Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 194, Section 35: "The Last Journey"

The following day, the weather forecast lifted the typhoon warning, and the typhoon's impact on the Ryukyu Islands came to a complete end.

When Masumi woke up in the morning, she went to the living room and saw that the sky had cleared up and the morning light was beautiful, making it look like a dazzling world with a shimmering sea.

That color, known as "Miyako Blue," truly shone brightly in the morning sun.

"Good morning, Masumi."

Suddenly someone called out to him. Masumi turned around and saw that his senior, Ruko, was staring at him in his pajamas, holding the tabby cat that had wandered in.

"Senior wants to adopt this cat?"

"No, I just want to pamper it a little longer before it leaves," I said, implying something more.

"Oh," Masumi replied noncommittally, then continued.

"We're flying to Naha at 4 PM today, and then transferring back to Kobe."

The group's flight was delayed by the typhoon, lasting a full 24 hours, and finally decided to take off at 16:35 this afternoon.

"So that means we still have about half a day left on Miyako Island?"

"Ah."

"Any plans?"

"Let's drive around the island."

Also due to the typhoon, Masumi contacted the car rental company and extended her car rental contract.

“I see.” She nodded.

"In that case, how about I, a native of Miyako Island, show you around?"

I followed the suggestion of my predecessors.

◇

The car departed from the guesthouse and turned onto the Ryukyu National Highway.

"Senior, is it okay for your car to be parked there?" Masumi asked, looking at the small truck parked on the side of the road.

The night before last, my senior, Ru Gu, arrived in the aquarium's cargo transport vehicle.

Thanks to the supplies she brought, everyone was able to safely get through the typhoon.

"It's alright, I'll contact the other staff at the aquarium later to take it back."

I, like an ancient thousand-year-old, gripped the steering wheel and said.

"Does Sister Chitose have a lot of staff at her aquarium?"

"No, not at all." I, like a thousand-year-old ancient man, frowned in slight distress. "To be honest, I am often troubled by the lack of manpower."

"There are very few young people on Miyako Island; the staff at the aquarium are all older men and women."

"Qian Ai asked this because she's planning to help me?" she teased.

"Hey, but I haven't graduated yet."

"Then come back after graduation?"

"I'll probably go to work for a fashion design company after graduation..."

I smiled from the bottom of my heart, like a thousand-year-old ancient man.

"Qian Ai is taking this too seriously."

The sky was a clear, azure blue after the typhoon passed, and the wind carried the moisture of the sea.

They stopped at a shopping street selling local specialties and decided to buy some things.

"Getting off the bus is such a hassle, Masumi-kun, could you get me a meat bun from the convenience store?"

Asami lay lazily on the last row of seats and said.

Since everyone else had gotten off the bus, she reclined the back of the seat in front of her and stretched out her fair and slender legs.

That's Masumi's spot.

Masumi glanced at her helplessly, "Remember to straighten my seat."

"Okay, Masumi-kun, stop talking nonsense and go quickly."

After getting off the bus, Masumi walked past the bronze statue of the Wind Lion God, whose paint had been eroded and turned green by the sea breeze, and waved to it. She then entered the convenience store and went straight to the hot food section.

I bought Mami a pork bun for 160 yen, and Masumi bought herself a chocolate bun for 140 yen and a hot drink for 128 yen.

Then I took out 500 yen in coins from my coin purse to pay.

Hearing from his senior that they were going to Miyako Shrine later, he specifically asked the shop assistant for some 5-yen coins.

Back in the car.

The others haven't returned yet.

Like my senior, I led the girls to browse the nearby drugstores and souvenir shops.

The car stereo was playing a song that was clearly from some anime.

Fragments of a Shattered Dream

It's still firmly stuck to my fingertip.

Touching others again
Will I get hurt?
The tabby cat lay asleep on Mami's plump lap, basking in the sunlight streaming through the lowered car window, so content that it didn't even glance at Masumi.

"You two, one person and one cat, are really living a leisurely life."

"Huh? Masumi-kun is back so soon."

"What about the rest?"

Asami looked at the empty space behind Masumi and asked.

" Went to the souvenir shop."

"Hey, why isn't Masumi-kun going?"

"There's nothing in particular I want to buy."

Masumi is a person with very low material desires; if it weren't for this spending habit, he probably wouldn't have been able to afford this trip to Miyako Island.

"Oh?"

Mami's eyebrows suddenly twitched upwards.

"Masumi-kun, I don't think you understand at all~"

"Know what?"

"The greatest reward of travel is not local customs, delicious food, or beautiful scenery, but the memories you create."

I was lectured like this by a shut-in.

"Are memories just keepsakes?"

"It's not a direct correspondence, but it's definitely related."

"Although this trip is about to end, and it's not yet time to talk about these things as memories, it's easy to recall this time when I see the souvenirs on the table by chance in the future."

"That's the meaning of souvenirs."

Asami raised the corners of her lips smugly, and made a "" gesture by stretching her thumbs and forefingers at a right angle.

"You talk a good game, but you're the one who's lazy on the bus."

With a sharp gaze, Mami glared at him unhappily.

Masumi said casually, "Are you still going to eat meat buns? If we keep talking, they'll get cold."

"eat!"

◇

As you peel away the wrapping paper stuck to the thin skin of the bun, a pungent sweet aroma wafts out.

"Masumi-kun, you bought a bag of chocolates."

"Hmm, I haven't tried it before, but I'd like to."

"Hey, that sounds very scientific. Maybe Masumi-kun is suited for scientific research."

"Thank you, but I chose humanities in high school."

"There are also studies in the humanities, such as recruiting volunteers to conduct inhumane survival experiments on deserted islands in order to study human nature."

"Although I didn't go to college, I think this kind of experiment probably doesn't exist in reality."

"Is that so? But I was just saying it offhand."

After saying that, Mami took a bite of the pork bun. The delicious meat juice spread on her tongue, and Mami closed her eyes in satisfaction.

"So juicy! So satisfying!"

"Why isn't Masumi-kun eating?"

Looking at the chocolate bag that was still intact and looked so good it could be put back on the shelves, Mami tilted her head slightly and asked in confusion.

"The taste doesn't seem very good, so I'm a little hesitant."

Masumi sighed, "To be honest, I regretted it a little when I was paying the bill."

"Ugh, he bought it on a whim, but then just left it to sit there without eating it. Masumi-kun is truly a natural scumbag."

"Don't make something so ordinary sound so strange." Masumi sighed, "You yourself often do things like this."

"I don't have any."

"When I saw gashapon machines on the street, I couldn't resist turning a whole bunch of them and then just left them lying around in my room."

"Eek! Masumi-kun, you're invading my privacy!" Asami protested indignantly.

She finished the rest of the meat buns in a few bites, her cheeks puffed up with anger, just like the meat buns themselves.

However, this expression only lasted for two seconds. Seeing Masumi staring at the chocolate bag with a troubled look on her face, Mami couldn't help but smile.

"How about I help Masumi share half the burden?" she offered, unusually kindly.

"Really? I can't guarantee the taste." Masumi had already placed a warning sign beforehand.

"It's okay, after all, for Masumi-kun, I'm just that convenient a woman to use~"

Asami said in a pretentious manner, which drew a speechless look from Masumi, "How about I give you them all?"

"No! It has to be at least half for each of us."

"Okay, thank you anyway."

Through the wrapper, Masumi broke the chocolate package in half and handed one half to her.

The two of them took a bite of the bun in their hands at the same time.

"So sweet!" "So sweet!"

The two voices overlapped in the air.

Mami frowned: "Does Masumi-kun have any water?"

"Yes, we do have them, but they're hot drinks."

Next to the seat was a hot drink I had just bought from the convenience store—a coffee bean beverage with 100% milk, and it had a very rich and smooth taste.

"In this hot weather, Masumi-kun still bought hot drinks."

Mami made a harmless remark, put the chocolate bag in her mouth, and unscrewed the cap of the beverage bottle.

Several girls returned just then, carrying their shopping bags.

"It smells so sweet! What are Masumi-nii and Asami-nee eating?"

"Chocolate bun, would you like to try some, Chiai?"

"Well, me." Looking at the chocolate bun that Masumi had clearly taken a bite out of, Chiai couldn't help but swallow.

“I want to eat it too!” Kurokawa Mio quickly added.

"Then you can each have half."

A steamed bun isn't a person; it can be divided into many portions.

The chocolate bag was broken in half, and both girls carefully accepted the bag, then took a small bite.

"So sweet!" "So sweet!"

◇

In the end, all the steamed buns were eaten.

Qian Ai stared palely out the window, the background of her vision turning into a gradual light blue.

"How come Mio-neechan is acting like nothing happened after eating such sweet things?"

"Since it's something Masumi gave me, I'll accept it no matter what. That cloying sweetness is proof that Masumi's emotions are overflowing."

Kurokawa Mio spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Oh, I see. But Masumi-nii's love was just split into three."

Chiai smiled teasingly, "Mami-nee got the biggest portion."

Kurokawa Mio's face darkened. "Spit it out."

"What?" Qian Ai blinked.

"A chocolate bag, and Masumi's love!"

She shook Qian'ai's shoulders vigorously, and the childhood sweetheart's eyes instantly turned into mosquito coils.

"Wait a minute! Mio-neechan! How am I supposed to throw it up now?!"

"If you had told me sooner, I definitely would have let you eat them all."

Masumi looked at the two noisy girls with a headache.

The car drove slowly and steadily on the highway with a view of the sea.

Rinne, annoyed by the trouble, pulled the two arguing apart and switched seats with Chiai.

“Masumi, look.”

Hearing Haiyue call, Masumi turned her head and saw an origami jellyfish lying in her palm.

It was folded from the wrapping paper of a chocolate bar.

"Origami? Haiyue can do that too?"

"Hmph." The jellyfish girl's lips curled into a smug smile.

My fair fingers were covered in chocolate powder, making them a little dirty, but at the same time, they smelled wonderful.

"My hands are covered in chocolate powder."

"Ah."

The girl nodded quietly.

Masumi rubbed her forehead and said, "Shouldn't we have answered with 'hmm' here?"

Taking a tissue from her pocket, Masumi pulled her hand over and gently wiped it clean.

Haiyue's hands were small, soft, and delicate, and didn't seem very reliable.

Presumably, it can't span multiple frets on a guitar fretboard, nor can it play the piano freely, but holding it in your palm gives you a sense of security.

Then she looked at Masumi with her blue-green eyes.

"Because... Masumi is there..."

Her words sounded a bit like reciting a haiku.

The sunlight reflected from the sea streamed in through the window, tracing the contours of her smooth, supple skin and outlining her beautiful profile.

Haiyue's pupils, under the light, seemed to reflect the waxing and waning of the moon, swaying and constantly changing.

"Just because I'm here doesn't mean you can ignore everything?" Masumi didn't know what to say.

Haiyue nodded silently.

A slightly sticky sea breeze blew in, ruffling her flaxen hair, and her slender, soft fingers were wiped clean.

◇

The waxing and waning of the moon

Everything goes back and forth.
Swaying in the wind, drifting and swaying

Even the most unforgettable pain will eventually become a thing of the past, so what?
A sliver of light shone through the monotonous routine of daily life.
Attracted by it, my heart yearns for it.
Kurokawa Mio stared intently at the portable mirror, her slender fingertips spreading the grease from her palms, releasing a pleasant fragrance.

"Would you like some, Masumi?"

"what?"

"I just bought the hand oil at the drugstore next door."

“Sure.” Masumi nodded nonchalantly, then casually asked, “I remember Mio used to use the same hand cream all the time, didn’t she?”

Then, using the excuse that "I accidentally applied too much hand cream," I naturally reached out and touched her hand, just like this—

The palm of my hand felt wet and slippery with liquid.

"Ah~ Well, I've recently developed a liking for the feel of oily textures."

Kurokawa Mio smiled sweetly.

Beneath the skirt, her legs rubbed against each other, creating undulating lines.

A girl silently grabbed Kurokawa Mio's wrist—it was Rinne.

Her face remained as indifferent as ever, her gaze fixed on Masumi and Kurokawa Mio's tightly clasped hands.

Masumi looked down at her hands, which, due to the lubricating effect of the hand oil, had somehow become an intertwined grip.

Mio held him tightly, their interlocking fingertips burning hot, and Rinne's gaze on her face stung.

Seeing the heiress's indifferent expression, Kurokawa Mio couldn't help but smile.

"Oh my, Rinne's eyes are terrifying."

"Does it really take that long just to apply hand oil, Mio?"

"Long? Not at all."

"To allow the essential oils to penetrate the skin effectively, holding hands together and using body heat is the most efficient way."

A smug and provocative smile appeared on Kurokawa Mio's lips, while Rinne maintained a stern expression.

Seeing this, Kurokawa Mio pressed her body close to Masumi, and said to him in a pleading tone.

"Hey, Masumi, look at Rinne's expression, it's so scary. Why don't we get out of the car and hide behind the rocks on a secluded beach?"

Hearing her say that, Rinne raised an eyebrow.

"What is Mio planning to do by taking Masumi behind the rocks on the beach?"

"Please don't worry about that, everyone. I just think it feels great to have my hands wet and slippery after moisturizing them. I can do some nice things with them. What do you think, Masumi?"

"..."

Masumi regretted yesterday's massage a little. As for Mio now... well, describing her as "having tasted the sweetness of the marrow" is a bit too profound.

Just like a child who won't stop scratching no matter how much someone tells them to, Kurokawa Mio just wanted to fully experience this pleasure.

"Ah! Mio-neechan! You ran away again!"

Noticing the commotion, Qian Ai angrily poked her head out from between the front seats.

Seeing that a chaotic scene was inevitable, I, like the ancient master, stepped in to save the day.

"Ladies, please be patient. Just ahead is Miyako Island's most famous attraction, Naha Maehama Beach."

"Welcome to Miyako Island, everyone from Kobe!"

(End of this chapter)