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

It's just the landing point of a ball; there's really no need to make such a fuss.

At worst, we can just skip this round and start over!

However, Yukino and Utaha did not look away from each other.

Only they themselves knew that, having gone this far, the real match was no longer badminton, but had turned into a head-to-head confrontation between the two of them.

When things reach a point where neither side is willing to back down, everyone is convinced that they are right, and no one can convince anyone else, there is only one way to determine the winner.

"Qianye."

Almost simultaneously, the two girls, both with long, straight black hair, turned their gazes to the side.

With his back to the sidelines, Yuan Qianye, who had already walked several steps away, had no choice but to slowly turn around and point into the distance.

"Um, I drank too much of a beverage and need to go to the restroom."

"As a referee, please focus on the game first."

"Qianye, it won't take up much of your time. Just tell her who is hallucinating."

"..."

In the end, I was too late and failed to make a successful escape to pee.

Yuan Qianye had no choice but to approach the two of them.

These two people are his childhood sweetheart, whom he has known the longest and with whom he has the longest-standing relationship, and one of his girlfriends with whom he has a close relationship to the point that they can have repeated physical contact. No matter which side he speaks for now, he will inevitably offend the other side.

"Hmm... In this match, there is no controversy. Rikka Miyoko has scored successfully, bringing the score to three to four."

"We didn't ask you about that; we were asking you about where the ball landed, on which side."

"That's right, just tell the truth. I trust your judgment, Qianye. When the truth comes out, I hope someone won't continue to be so stubborn."

"Further discussion is pointless."

Their gazes turned to Yuan Qianye once again.

To be honest, the weather wasn't too hot today, but at this moment, Gen Chiya's back was slightly sweaty.

He's starting to regret it. If he'd known things would turn out this way, why did he insist on being the referee? He should have just gone on the court and unleashed a powerful smash to show them how good he was!

"Actually, everyone came out today to relax, so there's no need to take such a small thing so seriously."

"Yeah, yeah, let's start the next game quickly. I'm usually working, so it's rare for me to break a sweat like this."

Saeko tried to ease the tension again, with Miyoko chiming in.

Of course, it was of no use.

"I'm sorry, but this is something that needs to be dealt with."

"Don't worry, it will be resolved soon."

"Don't lie, and don't try to smooth things over. I know you were on the sidelines the whole time and saw everything clearly."

In Yukino's earnest and clear eyes, a silent threat was conveyed: "I hate it when people lie."

"Heh." Shi Yu also snorted coldly.

As a result, all eyes turned to Yuan Qianye, and the pressure fell on him once again.

Gen Chiya took a deep breath.

There was no other way, so I squatted down next to where the ball had just landed and pointed to a tiny, almost invisible dent in the ground.

"From what I just saw, the ball landed here, slightly to the right of the center line, meaning it landed on Utaha's side."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yukino's delicate face revealed a calm smile that was far more joyful than any victory. Eriri, standing next to her, also excitedly clenched her little fists, beaming with pride.

In contrast, Shi Yu's face turned ashen instantly. She stared intently at Yuan Qianye with a dangerous look, saying nothing, yet her silence was even more terrifying than if she had spoken directly.

Saeko's left hand was already on Utaha's shoulder as she pondered words of comfort.

“But!” Just when everyone thought the matter was settled, Gen Chiyo spoke up again: “Strictly speaking, I think this ball should still be caught by Yukino.”

His words caused the contrasting expressions on Yukino's and Utaha's faces to soften simultaneously, as they awaited his explanation.

"It's a very simple principle, you can see for yourselves."

Gen Chiya picked up some dry dust from the ground, stood up, and rubbed it to let it fall naturally.

The fine pebbles fall to the ground naturally, while the dust trapped within, being almost weightless, is easily blown away.

"As you all saw, the air outside isn't still; there's a noticeable wind. The weather forecast also said that there's a level one wind today, blowing from the northwest. This matches the results of my experiment quite well."

Yukino crossed her arms: "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"It's very simple. When Rikka hit the ball over here, it was in mid-air on your side. It should have landed on the side you were in charge of, Yukino. However, due to the breeze, it changed its flight path slightly and only landed near Utaha when it was close to the ground. That's why I said that you should actually be responsible for catching the ball back."

As a fair referee, Yuan Qianye calmly delivered his final verdict.

After saying this...

Shi Yu's complexion improved considerably, and she smiled slightly again.

Yukino fell into deep thought.

"That's what Chiya said, so the responsibility seems to lie with you," Shiyu added fuel to the fire.

Yukino shook her head: "Not only did you have hallucinations just now, but now you're even having auditory hallucinations, right? He's already made it very clear that no matter what, the ball will eventually land on your side. The argument has been resolved."

"Fine, I understand your desire to save face as a young lady. I'll do as you say. Anyway, it's enough that I know the outcome."

"I don't understand what's so great about needing others to help you make up for your mistakes."

These two have started again.

Even though Yuan Qianye had racked her brains to come up with a compromise that wouldn't embarrass either of them, they were still not satisfied.

Yuan Qianye was at a loss and a little angry. These two were only concerned with their own face and did not consider how difficult it was for him to stand between them.

"Alright! You two, you've lost this match outright because you lack both teamwork and sportsmanship."

With a cold expression, Yuan Qianye exercised his rights as a referee.

However, the two remained silent for only a short while.

Yukino raised her head: "That suits me perfectly. Some arguments don't need to be decided by words alone. There seems to be an indoor stadium next to the campsite parking lot. Shall we come?"

Shi Yu scoffed, "What's there to be afraid of? I'd love to do it, I should have done it a long time ago."

Their eyes met, sparks flew, and their fighting spirit was high.

Seeing the situation turn out this way, Saeko was filled with worry.

Rikka also came to Minamoto Chiya's side and tugged at his sleeve.

"Never mind, let them be."

Gen Chiya waved his hand weakly.

As a result, all my careful planning in the lottery process had no effect whatsoever, and things still turned out the way they are now.

Go ahead and argue, argue all you want...

He let them be; he didn't want to get involved for the time being.

Thirty minutes later.

An indoor badminton court near the campsite.

After paying the fee, Yuan Qianye and his group obtained the right to use a professionally furnished badminton court.

Standing on either side of the field were Yukino and Utaha, of course.

Despite her reluctance, Gen Chiya was still appointed as the referee.

The match began soon after.

After more than a dozen rounds, Yukino scored the first point.

The second match continued, and after another dozen or so rounds, Yukino seized on a mistake by Utaha. With a high jump and a smash, the ball landed in front of Utaha's baseline with a "thud," and Yukino scored another point.

The score is now 0-2.

"Yay, Yukino!" Eriri cheered and clapped from the side.

Through the net in the middle, Utaha saw Yukino's relaxed smile, as if to say, "It's nothing special."

According to the rules, it was Shiyu's turn to serve, but she simply ran her hand through the feathers on the shuttlecock and said slowly, "Don't you think that's too monotonous a match?"

Yukino revealed a defiant and arrogant smile: "Since you can't fight me head-on, you want to resort to underhanded methods, huh?"

"Heh, I already said I just thought the current competition was too boring. I was getting sleepy from playing so much, so I just wanted to add some fun interaction to it. What, are you scared now? Second place in the grade?"

Ah, Shiyu is using reverse psychology now.

They are indeed trying to create a favorable situation for themselves.

Rikka, Miyoko, and Chiya, who were on the sidelines, all vaguely sensed something.

Yukino's gaze sharpened: "There's nothing I'm afraid of. Just tell me how you want to compete, and I'll show you that clever tricks are useless in the face of absolute strength."

"Heh." Ignoring Yukino's words, Utaha revealed her impromptu additional rule: "It's very simple, similar to an intelligence test. We'll take turns asking each other a question with many possible answers, and then when the match starts, we'll have to say our answer every time we swing our rackets. If we don't do that, even if we catch the ball, we still lose."

"I see. So, while exercising, we're also competing in terms of knowledge reserves and reaction speed. I can accept that, but how can I guarantee you won't cheat and only give me questions that are advantageous to you?"

"That's simple, just have someone else set the questions."

"Okay, I accept what you say."

As expected, the two of them turned their gazes to Yuan Qianye at the same time.

There are so many people on the sidelines, so you're only targeting me, right...?

“You can start setting questions now,” Yukino said.

"There's no need to favor me. Just set fair questions," Shi Yu said with a smile.

If you hadn't brought it up, I really wouldn't have had that thought.

After considering it for a moment, Yuan Qianye decided to test the waters by not helping anyone for the time being: "Please name the countries located in Africa."

The words had barely left his mouth when Kasumigaoka immediately served: "Nigeria!"

Yukino took two steps to the right and easily retorted, "Angola!"