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

With all these miscellaneous expenses added together, it's quite easy for the total to exceed 20 million!

Twenty million could buy a small, fully furnished apartment in this area outright.

Not to mention the Qixi Festival this time, the total budget for the event, including the subsidies from the government and the sponsorships from various nearby businesses, was less than five million.

“I know what Mr. Nagai is thinking. From your perspective, this is indeed a bit hard to accept. For example, am I deliberately trying to make fun of you? Are you being approached by some prank show right now, and I have a hidden camera on me or something? So, in order to dispel your concerns and show my sincerity, if you can agree to my demands right now, get the venue usage rights sorted out, and pass the fire and police checks, then I can immediately hand over 500,000 yen.”

Miyoko thought to herself how prescient her boss was. She had just withdrawn one million yen from the bank before coming here, and it came in handy at this moment.

She opened her bag and took out about half of it, then spread out the brand-new 10,000 yuan bills slightly on the coffee table.

Fukuzawa Yukichi's gaze was awe-inspiring.

"..."

Nagai fell silent once again. He habitually picked up his teacup, but then immediately put it down again after realizing what he had done.

Realizing that the woman in front of him was serious, he understood that she was not someone he could handle.

"Please wait a moment, I can't make the decision on this matter. I'll go contact the chairman now and have him talk to you."

…………

Chapter 077: Stage Construction Completed (6k)

After waiting for about ten minutes, Mr. Nagai returned to his office.

This time, he was accompanied by another person, an elderly man dressed in an elegant dark blue kimono.

He was a burly man who looked to be around sixty years old. Although his beard and hair were gray and his face was covered with wrinkles, his eyes were still bright and piercing.

“This is Mr. Tozu, the chairman of our town’s association.”

"President, this is Ms. Kudo and... and her colleague."

Mr. Nagai introduced the two parties and then let the elderly man sit in the main seat, while he himself sat to the side.

"Hello, Mr. Chairman."

Miyoko reached out her hand to him, and the two shook hands.

"Hello, I've already heard the general outline from Nagai, but I still have some questions..."

The subsequent conversation mainly consisted of Miyoko answering the old man's questions unilaterally.

And he truly lived up to his position as president. From the moment he sat down inside, he keenly noticed that although the young lady in front of him was the one doing the talking, the one actually in charge was the young man beside her.

However, despite making the discovery, he did not specifically point it out.

Pretending to be completely unaware, and after all his doubts were answered step by step, he felt there were no problems and began to discuss some specific details of the cooperation.

It's great that a generous sponsor is willing to host a grand fireworks show, allowing guests attending the Qixi Festival and nearby residents to enjoy a more spectacular program. The only concern is that the scale of the fireworks show is too large, so an application must be submitted to the police and fire departments in advance.

However, this is not a major problem.

As the chairman of the town's association for more than 20 years, he has served the community, organized various activities, provided assistance to different families, and mediated many conflicts between neighbors. The personal connections and prestige he has accumulated over the years have made his local network so vast that it is unimaginable.

Therefore, obtaining official approval for the fireworks show in his territory was not a difficult task for him.

However, since the original fireworks show consisted of ordinary consumer-grade fireworks that were mostly set off on the ground, the location could be an open space in a park.

But the spectacular fireworks that burst into bloom in mid-air are a different story.

The park has a lot of vegetation and trees, and considering safety, environmental protection, and the difficulty of subsequent cleaning, the original site selection is definitely not feasible.

Therefore, Chairman Tozu suggested that the fireworks display location should perhaps be moved to a wasteland 200 meters away from the park.

The sky there is completely unobstructed, the view is open and there are no residential buildings nearby, and the ground is flat and easy to clean later, making it the best choice.

Miyoko pretended to think about the suggestion, but secretly glanced at her boss's expression before confidently agreeing.

In this way, a general agreement can be considered to have been reached.

Both were in good spirits, and Miyoko shook hands with Chairman Tozu again.

Mr. Nagai, the secretary, immediately got up and drafted a sponsorship agreement, which simply clarified the rights and obligations of both parties.

From this point on, the subsequent cooperation involved more detailed discussions.

The room was air-conditioned and cool, but the people who often worked there seemed to have a smoking habit, so there was a faint smell of tobacco in the room.

The smell made Chiyo, who doesn't smoke, feel uncomfortable. In addition, the most important matters had been settled, and the rest could be handled by Miyoko. So he took the opportunity to get up and leave the office.

The streets outside were scorched by the blinding sunlight, and a wave of heat hit you as soon as you stepped outside, accompanied by the piercing chirping of cicadas. But even so, the fresh air, carrying the scent of sunshine and dust, was much better than the smell of tobacco inside.

He raised his hand, pressed it to his forehead, and looked up at the clear blue sky.

Summer is really here...

He strolled into a convenience store on the street, bought a cone of ice cream, took a bite of the tip, and sat on a bench outside the store, slowly licking it as he ate. At the same time, he took out his phone, thought for a moment, and dialed Yang Nai's number.

"It's rather unusual for you to call at this time."

Yang Nai's bright and cheerful voice came through the phone microphone as always.

This is the complete opposite of her sticky and languid demeanor in private.

Yuan Qianye extended an invitation directly: "Are you free tonight, sister? Would you like to go out for dinner together?"

"Hmm—" Yang Nai's voice trailed off on the other end of the phone, indicating that she was considering it and struggling with the decision.

"Yes, it means 'agree,' I think that's how I understand it."

"I'm so sorry, I really wanted to go out to dinner with you, Qianye, but I really don't have time today. I have to handle some business at the company tonight and work overtime to finalize a cooperation agreement with a home decoration brand as soon as possible." She explained in detail, as if to prove to herself that she was not lying.

"I see. Since you have work to do, there's really nothing we can do. How about tomorrow night?"

"There's a women's camellia party organized by some senior students at school tomorrow night, and as a junior, it's not easy for me to refuse."

"Your life is truly exceptionally fulfilling, sister," Yuan Qianye said with a smile, taking a bite of her ice cream. "And what about the night after tomorrow?"

“A distant relative I haven’t seen in a long time is coming to visit on Saturday night. As the eldest daughter of the Yukino family, I really have no choice but to go back.” Yang Nai sounded very distressed on the other end of the phone: “What should I do? I’ve been entangled in all sorts of chores these past few days and I really can’t get away.”

"What about Sunday? Sunday night shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"On Sunday, I..."

Yuan Qianye interrupted her: "Sister, it would be impolite if you continued to make excuses. You should still remember what you promised me last time. You can't keep dragging this out like this and breaking your promise."

Yang Nai laughed and said, "I didn't mean to refuse, and I would never go back on my word..."

"Then it's settled. Sunday evening, sister, please make time for me. I'll contact you then."

By preemptively silencing Yang Nai's further attempts to refuse, Yuan Qianye decisively hung up the phone.

He stared intently at his phone, and that was how he achieved his goal.

The reason I asked her repeatedly if she was free today and the next two evenings right after the call connected was so that I could eventually get her to make time for Sunday evening.

This was to prevent getting straight to the point and making it too obvious that he wanted to celebrate her birthday.

He had anticipated Yang Nai's repeated avoidance of his invitation, so he went along with her plan and made her refuse several times until she finally couldn't say no anymore.

It shares a similar principle with the compromise theory.

As for what to do if Yang Nai actually agrees halfway through... if she does agree, just ask her out for dinner to cultivate your relationship, there's nothing to hesitate about.

Either way, he's going to win.

Alright, now that the older sister who kept avoiding us is settled, and arrangements have been made with Kazusa long ago, all that's left is the maid who's secretly incredibly enthusiastic.

He chose to contact the maid by sending a message.

[Yuan Qianye: I know a great place for this Sunday. We should have a lot of fun. Shall I arrange the activities for that evening?]

The message was successfully sent, but the maid didn't show as read until all the remaining ice cream was eaten.

It's not surprising, there aren't any dark crawlers that stay glued to the phone screen all day long, they all have their own things to do.

Twenty minutes later, after finalizing the sponsorship and cooperation details, Miyoko walked out of the office. Seeing this, Chiyo went to her side, and the two bowed slightly to the two members of the town association before returning to their car.

Miyoko pressed the start button, but did not start the vehicle immediately; she simply turned on the air conditioning.

Yuan Qianye took a deep, comfortable breath. Compared to the office filled with the smell of smoke, the car interior, with its faint scent of women's perfume, was much more comfortable for him.

“Boss, I have discussed all the details of the cooperation with Chairman Tozu. He said that the original arrangements for the small fireworks display at the Tanabata Festival will remain unchanged, but he will arrange for us to use an open space that is farther away from the park. He will also help us contact the local police station and fire department to help us obtain the fireworks permit. After we purchase the fireworks, we can contact Mr. Nagai directly, and he will arrange for people to help with the specific arrangements on site.”

Miyoko took out a booklet and reported the work situation to her boss.

"Thank you for your hard work, Miyoko-nee."

Yuan Qianye turned his body to the side, put his hands on her shoulders, and gently massaged them.

Although Miyoko always referred to him as "boss" in public and genuinely regarded him as her superior, he did not simply see her as his subordinate, but rather as his friend and business partner.

From his early days as a newcomer to now, he has received so much help and care from her. There are many things that she has taught him little by little through her years of experience in the workplace.

"Hehe, it's so itchy. Boss, you don't need to do this. This is just part of my job."

Miyoko laughed and pulled her hand away from his.

Actually, the massage Yuan Qianye gave her was quite comfortable, but the moment she realized that his hands were touching her body, she had some... embarrassing thoughts and some unknown reactions.

Also worried that she might lose her composure in front of him when they were so close, Miyoko, despite enjoying it, resolutely kept her distance from him.

Yuan Qianye originally intended to use this gesture to express closeness, without any other ulterior motives. Therefore, upon seeing her do this, he immediately stopped.

"I'll leave the rest of the work to you, such as purchasing fireworks and communicating with Mr. Nagai about the collaboration."

"Seriously, boss, if you keep saying that, it's like you're taking advantage of your own people instead of me. What's with all this talk about how much trouble it takes? You should still remember that I've been getting paid by you all along, right?"

"I was just being polite, because you'll be quite busy in the next few days."

"Who can argue with that? The capricious boss suddenly came up with a capricious idea. Now that Qixi Festival is approaching, it's foreseeable that all the fireworks factories will be overwhelmed with orders. Under such circumstances, it will definitely be much more difficult to buy so many fireworks at once than usual."

"It's all up to you. It's a bit difficult, but I still believe in your abilities."

Miyoko exclaimed, "It's great to be a boss. You can just say something and your subordinates have to work hard to complete the task."

Looking at her, Miyoko, who had been feigning melancholy, couldn't hold back for a moment, and the two of them smiled at each other.

"Seriously, boss, what's the point of setting off so many fireworks this time?"

Before going to the town meeting, Chiyo only told her his thoughts and plans, but he didn't mention his motives at all.

"You should have already guessed it, right?" Yuan Qianye looked at the front of the vehicle, where three children, two girls and one boy, were running away, playing and laughing, with their schoolbags on their backs.

This made him realize that since starting high school, the distance between him and a childhood friend seemed to have gradually widened without him even noticing.