Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 193, Section 34: "I Want to Be Your Happiness"

"Strange, my muscles should be relaxed after a massage, but Masumi's muscles are even more tense instead."

I put on a mischievous smile, just like my senior, and lightly poked Masumi's deltoid muscle with my finger.

"Senior, please stop teasing me."

Masumi frowned, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"It's a real headache. Masumi is completely ungrateful, even though her older sister has been helping you out like Zhuge Liang."

As I, like the ancient sage, said in a pretentious manner, even a feigned expression of grievance could soften one's heart.

Masumi simply turned her face away and asked, "I'd like to ask, why did you do this, senpai?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"All."

Meeting her senior's beautiful eyes, Masumi slowly began to speak:

"Why did you deliberately create pressure and a sense of crisis in front of Qian Ai and the others to force them to unite, and then mediate when they argued? Why did you do that?"

After saying that, Masumi grabbed the restless hand that wanted to explore downwards.

I blinked innocently like a thousand-year-old, taking in the senior's expression. He sighed helplessly.

"As expected, Senpai is the kind of 'wicked woman' Mio was talking about. When she doesn't know how to react, she tries to use her body to appease people."

"They said some really hurtful things to me."

I pouted, just like an old man throwing a tantrum.

"However, Masumi is not slow at all. She is just as perceptive as ever."

"Ah~ and the body too."

"senior."

I, like a thousand-year-old, clearly enjoyed his reaction, and smiled teasingly.

"Okay, okay, I helped Masumi because I wanted to make her happy."

"With so many girls vying for your attention, Masumi must feel overwhelmed even while she's happy, right?"

"But didn't you say you liked me?"

I nodded calmly, just like the old master, "That's right."

"Liking someone can breed possessiveness, but your senior does the opposite. Isn't that strange?"

"Eh, so that's what you care about?" I, like a thousand-year-old ancient maiden, squinted my eyes with pleasure.

"Oh, I see. So Masumi wanted to see me cry and make a scene after seeing you surrounded by girls, looking all pitiful."

“I didn’t say that,” Masumi sighed.

"You're kidding."

I suddenly moved closer, slipped my hands through the gap between Masumi's nape and the bed, and wrapped them around his neck.

"It's precisely because I like her that I've chosen to stand on Masumi's side."

"What's this?"

Sweat beaded on her forehead, sliding down her face and dripping onto the sheets. Masumi felt that her senior's body temperature was very hot.

“I realized back in Nishi High that Masumi was a very popular guy and that he would definitely be surrounded by many beautiful girls in the future.”

“But I can’t be by your side all the time and have all the space next to Masumi. In that case, it’s better to let some girls I trust be with you.”

"Chiai is a good girl, and Ms. Kamishiro is a thoughtful and considerate person. Not to mention Ms. Kurokawa, her feelings for you are overflowing."

"At first glance, Mami's personality seems a bit like mine, but in essence, she's just a little girl who secretly wears an adult's dress to act mature."

"I think Masumi would have a lot of fun with them."

"Senior really has a keen eye for people's hearts."

Masumi vaguely echoed what I, like Chitose Kou, said, and the latter's lips curved into a dangerous smile upon hearing this.

"Are you making fun of your senior? You're really smug, aren't you, just a mere Masumi?"

At the same time, he reached out with both hands, pinched Masumi's cheeks, and pulled them forcefully to the left and right.

"Senbei, Senbei..."

Hearing Masumi call her name in her unclear speech, I, like a Thousand Years of Ancient Time, finally let go of her hand and gently touched the tip of Masumi's nose with my slender fingers.

"However... I don't quite understand that Miss Hanekawa yet, so I'll need Masumi to help me out."

Masumi rubbed her cheeks, which were red from being pulled, and said, "What you said, senpai, is too shocking. I can't accept it yet."

"Oh?"

"Is it that you don't accept my statement, or that you don't accept the reality that you actually have this thought in your heart?"

I asked him directly, as if from ancient times.

"..."

Upon hearing his senior's insightful question, Masumi was momentarily speechless.

Realizing I had revealed my hidden fangs, I lowered my eyelashes as if adjusting myself, and when I raised my face again, my expression was the same mischievous smile I always had.

“I’m asking you, Masumi.”

"Ok?"

What's it like living and working with these girls at the coffee shop?

"To be honest, it's very troublesome," Masumi replied with a sigh.

Is that all?

Her tone was just like that of an older sister gently guiding a child.

Lying in bed, Masumi seemed to be searching for words, gazing up at the ceiling of the room.

"...Being with them, I often felt exhausted, but there was also a strangely comfortable feeling of fatigue, which I found somewhat incredible."

“Taking care of Haiyue in daily life, even when she can’t be relied upon, makes me feel needed and trusted by others without reservation.”

"Before this, I felt that I was out of touch with lively atmospheres. The band was the only way I could fight against the aloofness and indifference in my nature. But after meeting them, my thinking gradually began to change."

"I think it is perhaps because of the process of constantly causing trouble for each other that the relationship between people can deepen and be strung together like a knot."

As Masumi earnestly recounted her story, a quiet smile bloomed on my lips, and I suddenly rudely patted Masumi's head.

What's wrong? Her hair was all messed up by her rubbing, and she felt like she was being pampered like a puppy by her senior. Masumi thought silently.

"He said a lot, which was a bit confusing to listeners."

"But I think I understood."

I smiled and said, "Masumi is happy now, isn't she?"

"Ah."

Masumi nodded without hesitation in response to the question.

"I see. That's enough for me."

The two looked at each other, and I smiled gently, as if from ancient times.

"I want to be a part of Masumi's happiness."

"what?"

She smiled gently and continued speaking.

“Since Masumi is happy now, I have no intention of destroying this happiness; I just want to maintain it for Masumi.”

"Then, let myself become a part of Masumi's happiness."

"Are you satisfied with this answer, Masumi?"

"..."

After a long pause, Masumi finally asked, avoiding the main point, "So, how does Senpai intend to maintain my happiness?"

"Good question." I, like a thousand-year-old ancient sage, nodded solemnly with a satisfied expression.

"As I just said, just like Zhuge Liang in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, I will become Masumi's love strategist, giving you advice and making Masumi invincible in conquering cities and territories."

"No, that's not right." She contradicted herself halfway through her sentence.

"Considering that I will also become Masumi's lover, I should be a character similar to Sōgen-in or Kasuga no Tsubone."

(Note: Both women were wives of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Edo Shogunate. They not only helped Ieyasu resolve relationships with his other wives but also assisted him in handling the Shogunate's political affairs.)
Masumi was stunned by what she heard, and immediately felt like she had been tricked.

"Stop joking around, senior."

"I'm not kidding."

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she said solemnly.

"Oh, right, I suddenly remembered something very important."

"What is it?" Masumi asked curiously.

"After Masumi returns to Kobe, we don't know when we'll meet again. In that case..."

I gently curved my lips into a smile, just like my predecessors, and placed my index finger against my rosy lips in a seductive gesture, while I smiled elegantly.

"...As a strategist and senior, I have an obligation to guide Masumi so that she won't feel shy in front of girls."

Her beautiful eyes were sending flirtatious glances this way. Wearing a blue and white striped swimsuit (?), I, like a young girl, clung to Masumi's body, rubbing against her as I climbed up.

Her appearance was so captivating that heat emanated from her skin through her capillaries, and Masumi felt her face burning hot.

"Senior, is your massage time almost over?"

The sound squeezed out of his throat was incredibly pathetic.

"Oh dear, is this a provocation?"

As I looked down at Masumi from above, I stretched out my leg and intertwined it with his. Seeing Masumi's stiff expression, I suddenly broke into a smile.

"Okay, okay, I'm just kidding."

"It's not the right time to give guidance, otherwise Masumi's pride will be hurt." "Although I'm relieved that you chose to give up, wasn't that a bit too confident of you?"

"You're still not convinced, huh? How about we try it out for a minute?"

"senior."

"Good good."

I responded with a tender tone, then turned my back to him with my beautiful butterfly-shaped shoulder blades and sat on the edge of the bed.

Even though nothing happened, watching my senior from this angle, seeing her pick up a shirt from the side and put it on, buttoning each button in turn, always gives me a strong sense of déjà vu.

"I just asked Mami, you two are working together on a manga, right?" she suddenly asked.

"Oh, yeah."

Masumi nodded. "It will be serialized on the manga website under Shinazugawa Bunko."

"so."

I responded casually, my long, slender fingers lightly stroking the sheets, my neatly trimmed, cherry-pink nails shimmering with an ambiguous sheen.

"In that case, you chose to bind Mami with manga because you couldn't bear to see her give up her talent for drawing, but when it comes to Ms. Kurokawa, you presumptuously let her fly free."

“In this matter, I feel that Masumi is being somewhat discriminatory.”

The unexpected words startled Masumi slightly, and a faint breath escaped from the corner of her mouth.

“That’s easy to understand. I don’t have musical talent. If I’m with her, Mio won’t be able to achieve her goals. Many people have expectations of her, and I hope she can live up to those expectations.”

"So Masumi thinks she has a talent for writing novels?"

Recalling her conversation with Rinne, Masumi nodded.

"Is that so?"

"To be honest, even with my current job as a barista, I don't feel like I'm supporting my father's or Rinne's dreams. I'm just atoning for my immature behavior in the past."

"Masumi."

Suddenly, my voice, like that of an ancient thousand-year-old, became low and deep. I looked at him and said, word by word.

"You're the kind of person who only thinks about yourself."

She covered her mouth with her hand while speaking.

Even though her eyes were curved into crescent moons, Masumi couldn't tell whether her senior was smiling or just squinting.

"..."

"Time is up."

Masumi could see that the mattress had sunk slightly, leaving the marks left by my predecessor, Rugu.

Silently, they entered the room, and after a moment, a head with light-colored, shoulder-length hair peeked out from behind the door.

"Mamazu Masumi."

"It's Qian Ai."

"Masumi-nii, are you alright? Your face is so red, do you have a fever?"

"Hey, I'm fine—"

Before he could finish speaking, Qian Ai made a decision and rushed towards him.

Masumi thought she was going to do something, but unexpectedly, she received a hard knock on the forehead from Aomei.

"Ouch!" Masumi groaned, clutching her forehead. "What are you doing all of a sudden? Are you trying to punish me?"

"No, I just wanted to take Masumi-nii's temperature."

Chiai also said, pressing her throbbing forehead.

"But... since it's not due to body temperature, could it be—Eek!"

She couldn't help but let out a mournful cry.

"I shouldn't have agreed to Sister Qian Sui's request!"

"Promise what?"

Qian Ai shook her head, looking slightly embarrassed, and scratched her ear as she said:

"Chitose told me and Mio that if we were willing to not stand at the door, we could each extend our time by one minute, and she would go and cover for Rinne and the others."

"My sister Mio and I thought we couldn't do much in 5 minutes, so we agreed."

"I see."

The senior was truly meticulous; in this way, no one else would have known about her sensational plan.

"So Chitose-nee and Masumi-nii really did something just now, didn't they?" The childhood friend looked like the sky had fallen.

"Just say it's nothing."

Masumi reached out and grabbed Chiai's clenched fist.

Startled by his sudden action, Qian Ai lowered her head and then hunched her back as if she had withered away.

Her body, which had been stiff to the extreme, relaxed, and her skin turned bright red, spreading across her snow-white skin as if bleeding.

"Oh, oh..."

"Then I'll give Masumi-nii a back massage."

"Yes, thank you for your help."

Then Masumi lay down on the bed and quietly enjoyed the time they spent in silence.

"Brother Masumi, do you need me to give you a back massage?"

"You should have asked before you stepped on it."

As her back sank, she felt the delicate shape of the foot beneath her feet and said helplessly.

The cheerful laughter of a childhood sweetheart rang out overhead.

As if infected by Chiai's sunflower-like, untroubled personality, Masumi's emotions became slightly elevated, fluctuating between peaks and valleys.

The last person to enter the room was Kurokawa Mio.

She didn't look happy, and Masumi deduced something from Mio's expression.

"Is Mio in a bad mood?"

"Ah."

"After all, I'm the last one." She let out a melancholy sigh.

"Watching Rinne and Chiai and the others come out of their rooms one by one, with radiant and satisfied expressions on their faces, I was worried that Masumi might not have enough left for me."

Kurokawa Mio's face showed serious concern.

Masumi forced a stiff smile: "Enough... portion?"

"That's right, those five girls must have massaged Masumi's body thoroughly already. In that case, no matter how hard I try, I won't be the first person Masumi thinks of going there."

"So that's what Mio was struggling with."

Masumi sighed, unsurprised, thought for a moment, and said, "How about I give Mio a massage instead?"

"Eh!?"

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

Kurokawa Mio stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

"Is it...is it okay?" she stammered unconsciously.

"If Mio doesn't mind—"

"do not mind!"

After speaking urgently, Kurokawa Mio lay flat on the bed.

Her skin color resembled toast lightly coated with strawberry jam, looking incredibly tempting and delicious.

She seems nervous. Is everything alright?

Thinking this, Masumi slowly reached out her hand.

The fair and smooth skin clung to my fingers, and the fingertips pressed against my lower abdomen seemed to melt almost into my skin.

"Um……"

Kurokawa Mio bit her lip, suppressing a soft moan.

……

When the time was up, Masumi opened the window to dispel the sweltering air that had accumulated indoors.

The raindrops were already as fine as silk threads, and a cool breeze brought in the air.

Standing by the window, looking down at Kurokawa Mio, her honey-gold hair rippled slightly, as if pleasant remnants were rising from Mio's body like steam.

"Mio, are you alright?"

Masumi looked strange. He swore that he had just been giving a normal massage.

"Um...I'm fine..."

Kurokawa Mio slightly parted her red lips, raising her chin like a drowning person struggling to breathe, already exerting all her strength just to answer Masumi's question.

"This, like this."

"Oh right, it's about time to go downstairs and prepare dinner."

"Masumi, go ahead. I want to savor it some more... and rest a little longer."

Kurokawa Mio sat up from the bed, hugging her thighs, burying her face in her knees, her ear tips resembling bright red butterfly wings.

"Oh, I see."

Masumi forgot to even put on her coat and left the room immediately.

(End of this chapter)