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

Not only Chiya at that time, but Yukino and Eriri were also speechless at this moment.

Furthermore, Saeko's bold remarks led to some associations, causing both of these innocent young girls to blush slightly.

Saeko continued speaking in a calm and composed tone.

"Actually, before that, my idea was to wait until Qianye Middle School graduated before confessing my feelings to him. But a discovery during that time made me change my mind and realize that I could no longer continue to wait like this."

"What was the discovery?" Eriri couldn't help but ask.

"It's simple, because I discovered that in Qianye's heart, there is someone he cares about far more than I do."

As Saeko spoke, her gaze shifted to Yukino and Eriri, who were sitting side by side, and the answer was self-evident.

She didn't specifically name anyone, and the fact that the two were sitting together made it easier for her words to convey a certain "vague" intention.

Eriri and Yukino were indeed lost in thought because of this, each with their own thoughts.

"In short, this discovery made me feel a sense of crisis. Darkly, out of a desire not to be left behind, and simply for my own sake, I made a reckless move at that time. Just as I just said, I used my body to despicably confirm my relationship with him in a way that Qianye could not refuse."

Saeko spoke of herself in this way, completely unconcerned.

"Look at me, am I despicable? And I do need to apologize."

At this moment, the shock Eriri was experiencing was no less than the shock she had experienced two days earlier in the Service Club.

But more than Saeko's "confession," she is now more concerned about the fact that it was because of the training camp she initiated that Saeko and Chiya were able to get together.

Looking at it from another angle, does that mean that if I hadn't planned this event in the first place, would the situation be different now, or even...?

Eriri covered her head with both hands.

My blood pressure went up.

“I don’t agree with your statement.” Yukino shook her head and retorted: “If Chiya had already been dating someone else at that time, then your behavior would indeed be improper, but in reality, she wasn’t, so there is nothing wrong with what you did.”

Even if I had those thoughts at the time?

"That's right. There's no right or wrong when it comes to feelings, let alone the fact that it's mutual between the two of you."

"Strictly speaking, Qianye was the passive party, after all, boys his age tend to be more..."

"There's no need to go into such detail!" Yukino interrupted her, her ears turning slightly red.

"Feel sorry."

"Phew—I already told you, Saeko-senpai, you don't need to apologize, so you specifically came to find the two of us just to talk about this?"

"I guess so. I know Qianye definitely won't tell you these details, so I thought I had to find an opportunity to explain them to you."

What's the point of this?

“It makes me feel much lighter to confess to the person I most wanted to hide things from, things that have been buried deep in my heart. Also, I don’t want you… um… to misunderstand Chiya.” Saeko thought for a moment and used a gentler word: “Actually, I also bear a lot of responsibility for the current situation.”

Yukino sighed softly and shook her head again, it was unclear whether she disagreed with Saeko's point of view or simply didn't want to continue the conversation on this topic.

"Can I ask you something?" Yukino asked Saeko.

"of course can."

"Perhaps that was a bit rude," Yukino confirmed.

"It's alright, please ask."

"Saeko-senpai, how can you accept... that your boyfriend is having intimate relationships with other girls besides you? Knowing they're being affectionate... don't you really... care at all?"

Yukino's question was quite pointed.

This immediately made the atmosphere between the three of them tense.

Even Eriri, an observer who had never been deeply involved in the battlefield situation, felt her heart pounding.

"Yukino, Eriri, you both know that I come from a single-parent family, right?"

Saeko didn't answer the question directly, but instead brought up something else.

“My mother passed away from health reasons when I was very young. At that time, I was too young to fully understand the concept of death, but I could roughly understand that I would never be able to see my mother with her gentle smile again. I would feel sad because of this, and when I was alone, I would see the little things my mother used to do at home and I would not be able to stop crying.”

"..."

Yukino and Eriri both remained silent.

Eriri, who was sitting next to Saeko, hesitated for a moment, but still reached out and placed her hand on Saeko's hand, passing on the warmth of her palm as a silent comfort.

Saeko smiled gratefully at her, indicating that she was alright.

"In the period right after my mother passed away, my father was not much better off than I was. He was an adult and had known my mother for many years. His longing and sorrow were only deeper than mine, a child."

At that time, he seemed to have lost his backbone, spending his days unkempt, indulging in alcohol, and turning day into night.

He abandoned his most cherished and life-affirming kendo career, leaving the bamboo swords of the dojo covered in dust and the answering machine overflowing with calls from students, but he turned a deaf ear to them.

When I saw him like that back then, I always thought, if only my mother were still here. She could just come over quietly, without saying anything special, simply take away the wine bottle from his hand, wring out a hot towel and put it on his forehead, and perhaps the stagnant water in my father's eyes would regain a glimmer of light.

Fortunately, he was not only a loving husband, but also a responsible father and an excellent man.

I still vividly remember that turning point morning. The empty wine bottles that had been scattered all over the floor the day before were cleaned up, the stale air in the house was refreshed, and the aroma of tea filled the air again.

I went to the washroom and saw my father standing in front of the bathroom mirror. Although his hands were trembling slightly, he was carefully shaving off his unkempt stubble.

He didn't need my naive comfort or deliberate encouragement; it was his own deep-seated sense of responsibility that made him stand up, just like the spirit of swordsmanship he had pursued throughout his life, which, after a brief period of confusion, returned to its rightful place.

Although Saeko's recounting of the past seemed unrelated to the current issue, Yukino and Eriri listened intently without making any attempt to interrupt her.

However, the next moment, Saeko changed the subject.

"Yukino, you just asked me if I really didn't mind my boyfriend being affectionate with other girls, right?"

The turn of events came somewhat suddenly, catching Yukino off guard, but she still nodded subconsciously: "Yes."

"My answer is, of course I would mind. How could I not mind? No matter how open-minded a person is, if they see that the person they like is not wholeheartedly devoted to them and is having affairs with others while liking them, their first reaction would definitely be unhappiness."

Yukino was completely baffled: "If that's the case, why did you condone him developing the same kind of relationship with someone else as you did?"

“There are two reasons. One is that I can’t satisfy him,” Saeko said quite casually and directly.

Yukino, however, didn't immediately understand her words. While thinking, she asked, "Excuse me, what do you mean by 'unable to satisfy him'..."

"Yukino!" Eriri suddenly grabbed her best friend's arm, her voice low but filled with anxiety.

Eriri, a professional illustrator specializing in large-scale human anatomy and who has created many adult doujinshi that are considered classics by perverts, is thinking much faster than Yukino, who has not thought of anything in that direction at all!

"What's wrong, Eriri?" Yukino was still a little confused.

Eriri was so shy that her toes curled up: "Um... well... just listen to me, don't ask anymore!"

Saeko appeared quite composed and understanding: "Do you need me to explain in more detail?"

"No need, we understand! Ah no... I mean, we can understand!" Eriri blurted out, her words tumbling out incoherently.

"..."

With her keen perception, Yukino could probably guess what was going on from Eriri's reaction.

Her face flushed again, and it was a deep, vibrant red!

Yukino's skin is naturally fair, which makes her current appearance look like she has just walked out of a hot sauna.

"N-nothing, Saeko-nee, you can continue." Eriri spoke up for her, quickly bringing the topic back on track.

“Okay.” Saeko nodded slightly, her eyes becoming distant and serious again: “The second point is that, although the possibility is very small, I don’t want Chiya to experience the dark time that my father went through.”

"?!"

Before she finished speaking, Eriri and Yukino opened their eyes wide at almost the same time, their faces filled with disbelief and astonishment.

After all, the implications of this short sentence are far too shocking.

Yukino's voice trembled slightly, and she leaned forward urgently: "Saeko, could it be that you...?"

She didn't even dare to voice the worst possible guess.

"Ah, don't misunderstand." Saeko immediately understood their concerns, and a reassuring, slightly apologetic smile appeared on her face as she gently waved her hand. "I'm perfectly healthy, there's nothing wrong with me. This is just my personal, forward-thinking idea about the future."

She paused, her tone becoming increasingly gentle yet firm: "I mean, if... just if, in the future, I leave this world first, like my mother, I hope that Qianye won't be all alone by his side."

At least there are other people who care about him and comfort him, and who, along with my own feelings, will continue to warmly accompany him as always. That way, even if I leave, I can feel more at peace.

“There’s no such ‘if’!” Yukino raised her voice unusually, her beautiful eyebrows furrowing, her tone carrying a rare hint of anger: “That’s just absurd speculation, and there’s no need for such a hypothesis to even exist!”

Eriri patted her chest, looking relieved: "Yeah, Saeko-nee, you really scared us! That kind of joke isn't funny at all."

"Actually, strictly speaking, it's not entirely just wild speculation."

Saeko lowered her gaze slightly, not completely retracting her words.

"Not only my mother, but also my grandmother passed away at a very young age. Judging from the current situation, I have undoubtedly inherited my father's strong physique, but I cannot deny that fate may play a cruel joke on me in the future. So it is better to make plans in advance. It is never a bad thing to think about things early."

The air fell silent once more because of her calm yet profound words.

Yukino and Eriri stopped arguing and fell into a silent silence.

They finally understood that the underlying logic of Saeko's words was not pessimism, but a deep-seated, almost instinctive, burning love.

"Saeko..." Yukino called softly, her eyes swirling with emotions, a mixture of complexity and bitterness.

"...Do you...like Qianye that much?"

Saeko's lips curled up slightly, forming an extremely gentle yet powerful curve.

She didn't answer immediately, but instead slightly raised her head, her gaze seemingly piercing through the sky, gazing upon a distant, bright future.

"Mmm." Her voice was soft as she nodded vigorously, each word clear: "Although at this stage he is only evenly matched with my father... I think that in the future I will like him even more, even more."

at the same time.

This is the campsite.

When everyone arrived, they had prepared everything, but they forgot the most crucial element: the fire source.

Therefore, Miyoko now voluntarily goes back to the store to buy a lighter.

Shiyu followed her, and since the public restroom was in the same direction, she also needed to use it.

Meanwhile, only Minamoto no Chiya and the Rikka siblings were left alone.

Yuan Qianye lay lazily on the floor mat, his hands behind his head, his eyes slightly closed, looking very comfortable.

Rikka, on the other hand, knelt obediently beside him, her little fists moving up and down as she excitedly massaged his legs while saying something.