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

Hayasaka Ai shook her head: "It's not your fault that you're outstanding, not to mention that some people recognized you. On that basis, it's even more difficult for you to say anything harsh. So this is a problem that you can't solve on your own. You might as well leave it to me."

"I'll leave it to you?"

"Yes, like this."

As soon as Hayasaka Ai finished speaking, she leaned in and hugged his arm, and the two became intimate. To outsiders, this action seemed to have a different meaning.

Sure enough, the girls who had been staring at Yuan Qianye and were about to come over to say hello seemed to give up their plans after seeing this scene.

"See, the effect is immediate."

Hayasaka Ai didn't let go, and even gave Minamoto Chiya a smug smile, as if her plan had been perfectly executed.

As a grown man, Yuan Qianye felt that since the girl didn't mind helping him in this way, he naturally couldn't show any guilt. He should just obediently accept her kindness.

"Indeed, thank you for your trouble."

"You're welcome. Didn't you say that friends don't need to be so formal? If you really feel bad, consider this a return gift for the ice cream you treated me to before."

This gift is too generous...

Since Chiya was wearing short sleeves today, it was quite easy for Hayasaka Ai to feel something from the way she was moving her arms.

It's like two large dough balls perfectly squeezing his arm in the middle.

Despite enjoying such heartwarming hospitality, Yuan Qianye remained completely unmoved.

If he remembered correctly, everything the maid was making him perceive was mostly an illusion.

Upon closer examination, and comparing it with the experience I gained from Toka, there are indeed slight differences.

However, Chiya Minamoto did not have any bad thoughts about this, nor would she look down on Ai Hayasaka because of it.

The maid is busy with work all day long. According to her daily routine, getting up early and working late is the norm. Sometimes she has to do work while she is at school, which results in severe sleep deprivation.

It's entirely predictable that such strenuous activity at the crucial age when one needs to eat, drink, and sleep well will overburden the body, leading to insufficient growth and development.

Hmm... I think I've suddenly figured out why the number one study girl's body hasn't changed much since starting junior high.

After all, the UK is a veritable food desert.

But it's okay, Yuan Qianye doesn't think it's a flaw; he just thinks it's cute even when it's small...

"Qianye Qianye, I want to buy this, it's so cute!"

While Chiya was pondering, Ai Hayasaka quickly switched to the coquettish mode of a girl in love, and chased away an improper woman who was staring at her "boyfriend" with inappropriate eyes.

hum~

Hayasaka Ai had easily nipped another problem in the bud, and looked at Minamoto Chiya with a smug expression, eager to claim credit.

But for some reason, I saw him looking at me with a... tender gaze that felt like pity.

"what happened?"

"No, I just suddenly realized how amazing Hayasaka is! Keep it up!"

Huh?

Hayasaka Ai didn't understand what he meant.

But I saw the encouragement in his eyes, so I'll take it as him telling me to keep up the good work in the future.

Hmm, whatever.

Anyway, she didn't mind holding his arm; she felt that some of her weight would be on him, making her feel more relaxed.

And also... it's really quite happy, just the way they're all so close together right now.

Yuan Qianye stood in front of a figurine shelf, picked up a figurine with detachable and interchangeable clothes to examine it, and found it to be quite exquisite, so he couldn't help but sigh, "This IP is still alive today."

Hayasaka Ai didn't understand any of this; she could only make out the large characters on the packaging box: "Magical Girl Momo-chan." She couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong with this figure?"

"Because this anime series ended a long time ago, and some things did happen because of it in the past, I have some feelings about it..."

He took out his phone and snapped a picture, then turned around to chat with Yukino, thoughtfully recalling her embarrassing childhood stage performance that made her want to bang her head against the wall.

At the same time, he also explained to Hayasaka Ai the general events that had happened back then.

"Your childhood must have been quite interesting."

“Then you… um, no, it’s nothing.” Yuan Qianye realized as soon as she spoke that this might trigger bad memories, so she stopped midway.

Hayasaka Ai glanced at him, and was quite happy to know that he was considering her feelings.

"Just ask if you want to, don't worry so much. My childhood was alright. Most of the time I went to class with the young lady. There was a special housekeeping teacher to guide me in various aspects of knowledge. Although there was a lot to learn, I hadn't officially started working yet, so it wasn't too tiring. Occasionally, I could also attend various banquets thanks to the young lady, which broadened my horizons and was quite interesting."

Of course, she also witnessed all sorts of dark sides during this time, which led her to have a more concrete and clear understanding of those so-called upper-class people at a young age... This part doesn't need to be specifically mentioned.

Since it concerned her, the topic was bound to be unpleasant. Hayasaka Ai immediately pointed to another item on the shelf and asked Minamoto Chiya what it was.

When Yuan Qianye saw this, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed. It turned out that the two of them had unknowingly wandered into the realm of adult content, and the product she pointed to, labeled "Gentle Cat Girl," was exactly the kind of product that most single men would enjoy.

"I don't know... Let's go, let's go check out the others."

Seeing that Gen Chiya looked embarrassed and flustered, Hayasaka Ai carefully looked at the shelves on both sides. The glaringly obvious 18+ icons on them made her belatedly realize something, and she couldn't help but loosen her grip on his arm.

After browsing around, Yuan Qianye didn't find anything he wanted to buy.

However, when she turned back and was almost at the entrance where she had just come in, Hayasaka Ai's eyes were drawn to a row of machines placed against the wall.

What are those?

"Oh, it's a random gashapon machine, and a random blind box gift pack machine."

"So, the things produced here are all uncontrollable?"

"That's one way to put it, but these machines are mostly filled with worthless items, like cheap bracelets or pendants, phone cases, and the like."

"But it says on it that you might get a designer cosmetics gift set, the latest tablet computer, or even a gold bar."

"That's what it says on the label, but what's actually put in there could be a completely different story."

That being said, seeing that Hayasaka Ai was clearly interested, Minamoto Chiya still pulled out a few thousand-yen bills, intending to let her have some fun.

"However, we can't rule out the possibility of winning a big prize. Let's give it a try."

"Oh, no need, I can do it myself."

"Don't be so polite with me, which one do you want to choose?"

"Hmm... this one."

After a moment's hesitation, Hayasaka Ai pointed to a cute pet gashapon machine.

I played three times, spending 3,000 yen, and got a plush ball ornament, a mysterious heart-shaped lock, and a pencil sharpener from a certain anime collaboration.

Seeing that Hayasaka Ai seemed quite happy looking at the velvet ball ornament, Minamoto Chiya immediately gave it to her.

She immediately hung it on her phone and waved it at him to show him.

"How about it?"

"Quite good looking."

"Not bad~"

Hayasaka Ai tilted her head and turned her gaze to the larger random blind box machine next to her, which allowed her to choose the boxes herself.

Insert banknotes, and the selected blind box will be pushed out to the collection window below.

This machine is a bit expensive to play once, costing two thousand yen.

As Chiya prepared to take out her wallet again, Ai Hayasaka preemptively slipped some money into it herself.

"You choose this time. Whatever comes out, it's all a gift from me."

Yuan Qianye knew that her original motivation for playing this was to experience that unknown fun, so he smiled.

"No, I have trouble making choices. You should do it."

Hayasaka Ai didn't refuse and directly chose the one in the very middle.

When Yuan Qianye took the cardboard box in his hand from the bottom outlet, his expression suddenly became somewhat subtle.

"It's not heavy, it's very light." Hayasaka Ai didn't open it immediately, but held it in her hand and shook it, hearing a slight rattling sound inside: "I wonder what it is."

Just as she was about to open it, Yuan Qianye suddenly spoke up: "It's not easy to open it while holding it in your hand, let's go over there."

There are seats for resting nearby, and in the corner, there are small scissors for opening blind boxes on the table.

Hayasaka Ai nodded, followed and sat down, then eagerly opened the blind box with the scissors in hand.

However, the moment she took the contents out to examine them clearly, her expression became quite interesting.

She tried to appear nonchalant, but her attempt failed and she still looked very moved and shy, her face turning bright red.

What she was holding was an unopened bikini, commonly known as a three-piece swimming bra.

The thin sheet connected by that narrow string could probably only cover the most vital parts of a woman's body; if not dressed properly, it could easily be completely exposed.

The packaging bag also features a detailed illustration of a certain anime character's upper body.

Japan, a magical country where everything can be connected to the world of anime and manga.

How could such a thing exist?

Hayasaka Ai now understood why the blind boxes came with a cardboard box, and hurriedly stuffed it inside.

"After all, it's a blind box."

It was not appropriate for Yuan Qianye to offer any comment at this moment.

Seeing Hayasaka Ai's blushing face, and witnessing this side of her, he found it quite amusing, and coughed lightly, saying...

"But it's alright...maybe we'll need it in the future."

"I... I don't think there's anything I can do about it. It would be too tight for me to wear. How about I just give it to you?"

"This is outrageous! What would a guy like me need this for?"

"You have older and younger sisters, you can bring them home for them."

"Aren't you afraid they'll think I'm a pervert?"

Although Yuan Qianye said this, the image of Toka wearing this extremely revealing swimsuit flashed through his mind, and he felt a little excited.

"Well……"