Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 162, Section 3: "September, Six People Leisurely Strolling Through the Complex (1)"

On a sunny day off, I visited AEON MALL, a large commercial complex located in Kamitsudai, Kita-ku, Kobe City.

"Shopping! Shopping spree!"

Standing in front of the three-story shopping mall, Mami shouted enthusiastically.

"You just happened to be at the shopping mall during a discount event, why are you so happy?" Masumi asked.

“I think you don’t understand at all, Masumi-kun.” Mami squinted at him.

"Freud said that engaging in irrational behavior is a release of one's psychological energy and a satisfaction of one's desires."

Asami proudly showed off the sentences she had recently jotted down from book excerpts. In her words, it was better to draw inspiration directly from book excerpts that collected many golden quotes than to waste time reading the original works.

"Wow! I looked so cool just now, quoting famous sayings so fluently."

She cupped her cheeks in her hands, seemingly lost in ecstasy. Seeing Mami's smug expression, Masumi sighed and continued, "..."
"so?"

"So I'm going to go on a shopping spree this time! I heard that Topvalu Premium draft beer at Dream City is quite popular lately, I definitely have to try it."

“Sister Mami.” Qian Ai closed her eyes as if she couldn’t do anything about her. “Didn’t you just complain to me a couple of days ago that you’ve spent almost all of your August salary?”

"Guuuuu!"

Upon hearing this, Mami paused, then looked at Rinne as if she had a request, and loudly clasped her hands together.

"Rinne, please let me get an advance on this month's salary! No, just half a month's salary!"

“Although I really want to say yes, Mami-nee,” Rinne replied coldly, “you haven’t been working as long as Yuyuko since the beginning of September.”

"Eek." Mami gasped. "How could this be?"

"I took a week off to meet a deadline, spent a week in Kusatsu, and a day in Tokyo..."

"Oh, I see."

Asami drooped her eyelids listlessly, adopting a resigned expression, "I'll work hard for the remaining two weeks."

"His listless appearance is quite suspicious."

"Masumi-kun, stop making sarcastic remarks from the sidelines." Mami glared at him fiercely.

"Alright, alright, Mami-nee, don't be disappointed." Chiai, wearing a brown cashmere coat and a knee-length boxy skirt, stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "If you want to buy alcohol, I'll lend you the money. Let's go into the mall first and talk about it."

Mami's face lit up immediately. "Chiai, so gentle."

"Hey, where's the gentleness?" The childhood sweetheart lowered her eyelashes silently.

“That’s what makes you gentle, isn’t it, Masumi-kun?” Mami smiled, her eyes crinkling.

"What point is this?"

Asami pushed the still confused Chiai into the mall.

"Haiyue, come along too, don't wander off."

Rinne raised her lips slightly and looked up at the jellyfish-like girl in the shopping mall building.

Masumi watched the four girls' retreating figures and whispered to Kurokawa Mio beside her:
"Let's go in too...Mio."

For some reason, unlike when he calls Mami and Haizuki by their names directly, he always needs to do some mental preparation before he can say it when facing Kurokawa.

"Ah."

Stepping inside the building, huge posters hung on the walls, suggesting the shopping mall was holding a lucky draw. Anyone who spent over 30,000 yen could participate; the seventh prize was tissues, and the first prize was…

"It's a lie! Okinawa tourism!"

Asami exclaimed in surprise.

"It's true, miss." The female staff member next to her replied with a smile, "The prize tickets are awarded based on the number of people. If there are several people, you can draw six times in total."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I was just so surprised."

Mami scratched her head awkwardly, turned around, and said excitedly to the group, "Hey everyone, let's draw the lottery!"

"This is Okinawa tourism!"

"Winning a prize is no problem, but winning the first prize isn't that easy."

After Masumi reflexively questioned him, Mami pierced him with a sharp gaze.

“Of course I don’t expect Masumi-kun to have the same bad luck as me.” She nodded heavily, her bright eyes gazing at Kaigetsu.

"But if it's Little Moon, it'll definitely work!"

"Me?" Haiyue tilted her head, looking curious.

"That's right, as long as you draw the first prize gold ball, you can go to the island to see the wild jellyfish colony."

Asami's deliberately lowered voice had a seductive quality.

"Wild... jellyfish colony..."

Her snow-white throat trembled slightly, and Haiyue swallowed hard, her blue pupils shimmering like the surface of a rippling sea.

"Mami-nee, please don't try to seduce her with such vague and unrealistic things," Rinne sighed.

"How can this be just wishful thinking?" Mami pouted, "With Little Moon's incredible luck, she might actually be able to draw it."

"Has Mami-nee considered the possibility of disappointment? Umizuki will be very disappointed."

There was no blame in Rinne's words; it was as if she were recounting something perfectly ordinary.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think it through!"

Mami's strength is that she readily admits her mistakes without any psychological burden.

Perhaps feeling that her words were too aggressive, Rinne ran her fingers through her long black hair, lowered her eyes, and revealed a section of fair and smooth skin between her skirt and socks below her knees.

"I didn't mean to blame Asami-nee... I'm sorry, I was just taking it too seriously."

"No, I know. Rinne just doesn't want to see me and Umizuki disappointed and upset."

"Honestly, Rinne is clearly a very easy person to get along with, but she always acts like she's cold and aloof, like she's unapproachable. Tsundere? No, I guess she's more like aloof and cold-hearted?"

"I don't understand, but is Mami-nee making fun of me?"

"Sorry sorry."

The sight of the two beautiful (young) girls apologizing to each other was quite eye-catching, drawing curious glances from passing shoppers.

"What's with this subtle atmosphere?" Kurokawa Mio asked, arms crossed.

"These are the stars."

Qian Ai smiled and nodded, "If you express what you want to say honestly, you won't harbor resentment because of a lack of communication."

"Just say what you want to say..."

In the bustling marketplace, a soft murmur, whose identity was unknown, drifted out.

After taking the escalator to the second floor of GRAND MALL, a shopping area perfect for window shopping came into view, and the dazzling array of clothing made Chiai and Mami's eyes light up.

"Wow! That dress is so cute!"

Chiai immediately tried to rush into a women's clothing store that had nothing to do with the purpose of this trip, but was grabbed by the wrist by Masumi who was prepared.

"We're here today to buy discounted daily necessities and groceries, right? Let's not cause any trouble."

"What's this, Masumi-nii? I'll only take a quick look, just a little bit."

The childhood sweetheart girl, who was forcibly dragged away, made a pitiful sound.

Masumi remained unmoved and took a firm step forward.

If left unchecked, her childhood friend, who was obsessed with clothing, would probably browse through every single clothing store in the complex, leaving no corner unexplored.

Masumi was so clear about this that recalling it made her temples throb, so she was not confused at all.

"Ah! That outfit looks just like the female lead in the new anime series that aired in July."

"Mami..." Masumi sighed, rubbing her forehead in exasperation. "Aren't you a homebody? Why are you so enthusiastic about these kinds of shops?"

"That's very rude, Masumi-kun. I'm a girl first and foremost."

Mami's eyes were unfriendly. "And Masumi-kun should also get rid of the prejudice that anime otaku and fashion are not related. It's like mentioning rock music and only thinking about promiscuity and pornography."

"The latter shouldn't be considered a stereotype or prejudice."

Masumi replied instinctively, then quickly stopped herself, "Ahem, we've gone off-topic."

Once you delve into this topic, there are countless angles that could easily attract criticism and cause trouble.

“I’m just worried you’ll wander around aimlessly,” Masumi said.

"There's absolutely no need to worry." Asami shook her finger. "It's still early before closing time."

"Hey, Rinne, look! That store is having a sale, lots of clothes are half price!"

Compared to Chiai, who only knows how to plead, Mami's approach is more sophisticated.

Upon hearing this, Rinne was genuinely moved, and her expression subtly changed.

"Indeed, it's inconvenient to shop in clothing stores if you're carrying a lot of things," she said, resting her chin on her hand and convincing herself.

Isn't it the same the other way around? Masumi thought to herself.

"And Miss Mio, wouldn't you like to buy a few pieces of clothing that will also highlight your feminine charm in the fall and winter?"

"It's rare to have Masumi-kun here; we can get his thoughts right away."

"..."

Kurokawa Mio answered with her actions, taking a step forward in her light blue high heels.

Seeing that all four girls were standing there, only Haiyue was turning her head away, unaware of what was going on, Masumi chose to compromise.

As a guy, I'll satisfy them first.

"I'll wait for you in the rest area, you can try it at your leisure."

The nearby rest area was full of boys who were obviously waiting for their female companions. Masumi instinctively wanted to get closer to her companions for warmth.

"Hey, don't be so boring, Masumi-kun."

"That's right, that's right, I also want to hear Masumi-nii's thoughts."

The two girls he had just grabbed are now pulling Masumi's wrists and dragging him into the shop.

"I'm the only guy in the shop, which feels really weird."

"No way, it's not a store that's only for female customers."

After being half-dragged by the girls to the target store, Masumi compromised again, proving that "life is a continuous process of compromise."

Wow~ So many fancy clothes!

Stepping into this women's clothing store, the space was larger than I had imagined, with faceless mannequins displaying the latest seasonal styles.

"Little Moon, this dress will definitely suit you perfectly, why don't you try it on?"

Asami picked up the nearest white cotton T-shirt and placed it in front of Haiyue. It was a loungewear piece that not only exposed her shoulders but also her navel.

"It's too revealing...no..." The jellyfish girl's soft lips trembled slightly.

"This is for wearing in the bedroom."

"The bedroom... won't work either..."

Haiyue gently shook her head, "Girls...shouldn't let their stomachs get cold..."

Although the voice was soft, it was powerful and resolute.

"And the thighs... need to be covered up too..."

"Then the only thing suitable for Little Moon is probably a wetsuit," Mami remarked unconsciously.

“Haiyue is a completely different type from Asami-nee,” Chiai remarked. “I wish Asami-nee could learn from her.”

“Indeed, Asami-nee’s usual attire in her room is far too unrestrained,” Rinne said.

Kurokawa Mio nodded in agreement: "Especially in front of Masumi."

"Wait a minute! How did this suddenly turn into a trial targeting me?"

Mami was stunned and frantically waved her hands in front of her face.

"I just don't like clothes that are uncomfortable to wear, and besides, only you guys can see them."

"And..." a troubled expression appeared on her face, "With my figure, it would look really stupid to wear ordinary clothes."

"What does that mean?" Masumi asked, puzzled.

"..."

Mami picked up a plain cotton T-shirt nearby, randomly chose an empty fitting room, took off her sandals, and drew the curtain.

"There you go, that's it."

Two minutes later, Mami, having changed her clothes, pulled back the curtain in one breath and reappeared in front of the five people.

"..."

"What are you guys talking about? It feels weird just staring at each other."

Her face lowered slightly in embarrassment, and her rounded shoulders trembled slightly.

"Uh, how should I put it..." Qian Ai scratched her cheek with her fingertips, carefully choosing her words.

The jellyfish girl is straightforward and speaks her mind simply.

"He looks...so fat..."

"The excess fat that comes from laziness," Masumi sighed.

"I asked you to share your thoughts, not to directly mock me!"

Asami blushed with embarrassment and anger.

The T-shirt she was wearing was stretched taut from the chest, creating a loose curtain, and the fabric at her waist hung straight down, completely obscuring her curves.

"There's nothing I can do, it's just that these kinds of clothes make me look fat."

After changing back into her own clothes, Mami still glared at him fiercely.

"I'm sorry, I apologize to you. Please forgive me, I hope you'll be magnanimous," Masumi said helplessly.

“I’m not that petty,” Mami snorted through her nose and turned her face away, saying, “My anger towards Masumi-kun is only 80%.”

Isn't this already quite high?
"What about the other 20%? Could it be Haiyue?"

"It's just that I'm so useless."

Through her knitted sweater, Mami gently pinched her lower abdomen, revealing a troubled expression.

"Speaking of which, are there any ways to lose weight?"

Masumi: "Let's go for a run."

Rinne: "Work out, and control your diet at the same time."

"Mmm." Mami nodded with a satisfied look. "They're all pretty standard methods, but they make you sweat a lot. I guess I'll pass. Besides, I feel bad that Rinne would make me healthy light meals all the time."

"Do you mean you're giving up?"

"No, I was just wondering if there was an easier way, without sweating or controlling my diet."

It's broad daylight in the store, yet this guy is talking nonsense to himself. He's beyond saving.

"Have it!"

It was Qian'ai who suddenly cried out.

"How about yoga?"

"That kind of exercise, like contortionist gymnastics?"

“Mm.” Qian’ai nodded. “Last New Year, I gained a little weight because I wasn’t paying attention to my diet, so I went to the members-only yoga studio my mom frequents and took classes for a while. It was very effective.”

"Really!"

Asami's eyes widened as if she had seen a savior. "Just by doing some simple stretching exercises, I can lose weight easily. Isn't this exactly what I want?"

"Well, actually it wasn't very easy, it was pretty casual..."

Asami automatically ignored the following sentence, "Can I go to that yoga studio too?"

"Of course, the instructors at the club are all very gentle and will carefully guide the students. I have some trial vouchers here that I can give to Sister Mami."

"Chiai is truly my savior!" Mami excitedly took her hand, then, as if suddenly remembering something, asked, "By the way, what about the cost of the yoga classes?"

"The courses cost about 20,000 yen per month. Since it's a membership system, there's also a membership fee..."

"So expensive! As expected, Chia is the real hidden heiress!"

"Really? Actually, it's quite a good deal. The package also includes hydrogen water and enzymes..."

"Even drinking water costs money!?" Mami exclaimed in surprise. "Has the Cabinet extended its tax increases on residents to include intelligence?"

"Sister Mami, your words have even affected me."

Qian puffed out her cheeks in a sullen manner.

"Sorry, sorry, I was just shocked."

Mami apologized softly, her expression immediately clouding over.

"The course fee is 20,000 yen a month... After I pay it, I'll have to live on grass."

"That's too much." Qian'ai saw Mami's gloomy look and realized she might be serious. She hurriedly said, "Um, I have a few yoga course DVDs at home. Should I bring them to Mami-nee later?"

"However, it's best to find a coach. If you practice alone and your posture is wrong, and there's no one to guide you, you might actually hurt yourself."

“Coach…” Mami murmured the word repeatedly, then suddenly turned her face toward Masumi.

Startled by her piercing gaze, Masumi managed to stammer, "W-what's wrong?"

"Does Masumi-kun practice yoga?"

"How could I possibly do that?"

"I see." Asami sighed in disappointment. "I thought that when Masumi was working as a labor soldier in Tokyo, he also worked at a yoga studio."

"Those kinds of places are for women only, right? Even if I wanted to apply, I wouldn't pass the screening."

Masumi shook her head. Uninterested in his explanation, Mami's eyes lost their light; her weight loss plan, proposed less than ten minutes prior, was about to fail.

"Well, if Ms. Mami doesn't mind, I can give you some pointers on the movements."

An unexpected role. Asami turned to look at Kurokawa Mio with a serious expression and blinked curiously.

"Does Miss Mio practice yoga?"

Kurokawa Mio nodded slightly. "My mother is very knowledgeable about yoga, and I have been learning from her."

"Eh—I see. No wonder Ms. Mio has such a toned figure. I noticed it when we were at the beach; she looks like a model."

Asami offered her praise frankly.

"Of course, I've been working hard to maintain a perfect figure, and it's all for Masumi—"

Her obsidian-like eyes ignited a fierce competitive spirit as Kurokawa Mio looked at Rinne provocatively.

"Mio is getting caught up in such a meaningless little thing."

The heiress wore her usual indifferent expression, but placed her hands in front of her, as if showing off her figure, confidently puffing out her full breasts.

She looked at Kurokawa with a meaningful gaze and chuckled softly.

"However, no matter how much the sea bream struggles in the Akashi Strait, it cannot change the fact that it is poor in oil and is destined to be less popular than the tuna."

Unlike her usual assertive attitude and arrogant remarks that seemed out of character, Kurokawa Mio's eyes twitched slightly, and she became so angry that she stiffened.

The reason lies in Kurokawa Mio's arrogance—an arrogance stemming from her belief that she works much harder than Rinne in order to maintain her slender and beautiful figure.

Could someone as hardworking as herself really lose to someone with such a cumbersome physique? Kurokawa Mio resolutely refused to accept that such a thing could happen.

"With Rinne's cumbersome figure, it must be very difficult for her to do yoga poses."

She emphasized the word "cumbersome".

"Your words have even affected your students."

Rinne calmly retorted.

"It's okay, I'm not that fragile."

Completely unaffected by the verbal sparring between the two women, Asami's eyes burned with fierce fighting spirit.

"And I believe that as long as I start practicing yoga, everything will be alright!"

"Where do you get your confidence from?" Masumi retorted.

"Enough with the chatter! Masumi-kun, all you need to do is watch my magnificent transformation."

"Speaking of which, I don't have any yoga clothes yet, so I'll buy one here."

"I want to buy one too! If I wear a form-fitting yoga outfit, Masumi's eyes will definitely be glued to me."

Rinne flicked her long hair. "It's a good thing that Mio has to face reality and become more obedient from now on."

"Rinne is quite bold... If you're too shy to stay next to me when you're faced with my perfect figure, I won't talk to you."

"These are the words I want to say to Mio."

"Huh? All three of you..." Qian Ai was dumbfounded, then hurriedly caught up with them, "Wait for me!"

"Haiyue is here too."

He gripped the hood of Haiyue's sweatshirt with his fingers, pulling the girl towards him like he was grabbing the scruff of a wildcat's neck.

Masumi thought to herself, "Huh? Why did it turn out like this?" As she tilted her head, the girls were already heading towards the clothing store that sold yoga clothes.

(End of this chapter)