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

The campsite they arrived at today is well-developed commercially due to its beautiful surrounding natural scenery and its prime location near Tokyo.

Camping, outdoor barbecues, etc., I've already mentioned them, so I won't go into them again.

In fact, the area is also equipped with sports and amusement facilities and various functional venues.

If you're willing to drive a little further, you can pick your own seasonal vegetables and fruits at the foot of the nearby mountains, or go sea fishing at the beach. Afterward, you can visit the corresponding shops to experience making your own local dishes.

However, the original plan for today was to stay here all day, so activities that require running around will not be included in Yuan Qianye's consideration for the time being.

If you really like it, you can come again next time.

Therefore, the arrangements that follow will likely unfold in the vicinity of their current location.

After all, Yuan Qianye hadn't forgotten the main purpose of inviting them here today.

Having fun is secondary; the main thing is to expose and clarify the hidden rivalries and infighting among them.

Even if you clearly express hostility, it's okay, at least don't keep it bottled up inside while pretending to be best friends on the surface.

If you really develop some kind of health problem from holding it in, that would be too much of a laughing stock.

The weather has been exceptionally good since early this morning, a rare sunny day in recent times. Plus, none of the pancakes I made this morning broke, and Shihua is wearing bright red, so everything should go smoothly…

……Bar?

"Shiyu, when we get there, you absolutely must not act like you used to."

"Alright, Saeko, you've reminded me about this three or four times already. I'll say it again: as long as they don't provoke me, I won't cause trouble. I'm hoping to relax as much as I can this rare free weekend."

"I think that even if some unpleasant situations arise, Shiyu, it would be best if you could maintain a certain level of restraint."

"That's really unreasonable. Why should I be the one to exercise restraint?"

"Because it's better for both of us. As for why, have you heard of the 'happy person avoids the situation' principle?"

"Phew..." Shi Yu let out a long sigh: "...Did Qian Ye specifically tell you this?"

"How could that be? This has nothing to do with him; it's entirely my own idea."

"..." Shiyu, who had been looking at the scenery outside the car window, turned her head to look at Saeko beside her.

Saeko didn't notice the subtle change in Shiwa's expression and continued, "I think Chiya is already very tired because he has to balance his studies and career. If we make him worry about our relationship, he will probably be even more stressed and unable to rest well. As the people who support him, we should be aware of this and share some of the pressure with him."

Even if we can't share the burden, we should at least be careful not to add extra pressure or become a burden for him because of us.

On the relatively empty tram, Shiyu looked at Saeko, who was shaking her head calmly, and remained silent for a moment. Suddenly, her eyes deepened, and she stared intently at Saeko.

Utaha reached out and provocatively lifted Saeko's chin: "I see..."

"?"

Saeko blinked, facing Utaha, even if she had mastered the Shadow Clone Technique and could create a copy of herself throughout an entire train carriage.

She wouldn't feel any sense of crisis, nor would she be afraid.

She was just a little confused about what Shi Yu was thinking when she suddenly looked at her with that strange expression, and why she was making that gesture towards her all of a sudden.

"...Saeko, it was because of your beautiful face and your meticulous, pure, and loving attitude that you were able to take the lead and win the first prize."

Shi Yu chuckled, a dangerous smile on her face that seemed to suggest something was broken.

Saeko felt nothing; Utaha's aura was fully unleashed, posing no threat to her whatsoever.

Just like a normal adult, you won't be scared by a domestic cat.

On the contrary, what Shiyu said made her feel quite shy.

Saeko's large, bright eyes slowly turned to the side: "Why are you suddenly bringing this up..."

"You know when to be proactive and when to be shy. Plus, you have such a beautiful face and such an alluring figure. You're really amazing. Even I, as a girl myself, am a little tempted. No wonder Qianye likes you so much." Shiyu seemed to have entered a certain state, and her smile gradually became sickly sweet.

"Shiyu, what are you suddenly talking about? Likes and stuff? He feels the same way about you."

"Compared to the deep bond you all share, I, the newcomer, am merely a cog in your machine. No, perhaps we should also include that second young lady of the Yukinoshita family, that twin-tailed idiot. No matter how hard we try, we can never reach your level. You know this perfectly well, which is why..."

Shiyu suddenly stopped talking.

His smile, which had seemed somewhat neurotic, underwent a subtle change at this moment.

The reason was that Saeko suddenly grabbed her outstretched hand.

The skin on my wrist felt rough, quite unlike the typical hand shape I had in mind.

Saeko's hand, which was about the same size as her own, was slowly tightening.

Saeko's smile vanished, and her shy expression disappeared. She looked intently into Shiho's eyes.

"You can't say things like that. Putting aside my relationship with Qianye, his feelings for you are absolutely genuine. He doesn't have any casual thoughts about playing around with you, and it's certainly not like what you said, that you're just a part of our play or something."

"..."

Shiyu silently exerted her strength, trying to pull her hand out.

But Saeko's hands were as steady as hydraulic pliers, and her strength was beyond Shiha's imagination.

She had always been aware that she was no match for Saeko in physical confrontation, but the disparity in strength between them, like a young adult against a child, was something she had never expected.

“I don’t know why you think that way, Shiyu, but Qianye was very disappointed during the time you were angry and distanced yourself from him. He discussed with me more than once how to get back together with you. It may not be obvious from your perspective, but from my point of view, I can see how overjoyed he was after getting your forgiveness and acceptance compared to before.”

"Wait... Saeko... hand..."

"If you still feel that you are nothing special in his eyes, that you are just an insignificant person to him, then I can show you more direct evidence."

"Saeko... I was just joking! Let's not talk about this... My hand... it hurts..."

Shi Yu's words were broken by gasps, and even trembled. Her delicate face was flushed red, and she looked quite embarrassed.

Saeko suddenly realized what was happening, a look of apology flashed across her face, and she quickly let go of Saeko's hand.

The humanoid hydraulic clamps that had been restraining her finally loosened, and Shi Yu breathed a sigh of relief. However, looking at the bright red mark around her wrist, accompanied by a dull, throbbing pain, she couldn't help but feel a little dazed.

What incredible strength!

Honestly, she was just annoyed by Saeko's constant nagging about always thinking of Chiya, so she pretended to be unhappy and acted cheeky, that's all.

Why should one suffer such punishment!

This is the price of getting too caught up in an extreme role and playing an abstract character.

"I'm sorry, Shiyu, I didn't know you were joking." Saeko clasped her hands together and apologized sincerely.

Shi Yu gently stroked her wrist, feeling utterly hopeless. She wasn't angry, but she was certainly filled with resentment.

"What do you mean by 'show me more direct evidence'?"

"It's nothing, just creating a little surprise to let you see Qianye's reaction... Sorry, it was completely subconscious just now. How's your wrist? Does it still hurt?"

"That's not important. What specific examples can you give of what you mean by creating an accident?"

"It's very simple. For example, Shiyu, try to get into a car accident, or fall into the water, or get bitten by a poisonous snake, and then observe Qianye's reaction. You'll then understand how deeply he loves you."

"...Zezi."

"what?"

"You actually disliked me from the very beginning, didn't you?"

“That’s absolutely not true.” Saeko was surprised that Utaha would think that way: “Although my favorite people are Chiya and Dad, and my feelings for you are not as deep as those two, I still consider you my best friend, and no one can take your place.”

"..."

Shi Yu frowned slightly.

This statement is supposed to be an explanation of how important she is to Saeko, but why is she not happy at all?

"And Shiyu, you must have misunderstood. The accident I mentioned doesn't mean that you will actually have an accident. I just wanted to create the illusion that you have an accident. This would be enough to test Qianye's feelings for you. However, I think it's best not to use this method unless absolutely necessary. First, it's really unnecessary. Second, even if Qianye finds out the truth afterward, he probably won't do anything to you, but he'll probably be a little angry and might punish you for it."

Saeko was certainly aware of the poems she mentioned.

Based on Qianye's personality, even if I made him angry, he definitely wouldn't hit me, scold me, or give me the silent treatment.

He couldn't bear to part with it.

Even more so, there might not be the slightest complaint.

He would quietly wait for the right time to take a step that he liked, that also served as a warning to himself, but that wouldn't leave him with psychological trauma afterward, nor would it harm their relationship; on the contrary, it would enhance it.

Only then would he shed his usual gentle and refined demeanor, becoming a completely different person, relentlessly teasing her...

As Shi Yu pondered this, her body inexplicably began to feel hot.

Saeko stared at Utaha's suddenly alluring expression, wondering what to say next.

The tram's announcement system played, informing them that they had arrived at their stop.

All the ingredients for the important event later have been purchased.

Both vegetables and meats are stored in ice packs, so there's no need to worry about short-term storage.

But indeed, because of this, the weight of the large bag in each of Yuan Qianye's hands increased inexplicably.

However, this was not a problem for him. He declined the offers of help from his thoughtful younger sister, sensible subordinate, and lovely childhood sweetheart, treating it as a routine weight-bearing exercise.

As for Saeko and Utaha, Rikka had just contacted them. They had already taken the train to the nearest stop and were waiting for the bus. Once the bus arrived, they would be here in about ten minutes to meet up with everyone.

During the waiting period, they didn't just stand there idly.

There are many shops near the campsite, and most of them are already open for business as noon approaches.

Yuan Qianye took the lead and chose to walk into a fruit and beverage shop.

A large sign stands at the entrance of this shop, which reads, "All our drinks are made with fresh fruit made on the same day," with the word "fresh" highlighted in bold.

Yuan Qianye felt somewhat saddened that nowadays even the most basic freshness of ingredients could be used as a selling point.

However, considering that a while ago there was a broccoli that was older than the child, he felt relieved.

Everyone in the shop ordered their drinks, chatted idly, and waited quietly.

After the drinks were served, the staff proactively informed us that they had recently purchased a batch of first-ripening melons from a nearby orchard, which were said to have a very good flavor, and asked if we would like a plate of them.

After Yuan Qianye inquired about the price and found it wasn't exorbitant, he asked him to order one to try.

Considering that the four women present all had small mouths, he specifically instructed the staff to cut the food into smaller pieces.

A moment later, the fruit platter was served. It looked very appealing; the plate was transparent and decorated with crushed ice, with sliced ​​honeydew melon on top.

The plump, creamy-yellow flesh of the melon, exposed to the air, releases a subtle fruity aroma.