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

"Mm." Yuan Qianye nodded to indicate that he understood.

"The second thing is a little more troublesome. Boss, do you remember the song you sang when you graduated from high school?"

"What's wrong with that song?"

"Boss, you said it was your own original work, right?" Miyoko asked for confirmation.

"Ah."

Taking something from the original world, making slight adjustments, and then creating a secondary work is indeed original.

"That song was directly taken by someone else and used to make a profit from their own personal album."

"Is that so?" Rikka in the back seat became interested.

Miyoko nodded, looking straight ahead, and reached for her phone, handing it over.

"I've worked with President Touma for so many years, and I've picked up some music from him. You can listen to this song. The lyrics are completely different, but the melody is almost identical. Only the instruments used for the accompaniment are different."

When Yuan Qianye unlocked his phone, the playback page for that song popped up immediately.

He clicked play, and the Bluetooth connection went directly to the car's audio system. The song played for less than a minute.

Gen Chiya laughed heartily.

Rikka also looked disgusted: "What the hell? This is exactly the same song by Chiya. The changed lyrics are so cheesy. The quality is really low."

But to be fair, the singing was actually pretty good...

Of course, Rikka would never say that out loud.

Anyway, for her, the original version of "Thousand Nights" is always the best!

Miyoko nodded in deep agreement: "I think so too. The question now is whether we should issue a statement at this time and find a lawyer to sue the other party directly."

Rikka clenched her little fists: "Of course I want to! I hate guys who don't work for anything!"

Hey, hey, hey, you've dragged your dearest brother into this too!

But then Yuan Qianye thought about it again and realized that his situation was different after all, since they were not in the same plane. Besides, the novels and songs he had released so far were not all copied verbatim. Instead, while retaining the core content and melody, he made considerable modifications to some other content that was not suitable or did not fit this world. This could not be considered as getting something for nothing.

Thinking about it that way, he immediately felt at ease.

Miyoko asked, "What are your thoughts, boss?"

Yuan Qianye shook his head: "It's not a big deal, no rush, let's put it aside for now. My new book will be released this week, and I don't want the public's attention to be diverted because of this. But you should find a lawyer privately and collect the evidence first. After I'm done with this busy period, we'll contact the other party and see their attitude before deciding whether to ask them to issue a public apology and offer compensation, or to go straight to legal proceedings."

Miyoko smiled happily, pleased with her unspoken understanding with him: "That's what I was thinking too. We can't let this little thing affect the most important thing for the boss right now. The editor-in-chief from Kodansha chatted with me privately and said that your mystery novel this time is particularly wonderful in terms of the depth of the content, the brilliance of the plot, and the character portrayal. There is a great chance that it can be adapted into a TV series or movie. If all goes well, its sales should surpass your debut work."

"Is it really that amazing?" Rikka exclaimed in surprise.

She had read her older brother's novel privately; it was on his computer in his room.

However, this kind of serious and realistic novel was completely out of her league, so she only read the first few pages and knew that the story was about a policeman trying to solve a case, before she could continue reading.

Miyoko smiled and said, "Yeah, that's amazing. Kodansha has given us so many internal resources for this promotion, which shows how much they value it. Rikka, you can look forward to it. Your brother might make a lot of money this time."

"Bro, I've been craving a seafood buffet restaurant for ages! They have all-you-can-eat fresh king crab!"

"I'll take you there when I have some free time later, and I'll invite other people along too."

"Good~"

At 7:40 a.m., the vehicle came to a steady stop in front of Zongwu High School.

Rikka got her wish and enjoyed the attention of others with their various expressions.

Good morning, Chiya, Rikka.

"Good morning Saeko."

"Good morning, Saeko-nee!"

Today, Saeko is still fulfilling her duties as a disciplinary committee member. She is full of energy, dressed in a neat uniform, and wearing an armband. She has a dignified demeanor that suggests she is not to be trifled with.

Seeing her like this, Yuan Qianye couldn't help but recall the times he had wantonly dirtied her in private.

"Yukino and Kazusa arrived very early today."

"Really? Did they all get the keys to the club room?"

"I think I'm right, they both seem to be in a good mood today."

After a brief farewell to Saeko, the brother and sister walked together toward the school building.

With her keen hearing, Chiyo was able to clearly hear the piano music coming from the club building.

It is not mixed with the etudes of the ensemble section, but rather stands on its own, melodious and lively.

It is Mozart's Turkish March.

Yukino couldn't be sure, but Kazusa did seem to be in a good mood, just as Saeko had said.

The overall tempo of the piece was much faster, seemingly indicating the performer's eagerness.

Looking towards the club building, Yuan Qianye smiled slightly.

As she entered the teaching building, Rikka opened her shoe locker, her laughter and conversation with her older brother pausing.

Yuan Qianye sensed something and leaned over to glance at her shoe cabinet. A letter sat quietly inside, standing out conspicuously.

Rikka's voice trembled, causing the ahoge (cowlick) on her head to tremble slightly as well: "Brother... this... this is the one I've been thinking about, right!"

"Although I'm not sure what you mean, I think it's probably a love letter."

Although Yuan Qianye made these remarks with the intention of watching the show, for some reason, he suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.

However, he wasn't surprised that this kind of thing happened.

Rather, it's quite contrary to common sense that it wasn't until high school that a boy confessed his feelings to Rikka.

After all, his Rikka is a standard beautiful girl, petite and delicate, with a slender figure and clear and innocent eyes. She gives people a cute yet fragile feeling, which can arouse other people's protective instincts. This is why he has spoiled her so much for so long.

And now, his adopted sister, whom he has always cared for, has also had her merits discovered by others, who have then taken the initiative to pursue her...

I do seem a bit irritable... I simply can't ignore this feeling.

However, Yuan Qianye also understood that this feeling was probably very similar to that of an old father when his daughter got married.

The sense of loss that comes from the change in one's own role, having to hand over one's original identity as a protector to another person, even if one knows rationally that this is the right thing to do, one will still feel a sense of emptiness and reluctance after the mission is over.

"So, what do you plan to do?" Yuan Qianye did not show his emotions, but stroked Rikka's soft head and asked seemingly casually.

"Hmm—" Rikka frowned, looking quite conflicted.

Before this moment, Minamoto no Chiya had never imagined that one day she would be completely controlled by Rikka.

"Brother, come with me first!"

Rikka changed her shoes as quickly as possible, then grabbed Minamoto Chiyo's hand and ran all the way to the end of the corridor.

As Yuan Qianye watched her hair flutter in the wind, her skirt swaying slightly, her fair and youthful thighs as white as jade in the morning light, his hand, held by her, unconsciously tightened its grip.

At the end of the corridor, unlike the shoe-changing area, it was much quieter, with only the two of them alone, which was perfect for them to chat about personal matters.

Rikka held the letter in both hands, slightly out of breath.

"I... I was thinking... since the other person has already mustered up the courage to hand over the letter, it must be their good intention, so I should at least read the letter before making a decision."

That's true...

Normally, that's the proper way to do it. Personally, I've experienced too many similar situations, and responding to each one would be too troublesome, so I usually just let them all go and ignore them in private. That would be an uncommon and impolite approach.

"Yes, I really need to think about it carefully." Yuan Qianye said this against his will, putting his hands in his pockets and looking out the window.

"I've already dragged you into this, so don't act like it's none of your business anymore. Aren't I your cutest little sister?!"

"Have you forgotten about little Chiyo?"

"Well!"

"Pfft."

Rikka, puffing out her cheeks and tugging at his clothes in dissatisfaction, was unusually adorable today, so Chiya stopped teasing her.

He spread his hands: "What do you want me to do?"

Rikka, holding the letter, said, "Brother, you're quite experienced with these kinds of things, so help me take a look and analyze it."

"You just said this is someone else's way of showing their affection for you. Is it really okay for me to watch it too?"

"What are you talking about? What's yours is mine, and what's mine is yours. We already agreed on this, didn't we?"

"I don't recall us ever having such an agreement, and it seems like I'm at a huge disadvantage by unilaterally agreeing to it..."

"Yuan Qianye, you're acting really strange today. Don't get upset with your dearest sister just because someone took your song and used it without permission!" Rikka said, displeased.

"Being...unhappy."

"They're just having a tiff!" Having made that conclusion, Rikka didn't want to pursue the matter any further.

She quickly tore open the envelope, moved closer to Yuan Qianye, and unfolded the letter inside: "Alright, alright, just take a look for me, okay?"

Reluctantly, Yuan Qianye turned her gaze to the contents of the letter.

How to put it? It's the kind of thing a teenage boy does when he's naively pursuing love. It's not that direct. He praises Rikka in several ways, subtly and indirectly expressing his admiration for her. Finally, he says that he hopes to meet her behind the school building after school today. It's quite formulaic.

With prejudiced eyes, Yuan Qianye quickly glanced at the text, his heart unmoved. He wanted to criticize the ugly handwriting and the greasy language, thinking that the person was not a respectable person.

But he held back, turned his head to look, and found that Rikka seemed quite excited at the moment.

No, is it really necessary to be this happy?

The complex emotions in Yuan Qianye's heart intensified.

Rikka noticed his gaze and quickly looked up as well. She flinched slightly out of shyness, but then mustered her courage again and revealed a rather smug and triumphant side.

Yuan Qianye took a deep breath and slowly exhaled: "Alright, now that you've read the letter, what do you want me to analyze for you?"

"Ahem!" Rikka coughed dramatically, pointing to the third line of the letter: "Look here."

What happened here?

“Read it aloud.” Rikka blushed slightly.

"Huh?" Yuan Qianye was extremely puzzled.

"Read it quickly! Just get to the end of this section!" Rikka said even more eagerly.