Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 132, Section 8: "Beigao Cultural Festival"

The next day, Mami was woken up by the ringing alarm clock and remembered that she was going to visit the cultural festival that day. It was rare that she didn't have to stay in bed.

The warm sunlight streamed in as the curtains were drawn back, causing her to squint instinctively.

On the day of the holiday, the clear autumn morning was so sunny it was almost unsettling.

It's been several days into September, but late summer shows no sign of ending.

She took a deep breath; the cool morning air was just right for her warm body.

On the table lay the artwork that hadn't been completed at all last night. The doujinshi had already been finished and sent to print, but the original comic intended for submission was progressing slowly.

The completed cover is so vibrant that it's impossible to ignore. Looking at the crying sailor-uniformed girl on the paper, for some reason, I feel a little breathless, even though that's exactly how I wanted to draw it.

Mami felt a little irritated for no reason. She stretched and took off her vest, covering the drawing.

Just as she was about to leave the room, the image of Masumi's helpless expression suddenly flashed into her mind. If he saw her dressed like this, Masumi-kun would definitely nag her endlessly.

Mami then put on a short-sleeved T-shirt, yawned, and walked to the restroom.

I look really tired in the mirror, but I can hide it well with concealer...

"Didn't you sleep last night? Your dark circles are really bad."

The sudden sound from behind startled her.

"Masumi-kun!? Why are you suddenly scaring me?"

Mami turned to the boy who had spoken with a reproachful look.

He wore a cream-colored shirt, had long legs, and liked to look people in the eye when he spoke.

She sometimes hates this, like right now, because she's afraid her thoughts will show in her eyes.

"I greeted you as soon as you stepped out of the room, but you didn't notice."

“You can’t blame me for that,” Mami said confidently. “It’s because I wasn’t fully conscious yet.”

"Yes, yes, you're right."

The perfunctory tone made Ms. Mami's cheeks puff up like a pufferfish.

"But... since you're going out today, you should go to bed early." Masumi sighed, "You haven't been staying up late a lot lately, have you?"

"No, it only happened last night."

"To meet the deadline for the artwork?"

"Yes, there are some other things."

Masumi didn't delve into it. "Then after you've washed up, hurry downstairs for breakfast."

"understood."

Mami gave a lazy reply, and after watching Masumi's back disappear, she quietly let out a breath.

The Taipei High School Cultural Festival is traditionally held over two days. The first day is limited to students from the school, and the second day is open to the general public.

Today's schedule is packed. In addition to the morning's class haunted house schedule, I also have to hold a live performance in the gymnasium with other band members in the afternoon, so I rushed to school early in the morning.

After breakfast, the group took the tram and arrived at Municipal Kita High School in just one stop.

It wouldn't take long to walk such a short distance, no wonder Kamishiro worked at the Starry Sky back then.

"Masumi-nii, you look really handsome today."

Gathering in front of the school gate decorated with balloons, Qian'ai walked briskly through the crowd towards us, and the first thing she said upon meeting was this.

"Because Kurokawa insisted that I dress more formally."

"Mio-neechan?"

Qian Ai glanced at the girl with long honey-gold hair next to her, and after seeing the cream-colored dress she was wearing, she pouted as if she was being difficult and said, "Tch, just because the colors and styles are similar doesn't mean they're couple outfits."

As a fashion design student, she should have more influence in this field than the average person, so Kurokawa Mio remained noncommittal, simply flicking a strand of blonde hair that fell beside her ear, her lips curving into a smooth arc.

"But this outfit really suits Masumi-nii."

After looking her up and down, she nodded in satisfaction: "The style of the shirt looks like a high school uniform. Even if Masumi-nii wanted to call himself a high school student, it wouldn't be a problem."

"Thank you, but I'm already 22."

"Girls feel happy when they're told they look younger than their actual age, don't guys feel the same way?"

"Men probably prefer to be told they are mature."

"Really?" Qian Ai asked suspiciously. "Then how do you explain the saying, 'A man is a boy until he dies'?"

"..."

Upon hearing Qingmei's words, Masumi found it difficult to respond.

"Oh, what's there to agonize over? Humans are just creatures that want it all," Mami said vaguely. "Alright, alright, let's not stand here, let's talk as we walk."

She said this as she walked at the front of the group.

Her black hair, which fell to her chest, was tied into two braids, which turned slightly brownish in the sunlight. She wore metal-framed glasses, and her long eyelashes would tap lightly against the lenses when she blinked.

"Hey, why is Mami dressed like that?"

"Hmph, doesn't it look elegant and intellectual?" Mami adjusted her glasses smugly.

"Since I'm going to a top-tier high school like Taipei High School, I want to make myself look smarter."

"What's so surprising?" Qian Ai complained.

According to regulations, visitors from outside the school must sign in and register, but today is not a rest day, so there are not many people from the community visiting, saving the trouble of queuing.

At the school gate, a female high school student wearing an armband that read "Cultural Festival Executive Committee Member" was distributing promotional brochures. Masumi stepped forward and took one.

The girl, who had been mechanically repeating "Please take care of me," paused when she saw him. After handing him the brochure, she swallowed hard and said in a slightly hoarse voice:
"Um, Class 2-C runs a teahouse. Please come and have a look if you don't mind."

"Okay, thank you for your recommendation."

Masumi returned the smile politely, a blush rising on the high school girl's cheeks as she bowed her head respectfully.

"Oh, Masumi-kun is such a sinful man, his charm has captivated innocent high school girls," Mami teased him with a laugh.

"I clearly didn't do anything right."

"That's the kind of aloof attitude I should have," she said, shaking her finger.

"Students who haven't entered the workforce yet are very naive. Just being handsome and mature beyond their peers who only tell dirty jokes as working adults is enough to make them interested."

It was precisely because of this sense of distance that such beautiful daydreams arose, Masumi thought.

Returning to campus after five years, even though it wasn't my alma mater, still brought a mix of nostalgia and unease, the latter being a physical one.

Feeling weight and warmth wrap around her left arm, Masumi slowly spoke:
"...Kurokawa, could you loosen your grip a little? My arm is numb."

“No, Masumi is in a dangerous situation right now,” she firmly rejected.

It was very dangerous. Kurokawa's grip was so strong that Masumi felt a numbness in her arm, as if it was about to break.

Walking through the crowd, Kurokawa would occasionally hear female students letting out sighs and screams, and whenever this happened, he would sweep his sharp gaze over them.

Her icy demeanor was imposing, and faced with her sharp gaze, the high school girls all surrendered, raising the white flag and averting their eyes as if fleeing.

"Mio, we're not even at the haunted house yet, you don't need to rush to dress up as 'Hannya'." Rinne said sarcastically, her face as cold as ever.

(Note: Prajna is an evil spirit formed from intense jealousy and resentment, symbolizing a jealous and vicious female demon.)
“Using ‘Hannya’ as an excuse is incredibly rude,” Kurokawa Mio frowned. “I was clearly protecting Masumi, and you’re acting all calm.”

Rinne nodded, implying, "I'm not so insecure as to lose my confidence in front of high school girls."

“That’s right, that’s right,” Chiai agreed. “Besides, you’re putting Masumi-nii in a difficult position!”

"..."

"whispering sound."

Kurokawa Mio put on a listless expression, her eyes darting around, and reluctantly let go of his arm.

Finally, Masumi could feel the blood circulating in her fingertips again, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Stepping into the teaching building, the narrow space was packed with visitors.
Students in charge of promotion carried huge billboards or wore mascot costumes, repeatedly shouting the names of their respective classes and projects. The noise and bustle were like a festival.

"There were so many people, it was comparable to the crowds at Ikuta Shrine during the New Year."

"Is the haunted house in Little Future on this floor?"

They quickly made their way through the crowded corridor to the second-year students' dormitory. The haunted house was a joint project of the two classes, and the windows were completely covered with cardboard. Chiai turned pale as she listened to the screams coming from inside.

"Well, how about I just forget about it and you guys go?"

She was so frightened that her tongue trembled, and she couldn't utter a complete sentence.

"It's okay." Mami put her hands on her shoulders and comforted her, "It's just a haunted house made by high school students, how scary can it be?"

"Besides, don't you want to go to a haunted house with Masumi-kun by yourself?" she said meaningfully, her long eyelashes tapping against her glasses.

"And Masumi-nii...the two of them..."

Chiai murmured to herself, a slight blush creeping across her face as she pulled away from Mami's hand, "I understand, I'll give it a try..."

"Wait a minute!"

Kurokawa Mio blatantly revealed her wariness, "I should be the one going to the haunted house with Masumi. You four can just split into groups."

"No way! At least we should play rock-paper-scissors to decide who wins!" Chiai retorted bravely. "Mio-neechan, trying to sneak away like that is too much."

"I also want to... go shopping with Masumi..."

"Cough cough!"

Mami coughed lightly, interrupting the tense atmosphere that was about to turn dangerous. "Don't argue, I have a perfect solution."

"What the heck is 'perfect in every way'?" Masumi blurted out instinctively.

Mami ignored him and continued, "Anyway, it's not a limited-purchase event, so Masumi-kun can just accompany everyone to shop once—that's all."

"I'm not a tour guide for haunted houses."

"Oh? Does Masumi-kun have a good way to stop them from arguing?"

Miss Mami adjusted her glasses smugly, her beautiful coffee-colored eyes sparkling behind the lenses.

Masumi thought for a moment, then resignedly lowered her head.

"Hmph, let's draw lots to decide the order now!"

◇

"Are there two of you?" the female student in charge of handling inquiries at the entrance asked.

"Yes, here are the tickets."

Masumi and Chiai took out the tickets that Mirai had given them yesterday.

"Okay, here are the flashlights, one for each group." The female student handed over the flashlights, her gaze lingering on the two students' faces, a mischievous smile spreading across her lips.

"Then I hope you two have a great time! Our haunted house is a huge hit with couples!"

"Thank you, but we haven't paid..."

He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence, the pressure from his arm causing Masumi to turn her head and look at Chiai.

"Masaki-nii, let's go in first, there are still people queuing up behind us."

The childhood sweetheart seemed to cling to his arm out of fear, her head slightly lowered, but her emerald eyes slowly rose to look at Masumi.

"okay."

"This way, please, both of you."

The female student pulled back the curtain at the entrance to block out the light for them.
The two slowly stepped into the classroom. As the blackout curtain at the door closed again, darkness enveloped their vision, and the numbness and pressure in their right arms suddenly increased.

"Qian'ai, you're holding me too tightly."

"Ah, I'm sorry." Despite saying that, Chiai showed no intention of letting go.

After all, his childhood friend had always been terrified of ghosts, so Masumi forgave her.

He pressed the switch on what appeared to be a flashlight he'd bought from a 100-yen store, and a faint, cheap white light illuminated his vision.

"ah!"

The object that suddenly appeared in the white light made Qian'ai scream in terror, her face drained of color.

Masumi looked over and saw a human head made of newspaper on the ground, which was even realistically colored. For a haunted house for high school students, it was quite impressive to have done this much.

"Calm down, Qian'ai, that's just a prop made of newspaper."

"Oh, yes, I see." Qian Ai said tremblingly, "It's amazing, it's so realistic, it's so scary."

"Okay, let's keep moving forward."

The interior space is divided by cardboard walls, turning into a maze-like network of narrow passages. Combined with the dim lighting, even though there are only two classrooms, it doesn't feel cramped at all when you walk through them.

The flashlight beam cleared the way ahead, and the surrounding walls were covered with "bloody handprints" of varying sizes. Sometimes, you would kick up strangely shaped dolls at your feet.

Whenever she saw these things, Qian'ai would wrap her arms around his even tighter, causing the flashlight she was holding to sway unsteadily.

"Isn't Masumi-nii scared?"

"It's alright, so far they've just been small props and mechanisms."

"Speaking of which, Chiai has always been afraid of these kinds of things. I remember there's this 'Day of the Dead' in South America, right?"

"That's a Mexican festival, and the Day of the Dead has a warm atmosphere, which is completely different from the gloomy haunted house."

“I see.” Masumi nodded. “But it’s alright, I’m here.”

His calm and collected voice made Qian Ai feel a little more at ease.

The girl took a deep breath, her lungs expanding and then contracting, repeating the deep breaths several times, which sounded exceptionally clear in the darkness.

"Yeah, with Masumi-nii here, I'm not so scared—"

The smile of the childhood sweetheart suddenly cracked.

The flashlight suddenly went out.

"Waaaaaahhhhh~"

The scream nearly pierced Masumi's eardrums.

"Shin, Shin-chan! Where's the flashlight? Why did it suddenly go out?! Are you still there?" Chiai's panicked voice rang out from the darkness.

"Don't worry, I'm still here," he quickly reassured her. "It's just that the flashlight went out."

"Well, that's good."

Masumi pressed the flashlight switch, but there was no response. Was it broken? Or was it a malfunction?
If it's a mechanism, what's the working principle...? EMP? That's incredibly advanced for a high school student.

Like an audience member enjoying a magic show, Masumi pondered the principles behind the haunted house's mechanisms. In silence, Chiai's arms tightened around her, and the two slowly made their way through the haunted house.

In the silence, a woman's whisper suddenly broke the silence, her breath mingled with sobs.

"Eek—Masumi-nii, did you hear anything?"

"I heard it, it must be the speaker."

"Eh, is that so? But it sounds like someone is really crying." Chiai closed her eyes in fear.

"Yes, because it's a recording of real people—"

As Masumi answered calmly, tiny specks of will-o'-the-wisp suddenly rose around them.

Qian'ai, who had been cowering in his arms, felt the light and cautiously opened her eyes, looking tremblingly in the direction illuminated by the will-o'-the-wisp.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"

Chiai let out a sharp, mournful cry, then released Masumi's arm and sprinted away at top speed, her figure quickly disappearing at the end of the passage.

"..."

"Um, did I scare Sister Qian'ai?"

The instigator spoke in a weak voice.

She wore a pure white kimono, stained with red paint to resemble bloodstains, which covered her slender figure from head to toe, and she wore a triangular piece of paper on her forehead.

"old?"

"Hmm." Miss Ghost nodded, then paused for a moment as if in thought, before bowing slightly to Masumi and saying softly, "Um, nice to meet you...?"

This was the first time in Masumi's life that a ghost had performed such a grand ceremony for her.

(End of this chapter)