiative, clumsily but affectionately kissing him.

…………

Chapter 274: Even the ashes of the dead must be mixed together.

The two pressed themselves together, greedily absorbing each other's essence.

Much later, they reluctantly let go of each other.

"Sister, you still have a very strong smell of alcohol on your breath."

"I won't drink anymore."

"It's not that bad, I mean it feels very new."

Is it a positive or negative connotation?

"A positive connotation, an undisputed positive connotation."

"It's good that you don't hate me."

"How could I hate her? I hate myself but I would never hate my sister."

"Um……"

Shihua wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, as docile as a little kitten at that moment.

Yuan Qianye stroked her hair, his other hand hanging down on her waist, feeling the warm breath she exhaled.

There was a brief silence between them.

My mood gradually calmed down.

"I hope this situation can continue for the rest of my life."

"Me too."

"That's a bit strange."

"?"

Shihua looked up, puzzled.

Yuan Qianye smiled and cupped her cheek in his hands.

"Sister, you're unusually candid right now, and your cuteness level is off the charts today."

Shihua blushed slightly and chose to respond directly.

Don't you like it?

The next moment, Yuan Qianye placed his hand on her cheek, and his index finger was gently enveloped by her small mouth, which was painted with lip gloss.

It's like being attached, it's like being coquettish.

Although she didn't reach the point where she could feel the inside of Utaha's or Saeko's mouths when she was with them, she only gently rubbed and bit with her teeth.

But in the current situation, having Toka, who always appears restrained and rational, do it creates a striking contrast that naturally captivates Minamoto Chiyo.

"Of course I like it, how could I not? But I have other plans for the future, so let's take it one step at a time, okay?"

"Ah."

Shihua nodded obediently.

Yuan Qianye took her hand and led her to the outside of the open kitchen, where they sat down at the long bar.

"Please sit here. Today, it's been a long time since I've served you."

As Yuan Qianye said this, she walked into the kitchen from the other side, took an apron, and tied it on.

The two have now gone from being a couple who were just being affectionate to being chef and customer.

Seeing that Yuan Qianye pulled out two large bags of ingredients from the refrigerator, Shihua clearly hesitated, as if she wanted to say something.

Yuan Qianye anticipated her reaction and smiled, "I already told you I don't need your help today, just enjoy yourself."

Shihua nodded.

What she really meant was that even if you're about to start cooking, it's best not to take all the ingredients out of the refrigerator at once to ensure their freshness, as this will inevitably reduce their freshness.

Although it may sound exaggerated, truly high-quality cuisine often focuses on refining these small details.

Otherwise, if the same ingredients are used and the cooking methods are similar, why do the dishes of master chefs taste better than those of ordinary people? The difference lies in their attention to and control over the details.

No, no, it's rare for Qianye to be so thoughtful and go to such lengths for me. This place is decorated so beautifully; I wonder how long he prepared it in advance. I can't think about things that aren't relevant.

Oh right, speaking of decorating...

"Chiya, there are some things I want to ask you." Toka's voice was very soft and gentle.

"go ahead."

Although Chiyo Minamoto's control over the details of cooking is not perfect, she is still a skilled cook. Before Junko's mother and the Takanashi sisters came to this house, she had copied cooking skills from Yukinoshita-hime on her own. With her own practice and understanding, her cooking skills have become more and more exquisite, and she can cook at a very fast speed while maintaining good taste.

In just a short while, he had peeled the pear, added a little lemon and honey, used a kitchen juicer, and filtered the coarse pulp through a fine sieve to serve her a glass of cool and refreshing honey pear juice.

"What...what's going on here?"

Despite the fact that Yuan Qianye, who brought him here, acted as if he were back in his own home, and that there was a metal plaque with his name on the countertop outside the kitchen, all of this pointed to an obvious fact.

However, before receiving definitive confirmation from Gen Chiya, Toka still found it somewhat unbelievable.

After all, she had never heard Origin Qianye mention anything like this at home.

"You probably already guessed it, right? That's right, I bought this place, and you'll be its owner from now on."

As Yuan Qianye washed the corn and white asparagus, his tone was quite light and cheerful, as if he were casually replying to a casual conversation.

In contrast, Toka's expression was quite remarkable.

Although she was mentally prepared when she asked the question, she was still unable to calm down for a long time because she knew the truth for sure.

"...Although this place isn't on a main road and isn't located on the street, it should still be considered a prime downtown location."

"Yes, when we were deciding on the location of the shop, I struggled with it for a long time. I wanted to choose a good location, but I didn't want it to be too good, so that Shihua would be too busy after opening the shop and wouldn't have a chance to rest or spend time with me."

"Open...open a shop?"

"Yes, of course it's you. The property certificate for this shop is also in your name. I can't be the one to do it. Although you all praise my cooking when I occasionally cook at home, saying that I cook very well, I know my own level. I'm much better than the average person, but compared to a professional chef, I'm still a bit lacking. But Shihua, you're different."

Yuan Qianye placed the washed vegetables on a clean plate, then took a paper towel and wiped her hands.

"Ever since you decided to stop pursuing art and physical manipulation as your life goal, you've naturally shown a great interest in cooking. You regularly watch cooking competition shows, and your bookshelf is filled with cooking books. It's not like you're just thinking about making delicious meals for me and Rikka every day. You clearly have bigger ideals and goals, don't you? And this is the place I've prepared for you, the official starting point of your dreams."

"..."

Looking into Chiyo's earnest eyes, Toka felt an indescribable surge of emotion welling up inside her once again.

Yang Nai's half-joking words from when they met earlier today were now clearly surfacing in her mind, still echoing in her ears—

"He cares so much about and likes you, his older sister. Everything I'm showing you now, from the apartment to the kitchen appliances, would be readily and even eagerly offered to you if you wanted it."

A prophecy!

"When...did you start planning this?"

"Yeah, do you remember when we all went to the beach together? I asked Miyoko-nee to help me look for suitable shops back then."

So early...

Ten beautiful eyes blinked repeatedly.

Yuan Qianye began processing the beef. The high-grade beef, with its snowflake-like marbling, looked like a piece of semi-frozen butter under the knife, and the texture was incredibly smooth to cut.

He continued speaking without stopping his hands: "Although I asked her to keep an eye on it a long time ago, it was only after I returned from the UK that I finalized the details. This shop was originally an artsy teahouse that wasn't doing very well. After I took it over, I demolished the original decorations, redesigned it, and hired more workers to carry out the construction. I managed to shorten the construction period to yesterday and finish it completely. So today I brought you here, Shihua. It can be considered a slightly belated graduation gift."

"Why……"

"Ok?"

Why are you so good to me?

"What nonsense are you talking about? From the moment Shika responded to my feelings, I was determined to make you the happiest woman in the world."

As she spoke, Saeko, Utaha, and Yukino came to mind, and she silently added the suffix "one of" to them in her heart with a sense of apology.

There's no way around it; you can't be too explicit at this point, or it would be too unromantic.

"This is just the beginning; you can continue to look forward to what's to come."

"This shop must have cost you a lot of money."