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

To use an imperfect analogy, her body should have reached the standard of being presented as a platter for various gourmet dishes, sterilized to the point of being edible, and should be flawless...

But judging from Qianye-jun's reaction, is there something she hasn't considered that might seem unusual?

I don't know!

I've never gone out with a guy alone before!

She recalled her mother's delighted advice after learning about her plans for the day: "Just do it! Do how you usually spend your holidays with your mother, just be natural. Ai-chan is the cutest, have fun!"

Hayasaka Ai harbored considerable resentment.

What an irresponsible mother! I always feel like I'm being ignored.

In the past, the first thing she would do when she saw her mother was to rush over and hug her because she missed her, but she couldn't do that to Qianye-kun now, could she?

"Oh, I'm sorry, Hayasaka-san, you seem a little different today, so I was a bit surprised."

Yuan Qianye spoke up to explain, responding with a smile.

They are indeed quite different.

An elegant sailor uniform paired with a dark pleated skirt, its length quite generous, reveals legs that, in the sweltering summer heat, shimmer like white jade, inducing a blinding thirst. Her feet are encased in open-toed sandals, her toenails painted a sky-blue hue, mirroring her fingernails. Her hairstyle has also changed; no longer the side ponytail she wore in her maid-like attire during our previous encounters, it's now casually draped down, but with a new twist on one side of her forehead—a small braid—adding a touch of playfulness and nonchalance…

Today, when Hayasaka Ai met him, she gave him two completely different feelings.

Her pure and innocent clothing choices, along with her gentle and obedient demeanor, make her look like a well-mannered and obedient girl, and the kind of first love that many men can only admire from afar but dare not approach.

But the small details that reveal her strong personal style constantly remind him that she is a forward-thinking girl with independent ideas and a willingness to try new things.

Most girls probably wouldn't be able to combine these two contradictory styles at the same time, let alone combine them harmoniously.

However, when applied to Hayasaka Ai, it doesn't feel out of place at all, and it gives people a considerable sense of amazement, achieving a pure yet seductive effect, which is quite domineering.

Ultimately, this person's looks are just too stunning; being of mixed race definitely gives you that advantage.

“It’s not quite the same…” Hearing his answer, Hayasaka Ai felt a little relieved, but only a little.

"Hmm, Hayasaka-san gave off a really impressive feeling today... oh no, I mean, she was very pretty." In fact, Chiyo could come up with a variety of compliments without repeating herself.

But thinking about it, given their current half-familiar relationship, doing that would seem like it would come across as having ulterior motives and being greasy, so I decided against it.

"Thank you." Hayasaka Ai twirled the end of her hair with her finger. "I'll take it as a polite remark, but I'm still very happy. Chiya-kun looks very handsome today too."

"That's great. Hayasaka-san is very good at reciprocating courtesy."

After a polite greeting, the two walked together along the shaded streets towards the large commercial area.

"Speaking of which, Hayasaka-san, don't you ever think about going out and about on your own during your holidays?" Minamoto Chiyo started the conversation.

Hayasaka Ai shook her head: "There's no need to add the suffix 'classmate' anymore. Just call me Hayasaka or Ai."

Yuan Qianye thought about it and agreed. The two of them had been exchanging messages online for more than a month, and there must have been thousands of messages between them. There was no need to be so distant. He nodded to indicate that he understood.

Hayasaka Ai answered his question: "With only one or two days off a month, if I don't have a particularly strong desire to drive me, I don't want to go out at all. I just want to hide in my room and sleep soundly, releasing all the stress and fatigue that I've accumulated during the day."

Yuan Qianye frowned at this moment: "Hearing you say that, I suddenly feel a lot of pressure on my shoulders. If your hard-earned day off is not enjoyed because of me, I feel like I will be the sinner who ruins your peaceful holiday plans."

Hayasaka Ai smiled slyly: "So you have to do your best. I've never gone out with friends during my holidays before, so I have no experience. It all depends on how you plan things today. I'll do whatever you say."

Well, her saying that makes me feel even more pressured.

They work tirelessly day after day in a capitalist family that hardly cares about laws on the welfare of minors or work laws. Their only one or two days of vacation a month are entrusted to them with such care and trust that they are given so much without any explanation. Suddenly, a strange sense of responsibility wells up inside them.

After a moment's thought, many ideas for activities that might cheer Hayasaka Ai up appeared in his mind. However, to be on the safe side, he didn't make a decision immediately but decided to ask for clarification first.

"Hayasaka, what are your favorite things or hobbies?"

He didn't try to say anything about Hayasaka Ai's current demanding work routine, because there was no need to.

If people truly feel that the current situation is unacceptable or unbearable, they will naturally try to seek change.

But if not, either they have unavoidable difficulties, or they are willing to accept it.

After chatting with Hayasaka Ai on and off via messages during this period, Minamoto Chiya felt that both of the above reasons probably applied.

Since that's the case, he doesn't need to worry about those unnecessary things.

The two of them are meeting today; all we need to do is make her happy.

This is for her sake, but also for my own.

"Hobbies... does watching stress-relieving videos count?" She touched her chin with her index finger, looked up at the sunlight filtering through the branches of the trees, and combined with her carefully chosen outfit and delicate face, she looked very beautiful.

"Um... I guess so, but are there any others?" Yuan Qianye thought to himself, "I can't exactly take you to an internet cafe and find a private room for the two of us to watch stress-relieving videos all day, can I?"

While it's not impossible to do that, it's always better to have a better option now that you've finally gotten out.

"The others..." Hayasaka fell into thought again.

When Yuan Qianye noticed that when she was thinking, she didn't seem as cold and serious as she did when she was wearing a maid outfit, making her seem unapproachable. Instead, she would unconsciously cast her gaze to a certain spot and stare at it without moving. Coupled with her lively, blinking eyes, she would appear more vivid, with the friendly, natural, and unpretentious aura of a girl next door, and she was also quite cute.

"There's no need to think so hard. Just follow your heart. If you really can't think of anything, look at the shops on both sides of the street. Is there anything that interests you?"

His prompting made Hayasaka Ai look around at the rows of shops and the giant billboards projected onto the various high-rise buildings.

Ah, I saw the ad featuring Qianye-kun...

Seeing young men and women coming and going on the street, almost everyone holding a cup of fruit tea or milk tea, she hesitated for a moment, then pointed to a beverage shop.

"I want to try this."

Yuan Qianye was very happy: "This is a great start, let's go."

As they left the beverage shop, each of them held a drink in their hand.

Hayasaka Ai inserts a thick straw, and the lemonade is refreshingly sour and cool, which tastes great. The crystal balls inside are also very relaxing to suck and chew, giving a strange sense of healing.

"It's delicious, thank you for treating."

"Don't be shy. Think about what else you want to try or experience, and just let me know. I'll go with you."

With a wave of his hand, Yuan Qianye revealed that they were currently in Ginza, the central district of Japan. Ginza is a shopper's paradise with a wide variety of large shopping malls and countless merchants, and it is also a landmark commercial area in Japan.

He chose this place to meet today because he believed that whatever Hayasaka Ai's preferences were, she could almost always find them here.

Their subsequent actions fully demonstrated that his decision was correct.

With the guidance of Chiyo, Hayasaka Ai, who was gradually becoming less reserved, made her second request: to have him accompany her to browse the electronics and digital products section of the mall.

"...Is it okay?" After saying that, she lowered her eyes with such a lack of confidence and asked again, while carefully observing the changes in Yuan Qianye's expression.

“There’s no need to be so cautious between friends. Let’s just go. I also want to see if I need to buy anything.” Yuan Qianye deliberately pretended not to notice her subconscious reaction and led her directly towards the electronics section of the mall.

Hayasaka Ai excitedly followed him.

Compared to other things, such as clothing, games, models, and sports, Hayasaka Ai definitely prefers electronic and digital products.

Because she is so busy as a maid, she has very little free time to rest. Only electronic products such as computers, mobile phones, and headphones, which she uses frequently every day, can give her a brief sense of comfort.

The two browsed through various shops, trying out the different functions of the products and checking their parameters. They actually found themselves chatting quite well, with one speaking and the other immediately responding. This subtle sense of connection was quite pleasant.

Neither of them particularly enjoyed aimless wandering, but today they both seemed to be enjoying it, probably because they had someone with whom they shared common interests.

Thinking about it carefully, the so-called circles of like-minded people and interest groups seem to be just like that. Because they have the same hobbies, the topics will naturally keep coming. When they develop offline, even if it is just a casual chat in a coffee shop or teahouse, they will feel happy because they have encountered a soul similar to themselves. There is no need to worry about the conversation going to an awkward silence.

On the recommendation of Hayasaka Ai, Minamoto Chiya bought a wireless earphone from a certain brand. After that, she could wear it to listen to the morning news every morning when she went to the yard to practice swordsmanship.

Hayasaka Ai also took this opportunity to replace her current phone with the latest model from a certain brand.

"It's been a long time since I've gone shopping. It feels so good to shop again. Even though it's over and I'm going home now, I feel pretty satisfied." Hayasaka Ai occasionally stuck out her pink little tongue to lick the ice cream cone in her hand, her mouth and heart were both sweet.

Hayasaka Ai herself felt there was nothing wrong with what she said, but to Minamoto Chiya, it sounded too pitiful. After all, the more easily satisfied she was, the more it meant that her daily life had no joy whatsoever.

"Are there any other places you'd like to go?" Realizing this, Gen Chiyo's tone softened involuntarily.

They met at nine in the morning, and only a little over an hour has passed; it's not lunchtime yet.

Hayasaka Ai shook her head: "No more for now."

Yuan Qianye didn't insist any further. While browsing the electronics store, she had already planned other activities for the day. They weren't the usual, commonplace things like watching a movie or singing karaoke, but rather something tailored to Hayasaka Ai's specific needs, which she would surely enjoy.

But I felt there wasn't enough time in the morning, so I could only do it in the afternoon after lunch.

So for now, I'll just wander around aimlessly to kill time.

As the two happened to pass by a street that mainly sold anime and manga merchandise, Yuan Qianye casually pointed to the largest shopping mall and suggested, "Shall we go in and take a look around?"

Hayasaka Ai, of course, had no objections.

The two entered the mall, where a huge billboard stood at the entrance, advertising a certain anime-style mobile game.

Inside, you'll see rows of shelves and a dazzling array of goods, with numerous discount and promotion signs hanging from the ceiling, making them quite eye-catching.

There were quite a few people there, mostly young women and otaku dressed in cosplay outfits and anime girl-themed shirts.

Speaking of which, there seems to be a comic convention being held nearby today by some brand, which explains why this place is so lively.

It was Hayasaka Ai's first time in a place like this, and she found it all very novel. However, since she didn't have any particular items she wanted to buy, she simply followed Minamoto Chiya obediently.

Chiya Minamoto wasn't the type to show off. She simply stopped in front of products she recognized and, out of consideration for Ai Hayasaka, chatted with her to explain them so she wouldn't get bored.

But with two handsome men and beautiful women standing together, it's impossible for them to keep a low profile.

As we all know, most guys who genuinely love anime and manga are fans of the genre. Online, they can be incredibly eloquent and knowledgeable, and once they're offline, they transform into polite, well-behaved, and self-disciplined young people of the new era.

Therefore, Hayasaka Ai is alright. At most, her high standards of appearance and temperament will attract the attention of the opposite sex, but that's all.

But those cosplay girls wearing colored contact lenses and wigs are a completely different story. They dare to stroll around the streets and shopping malls in such an unconventional manner, ignoring the stares and bewildered looks of passersby. Their strong mentality of sticking to themselves and not being afraid of outside opinions is truly remarkable.

Therefore, the fate of the succubus herself, whose physical charm value far surpasses others in the four dimensions, is predictable.

Many outgoing and cheerful young women's eyes lit up when they saw him, like predators spotting something incredibly delicious. Driven by hormones, they couldn't resist the urge to befriend him, and three groups of them came up to him to tease and flirt.

Ask him what anime he likes, which character he's a fan of, which school he goes to, and whether he has a girlfriend...

The last question is the key to revealing the true intentions behind the scheme.

Because one shouldn't hit a smiling face, and also because of his personal manners, Yuan Qianye, despite his impatience, couldn't simply tell the other person to get lost.

However, those who take the initiative to strike up a conversation are all E-type people, and their enthusiasm is to the point of being somewhat annoying. It takes several rounds of back and forth to completely get rid of them.

Just as the third group of people had barely escaped, a few girls nearby were watching them and whispering amongst themselves, seemingly about to take action.

Hayasaka Ai, who had been feeling somewhat unhappy about being ignored by the girls since entering the store, felt she needed to do something about it.

She leaned closer to Yuan Qianye: "If this continues, we won't be able to continue shopping."

"I'm sorry." Yuan Qianye hadn't expected this to happen. If it weren't for the sweltering heat of summer, he would have bought a mask and put it on.