Anime Crossover: My Part-Time Job as a Giant of Light While Studying Abroad in Chiba

"Don't change the subject, answer me." Yukinoshita's voice left no room for argument.

"Oh, okay. Yesterday after school, the coffee shop received a batch of coffee beans. I accidentally pulled my shoulder while carrying the goods. It's just a minor muscle strain, nothing serious."

Duan Zilian sensed that something was off and tried to smooth things over.

"..."

"Hello? Yukinoshita?"

"……fine."

Her voice lowered slightly, as if she had swallowed something back, and then she added very softly.

You're always so careless.

"Haha, what can I do?" Duan Zilian chuckled twice, her tone languid.

"I'm just unlucky. It feels like all the bad luck in the world is hitting me, and I can't escape it."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, so quiet that Duan Zilian thought the call had ended.

"Duan Zilian".

She suddenly called him by his full name.

Duan Zilian was a little nervous. Whenever Yukinoshita called her by her full name, it meant that she was about to say something that she could not just casually respond to.

"What's wrong?" Duan Zilian put away her lazy mood.

"You said... if someone is given a heavy responsibility that doesn't belong to them at all... then what should they do?"

The sounds beneath the snow were extremely soft, as if afraid of startling something.

Duan Zilian blinked, his eyes darting around as he rapidly processed the meaning of the sentence in his mind.

Was she given responsibilities that weren't hers to bear?

Duan Zilian pondered for a moment, her eyes widening slightly as a flash of inspiration struck her.

I understand now. No wonder he felt that Yukinoshita's emotions were a bit off. It was because of this, because of the escape drill.

Yes, she wasn't originally a member of the student council, but Hiratsuka-sensei forced her into handling the mess of the merger of the two schools and the escape drill.

Faced with the irreconcilable class conflict between the two sides, even someone as perfect as Yukino must have felt overwhelmed by the pressure, right? That's why she called me in the middle of the night to complain because she couldn't sleep.

Haha, I knew that no matter how aloof she is, she's still just a high school girl.

Duan Zilian secretly felt a surge of satisfaction.

But he knew that someone with such a strong personality like her could not be coaxed like a child; once she made her choice, she would definitely fight to the end.

You have to take a roundabout approach, combing her hair in the direction of her fur; yes, you have to show a man's reliability!

“I’m sorry.”

Duan Zilian cleared her throat, deliberately adopting a profound tone of someone who had been through it all.

“If a person is given responsibilities that do not belong to her, it’s fine if the burden is light, but if it’s too heavy, even to the point of being able to crush her, then it is indeed very difficult to handle.”

"Ah."

He responded softly, signaling him to continue.

“But,” Duan Zilian looked at the ceiling and coaxed gently.

"Now that you've been chosen, you have to take on this responsibility no matter what, whether it's the pain along the way, the lack of recognition for doing the right thing, or even if everyone around you thinks you're meddling."

"Just treat it as a trial in life."

There was no sound on the other end of the phone.

Duan Zilian waited for two seconds, then suddenly realized that the silence was not resistance, but permission for him to continue.

So he took a step forward.

“Besides, humans are social animals after all.” Duan Zilian’s lips curled up wildly, and her tone became more and more gentle. “If you really feel like you’re about to be crushed, you can always rely on the people around you and take the initiative to lend a helping hand. There’s nothing shameful about that.”

[Right, that's it! Ask me for help! Tell me your pain, and I'll be like a knight in shining armor to take care of all your troubles!]

Duan Zilian was giving herself a frantic suggestion.

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone.

"What if..."

A soft sound rose from beneath the snow, carrying a certain inexplicable emotion.

"That person carried such a heavy responsibility that... he didn't want those around him to get involved, preferring to bear it all alone."

Duan Zilian's body trembled.

[Ah, is Yukino afraid she'll drag the student council conflict into me, afraid I'll be targeted by the whole school? How ridiculous, I'm already involved, you know. Club leader, you're so dishonest.]

Duan Zilian chuckled to herself.

"There's nothing I'm unwilling to do."

Duan Zilian answered decisively, her tone exuding domineering confidence.

"There's no reason not to want to! When someone is injured and feels pain, the first thing they'll want to do when they can't take it anymore is to go back and find someone they can rely on."

"Even if he doesn't say it, his actions speak louder than words."

"……is that so?"

"Yes, that's it."

Duan Zilian continued to throw out bait.

Come, beneath the snow, shed your cold disguise and tell me your pain.

A long silence followed on the other end of the phone.

Come, Yukinoshita. I've already said all this.

Just when Duan Zilian thought she was finally going to let her guard down and ask for help.

"……I see."

The sound beneath the snow was soft, yet carried an indescribable weight.

"Goodbye, go to sleep early, it's getting late."

"Well, then I'll reluctantly... eh?"

"Beep-beep-beep-"

Before Duan Zilian could react, the call abruptly ended, and the cold dial tone echoed in the quiet attic.

"Huh?" Duan Zilian held up her phone, looking completely bewildered on the bed.

"Why aren't you following the script? You hung up before I even finished speaking?!"

Duan Zilian looked at the phone screen, which had returned to the home screen, scratched her head, and let out a long sigh.

"Sigh... As expected of a top-tier tsundere. Even if I hit the nail on the head, she still hangs up the phone to cover up her shyness."

"Forget it, these kinds of things really can't be solved overnight..."

He sullenly shoved his phone back under his pillow and stared at the ceiling.

The large hole he smashed has been sealed up by Hong Kai with several sturdy wooden planks.

"Phew... At least I won't be woken up by the sun like I'm being roasted alive tomorrow morning."

Duan Zilian yawned contentedly, and with a self-satisfied feeling of "I'll help her solve her problems tomorrow," she drifted off into a sweet dream.

……

Meanwhile, inside a luxury apartment under the snow.

The large bedroom was lit only by a dim bedside lamp.

Yukino Yukinoshita, dressed in soft pajamas, leaned quietly against the headboard.

She stared at the 20-minute voice call record on her phone screen, her eyes deep and complex, lost in thought. "Meow~"

A black and white kitten nimbly leaped onto the bed.

Pan Jiang gently rubbed his fluffy head against her arm, making a reassuring purring sound.

Yukinoshita snapped out of her daze, stretched out her slender fingers, and gently stroked the kitten's chin.

"...Pan-chan, I feel even more unable to say it now."

Pan Jiang, of course, didn't answer. It just lay quietly on its owner, like a warm ball of snow.

"It's getting late. Time to go to sleep."

She spoke softly, gently picked up the kitten, and placed it on the cushioned floor.

Pan Jiang seemed to sense her owner's exhaustion, and consciously curled up into a ball and closed her eyes.

"Snapped."

Yukino turned off the bedside lamp.

In an instant, the room was plunged into darkness, with only the bright moonlight shining through the French windows, spreading a layer of frost-like silver light on the wooden floor.

On her bedside table sat a medical first-aid kit wrapped in an elegant paper bag, filled with bandages, tourniquets, and special medicine for sprains and blunt force trauma.

She spent a long time choosing it at the pharmacy after school.

That seems to be meant for someone.

Unfortunately, someone ultimately lacked the courage to break through that blood-stained window paper.

"When... will you be able to tell me your pain without any reservations...?"

She murmured softly beneath the snow.

She closed her cool, clear eyes, her long, smooth hair cascading down like a black waterfall onto the white pillow.

The soft moonlight illuminated the two boys, each harboring their own secrets and unable to be honest, under the same sky.

Chapter 93 A Heart of Passion

"Ah... this must be the joint campus of Sobu High School and Shuchiin High School, right?"

At 10 a.m. the next day, the scorching sun poured down on the streets of Chiba City.

The Sherlock special vehicle came to a smooth stop outside the impressive school gate, and two figures in white GUTS uniforms stepped out.

Daigo took off his white helmet, looked at the vast campus in front of him, and sighed.

"Yeah, Daigo, you'd better be on your guard right now. Don't forget you just got a demerit."

As Lina adjusted the communicator at her waist, she half-jokingly reminded her partner.

"Haha... I know, I'll be careful."

Daigo scratched his head awkwardly, and couldn't help but shudder as he thought of Captain Megumi's gentle yet chilling smile.

The two walked into the famous academy side by side.

The two walked into the campus side by side, but stopped at the same time after only a few steps.

Daigo squinted at the gleaming statue in front of the teaching building, and for a moment he was so dazzled that he could hardly open his eyes.

"Wow! It's a statue of Ultraman Tiga!"

Lina, like a little fangirl who has seen her idol's merchandise, walked quickly forward with sparkling eyes and carefully examined the statue.

"The muscle definition is amazing! And those eyes... I wish they would glow at night!"

"Hey! Lina! Stop looking, we have a serious mission to complete!"

Daigo quickly pulled the ace pilot back to his senses, and looking at Rena, who was swooning over the giant, he felt a little annoyed.

Seriously, I look cool when I fly and shoot birds, okay?

Just then.

"You two are the GUTS members of TPC, right?"

Hiratsuka Shizuka walked over from the connecting corridor in the distance and smiled slightly at the two of them.