Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 126, Section 2: "His figure resembled that of a blue herb cutter."

As September arrives, the seasons don't change as clearly as the dates. The last vestiges of summer heat still linger over Kobe. Strictly speaking, we are currently in the "late summer" season, a time when autumn is not yet over.

That's why the staff at "Starry Night" still wear their summer clothes, except for Kuen Mirai—after the summer vacation, this second-year student from Taipei High School returned to school wearing her autumn uniform.

The uniform skirts at Kobe High School are very long, extending past the knees, revealing a glimpse of fair skin between the skirt and socks, giving off the vibe of a model student and a young lady from a wealthy family.

Besides the large number of private girls' high schools in Kobe, it seems there's also a reason for their "unwillingness to follow the crowd." No matter how short the school uniform skirts are in other regions, they won't blindly follow trends.

"...Do you not want to follow the crowd?"

It's said that living alone makes it easy to talk to yourself, but my life is quite lively every day, so what could be the reason?
Completely baffled, Masumi gently knocked on the door of the room in front of her—

"Seno, it's time to get up. Today isn't a day off."

A few seconds later, a lazy voice drifted in from behind the door.

"Oh, it's Masumi-kun. You can come right in."

He sounds a bit listless; he probably stayed up late again last night.

However, despite what she said, Masumi didn't dare to push the door open carelessly, and the pile of clutter behind the door wouldn't allow him to do so.

He carefully pushed the door hinges to peek inside. After seeing the figure, he breathed a sigh of relief and opened the door directly.

Although she was still sitting cross-legged on the carpet in an unruly manner, fortunately, there was no problem with her clothing, which was the part that required the most attention.

She was simply wearing a white sleeveless tank top made of thin, short material that covered everything except her shoulders, waist, navel, and chest, as well as black casual hot pants that were so short they exposed her buttocks. That was all she was dressed in, completely unguarded.

The reason why Masumi's bottom line has become so low is entirely due to Kurokawa Mio.

It's not a long story, but in ACG works that contain romance elements, there is often a plot called "Lucky Pervert Incident".

Recently, Masumi discovered that the chances of this kind of plot unfolding between him and Kurokawa are extremely high, to the point that it's almost become a "daily" occurrence.

For example, she would wait in the bathroom in advance, and as soon as she heard his footsteps, she would run out, lift her bathrobe to dry her hair, deliberately creating a "bathing incident," and her acting skills were quite poor.

Thanks to her, Masumi's tolerance level has continuously increased, making Asami's level of exposure seem conservative in comparison.

"You didn't stay up all night again, did you?"

Seeing her listlessly pressing her face against the table, looking exhausted, Masumi blurted out a question.

"Eh, Masumi-kun actually guessed it! Are you Sherlock Holmes?"

"Just by looking at them, you can tell; there's no need to guess."

"Yeah, I stayed up all night drawing yesterday and fell asleep on my desk without realizing it. I'm so sleepy now—ahh~"

Sighing lazily, Asami stretched her arms and yawned, revealing her ribs, which were prominent due to her puffed-out chest, and her soft, slightly sagging, plump belly to Masumi's eyes.

He feigned calmness and looked away. "Is it a fan fiction?"

"Yeah, but there are some others... anyway, there are so many piled up together, it's a nightmare." Ms. Mami ruffled her hair and said in a frustrated voice.

"Who told you to keep delaying?"

Masumi wore a helpless expression, her eyes suddenly narrowing. Ever since then, whenever she moved, the buttons on her vest would sway slightly...

"Wait, are you wearing anything underneath?"

"..."

"Haha." Mami chuckled. "I've been under a lot of pressure lately, so I want to relax a bit."

"This is too much of a relaxation!"

"Don't make a fuss. No one else can see it anyway, and all the people living on the stars are girls, so it's fine, right?" she said nonchalantly.

“I’m still here,” Masumi sighed.

"Oh, is that so?"

Asami's faint smile turned into a mischievous grin as she answered her own question, "Is that so? The only boy who can see me like this is Masumi-kun."

"Wow, you've really struck gold, no, you've hit the jackpot!"

"Sorry, I only feel like I've gotten a good deal when I buy discounted premium Wagyu beef at the supermarket."

"Masumi-kun..."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Are you implying that I'm fat?"

"No."

Seno has been particularly sensitive about his weight lately, but he shows absolutely no intention of losing weight. It seems that as long as no one mentions it, he can keep burying his head in the sand.

"This kind of wishful thinking weight loss method is really convenient," Masumi thought to herself.

Unaware of Masumi's true intentions, Mami had been talking to herself since earlier.

"Thinking about it carefully, living under the same roof with five beautiful women, having a different experience every day from Monday to Friday, and being able to go out to see Chia on weekends, oh my, Masumi-kun's life is too extravagant and decadent."

"Kuen is still a high school student, please don't involve her in this."

"Hey, so that means you're not denying anything about us?"

Asami approached with a grin, and Masumi casually picked up a piece of clothing from the ground and threw it to her, saying, "Here, put this on."

"But these are pants."

"Do you think we don't need it down there?"

"Ugh, Masumi-kun is so boring, but after chatting with you for a bit, I feel much more awake."

Mami sat down on the edge of the bed with the clothes in her hand, her gaze falling on Masumi's figure with her back to the bed.

"Is that so?" Masumi replied casually.

"What's with that perfunctory tone, Masumi-kun?" Asami pouted in dissatisfaction.

"And why are you turning your back to me?"

"I'll turn around after you've changed your clothes."

"It's very impolite not to look people in the eye when you speak."

"It is even more impolite to look at someone's chest while speaking."

"..."

Masumi's attitude seemed to displease her, and she felt a subtle, stabbing sensation behind her back.

"Don't poke my back. Wait, where are you using?"

Judging from the feel of the limbs, the shape undoubtedly comes from the toes.

"This is punishment for your willful and reckless attitude. You really are arrogant, Masumi-kun."

“You’re the one who’s acting recklessly, aren’t you?” Masumi retorted, which made Mami kick him in annoyance.

"What can I do? After all, my hands are putting on clothes."

Asami intensified her playful kicks to Masumi's back, occasionally teasing the back of his neck with her toes, her tone full of amusement, clearly enjoying herself immensely.

She deliberately held back her strength; it was less of a punishment and more of a flirtation...

The room was a bit hot, and Masumi, unable to bear it any longer, leaned forward, preparing to get up, and said, "I'm leaving, you can get dressed by yourself..."

"Hey, wait a minute, Masumi-kun."

"what happened again?"

"Please pass me the clothes on the table."

On the table? Clothes?
Masumi's gaze swept across the messy table. Ah, she found it—it was her underwear.

“I just put it on the table after I took it off last night,” Mami explained.

"You don't need to explain these things to me."

"Give it to me quickly, otherwise my current outfit is too dangerous."

Danger?

"Wait, what's on your body right now..."

“After all, there’s a certain order to dressing,” she said matter-of-factly.

"Okay, hurry up and give it to me."

Asami stretched out her legs and placed her right foot on his shoulder, only 5 centimeters away from Masumi's cheek, her fair arch forming a beautiful arc in front of him.

"You're so lazy."

"Cut the nonsense and hurry up."

She twitched her delicate, slender toes, the tips of which shimmered with a bright orange.

"understood."

Masumi hung the strap on her toes, inwardly thinking how strange this way of handing over clothes was, and then felt the pressure on her shoulders ease.

"Then I'll go first—"

His words abruptly stopped as his gaze was drawn to the unfinished drawing on the table.

"This is..." The black and white manuscript depicts a beautiful girl in a sailor uniform, sketched with pencil lines, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, crying like a pear blossom in the rain.

Although it's just line art, the solid drawing skills have already given the character a touch of vibrancy, allowing the reader to feel the girl's sadness.

There was another line of text next to it, which was probably the title of the work. Masumi subconsciously read it aloud:
"Late summer, swaying, its silhouette like that of indigo cutter—"

"—Don't look!"

A panicked voice came from behind.

Before Masumi could react, she suddenly felt weight on her shoulder, and her cheek was buried between her plump thighs. "Ugh... cough cough cough cough!" Her throat was then tightly gripped by her calves.

Asami locked Masumi's neck with her legs, turned his body down, and leaned his back against the edge of the bed.

"Don't look! How can you peek at other people's things! Masumi-kun!"

His head bumped into her soft belly.

Masumi's eyes, which were being squeezed and rolled upwards, could only see half of the sky. As for the other half... well, thankfully, it was purple.

However, at this moment, he had no time or energy to pay attention to these details, as he was already at a critical juncture of life and death.

"Let go! I can't breathe! Cough cough cough!"

Masumi's cheeks flushed red from lack of oxygen. She gripped Asami's slender ankle tightly with her left hand and patted it with her other hand.

◇

"I'm so sorry, Masumi-kun, I really didn't mean to!"

A moment later, Masumi took deep breaths of fresh air, desperately savoring the joy of being alive.

Before her, Mami knelt on the carpet in a dogeza position, her forehead pressed against the back of her hand, solemnly apologizing for the farce that had just occurred.

“There’s no need for a dogeza.” As her breathing gradually calmed down, Masumi gently shook her head and said.

“No.” She was adamant. “Nothing less would be enough to express my remorse. If conditions allowed, I would kneel on a red-hot iron plate and dogeza (a traditional Japanese kneeling ceremony).

Are you a samurai from Omi Province? Fujiwara no Asomi Seno Hanusei, confectionery magistrate Asami.

“Uh, then let’s just dogeza (a traditional Chinese prostration).” Masumi suddenly stopped mid-sentence, “But you’re only wearing underwear, aren’t you…”

"I understand, you mean to take everything off, right?"

As she spoke, she reached behind her back and fumbled for the hooks on her bra.

"Hold on for a second!" Masumi quickly called out. "This is the real world; you can't apologize completely naked."

The face she raised again revealed a serious expression, and the next moment, Mami dropped her pretentious attitude and smiled, showing her teeth.

"I'm sorry, Masumi-kun, I overreacted just now. Are you alright?"

She scratched the back of her head and said shyly.

Please put your clothes on before chatting; your wandering around is very distracting.

"So... what exactly was that drawing? Was it really worth resorting to choking someone with your legs?"

Masumi touched her throat, still feeling lingering fear.

"Well, how should I put it, it's just..." For some reason, she started to stammer.

"Could it be... an incomplete doujinshi?" Masumi guessed.

“It’s perfectly normal! And it’s not a doujinshi!” Mami retorted instinctively, then sighed deeply, “Ugh, I feel so stupid just now.”

She picked up a stack of drawings from the table, thought for a moment, and handed them to Masumi.

"Watch it if you want."

What kind of tone is this, as if the secret has been discovered and the person has simply given up and resigned themselves to their fate?

"Then why did I almost die just now?" Masumi pressed her temples, looking troubled, and took the drawing.

"Well, is this a necessary step in the progress of the romance?" Mami said jokingly. "Compared to those stories where the male protagonist has to die several times before he can win over the female protagonist, this should be much easier, right?"

"Thank you, but my life isn't that luxurious. If I die once, it's game over."

"I'm sorry, Masumi-kun! I think it would have been better to take it off. I wanted to express my apologies as much as possible."

"Don't take it off!"

Masumi gently tapped her forehead. What kind of creature is this? A pervert?
"Is Masumi-kun trying to punish me by giving me an insulting nickname? In that case, please call me 'Virgin Pervert.'"

What kind of persistence is this?

"..."

After things finally quieted down, he lowered his head and looked through the sketches in his hand.

Apart from the first few complete line drawings, the rest are just rough storyboards and dialogue.

After a quick glance, Masumi roughly understood that this was a short manga about youthful romance.

The story mainly takes place from the end of August to the beginning of September, in late summer, which echoes the title of the comic, "Late Summer, Swaying, the Figure Like a Cut Indigo Plant."

In the island nation's seasonal language, the indigo plant corresponds to summer. When the indigo plant grows abundantly, it symbolizes the height of summer, while when the indigo plant withers, summer is coming to an end, hence the saying "cutting the indigo plant".

Naturally, the comic ends in tragedy, much like the wistful feeling of summer coming to an end.

"Is this your new comic?" Masumi looked up and asked.

"Ah."

Mami responded softly, turning her face slightly away. "So... what does Masumi-kun think?"

"To be honest, I don't read this type of comic much, so I can't really comment on it."

"Wow, what a cunning answer. That's the kind of line a scumbag who doesn't want to take responsibility would say."

"Just telling the truth."

Masumi mainly reads shonen manga and isn't particularly fond of this type of manga that portrays delicate emotions.

Moreover, since he started writing light novels, his usual pastime has mainly consisted of reading.

"Actually, I understand." Mami, unusually, didn't press the matter.

"I just want to hear Masumi-kun praise me, or even better, scold me mercilessly—"

"Hey, Seno, what kind of rubbish are you drawing! Since you have such a lewd body, just draw some lewd comics! Anyway, you can draw yourself, hahaha (lewd laughter), like this."

"Are you stupid?"

"Pfft—" Mami burst out laughing. "Just kidding."

No, actually, she was already doing it. Masumi hasn't forgotten about the typhoon.

"If you're always being irresponsible, even if you do get serious occasionally, people will just take it as a joke."

Masumi sighed, pretending not to see the unease in her eyes.

"Hey, Masumi-kun is acting up his chuunibyou again."

"Okay, okay." Mami said casually, "I'm not kidding anymore. This is the comic I plan to submit to the magazine next."

"Yes, this is the 1219th time, no, the 1220th submission."

"There are so many!" Masumi exclaimed in disbelief.

"Just kidding, actually only the tens digit and beyond are true."

That is to say, the 20th time.

However, considering the preparation work for the comic, it must have taken a lot of effort.

"Masumi-kun."

"Ok?"

"I can't see any hope of getting my manuscript accepted. I might end up like Masumi-kun, slinking back to my hometown of Kusatsu."

"But I don't have a coffee shop at home, so I'll probably have to go grow potatoes."

Masumi corrected, "Shouldn't potatoes be grown in Hokkaido?"

Mami laughed from the bottom of her heart.

"You're taking this too seriously, Masumi-kun."

I was being ridiculed again.

But it doesn't matter; he's used to Seno being like this. This guy is actually the type who uses jokes to mask his true feelings.

"...Was what you just said true?" Masumi asked.

"Where? Dogeza?"

That's too far.

"Return to Shiga."

"That...it was just a joke." Mami smiled sweetly. "After all, I'm a bit of a rascal."

(End of this chapter)