Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 149, Section 24: "Lake Biwa in September"

The room, where only the faint chirping of cicadas could be heard, was stuffy and humid, making one blush.

Masumi opened the window, stuck her face out, and took a deep breath of fresh air. Her face, which had been flushed from being under the covers, gradually returned to normal.

Behind her, Mami sat silently on the bed, getting dressed.

This scene is strange to describe, whether in words or pictures, as if it were the aftermath of something.

"Seno."

"what."

When Masumi turned her head, Mami wrapped the quilt around herself, then covered her mouth with the corner of the quilt, pretending to be tearful.

"What's your reaction?"

"The proper reaction in this situation."

Seeing Masumi's haggard expression, Mami stopped acting and, as if shaking off all her troubles, smiled broadly with a very refreshed expression.

"By the way, Masumi-kun, what is it you want to tell me?"

"I want you to..."

"Wait a moment!"

Masumi was interrupted as soon as she opened her mouth.

Asami placed her hand on her chin and said in an inexplicably serious tone, "Masumi-kun took a long time off to come all the way to Kusatsu, so it must be something very important."

"That's true."

"In that case, we can't keep using this room as a secondary room. Let's find a place with a better atmosphere to talk."

Masumi's expression immediately turned helpless, but she still went along with what she was saying: "Where to change to?"

"I'm going to wash my face and brush my teeth first. You wait here for me, and I'll take you there in a bit."

Asami, wearing a light apricot short-sleeved T-shirt and denim shorts, stood up and rushed out of the room.

◇

As soon as I stepped outside, the air of early autumn enveloped me.

On a sunny weekend, Masumi and Asami strolled along a country road in Shiga Prefecture.

A sweet scent wafted on the breeze, and Masumi instinctively sneezed softly, rubbing her nose and saying, "It smells so good."

"What smells so good?" Mami looked around curiously. "There are no flower fields around here, only rice. But there is a very beautiful rapeseed field in the neighboring Moriyama City."

Masumi replied hesitantly, "You smell...so good."

Although this statement was quite perverted, Masumi thought that as long as she said it without showing any emotion, it wouldn't be a big deal... probably.

"Masumi-kun."

Mami stopped abruptly, and Masumi followed suit, watching as Mami gave her a playful glare. "Are you deliberately trying to say something offensive so I'll complain about you?"

"If that's the case, then I must remind Masumi-kun that this is a tactic that elementary school boys use to attract girls."

"Well, you still took the bait."

Her fair cheeks suddenly swelled up like a pufferfish in Lake Biwa... if there were one in the lake.

"Masumi-kun has gone too far."

Mami completely lost her temper, turned her back to him, and started walking away.

Masumi followed and walked alongside her. On the next stretch of road, there was a small grove of trees on a narrow riverbank. The two bumped shoulders as they were jostled by the tree trunks, and the fragrance became even more pronounced.

"Does it smell good?" Asami asked abruptly.

"Eh?"

"I'm asking you, does it smell good?" she asked, flipping her hair with an exaggerated, theatrical gesture.

"It's alright, just a little too strong."

"Before you say that, aren't you afraid I'll nudge you with my elbow?"

"I'm just telling the truth."

Upon hearing this, Mami didn't show any displeasure. Instead, she lowered her head and nodded as if her mood had improved. Girls' thoughts are truly hard to fathom. Masumi then listened to her explanation:
"I used the new shower gel, because I left the old one at Fanxing."

"Stay among the stars?"

"Don't misunderstand, it's just that there's too much stuff and I can't take it all with me at once."

"so."

Masumi nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

"Speaking of which, where is my luggage? Why is it taking so long?"

"It hasn't been mailed out yet."

"Huh?" Mami's eyes widened in surprise. "Why, could it be...?"

"Don't misunderstand, it's just that there are too many things and we can't send them all at once."

"What a flimsy excuse, Masumi-kun."

"You don't do the same."

"..."

"Never mind, they're just odds and ends anyway, it doesn't matter when I mail them."

Asami crossed her hands behind her back, took a step forward, her face tensed, and her wide eyes returned to normal.

She curled her lips into a smile, revealing her teeth, and turned away.

The sunlight shone on her supple skin, giving her a white halo around her body, with a wide open riverbank behind her.

"Here we are."

The lake water, shimmering with a bluish-white light, appeared before my eyes without any transition.

Unlike the Seto Inland Sea that we're all tired of seeing, this place has calm waters and is quite gentle. Perhaps it reflects the greenery on the shore and the dense algae that resemble moss on the seabed, giving it a dark green luster like a velvet carpet.

“This scenery is really nice,” Masumi blurted out, praising it frankly.

"Right, right."

Asami, looking quite pleased with herself, proudly puffed out her chest, transforming into a tourism ambassador for Shiga Prefecture, and showing off her knowledge, saying:
"Lake Biwa, named for its shape resembling an inverted lute, is wide in the north and narrow in the south. It covers an area of ​​672.8 square kilometers and is the third oldest lake in the world. In terms of area and water volume, no other lake in the island nation can compare with it."

"It's even bigger than Awaji Island."

(Note: Awaji Island is the largest island in the Seto Inland Sea and is under the jurisdiction of Hyogo Prefecture.)
"That's right, it's the size of the entire Kusatsu City."

Asami nodded in agreement, adding a piece of new knowledge: "Therefore, there is also a theory that Awaji Island was formed from a subsided part of Lake Biwa."

Masumi had never heard this before and instinctively retorted, "That's a huge difference, with the Kyoto Basin and the Osaka Plain in between."

“My dad really believed it. He's a very traditionalist, practically a Shiga supremacist. He firmly believed that Awaji Island was lent to Hyogo Prefecture by Shiga Prefecture.”

"I see." Masumi remained noncommittal.

"So when I decided to go to school in Kobe, he seemed very afraid that I would end up like Awaji Island and stay in Hyogo Prefecture."

"Doting father?"

"It's not that exaggerated," Mami said with a laugh, shaking her head. "Every time I come home, he looks at me with disdain and says things like, 'Since you're studying away from home, don't always come back.'"

"Men are all two-faced creatures."

"Don't mimic me, Masumi-kun."

Asami playfully complained, but for some reason, she was in a good mood, and a smooth curve appeared at the corners of her lips.

Swayed by that relaxed profile, Masumi immediately changed the subject.

Where did you say you were going to take me?

"That's right here."

She squinted and teased, "The scenery is beautiful, and no one else comes. It's a great place to whisper sweet nothings, or even confess your feelings directly."

"Let's skip the confession."

This made Mami puff out her cheeks as if she were being difficult.

Ignoring her feigned expression, Masumi continued speaking.

"I want you to come to Tokyo with me."

"Tokyo?"

Asami's eyes widened in surprise, and she asked tentatively, "You've thought it through, and you want to go back to Tokyo with Mio to form a band?"

"Of course not," Masumi instinctively denied. "You can tell that's impossible."

"Why isn't it possible?"

For some reason, Asami was troubled by that last sentence.

"Don't get off topic."

Masumi showed her the screen on her phone.

"Well...this is..."

“I received an email from the editor of Shinazugawa Fantastic Bunko, inviting me to Tokyo to discuss publishing a paperback edition, and I would like you to come with me.”

"Eh? Masumi-kun came to Kusatsu to see me just about this?"

"Ah."

"Isn't there anything else? Like, they can't bear to part with me and want me to come back to the stars or something. I'm not as hard to persuade as Zhuge Liang, or they simply realize my importance after losing me and come to me to express their love."

"No," Masumi honestly admitted.

"...Sigh, I really shouldn't have had any expectations."

Mami sighed dramatically.

"Do you really think I would do that?"

"No, I was just joking to lighten the mood."

Seeing Masumi's dumbfounded expression, Mami couldn't help but smile.

"Please sit here."

She pointed to the green grass by Lake Biwa. "Is it alright to sit here?" While Masumi was still worrying about the clothes Chiai had carefully chosen, Asami had already sat down without any hesitation.

Oh well, I brought a change of clothes anyway, and Masumi sat down next to her.

Asami untied the laces of her canvas shoes and stepped barefoot onto the soft grass. The shoes she took off rolled down the slope and landed next to Masumi's legs.

"Hey, you've lost all your manners." Masumi smirked.

"This is Kusatsu; the rules of other places don't apply here."

Asami, with an air of arrogance and lawlessness like a local tyrant, stretched out her legs. The soles of her feet touched the damp, tender grass and felt ticklish. She curled her toes, causing her snow-white calves to tense up and become more muscular.

Her thighs were still plump and fleshy, their rounded contours bouncing up and down with each breath; they must have felt very soft to the touch.

Thinking back to when they were in bed just now, he was trapped between those legs and couldn't get away, and she was straddling him, locking him firmly with her thighs. That might be the most powerful muscle in Seno's body.

Masumi avoided staring directly at those long, beautiful legs, gazing at the lake in front of her and asking:
Why did you come here specifically?

"Because I like it here." Mami rested her chin on her hand, her voice touching on memories.

"I love Lake Biwa in the morning, during the day, at dusk, and at night."

"However, I like the latter two time periods the most."

Masumi nodded in understanding. "Whether it's the sunset or Lake Biwa under the moon, it must be beautiful."

"Eh--"

Her round, adorable toes trembled slightly with embarrassment, and Mami wore a complicated expression. "That reason sounds really good, but unfortunately my initial reason was quite superficial."

"what reason?"

"Because there are relatively few people."

She bent her legs and rested her pointed chin on her knees. "Although there are more tourists on the north side of the lake, there are still a few tourists here occasionally during the day."

“After all, it’s very close to Kyoto.” Masumi agreed. Kusatsu is a commuter city, and some people who work in Kyoto often choose to live here.

"Therefore, I prefer the moments when this lake is just for me."

Asami stretched her hand out towards the distant lake, her cherry-pink nails reflecting the shimmering water.

"It's alright at dusk, but it might be a bit dangerous at night, right? I didn't see any streetlights here just now."

"It was indeed dangerous. When I was in junior high school, I was taking a walk along the lake one evening when I accidentally stepped on the soft soil that had become loose after the rain. I fell and hit my thigh on a tree branch, which cut a long gash and caused a lot of bleeding."

Her description was so detailed that Masumi couldn't help but gasp. Seeing his expression, Mami smiled and found it amusing.

"What's with your reaction, Masumi-kun? I'm the one who got scratched, right? And it's been a long time." "You've given me so much detail, it was just an instinctive reaction..."

"Hmph." Mami narrowed her eyes meaningfully. "Masumi-kun is indeed a person who likes to empathize."

"No such thing."

"If I say it's there, then it's there."

After casually uttering those words, Mami suddenly revealed a malicious smile—Masumi had that feeling.

"Would you like to see the wound? Don't be scared."

"I'm worried I'll be scared, so I'd rather not watch it."

"I said I'd look, so I will."

What is this?

Almost forced, Masumi traced the fleshy thighs bound by the edge of the shorts with her eyes. The skin was snow-white and flawless; it would be an exaggeration to say that there were no flaws, but she couldn't find any of the horrifying scars that she had described.

"Where is it? I can't find it."

"Where is it? It's nowhere, because the scar has already healed."

Mami pressed her finger to her lips and let out a cheerful laugh from her throat; it seemed she had been tricked by her again.

"I have a constitution where scars heal very quickly. As long as I treat them promptly and apply scar removal cream, I rarely leave noticeable scars."

She explained slowly and deliberately, then her smile deepened, "So, if Masumi-kun has any special little quirks, it's not a problem for this body at all, but it's best to go easy on him."

"Please don't portray me as a pervert."

Masumi sighed, "Also, in terms of how seductive she is to boys, her blushing is a bit excessive."

Gazing at that face, you could see Mami's eyes shimmering, her cheeks flushed, completely unlike the mischievous and scheming woman she usually was.

“You’re actually the kind of person who gets weak-kneeded when it comes to actual action, aren’t you?” Masumi said bluntly.

"Nonsense! Mind your own business."

Mami glared at him fiercely, then quickly looked away, muttering unhappily, "It's Masumi-kun who's the one who doesn't eat the meat that's been delivered right to his mouth. That's a disgrace to a man."

"Why am I the one being criticized? Shouldn't this kind of behavior have been called gentlemanly or virtuous in the past, and praised as an example?"

"That's where Masumi-kun's cunning lies. A true gentleman would have firmly refused from the start, unlike Masumi-kun, who only refused after he had almost finished eating..."

Asami looked embarrassed halfway through her sentence, and the rest of her words were barely audible, muffled by the sound of her swallowing.

"I clearly refused from the very beginning, but you still can't tell..."

"No, stop talking!" She frantically waved her hand to interrupt Masumi. "I have indulgence tickets to use, because I was half asleep and not fully conscious, that's right, that's how it is."

"That only works in fan service scenes in light novels, right?" Masumi retorted unconsciously.

The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat awkward when the topic of what had just happened came up.

The altocumulus clouds overhead drifted away, and sunlight streamed in through the part of the clouds that had moved away.

The slivers of light were too dazzling, and Masumi couldn't help but squint. She saw Mami sigh softly beside her, looking at her with indifference.

"Why do you want me to go to Tokyo with you, Masumi-kun?"

"Because there are only the two of us otaku among the stars."

"..."

This answer made Mami poke him with her finger, looking displeased.

"This answer is so uninspired; I wanted a more emotional atmosphere."

"Speaking of which, my answer in the room just now was also about why all the other girls have their own identities, relationships, and ambiguous periods, while I have nothing. That's also very annoying."

"Stop poking me." Masumi dodged. "Your nails almost scratched me. By the way, are it okay to have nails that long when you're drawing?"

"I haven't been painting lately, so I've even been too lazy to trim my nails."

"What a lazy life."

A sigh escaped from her luscious lips, and then, as if struck by a sudden thought, Mami's eyes narrowed sharply into slits.

"Wait, Masumi-kun, you don't mean you want me to go to Tokyo with you to discuss paperback books so you can recommend me as your light novel illustrator, do you?"

"If that's the case, I'm sorry, but I can't accept it."

"why?"

Masumi didn't explain immediately, but subconsciously asked this question.

"Because of this, it has completely become a one-sided charity from Masumi-kun to me."

"Saying it as charity sounds too harsh."

"What's the big deal? I'm not some top student, and I'm not good with words." Mami shook her head and continued, "Masumi-kun, do you remember what I told you before about why I like yuri manga?"

"I remember, it was something like... an equal relationship."

"Hmm." Asami's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "It was just a casual remark from several months ago, but I didn't expect Masumi-kun to still remember it. I was prepared to go through the whole story."

"I apologize for interrupting your prepared speech."

His offhand remark prompted Mami to gently nudge his side with her elbow. For some reason, the corners of her lips curved upwards slightly, and she spoke in a cheerful mood:
"I think a relationship where one person gives unilaterally is unhealthy."

"The person being cared for feels that they only know how to rely on the other person, feels that they are causing trouble for the other person, and have no way to get out of the situation. The person who is caring for the other person will also feel distressed because they cannot understand this sensitive feeling. So I don't want to fall into such a painful cycle."

Masumi fell silent for a moment, unable to think of anything to say. Asami, seemingly not expecting to get his opinion here, continued:

"I told Masumi-kun before that I've always been a pretty useless person since I was little."

"However, besides finding spiritual sustenance in comics, I have also made efforts in other areas."

In which aspect?

"character."

"Personality?" Masumi blinked in confusion.

"Hmm, isn't that incredible?"

A self-deprecating smile appeared on Asami's lips. "For a person, unless they experience some major upheaval, their personality is probably the hardest thing to change. Otherwise, there wouldn't be the proverb 'not turning back until hitting a brick wall.'"

"My life is uneventful, so of course nothing big happens, but I still managed to do it, isn't that amazing?"

With a boastful tone, she gave Masumi a bright, clear smile without a trace of gloom. For some reason, Masumi felt a little lonely because of that smile.

"What was your original personality like?"

"Huh? Her original personality?" Mami rested her chin on her hand, pondering, her delicate eyebrows furrowed as if she were deep in thought. "What was it like again?"

"It's probably like the scars on my legs; they've completely disappeared without a trace."

"Back then, I was only focused on imitating the people I wanted to become. In ACG works, there are often mature upperclassman characters, right?"

"Always observing the world from a detached perspective, with a calm and unhurried demeanor, harboring a bit of mischief, liking to play pranks, yet able to become someone else's support in crucial moments—that's the kind of person they are."

"Is this really a fantasy world? To be so mature and flawless with only a year's difference is unbelievable in reality. I was so envious of that composure back then."

To hide her wavering feelings, Masumi took a deep breath. "So, everything you've shown so far has just been a mask of acting?"

Mami gently shook her head, her long black hair falling over her shoulders as she moved.

"Only at the beginning."

"This is?"

"There's a saying that the longer you wear a mask, the harder it is to take it off. Now, I can't even remember what I was like at the beginning, so I can only take my current appearance as my original self."

A slightly hesitant voice rolled out from her slightly trembling, snow-white throat, but in an instant, Mami's tone became incredibly firm.

"However, I don't hate who I am now. On the contrary, I'm quite satisfied, after all, that's the kind of person I wanted to be."

"However, it looks like it will end in failure because something is missing."

Is it a comic book?

"Hmm, as expected of Masumi-kun, he's still very perceptive."

Asami reflexively teased him.

"That's right. Every powerful person has their own strengths. If you only have a mature appearance but lack the strength to support it, you'll always feel like you're floating on air."

"Rinne has an admirable sense of responsibility and willpower, Chia is moving forward on the path she has chosen, Mio has musical talent that makes people feel inferior, and Mirai, despite being a shy child, has bravely taken a step forward."

“Compared to them, I feel like I’ve accomplished nothing and can’t contribute anything to the coffee shop, so I really can’t stay here any longer without feeling guilty.”

As if to conceal her trembling, the shadows scattered at her feet clung desperately to her shaking body, gently outlining Asami's physical contours.

"Really, it seems we've gone a bit off-topic."

"So, Masumi-kun, I'm sorry, I still can't go to the East with you—"

The sudden movement startled Mami, who stared wide-eyed as Masumi held her long, slender, white hand in hers.

"Thank you for being willing to tell me all this."

"However, I'm not asking you to come to Tokyo with me in the name of unilateral charity, like asking you to draw illustrations for light novels."

Masumi stared intently into her shifting eyes, slowly blocking her escape route.

"Huh? What are you going to do then?"

Feeling her heart skip a beat, Mami lowered her eyelids, at a loss, when Masumi's firm voice came from in front of her.

"I want you to become a cartoonist."

"Manga artist?" Asami was taken aback. "What nonsense are you talking about, Masumi-kun?"

“I’m serious.” Masumi released her hand and explained, “To be specific, I don’t plan to publish the novel as a paperback, but rather adapt it directly into a manga series.”

"If the initial success was to leverage the novel's popularity to secure the comic book serialization opportunity, and then allow both to develop in parallel, mutually benefiting each other, then it wouldn't be a one-sided handout, but rather a mutually beneficial relationship."

"..."

After a long pause to process what she had just learned, Mami sighed and said:

"...This is too reckless! Do you really think the editorial department will agree to this?"

"How will you know if you don't try."

After uttering a dashing remark, Masumi added a rational supplement:

"Before I made the decision, I specifically consulted Mr. Hojo and the authors' group. They told me that Shinazugawa Shoten had a similar precedent before, so it was not impossible."

After saying this, he looked at Mami, whose eyes were darting around and who seemed somewhat at a loss, and asked as if launching a final offensive:

"So, what do you think? Would you like to come to Tokyo with me?"

"..."

Silence fell over the air. Mami suddenly stood up from the grass. Masumi instinctively tried to get up as well, but Mami stopped her with her hand.

"Don't get up, Masumi-kun."

"why?"

"Because I look very disheveled right now."

"How pathetic it was."

"The kind of thing I absolutely cannot show you."

"Then I'll just have to stare at your legs."

"Go ahead and look carefully, it won't hurt you."

"Your legs are so long."

"Thank you. This is one of the few things I'm proud of. No, 'few' is an understatement."

"She really has a very voluptuous figure; her shorts are stretched tight."

"Alas!"

"However, if you look closely through the crack, it seems you can still see things you shouldn't see."

"Masumi-kun, where are you looking?!"

Perhaps she was so excited that she broke out in a sweat, and a few strands of hair stuck to her forehead.

Masumi, who had finally straightened up, felt a rush of blood to her head from sitting for so long. In her hazy state, she reached out to help Mami straighten up. Mami was slightly surprised, and then her eyebrows curved into an arc.

“Masumi-kun, I think I’ve found a bit of my original self again.”

"What is it?"

"Hmm, trying hard to act like a strong older sister, but actually a cowardly and awkward person."

She spoke with a gentle smile, gazing sincerely at herself, her eyes devoid of unease.

An autumn breeze swept across the lake, occasionally rippling the calm surface of Lake Biwa. The gentle sound of flowing water softly covered the sound of Mami sniffling.

(End of this chapter)