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

She felt a bit of longing for him, and would sometimes find herself staring at him, somewhat mesmerized.

"Is this alright?"

Gen Chiya clapped his hands and, as Yukino had instructed, placed several sets of tables and chairs against the wall without moving them, while the rest were all stacked up at the back.

The service department is now much more spacious, with enough room for activities.

"Thank you, you've been a huge help." Yukino really wanted to hand him a tissue right then and there, but Chiyo wasn't sweating at all.

"The prawns we had for lunch today were delicious, but we only had two, so it wasn't quite enough," Yuan Qianye hinted indirectly.

Yukino's lips curled up slightly: "I don't know if there's any food left in the fridge at home, so don't get your hopes up too high."

"Just remember I'm missing this meal." Yuan Qianye waved his hand dismissively. "I'll leave your backpack and clothes here and come back for them later. Aunt Youzi asked me to take good care of her daughter. I'm going upstairs to check on Kazusa. That girl isn't good at getting along with people and tends to keep things to herself, which is a bit worrying."

Hearing the names of other girls from his mouth again stirred up a rather awkward and uncomfortable feeling in Yukino's heart, and reminded her of the decision she had made not long ago.

Her head was slightly lowered, and her cherry-colored lips were pressed into a thin line.

But watching him walk towards the door and gradually disappear from her sight, she quickly followed her unwilling heart and suddenly called out.

"Thousand Nights!"

Yuan Qianye, who had been stopped, turned around and looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"Yes, is there anything else?"

"...!"

Yukino's thumb nail dug forcefully into the soft flesh of her palm.

My heart is pounding.

Scenes from my memories flashed before my eyes.

He had a stern face and was extremely fierce towards those who bullied her.

Mr. Pan voluntarily brought it to me upon graduation.

On Christmas Eve, we promised to be together forever.

A necklace pendant worn when parting ways abroad.

During the fireworks display... he said, "Please guide me for the rest of my life."

If you care about someone but don't hold their hand tightly, you might just miss them. The time you spent walking together often becomes just a memory.

Finally, the older sister's words sealed the deal.

I'm not satisfied with just the current relationship.

She never had the chance before.

But now, she's back.

Yukino Yukinoshita has never been a coward.

He encouraged himself with such dedication.

Shy yet stubborn, she refused to look away, keeping her gaze fixed on him.

Try your best to clearly state your expectations.

"Eri and...Rikka have both decided to join the Service Club."

"Yes, that's what they decided before."

"you……"

"I?"

"Would you consider... coming along too?"

Despite the clearly stunned Chiyo, Yukino, pushed forward by her resolve, continued to advance.

"Apply to join the Service Club, just like we used to... always..."

Always...together.

The air seemed to freeze suddenly; the curtains remained motionless, and even the gentle breeze that had been passing through the hall seemed to stop instantly.

Seeing her childhood friend's delayed response due to the unexpected event, Yukino's newly formed determination and hope were rapidly dissipating.

Conversely, the fear that the other party would not be able to meet her expectations was constantly replacing and filling her heart.

until--

"Huh? Wasn't I one of the members of your club from the very beginning? Do we need to apply for special permission given our relationship?" Yuan Qianye pointed at himself, an expression of disbelief on his face.

Now it was Yukino's turn to open her eyes wide and stare in adorable surprise.

…………

Chapter 011: The Unchanging Daily Routine Begins to Accelerate

After resolving her own issues with Eriri's help, Rikka Takanashi felt much better.

The two people who arrived at the Service Department looked surprised.

"All the tables and chairs have been moved in."

"We were thinking of coming over to help on the way here."

"Now it will be much easier to clean up later."

"Yukino, you've worked hard~"

"Ah... um..."

Standing by the window, Yukino responded somewhat awkwardly to the two of them, but quickly realized what she meant and shook her head.

"I didn't help much; it was almost entirely Chiya's doing."

"I see."

Eriri came to Yukino's side and handed her a can of coffee.

She thought so too.

Yukino's physical abilities have been lacking since childhood. She can pass tests in physical education class such as high jump and long jump, but when it comes to shot put or running, her results can only be described as Yukino's less than ideal physical education grades in elementary school...

Eriri had always known about these things, but she didn't think there was anything wrong with it. On the contrary, she found it quite cute that Yukino, who was so good at many things, had such a weak side.

In contrast, Chiya, being too omnipotent and flawless, can only be admired and thus seems somewhat unreal and lacks any endearing qualities.

Some people have a slight obsession with cleanliness and love being very clean, which might be mentioned separately, but this shouldn't be considered a weakness; rather, it could be considered an advantage.

Anyway, that's how it is for Eriri. She's usually unkempt and sloppy at home, and she does hope that her future partner will be cleaner. Such good habits can subtly have a positive influence on the baby in the future.

As she pondered these thoughts, Eriri, whose mind was wandering, inexplicably blushed.

Yukino was preoccupied and didn't notice her friend's unease.

Rikka put down her schoolbag and asked, "Where's my older brother?"

Yukino replied, "He went upstairs, saying he was going to check on Touma-san's situation."

“Oh right, Kazusa said before that she would have a separate practice room here. That’s great. Having a room all to herself is like having an ideal secret base.”

"Rikka, if you're interested, we can go up and take a look together."

"No need for now, there will be plenty of opportunities later. Let's focus on cleaning now, this will be my home for the next three years of high school starting tomorrow."

Rikka rolled up her sleeves, picked up a bucket, and went straight to the bathroom to get water.

Yukino and Eriri, who remained in the activity room, picked up brooms and began sweeping.

Yukino, who had been reliving her interaction with Chiya, gradually calmed down and remembered to care about Rikka.

"Is everything going well with Rikka?"

"Yeah, it went pretty smoothly. After Rikka explained things, he left without lingering. We were both a little surprised that he was actually our senior. He was quite handsome, but he couldn't compare to Chiya at all."

Eriri said this cheerfully, gently sweeping with her broom, unaware that there was anything wrong with directly comparing her childhood friend to Eriri.

But Yukino glanced at her with concern, noticing the gentle and happy look on Yukino's face when she mentioned Chiyo's name, a complex expression reflected in her clear eyes.

If she wants to achieve the ending she desires, there will be one person she absolutely cannot avoid in the process, and who will inevitably cause her harm.

If that's the case...

Even so...

She seemed to have no other choice.

After leaving the Service Club, Minamoto no Chiya did not immediately go to find Kazusa.

Instead, she stood silently at the top of the stairs, processing her thoughts.

After he responded with those words, Yukino hesitated for a moment, turned around so he couldn't see her expression, and softly replied in a tone that revealed little emotion, "It seems so... It's alright, you can go now."

However, even though that's what she said, if Yuan Qianye really thought that the Second Miss's words were just an invitation for him to join the Service Department, then he could really take off his dull brain, throw it away, and consider growing a new one.

Yukino, who is usually aloof, quiet, and not proactive, took the initiative to invite him, and did so right after he said he was going to find Kazusa. Combined with her hesitant and unusual expression, a little analysis reveals a very clear signal.

The second young lady seems to have finally faced her own inner self and started to take action based on that.

Yuan Qianye felt a mix of emotions about this, both joy and melancholy.

The joy stemmed from witnessing Yukino's incredibly adorable side, and it also confirmed their mutual affection.

The melancholy stemmed from the fact that time was not on his side.

He wanted to create more beautiful memories of their time together, and once their relationship had deepened, he would wait until the right time to confess his feelings for Saeko and Utaha.

By then, although it's foreseeable that she will still be disappointed and angry, at least the memories of the feelings they've built up together over the years, and the realization of the genuine tenderness and laughter that once existed between them, might serve as a buffer.

At least, it allows her to look back and see the memories of their close bond after her anger subsides.

Now, with the Second Miss's awakening and attack, this plan has been declared a failure.

He had thought that Rikka and Eriri would try to force him to join the Service Club, but he didn't expect Yukino to take the initiative first.

They're just using the excuse of "everyone's doing this" to recruit me, so a more direct hint seems to be just around the corner.

At that point, it would be too much to ask if he continued to play dumb.

Although we are not fully prepared yet, it seems we can't delay any longer.