Anime Crossover: My Part-Time Job as a Giant of Light While Studying Abroad in Chiba

Duan Zilian gave a helpless explanation and walked down a few steps.

"I never expected that in such a big city like Tokyo, I would run into you on such a secluded staircase."

"Yes, what a coincidence."

Kaguya was also somewhat surprised, her fingers unconsciously rubbing her clothes.

For some reason, her heart, which had been heavy with family affairs, suddenly felt inexplicably light.

"Then why are you here alone? Where are the other two?"

Kaguya climbed a few steps and asked curiously.

"Ugh...don't even mention it." Duan Zilian sighed, utterly dejected.

"They said they had important things to do for adults and that I was just a kid who would be a burden, so they threw me a wad of cash and sent me out to wander around on my own."

"Oh? Something important?" Kaguya's eyes flickered, as she keenly sensed something.

"And what about you guys? Where are you headed?" Duan Zilian looked at Hayasaka Ai beside Kaguya.

"Ah, we're getting ready..."

Just as Kaguya opened her mouth, Hayasaka Ai, who had been silently standing in the background, suddenly spoke up and interrupted her.

She looked at Duan Zilian and pointed out the mistake in his previous statement with a finger.

"No, it's not 'you all,' it's 'you.'"

"Huh?" Kaguya turned around with some confusion, and Duanzi Rei also cast a questioning glance at her.

The next second, Hayasaka Ai ripped off her usual dignified and solemn maid mask.

She approached Duan Zilian with great enthusiasm, suddenly adopting an extremely light and cheerful tone, as if she were a completely different person.

"Duan, you've come just in time! Actually, I've been wanting to check out the nail salons in Shinjuku!"

"But because there was no one to take care of Miss Shinomiya, I kept enduring it and accompanied her on walks."

Hayasaka Ai suddenly flashed an incredibly sweet smile, looking every bit like a Shibuya gyaru, a stark contrast to her previous demeanor.

"But now that you're here, Duan, could you please look after Miss for me?"

"Please! I've always wanted to go there!!"

"?" Kaguya Shinomiya, who was standing to the side, was also a little confused when she heard what Ai Hayasaka said.

"Huh? Me?" Duan Zilian was stunned, pointing to her own nose.

"But I still need to go and pray..."

"Yes, yes! You're the one!"

Hayasaka Ai didn't give him a chance to refuse. She quickly walked up, affectionately grabbed Duanzi Lian's hand and shook it, her tone so sincere that no one could argue with her.

"Then I'll have to trouble you with this young lady. Please take good care of her. See you later!"

As they passed Kaguya, Hayasaka Ai subtly winked at her young mistress.

"Hey! Hayasaka! You..." Kaguya blushed instantly and whispered a sharp rebuke.

But Hayasaka Ai completely ignored her, wearing a knowing smile, and ran up the stairs.

As Hayasaka Ai ran, a ripple of emotion stirred within her.

Ever since Kaguya returned to the Shinomiya residence from the coffee shop in Chiba that day, Hayasaka has noticed that this usually aloof and indifferent young lady has started to secretly keep an eye on a boy's movements.

A few days ago at the villa in Chiba, Hayasaka even found a medical kit wrapped in a paper bag on Kaguya's bedside table.

"Young Miss, is this prepared for Duan?" Hayasaka asked knowingly.

"Huh?! How...how did you figure that out?!" Kaguya panicked and tried to hide.

"Because he gets injured all the time. But you should be careful, Miss. He might be fighting in underground boxing matches in addition to his part-time job at the coffee shop." Hayasaka teased her on purpose.

"He's not that kind of person!!!" Kaguya retorted loudly in a panic.

Thinking of this, Hayasaka Ai, who was running on the steps, smiled even more broadly.

"It's a once-in-a-century miracle that the young lady can show such strong interest and protection towards a boy of the same age."

"As a maid, I already failed in my duty on the stairs. It would have been a complete failure not to give her a push then."

And below the steps.

Duan Zilian watched Hayasaka Aina's retreating figure, then looked at Kaguya beside her, completely bewildered.

"Um... Shinomiya-san, weren't you guys going down from up here...? Why is she running up again now? Isn't there a mountain up there?"

"Me too..." Kaguya was also stunned, not yet knowing how to smooth things over.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps came from the steps above again.

Hayasaka Ai seemed to suddenly remember something, and ran down from upstairs with a carefree expression.

She smiled effortlessly as she passed the two of them:

"Oh dear, haha, I suddenly remembered the nail salon is at the intersection downstairs, I went the wrong way!"

The next second, under Duan Zilian's horrified gaze, the blonde girl suddenly jumped down from the high steps.

She gracefully somersaulted in mid-air, bracing herself with her hands on the ground, and landed steadily on the flat ground at the bottom of the steps.

"Duan, please take good care of the young lady. Also, have fun!"

Hayasaka Ai waved to the two stunned people above, then disappeared around the corner of the street.

"This...this..." Duan Zilian was stunned by Hayasaka Ai's skills, which were comparable to those of a gymnastics champion.

He turned to look at Kaguya, as if trying to find the answer in her eyes.

"Hayasaka has always been very skilled; she has been receiving this kind of training since she was a child."

Kaguya turned her head away somewhat awkwardly. Although she tried her best to remain elegant, she felt a strong sense of shame at the moment, as if she had been "sold out" by her own maid.

"Have you known her since you were little?" Duan Zilian withdrew her shocked gaze.

"Yes, she was a member of the Shinomiya family and had been living with me since she was very young. She was... my only friend at the time."

Kaguya's voice trailed off.

"I see... Are the requirements for housekeepers in the Shinomiya family really that high?" Duan Zilian exclaimed.

His physical abilities are comparable to Hong Kai's.

"So, what brings Duan here?"

Kaguya looked at his listless appearance and suddenly asked curiously.

"If you're going to Tokyo for tourism, you should go to bustling areas like Shibuya or Shinjuku. This place is purely residential."

"Ah, is that so?"

Duan Zilian slumped her shoulders in dejection, a faint black line appearing on her forehead.

“Yesterday, when we first arrived in Tokyo, we went to Senso-ji Temple. Kai-san insisted on dragging me and Mirai-san to draw lots.”

"As it turned out, one of them got a very lucky number, and the other got a lucky number, while I got a very unlucky number."

"From then on, my luck level dropped to the lowest point, and it felt like everything I did was orchestrated by fate."

Duan Zilian sighed deeply, like a kitten overwhelmed by the flood of life.

"So they sent me to the Suga Shrine up here to ward off bad luck. To be honest, I've completely given up on this kind of superstitious activity now."

"Hehe..." Seeing Duan Zilian's extremely dejected expression, Shinomiya Kaguya finally couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle.

Then, Kaguya smiled and held up a finger, explaining in a soft voice.

“Duan Jun, drawing an ‘unlucky’ fortune slip at Senso-ji Temple is actually a very common occurrence.”

"Senso-ji Temple preserves the ancient 'Kannon Hundred Fortune Sticks,' with a 30% chance of drawing an 'Ominous' fortune stick. So, if you draw an 'Ominous' fortune stick there, it doesn't mean you're unlucky; it just means that Mr. Kai and Mr. Hibino are incredibly lucky."

"But I'm the only one who got it! Just thinking about those two unscrupulous seniors who went off to do big things makes me furious. I don't even know what to do now."

Duan Zilian kicked the step in frustration.

Seeing the boy's sullen expression, Kaguya seemed to remember something, and a sly glint suddenly flashed in her red eyes.

She looked at the empty staircase and suddenly spoke softly:

"In that case, how about I be your guide, Mr. Duan? I grew up in Tokyo and I know every street here very well."

I never expected to run into you here. But it's good that we met here; now that we're in Tokyo, this is the Shinomiya family's territory.

[I'm going to take this opportunity to correct your current mindset of still treating me like a child.]

Kaguya Shinomiya mentally cheered herself up, attributing her emotions to resentment at being treated like a child.

In fact, even she herself didn't know where this emotion came from.

"Huh? Isn't this a bad idea?" Duan Zilian was taken aback. "Don't you need to handle things like the family company?"

"There's nothing wrong with it."

"I was just accompanying Hayasaka out today to clear her head, but now that she's run off because of something, I'm just like you, someone who's been abandoned."

Kaguya casually stroked her hair to conceal her inner elation.

Which of you two is actually taking a walk with whom...?

Duan Zilian silently complained to herself.

Then, Kaguya Shinomiya slightly raised her chin, a glimmer of light flashing in her jewel-like eyes.

"Furthermore, if you're asking for a fortune-changing shrine, I have a more recommended place. It was built specifically for the royal family, and its spiritual energy and heritage are unmatched by ordinary shrines."

"Most importantly... there, you're guaranteed not to draw an unlucky lot."

"Oh? There's such a nice place?!"

Duan Zilian's eyes lit up instantly, as if he saw a glimmer of hope to wash away the shame of being an unlucky person. He suddenly felt that sometimes it was worth believing in such feudal superstitions.

"What place is this?!"

Kaguya Shinomiya slowly walked over and entered the shadows of the stairs where Rei Dan was.

She smiled slightly, her red lips parting slightly.

Meiji Shrine.

Chapter 115 A Young Girl's Thoughts

[Yes, just like that, showcasing the charm of the Shinomiya family heir as a highly educated individual, completely changing your opinion of me.]

And then...

"Well……"

……

"Clang, clang..."

The Yamanote Line train traveled at a steady speed on the tracks, the carriage swaying slightly, and the dappled light and shadows outside the window rushed past, flashing across the faces of the two people.

In a corner near the tram door, the atmosphere was particularly eerie.

"Um... Shinomiya-san, are you sure you've really ridden a train?"

Duan Zilian gripped the overhead handrail with one hand, her feet planted firmly on the carriage floor like nails.

He used his own body to create a "safe zone" of less than half a square meter for the petite figure in front of him in the crowded throng.

Trapped inside, Kaguya's fair cheeks were flushed red, almost as if they were about to bleed.

"I...of course I sat there!"

Kaguya stubbornly raised her chin, but because the space was too small, her nose almost brushed against Danzi Lian's chin whenever she looked up.

"The Shinomiya family's education for their heirs is very comprehensive! I... I'm just a little uncomfortable because I haven't sat in a seat for so long!"

"Is that so?" Duan Zilian raised an eyebrow condescendingly.

Recalling the scene from ten minutes earlier, when this exceptionally intelligent young lady stood in front of the automatic ticket machine facing the densely packed route map and actually tried to stuff a ten-thousand-yuan bill into the coin slot, he couldn't help but laugh.

That was the most "intellectual charm" he had ever witnessed that day.