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

However, if it were really feasible, Hayasaka Ai would actually be quite happy to see this happen.

After all, she had been working for the top-tier conglomerate, Shinomiya, since she was a child.

But it is all too clear what responsibilities and missions the descendants of chaebol families bear.

In order to maintain the relationships between family business partners, it is almost impossible for each person to be with the person they love, and almost all of them are arranged marriages based on interests and cooperation.

Rather than letting the young lady end up marrying a playboy she completely dislikes, a man with questionable character who frequents brothels and whose decadent lifestyle leads to physical decay, simply to become a tool for marriage and procreation, thus spending a boring and miserable second half of her life, all for the sake of the Shinomiya family.

Instead, we might as well think of a way to let the young lady live the kind of life she desires, according to her own wishes.

"Of course I trust you, Hayasaka. Actually, actually... I also noticed that the president's attitude towards me was a bit unusual, otherwise I wouldn't have taken the initiative to tell you these things."

Kaguya sat on the bed in a cute duck pose, her hands tucked between her thighs, looking rather coy.

Hayasaka Ai was deep in thought, and silently nodded to show that she was listening attentively.

"First, well... naturally, it was when we went to bother you this afternoon, after we entered and sat down..."

"After you're seated?"

Hayasaka Ai remembers that they were simply invited to sit down as normal, and there was nothing particularly noteworthy about it.

"Well, after we sat down, the president... didn't do anything else to you and Chika, but he took the tea from everyone else and handed it to me personally!"

He also said, "This is tea I brought back from abroad. It's not particularly expensive, but its unique flavor is its greatest strength. If you don't like it, please don't force yourself. I'll brew you some other teas separately!"

After saying all this, Kaguya knelt on the bed, her eyes burning as she stared at Hayasaka Ai, yearning for approval!

But Hayasaka Ai was completely dumbfounded and speechless, her facial expression conveying only two words: "That's it?"

If this statement is true, then does his enthusiastic hand-holding with a female fan at the autograph session mean that he wants to marry her?

Kaguya panicked when she saw her like this and immediately began to explain: "Don't you understand? The president hasn't shown any special attention to you or Chika, but she's done this to me. She even asked me if I was used to the tea. Her care and thoughtfulness, to the point of being so meticulous, already says a lot!"

It's not entirely because you're the student council president of Shuchiin University, not to mention that you've had a successful collaboration with them before...

Hayasaka Ai only thought these words to herself, but on the surface she nodded as if she suddenly understood: "Now that you mention it, it does seem so..."

"Hmph." Kaguya was slightly smug, her eager expression softening as she returned to the shy demeanor of a girl immersed in love: "And that's not all, the president agreed to the joint activity I suddenly proposed without even thinking about it."

Hmm... well, it's probably not because of you, Miss, but because of me, who's right beside you...

Hayasaka Ai continued listening, her serious expression showing how hard she was trying to hold back her emotions.

"The whole discussion went so smoothly. When I left, he even walked me to the school gate, saying he would come to our school immediately after school next Monday afternoon to finalize all the details of the activity and implement it as soon as possible. His eagerness and urgency clearly show that he wants to get closer to me as soon as possible..."

As Kaguya finished speaking, she exclaimed "Ah!" and turned around, falling onto the bed. She hugged the pillow, buried her face in it, and rolled around happily like a silly roe deer!

"..."

Hayasaka Ai's lips were pressed tightly together.

The situation is getting serious.

She finally understood everything.

After fully realizing her own feelings, our young lady has become a complete love-struck fool.

My mind is full of hearts, and the scene I see is exactly what I want to see—it's all self-deception.

Why does this young lady seem inexplicably pathetic?

If she knew the specifics of Qianye's current situation—that he not only has a girlfriend, but also more than one—it would be a mistake.

Furthermore, her personal maid had already been secretly entangled with him for some time. Not only would she secretly go out with him to see movies on holidays, but he would also occasionally come to the villa at night, climb over the courtyard wall, and have a secret rendezvous right under her nose...

but--

It's been such a long, long time since I've seen the young lady with such a happy expression.

"I understand the situation. I will find a way to help you later, Miss."

"Wait a minute, Hayasaka, I'm not saying this to get your help! It's already great as it is. I'm really enjoying this feeling. Since the president likes me so much, he should have a chance to show his manliness. As for me... it's not that I'm unwilling, it's just that, as a girl, I should be a little more reserved..."

"In short, you mean, Miss, you hope that things can develop naturally between you two, right?"

"Ok!"

That's probably difficult...

"But there's something I'm still concerned about." Kaguya suddenly seemed worried: "Don't you think there are too many girls in the student council room where the president is? We didn't see a single boy besides him when we went there."

Miss, you've finally realized that...

"The same situation exists on our side."

"That's different. I'm just not used to being around guys."

"It's just a coincidence. The information I collected before clearly indicated that most of the people who were close to President Yuan had special ties with him. They were either the senior students who introduced him to the world of kendo, his childhood friends, or people who were very close to his sister."

Now that you mention it…

"It's getting late. Don't think about it so much, Miss. You should get some rest. Staying up late will give you dark circles under your eyes, which will affect your overall image and demeanor."

"That's true!"

"Goodnight, Miss."

Good night, Hayasaka. You've had a great day too.

Hayasaka Ai left the room.

On her way back to her room, she thought about the relationship between the young lady and Qianye, and felt that the matter was very complicated.

Both of them have their own unsolvable problems, and they can't get around them either, which is really difficult.

Hayasaka returned to her room and, as usual, prepared for the next day's itinerary. After washing up and taking a bath, the phone rang—a sound she loathed—just as she was leaving the bathroom.

She picked up the cell phone specifically for contacting the head of the Shinomiya family, her face grim.

However difficult it may be, it's still better than letting the young lady live in the Shinomiya family's prison until she dies.

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.

After returning from Vienna, Yuan Qianye didn't have much free time at all.

The main reason was that his own company had a lot of matters waiting for him to make decisions, and in addition, during the three months he was away from the country, his work had piled up to a considerable extent. Furthermore, he had also released a new novel.

For two consecutive months, September and October, I was so busy that I was rarely home. I only spent about twenty days at school, which meant I had to take two days off almost every other day.

During this period, Kaguya Shinomiya took the initiative to propose that Soubu High School once again confirm the joint activities between the two schools this year.

This activity was not like the last one, where we went out for a group stay together. Instead, it was a very serious and practical social practice.

The full name of the event is "Dual-School Collaborative Career Experience Development Program".

The core concept and goal are also very simple—to help students explore their personal interests and understand how society works through real-world career experiences, providing important references for their future academic and career choices.

To this end, Kaguya proactively provided a very detailed and comprehensive planning table.

In the first phase, the student unions of both schools will arrange for the establishment of a joint executive committee to carry out preliminary preparatory work.

For example, we organized resources such as alumni, partner companies, parent-teacher associations, and local support organizations of both schools, and distributed questionnaires to students of both schools to understand their most interesting career fields.

The second phase begins with the formal promotion and registration process.

The promotions were conducted in the auditoriums of both schools or via online live streaming.

Students fill out application forms, and the joint committee can conduct brief interviews to ensure students' enthusiasm and suitability.

The final, third stage is the concrete practice.

The joint executive committee assigns interested students to corresponding groups, and they can make appointments in advance to visit the relevant companies and even get hands-on experience with the corresponding work processes.

All in all, this is a pretty great project for students from both schools.

The boards of trustees of both schools also strongly supported this.

Everything is going smooth.

Of course, while Kaguya went to great lengths to advance this project partly out of consideration for her fellow alumni, her primary motivation was to have a legitimate reason to meet with someone regularly.

This aligns with the purpose that Gen Chiya had previously achieved by facilitating the joint training camp...

Finally, and importantly, this event has no deadline; it's a long-term initiative.

In other words, as long as the event continues to have a positive impact, Kaguya can keep using the excuse of being fellow members of the Joint Executive Committee to meet the person she wants to see.

Kaguya-sama breathed a huge sigh of relief after the project was officially confirmed.

After everything settled down, every day was spent in small moments of excitement and anticipation.

During this period, her overall demeanor visibly brightened.

Hayasaka Ai, who was serving her, couldn't help but think to herself, "Truly, the power of love is amazing. Even though we're not completely sure we're together yet, just seeing the person I like every day, even if it's just talking to them briefly, provides such positive emotional value."

But thinking back carefully, she seems to have always been like this.

Before meeting Qianye, her life was shrouded in darkness; after meeting him, the sunlight pierced through the dark clouds, illuminating her entire life.

Some things, it seems, can no longer be delayed.

Hayasaka Ai silently observed her young mistress becoming more and more deeply involved, and felt that there were some things she really needed to have a serious and frank talk with Chiya about.

The master and servant each had their own thoughts.

The Takanashi sisters have also had quite a few disagreements lately.

From a fair and objective perspective, Rikka's side has more problems.

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.

On November 3rd, Takanashi Toka didn't go to the shop to work that day. Instead, she went to the TV station early in the morning to participate in the recording of a family cooking program for housewives.

Thanks to the popularity of Yuu Chiya, as well as her good image and excellent cooking skills.

She is now becoming a rising star in the culinary world, appearing on screen and gaining public recognition, and has also been given titles such as "most beautiful chef".

The recording of the program ended at 3 p.m.

The strong smell of cosmetics in the recording studio and the bright lights made her feel a little dizzy, so after the recording ended, she didn't go to the store as usual. She took a long-awaited break and went straight home today.

She arrived home around 4 p.m.

As soon as the door opened, joyful and affectionate voices, accompanied by cheerful footsteps, quickly approached.

"You're back! Uh—"