Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 174, Section 15: "If you're sick, what else will rise along with your body temperature?"

The incandescent light bulb seemed unable to bear the dampness and darkness, emitting a slight groaning sound.

At a distance close enough to feel each other's breath, Mami slowly reached out her hand and touched Masumi's cheek.

"Asami?"

Faced with this sudden action, Masumi's body tensed up instinctively.

Her stunningly beautiful face stared intently at him.

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

The hand that was stroking Masumi's cheek suddenly made a strange gesture.

The middle finger and thumb are pressed together to form a circle, while the other fingers are sticking straight up.

Is this... a fox's gesture?

No, if it were a fox gesture, then the ring finger should also be touching the middle finger and thumb, so this is...

next moment--

Mami flicked her finger mercilessly across Masumi's forehead.

"Ouch." Masumi cried out in pain, feeling a strange sense of unease.

Why did you flick my forehead? And you flicked it way too hard!

"Hehe, Masumi-kun must have been having all sorts of wild thoughts just now, right? His face turned red, so cute."

Asami proudly puffed out her chest, looking smug. Through her white tank top, the shape of the bra covering her full breasts could be seen.

Regarding her complete lack of awareness about this, Masumi constantly reminds her to wear underwear properly.

"That's because of a fever." Masumi turned her face away dismissively.

"Huh? Still no fever? I guess I'll have to use the scallion remedy after all." She grinned wickedly.

“I already said that it’s a completely falsified folk remedy,” Masumi sighed.

"What about the treatment method of 'passing on a cold to someone else and getting better on your own'? In ACG works, this is a perfect opportunity to use the guise of treatment to engage in physical intimacy."

"That would be too selfish and harmful to others; I'm not that kind of person."

"NO NO!"

Asami shook her finger. "Masumi-kun doesn't understand at all. It's because of the fever that his brain can't make normal judgments, which is why he can reasonably do things that are completely opposite to his usual persona."

"For example, in romantic comedies, the aloof young lady becomes soft and clingy after getting a fever, while the herbivorous young man changes his predatory personality after getting sick and does all sorts of things to the other protagonist who comes to visit him."

"First of all, reality isn't a romantic comedy; secondly, I've never thought about changing my persona; and thirdly, I don't have anyone to infect right now." Masumi delivered a triple denial.

"Tsk, has the repressed guy become an arrogant repressed guy? This is just adding a label, not changing his character."

Mami subconsciously pursed her lips, then seemed to realize something and glared at him with sharp eyes.

"Masumi-kun, are you trying to say that the 'idiots don't catch colds' trope only appears in anime, comics, and games?"

"The fact that you realize this means you've already graduated from school for idiots—hiss!"

Masumi suddenly let out a groan of pain.

Mami, with a fierce expression, straddled him unreasonably, and even maliciously lifted her buttocks before sitting down heavily.

Masumi groaned in pain, not daring to accept it. This guy was far too fixated on this position, completely disregarding his own body type.

"Your reaction is way too exaggerated, Masumi-kun."

"I'm a patient right now, what you're doing is going too far."

Masumi weakly raised one hand. "Also, I need to go to the restroom. Please don't upset me anymore."

"Uh, sorry, Masumi-kun."

Miss Mami blushed with embarrassment, relaxed her whole body, and stammered, "After all, it happened in the last chapter, and I accidentally forgot about it completely."

Are you a goldfish? And saying 5 minutes would be easier to understand, right?

The effects of the medication had probably worn off, and the fever and fatigue that I felt when I woke up in the morning swept over me again, causing Masumi to lose her energy and even her spirits to complain.

With Ms. Mami's help, Masumi managed to muster the strength to go to the restroom.

The sound of a vehicle passing by could be heard outside the room.

"Actually, I'm not that weak. I can still walk on my own."

"Hey, Masumi-kun, you almost fell just now, don't push yourself." Mami's attitude was firm.

"I'm the only one in the coffee shop right now. If anything happens to you, I'll be held responsible, and Ms. Mio and the others will definitely not let me off the hook either."

"Don't portray yourself as a panda keeper."

"To everyone at the coffee shop, Masumi-kun is just as rare as a giant panda," Mami said with a grin, completely unserious.

"But upon closer inspection, apart from your waist, the muscles in the rest of your body are quite muscular, for a mere Masumi-kun."

I don't understand what she's so upset about.

"Oh, my thighs have gotten just as big as mine without me even realizing it."

"It's not that bad yet."

Masumi glanced over without making a sound. Asami's newly bought yoga pants were short enough to expose the inward curve of her thighs, and the waistband was so low that it completely exposed the lines of her lower abdomen.

"Masumi-kun."

"Ok?"

Suddenly, her smile vanished, she cleared her throat meaninglessly, straightened her posture, and bowed slightly.

"Master, we are here."

"Don't use such a strange tone, it makes me feel weird." Masumi sighed and rubbed her forehead.

Stepping into the bathroom, the first thing that catches my eye is my own hair sticking up like a bird's nest, and me wearing pajamas; I really look haggard.

After using the toilet, he washed his hands at the tap and then washed his face to make himself look more refreshed.

The sound of footsteps creaking echoed on the wooden floor of the corridor.

"Ms. Asami, where is Masumi?"

"in."

"Brother Masumi, I've come to visit you! I even brought you an anglerfish to help you recover." Chiai's energetic voice rang out from outside the door.

"Please don't crowd around the toilet door to visit the patient."

Masumi opened the bathroom door and looked at the girls in front of her.

"Masumi-nii, your face is so red!" Chiai exclaimed.

"The fever reducer has probably worn off."

Masumi felt her cheeks gradually warming up.

Rinne took a strip of capsules out of the plastic bag and handed it to him, "Take one capsule three times a day."

"Oh, thank you."

The heiress nodded. "Then I'll go prepare the anglerfish. You take your medicine and rest well."

"Chiai and Asami-nee, please come and help too."

"well."

A mix of energetic and languid voices overlapped in the air.

"I also have something... to give to Masumi..."

As Haiyue spoke, she handed him the full plastic bag she was carrying.

"Ah, this... is it a medical fever-reducing patch?"

The bag was full of medical fever-reducing patches with cartoon jellyfish patterns printed on them. Although I know Haiyue really likes jellyfish, this is a bit too extreme.

"Children's fever-reducing patches?"

"There is a... difference..."

The jellyfish girl's tone was weak, even more frail than his own, a patient with a severe cold, making it impossible to tell whether it was a statement or a question.

Masumi picked up the top one, and what caught her eye was a jellyfish with a four-leaf clover on its head, which looked somewhat familiar.

"Moon jellyfish?"

"Mm." Haiyue nodded quietly.

Due to their beautiful appearance, moon jellyfish are among the most popular exhibit animals in aquariums around the world, and you can see them floating in the tank when you go to an aquarium.

It is also a very popular type of pet jellyfish, and even people who are not familiar with jellyfish can easily keep it at home.

"...Even so, isn't this too much?"

"Masumi...doesn't like jellyfish?"

Haiyue tilted her head with a curious look, a few strands of her flaxen hair falling down with the movement and spreading across the front of her sweatshirt.

"No, I actually quite like jellyfish... those kinds of marine creatures."

Mio Kurokawa's gaze pierced through her from beside her, and Masumi belatedly realized that this question was as subtle as asking, "Do you like egg yolks?" (Note: The Japanese word for egg yolk, "yellow body," and the Japanese word for you, "kimi," are both pronounced "kimi.")
However, Haiyue probably doesn't have such cunning.

"I also bought a lot of... other jellyfish..."

Her bluish-green pupils shone brightly, like a shallow sea bathed in sunlight, as she kept pulling out fever-reducing patches from her bag.

"This... is a red moon jellyfish, and this... is a peach blossom jellyfish..."

"And there's something even rarer... the Black Star Sea Turtle Jellyfish... Hmm... let me look for it..."

"Uh, thank you, but one is enough."

"……Yeah."

Haiyue's eyebrows drooped slightly, making her look quite regretful.

“I said, Haiyue, don’t disturb Masumi’s rest.” Kurokawa Mio interjected at this moment, “Masumi, let me help you back to your room to rest.”

Almost forcibly carried back to her room, Masumi took her medicine with plain water and looked at Kurokawa Mio lying on the bed with a strange expression.

She was seen hugging her pillow tightly, making "hehehehehe" sounds, and muttering to herself:
"Is it because of the fever? It's easier for you to feel Masumi's scent and body temperature."

"...So, what are you doing, Mio?"

This woman's appearance can no longer be described as a woman who values ​​virtue, but rather as a woman who is obsessed with love.

It would be even more terrifying if there were a tendency towards disability fetishism.

"Masumi, come over here."

As she said this, she knelt on the bed and patted her thigh, as if to say, "Please sit down, don't be shy."

"This is a special knee pillow for patients."

"No need for a lap pillow, give me the pillow... Hey, don't sit on my pillow."

"Sorry, Masumi, I'll give you my pillow later." Kurokawa Mio smiled with her eyes narrowed. "For now, lie on my lap."

Masumi sighed, clearly annoyed. Girls are just such unreasonable creatures, and Kurokawa was no exception.

"Come on, please don't be shy."

No, that's clearly my bed... but Masumi will still lie down there anyway.

Guided by Kurokawa Mio, Masumi rested the back of her head on Kurokawa's soft thigh. Perhaps to make it easier to use her as a lap pillow, Kurokawa's skirt was also very short.

When I open my eyes, I can see the ceiling and that sweet smile.

"Is it comfortable lying down?" she asked.

"Yes, in terms of height, it's much better than my pillow. My pillow feels a bit unstable when I put my head on it."

Masumi thought that as long as she answered seriously, there would be no ambiguous atmosphere of a girl giving a boy her lap pillow.

"Hey, what about the softness? Does Masumi think it's suitable?"

"Even if I feel it's not appropriate, this kind of thing can't be changed like the thickness of noodles."

As she said this, Masumi suddenly felt her bangs being gently brushed up, and the cool touch of the fever-reducing patch on her forehead. Kurokawa Mio stretched out her fingers and carefully smoothed out the wrinkles on the fever-reducing patch.

"Hey, Masumi."

"how?"

"Have you ever thought that if it were Ms. Mami, you might not be able to see her face from below?"

Kurokawa Mio suddenly asked a strange question.

"Why are you saying this all of a sudden?"

Because of her fever, Masumi had a lot of cold sweat on her forehead.

"I'm sorry, I was just thinking that before the fever reducer takes effect, I could get some information from Masumi's dazed mouth," Kurokawa Mio said frankly.

"Don't do something so dangerous."

Masumi complained listlessly, "Besides, truth serum is probably more effective than antipyretics that cause reverse dependence."

"Truth serum? I wonder if they sell it in drugstores in Kobe."

Kurokawa Mio rested her chin on her hand, seemingly lost in thought.

"Mio?"

"You're kidding."

She wore a mischievous smile, her honey-gold hair falling down to touch Masumi's cheek.

Kurokawa Mio lowered her head and looked down at Masumi's face.

"Hey, Masumi, what about what I told you last night? What have you thought about?"

"Want to go on a date?"

"Hmm." Kurokawa Mio took a crumpled lottery ticket out of the pocket of her short skirt.

First prize: a trip to Okinawa.

"Didn't you already communicate with the staff to give up your prize redemption eligibility?"

Masumi only learned last night that Mio had won the first prize at Dream City that day, but then quietly gave up her qualification. She neither confirmed nor denied it, but vaguely guessed the reason why she did so.

“Then I’ll go on a trip at my own expense,” she said calmly. “Anyway, it’s not tourist season now, so the flights and hotels aren’t too expensive.”

"is it not OK?"

After a moment of silence, Masumi said calmly:

"Not suitable."

Perhaps because of a cold, his voice was hoarse and low.

"What's inappropriate?"

"Because of the coffee shop, because of Rinne and the others?"

Kurokawa Mio reached out and tightly grasped Masumi's hand, clenching her fingers and trying to prevent him from letting go.

Body temperatures are connected, and Masumi noticed that her fingertips were trembling violently.

"Mio?"

Kurokawa Mio narrowed her eyes slightly with a hint of melancholy and spoke with lowered eyes.

"After arriving in Kobe, although I was able to live with Masumi and spend every day together as I wished, I could clearly feel that the distance between Masumi and me was gradually growing."

"As the store manager and young master, as long as this coffee shop still exists, the connection between Masumi and Rinne cannot be broken."

"I also have a connection with Ms. Asami through co-creating manga, not to mention that Masumi even went to Kusatsu specifically to help Ms. Asami rekindle her creative passion."

“Masumi’s relationship with them is special. In comparison, I’m just clinging to Masumi’s side. This relationship is not solid. It may crumble in the blink of an eye because of a small thing.”

"so--"

Her tone was so sincere that Masumi had no choice but to look her in the eye.

Masumi recognized that look.

No matter how suggestive Kurokawa Mio's words were, he could easily see through the expectation deep in her eyes.

Unfortunately, this expectation is something I can never fulfill right now.

"Mio."

It felt like there were some rough particles mixed in with the air, and every time I inhaled, it scratched my throat.

"I'm sorry for saying those things to Masumi without her consent, even though Masumi is sick."

Kurokawa Mio instantly showed a guilty expression. "It must be because you gave me your coat yesterday that you caught a cold. I'm so sorry."

Immediately afterwards, a hand was placed on Masumi's chest, and she felt a gentle, rhythmic patting sensation.

"Get some rest, I'll wake you up."

Her movements were so gentle, like she was coaxing a child to sleep, which made Masumi feel a little embarrassed, but at the same time, she felt a strange feeling.

A sense of inner peace.

The warmth from my palms warmed my chest, and this warmth slowly spread throughout my body, making me sleepy.

Kurokawa Mio gazed at her tenderly, her beautifully curved lips moving softly.

"Does Masumi know?"

"Whether it's speaking words, understanding each other's hearts, or touching each other's bodies, these are all proof of one's existence to the other person. None of them can be missing, otherwise loneliness will gradually accumulate without one realizing it."

"……I see."

As drowsiness crept in, Masumi's mind gradually went blank.

My vision was blurry, and the scene before me seemed as transparent and distant as skin with a pearl base.

The shape of her rosy lips still outlined the words; Mio was talking to herself, and she needed to respond properly... Even this thought was swept away by the flood of sleepiness.

Just before I was completely lost in the void of sleep, I heard her weak murmur softly in my ear.

"Good night, Masumi."

(End of this chapter)