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

The shutter was pressed, and this beautiful and wonderful scene was successfully captured.

At the same time, the minute hand of the large clock on the street jumped forward one notch, and the time came to exactly six o'clock.

As the leader gave the order, the parade in the street erupted in a lively and enthusiastic drumbeat, accompanied by cheers and applause from the surrounding crowd.

Thus, tonight's Qixi Festival officially begins.

…………

Chapter 080: The Maid's First Appearance (6k)

"It's starting! It's starting!" Rikka's eyes lit up, and she excitedly grabbed Saeko's yukata sleeve next to her.

On the streets temporarily under traffic control, long parades were bustling with activity.

At the front of the procession, the uncles chanted in unison with powerful and rhythmic shouts, their steps steady and strong as they carried the palanquin, decorated with intricate carvings and a golden phoenix, up and down rhythmically, eliciting cheers from the children watching.

Following behind the palanquin were "Heavenly Dog" and "God of Fortune" on stilts wearing exaggerated smiling masks. They clapped their hands to the rhythm of the chants and occasionally turned to meet the camera lenses of the onlookers.

At the very back of the procession were young girls dressed in traditional kimonos, dancing gracefully. They held round fans or paper umbrellas, their steps light and their smiles gentle.

However, she is still far inferior to the girls around her.

"Let's go to the main venue."

As the parade passed by, Gen Chiya made a timely suggestion.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Looking at the crowd of people shoulder to shoulder, Yukino softly reminded everyone, "There are a lot of people, so don't get separated."

As soon as she finished speaking, Saeko naturally reached out and took the hands of the eager Rikka and Eriri: "Well, let's walk hand in hand then. Chiya, Yukino is all yours."

While I appreciate your thoughtfulness, the intention is quite obvious...

However, Chiyo nodded, hung the camera around her neck, and waited for Saeko to take a few steps ahead, holding one child's hand in each hand like a mother would. Then she approached Yukino and smiled, extending her hand: "Saeko is right. There are indeed a lot of people at the festival. You've never been comfortable in crowded places since you were little. It's better to walk hand in hand."

Yukino remained unmoved by his outstretched hand, her beautiful yet aloof eyes fixed on him as she replied meaningfully, "Instead of me, you should go and take care of the people who truly need your care."

After saying this, a cryptic smile appeared on her face. Before Yuan Qianye could say anything more, she took the lead and followed the three people ahead.

Sure enough, for the upright and principled second young lady who is strict with herself, there are still some things that cannot be easily overcome.

In the past, Yuan Qianye would have been troubled by this situation and wouldn't have had a specific and clear idea of ​​how to continue.

But now... he thinks things are fine as they are now.

Putting everything else aside, he would feel less guilty about what he was about to do to that person's older sister.

The festive atmosphere was high.

They walked from the commercial street to the Green Forest Park, which is located in the main venue.

The stone-paved road that was originally used for people to stroll along is now lined with brightly lit stalls, and the stall owners are busily calling out to customers.

"Candied apples! Freshly made candied apples, sweet and crunchy!"

"Goldfish scooping! Why not try your luck? You can take any goldfish you catch home, and if you catch the king goldfish, you'll get a grand prize of ten thousand yuan!"

"Chocolate banana! Shaved ice! All kinds of flavors are available!"

The air was filled with the savory aroma of takoyaki, the scallion oil fragrance of fried noodles, and the sweet sauce of grilled dumplings.

"It smells so good! Let's go get something to eat first!" Eriri couldn't help but sniff, her eyes already drawn to the takoyaki stall with a long queue not far away.

"I agree! I want to eat yakisoba and chocolate bananas too!" Rikka immediately raised her hand in agreement, her face beaming with eager joy.

Yukino subconsciously took out her phone to check the time.

Seeing this, Saeko understood and said, "There's still some time before Kazusa's official debut, so it won't hurt for us to play around for a little while."

"That's right, we can also buy some cute little things while we're at it, and give them to her as a treat right after the performance." Rikka grabbed Eriri's hand and hurried off to the nearest handicraft stall.

"Slow down, Eriri is wearing wooden clogs." Gen Chiyo called out to her retreating figure.

Without turning her head, Rikka replied, "Okay!"

She's already so enthusiastic right from the start; hopefully she hasn't forgotten what I told her beforehand.

Chiya looked at Saeko and Yukino; now it was just the three of them.

The park was getting more and more crowded. There were groups of students and adults with their families. It was getting more and more lively and the density of people was increasing.

This is clearly not a situation that the Second Miss would like to see.

She silently took out a mint, ignoring Chiya, and gestured to Saeko. Saeko waved her hand to thank her and said no thanks. She then tore open the wrapper and put the candy in her mouth.

The cool sensation upon entry made Yukino sigh with relief.

"Actually, I've always wanted to complain. You've been like this since you were little. Others enjoy themselves happily at festivals, but for you it's like being tortured."

Yukino rolled her eyes at him, saying "no comment," and turned to Saeko, asking, "Saeko-nee, are there any booths you're interested in?"

Saeko's gaze fell on a stall where you could win a prize by pulling a rope, and a look of reminiscence appeared in her eyes: "That all happened when I was in junior high school. I remember that I went to Osaka with Chiya to participate in a competition. Rikka and Eriri were there too. We played this game locally. Rikka won the grand prize game machine and was happy for a long time."

Saeko's words also brought back memories for Yukino. She remembered that she couldn't go with him because of her tutoring classes, so she could only stay at home and watch the live broadcast on TV to cheer him on.

At the time, she was focused on doing her best to catch up with him, who was becoming more and more outstanding, but she unknowingly overlooked some more important things.

Looking back now, perhaps it was due to my negligence at the time, coupled with my inexplicable arrogance based on our deep childhood friendship, that led to this outcome.

Yukino suppressed the dejection in her eyes and smiled as she spoke, "Since you're interested, Saeko-nee, since this is a rare opportunity, why not give it another shot?"

Saeko nodded with a smile and said to Chiyo, "It's still a while before Kazusa goes on stage. She should be waiting on the main stage right now. It would be too noisy if we all went together. Why don't you go alone, Chiyo, to represent us and cheer her on?"

That's why they say a virtuous wife brings prosperity to three generations, better than thousands of acres of fertile land.

Saeko Busujima is such a wonderful woman, in every sense of the word.

This well-timed prompt saved Yuan Qianye from having to find other excuses to break away from the group.

Even though Chiya hadn't considered Saeko's feelings this time and hadn't thought about asking her for help, they were still so considerate and understanding.

If the timing and conditions hadn't been unfavorable, Chiya Minamoto really wanted to spend every day with Saeko without any shame, and make her show specific symptoms of morning sickness a month later.

“That’s true. Although she has been on stage frequently since she was very young, most of the time it’s been in professional competition venues. This is her first time in this kind of setting. I’ll go and see if she’s nervous.”

Chiya handed his camera to Saeko and then turned to leave.

"Let's go then, Yukino."

Saeko's words made Yukino withdraw her gaze, nod, and follow Saeko toward the game booth.

Unlike the bustling, lively scene on the commercial street, it was different.

The main stage area, located in the central square of Green Forest Park, is filled with a more solemn and expectant festive atmosphere.

The air was no longer filled with the rich aroma of food, but with the scent of grass carried by the cool breeze of a summer night.

The huge stage was illuminated by elegant white lights, with a backdrop of Qixi Festival-themed decorations adorned with bamboo branches and colorful short booklets.

In front of the stage, because there was still some time before the show officially started, only about 30-40% of the audience was scattered in the rows of neat temporary seats. Most of them were elderly people living in the nearby streets who had nothing to do.

Kazusa was sitting in a separate rest area next to the stage, wearing a simple yet elegant dark blue dress. Her relaxed posture contrasted slightly with the busy staff around her.

She crossed her arms in front of her chest, her fingertips rhythmically rising and falling, her gaze fixed on the stage.

From here, she could clearly see the somewhat old-looking upright piano in the center of the stage.

Thinking about what happened during the afternoon rehearsal, she sighed silently.

I don't know if the event organizers found this piano in some neglected warehouse.

Not only is it old, but due to a lack of maintenance, its most essential quality—the sound—is also in terrible condition.

The bass notes were out of tune, the treble notes were off-key, and the actual effect of the performance was unbearable to watch.

The entire process of playing this piano was an immense ordeal for her, a professional performer.

She now realizes how ridiculous it was that she had gone through all that serious rehearsal these past few days; it was all for nothing.

After all, even Franz Liszt himself would be helpless in the face of such a piano.

During the rehearsal, Kazusa clearly pointed out the problems with the piano. The person in charge of the stage was very polite because she was invited by the president, but his reply was casual and perfunctory.

It is said that most of the people who come to the festival to watch the stage performances are laymen who come just to have fun and enjoy themselves. Therefore, the actual performance on stage does not need to be as professional as a competition. Since most people will not understand it anyway, as long as the general melody is not off, it will be fine.

The logic seemed to be correct, but after scanning around the stage, it was clear that not only was the piano preparation inadequate, but the sound system was also quite poor.

Kazusa's rationality told her that this was indeed the case; in an occasion that wasn't exactly professional and was only responsible for conveying joyful emotions, one couldn't expect too much, but it was still somewhat difficult for her to accept on an emotional level.

But no matter how hard it is to accept, we can only grit our teeth and accept it for now.

Kazusa now fully understands why her mother was so respectful to the old gentleman who had come to their door, but subtly shifted the invitation to herself.

As the gold medalist of the Chopin International Piano Competition, if Yoko Touma were to condescend to perform on such an occasion using an old, deactivated piano, let's set aside the issue of her personal image for now.

Many companies that rely entirely on the name "Touma Yoko" will likely suffer a significant blow to their commercial value.

"The adult world is so complicated and intricate..."

"Congratulations on realizing this. It also means that you have one foot on the edge of the adult world."

Kazusa was taken aback. Then, the melancholy and helplessness she had been looking at vanished, replaced by an exceptionally gentle expression, and a satisfied smile bloomed on her lips.

She turned around and met the gaze of Yuan Qianye, who was also smiling.

He stepped forward and offered the offering: "Wasa-sensei doesn't seem to be in a good mood tonight. Did something happen?"

"I was a little upset just now, but not anymore." Kazusa took the shaved ice, which was served in a thick white paper bowl. The fine shaved ice was piled up to form a small snow mountain, topped with tempting cream and bright red jam, and carefully garnished with some chopped fruit pieces. It looked particularly crystal clear and lovely in the light flowing from the side curtain of the stage.

This was the first time she had eaten shaved ice this summer, and he personally handed it to her. This unexpected little surprise made Kazusa feel happy.

However, there is a problem.

Why is the portion so small?

The shaved ice in the round bowl barely covered the bottom, less than a third of the way up.

If it weren't for the fact that the cream, jam, and fruit pieces on top were all intact and untouched, she would almost have suspected that he had leftovers and brought them to her.

"You're going on stage soon, so you can't afford to have any health problems. Have you forgotten what happened before?"

"What happened before?"

"Yeah, I ate too much ice cream while I was sulking, and ended up making myself look like such a mess."

As he spoke, Yuan Qianye's smile widened.