Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 173, Section 14: "Capo"

A band is a group that embraces people with different personalities; in other words, it's a group made up of many eccentric people.

After arriving in Tokyo, Masumi encountered far more strange people than she had in Kobe. Given that the Tokyo metropolitan area reportedly accounts for nearly a third of the island nation's population, this is hardly surprising.

The girl named Kurokawa Mio was also a special one among these weirdos.

The drums beat softly, creating a melody that livens up the atmosphere.

The audience's anticipation erupted, and cheers of excitement swept across the entire venue in an instant.

“An all-female band,” Masumi murmured to herself.

"How was it? Not bad, right?" Ah Xun, the keyboardist who had been through a lot, was an annoying character with side-swept bangs that covered one eye, and he patted him on the shoulder.

Masumi nodded. "Visually it's gothic, but the music has a pop-rock feel to it."

Keyboardist Ah Xun looked at him with a dumbfounded expression.

"what happened to you?"

"I was just about to ask Masumi. I wanted you to see the musicians in this band. Aren't they all cute? I heard they're students at Toho High School."

"A private music university, no wonder the instrumental level is so high." Masumi looked enlightened.

"You really are stubborn."

Keyboardist Ah Xun sighed deeply; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he felt disappointed.

"Speaking of which, Masumi has a handsome face and is a member of a band. If he just stands in Miyashita Park and acts lazy, he would definitely get a lot of girls from high school to exchange LINE contacts with him."

(Note: Miyashita Park in Shibuya Ward is a gathering place for Tokyo's high school girls.)
"I could never lay a hand on a female high school student; that would be a crime."

"And what about girls who play in bands? They're very popular with the guys in bands; they're like tempting bait."

Keyboardist Ah Xun gave a mocking smile.

"Plump...fragrant bait..."

Masumi twitched the corners of her mouth and looked at the figure on the stage dressed in black gothic clothing performing. When she came to her senses, her gaze was fixed on the girl playing the keyboard.

Unlike the other girls who wore short skirts and had a flashy style like underground idols, she was the only one wearing a long skirt, with her honey-gold hair flowing gracefully.

The dazzling stage lights made her already fair skin even more striking. Apart from her slender fingers dancing on the piano keys, the rest of her body remained almost completely still.

The angle and position of the head, the straight back—is it tension? Or is it being too focused on the performance itself?
Masumi focused her gaze on her obsidian-like eyes and suddenly had an answer in her mind—this person might just be indifferent to everything around her.

Whether it's teammates on stage, audience members off stage, or even the performance itself.

"That girl playing the keyboard..."

"Ok?"

"What? Has Masumi taken a liking to the keyboardist of this band?"

For some reason, bassist Takuma asked emotionally.

“Indeed, the keyboardist in this band is a stunning beauty,” keyboardist Ah Xun nodded.

"I didn't expect Masumi to like this type. I think the lead singer with pigtails and a 'landmine' makeup look is cuter."

"That's right, that's right, the lead singer is great too." Keyboardist Ah Xun continued to nod.

“Don’t start talking to yourselves.” Masumi sighed. “Speaking of which, Xun, since just now, you haven’t said anything except agreeing that the female band members are cute.”

"Because they're really cute." Keyboardist Ah Xun said, his eyes wide, "And lately I've been a bit into landmine-type characters."

Masumi was speechless for a moment, not even in the mood to make a sarcastic remark, and sighed in exasperation.

Not knowing how he interpreted his reaction, keyboardist Ah Xun patted Masumi's shoulder earnestly.

"As a teammate, I still have to advise Masumi that the keyboardist looks terrifying."

"What's this?"

"Her expression and demeanor exuded a prickly aura of complete indifference to her surroundings. Just looking at her face, you couldn't imagine her dating a boy at all."

Bassist Takuma seconded, "If Masumi confessed to her, I feel like she'd kick him to death with her pointed high heels while yelling, 'Go to hell! You frivolous bandmate, you presumptuous trash!'"

"But for some people, this is probably just a reward."

"What you're saying is way too terrifying," Masumi sighed. "I was just thinking, what if she could join the band..."

"Wait! Masumi!" Keyboardist Xun quickly called out, "Are you planning to get rid of me?"

“I get it. It’s like playing Nobunaga’s Ambition, right? You want to recruit generals with high stats.” Bassist Takuma nodded.

"If that's the case, I have to give Masumi a reality check."

They must have overheard the conversation, because even the drummer Hayakawa, who had been silent until now, joined in.

"Even Ah Hai... what about that?"

"Masumi is focused on the band and probably doesn't know much about it. The female keyboardist is named Kurokawa Mio. She is a piano student at Toho University and has won numerous awards. She is a very famous young performer in the classical music circle."

"A few months ago, I don't know why I came to the underground scene. I formed several bands, but each time I broke up with my teammates because of my personality. I have a very bad reputation in the underground scene."

"I don't think I'll be able to stay in Shinjuku for very long this time."

Listening to the drummer Hayakawa's story, Masumi once again turned her gaze to the figure with long, honey-gold hair.

After the first song ended, the lead singer was engaging in the MC segment with enthusiastic vocals, interacting with the audience.

Kurokawa Mio stood quietly in a corner of the stage, indifferent and not uttering a word.

The musician shines because of the instrument he plays; if it were anyone else, they would be completely unremarkable.

But she is so beautiful that just standing on the stage, she exudes an undeniable presence, and once you catch a glimpse of her, you can't help but take a second look.

She's the kind of person who's born to perform under the spotlight, Masumi thought.

However... those dark, lifeless pupils did not reflect any of the surrounding scenery.

A flower on a high mountain, blooming in solitude and admiring its own beauty.

That's probably a good way to describe her.

Indeed, it's hard to imagine her holding hands with a boy. The thought, barely forming in her mind, was quickly overshadowed by her cold and indifferent future; in reality, she probably wouldn't act that way, like a little bird clinging to someone.

Perhaps one day, someone will appear who can capture her attention completely.

But Masumi thought that her long, slender, white hands were more suited to the black and white piano keys, rather than being held back by another hand.

◇

In the last bit of September, all Masumi did was wait.

However, the things that came were few and far between, and October was one of them.

Another one is a cold.

"Ah-"

Masumi sneezed.

Thanks to the fact that girls have been playing games, practicing piano, and doing yoga in their rooms lately, the air is filled with their fragrance.

Such a statement inevitably aroused envy, so Masumi picked up a strand of honey-gold hair from the bed between her thumb and forefinger, which shimmered under the fluorescent light on the ceiling.

Besides leaving behind the scents of shampoo, shower gel, and perfume, hair is also one of the things they leave behind.

From this perspective, girls who shed a lot of hair are very similar to cats that shed a lot of fur.

"what sound?"

Hearing the crackling sound outside, Masumi asked.

"The sound of rain," Mami replied.

"It sounds a bit like something frying in oil."

“What a strange metaphor, but…” her expression was subtle, “it seems quite apt.”

"If you sniff carefully, you can almost smell the aroma of tempura."

"Because you're holding a tempura udon noodle dish."

"No wonder."

Mami smiled and placed the tray on the bedside table. "Remember to eat your udon noodles in time, Masumi-kun, or they'll get soggy." "Okay."

Masumi nodded, but didn't seem to intend to move.

"What? Do you want me to feed you?"

Asami spoke with a hint of teasing, her luscious lips emitting soft giggles.

"Let's avoid that," Masumi slowly shook her head. "It wouldn't be good if you caught it."

"Oh, Masumi-kun is so considerate. But you still have to eat the noodles."

I laid the tray across the sheet, and a warm, fragrant aroma wafted from it. The light-colored broth and the udon noodles were simply garnished with chopped green onions. It looked very simple and was the kind of food that would be suitable for a patient.

Masumi picked up some tempura with her chopsticks. Inside were shiso leaves, which had absorbed all the broth, so there was no crispy "crunch" sound when she bit into them.

A muttered voice came from the side: "This medicine... should be taken in two tablets, right? Hmm, the words on the instruction manual are all blurred by water, but the paper is yellowed, no wonder."

"Um, please don't treat my life like a joke," Masumi said anxiously.

Taking too much medication, using medicine that has become moldy after being soaked in water, or using expired medication—any of these is terrifying.

"Don't worry, Masumi-kun, I also brought other special medicines."

Mami said with a grin.

"What kind of miracle drug?"

"Qiang Qiang!"

The sound of carbon dioxide escaping after the can is opened.

"A health supplement produced by Asahi Hospital," Mami introduced, using the tone of Doraemon showing off his magical gadgets.

"I don't recall having a hospital like this in Kobe."

"Haven't you heard, Masumi-kun? Sake is the best of all medicines." A smug smile curved her lips.

"That's a suppressant for alcoholics, isn't it?"

"Wow, that's a really rude way to put it."

"Considering that Masumi-kun is a patient, I specially warmed the sake in hot water, just like the sake that Guan Yu drank when he killed Hua Xiong."

Although he doesn't know much about the history of alcohol, Masumi thinks that beer must not have existed during the Three Kingdoms period.

"There's really nothing I can do about you."

Mami was sullen and gulped down a large mouthful of the special medicine.

"But it's okay, I still have a milder, more effective medicine," she said, unwilling to give up.

"what?"

"This is it, the island nation's cold remedy: green onions!"

"Forgive me for refusing."

"So fast!" Mami exclaimed instinctively, then puffed out her cheeks as if in a huff, "Wasn't the rejection a bit too quick?"

"Listen to me, this is a very famous folk remedy!" Mami said excitedly, launching into a long explanation: "Wrap a scallion around your neck, or take off your pants and put a scallion—"

“This is a completely falsified folk remedy,” Masumi interrupted her. “Besides, have you even tried this method yourself?”

"Because I'm healthy, I don't need it."

Asami sat on the bed with an arrogant expression, her beautiful buttocks, restrained by yoga pants, trembled and created a sensual ripple.

"Hey, Mami, you're stepping on my leg."

"Eh, but isn't this a reward for Masumi-kun?"

"I don't have any particular fetish for masochism."

"Oh yeah, but I actually quite enjoy the feeling of bullying Masumi-kun." She gave a provocative smile.

Seeing that smug look on her face, Masumi suddenly felt an urge to teach her a lesson. Unfortunately, she was extremely weak after being sick.

It's terrible. He's a young adult who runs every morning, yet he's the only person in the coffee shop to catch a cold during the seasonal change.

"How is it, Masumi-kun? Is the udon good?"

Asami lifted her hips, moved from the edge of the bed to the carpet, and sat down, asking softly.

"My nose is blocked, so I can't taste anything."

"Huh? My sense of smell is gone, but I still have my sense of taste, right?"

"Most of the flavor of food comes from aroma, so people's sense of taste depends on their sense of smell to a great extent."

Masumi answered while eating noodles.

"Oh, I see."

Mami nodded, keeping her upper body still, and bent her knees to hug her thighs.

"Speaking of which, what about Rinne and Mio?"

"After Rinne finished making the udon noodles, she went out to buy medicine, and Mio went with her."

"Oh, by the way, Chia Ai knows you're sick and said she'd like to come visit you. She should be on her way now."

"It feels like a big fuss, even though it's raining outside."

"It's just a light rain. Besides, Miss Mio once said, 'I'd do anything for you,' so even a typhoon wouldn't bother her."

"..."

She threw back the blanket and stretched out one foot, placing it on the floor.

"Huh? What's wrong, Masumi-kun?"

"Go to the bathroom."

"Do you need my help?" Mami also stood up.

"Why would I need someone else's help with something like this?" Masumi retorted.

Mami paused slightly, then a mischievous smile appeared on her lips.

"What are you thinking, Masumi-kun? I just saw you wobbling around like a penguin and thought I'd help you up to the second floor."

"After all, no one else is here, so the important task of taking care of Masumi-kun falls entirely on Ryujinin himself," she said, patting her chest.

"However, if Masumi-kun asks me for a favor, I can grant your request."

She blinked one eye and gave a mischievous smile.

"Oh, then please help me up to the second floor."

As Masumi spoke, she stuck her other foot out from under the covers.

After his feet touched the floor, a wave of dizziness gripped his brain for a moment. He barely managed to maintain his swaying posture, but the next moment—

"Masumi-kun!"

As Mami, who was taking a step forward with a startled cry, tripped on the slippery carpet, lost her balance, and staggered forward. Masumi, trying to avoid colliding with her, tried to dodge backward, but she was still a step too late.

Boom!
A smooth forehead slammed into Masumi's shoulder, and the two, their bodies overlapping, fell onto the bed due to the impact of inertia and force.

The soft touch of the mattress beneath her made Masumi lie down on the bed, her weight pressing down on her. When their eyes met, she saw a beautiful face with wide, stunned eyes.

"Masumi-kun."

Asami braced herself on the bed, softly calling Masumi's name in a gentle voice. Her warm, damp breath felt as if it were gently licking Masumi's skin.

"Ok?"

Have you ever heard of a third folk remedy for treating the cold?

"what?"

With her rosy lips, Asami murmured a silent reply through the shape of her lips.

(End of this chapter)