Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 142, Section 17: "Miss Jellyfish, it's time for the interrogation!"

"...Sister Mami, did you deliberately leave clues to lead us here just so we'd change into cosplay outfits and help you set up your stall?"

"As expected of the store manager, you did a great job summarizing the work, Rinne!"

Asami watched with a smile as the three girls changed into camel-colored JK uniforms. The refreshing style hugged their body curves, and the red and black pleated skirts were above the knee, revealing their long legs.

Haiyue, having been found again, was wearing white stockings that revealed her skin tone, while Rinne wore navy blue stockings; the dignified colors complemented each other beautifully with her fair skin.

Kurokawa Mio's socks were hidden below her ankles, and her legs, which were exposed from under her skirt, were smooth and white, with beautiful curves that made one want to hug her tightly.

"How is it, Masumi-kun?" Mami nudged Masumi's side and smiled knowingly. "Isn't everyone dressed adorably?"

"It is cute, but..." Masumi frowned slightly, "the skirt is too short."

"Really? This length is the best, and you're wearing safety shorts underneath, so there's no risk of you exposing yourself while sitting down."

Indeed, what was revealed from their fluttering skirts as they walked out of the changing room was not tender thighs, but only black safety shorts.

“However, even with safety shorts on, it still feels like…” Masumi hesitated before continuing.

"Hmm, this must be what boys call possessiveness."

Asami draped her arm over Masumi's shoulder, smiling knowingly. "Is this what it feels like to have 'Kamishiro, Kurokawa, and Hanekawa's thighs that only I can see'?"

"It's okay. When you get back to the store, just make your request sincerely, and they will definitely grant it. They'll give you points for appreciating the difference of not wearing safety shorts."

"Are you an idiot?" Masumi shrugged speechlessly.

"Oh my, is Masumi-kun shy?"

Mami teased him, "You should just thank me. I went to great lengths to prepare these outfits so you could feast your eyes."

"That's to satisfy your selfish desires, isn't it?"

Masumi sighed, surprised to find that the other suitcase contained cosplay outfits of the female protagonists from the original manga.

The original work of Asami's new book is a school battle romance comedy. The author originally wanted to create it in a traditional mainstream direction, but several male supporting characters from the opposing camp became unusually popular, resulting in a situation where BG (boy-girl) and BL (boy-girl) fans were fighting each other.

"Ms. Asami, didn't you say that Masumi would also be wearing the male protagonist's cosplay outfit?"

Kurokawa Mio tied a knot between her brows. "If it weren't for this, I wouldn't be wearing this kind of clothing."

"What does it matter?" Asami smiled with her eyes narrowed. "This uniform suits Mio-san very well. Masumi-kun will definitely be smitten."

"Oh, is that so?"

When the topic turned to Masumi, Kurokawa Mio's aggressive demeanor immediately subsided, and she nervously fiddled with the ends of her hair.

"What does Masumi think of my outfit?"

Kurokawa Mio raised her head and stared straight at Masumi. The emotion revealed in her dark eyes, as black as a lake at night, was quite tender, like a pancake drizzled with maple syrup, soft and melting the moment it entered her mouth.

"Well, it suits you very well."

"Yeah."

Although Kurokawa Mio tried her best to remain calm, her joy was still evident on her lips.

"If that's the case, then wearing this outfit isn't so bad."

Through her brown loafers, she gently tapped the floor of the venue with the heels.

"Let me make this clear, Asami-nee, I'm not going to pose like those cosplayers and get photographed all over the place," Rinne said coldly.

Upon hearing this, Kurokawa Mio snapped out of her daze: "I also refuse. I can't accept my photo being in the hands of any boy other than Masumi."

"Uh, what about all your group photos from elementary to high school?" Masumi couldn't help but tease.

"I always ask for leave when we take graduation photos, and I've never been a social butterfly, so those people don't keep my photos," Kurokawa Mio answered flawlessly.

Haiyue slowly began, "Me too..."

Yukawa attended a correspondence high school, so she shouldn't have that kind of trouble.

"Don't worry, everyone," Mami assured, patting her chest. "The cosplayers taking photos are all in the photography area. You just need to sit in front of your booths and sell your books. If anyone asks for a photo, feel free to refuse."

"I will not force people to do things they don't want to do."

Seemingly trying to emphasize the persuasiveness of her words, she tried to pound her chest loudly, but she couldn't penetrate the thick front armor at all; all she could hear was a muffled sound.

"Wearing a cosplay outfit is itself a statement."

Rinne sighed softly, lowering her eyelashes as if embarrassed, her fingertips tightly gripping the hem of her skirt. "Besides, I'm already an adult, but I'm still wearing a high school uniform. It feels so shameful."

"No, no, that's exactly what makes her cute! Rinne's shyness perfectly matches the character's personality, she's so adorable, ah~ it's a feast for the eyes."

"Sister Mami, please don't use that old man's tone to say such disgusting things."

"Hey, that's too much. It's only natural to praise a beautiful girl."

"And Little Sea Moon too, she's so cute." Asami, like a central air conditioner, fairly distributed cool air, nodding with a smile: "White stockings suit you so well, it's really great."

"Well……"

The jellyfish girl seemed to be in a difficult position.

"What's wrong?" Mami asked, somewhat surprised.

"My chest...the buttons on my shirt...are so tight..." Haiyue hesitated, then turned to Masumi with a pleading look in her eyes.

Kurokawa Mio cautiously stepped forward.

The jellyfish girl's clothes made her look very slim, and her current outfit accentuated her figure even more than the sweatshirt she had worn earlier. Mami gave Haiyue another once more scrutinizing look.

Her waist was unexpectedly slender, while the area above it was equally unexpectedly full—should we describe it as almost bursting out?
"...It's amazing that such a slender mechanical frame can fit such a large frontal armor."

"If she hadn't attended a correspondence high school, Xiaohaiyue would definitely have been a heartthrob at school," Mami remarked with deep emotion.

She nudged Masumi with her elbow again, "Right? Masumi-kun."

"I'm not part of the Cute Girl Certification Association, so why do you always have to include me?" Masumi said helplessly.

"Who told you to be the male lead?" Mami joked with a smile.

"Little Moon is really cute, isn't she?"

"Hmm." Masumi nodded perfunctorily, glancing at Rinne beside her as she straightened the wrinkles in her clothes.

The lights from the ceiling traced beautiful lines along her legs. He stared intently at the gap between her thighs beneath her pleated skirt, listening absentmindedly to Mami's ramblings.

"The skin is very smooth, like a gummy candy... or like a real jellyfish, making you want to touch it."

"Ah."

Unaware that something was amiss, Masumi nodded.

Kurokawa Mio's expression suddenly turned cold, and she silently moved closer to Masumi.

"Even when wearing a skirt, the heat still gets trapped inside, so whether it's plump thighs, slender calves, or even every toe, they all feel stickier than usual. When you press your fingertips into your skin, it feels like they're about to melt..."

"Wait a minute, what nonsense are you spouting?!"

Suddenly snapping out of her daze, Masumi immediately interrupted her detailed description, but it was too late; a weight suddenly came from her shoulders.

Kurokawa Mio pressed her hands on his shoulders, so hard that Masumi's shoulder blades squeezed and he groaned.

"Kuro, Kurokawa."

Her honey-gold bangs cast shadows on her taut cheeks, her gaze fixed intently on Masumi, the words uttered from her lips almost devoid of emotion—

"Hey, Masumi, who do you think is cuter, me or Kaizuki?"

“Each has its own merits,” Masumi replied slyly.

From a cuteness perspective, that's true. However, from a predator's point of view, spiders and jellyfish are actually not that different; the prey experiences the same suffocation and drowning.

Kurokawa Mio puffed out her cheeks, as if she were sulking.

"Is Masumi really that reluctant to say I'm cute? She just complimented me on how my clothes suit me."

"No, of course I think you're cute too."

She stared at Masumi probingly, as if trying to discern something from her gentle and refreshing face.

A moment later, Kurokawa Mio released her hand, and Masumi alternately covered her slightly aching shoulders with her palms, looking at Kurokawa Mio's face.

At such close range, one could see a dark, sadistic flame surging in her eyes. "I'm going to file a lawsuit against Haiyue! Accuse her of indecent behavior as a woman and sneaking away! This lustful jellyfish must be severely punished."

She suddenly announced in a loud voice.

"I...didn't...do anything..." Haiyue said expressionlessly.

"Stop pretending! I've seen through your cunning heart hidden beneath your harmless, natural exterior."

Kurokawa Mio glared at her menacingly: "Even if today's actions weren't premeditated, they were still impulsive and you're definitely not innocent!"

"Today I will expose your evil nature completely and let Masumi see your true colors."

"Masumi?"

"Dont look at me."

Masumi looked away to avoid having her compassion stirred by Hanekawa, while scrutinizing the jellyfish girl's behavior with suspicion.

“That’s right, that’s right!” Asami listened with great interest, and, as if she didn’t want to miss a good show, she chimed in, “Confess, little Kaigetsu, how far did you and Masumi get in that cramped toilet stall?”

"It suddenly occurred to me that I forgot to check in the locker room earlier. I wonder if Masumi-kun has already written several tally marks on the inside of Xiaohaiyue's thighs?"

"—Wait, Ms. Mami, don't suddenly add anything strange."

Asami's lewd and indecent remarks almost destroyed the serious and solemn atmosphere of the scene, so Kurokawa Mio quickly brought her back to the main topic.

With her legs crossed beneath the pleated skirt, the "high school girl" with honey-gold hair seemed to transform into a disciplinary committee member, relentlessly pressing forward with the attitude of "I will definitely expose your crimes to the light of day" and "Come on, let me enumerate your sins."

The jellyfish girl is like a fawn forced by a hunter to the edge of a cliff, driven into a perilous and desperate situation.

"Well."

A few strands of flaxen hair were stuck to Haiyue's cheeks with sweat.

"Rinne?"

"I'm sorry." Rinne shook her head gently. "As long as you explain yourself clearly, I will stand by your side."

"The premise is that your actions are innocent."

Even Rinne, who always showed great care for Haiyue, said the same thing. Haiyue's delicate, doll-like face, which had been expressionless, finally twisted slightly with unease.

"No, no..."

Her voice sounded utterly helpless as she stared silently at the ground, as if trying to escape something.

"I just... did the same thing as Kurokawa..."

"Oh?" Kurokawa Mio narrowed her eyes sharply, her red lips curving into a dangerous arc. "So you're admitting to your repeated crimes of sneaking out?"

Masumi subtly twitched the corner of her mouth. So there were interrogation tactics that could hurt the enemy a thousand times while also hurting herself a thousand times?
"In that case, I need to think carefully about how to punish you."

"No...that's not true...I..."

Faced with the menacing aura of the group, the more Haiyue tried to evade and cover up her words, the more hesitant and fragmented her speech became.

"Rinne...Masumi..."

"Uh, Hanekawa, please stop looking at us like we're 'a child who's made a mistake and is seeking refuge with their parents.'"

At this point, neither her bottom-ranked stamina, her intelligence (which was competing with Mami for last place), nor her temporarily deactivated charm could save the jellyfish girl from her predicament.

Her eyes darted around in confusion, and Haiyue was speechless for a moment.

(What should I do... I have to... say something... but... I don't know what to say...)
Just then, the whispers of passersby reached their ears.

"What's that performance? A chaotic scene?" This is what a typical passerby would ask.

"Isn't that a character from 'Absolute Forbidden Spell Double-Edged Sword Saint's New Sister Magical Wars'? The cosplayer is so beautiful." This is from an ordinary fan.

"Is this a scene from the original work where the other two female protagonists interrogate Karen for running away? It's so accurate! The girl cosplaying Karen portrayed the panicked state of mind of the taciturn character so well!" This is a die-hard manga fan.

"But why isn't the male lead wearing a uniform?"

"It's probably a personal interpretation."

"That guy is so handsome, does he actually like girls? What a shame." This is what a typical female fangirl would say if she happened to be passing by.

"Okay, it's decided. Next time I'll release a gender-swapped BL doujinshi with real-life themes!" This is the work of a doujinshi author with amazing initiative.

"So it's possible to do that?"

"Gender is not such an inconvenient thing. The world of anime is amazing, isn't it?"

More and more onlookers surged forward, their chatter instantly shattering the tense atmosphere. The dust settled, and the interrogation ultimately ended in vain.

Haiyue escaped unharmed thanks to the last stat on her character panel: Luck.

Actually, it wasn't entirely ineffective; at least several girls realized that the jellyfish girl had been repeatedly sneaking away and began to be wary.

"Damn it, you escaped this time."

Kurokawa Mio clicked her tongue hard.

"Suddenly a lot of people have gathered around." Rinne frowned slightly.

"Oh my, so my work can attract so many people." Mami curled her lips smugly.

"They're all just here to watch the show, aren't they?"

“You don’t understand, Masumi-kun. If even just one of the ten people watching the spectacle buys a doujinshi, that’s enough to sell out my entire stock.”

"Not to mention that the manga 'Absolute Forbidden Spell Double-Edged Sword Emperor' already has a large following and has shown strong momentum in the last two commercials."

“I don’t understand these things,” Masumi shrugged dismissively. “But as long as it’s good for sales.”

Although I only had a superficial understanding of doujinshi sales, I could apply that knowledge to other areas. Back in Tokyo, I realized that relying solely on ticket sales for profit was unrealistic, so underground bands often sold their own band merchandise and CDs.

That's why Masumi can understand the feeling of not being able to sell her work.

“I see.” Mami nodded with a smile. “If it’s Masumi-kun, then I can understand.”

"I was just speaking from the heart," Masumi said with a wry smile. "Don't talk to me like I'm a mind reader... Wait, don't suddenly come over here!"

Her slender arms encircled his shoulders. Facing the full curves outlined by the knitted sweater, Masumi swallowed hard and made a stiff sound. Asami pretended to be familiar with him and put her arm around him.

"Ms. Asami!?"

Kurokawa Mio's shrill voice rang out, "Too close! Miss Asami, are you trying to sneak away too?"

"Oh dear, Ms. Mio saw it." Mami appeared calm and composed, her coffee-colored eyes filled with amusement.

"Shouldn't you be focusing on your duties as a cashier at this time?"

Before we knew it, a long queue had formed in front of the stall.

"How could I possibly ignore Masumi as long as he's by my side?"

"I see." Mami stroked her chin thoughtfully.

"In that case, let's find a place where Miss Mio can't see us."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Masumi and Kurokawa Mio were both puzzled.

Asami, with a mischievous smile, suddenly grabbed Masumi's arm.

"It means—I'm sorry, the stall will be temporarily handed over to the three of you!"

"As compensation, Masumi-kun, let me keep it for you for a while." She winked, revealing a teasing tone.

"what?"

Kurokawa Mio was dumbfounded.

"Okay, that's all for now, see you later."

Without saying a word, Mami dragged the stunned Masumi away from the stall.

"Wait! Don't leave! Stop right there!"

Kurokawa Mio quickly got up, wanting to catch up with them, but her frail figure was immediately swallowed up by the crowd queuing to buy doujinshi. By the time she pushed through the crowd, the two of them were completely out of sight.

At this moment, the undisturbed date between the two of them, belonging to Seno Asami, truly began.

(End of this chapter)