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

"Kazusa is in the practice room. You can go directly to her."

Aunt Shibata said with a smile, taking the schoolbag from Rikka and taking out guest slippers for her.

"Thank you, sorry to bother you."

Rikka changed into slippers, walked through the spacious living room, and down the corridor to the practice room on the basement floor.

She gently pushed open the door, but the sight before her made her gasp slightly.

It wasn't because I saw Kazusa hunched over the piano, writing and drawing on the sheet music.

It was not because the practice room, with its expensive flooring and stylish decor, was so messy!

Various musical staff drafts were carelessly thrown on the ground, some even crumpled into balls and scattered everywhere... It was a complete mess!

…………

Chapter 035: The Male and Female Leads Were Confirmed

"Auntie, I told you not to worry too much. I'll go rest after I've dealt with this..."

Hearing the noise behind her, Kazusa spoke helplessly, her voice soft and clearly showing her fatigue.

Rikka, who had been called out, was carefully tiptoeing, trying to avoid the scattered sheet music drafts and crumpled papers on the ground. Upon hearing the sound, she immediately stopped and gave a soft, apologetic smile.

"That... Kazusa, that's me."

"Rikka?"

Kazusa turned around at the sound, and when she saw who it was, her eyes looked somewhat dazed and sluggish due to exhaustion.

This is understandable. Since she opened her eyes at seven o'clock yesterday morning, she had experienced a high-intensity piano competition, followed by traveling back and forth between Tokyo and Kyoto, and then she has been busy ever since because of Minamoto Chiya's casual request to call her "Wasa-sensei".

By now, around 5 p.m., she has been without sleep for more than 30 hours.

"I'm sorry, did I bother you?" Rikka said in an even gentler tone.

"It's alright..." Kazusa rubbed her throbbing temples, forcing herself to ask, "But why did you suddenly come here?"

"Ah...it's because..." Rikka's mind raced. The real reason she was about to blurt out caught in her throat. Considering that saying it directly might be too abrupt, she changed her words on the spot, her tone filled with genuine concern: "I've been trying to call you but haven't been able to get through. I'm a little worried about you!"

This wasn't exactly a lie; after all, when she stepped into the practice room and saw how messy it was, she was genuinely worried about her.

Upon hearing this, Kazusa's gaze softened slightly.

She took her phone from the piano, glanced at the time, and explained to Rikka,

"Because this is a basement, and the practice room was designed to avoid disturbing the neighbors, so soundproofing panels and cotton were specially installed, the signal is very poor down here, and sometimes I can't receive calls."

"Oh, I see." Rikka nodded in sudden understanding.

I'm sorry to have worried you.

"It's alright, it's alright. I'm the one who suddenly came to bother you." Rikka quickly waved her hand, then looked curiously at the sheet music scattered on the piano stand: "But Kazusa, didn't you already finish your competition? What are you busy with now?"

“Nothing special…” Kazusa’s tone was slightly ambiguous as she asked, “Didn’t Chiya mention it to you?”

"What are you going to bring up?"

"He said he was planning to make a movie recently, and that he had composed a few pieces of piano music for the movie. He asked me to take a look and see if there was anything that could be improved."

"He actually went out of his way to ask you, Kazusa, to do something like this? Seriously, you just finished your match, Kazusa." Rikka complained on behalf of her friend.

"Actually, it's nothing, I've got nothing else to do anyway..."

Kazusa felt a little guilty, because she had skipped all her classes at school today so that she could quickly send the revised piece to Minamoto Chiyo and let him listen to it.

She wanted to help him with any request, even if it was just a casual remark, hoping that her efforts would be of some benefit to him.

“…Let’s not talk about this for now,” Kazusa stood up and changed the subject at the right time: “I was just thinking of taking a break, let’s go upstairs and talk.”

"okay."

The two left the basement music room together and returned to the spacious and bright living room, where the sunlight streaming in through the floor-to-ceiling windows instantly dispelled the stuffiness of the basement.

Natural light streamed into the room through the floor-to-ceiling windows, making the visibility much better than in the basement.

With the light becoming brighter, Rikka could now see more clearly the tired look on Kazusa's face.

Rikka exclaimed in surprise, "Kazusa, your dark circles are so bad! Did you not sleep well last night?"

It wasn't just that I didn't sleep well; I didn't even close my eyes at all.

However, there was no need to explain this, so Kazusa simply gave a soft "hmm" to brush it off.

Aunt Shibata knew the details, since she saw Kazusa in the practice room when she arrived early in the morning. When she went to her bedroom to help fold the blankets as usual, she found the bed neatly made and untouched.

You should know that Kazusa was taken care of by her since she was a child, and she was in a relaxed state at home, but she had no habit of getting up early to make the quilt.

After Aunt Shibata noticed this, she went to the practice room to gently suggest that she take a break. She said it didn't matter whether she went to school or not; young people are growing and should at least get enough sleep. This was the woman's most simple and honest thought.

Kazusa seemed to agree, saying she would go to rest later, but she remained holed up in the practice room without moving.

Seeing this, Aunt Shibata called Yoko. After understanding the situation, Yoko sighed slightly. She knew her daughter well and knew that she was completely in love.

Feeling rather helpless and having no other options, I simply replied, "Let her be; there's no need to interfere."

Aunt Shibata was extremely anxious; how could she let her do as she pleased? She also complained quite a bit.

It's one thing for the daughter to be immature, but the mother also has a very strong heart. This mother and daughter are really a source of endless worry.

Fortunately, Kazusa's friend came over. It's easier to talk to friends, and she could help persuade Kazusa.

"Rikka, it's almost dinner time, why don't you stay and have dinner with us?"

"Is this too much of a disturbance? I'll stay for a little while and then leave."

"Don't be shy. It's rare for you to come over as a guest. It's just a matter of having an extra pair of chopsticks. There are drinks in the refrigerator. Come and see what you'd like to drink. You can help yourself."

"Thank you."

Kazusa also told Rikka not to be shy, while she herself got up and went to the washroom. She had been in the piano practice room for so long and wanted to wash her face to clear her head.

Taking this opportunity, Aunt Shibata explained to Rikka that Kazusa hadn't slept all night and asked her, as a friend, to persuade Kazusa not to go to the practice room after dinner and to get some rest first.

Rikka was taken aback, but after realizing what was happening, she nodded her head seriously, indicating that she would take care of it.

The meal was plentiful, with the aroma of salt-baked prawns and red wine-braised short ribs filling the air, accompanied by refreshing boiled asparagus and chilled wakame salad, making it very appetizing.

As far as I can remember, the Touma family's dietary conditions have always seemed quite good.

Every meal is filled with meat and fish, which may be why Kazusa is so tall and has such a great figure.

Considering that she should maintain a ladylike image in someone else's home, Rikka stopped eating at the right time to indicate that she was full, even though she felt she could still finish half a bowl of rice.

As for Kazusa, she was probably too tired, which caused her to have a poor appetite. Aunt Shibata didn't serve her much rice, and she only took a couple of small bites before stopping.

However, she ate two whole servings of the dessert, handmade red bean double-skin milk.

After dinner, Aunt Shibata was clearing the table and looked over at Rikka.

Rikka noticed her hint and nodded vigorously.

She followed Kazusa to the outdoor courtyard lawn for a slow walk to aid digestion.

In the early summer evening, a gentle breeze caresses the face, carrying the scent of fresh grass.

"Kazusa, what are you planning to do later?" Rikka asked casually.

"Hmm... I've almost finished revising the piece that Chiya asked me to. I'll rest a bit more, then I'll go back and work harder. I estimate I can finish it completely by tomorrow." Kazusa gazed at the setting sun and made her plans softly.

Are you planning to stay up for two days and two nights straight?! My older brother is so healthy, but he's not this extreme!

Rikka exclaimed inwardly, and quickly said, "No, Kazusa, my brother's matter isn't urgent, you can put it aside for now. I just happened to come here today because... I also have something I'd like to ask you for help with."

"You're asking me for help too? Let's not even talk about what kind of help you need, but you two siblings are really not being polite to me."

Kazusa's tone sounded slightly reproachful, but her expression showed no dissatisfaction. The corners of her mouth were slightly raised, and there was even a smile. Therefore, it was easy to conclude that she was in a fairly pleasant mood at the moment.

At least for now, he doesn't feel any aversion or resistance to what Rikka mentioned.

"Oh, we're good friends~ there's no need to be so polite." Rikka immediately used her charm, affectionately taking Kazusa's arm and gently shaking it.

Kazusa was caught off guard and felt a little embarrassed by the enthusiastic touching, which had a remarkable effect.

"Besides, Kazusa, if you need any help with anything, just ask, and I'll absolutely do it without hesitation!"

"Okay, let go now. I just finished eating, and you're shaking me like that. It's making me feel like I'm going to throw up."

"Hehe~"

"So what exactly is it?"

"Let's go back and sit down to talk slowly."

Kazusa gave her a helpless look and led Rikka back indoors.

After Rikka asked to go to her room, they eventually arrived at her room.

The conversation venue also moved from the living room sofa to the soft bed.

"Come on, Kazusa, lean against me, relax, and let me tell you slowly." Rikka patted the soft pillow, indicating that Kazusa should lie down more comfortably.

It has to be said that Rikka is the kind of person who can't hide anything on her mind. Even Kazusa, who hadn't closed her eyes for more than a day and whose thinking was sluggish, could clearly see that Rikka was probably instructed by Aunt Shibata to let her sleep and rest.

However, although she saw through it, she didn't say anything. Having not had many friends growing up, she actually enjoyed the feeling of being cared for, which warmed her heart.

For now, I'll remain calm and listen to what Rikka wants to ask for my help with.

"Kazusa, you said before that you heard from my brother about our recent plans to shoot a movie, right?"

"Ah."

“If you know this, then things are much easier to talk about. As you know, filming a movie requires actors, but we have almost everything else ready except for the most crucial actor.”

Why does this sound so familiar?

Oh right, didn't that guy mention this on the plane too?

As Kazusa recalled the events, a strange feeling flickered through her heart, but she calmly asked, "What do you want to say?"

Rikka then stopped beating around the bush: "So... how about you give Kazusa a try for the female lead in the movie we're filming this time?"

"..."

This completely unexpected request left Kazusa speechless for a moment. She opened her mouth, but couldn't make a sound immediately.

Rikka knelt on the bed, her feet in white socks pressed under her little bottom. Her body leaned forward slightly without her noticing. Her big eyes blinked, filled with unreserved anticipation, like a little animal waiting to be fed.