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

Ultimately, in a tacitly understood atmosphere, everything fell into place naturally, gradually warming the air in the room and making it ambiguous and sweet.

But now all the groundwork and gradual progress have been omitted.

Since this is what she desires, and since she has so frankly revealed all her desires... then there is really no need for him to pretend to be a gentleman any longer.

During another kiss, he skillfully removed Hayasaka's loungewear, revealing her bare shoulders, while the white tank top added an extra touch of allure.

“Senya…over there…light…” Hayasaka Ai murmured indistinctly.

Knowing what was about to happen, she felt no fear, only a slight tension and unparalleled anticipation.

Yuan Qianye's response was hoarse: "But I want to see the expression of love clearly."

"Then at least... turn it down a bit..." She buried her burning cheeks in his chest, her voice barely audible, pleading.

This requirement can be met.

Gen Chiya did as instructed.

In the dimly lit area, which made the space feel even more private and intimate, the two people's shoes lay scattered haphazardly on the side of the bed.

Unable to restrain himself any longer, Yuan Qianye began to attack the area in front of her that the maid had been carefully protecting.

"Buzz—! Buzz—!"

The sudden vibration brought the two of them to a halt.

Yuan Qianye looked up at the bedside table.

The hazy spring scenery in Hayasaka Ai's eyes receded quickly like the tide, replaced by a moment of clear-headed calm, and a deep, indescribable darkness and a trace of fear buried in her eyes.

"Is it... a very important call?" Yuan Qianye sensed something unusual from her sudden, almost frozen expression.

Hayasaka Ai's voice was dry: "That's... a cell phone specifically for contacting the head of the family alone."

"The head of the family? The father of the young lady you serve, Shinomiya Yan'an?" Gen Chiya immediately understood what this meant, and his brows furrowed slightly.

"Yes……"

"It's a very important call, you can't possibly not answer it, can you?"

"I'm sorry..." Hayasaka Ai turned her face away, not daring to look into his eyes at that moment.

Yuan Qianye's tone remained gentle: "It's alright, I'll wait for you. Do you need me to leave for now?"

"No need!" Hayasaka Ai hurriedly said, "Chiya, you can wait here. I... I'll go to the other side to get it."

"Okay." He didn't ask any more questions, but gently squeezed her fingers, then let go, giving her a reassuring smile.

Hayasaka Ai didn't give any extra instructions. She knew very well that Chiyo, who cared about her so much, wouldn't cause her any trouble by interfering or disrupting her when she was so nervous.

She picked up the still-vibrating phone, not even bothering to straighten her disheveled clothes and hair. She simply tugged at the strap of her tank top that had slipped off her shoulder, then walked barefoot onto the cold floor to a corner of the room away from the bed.

She faced the wall, took a deep breath, as if trying to suppress all her weak emotions into the deepest part of her heart.

She officially answered the phone.

"..."

There was no sound coming from the other end of the phone, only a suffocating silence.

Hayasaka Ai understood what this meant. The cute tone that had been so immersed in love just now disappeared, replaced by a formal and clear tone that had been rigorously trained, but lacked warmth and human touch: "I'm so sorry, sir, I was just washing up and that's why I answered the phone late."

The oppressive silence lasted for another ten seconds or so before a short but aged voice finally came from the other end: "Speak."

“Yes…” Hayasaka Ai’s free left hand clenched into a fist.

Only the sharp pain from her nails digging deep into her palm allowed her to barely maintain a steady voice.

"The young lady got up early at six o'clock sharp this morning, and then went to the west courtyard for forty minutes of French morning reading and conversation practice, mainly focusing on..."

Hayasaka Ai, who had just begun to recount the details of the day she served, felt as if she had fallen into an abyss, her heart filled with icy despair. She had no way of looking at Minamoto Chiya behind her, wondering what kind of expression he was giving her.

Was it surprise? Disgust? Contempt? Or... disappointment?

Since they started dating, she had long wanted to gradually and unreservedly show him her most authentic self.

But she never expected that such a moment would come so suddenly and so unexpectedly, completely disrupting her plans.

It also revealed to him the betrayer side that she despised most and that she scorned most about herself, so directly and without any reservations, so nakedly.

So ugly, so wretched, so... disgusting.

A traitor who claims to protect the young lady, yet day after day, year after year, betrays everything about her—her privacy, her vulnerabilities, and even the unintentional expressions of trust—to others.

Ten minutes passed as I grew increasingly anxious and desperate.

I'm the kind of person who... people will hate me, right?

You'll definitely be disliked.

No normal person, no one with basic moral values ​​and a sense of loyalty, could forgive or even understand such a thorough and cold-blooded act of betrayal by someone who is closest to and most trusted by them.

Anxiety, unease, despair... washed over me like a tidal wave.

Finally, ten minutes passed, and the suffocating routine report came to an end.

There was still not a single word from the other end of the phone.

As always, after confirming that she had finished her report, he hung up the phone immediately without even offering a simple "hmm".

"Beep beep..."

A cold, busy tone came through.

Hayasaka Ai's right hand, which was holding the phone, fell limply to her side.

My arms felt like they were filled with lead, so heavy I couldn't lift them.

The black phone felt incredibly heavy, burning her palm.

ended.

Hayasaka Ai's eyes were vacant, and she was almost numb.

"It's over."

Yuan Qianye's voice came from the bedside not far behind her.

Calm and gentle, with little emotional fluctuation, as if the phone call just now was merely an insignificant interlude.

But this calmness made Hayasaka Ai's heart clench suddenly; it was a stinging pain that made her feel even more ashamed than the doubt.

"I'm sorry..." Hayasaka Ai kept her head down.

"Why are you apologizing all of a sudden?" Footsteps approached, and Yuan Qianye came up behind her.

"I didn't explain it to you beforehand... I'm that kind of person... I'm sorry..."

"Someone like that?"

"As you can see..."

Hayasaka Ai slowly turned around, but still didn't dare to look up at him. She just stared at the cold floor in front of her, stating her verdict on herself in a desperate tone.

"Although I have always stayed by the young lady's side and kept saying that I wanted to protect her... in secret, I have been reporting everything she experienced in her daily life, her whereabouts, her words, her emotions, and even her privacy to the head of the family in great detail... a traitor, a... despicable spy."

"Ugh--"

Gen Chiyo's soft sigh made Hayasaka Ai's eyes darken again, and she lowered her head even further.

The body, which had just been agitated and heated from the skin-to-skin contact, quickly cooled down.

"...So what?"

These unexpected words made Hayasaka Ai, who was feeling disheartened, focus her eyes and suddenly realize that she seemed to have misunderstood the specific meaning of his previous sigh.

Before she could fully process what was happening, Yuan Qianye sighed again and pulled her into his arms.

The body heat, transmitted through the thin clothing, brought a comforting warmth.

"No matter what love does, love is love, and that will not change. My love for you will also not change because of what you do. That is my answer."

“But…” Hayasaka Ai’s voice choked, and her eyes suddenly stung.

She wanted to defend herself, to recount her unbearable shortcomings, to tell him that she wasn't worthy of his affection...

"Whatever happens between you and the Shinomiya family, it's fine." Yuan Qianye interrupted her, tightening his arms around her and pulling her completely into his embrace, gently resting his chin on the top of her head: "The only one I care about is you."

Your pain, your struggles, your helplessness… these are what I care about. As for everything else, that's a problem between you and Kaguya Shinomiya, and between you and the Shinomiya family. To me, you are simply Hayasaka Ai, the person I love, my girl.

He slowly released his grip, his eyes, filled with a gentle smile, meeting the maid's eyes, which were beginning to well up with tears.

"...We've already gone this far, do I really need to continue? Do I have to repeat those cheesy lines like 'I like you, no matter what you are like, no matter what you've done, I like you'?"

"..."

Hayasaka Ai could no longer utter a word.

Therefore, any attempt to feign strength will crumble at this moment.

She took a step forward and threw herself into his arms.

The fear, anxiety, shame, and despair that had accumulated in his heart were released through his tears, which soaked his clothes without restraint.

Yuan Qianye didn't say anything more, but hugged her tighter, gently stroking the back of her head with one hand and rhythmically patting her back with the other, as if comforting a child who had suffered a lot of grievances.

After more than ten minutes, Hayasaka's emotions finally began to stabilize.

"This time, I should finally get a shower."

He made a half-joking remark, which was met with her silently taking his hand and leading the way.

Upon arriving at the bathroom, she adopted a "maid-like" posture, stubbornly refusing Gen Chiyo's suggestion to do it herself, and instead took the initiative to unbutton his shirt one button at a time.

She then placed her hands on his waist, took a deep breath, and knelt before him.

The appearance of this wondrous sight also made her face rosy as blood.

"Tonight, I am not a servant of the Shinomiya family, but a personal maid belonging only to Young Master Chiya... I will be responsible for serving you, and please teach me... things I don't understand..."

…………

Volume 2: Chapter 205: The rather resentful Vice President Yukinoshita (5k)

From the warm water and milk mingling in the bathtub in the bathroom, to the large, white bath towel carelessly tossed aside on the bed in the bedroom, crumpled into a ball.

The maid gripped the bedsheets tightly with both hands, having gone through the transformation from girl to woman.