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

Today was the day she was supposed to report to the head of the family on the eldest young lady's recent situation, but this time, she waited until 11:30 but still didn't receive a call from the Fourth Palace's residence.

She felt a little strange, but didn't think much of it.

Although there are few precedents for this, there have been instances where, if the head of the household is away or has guests elsewhere, such a reporting arrangement tonight would be unilaterally canceled without her being notified.

That's fine, it saves her from ruining her mood for her upcoming rendezvous with Qianye.

She quickly washed herself clean, and around midnight, she was greeted by Chiya climbing in through the window as usual.

Tonight, Gen Chiya clearly noticed the maid's unusual wildness.

She was so passionate that she didn't even give him time to shower or warm up before she pounced on him.

Before Yuan Qianye could even utter a word, he felt a slight chill in his lower body, followed by a whimper from the maid, and he was enveloped in extreme warmth and tightness.

From the moment we met to the moment we started, it only took ten seconds.

Afterwards, the panting maid was held in his arms and soaked in the bathtub for more than ten minutes before her eyes gradually came back to their senses from the blissful, pink-tinged emptiness.

"What's wrong with you today? You're so agitated from the very beginning."

"Um... I just suddenly really want you..."

Hayasaka Ai curled up in his arms, snuggling affectionately, and the two lingered tenderly for a moment.

Then, seizing the opportunity, she took the initiative to ask,

"Qianye, there's something I want to tell you. It's about the young lady. What... what do you think of her?"

…………

259: Why don't you come stay at my place for one night? (5k)

"She's quite nice. Although she's a pampered young lady born with a silver spoon in her mouth, she doesn't have the bad habit of looking down on others that many rich girls have. She's also polite and humble in her dealings with people, and doesn't have much of an air about her... But why did you suddenly think of asking this?"

"I asked curiously," Yuan Qianye asked.

Hayasaka Ai's voice was somewhat muffled: "Um... I guess it's to satisfy my own curiosity."

"Entrusted by someone?" Yuan Qianye pressed.

“No, no…” Hayasaka Ai shook her head gently, her hair tickling his skin slightly. “Really… I was just asking casually…”

Upon hearing this, Yuan Qianye lowered his head and looked at her face more closely.

When their eyes met, Hayasaka Ai subtly looked away, not daring to look at him for long. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, revealing her inner turmoil.

"Really." Yuan Qianye chuckled, a hint of teasing in his voice, his fingertips tracing her most sensitive skin. "Just now you were calling me 'Master' with such deep affection, and now you're trying to hide something from me?"

"That's not how it is!" Hayasaka Ai panicked and immediately tried to defend herself, but when she saw Minamoto Chiya looking at her with a smile, she realized that he was just joking with her.

She lowered her head and bit him back in return, before continuing, "Actually, regarding the young lady... Qianye, you probably found out about it a long time ago, right?"

Yuan Qianye nodded; he had no intention of hiding this from him.

In fact, Kaguya Shinomiya's behavior during this period was indeed quite obvious.

She started seeing him much more frequently, and although each time she had a legitimate reason, such as discussing joint activities between the two schools or exchanging information on student council affairs, her overflowing joy and anticipation were impossible to hide.

Every time we meet, when I see him, his usually cool red eyes always light up with a different kind of brilliance, and the corners of my mouth will unconsciously turn up.

After business is finished, the conversations often naturally turn to his personal daily life, work, and even some trivial matters.

She took the lead, as if she had endless things to say and wanted to know more about him.

Not to mention that he himself had already sensed something, even Rikka and Eriri, who were occasionally present, probably noticed something amiss.

As for Shi Yu, she had privately reminded him several times.

Each time, she would subtly hint at his identity by quoting classical texts, implying that being a young lady from a wealthy and powerful family like the Shinomiya family inherently meant facing immense trouble.

The interests and rules involved are deeply intertwined, and once you get involved, there may be endless troubles to come.

He earnestly advised him to think carefully before acting, and not to make any choices that would make his future life full of difficulties.

Her intention to nip potential threats in the bud couldn't be clearer.

Chiyo even felt that she might have subtly dissed Yukino, who also came from a wealthy family.

Of course, this is just his feeling, without any direct evidence.

Yuan Qianye turned the maid around so she was facing him, and wrapped his arms around her slender waist: "I have indeed noticed something. What do you want to know? How should I respond to your young lady's feelings?"

"Hmm..." Hayasaka Ai lowered her eyes, her fingers unconsciously tracing circles on his chest: "If possible..."

"What kind of answer does Ai want from me?" Yuan Qianye threw the question back.

"I……"

Hayasaka Ai raised her head, her eyes filled with complex emotions, but which ultimately turned into determination.

"I don't have any particular ideas. The most important thing is your own decision, Qianye. Whatever decision you make, I will support you unconditionally."

This is what she truly felt.

Between the secret lover who rescued her from cold constraints and gave her warmth and her true self, and the wealthy young lady with whom she had a complicated relationship for many years, if she had to choose... her heart would unhesitatingly turn away from the so-called "maid's way" and lean towards the former.

"Even if it makes your young lady cry?" Yuan Qianye asked, half-jokingly and half-seriously.

“Anyway…” Hayasaka Ai buried her face in his chest, her voice muffled, tinged with helplessness and a hint of knowing understanding: “The young lady… has cried more than once or twice…”

In an environment like the Shinomiya family, tears might be the most useless thing, but they are also one of the few ways Kaguya can vent her emotions.

She spared her mistress some face and didn't lay bare Kaguya's overly obvious girlish thoughts, summarizing it roughly as follows: "...I don't really want you to be so troubled by this issue, but the young lady may really be deeply involved this time."

She never used to keep a diary, but now she meticulously records every meeting with you, what she said, and your reaction in writing. Then she stares at the notebook, lost in thought, and suddenly smiles quietly to herself…

Because for her, perhaps no one has ever cared about her as a person as you have, and this care isn't based on the surname or status of 'Shinomiya'.

Peeking through the crack in the door at the young lady as she reminisced, took notes, and quietly savored the joyful moment, Hayasaka Ai inexplicably thought of her own childhood.

Having only recently left her parents' side, she would carefully and expectantly write down her thoughts on communicating with her mother in her precious communication book.

Come to think of it, the young lady is just like me; she was also a child who lacked love.

But unlike me, my mother, though we rarely see each other, is still alive and loves me deeply.

Dad, too, though not good with words, never forgets to give her birthday gifts and wishes every year.

What about the young lady? She was separated from her mother by death before she even knew what was happening, and the remaining father in name only... was just a heartless old man.

Those older brothers were nothing more than profit-driven, morally bankrupt scoundrels devoid of any sense of family.

Her world is colder and lonelier than she ever was.

Gen Chiya gazed quietly at Hayasaka Ai, listening to her recount these details in a calm tone, her eyes gentle, but her words were pointed: "In that case, what does Ai want me to do?"

Hayasaka Ai shook her head and pressed her head against his chest: "I'm not saying this to put pressure on you, nor do I intend for you to do anything just because the young lady is so... so pitiful."

I just hope... if you feel even a little bit the same way about her, that would be best...

But if there really isn't any, that's fine too. Since there's no hope sooner or later, it might be a relief for her to understand the young lady clearly and give up completely. A short pain is worse than a long one.

I've always been on your side. I'm the young lady's maid, but before that, I was first and foremost yours, now, and forever.

Yuan Qianye's heart softened even more, and he hugged her tighter, resting his chin gently on the top of her head, and said earnestly, "What should I do? I'm so touched by you."

Hayasaka Ai snuggled closer to him, her ears turning red: "Don't...don't tease me..."

"Understood." Yuan Qianye's joking expression vanished, and his tone became serious: "I will find a suitable time to handle this matter as soon as possible."

“Hmm…” Hayasaka Ai responded softly, “The young lady said that she wants to invite you over here through Rikka next time. Perhaps that will be a good opportunity.”

Yuan Qianye nodded, indicating that he had made a mental note of it.

Just as he said, Kaguya Shinomiya didn't have a bad feeling about the young lady here.

The two, who initially had no contact, had many opportunities to spend time together because Hayasaka was caught in the middle.

From initially being indifferent, I've come to understand her much better now, realizing that she's similar to Yukino Kazusa in some ways—a person who's cold on the outside but warm on the inside.

Of course, judging from the recent situation, it's true that this young lady hasn't shown him any of the coldness she used to have.

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.

Let's put aside the matter of Kaguya Shinomiya that we discussed with Ai Hayasaka that night for now.

Following the maid's plan, Minamoto Chiya decided not to act rashly at this stage. He would wait until Kaguya invited him in the future and then take the opportunity to be completely honest with her—to show that he had no feelings for her that went beyond friendship, but hoped that they could continue to be friends in the future.

After all, Kaguya is Hayasaka's only best friend, so she really needs to carefully choose her words beforehand to save face for both of them. In short, let's hope everything goes smoothly.

Time continued to flow slowly, unaffected by anyone.

In February, Gen Chiya released the final work in the Si Ti series, bringing this highly anticipated series to a perfect close.

Meanwhile, other good news followed.

Two of his works have been officially licensed and will soon be adapted into films.

In addition, entertainment and media companies have approached him, offering him substantial compensation to compose songs.

In addition, her sister Toka's restaurant brand also officially opened a branch in Kyoto this year, and business is booming.

In fact, an animation production committee even visited him to inquire if he was interested in creating an animated story for families, offering equally generous and attractive compensation.

As a result, Yuan Qianye's name was once again reported by major media outlets, but he no longer appeared as serious as before, and he wanted to do everything himself.

Avoid attending tasks that can be avoided. For tasks you take on, provide a general framework and delegate the rest to other subordinates in the company. Finally, just give an overall overview to ensure the general direction is correct.

His past hard work experience taught him a lesson: one cannot succeed by working alone; one must let go of certain things; and one's team is not just for show.

If you have to do everything yourself, you'll eventually die from overwork.

Of course, his physical condition is different from that of ordinary people, so this situation is impossible for him, but the time was wasted is real.

Previously, it was during the rising phase of my career, so there was no other way.

Now that they've consolidated their power base and become bosses, they don't give their subordinates a chance to show off. They work hard to get rich and earn Rolls-Royce fragments for themselves, yet they insist on doing it all themselves. Is it because Saeko Utaha is uncomfortable having two women on either side, or is Eriri's soft and bouncy little bottom not moist enough?

Speaking of Eriri, things went too smoothly for her too.

Most cartoonists have four or five assistants at most.

Yuan Qianye specially set up a separate department for her in the company, with more than 30 people who all had a background in art, including many veterans who had been immersed in the industry for many years.

These thirty-odd people are currently serving only Eriri, which is quite luxurious. The large number of people and the great power have also created a unique manga-like quality in her work, with visible details that are full of budget and explosive!

However, having too many people isn't always a good thing.