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

Yoko's sudden outburst made Yuan Qianye feel like a million grass mud horses were galloping through his mind.

…………

Chapter 52: School Festival Part 8

After returning to the table, Chiya Minamoto and Yoko Touma tacitly kept their conversation a secret from everyone.

As for the content, it's indeed not convenient to disclose that.

After this simple lunch, Yukino's task of contributing to the class activities also came to a temporary end.

She changed her clothes and walked out of the classroom with everyone.

When it was almost time, Mrs. Yukinoshita took her leave, and Yukino followed her to see her off.

Chiya Minamoto was also specially invited to join them by Mrs. Yukinoshita.

After leaving the teaching building and arriving at the courtyard, Mrs. Yukinoshita suddenly spoke up: "Yukino, you go first, I have something I want to say to Chiya-kun."

“…Yes.” Although Yukino agreed verbally, her gaze darted back and forth between her childhood friend and her mother, showing hesitation and some concerns, and she did not take a step for a long time.

However, after Yuan Qianye nodded slightly to her, she ultimately didn't say anything more and simply turned and left.

Mrs. Yukinoshita took in the entire interaction between the two, but said nothing, only continuing to maintain her elegant smile.

Yuan Qianye escorted her all the way to the school gate.

Under the camphor trees planted by the roadside, Mrs. Yukinoshita stopped in her tracks: "Your relationship with that child is still as good as ever."

"Yes, Yukino is excellent. People who understand her strengths will enjoy being around her."

Mrs. Yukinoshita laughed happily.

The black luxury car that was originally parked on the side of the road slowly started and drove up to the two of them.

The vehicle turned on its hazard lights, and the driver walked halfway around from the driver's seat, opened the rear door, and waited quietly.

Mrs. Yukinoshita wasn't in a hurry to get into the car. She glanced back at the school, a nostalgic look in her eyes: "Thank you for your hospitality today. I had a lot of fun. It felt like I was back in my student days."

"Please come and see the next festival at school; it should be even more spectacular than this one."

"Okay, a boy's words should be taken as a promise. I'll remember that."

"Please rest assured."

"Finally, I'd like to give you a few words of advice."

"Please speak."

“Yang Nai is a child who was spoiled by my husband and me since she was a child, so she may be willful at times. But she is not a bad person. If she doesn’t know her place and causes you any trouble, please don’t hate her. If you really feel helpless, you can come to me directly and I will teach her a good lesson for you.”

When Mrs. Shikishige mentioned her eldest daughter, a smile played on her lips, but as she finished speaking, her gaze quickly turned calm and profound.

“Yukino is my most precious treasure… She’s not as reassuring as Haruno, but that’s precisely why I love her even more. Although she has her own opinions in many ways, she is also surprisingly persistent and innocent in some matters. As one of the few friends she can confide in, you are so steady and sensible, and you have maintained your friendship with her for so many years. As her mother, I am very gratified and can feel a little more at ease. In the future, please be sure to keep your distance and continue to maintain this relationship with her.”

Under the lush green shade of the trees, the noblewoman, having finished speaking, gracefully smoothed her hair, her expression softening once more.

"You're a smart kid, I think you'll understand what I mean and won't let me down, right?"

"Don't worry." Yuan Qianye met her gaze directly without flinching.

Lady Yukinoshita nodded with satisfaction.

Gen Chiyo watched her get into the car, observing her graceful gesture as she waved gently at him through the car window. He imagined Yukino in the future, wondering if she would also show such a gentle side when he left home for work.

If that time really comes, I'll probably be reluctant to leave her side.

He stood by the roadside, watching the car drive away until it disappeared from his sight. He then stood there for a while, pondering what Mrs. Yukinoshita had just said, before turning back to the school.

Yukino didn't go back to meet up with the others, but waited for him at the entrance of the teaching building.

"What did Mom say to you?" She had just asked this question after meeting up with Yuan Qianye when she immediately shook her head: "Never mind, that's between you two. You don't need to tell me."

Yuan Qianye found her left and right brains fighting each other adorable and didn't hide anything: "Nothing special, she just hopes we can continue to get along well in the future and asks me to take care of you."

"I don't need your special treatment."

"Shy?"

Yukino replied as if she'd heard a joke: "What do you think?"

Yuan Qianye sighed: "You weren't like this before, why do you seem to be getting harsher and harsher on me?"

"Whose fault do you think it is?"

"I understand, this is what you call 'the deeper the love, the deeper the hate'."

"...I went back."

With so many people coming and going in front of the teaching building and so many eyes staring at them, Yukino was too lazy to continue arguing with him.

Unlike Mrs. Yukinoshita, who had to leave due to work commitments, Yoko Touma and Sayuri Sawamura were quite free.

One of them had just finished a solo piano recital tour abroad and was currently on a leisurely vacation, while the other didn't have much work to do and could be considered a semi-housewife, so they both had plenty of time.

It's a rare treat to stroll around the school festival with my daughter today, so naturally we have to have a great time.

Later, around 2 PM, Rikka finished her work and came over to join the others, heading towards the stadium.

The stage was set up after the school festival started, providing space for registered classes or clubs to perform.

The performances are of all kinds, including manzai (stand-up comedy), singing, gymnastics, magic, ensembles, and so on.

Chiya Minamoto and Kazusa's duet was the seventh performance in the afternoon session.

The student council had already arranged for someone to move the upright piano needed for the performance from the music classroom to the backstage area.

Actually, if you want to achieve the best live performance, the grand piano that Kazusa has in the second music classroom is more suitable for use in such a large venue.

However, moving them was too troublesome. Just one upright piano weighing over 400 pounds was enough to exhaust the students who were moving it. Two of them said they couldn't go on as soon as they got out of the music classroom and had to go to other clubs to borrow a trolley to help. So it goes without saying that the even heavier grand piano was even more difficult to move.

But that's okay. It's not a stage with top-notch professionalism. As long as the setup is decent, it'll be enough.

Behind the stage, Chiya and Kazusa waited in the preparation area.

The group performing on stage right now is the Light Music Club, an all-girls group. Their original songs are quite cute, and the atmosphere is electric.

There are about ten minutes left. After their performance ends, it will be their turn to take the stage.

"Will you be nervous?"

Kazusa, who was doing finger exercises, heard Minamoto Chiya speak beside her and looked up a beat late: "Are you asking me?"

Yuan Qianye gave her a thumbs up: "Great attitude, please keep it up."

"Instead of worrying about me, worry about yourself. Don't make the same mistake you did in practice this morning."

"It's okay, we're all in this together anyway, so if anyone's going to lose face, it'll be us both."

"Hehe, that's hard to say."

"What do you mean?"

Below the stage, the crowd clapped along to the music.

As the guitarist finished his final strum, enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience.

Sawamura Sayuri clapped her hands happily: "Today was definitely worth it, you've given me so many surprises."

Touma Yoko chimed in beside her, "Who says otherwise? Kids these days are just too amazing."

"After watching this, I even want my Eriri to form a band and perform on stage~ If it's just some simple pop songs, with some hard work on the corresponding instruments, she should be able to master the basics."

Eriri pretended not to hear her mother's words and whispered to Rikka and Yukino.

Sayuri Sawamura felt quite helpless seeing her daughter's reaction.

This time, she saw the movies that everyone had filmed. Although they were quite good, she felt that her own daughter was somewhat marginalized. She never appeared in the movie as an actress, while Yukino and Kazusa were quite active.

As for the performance that Chiya and Kazusa will be putting on stage later, it goes without saying that it will be another eye-catching solo show.

Speaking of which, who made her learn painting, a skill that is quite difficult to make a name for herself?

Oh, it's me, a stay-at-home mom...

Sayuri Sawamura stopped thinking about it any further.

It's okay. Personal strengths are just a bonus, not a guarantee of complete control over the course of a relationship. My darling Eriri is still very cute, and we have an advantage in terms of the foundation of our relationship. There's no need to worry too much. It's just that I need to be more aware of the attitudes of the other two wives. I can't be as carefree as before. I do need to feel a bit of a crisis.

"Thank you for the wonderful performance by the Light Music Club. Next, we will have a musical ensemble performance by Touma Kazusa from Class 1-I and Minamoto Chiya from Class 1-F. Touma Kazusa has achieved remarkable success in many professional music competitions, while Minamoto Chiya has also achieved excellent results in the National Youth Piano Competition..."

On stage, the president of the City Return Tour Association appeared as the host, holding a microphone.

"Instrumental ensemble? Isn't it just piano playing?" Rikka asked, somewhat puzzled.

But Eriri and Yukino, who were beside her, were equally puzzled and could not respond to her.

On stage, several boys behind Cheng Huixun worked together to move an upright piano to the center of the stage, with Yuan Qianye among them.

With the piano almost ready, a prompt came through the headset, and the person in charge of the event raised their voice: "...Now, let's welcome Touma Kazusa and Minamoto Chiya to perform two pieces, Secret and Canon!"

Scattered applause broke out, but soon fell silent.

The stage lights were dimmed slightly to highlight the focus of the performers who were about to take the stage.

Chiya and Kazusa entered the stage from the side, bowed to the audience, and then sat down together at the piano to adjust their posture.

Seeing Touma Yoko raise her phone to take a picture of the scene, Mrs. Sawamura glanced at her daughter, her hands clenched into fists in front of her, looking extremely nervous, and then sighed silently.

With everything ready, Kazusa looked at Chiya beside her. After receiving a gentle nod in response from him, she smiled and took a deep breath, pressing the first note with her fingertips.

Gen Chiya seized the opportunity and joined in perfectly, without any sense of incongruity, but rather like a stream flowing into a preordained river.

The music is fast-paced, and the melody quickly becomes expansive and stirring.

Their hands intertwined, becoming one, their boundaries gradually blurring. Their shoulders touched lightly through their school uniforms, as if they could feel the warmth of each other's body heat.

Not only is he good-looking, but he's also incredibly talented...

This was the first thought of most spectators in the audience.

The first piece of music was played very quickly.

Amidst enthusiastic applause, Kazusa leaned closer: "Wait for me a moment?"

Yuan Qianye was somewhat bewildered.

From the audience's perspective, Touma Kazusa suddenly stood up and walked quickly backstage. When she reappeared, she was holding a violin.