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

Up to this point, Hayasaka Ai didn't actually have any particular thoughts.

After all, they had only met once back then.

Until, after she accompanied the young lady to the piano competition, she inadvertently discovered that familiar face had actually stepped onto the stage right in front of her.

Hayasaka Ai blinked her big eyes in disbelief.

The tedious and exhausting work of serving over the years has made her much more mature than her peers.

Even so, after many years, we met again in Tokyo, a city with millions of people, and witnessed Chiyo Minamoto's piano performance at a very close distance.

She also had a girlish thought that this was probably a "fateful encounter".

By the time she came to her senses, she had already ordered a bouquet online and asked the florist to deliver it to him.

After that, the piano competition continued.

Besides her own young lady, she also began to pay attention to Yuan Qianye.

Of course, that's all.

Her inner thoughts did not affect her calm thinking.

Having worked for the Shinomiya family for so many years, a family that appears outwardly glamorous but inwardly turbulent and shrouded in darkness, she had long since honed her composure to the point where she could remain calm and unperturbed no matter what happened.

She silently watched over Yuan Qianye and sent him a bouquet of flowers, simply to express her gratitude for what happened back then.

I am grateful to him for reclaiming the precious notebook that sustained me.

Well, that's all.

Back then, I was too excited and flustered to properly express my gratitude.

But now that she has made up for it, they are even.

"...Haasaka, Hayasaka!"

The young lady's disgruntled voice woke Hayasaka Ai from her dazed state.

"Are you even listening to me?!"

"I'm sorry, Miss, I'm considering the things I need to be careful about at the upcoming banquet."

"Ugh... really, but third place is such an embarrassing result... can't I just not go?"

"This competition is also sponsored by the Shinomiya Group. As a member of the Shinomiya family, you have no reason not to attend. Even if you are unwilling, it would be good to just show your face and go through the motions."

Besides, third place is already quite impressive. After all, you, Miss, spend so much time learning etiquette and skills, which must have distracted you. This is already a remarkable achievement.

Miss Shinomiya was speechless, and her initial resentment subsided slightly.

Just like when she was being willful, she was easily persuaded by Hayasaka Ai through a combination of coaxing and persuasion.

Let the young lady rest on the bed for a while.

Hayasaka Ai went to the living room outside the room and sat on the sofa, enjoying her hard-won peace and quiet.

She took out her phone, and a news app popped up a notification.

The National Youth Piano Competition has successfully concluded! Winners...

The match, which had just ended, immediately made the news.

She clicked on it to take a look.

The finger swipes up and finally stops when a photo of an awards ceremony appears.

The photo shows Yuan Qianye with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, handsome and fresh-faced, so handsome that he could bring ruin to a country.

Holding the trophy, he faced the audience with a confident and flamboyant smile.

She was truly the focus of the entire event.

Hayasaka Ai clicked on the photo, her gaze calm as she swiped with two fingers to deliberately zoom in on his face.

So many years have passed, and that little boy from back then has changed so much.

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.

Yuan Qianye reported to everyone in the group that she had won the runner-up position.

He also told his family that he would be attending a banquet that evening, so they didn't need to wait for him to eat.

At six o'clock in the afternoon, he followed Touma and her daughter to the hotel lobby.

He doesn't attend such events often, and he's not used to talking to those shrewd business and political figures.

Touma Yoko was a great help in this regard, as she brought her daughter and Minamoto Chiya with her and navigated the situation with ease.

With the pressure greatly reduced, Yuan Qianye only needed to occasionally chime in with a few simple words and at most put on a smile, which was enough.

At the same time, he also took this opportunity to quietly learn from her way of dealing with people. If nothing unexpected happens in the future, he will often be in such situations, so it is always good to prepare in advance.

Compared to her mother's outstanding performance, her daughter...

"What?" Kazusa, who was holding a plate and had just eaten three strawberry puddings and several desserts, noticed the subtle look in Minamoto Chiyo's eyes.

She immediately became dissatisfied, giving me a questioning look that said, "What are you looking at?"

"Take care of your health, excessive sugar intake will lead to that."

Yuan Qianye casually turned his gaze to the obese uncle not far away.

Kazusa dismissed this with a smile: "There's no need to worry about that. I'm just like my mom; I can't gain weight no matter how much I eat."

Gazing at Kazusa's bulging breasts beneath her elegant black dress, Chiyo Minamoto silently thought that it wasn't that she was naturally thin, but rather that all the fat had obediently flowed to the most crucial areas.

Yuan Qianye didn't say anything more.

But after he said that, Kazusa stopped actively seeking out those sugary sweets.

She wouldn't have been so bad if she hadn't been reminded before, but now that this topic has been brought up specifically, she can no longer ignore it.

Although my mother loves sweets and has maintained a slim figure despite not liking exercise.

As her daughter, I probably inherited this condition from her, but you never know.

What if I really gain weight and can't lose it...

As soon as Kazusa thought of that image, the image of Chiya Minamoto looking at her chubby self with disdain and disappointment flashed through her mind.

She instantly lost her appetite due to worry.

Behind this, it's mostly Kazusa watching Chiya Minamoto flaunt his physique.

Seeing how happily he was eating, Kazusa was initially quite resentful, but she quickly came to terms with it.

She was happy to add extra food for him while he was getting his food!

She had a beautiful plan: she would eat less herself and then persuade Yuan Qianye repeatedly, which would further widen the difference in their body proportions.

That way, even if she gains a little weight in the future, it won't be so obvious in front of him.

Eat up, eat up! I hope you become a big fatso, then it'll be my turn to complain about you.

She was completely unaware of the intimate actions she was taking, driven by her wicked intentions.

What does this mean in the eyes of outsiders?

"Your daughter has a really good relationship with the runner-up of this competition."

"That's how they always are."

Are the two also very close friends who can talk about anything in private?

"Hehe, you can definitely use your imagination even more."

Not far away, Yoko Touma, holding a glass of red wine, was chatting with reporters she knew from the TV station.

She deliberately drew the reporters' attention to Kazusa and Chiya, and spoke in a very ambiguous manner, her purpose being self-evident.

I should apologize to that kendo girl.

Your turn has simply passed.

Now it's my precious daughter's turn to appear.

"Actually, in my heart, Yuan Qianye is probably the champion of this competition."

Someone asked Yoko, "Why do you say that?"

At this moment, Yoko dropped another bombshell on the reporters: "Because, at most, he has only been formally learning piano for a few months."

The reporters looked at each other, some trying to find a joking expression on her face.

Unfortunately, Yoko was serious.

"Excuse me for leaving now." Yoko smiled gently, left, and went to her daughter and Yuan Qianye's side to make an appearance to some of her friends in the industry.

Time flies, and soon it was past seven o'clock.

Yuan Qianye has gradually gotten used to this occasion.

When you meet someone, put aside everything else, just smile first, then introduce yourself, and then take the initiative to show respect or admiration. That's always the right thing to do.

He just didn't expect that Touma Yoko would take the initiative to bring them to Shinomiya Kaguya and start a conversation with her.

The young lady didn't care, but what caught his attention was the blonde girl in a waitress's uniform beside her.

With similar hair color and chest size to Eriri, and clearly having Western ancestry, she is undoubtedly Hayasaka Ai.

She stayed quietly beside her young mistress, watching as Minamoto Chiya approached under the guidance of Touma Yoko.

The two were only a few steps apart.

There was no emotion on her delicate face.

…………

100: The Maid with a Guilt