Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 199, Section 1: "Hanakawa Kaigetsu is in a bad situation."

[Starry Night Coffee Shop Customer Feedback Survey Form]

Customer H's review:

I discovered this coffee shop this year. It has a great atmosphere, so I've been writing here ever since. Before I knew it, my coffee bill had exceeded my writing fees.

P.S.: Because I serialize my light novel on the web, my royalties are 0, haha.

Customer T's review:

The store manager is a dazzling, stunningly beautiful woman.

The shop assistants were also dazzling, stunningly beautiful women.

The barista is also a dazzling, incredibly handsome guy, and he can even play the guitar.

Customer S's review:

The store manager was very kind. Because I was short of money and couldn't pay, he generously let me buy on credit.

The coffee and Japanese sweets are both top-notch.

I'd wager my career as a freelance food writer that this is absolutely amazing!
◇

As autumn deepens, the leaves begin to change into new colors, and the season for admiring maple leaves is just around the corner.

In a while, the Kansai region will likely see a surge of high school students on school trips, as well as tourists from both domestic and international destinations.

However, most of their travel destinations are Kyoto or Osaka, with Kobe only getting a small portion, not to mention the stars.

Even so, Masumi still hopes that at least some people will visit this coffee shop.

Thus, this project to collect customer reviews on the official Fanxing account came about.

After the afternoon rush at the coffee shop subsided, Masumi laid her laptop flat on the table in the lounge and scrolled through the reviews one by one.

"Ugh, these are all comments from acquaintances. Even if they're anonymous, it's easy to guess who they are. How boring."

Mami muttered sarcastically from behind, looking utterly bored.

"If you're not interested, then don't keep watching while lying on top of me," Masumi protested calmly.

"Although the comments were boring, Masumi-kun's reaction was quite interesting."

Mami laughed and poked his cheek, her luscious lips emitting a giggle.

Masumi sighed helplessly, her middle finger unconsciously sliding the scroll wheel.

"Huh? This is..."

Customer K's review:

"The best... coffee shop..."

After reading the anonymous comment, Mami let out a soft "Hmm..." as if deep in thought.

"Hai Yue? (Kurage)"

"Ah."

Masumi nodded, subtly shifting her shoulder, which was aching from being pressed down by Asami's ample bosom.

"Isn't it a bit unfair for employees to secretly give their own coffee shop good reviews?" Mami complained.

"But speaking of which, Xiao Haiyue has been working quite hard lately."

“Besides her job as a waitress, she’s also been learning how to work in the kitchen from me and Rinne recently.”

"It's too dangerous for Haiyue to handle a kitchen knife." Masumi frowned slightly.

"Don't worry, given Rinne's personality, I'm sure she'll protect Mizuki very well."

Mami said with a grin, "We just taught her to make some simple desserts, the kind that even a hot girl could easily learn."

"Just how obsessed are you with hot girls?" Masumi teased.

"How's Haiyue's studying lately?"

"Uh." Mami paused here, seemingly recalling unpleasant memories.

"Masumi, Asami."

Suddenly, they heard someone calling their names from behind, and the two of them turned around.

The girl dressed in a coffee shop uniform walked towards the two of them. She was the jellyfish girl who was the center of the conversation, and she was carrying a plate of food that should be called "dessert".

“This is…” Masumi hesitated.

"Parfait."

Haiyue replied calmly.

The dessert that Umizuki calls "parfait" is a pile of white cream as high as a small mountain, topped with long strips of snow salt biscuits. It was a souvenir bought on Miyako Island.

Just looking at it makes my stomach hurt.

"I made these meals...so that everyone...can eat together before the guests arrive..."

Masumi and Asami froze upon hearing this, exchanging bewildered glances.

You eat first.

Masumi-kun eats first.

The two communicated silently with their eyes.

"Masumi... Mami... don't you want to eat?" Kaizuki asked, tilting her head.

"Ah, that's not what I meant."

Unable to hide her unease about the parfait, Masumi took a few deep breaths to try and calm herself down.

"But isn't a parfait a dessert? Shouldn't it be eaten after the main meal?"

"But... if we don't eat it now... it'll melt..."

Haiyue's eyebrows drooped slightly, making her look a little down.

"It can be put in the freezer"—this suggestion was rejected by Masumi before it could even be uttered. Given the height of this parfait, the kitchen's refrigerator compartment simply couldn't hold it.

He stared at the laptop screen, carefully selecting words, but ultimately couldn't find the right answer and fell silent in frustration.

As if accepting it, Masumi scooped up a spoonful of cream with a spoon.

Mami forced herself to start eating, but her eyes lit up after taking a bite.

The taste of cream itself is not unpleasant; it's purely a matter of quantity leading to quality.

Unlike the giant fruit parfait that Masumi and Asami ate in Tokyo, this one was simply piled with whipped cream, except for the snow salt biscuits that were garnished.

The impact was like that of an heiress wearing only a pure white bikini.

"Speaking of which, how did Haiyue come up with the idea of ​​making the parfait look so spectacular?" Masumi asked.

"I've looked it up online... In order to get enough nutrition during work breaks... I need to ensure sufficient calories, and... be able to finish preparing it quickly..."

Haiyue spoke with a serious expression, causing the two of them to furrow their brows even more.

Wind chimes are ringing.

A guest has arrived.

"Ah, I'll go greet the guests."

Asami stood up as if fleeing.

“I’ll go,” Haiyue said.

The sound may be soft, but its power is not weak.

"Eh, oh, um..."

Mami nodded blankly, sat back down in her chair, and had a private conversation with Masumi, their heads bowed.

"...Hey, Masumi-kun, Umi just used 'absorbing nutrition' to describe her work lunch. When did she become such an efficiency-obsessed person?"

Ever since Haiyue found this jellyfish-like girl in front of Fanxing's shop during the rainy season, she has always given people a slow and natural impression.

It was probably hard to imagine at the time that Haiyue would one day implement a "efficiency-first" work style.

"You ask me, how do I know?"

Masumi shrugged, and the cream began to wreak havoc on her taste buds.

He glanced at Mami without making a sound. Girls always have a bigger appetite for desserts than boys. Speaking of which, has this guy's figure gotten any better lately...?

"Eek, Masumi-kun is trying to shirk responsibility again."

Mami put on a displeased expression and corrected, "Does Masumi-kun remember what happened on the first weekend after we returned from Miyako Island?"

"what?"

Completely baffled by her question, Masumi struggled with her confusion.

Asami recalled for him:

"The shop was very busy that day. Masumi-kun must have said some really hurtful things to Umi-zuki, right?"

Touched by memories, Masumi squinted her eyes and thought for a moment before suddenly realizing, "It was that time, but it can't be described as excessive."

It was noon, and many customers came in, making the shop extremely busy. Haiyue, who usually only helped out in her spare time, was a little overwhelmed.

Like a jellyfish caught in a whirlpool, unable to control its own destiny.

Seeing this, Masumi said, "Kaizuki, go and rest. I'll take care of things here."

Asami happened to be standing nearby giving orders and overheard Masumi's words, while also noticing Kaigetsu's expression.

"The same sentence can evoke completely different feelings in different people." "For example, if I heard that sentence myself, I'd definitely cheer 'Yay!' and run away. But if Rinne heard it, she'd feel very resentful, as if her worth had been negated."

Masumi nodded knowingly: "That makes sense."

Even their expressions are easy to imagine.

"But, would Haiyue do that too?"

"Who knows."

Asami rested her chin on her hand, licking the cream that clung to her lips with her tongue, exuding a dark, sensual charm as she spoke with a hint of irony:
"Having been accustomed to Rinne's mother's teachings, her values ​​have probably been somewhat influenced."

"—Mami-nee, what are you talking about?"

Carrying the prepared work meal, Rinne walked into the break room. Wearing an apron, she tilted her head with a curious look, staring at Mami who was gesturing wildly as she explained.

"No, it's nothing. We were talking about how 'after being scolded by Masumi-kun, Koyuki started to tirelessly give her body to the young master, and the righteous and indignant Asami wanted to hold the culprit responsible for this tragedy accountable.'"

There are two kinds of reactions when someone is at a loss: stammering or talking non-stop. Ms. Mami is the latter.

“Hey, I don’t admit that I did something so terrible,” Masumi retorted calmly.

Putting the plate on the table, Rinne sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation. "I understand. It's something I don't need to specifically understand."

"—Why are Masumi and Asami eating parfaits together so sweetly!?"

Kurokawa Mio let out a high-pitched scream, like a high school girl whose lunch pineapple bun had been snatched away by a stray cat.

"Their tone was indeed sweet and affectionate."

Masumi held a silver spoon in her hand, with nearly melted parfait cream in it.

"I made...the work lunch..."

Haiyue appeared silently behind them.

"...Mio, eat with us too."

"I refuse. Such high calories will definitely affect my slender and beautiful figure." Kurokawa Mio declined.

Upon hearing her words, Mami, who had been enjoying her meal immensely, froze.

"You can ask me for advice next time you make parfaits, Haiyue," Rinne said calmly. "The portion is too big and the ingredients are too simple, but as long as you are willing to try, there is room for improvement."

From a mother's perspective, seeing her child bravely take that first step must be very moving.

"Ah."

Haiyue nodded quietly, her soft lips trembling as if she had something to say.

"What's wrong?" Masumi asked puzzled.

"A customer has placed an order... Time to get back to work..."

"Oh, oh."

Urged on by Haiyue, Masumi stood up from the folding chair in the lounge.

◇

"Thanks for the treat!"

The coffee shop closes promptly at 7 p.m.

Masumi returned to her room on the third floor and saw Kurokawa Mio already waiting there, her slender fingers touching the black and white piano keys.

Boom--boom--

The single notes pressed randomly with her fingertips sounded so mechanical, as if she were as lonely as she was.

"Mio, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

"Masumi."

A blush appeared on her snow-white cheeks, and Kurokawa Mio swallowed, her voice slightly hoarse than usual.

Fingers touched the piano keys.

The notes that flowed out this time were like sunlight shining through the gaps in the leaves at noon, allowing people to feel her delicate yet abundant emotions from the bottom of their hearts.

Their eyes met. But for some reason, he felt a dark aura as if he were about to be swallowed whole.

Good evening, Mio.

"Excuse me, Ms. Mio."

Rinne and Asami appeared one by one from behind Masumi.

The anticipated time alone together was shattered, leaving Kurokawa Mio stunned, her face immediately darkening:
"Why are you here too?"

Rinne stared silently at Mio's ear, which peeked out from between her blonde hair and turned bright red because of Masumi's arrival.

She suddenly took a step forward and performed a series of actions on Kurokawa Mio, including "testing her forehead temperature with her palm," "opening her eyelids," and "measuring her pulse."

What is Rinne going to do?

Pushing Rinne's hand away, Kurokawa Mio wore a bewildered expression, and the blush on her face faded completely.

"I'm just worried about Mio's health," Rinne replied casually.

"After all, Mio's face was flushed, her body temperature was high, her breathing was rapid, and her pupils were trembling... giving the impression that she was about to die at any moment."

"Is that so?

Kurokawa Mio narrowed her eyes, her lips curving into a sharp arc, and uttered a startling statement:
"If I could spend the whole night with Masumi, I'd be happy even if I died tomorrow morning."

"--No, that won't work. If we do that, Masumi will probably be the one who dies from exhaustion first, since the boy is the one who puts in the effort."

"Eek! No way! I don't want that kind of thing, like Masumi-nii dying or something!"

Familiar teasing voices and mournful cries came from Masumi's phone.

Kurokawa Mio's expression became even stranger: "Miss Ruko, Chiai, why are you here too?"

Hello, everyone from the Stars!

On the screen, I waved like an ancient hero, speaking in a tone as if from across the ocean:
"What time is it in Kobe now? Are you all going to sleep?"

"Sister Chitose, Miyakojima and Kobe are in the same time zone, right?"

"I'm on the same screen as you, like a thousand-year-old," Qian Ai blurted out a complaint.

"But Ms. Kurokawa clearly looked sleepy. I thought it was already late at night in Kobe."

The mischievous sound emanating from his lips seemed to have a hidden meaning.

"Huh? Does Mio-neechan look sleepy? She seems pretty normal."

Qian'ai looked puzzled and tilted her head cutely.

"Is this what you mean?"

With her usual indifferent expression, Rinne walked to Kurokawa Mio's side, her fingertips slipping inside the bra strap of Mio's shoulder, and gently lifting it.

The soft fabric was pulled and wrinkled, then lifted into the air.

"Wow, black lace, what a provocative design." Asami curled her lips into a smile. "Ms. Mio is so bold."

"The decisive underwear?" Rinne asked.

"nothing dealing with you."

Kurokawa Mio said irritably.

"Snapped!"

Rinne released her grip, and a red mark immediately appeared on Mio's snow-white skin.

"Sigh~"

Kurokawa Mio gasped.

"How could Masumi have told anyone about this?" She pouted, as if throwing a tantrum. "Didn't you promise to fully support 'my' music?"

“There’s no need to hide it from others,” Masumi said helplessly. “Otherwise, what are we going to say if they see us spending so much time in our rooms and ask us questions?”

"They're rehearsing music."

"Hmm, that sounds suspicious." Asami said, arms crossed, "For a moment, I thought of so many famous works I've read."

Rinne asked bluntly, "Do we need to wear those provocative lingeries during rehearsals?"

"It's normal to do something that makes you sweat after rehearsals, right?"

Kurokawa Mio didn't take it seriously.

"is it?"

Mio nodded: "That's right, it's like going to a sauna after working out at the gym."

"Indeed, it's far too flawed!"

On the phone screen, Qian Ai blushed and shouted, "I had no idea that rehearsals were such a flawed thing!"

"Wait a minute! Masumi-nii and Chitose-nee also rehearsed a lot about the band in high school, could it be..."

"Don't worry, I'm still a virgin," I said with a smile.

"Phew—that's good."

"However, there are still many things that can be done."

"Eek!" Qian Ai cried out in sorrow.

My joyful laughter, as if from ancient times, rang out from the phone's speaker.

(End of this chapter)