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

You should have the aura of wanting to devour the other person alive!

Shouldn't we first find out how they met and how they got to this point?

After understanding this crucial process, we can then naturally assert our legitimacy and sovereignty as the current girlfriends, using an uncompromising and cold attitude to make her back down and completely give up on the idea...

Shouldn't this be the standard procedure and steps?!

But what's with this friendly tea party atmosphere that's like making new friends?!

Shi Yu's face was cold and gloomy, but her heart was roaring!

But her frustration and confusion did nothing to affect the atmosphere at the dinner table.

Saeko dictated the conversation at the dinner table. After confirming that Hayasaka Ai had left plenty of time for the evening and wasn't in a hurry, Utaha's choice of topics became increasingly casual.

If asking about Hayasaka Ai's school earlier, and incidentally bringing up her family background, could be interpreted as a subtle probing and intelligence gathering, then this could be considered a way of doing so.

Now, Saeko starts talking about their studies, hobbies, and other such topics. To Utaha, these are completely irrelevant chatter!

No matter how hard Shiyu racked her brains, trying to dig out some deeper meaning or hidden message behind Saeko's gentle questions and casual agreement... she just couldn't do it!

Because it has absolutely no deeper meaning!

Although I don't understand why, she was just chatting casually!

Yuan Qianye was actually a little confused as well.

Saeko's unexpected attitude left him both confused and somewhat uneasy, but the peaceful situation before him was undoubtedly much better than the worst-case scenario he had anticipated.

He was happy to maintain the status quo and naturally wouldn't say anything to disrupt it. Instead, he would occasionally join the conversation, either to add explanations or to ease the atmosphere, trying his best to play the role of a lubricant, hoping that this delicate peaceful atmosphere could last longer.

Of course, it would be best if it could continue like this until the end.

However, as time went by, Shiyu's patience was gradually being worn down.

Just before she could no longer contain herself and was about to slam her hand on the table and shatter this eerily harmonious atmosphere—

Saeko finally shifted the conversation gently, steerwarding the topic to the most crucial question: "Hayasaka-san, could you tell me how you met Chiya?"

"..."

Finally... we've gotten to the main topic.

Hayasaka felt a slight tremor in her heart, but then she felt relieved.

She knew that this issue could not be avoided in the end, and that speaking out about it sooner would be a relief for her. The psychological pressure of hiding and avoiding it was no less than that of facing it directly.

Seeing Hayasaka's sudden silence, Minamoto Chiya mistakenly assumed she was hesitant and immediately spoke up to help her out: "As for Hayasaka, it's because..."

"No need, Chiya. Busujima-kun is asking me, so I'll answer."

Hayasaka Ai refused his help once again.

Yes, compared to the more sensitive and pointed questions that may arise later, there is actually not much to worry about in answering the question about how we met. We just need to state the facts as they are.

Hayasaka Ai began to answer truthfully: "Our situation... is somewhat special."

"Special?" Saeko raised an eyebrow slightly.

“Yes.” Hayasaka Ai nodded, her eyes turning nostalgic, as if lost in memories: “Between him and me… to be precise, I couldn’t help but fall in love with him, and our relationship as it is today started from when he participated in the piano competition.”

"Piano competition..." Saeko murmured softly, recalling the event.

Because Chiya focused most of her energy on kendo and writing, she could only recall a few piano competitions she had participated in. Therefore, she quickly remembered: "...Was it the National Youth Piano Competition?"

"Yes."

"Did you also perform on stage at that competition?" Saeko asked.

"That's not the case. I was with my young lady and happened to witness Qianye's performance and his award ceremony."

"Your young lady?" This time, Shi Yu, who had been observing coldly all along, couldn't help but frown and interject.

The title "Young Miss" sounds rather out of place in this era.

It's one thing for her to tease that blond idiot at school, but Hayasaka Ai is speaking quite seriously right now, not at all like she's joking.

“Yes.” Hayasaka Ai was equally respectful to Shiha, understanding her doubts, and then explained: “Since I was very young, I have served the Shinomiya family as the personal maid of the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya family, responsible for taking care of and assisting her with her daily life and other matters.”

"—!"

A maid?!

This is undoubtedly the most informative and unexpected statement that Hayasaka Ai has revealed since joining the company.

It's not the kind of maid in a cute dress in a cafe calling out "master," nor is it cosplay where someone just buys a black and white dress.

Judging from her words, she seemed to be a professional and rigorously trained maid hired by a wealthy and powerful family.

Shi Yu quickly processed the information, and at the same time, an even more complex and indescribable emotion welled up in her heart. This made her unable to help but glare at her lover with a look of resentment mixed with anger!

I really don't want to think about it that way... but he really does eat well!

Look at the kind of people surrounding him now—

There is a spirited and valiant kendo girl from a prestigious kendo family.

She is a literary girl with some talent.

There is a mixed-race childhood friend who appears innocent and lovely on the surface, but secretly draws explicit doujinshi.

There is a second daughter from a wealthy political family who returned from studying abroad.

His mother is an internationally renowned pianist, and he himself is a musically gifted genius...

Now, there's another one, a proper personal maid serving a top conglomerate!

What is he trying to do?

What exactly is he trying to do?!

Is it some kind of stamp collection game where you collect different types of women?

If we continue to let him be like this, won't there be a constant stream of other girls with strange and unusual attributes appearing in the future?!

Shiyu couldn't control herself from thinking this way, because it seemed to be an undeniable trend!

Saeko didn't seem too surprised about the fact that "Hayasaka Ai is a maid."

Therefore, from the moment Hayasaka Ai entered the room, her impeccable manners, graceful demeanor, and the radiant calm and refined upbringing that far surpassed what could be cultivated in an ordinary wealthy family, already gave Saeko a premonition that Hayasaka Ai was no ordinary person.

Therefore, more than her identity, Saeko was more concerned about the word she had just mentioned, which was mentioned lightly but seemed particularly crucial.

"Hayasaka-san, you just said 'to be precise'... what did that mean?"

"Actually... my first meeting with Qianye was many years ago, when I was only five years old... It was one evening, I accompanied the young lady to her tutoring class, and on the way to pick her up, my contact book accidentally fell to the ground and was picked up by a stray dog ​​on the roadside..."

Hayasaka Ai lowered her head slightly and clearly recounted the circumstances of her first meeting with Minamoto Chiya many years ago.

Wait a minute!

You've known each other since kindergarten?!

Yet another...childhood sweetheart?!

The moment this crucial information was revealed, Shi Yu felt a tightness in her chest and couldn't breathe properly.

Meanwhile, Yuan Qianye, who had been trying to remain calm, felt increasingly uncomfortable.

Because he not only felt Shiwa's laser beam, which was like a homelander, almost piercing him through!

He could also sense that Saeko was casting a very complex and ambiguous glance at him.

“I see…” Saeko nodded slightly: “…You two knew each other when you were so young. However, I’ve known Chiya for a long time, but I’ve never heard him mention you.”

Hayasaka Ai shook her head: "That's not how it is. We just happened to meet by chance because of that incident. We had a brief encounter, but after that, we never had any contact or interaction again."

It wasn't until I mentioned earlier, a few years ago, when I saw him on stage participating in a piano competition, and heard his name and saw his face... that I realized he was the little boy who had helped me all those years ago.

Shi Yu pressed on coldly, her tone clearly hostile: "And then, that's why you took the initiative to contact him?"

Hayasaka Ai shook her head again: "That's not it. The opportunity for me to have actual contact with Chiya again stemmed from a banquet."

Looking at Shiho's eyes, which were still stunningly beautiful despite her efforts to suppress her anger, she thought to herself that both Busujima and Kasumigaoka were indeed absolute beauties up close...

Qianye has excellent taste.

Shiyu pressed on, "What kind of banquet?"

"Kasumigaoka-san should remember this too."

"I remember?" Shi Yu frowned.

“Yes.” Hayasaka Ai nodded affirmatively: “That was an annual meeting and banquet held by the paperback company you signed with as a light novel author. It was a literary exchange event. I attended with you, Miss, and you… probably invited Chiya to accompany you.”

"You mean..." Shi Yu's pupils contracted slightly as a memory suddenly surfaced in her mind.

"Yes." Hayasaka Ai met her surprised and incredulous gaze and said softly, "It was at that banquet that Chiya and I truly reconnected after many years. That was also our real... reunion."

"—!"

Shi Yu suddenly fell silent, her lips pursed slightly, and her face turned pale for a moment.

That banquet... in other words, it was because Qianye accompanied him that their connection was rekindled...

It's all... because of myself?

Heh...hehehe...

Absurd, utterly absurd...

Shiyu felt her heart suddenly contract.

Her hands, which were resting on her knees, were clenched into fists, her nails digging deep into her palms!

After hearing this, Saeko sighed sadly.

After such a long time, we can still meet and interact again in the vast sea of ​​people... This is probably what they call fate.

Beneath the table, Saeko subtly reached out and gently placed her hand on Shiho's hand, stroking it lightly in a comforting manner.

This was also a reminder for her to control her emotions a little, because she could already hear the slight "crunching" sound that Shiyu was squeezing out from between her teeth.

She understood Shiyu's frustration and anger at that moment, but no matter what, this was a complete loss of composure in front of her opponent, and it was too embarrassing.

Hayasaka Ai seemed oblivious to the intense emotions that were almost overflowing from Utaha's side.

Or perhaps she sensed it but chose to ignore it.