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

Rest is truly the most wonderful thing...

Thinking about her plans for the rest of the day, she felt genuinely happy.

I'll be able to see my mom again this afternoon. What should we do together after she finishes work?

We might not have enough time to go to the night amusement park, so we'll just have dinner together... No, we still have plenty of time afterwards, so maybe we can take Mom to a karaoke bar or a massage parlor.

My mother works very hard every day, so she needs to relax a bit.

Just thinking about meeting her mother soon made Hayasaka Ai blush and smile warmly.

Her eyes now held the innocence of a fawn in the forest, completely devoid of the cold indifference she usually displayed when she was at work.

That's right, this maid who is deeply trusted by Lady Shinomiya.

I've been a total mother-obsessed person since I was very young!

It was a case of rather severe symptoms.

When she first left her mother to live with Kaguya Shinomiya, she was extremely sad and would often shed small tears.

After learning about this situation, her mother would often write some warm words in the communication account to encourage her, which became her spiritual pillar during her childhood and accompanied her through the most uneasy period.

It's the booklet that Yuan Qianye got from the stray dog.

Now that she has matured so much, Hayasaka Ai no longer needs to draw courage from that contact book.

But she still treasures it in her treasure box and will continue to do so in the future.

After taking a shower, Hayasaka Ai didn't go anywhere; she just stayed in her room playing games.

She ate lunch and breakfast together, and at two o'clock in the afternoon, she got dressed and went out of the room.

They ran right into Kaguya Shinomiya, who also had no other plans for the day.

Kaguya knew her plans for the day, and seeing her happy expression, she smiled and spoke.

"Hayasaka, have fun today!"

"……Um."

Hayasaka Ai blushed and responded, then left with light steps.

Kaguya watched her departing figure.

She wore a light blue shirt and a pale gray pleated skirt with a bow at the neckline, elegant little leather shoes and short white socks, her hairstyle had texture and layers that she didn't usually have, her face was exceptionally moisturized as if she had applied a face mask beforehand, and she also had a perfume scent that she didn't usually have.

With such meticulous preparation, anyone would think she was a young girl in love about to meet her sweetheart. Who would have thought she was just going to see her mother?

Hayasaka's maternal instincts haven't diminished at all; in fact, they seem to be getting worse.

This attribute will most likely stay with her for the rest of her life...

Regardless of what Kaguya thought, Hayasaka Ai went out in high spirits.

Actually, her mother wasn't free today; she had work to do and needed to attend to a business banquet with another important figure in the Shinomiya family.

It's estimated that it won't finish until after 9 p.m.

But Hayasaka Ai couldn't wait any longer. She had also learned from her mother about the general details of the banquet, which wasn't anything particularly important.

Therefore, even if she manages to sneak in, it shouldn't be a big problem.

Anyway, she would be content as long as she could see her mother from afar, and it wouldn't disturb her work.

Then, as soon as she finishes work, the mother and daughter can happily go out for dinner together.

Everything has been planned out.

Her mother, Nao Hayasaka, was quite helpless about this. Knowing how attached her daughter was to her, she knew that persuasion would be futile, so she just let her daughter be.

The mother and daughter met at the villa where the banquet was held in Meguro Ward around 4 p.m.

The moment they met, Hayasaka Ai rushed into her mother's arms for a hug.

Afterwards, Nao Hayasaka went about her work as usual, while Ai Hayasaka listened to music with headphones on the second floor of the villa, idly leaning against the railing and looking at the situation in the hall below.

Then she saw an unexpected figure.

I watched him talk to others in a daze, and then somehow more and more people gathered around him.

He didn't even realize his own mother had walked up behind him.

Nao Hayasaka, holding a drink, followed her daughter's gaze.

Among the slightly noisy crowd below, a handsome young man stood out, exuding a rare and striking aura of heroism, truly deserving the description of "a gentleman as beautiful as jade, unparalleled in the world."

Has love reached this point...?

Nao Hayasaka thought this was a good thing.

It's not a good thing that this child is always clinging to me and being too dependent. Now that he has developed an interest in the opposite sex, perhaps this is an opportunity for him to grow.

Wait a minute, young man, haven't I seen him somewhere before?

After thinking about it carefully, she remembered.

Isn't this the prodigy who was quite famous a while ago? He showed talent in two completely different fields, kendo and piano, and the media and news outlets were all vying to report on him at that time.

Ai had also told herself about him. She had received his help when she was very young. Some time ago, he accompanied Kaguya to a piano competition and was recognized by her. Later, when Ai was looking for a new piano teacher for Kaguya, they happened to meet again.

Yes, that's right, that's what mother complex is like.

I won't say everything, but I don't hide most of my things from my mother.

Nao Hayasaka looked at her daughter, who was resting on the railing with her hands and looking down without moving. She hadn't even realized that she had come up behind her for so long.

Then he glanced down at the hall below, where Yuan Qianye was surrounded by many girls.

Her eyes flickered slightly, as if she had some thoughts about the current situation.

"Ugh—it's so cold!"

Hayasaka Ai's face suddenly felt cold without warning. She turned to look at her mother, who was holding an iced drink and smiling at her.

"mom!"

There was no sign of anger, only a hint of coquetry.

Nao Hayasaka handed the drink to her daughter, and without any hesitation, went straight to the point.

"That must be Yuan Qianye, the boy you told me about before."

Hayasaka Ai was taken aback, not expecting her mother to see through it at a glance. She didn't deny it, but gently hummed in agreement and put the straw in her mouth.

"I didn't expect to run into you here. Shouldn't I say hello?"

"..."

Hayasaka Ai didn't know how to respond to these words.

Although she did meet Yuan Qianye a few times, that was about all she knew.

They didn't even have each other's contact information, and their understanding of each other was quite limited. So, they just went up to each other and said, "What a coincidence!" What should they talk about after that?

Not to mention, he has a female companion with him at the moment. What would it look like if I suddenly went up to him and started talking to him? It would easily be seen as a provocation, wouldn't it?

Hayasaka Ai shook her head: "No, Mom. We're not that close. Going up to say hello would only make us both feel awkward."

"What's so embarrassing? Isn't it normal for kids to make friends?"

"..."

It's not that simple.

Hayasaka Ai shook her head again.

Nao Hayasaka is currently working and can only squeeze in a moment to see her daughter; she can't stay here for long.

So when she saw that her daughter no longer wanted to talk about these things, she didn't continue, gave her a few words of advice, and left.

After her mother left, Hayasaka Ai's gaze returned to Minamoto Chiya in the hall.

At that moment, the black-haired girl beside him was affectionately holding his arm, leading him away from the group of beautiful women around them.

They seem to have a pretty good relationship...

She stared intently, biting her straw, her pretty face showing no obvious unusual emotions.

I thought that today's unexpected discovery would be uneventful and would simply pass by quietly.

But Hayasaka Ai did not expect that, coincidentally, Minamoto Chiya would reappear in her sight, very close to the bottom of the hall.

Her mother, who happened to be visiting her, seemed unusually interested in things outside of work.

"That girl doesn't seem to be here anymore. Maybe she went home. He's all alone now, so if he wants to make a move, now's a great opportunity."

"Mom, I think you must have misunderstood something. Also, the restroom is located below. He's obviously just going to the restroom."

"That would be even better. If you go down now, he'll come out and see you. Wouldn't that create a perfect chance encounter? Doesn't that feel wonderful?"

"Mommy~"

"..."

Nao Hayasaka sighed. The child, again, snuggled up to her and hugged her.

Although she was happy about this from a mother's perspective, she felt that if this problem of love was left unresolved for too long, it would only get worse.

Hayasaka Ai buried her face in Nao's chest, who was deep in thought: "All I need is my mother, nothing else matters."

Nao Hayasaka patted her head: "Daddy will be very sad if he hears this."

"It's okay, let him be sad then."

"..."

Nao Hayasaka sighed almost imperceptibly, finally realizing that her daughter seemed to have some kind of intention.

If she can take this opportunity to improve her daughter's motherly control, then she certainly has no reason to give up.

Sorry, Ai.

"Ok?"

Hayasaka Ai, who was buried in her mother's chest, looked up in confusion a moment later.

Immediately afterwards, Nao reached out and untied her hair tie, then threw it over the second-floor railing, the whole action flowing smoothly.