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

"Congo!"

"Tanzania!"

"..."

The crowd on the sidelines watched the two players swing their rackets, their eyes darting back and forth.

In the blink of an eye, ten round trips had passed.

The two men have already named more than twenty countries.

To be honest, Shiyu's additional rules did work.

Because she had to consider the issues, Yukino's attacks were no longer as aggressive and fierce as before.

This is undoubtedly an advantageous situation for Shiyu, whose badminton skills are somewhat weaker.

"Botswana!"

Cameroon!

"Saint-Tome and Principe!"

"..."

In the twenty-third round, as Utaha finished speaking, the ball flew over, but Yukino's mind went blank. Unable to come up with an answer for the moment, she could only watch helplessly as the ball landed.

Gen Chiya raised his hand toward Shiyu.

Shiyu scored a point.

The score is 1-2.

Now it was Shiyu's turn to laugh contemptuously.

"It was a very exciting competition. There are only 54 recognized countries in Africa, but the two of you named 45. That's quite remarkable."

Chiya tried to calm Yukino down after losing the round, but she didn't respond much, only saying, "Keep asking questions."

Yuan Qianye looked behind him, trying to find others to share the pressure on his shoulders: "Do you have any questions you want to ask?"

“Then I’ll do it.” Saeko stepped forward: “The past winners of the Edogawa Ranpo Award.”

She didn't particularly favor either side; it was just that looking at Qianye naturally led her to this topic.

Coincidentally, before Chiyo Minamoto participated in the Rampo Award selection, Shiho helped him polish his manuscript, and out of interest, she also went to the bookstore and bought several other novels by Rampo Award winners.

She had already learned about the rest of the content online, so this question happened to be in her preferred answer section.

This confrontation lasted only eight rounds.

Shiwa won without a doubt.

However, to be fair, Yukino's ability to name eight Ranpo Award winners in an area she hadn't particularly focused on is quite remarkable.

The game continued in this manner.

Then, other people on the sidelines continued to ask questions.

Which countries have leased pandas through international cooperation and loan programs? — This question, in four rounds, was answered by Yukino, and Eriri posed the question.

Which companies are publicly listed in Japan? — This question, after thirty-two rounds, was won by Yukino, the one posed by Miyoko.

Name one of the strengths, admirable qualities, or admirable traits of Chiyo—after seventeen rounds, Shiwa wins, and this is the question posed by Rikka.

Incidentally, this question ends at the very end.

Yukino's entire body turned red, making her look like a steamed crab, while Utaha was still able to fight for another three hundred rounds with ease.

Having already established a romantic relationship, and incidentally, other relationships as well, and with her sense of shame somewhat tempered, Shiyu indeed has an overwhelming advantage on this question.

The questions continued to come.

The two players on the field were evenly matched, and the game was quite intense.

When the score reached five to six, both of them started breathing very rapidly, and there was obvious sweat on their foreheads and noses.

In terms of physical strength, the two are equally matched.

"Let's call it a day, shall we?"

Yuan Qianye didn't want the two to continue fighting, after all, they were both his own flesh and blood, so he once again became a peacemaker.

Yukino and Utaha both shook their heads, ignoring his words.

Although his stamina was almost depleted, his gaze towards his opponent only intensified his fighting spirit.

"Alright." Saeko couldn't stand it anymore and walked directly into the arena. "That's enough. Everyone came out here to have a good time. There's no time for you to keep causing trouble. If you really don't feel like you've had enough..."

Without a word, she snatched the racket from Yukino's hand and tossed the shuttlecock into the air.

Immediately, her entire aura changed. She raised her hand, gathered strength in her right hand, leaped high into the air, and then suddenly unleashed her power!

The shuttlecock, like a white shooting star, landed at Shiwa's feet before she could even react.

With a loud "bang!"

The badminton shuttlecock, which had remained unscathed after being batted back and forth between Yukino and Utaha, suddenly exploded at this moment! The semi-circular head rolled off the court, its feathers taut and flattened, lying quietly on the ground, having ended its mission in this life.

"...I can be your opponent."

Saeko spoke so calmly.

Her upright posture, coupled with the sharp gaze she only displays during kendo competitions, and her overall aura, seemed to say, "I'm not targeting anyone in particular, I just want to say that the two on the field are weaklings."

Not only was Yukino, who was right next to Saeko, stunned by the sheer power Saeko had displayed in that instant, but everyone else watching from the sidelines was also astonished.

Each of their cute little mouths was slightly open, and their expressions looked somewhat comical.

That speed, that power...

It's not a cannonball, is it?!

Can a badminton shuttlecock make a whistling sound when it's hit?!

If that ball had accidentally hit me... it would have embedded itself in my skin, right?!

As for Shiyu, who faced this attack head-on, she obviously suffered the greatest impact.

After a moment of stunned silence, she recalled the fear she had felt not long ago when Saeko had unilaterally and easily suppressed her.

"Never mind, let's call it a day." Shi Yu's eyelids twitched, feeling a little uncertain, but she still forced a bored expression and walked to the sidelines to sit down.

"..." Following her statement, Yukino nodded, silently went to the sidelines, took the towel Eriri handed her, and thanked her.

"Phew..." Saeko looked towards the sidelines and met Chiyo's gaze, letting out a slight sigh of relief.

Fortunately, I did not fail in my mission.

With his back to the others, Yuan Qianye stretched out his hand in front of his stomach and gave her a thumbs up.

today.

The showdown between Yukino Yukinoshita and Utaha Kasumigaoka.

The match ended in a draw due to the strong intervention of Saeko Busujima, an off-field player.

Five o'clock in the afternoon.

With time running out, the group prepared to head back.

Actually, according to the original plan, Yuan Qianye was thinking of having dinner out as well.

But seeing that Shiwa and Yukino both looked exhausted and listless, I decided to let them go back and get some rest.

The various items rented in the morning were returned by Chiya Minamoto and Miyoko together.

Saeko glanced at Yukino and Utaha, who were sitting far apart on opposite sides of a bench outside the shop. After thinking for a moment, she went to the other side, where Eriri and Rikka were playing with a gashapon machine.

Judging from their delighted expressions, they had clearly drawn a rare item.

"Rikka, I see that Utaha and Yukino look very tired. Could you please buy them each a sports drink?"

"Ah good."

Rikka agreed and immediately headed towards the convenience store a few shops away.

Eriri instinctively started to run after them, but Saeko stopped her.

"Eri, can we talk for a bit?"

Eriri was a little confused, but she still followed Saeko and was led by her, walking to the side as if it were a casual stroll.

"Eri, do you still blame Chiya?" Saeko asked softly.

“How could I?” Eriri quickly shook her head: “This is his private matter. Whether he tells the truth or not is his freedom. How could I blame him?”

As she finished speaking, she lowered her head completely, and her voice was almost inaudible.

“But I heard from Rikka that after he confessed to you in the Service Club that day, you ran away immediately.”

Eriri panicked a little, waving her hands in front of her, and hurriedly explained, "Th-that was...the situation was different back then, and it wasn't his fault. It was me...I was too surprised and didn't know how to react, so I acted that way."

Saeko covered her mouth and chuckled lightly, without any malice: "As expected of Eriri, even her surprised reactions are so cute."

Eriri deflated immediately: "Saeko-nee, stop teasing me..."

Saeko's expression turned serious: "I'm not kidding you, this is the truth. I'm sure Chiya thinks so too. In short, his opinion of you is all positive."

Eriri immediately looked up, her tone filled with an expectation she herself didn't realize: "He...would specifically mention me in front of you, Saeko-nee?"

“Of course.” Saeko immediately nodded in affirmation: “For example, your extraordinary talent in painting, your extreme focus and extraordinary efforts on your dreams, your care and attention to your friends, and your strong qualities of being gentle on the outside but firm on the inside… In short, there are too many to list in a short time.”

"Ugh..." Eriri covered her face.

Although she didn't see Chiya's specific expression when she said those words, just hearing Saeko say them made her body start to heat up intensely.

Seeing her like this, Saeko immediately stopped her and changed the subject: "Eri and Rikka are very close, aren't they? In otaku terms, you could say they're like 'fellow buddies'?"

"Yes, you could say that."

"So, it seems my relationship with Eriri will only get better in the future."

Saeko looked at her with a smile, leaned slightly closer, and said in a very soft voice, "After all, we two share the same 'hobbies,' right?"

Just then, Gen Chiya walked out of the shop.

Saeko glanced in his direction and gestured to Eriri.