Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 196, Section 37: "Masumi went to great lengths to consider the girls' feelings."

The seven people chatted and laughed, killing time in Naha Maehama until noon.

A silent heatwave, accompanied by the ocean tide, rushed towards her. Her whole body was immersed in this hot air, and Masumi felt as if she had been hit several times by the sun.

The sea reflected the sunlight, looking like an endless blue carpet, with a gray patch embedded in it on the opposite side, like the stitches used to weave the carpet.

“That’s the Laijian Bridge,” I explained to my senior.

This bridge leads to Kurimajima, a small island located in the southwest of Miyako Island with a permanent population of only about one hundred.

“Although it’s just an inconspicuous little island, the view from the lookout is beautiful. Would you like to go take a look?” she asked.

“There are places to rent bicycles nearby, and many tourists choose to ride there.”

"Cycling?"

“That’s right.” I nodded like the senior. “The scenery you see while cycling on the cross-sea bridge is completely different from what you see from a car.”

Upon hearing this, Kurokawa Mio's eyes immediately lit up.

"Riding a tandem bicycle on the beach is something couples do."

"It's against traffic laws for two people to ride a bicycle together, Mio," Rinne reminded her calmly from the side.

Haiyue: "I can't... ride a bicycle..."

"Eh."

So the plan to cycle to Majima Island was abandoned.

"It's almost noon. In that case, let's go have lunch first," I said with a smile, like the ancient Thousand Years.

"I know a really good teppanyaki restaurant."

Like my senior, I acted like a dutiful tour guide, although I would occasionally do things outside my duties, such as "teasing Masumi, who was a tourist, with words and gestures."

Overall, it is quite safe and reliable.

Two minutes later, Masumi silently retracted her earlier comment in her mind.

"Oh, so Masumi likes role-playing? That's surprising. Is she no longer satisfied with the superior-subordinate relationship?"

On the way to the restaurant, in the back row, I whispered in Masumi's ear in a sentimental voice, as if I were a Thousand Years Old:

"Sure, then I'll grant my lovely junior's request and become the exclusive tour guide providing special services to tourist Masumi."

Masumi adopted a defiant attitude and sighed heavily, "Please don't make fun of me, senior."

"Don't worry, I'm not the only one who's happy about this. I promise Masumi will be happy too."

As for Gu Qiansui, she still smiled with her eyes narrowed, that elusive beauty making one wonder how much of her words were a joke and how much were serious.

"Isn't it a bit unfair to provide tour guide services only to Masumi? Miss Ruko."

At this moment, Kurokawa Mio interjected.

Those obsidian-like eyes narrowed beautifully, the corners of her lips slightly curved, and she looked at me, Ru Gu Qian Sui, with an unspoken look in her eyes.

I, like a young woman, smiled as usual at Kurokawa Mio's reaction.

"I'm sorry, it was my oversight. I will take my job as a tour guide seriously and treat everyone equally."

"No, I didn't mean to blame Miss Rugu, I was just giving her a gentle reminder."

Mio let out a soft giggle, and her senior smiled with narrowed eyes.

Despite the seemingly harmonious scene, Masumi felt a chill run down her spine.

However, the imagined chaotic scene did not occur; it was just a false alarm, and the car stopped in front of the teppanyaki restaurant.

The manager and chef was a man in his fifties, with a white headscarf and an apron around his waist. He looked meticulous and had the air of a craftsman.

With the recommendation from her senior, Masumi couldn't help but feel even more excited about the taste.

"Uncle Higa, where's the wine I left with you before?"

I greeted the store manager with a smile, just like in ancient times.

"It's Emperor Qiantsu. Are these your friends?"

The shop manager asked as he took out some wine that his senior had stored from under the bar.

"That's right, we came here specifically to taste Uncle Higa's cooking."

My sweet talk, as if from ancient times, made the shopkeeper beam with joy.

If Masumi said the same thing, it definitely wouldn't have the same effect. Is this what class is all about?
Of course, Masumi herself isn't good at saying things to please her elders.

"Hmph, because Masumi-kun only says nice things to pretty girls."

Asami said sarcastically, while nudging him lightly with her elbow.

"Don't make me sound like a lecherous monster," Masumi said helplessly.

The seven people sat around the long iron plate. Masumi sat on the edge, while Kurokawa Mio clung to him like a clingy golden retriever and sat next to him.

The appetizers included potato salad and bean sprouts.

Then came the main dishes we ordered: grilled squid head, scallops, lotus root, asparagus, bitter melon stir-fried with eggs, and salted fried noodles.

In addition, Masumi also ordered a mutton teppanyaki, which is said to be made from mutton from Miyako Island.

Kurokawa Mio picked up a piece of mutton from the plate with her chopsticks and stared at the thin slices of meat in mid-air.

Seeing her expression, Masumi asked softly:

Is this Mio's first time eating mutton?

"Hmm, I've heard that mutton has a very strong gamey smell."

"Does Masumi like to eat lamb?" she asked.

"I wouldn't say I liked it. I ate Genghis Khan barbecue twice with Ahai and the others back in Tokyo, and..."

After recalling briefly, Masumi said, "My father used to go to izakayas in Chinatown with his friends, and he would always order grilled lamb skewers."

(Note: Genghis Khan BBQ is a traditional grilled lamb dish from Hokkaido, an island nation.)
"so."

Kurokawa Mio nodded, and after seemingly thinking it over carefully, she said, "In order to marry into the Miyazawa family, it seems I must develop a liking for mutton."

"There's no need to do that."

Seeing the serious expression on her face, Masumi was both amused and exasperated.

"Does it mean you don't need me to like lamb, or that you don't need me to marry into the Miyazawa family?"

Kurokawa Mio presented him with two options, but Masumi chose neither, simply shaking his head and frankly stating his thoughts—

"You don't need to force yourself to eat foods you don't like just for my sake."

The end of that sentence seemed to transform into a blush brush, applying an intoxicating crimson to Mio's face.

"..."

She lowered her eyelashes quietly, her moist lips making a soft murmur, as if she were muttering something.

Masumi moved closer and listened carefully, and only then did she vaguely understand that Mio meant "cunning".

"Masumi, you're too cunning," Kurokawa Mio said, biting her lip.

Even though she hadn't drunk any alcohol, her pretty face was already flushed with a seductive blush, making her look exceptionally beautiful under the dim lights of the shop.

“The seats were very close together, so we could hear everything Masumi was saying.”

Rinne said calmly, her tone somewhat like a reminder.

Her emotionless eyes were fixed on the plate in front of her.

"I see. But I didn't say anything strange, did I?" Masumi gave a slight smile.

"Ah."

She nodded nonchalantly, picked up a noodle with the tip of her chopsticks, and quietly put it into her mouth.

Upon hearing the sound, the shop owner, who had just finished stir-frying a plate of noodles on the hot griddle, spoke in slightly Okinawan-accented Japanese:

"Please rest assured, our lamb is made from lambs under one year old that are native to Miyako Island. The ingredients are fresh and the flavor is delicate."

"Even diners who are eating mutton for the first time will not find it unacceptable."

I, like a thousand-year-old, helped translate some of the dialects.

"Thank you for your trouble."

Kurokawa Mio's expression gradually returned to normal. She calmly put the mutton into her mouth, and the tender texture and seasoning spread on her tongue. She nodded slightly.

"It was delicious."

"Oh, that's good."

Masumi breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the muscles in her cheeks, which had become stiff without her noticing, relax.

He then observed the others, while I, like my senior, and Mami, sipped the wine she had stored in the shop.

It's Ryukyu Awamori sake produced by the Tarakawa Brewery in the city. "Be careful not to drink too much," Masumi reminded him.

"Hey, I don't need to fly the plane back to Kobe anyway, so it's okay, right?"

Asami said nonchalantly, her fair and translucent skin already tinged with a faint blush.

Masumi gave up arguing with her, lowered her head and took another bite of fried noodles. The chewy and springy noodles felt great as they went down her throat.

The side dishes were shredded cabbage and sliced ​​pork belly, the pork being surprisingly thin.

After enjoying the whole plate of fried noodles, Masumi felt a bit thirsty and glanced around casually while drinking water.

Sitting in the middle of the bar, directly in front of the shop owner, Qian Ai took small bites of noodles.

Masumi only observed for a moment before she immediately realized he was looking at her, tilting her head to await his reaction.

"Give me some of Qian'ai's noodles," he said.

◇

After having lunch at a teppanyaki restaurant, Mio and Rinne helped the tipsy Mami and carried her into the car like a large dog.

After Masumi paid the bill and walked out of the restaurant, Chiai was waiting for her.

"I really don't know what to do with Mami-nee." Chiai sighed and rubbed her forehead. "There are still four hours before the plane takes off. I hope she wakes up."

"It's okay, this guy always gets drunk quickly and sobers up quickly too," Masumi said nonchalantly. "I'm used to it by now, especially at coffee shops."

"Well."

With sharp eyes, Qian Ai glared at him fiercely for some reason.

Why are you looking at me like that?

"It's nothing, it's just that Masumi-nii's tone just now didn't make me happy."

Standing not far from the car door, Qian Ai pouted as if she were sulking.

"What tone?" Masumi asked, puzzled.

"She acted as if she knew Mami-nee so well, it was just like, just like..."

As Qian Ai spoke, she seemed to become more and more excited. Her shoulders trembled uncontrollably, her chest rose and fell visibly, and she lowered her eyelashes, exhaling hot breath from her lips.

"Like what?"

She suddenly raised her head, her voice off-key.

"What the hell is going on! Masumi-nii, you're so annoying!"

For once, Chiai showed a look of agitation. She stomped her foot in annoyance and then suddenly moved closer.

"No, no." Masumi subconsciously stepped back, shrinking her body. "Can't you be reasonable?"

"Honestly, do people have to be so blunt?"

The girl, in a fit of rage, stomped her feet several times, and an unknown beetle emerged from the cracks in the trembling ground.

"How am I supposed to understand if you don't tell me?"

Masumi looked annoyed and distressed.

"That means Masumi-nii's unconscious care, understanding, and tacit understanding towards Asami-nee are totally... that kind of thing!"

"Couples who have already entered into a cohabitation relationship can take the next step and become newlyweds!"

After hearing Chiai finish speaking in one breath with her face flushed red, Masumi stared in disbelief and exclaimed "Eh!" before bursting into uncontrollable laughter.

"What's going on? So that's what Qian'ai wanted to say."

"Masumi-nii is too slow-witted." Chiai was still angry.

Masumi expressed her innocence: "This can't be described as slow-witted, can it? I didn't even think about it in this way, I was completely clueless."

"Didn't I already say that Masumi-nii 'knows Asami-nee' very well?'"

"It's too much to expect me to figure out Chii's jealousy based on just one sentence," Masumi sighed.

"Eat, eat vinegar!"

"Isn't it?"

"No, I'm just angry."

Qian Ai turned her face away, avoiding the main point, but a shy blush rose on her face; the reaction couldn't be clearer.

Masumi chuckled, "You're obviously just jealous."

"Don't talk like Masumi-nii knows me so well."

“But I know Chiai very well,” Masumi said as if it were a matter of course. “After all, we’re childhood friends.”

"It's true."

Qian Ai pouted, crossed her legs, and lightly touched the ground with the toe of one foot, starting to twist.

Her shadow, falling on Masumi, also danced.

Knowing her childhood friend as she does, Masumi realized that this reaction meant her anger had subsided considerably.

Next, all you need to do is strike while the iron is hot and say some nice things—

"In that case, I also care about Qian'ai very much."

Oh no! Saying this makes me sound like a jerk manipulating girls' emotions.

"Liar."

Chiai continued to twist her head, but her emerald eyes secretly glanced at the corner of her eye, observing Masumi's reaction.

Such an easy girl to please, call it greed or possessiveness, Masumi just doesn't want to see her leaning on someone else's arms.

After gathering his thoughts, he said, "It's true."

"If I'm not mistaken, Chiai was at the teppanyaki restaurant just now, probably because she thought the salted fried noodles were too salty and dry. She was too embarrassed to leave them in front of the manager, so she couldn't do anything about them."

"Huh? Masumi-nii noticed that?" Chiai turned her face back to the present with some surprise.

"No wonder Masumi-nii suddenly said he wanted to eat my fried noodles and ate two servings by himself."

Masumi laughed: "That's why I said I care about Chiai a lot too."

The word "也" is redundant.

Qian Ai's tone was sour.

"Aren't you still angry?"

Masumi gave a wry smile and a helpless expression. Seeing the hair of her childhood friend sticking to her face in the sea breeze, she inexplicably reached out her hand to her.

Masumi's upright face gradually drew closer to Chiai's face.

"Eh, eh, hey, Masumi-nii!?"

Qian Ai looked disheveled, her gaze wandering aimlessly, and her cheeks turned as red as tomatoes.

With a gentle touch of her fingers, Masumi calmly tidied her bangs.

"what happened?"

"No, it's okay."

After Qian Ai finished speaking, she covered her face with both hands.

Perhaps she was out of strength, the girl's delicate body became limp, and she was about to fall down when Masumi quickly grabbed her arm.

"Chiai, are you alright?" Masumi asked with concern.

She slowly released the hand that had been covering her face, and looking at the face so close to hers, Qian Ai blushed so much that even the tips of her ears turned red.

Masumi was a little surprised that her skin could become even redder, and the girl's consciousness seemed to have flown off somewhere, completely dazed.

Just as the atmosphere between the two became a little awkward, Masumi finally noticed the gazes of the other girls on her.

Oh yeah, they're there too.

Qian Ai didn't pay any attention to her volume when she spoke, and she was speaking very enthusiastically.

The attention of the girls who had already boarded the bus was naturally drawn to it.

Especially Mio's gaze...it's terrifying.

Sitting in the passenger seat, I, like a senior from ancient times, rolled down the window, gave him a thumbs-up, and smiled broadly.

"Nice Buddy!"

Masumi sighed wearily.

"It should be Tired Body."

(End of this chapter)