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

"Well, the director said that since I am the original writer of this drama, they strongly invited me to attend. Well, it's not a big deal. You can say that you have to prepare for a piano competition, and I'm too busy with work to make it. If we decline, there shouldn't be any problem... Don't worry, I'll help you decline."

"..."

Yuan Qianye stood up with a gentle smile: "After you finish eating, rest here for a while, and then let's go to the Ten Flowers Shop for dinner. I'll take you home tonight."

Kazusa didn't answer, but after taking another bite of pudding, she replied, "Go."

"Yes, it's five o'clock now. We'll leave at five-thirty..."

"It's not just about eating, it's about... going to that TV drama awards ceremony too."

"Oh? Why the sudden change of heart?" "...!"

You're definitely asking a question you already know the answer to, aren't you?!

Kazusa took a deep breath: "I don't really care... but since they invited you, they obviously want you to go, and it should be helpful for you, so... go after all."

"..."

Gen Chiya silently observed Kazusa until she felt somewhat uncomfortable and called out for a spoon, turning her head to the other side.

"Okay, I see."

"Um……"

Yuan Qianye was in a good mood and hummed a song as he returned to his desk.

No other students came over after that; only the principal passed by, walked in, and offered him a few words of encouragement.

As he left, he saw Kazusa playing on her phone on the sofa and gave her a thoughtful smile.

Young people...how wonderful...

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

In the evening, after dinner, Gen Chiya escorted Kazusa home as instructed.

At her own front gate, looking at Minamoto Chiya waiting in the car to see her completely enter the house, Kazusa wanted to invite him, but she just couldn't get the words out smoothly.

In the end, she could only wave goodbye to him in a seemingly natural manner.

On Yuan Qianye's side, as soon as the driver rounded a corner, he said directly, "Uncle Fujiwara, find a convenient place to park here and let me out. You can go home and rest after get off work."

"Okay, President."

The taciturn driver responded simply and did as instructed.

He didn't ask any questions about the reasons. His immediate supervisor was the one who paid his salary, and he just had to obey the orders unconditionally.

Yuan Qianye got out of the car by the roadside and walked slowly along the roadside before turning into a small alley.

Shortly after turning a corner, he quietly leaned against the wall and waited.

From the path we had just come from, we heard a series of hurried footsteps.

He immediately took action, firmly holding the figure that had been following him in his arms.

Hayasaka Ai showed no intention of resisting and obediently surrendered. Not only that, she also took the initiative to hug him back and even tiptoed to offer her fragrant lips.

"Did your young lady send you to follow me again?"

After the kiss ended, Chiya Gen smoothed the slightly disheveled hair of Ai Hayasaka, which had become messy from jogging.

"Yes, Miss is naturally very competitive. She can't stand being outdone by her peers. She lost to you in the piano competition before, so she naturally wants to beat you in other areas before she'll be satisfied."

"Why are you staring at me, the runner-up, so intently? Kazusa is the champion."

"That's because Miss Touma isn't around. If they had the chance to spend time together, the young lady would definitely try to outdo her to satisfy her pride."

"She has such a difficult personality. It's amazing that you've put up with her until now, making you come out to do things for her in this cold weather."

"Actually, there's no need to be so angry. This is the result of my own efforts, because I can spend more time with you. And Miss is quite caring about me. When we went out, she told me to wear more clothes and even asked the family driver to cooperate with me."

"Okay~"

Genya pinched her cheek and then put masks on both of them.

Hayasaka turned her coat inside out, revealing a completely different color, and then took out two hats that she had prepared beforehand, putting them on both her and Chiya.

Both of them had their own inconveniences. As a celebrity, Yuan Qianye couldn't be too conspicuous on the street, as he might be secretly photographed if he wasn't careful.

Hayasaka Ai also needs to keep it a secret from her mistress and not reveal any flaws.

Therefore, only after such a simple disguise can they hold hands with relative peace of mind and do things that ordinary couples can easily do.

"Does she specify a latest time you can go back?"

"There are no rules, but there are tasks at the villa that only I can arrange, so it's still the same as before. It would be best to be back before nine o'clock."

"It's already past seven o'clock, which means there are about two more hours... Where does Ai-chan want to go?"

"I'm happy anywhere with you."

"So you mean you're leaving the arrangements to me?"

"Hmm~"

"Then I'll take you straight to the hotel without being polite."

"Good~"

"Then why don't you refuse?"

The maid held his hand and looked at him with a smile that curved at the corners of her eyes.

Seeing this, Gen Chiya sighed helplessly.

He already had Saeko who spoiled him unconditionally, and now he has a maid who completely follows his will and has no thoughts of her own...

If this continues, I feel like I'm going to be spoiled and turned into a useless person.

“It’s not too late now, let’s go to the nearby department store together. There are lots of food stalls on the street right next to it, and we can see if there’s anything Ai-chan likes, I’ll buy it for you…” Although he had just had dinner with Kazusa, the food at Toka Restaurant was very exquisite, so having some snacks with the maid wouldn’t be too much for him: “…Oh, by the way, if you carry all those bags back later, won’t that young lady get suspicious?”

"Don't worry, just say that you bought it for the purpose of disguising yourself while you were tracking you to gather intelligence."

"That's good."

"Hmm... So, are we going to the hotel after shopping at the department store?"

"..."

Facing the maid who was now covering her face with a mask, with only her bright, sparkling eyes showing, Yuan Qianye really had a hard time judging whether what she was saying was the truth or just a joke.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Just park in front of that big courtyard..."

At 9:10 p.m., Kasumigaoka Utaha guided the taxi driver to stop in front of Saeko's house.

After paying, she carried her bag and entered the password at the courtyard gate, gaining free access.

Of the three of them, only Shiyu still lives with her parents. The other two openly share their apartment door codes with everyone else.

It feels like we've already started living together.

If it weren't for that blond idiot's sudden meddling, Shiyu would have really started to adapt to this kind of life.

But unfortunately...

Forget it, just like Saeko said, there's no point in thinking about it now.

Stepping along the familiar cobblestone path, Shiha arrived at the front gate of the Busujima family's residence.

Perhaps because they knew in advance that someone would be visiting tonight, the front door was unlocked and opened with a simple pull.

The Busujima house was large, but even so, as soon as Shiho stepped into the entrance hall, she immediately heard Saeko's laughter coming from the living room.

It seems that Chiya has already arrived...

Shi Yu's lips curled up slightly, and she quickly changed her shoes and headed towards the living room, feeling quite happy.

"And another thing, Saeko-nee, listen to me, Rikka just insisted she could perform magic tricks, and she almost swallowed the coin she was demonstrating..."

Qianye was nowhere to be seen in the living room.

Only Saeko, sitting at the dining table, had her eyes fixed on the tablet propped up on the table, and she was smiling quite broadly.

And now, the person she hated was naturally coming from the speaker on the tablet.

Right now, Saeko is having a video call with Eriri.

Saeko saw Utaha and was about to greet her, but Utaha shook her head and made a shushing gesture.

Saeko understood, but didn't say much, continuing to chat with Eriri on the other end of the video call.

Because there was a study session to be held over the weekend at Eriri's house, Rikka went straight to her house to rest tonight.

As for Yukino, she would go to meet the two of them early Saturday morning. Utaha put her luggage in the living room, mouthed a question to Chiya, and received a slight shake of her head from Saeko, indicating that he hadn't arrived yet.

So she didn't disturb Saeko, but sat cross-legged by the stove and took out her laptop to revise and polish the novel she had already written.

Twenty minutes later, at 9:30, Saeko waved goodbye to Eriri Rikka on the other end of the video call and ended the call.

Shiyu stopped typing, turned her head, and saw Saeko squatting beside her, her hands cupping her chin as she smiled and stared at her.

Shiyu said helplessly, "Don't do that to Saeko, it's creepy."

"Can't I even show that I'm happy to see Shiho?"

"That's not what I meant..." Just as she finished speaking, Shi Yu's stomach made a subtle "rumbling" sound.

Shi Yu immediately turned her head to the other side.

Saeko wasn't mocking her; instead, she asked in surprise, "Shiyu, you haven't had dinner yet, have you?"

Shiyu closed her laptop: "No, I went straight to the publishing house after school and chatted with the editor about the novel's ending for a while. It ended around 8 p.m. I went straight home, packed my clothes, and came over... But it's okay, I don't usually eat dinner anyway."

As for the reason, it's a very common one among girls—to maintain their figure.

…………

Volume 2: Chapter 212: Wearing Black Stockings Before Bed (5k)

"That won't do. When people are hungry, they need to eat. That's a signal that the body needs to replenish its energy. If you keep ignoring it, problems will arise in the long run."

"Mom... no," Saeko responded with unexpected seriousness and concern after hearing Shiho's words.

"It's not a long time, and everyone's like this, right? It's normal to be busy and not have time to eat sometimes, Saeko, don't be so..."