Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 109 6. "Going to Kyoto! (1)"

We had dinner at a ramen restaurant in Dotonbori.

The few of them stored the purchased cosmetics, clothes, and cat Fusandy dolls in the hotel, and then took the subway Chuo Line to Tempozan.

When I walked out of Osaka Port Station, although I couldn’t see the sea yet, I could already smell the sea.

This place is located in the Osaka Bay Port area, far away from the downtown area. If you want to visit a popular tourist attraction, Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan is one of them, but it is closing time now, so there are not many tourists on the street.

"so big……"

Haiyue looked at the Ferris wheel and muttered to herself.

"Sister Mami, let me confirm in advance, you are not afraid of heights, right?" Qian Ai asked her with a worried look on her face.

Fear of heights is the biggest obstacle to riding a Ferris wheel.

The latter frowned and said, "Do I look so timid?"

"After all, we've never ridden a Ferris wheel together." Qian Ai shrugged, "Neither last time in Amagi nor at Kobe Port."

"Don't worry, even though I can't handle the roller coaster, the Ferris wheel is still easy."

"Oh." Qian Ai nodded doubtfully, then turned to the side and asked, "Where's Haiyue?"

"If we're together... then there's no problem..."

"Uh-huh."

Qian Ai narrowed her eyes in satisfaction and nodded rapidly.

"In that case, let's go line up the transparent cockpit!"

She gave a vigorous shout.

"Transparent!?"

There are two types of sightseeing cabins in the Tempozan Ferris Wheel. One is the ordinary cabin like other Ferris wheels, which is the majority, and the other is an exciting cabin with even the footrest designed to be transparent.

There weren't many people tonight. We waited in line for a while and then, under the guidance of the staff, we successfully boarded the Ferris wheel's cabin.

The seats were spacious enough to accommodate eight people at once. As soon as they entered the cabin, Qian Ai eagerly pressed herself against the window, while Mami nervously stood beside her.

On the other side, Kurokawa Mio and Rinone sat on either side of the seats. The former patted the seat next to him with a smile on his face, and it was obvious who it was reserved for.

Haiyue took that position without hesitation.

"Haiyue, go sit over there."

"No...I want to sit in the middle..."

Although the voice was soft, the tone was firm.

"Then you switch with Miss Asami." Kurokawa Mio sighed as if she was bothered by the trouble.

"No, no, I want to sit in the middle too."

Before the Ferris wheel even started, Asami's face turned pale.

Masumi, who was the last to board the cabin, took a look at the seat and sat down obediently opposite Rin.

Six people form this seating pattern:

Kurokawa, Chiai

Haiyue, Asami

Rinne, Masumi

Kurokawa Mio's eyes were fixed on him, and she snorted in dissatisfaction.

The hatch closed and the Ferris wheel began to rotate at a very slow speed.

Since we had just started, the cabin was still very low and there was not much to see outside the window.

Although it was a completely transparent design, the glass was not as clean as Masumi had imagined. The previous person's blurry handprints were still left on the glass. Judging from the small size, it should be the hand of a woman or a child.

Before the cockpit rose, perhaps to ease the tension, Asami asked casually in a chatty tone:
"Ms. Mio, is your blonde hair dyed?"

"Ah."

Kurokawa Mio nodded gently, every strand of her beautiful golden hair shining in the lights outside the Ferris wheel.

"Hey, it doesn't seem like there are any signs of dyeing, it looks natural." Qian Ai sighed.

"Because I go to the beauty salon regularly for maintenance, otherwise it would be easy to fade."

"I see, it's really hard to maintain this look." Asami sighed, "Actually, I've thought about dyeing my hair before."

"Dyeing hair? Sister Mami? When will that be?" Qian Ai was curious.

"After graduating from high school, perhaps due to some lingering Chuunibyou, I really wanted to dye my hair white, or some other unique color."

"But after showing the beautician the pictures, she said I'd have to bleach my hair multiple times, so I gave up." Mami sighed, "I guess I wasn't so determined in the beginning."

"Really? But I think Mami-san is fine the way she is now."

"Chi-chan, or..." Asami smiled and turned to the girl, wanting to say something, her eyes accidentally glanced out the window. The pod had climbed to a position high enough to overlook, and she immediately shrank back her gaze.

"Ah, it's already very high."

Qian Ai looked out of the cabin excitedly.

"Mamazu, look, it's beautiful outside."

"Yeah, it's very beautiful." Masumi replied calmly.

"Ms. Mami, open your eyes and look too."

"Please spare me. This gradual ascent is like chronic suicide. The Ferris wheel was originally invented as a torture device."

Mami's voice couldn't stop trembling, and her chest, gripped by fear, kept shaking.

"No, it was created during the Victorian era for world exhibitions and celebrations."

"H-I see, it's that."

Mami nodded, or rather, her trembling was exactly in sync with the shaking of the pod.

"The captive presentation ceremony, putting the rebels who disobeyed the Queen's rule on the Ferris wheel and watching them shake like sieves."

"Ms. Mami..."

Qian Ai sighed, pursed her lips into a "ヘ" shape, and opened them again after a moment, her pink tongue bouncing excitedly.

"Ah, look, it's a castle."

Following the direction of her finger, you can see the tall spire.

"Hogwarts Castle." Masumi nodded. It was the Universal Studios theme park they had visited during the day.

As the Ferris wheel cabin rises to its highest point, looking down from the sky, everyone is surrounded by a starry, shimmering scenery.

No matter where you look, up, down, left, or right, you can enjoy the night view of Namba.

He glanced at Mami calmly, and even though his palms were still sticky with sweat, he was looking out the window nervously.

Then there was Rinyin sitting across from him, gently pressing the window frame with her slender white fingers, her butterfly-like eyelashes entangled in the night, staring intently at the scenery outside.

Is this creating new memories?

After passing the highest point, the Ferris wheel cabin slowly descends at a constant speed.

After returning to the ground, several people jumped off the pod one by one. Although Mami and Haiyue did not stagger like they had just ridden the roller coaster, their faces did not look very good either. They were supported by Qianai and Rinyin.

"So high, so scary, it's worthy of being the number one Ferris wheel in the country." Mami said with lingering fear: "I actually made it down there, I'm really amazing."

Masumi corrected her: "He was once the best in the country."

"I see. The tallest Ferris wheel in ancient times? What about the tallest Ferris wheel in modern times?"

Only a few years have passed, so it shouldn't be considered ancient times.

He checked on his phone and found out, "It should be the Ferris wheel at Kasai Seaside Park. It's 110 meters in diameter."

"From Tokyo?"

"Well, it's said that you can have a panoramic view of Mount Fuji, Tokyo Tower, and the Sky Tree."

"Hey, that sounds really good." Qian Ai showed a look of longing, "If I have the chance, I would like to go there once."

"How's it going, Masumi-san?"

She turned to Masumi with an expectant look.

"How about what?"

"At this point, shouldn't you say coolly, 'Let's go to Kyoto to see the fireworks display this summer,' just like you did last time at the beach?"

"Want to change the trip from Keihan to Higashi-Meihan?"

"That's not what I meant. It's not that urgent." Qian Ai shook her head.

"Someday, there will be a chance. That's probably what it means."

"Oh."

"Oh what do you mean?"

"I don't want to make promises casually, I just want to do what I can do now."

"Masumi-san..."

Qian Ai seemed to be hesitant to speak. She squinted her eyes and looked at him for a long time, with a gentle smile on her lips.

But in the end, he said nothing and turned to look at Rin:
"How's Rin? Do you like the Ferris wheel?"

"Well, the scenery is beautiful." "However, when the scenery is most beautiful, it also happens to be in the place where the sense of unease is the strongest, and it keeps going around in circles on the same track."

She suddenly said this, leaving Qian Ai confused.

"Uh, I don't quite understand. Do you like it?"

"Ah."

Linyin nodded slightly.

"Is that so? How does it compare to a roller coaster?"

She thought for a moment and replied, "...I still prefer the roller coaster."

"…At least we're moving forward."

The last sentence was so soft that it seemed to be drowned out by the sound of the Ferris wheel turning behind him.

After riding the Ferris wheel, the group returned to the hotel.

The six of them booked three rooms in total, and of course, Masumi had one to himself.

After taking a shower in the bathroom, he fell headfirst into the bed, the fatigue accumulated throughout the day surged over his body, and he fell into a deep sleep.

◇

The next morning, the six of them took the JR line to Kyoto.

August 8th (Sunday) is the second day of the four-day holiday for Obon.

After getting off the train, Mami looked at the bustling crowd in the station with a dumbfounded expression on her face. She said in amazement:
“Is this still China?”

Looking around, there were unexpectedly many white tourists with high noses and deep pupils, carrying backpacks that are rarely seen on the island.

"Well, it's a holiday after all." Masumi was not surprised.

"But there are so many people here." Qian Ai frowned: "Everyone, be careful not to get separated."

"How could that be? She's not a child anymore." Mami didn't care at all: "Except for Haiyue... uh, where is Haiyue?"

Confirm, it is really gone.

The five people quickly began to look for someone in Kyoto Station.

For a moment, Masumi had already constructed the complete plot in her mind: "Hekawa is actually the only daughter of a century-old bakery in Kyoto, a rich lady. When she returned to Kyoto, she was afraid of being seen by acquaintances or the shop assistants and taken home, so she hid in the crowd and ran away as soon as she got off the station."

After just a few steps, the familiar figure with long flaxen hair reappeared before his eyes.

On the 7th floor where they were, in the East Plaza of JR Kyoto Station, there was a grand piano in the corner.

The jellyfish girl was looking at the piano with eager curiosity, her fingertips lightly touching the black and white keys.

A false alarm.

"Really, stop running around, Haiyue." Qian Ai softened her tone so that her words didn't sound like blame or complaint.

"I'm sorry..." The girl murmured softly, "I just saw this... I was curious..."

"Can you play the piano?" Masumi asked her.

"No...that's why I'm curious..."

So that's a very good reason.

"Let me try." Mami stood up hurriedly with interest.

"Ms. Mami?"

Not only Chiai, but Masumi and Rinone also looked at her in surprise.

"You can actually play the piano?"

"Just a little bit, just a little bit."

It was really just a little bit. Miss Mami sat down at the piano and played Twinkle Twinkle Little Star slowly with her two index fingers.

"how?"

She was very proud and signaled applause with her eyes.

At least she could distinguish the sounds of the black and white keys on the piano, Masumi thought.

"Sister Mami, you're really honest." Qian Ai laughed. "Sister Mio is right here, and you're just showing off your skills in front of an expert. Aren't you afraid she'll get angry with your joking attitude?"

Kurokawa Mio shook her head gently: "It doesn't matter, my standards are not for outsiders."

"Kurokawa, Qianai didn't say that seriously, she was just joking."

"Yeah."

"Ah."

Qian Ai nodded, looking at Kurokawa Mio's serious expression, she put her finger to her lips and pondered: "Mio-sister's words, it seems like she has suddenly become a different person."

"When it comes to music, she's just like that."

Masumi looked at her and spoke in a perfectly normal tone. Chiai puffed up her cheeks cutely beside her, "What's with this familiar old married couple tone?"

This is obviously something only childhood sweethearts have.

Kurokawa Mio quietly walked to the piano, and Mami made room for her. She softly said "thank you," but didn't sit down directly. Instead, she pulled Haiyue next to her over and asked, "Do you want to play the piano?"

Haiyue nodded slightly.

"Really? Then I'll teach you."

"Eh, on-site teaching?" Qian Ai was surprised: "The sign says 10 minutes per person."

"It's okay, 30 seconds is enough."

"30 seconds?"

Kurokawa Mio held Haiyue's left hand and gently placed it on the piano: "Play these four white keys in order with your fingers: A, G, F, E."

"Oh."

Haiyue obediently stretched out her white and slender fingers. Because she had never trimmed her nails, she pressed the keys directly with her fingertips and pressed them clumsily one by one.

At the same time, Kurokawa Mio's fingers fell on the three white keys in the high pitch range.

It’s like suddenly hearing a heart-stirring piano performance on an ordinary summer holiday.

Masumi stood there, as if paralyzed.

On the neatly arranged black and white piano keys, Kurokawa's cherry-colored fingertips came into his sight. The brisk and powerful piano music seemed to absorb all the noise in the station, and the surroundings suddenly became empty.

A grand piano is like a resonant monster with a massive body and over 200 densely packed strings. Every movement is bound to produce noise. Not to mention being a street piano in a station, where out-of-tune sounds are commonplace.

However, Kurokawa tamed this monster with just three slender fingers, allowing the piano to produce only the sounds he wanted.

The sound of fingers hitting the keys, the sound of keys hitting the piano, the friction sound when the keys return to their original position, the overtones of the strings resonating... If they are not needed, she will exclude them all.

It was an extremely clean piano sound without any emotion, like distilled water with a purity close to 100%.

Masumi couldn't help but recall the chill that ran down his spine when he first heard this piano music.

The playing is over.

He let out a quiet breath.

The quietness around was not an illusion. Passing tourists were attracted by the piano sound released into the air, stopped where they were, and then formed a large crowd.

After a few seconds, applause came like a tide.

"That's amazing! Who is that girl? Is she a professional pianist?"

"But would a musician dye his hair blonde?"

"She's also super beautiful. She's so strong."

There are also praises in foreign languages ​​such as English and French.

For tourists enjoying their holidays, such beautiful piano music is a sight in itself.

Haiyue slowly turned around and looked at the crowd behind her, tilting her head with curiosity, and then her eyes moved between her fingers and the piano keys.

"That's amazing, Ms. Mio!" Asami stepped forward and clapped her hands in praise. "Your fingers are pressing so fast, I can hardly keep up with them."

“Even though I can’t hear anything, I just think it sounds good.”

Qianai said this, and Rinyin nodded in agreement.

"It's just a mediocre improvisation."

Kurokawa Mio's tone sounded as if she was describing something very ordinary.

"Anyone who has studied piano seriously would probably scoff at it, especially my former teacher."

She had intended to say this in a normal tone, but it sounded very emotional. She immediately turned to Haiyue and asked, "How is it? Did you learn it?"

"Yeah." The girl nodded slightly.

This kind of teaching is too dependent on the co-player. Masumi shook his head and sighed.

Noticing his gaze, Kurokawa Mio's lips curled into a smile again. She looked at Masumi with gentle eyes, her sandals heels tapping on the floor, making crisp sounds. She walked up to him and said, "Let's go."

"I'm really looking forward to the trip to Kyoto."

Masumi nodded silently.

What's going on with this feeling as if my chest is being tightly squeezed?

(End of this chapter)