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

Don't be fooled by the fact that the gentle and kind personality of the protagonist in romance works is so prevalent now that it's like a wholesale market, causing countless viewers to complain that it's unoriginal and aesthetically tiring. But in reality, how many people can truly maintain emotional stability, gentleness, and consideration for years on end?

I may complain, but I'll still watch it.

Why? It's because most people in reality have a very low chance of meeting someone with such good qualities. The more unattainable something is, the more we yearn for and want it; that's human nature.

Yuan Qianye ate breakfast first.

Shihua's portion was placed on the table; she could simply heat it up herself after getting up.

As for Rikka's portion, he placed it on a tray and carried it directly into her room.

When Rikka was woken up, she rubbed her eyes with considerable dissatisfaction. She was about to complain that she wasn't allowed to sleep in on the weekend when she moved her hand away from her eyes and realized that her older brother was standing by her bedside with a big smile, holding a delicious breakfast.

And because he was facing away from the window, the light from outside spread out from around him, and combined with his overly clean-cut and handsome appearance, for a moment she felt as if she saw an angel with broken wings descended to earth!

"So dazzling!" she exclaimed, covering her face with her hand in an exaggerated manner.

"Stop fooling around, try it quickly." Yuan Qianye sat on the edge of the bed: "Today's breakfast is crab meat porridge, which you like very much. I know you don't like cilantro, so I didn't add it today. I also specially picked out the ginger shreds for you. Eating something too hot in the summer will make your body feel hot, so I specially let it cool down for you for a while. It should be just right now, warm."

As he spoke, he scooped up some porridge with a spoon and brought it close to Rikka's mouth.

From Rikka's perspective, the rice porridge in the spoon gleamed with an oily sheen, the crab meat was bouncy and plump, and there were even dried scallops and shrimp added.

Gen Chiyo raised his hand again to signal, and Rikka stared at him, opened her mouth, and took a bite. Sure enough, she almost lost her eyebrows from the spiciness.

She couldn't bear to swallow such a delicious thing directly, and savored it in her mouth for a long time before reluctantly swallowing it.

Seeing this, Yuan Qianye smiled and fed him a second spoonful.

This time, Rikka didn't immediately open her mouth to cooperate.

She shrank back slightly: "Brother, please don't do this, it's scaring me."

"what happened?"

"The last time you were this considerate to me was when I had a high fever."

Is there anything wrong with a brother caring about his sister?

"No problem, but you're acting way too strangely today."

"You actually said that to me? I was just thinking that I've been neglecting you lately and wanted to get closer to you after all this time."

"..."

Rikka didn't reply, but simply took the bowl from her older brother and silently drank her porridge.

She's getting smarter and smarter; she's not as easy to fool as before.

Gen Chiya sighed silently.

So he stopped beating around the bush and got straight to the point: "I'll be frank, it's about the favor I asked you before."

"The thing you asked me to do before?" Rikka asked, puzzled.

Yuan Qianye couldn't hold back for a moment: "Don't tell me you forgot about the night before last."

Rikka's eyes glazed over for a moment, then she immediately regained her senses: "Ahhh, I remember, I remember. Don't look at me with that complicated look. I really remember. How could I forget? You specifically asked me to do this before. I just woke up and my head is still a little dizzy. I haven't quite caught up yet."

Although my head was spinning, my cooking speed wasn't affected at all...

Yuan Qianye sighed silently: "I'm leaving in a bit and won't be back, so I came here specifically to remind you. Don't forget."

"Don't worry, don't worry, leave it to me, it'll be fine!" Rikka said, a spoon dangling from her mouth, her free right hand patting her chest, as if to say, "You can rest assured."

Seeing his adopted sister's behavior, Gen Chiya thought she was unreliable no matter how he looked at her, but he had no other choice. After all, Rikka was the most suitable person to do this, and he had no other options.

Fortunately, the task that Rikka needed to do was not difficult, so at this point, she could only choose to believe.

After giving instructions to her seemingly reliable stepsister, Minamoto Chiya went out and was picked up by Kudo Miyoko. The two went to the Tanabata Festival to make final preparations.

The Touma family.

It was a little after eight in the morning.

Yoko Touma yawned as she walked out of her bedroom. On her day off, this was a rare early start for her.

Good morning, madam.

Mrs. Shibata, who has worked for the Touma family for many years and is responsible for taking care of the mother and daughter, had already gone to the supermarket to buy groceries and was busy in the kitchen. When she saw the lady of the house, she took the initiative to greet her.

"Good morning, Auntie. I told you not to come so early. Your husband recently sprained his ankle, so please take good care of him."

"It's just a few minor issues, don't worry too much. Now that you're up, let me prepare breakfast. What would you like to eat?"

"I want to eat your waffles, Auntie, with extra maple syrup on top, and strawberry jam too."

"Hehe, just like Kazusa. Okay, I'll go prepare right away."

“Okay, thank you for your help… Hmm?” Touma Yoko suddenly noticed something important: “Has Kazusa already gotten up?”

"Yes, she was already up when I came in, and she should be washing up now."

"I see."

Touma Yoko was acting strangely.

Her daughter has so many similarities to her, such as being born beautiful, having a sweet tooth, long legs and big breasts, and staying up late and sleeping in.

Kazusa does have plans for today, but she can easily leave after lunch at a leisurely pace.

So, there really is some other arrangement involved?

Yoko walked towards the washroom and heard noises coming from the bathroom. She carefully opened the door and peered inside.

Kazusa was standing under the showerhead, her eyes closed, her face tilted back, letting the warm water pour over her face and neck, and then flow over her whole body.

In Yoko's eyes, her daughter's skin was like new porcelain kissed by the morning sun, smooth with a very faint warm glow, and youthful vitality overflowing from within.

Once upon a time, I was just like this child, in the prime of my life...

Yoko felt a pang of sadness, but this low mood was quickly overshadowed by other discoveries.

She heard Kazusa humming a song amidst the pattering of water.

She quietly listened to the melody and recognized that her daughter was humming the famous "Singin' in the Rain."

Combining the song's cheerful and happy melody with the slight upturn of her lips on her daughter's face, it's easy to draw a conclusion.

"My dear daughter, you seem to be in a good mood today."

"!"

Yoko's question was tinged with a smile and spoken in a soft voice, but the occasion was somewhat inappropriate, so it still startled the unsuspecting Kazusa.

After realizing what had happened, she wrapped her hands around the large, plump white breasts, turned her back to the bathroom door, and glared angrily at her mother.

Yoko smiled even more: "What's there to be embarrassed about with your mother? When you were little, you often took baths with me and would fuss about sleeping with me at night. Thanks to you, I didn't have a private life for a long time during that period."

“You already said that was when I was a child, so stop saying these nonsensical things so early in the morning.”

Kazusa, with a stern face, walked straight over, ignoring her mother's protests of "how rude!", pushed her head out, and locked the bathroom door from the inside.

The bathroom is definitely not a good place for heart-to-heart talks, especially since the daughter is completely naked while the mother is dressed.

Yoko reflected on her mistake. After washing up, she waited for her daughter to finish her bath. When the two of them sat down at the table to have breakfast together, she asked the same question again.

"I'm not in a good mood. You've misunderstood," Kazusa replied irritably.

She stabbed hard with her knife and fork, the steel cutlery making a distinct sound against the smooth porcelain surface. She was still upset about her mother opening the bathroom door without warning.

“But you were humming a song and smiling, looking so happy, it was obvious you were expecting something,” Yaozi persisted.

“I’ve already said there’s nothing like that. Mom, if you’re really bored and have nothing to do, then go out and get some work instead of staying home all day.”

"That's so mean! I've only been back for a short time and you're already kicking me out. So, you really don't care about your mother anymore once you have someone you like, huh?"

"That's not the same thing at all."

"I didn't deny it~ that I have someone I like or something."

"..."

Kazusa gripped the knife and fork tightly with both hands. As expected, she could never remain at ease in front of the person who gave birth to her, and she was always easily seen through by her.

"Don't be angry. What's there to hide from your mother? Kazusa, you're all grown up now. If you have any questions you're curious about, I'll definitely tell you everything without reservation."

That's because you know I'm not interested in any of your things.

Yoko turned to look at Aunt Shibata in the kitchen, her expression one of exaggerated heartbreak: "When did this child become so unlovable?"

Aunt Shibata smiled and remained silent; she was used to the daily interactions between the mother and daughter.

"I'm done eating, I'm going to practice the piano." Kazusa put down her knife and fork, wiped her mouth clean, and got up.

"You've only eaten so little, and you're already up early practicing the piano? This isn't like you at all. I thought you were up early because you had a special date."

Kazusa gave her an annoyed look: "Who do you think I have to rush to the Tanabata Festival this afternoon to perform thanks to?"

"That's just a very easy folk song arrangement, what's there to practice? Ah! Could it be that Qianye will go out of his way to give you something at the live performance this afternoon..."

"I'm leaving!"

Not giving her mother a chance to continue speaking, Kazusa resolutely ran away from the living room.

But Yoko still shouted at her retreating figure, "Mom can create such a great opportunity for you just by arranging a stage performance for you. You must share the details with Mom when you come back tonight!"

As Kazusa walked towards the music room in the basement, her slightly flushed face reflected a helpless expression. For the first time in her life, she had the idea of ​​moving out and living alone.

Noon.

Yukino received a phone call from her older sister at home.

"Yukino, have you eaten yet?"

"Not yet, I was just about to eat. Sister, are you coming back?"

"No, I'm eating at the company today. I'm calling because I need to ask you for a favor. Do you remember what I mentioned to you before?"

Yukino thought for a moment and then realized, "Is it about you inviting Chiya to dinner, as you mentioned before?"

It hadn't been long since this happened; Yukino still remembered that it was one evening last month when her older sister called to tell her about it.

During the phone call, my sister briefly explained how pleasant the family business had been working with Qianye for so long. She then thought of using work as an excuse, rather than a friendship, to formally invite him to a high-end restaurant for a meal, hoping to maintain this good relationship of mutual trust, respect, and benefit.

In addition, my sister specifically mentioned that she would invite me along, saying that dining with just two people would be a bit boring, but it would be more lively with three people together, and we could chat about things from our childhood and have endless topics to talk about.

To be honest, when Yukino received that call from her sister, she felt something was off.