Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 203, Section 5: "An ordinary rainy day, going out with Haiyue"

"Wait, Haiyue."

The sound of hurried footsteps creaking echoed across the wooden floor.

The girl, her delicate body wrapped in a calico cat-patterned nightgown, fled down the corridor with all her might, just like a cat.

However, the limbs peeking out from under the pajamas were not the nimble paws of a cat, but rather small, yet unreliable, snow-white paws.

Masumi easily caught up from behind, just like a cat, grabbing her pajamas by the back of her neck, and then—

"Ugh."

Haiyue twisted her body and suddenly rushed out from the cat's pajamas.

Huh? How did her shoulders appear? Are they really boneless jellyfish?

All that remained in Masumi's possession was a "cat's skin".

Once outside, Haiyue's skin was dazzlingly white, like a peeled apple. Freed from her restraints, she seemed to move much faster.

Taking advantage of Masumi's momentary daze, she quickly increased the distance between them.

"Idiot! Stop running around in the hallway like that."

Masumi shouted and reached out to the girl who was running away for her life, but she couldn't touch her.

The next moment, Haiyue suddenly curled up into a ball, stopped running away, and squatted down in front of the stairwell.

"It's finally stopped."

Masumi sighed as if defeated, but upon approaching, she found the jellyfish girl trembling as if enduring pain, and collapsed to the ground.

"Haiyue! What's wrong with you!?"

Masumi immediately tensed up, quickly went over and squatted down on the floor, helping Kaizuki up and letting her lean against her.

"Ouch...it hurts..."

The girl in his arms bent her fair neck backward little by little to its limit, then suddenly convulsed like a dying swan.

Her lips opened and closed like a dehydrated fish, but she couldn't make a sound.

Masumi panicked instantly. He had heard that some people would experience somatization reactions under psychological stress, but he did not expect it to be so serious.

Panic won't help, so he forced himself to calm down, made a move to get up and run into the room to get his phone to call an ambulance, when Haiyue suddenly grabbed his wrist.

"My chest...it hurts so much..."

Haiyue grasped Masumi's warm, broad hand and pressed it against her chest.

"Eh?"

◇

The human body has a type of tissue called "suspensory ligaments," which are fibrous bundles that connect the skin and the muscle fascia.

To put it more vividly, it's like the rubber band used when playing water balloon fishing at a summer festival. The heavier the water balloon hanging at the end, or the more vigorous the activity, the more likely the rubber band will be damaged.

After consulting the encyclopedia, Masumi felt relieved but also somewhat incredulous.

Without bones, all that fat and glands are held up by suspensory ligaments? That sounds like science fiction.

In short, Haiyue is now suffering greatly.

He put himself in her shoes and imagined it for a moment: the same weight, when converted into coffee volume, is almost equivalent to the capacity of a Starbucks venti.

Carrying two cups of Venti coffee every day, such a burden must be very tiring.

Masumi grabbed her from behind as if to support her body and led Haizuki back to her own room.

After a while, the girl, dressed in denim shorts, black stockings, and a white T-shirt over her underwear, walked out of the room.

Its shape is as symmetrical and beautiful as a festival water balloon. Although it sways up and down, it is still within the elasticity range of the rubber band.

"Does it still hurt?"

Haiyue shook her head: "It's... alright now..."

"Thanks to... Masumi..."

“If you hadn’t run around, this wouldn’t have happened.” Masumi sighed, but didn’t continue the conversation.

He tacitly avoided mentioning what had just happened, but Haiyue spoke first and asked:
"Masumi...would you like me to sing?"

"Huh? Why do you ask?"

"Because yesterday... I heard Masumi and everyone... discussing this matter."

Kaigetsu's room is between Kurokawa Mio and Masumi.

Masumi nodded in understanding. So that's how it is. This old house with poor sound insulation is no match for Kaigetsu's keen hearing.

“I am indeed troubled by the singer issue on the account,” he said. “However, I will not force anyone to do anything against their will.”

"Hmm..." Haiyue nodded hesitantly, her throat trembling slightly, as if she had something to say.

However, after hesitating for a long time, she ultimately said nothing.

Noticing that the jellyfish-like girl in front of her seemed a bit down, Masumi suggested, "By the way, it's a bit stuffy staying in the room all day on a rainy day, why don't you go out for a walk?"

"Go...book off?"

Haiyue tilted her head and asked.

"Ah, it's nice to go there, but taking the tram seems a bit of a hassle."

If possible, Masumi would prefer to stay in a warm room on rainy days.

Kobe has a very humid climate. Even if you use an umbrella, your trouser legs will still get wet, and your cheeks will be dampened by the raindrops blowing at an angle.

"Let's go shopping at the nearby complex."

"Hmm." Haiyue nodded expressionlessly. "If Masumi goes... I'll go too."

"The cause and effect are completely reversed," Masumi thought to herself. "I was the one who invited her."

However, this shows that Haiyue is very dependent on herself.

After changing her clothes, Masumi took the jellyfish girl out and casually picked up a transparent umbrella from in front of the shop.

There are often transparent umbrellas left behind by customers in the coffee shop.

Haiyue reached out and shook his hand. Her small hand wasn't holding Masumi's palm, but her fingers, and her joyful mood seemed to be transmitted through their skin.

Maybe it's the low air pressure, but for some reason, my heart is pounding.

If Mio or Chia saw him like this, they would definitely rush to grab his hand and hold it tightly.

Just thinking about it makes me feel like it's going to be a hassle, since I only have two hands.

If Masumi wanted to take care of every girl, she would need to grow one, two, three, or even four more hands.

Six arms... It looks like Yoriichi Zero, the special training doll from Demon Slayer.

Compared to the ideal of slaying evil spirits, isn't my purpose a bit too unorthodox?

But if you hold your own fingers like Haiyue, then you'll still have ten fingers left over.

Lost in their thoughts, Masumi and Kaigetsu arrived at their destination.

Then, on the first floor of the shopping mall, he saw Mr. Hojo passing by like an extra. Kobe is so small.

“Oh, Mr. Miyazawa, what a coincidence.”

Upon seeing an acquaintance, Mr. Hojo approached him and struck up a conversation.

"Are you here to see a movie with Ms. Hanekawa?" he asked.

"Huh? Why would I think that?"

"A date between a man and a woman, going to the movies is basically the norm, right?" Mr. Hojo said as if it were a matter of course.

“That seems to be the case.” Masumi nodded and then shook her head. “But we’re not on a date.”

"We...we're here to shop at the complex..."

Haiyue suddenly answered like that, and for some reason, she puffed out her chest and struck a proud pose. It's not something to be proud of, is it?

"Oh, I see."

Mr. Hojo looked unsure how to respond for a moment, then let out an unnatural "Ah!" as if he had just suddenly remembered something, and fumbled in his pocket for a while.

"Oh, by the way, I have some free meat refill coupons from a meat bowl restaurant here, I'll give them to you two."

"It's a newly opened store on the third floor of this mall. Today is Meat Day, and they're giving out vouchers for a free extra meat. I just ate there, and it was delicious," he explained.

"Thank you."

Masumi took the slightly wrinkled but smooth-textured red meal ticket.

"It's alright, then, I hope you two have a good time."

Mr. Hojo nodded slightly and left after fulfilling his duties as an extra.

"Does Haiyue want a meat bowl?"

Masumi looked at the jellyfish-like girl staring intently at the meal ticket and asked, "Um... I want to eat with Masumi..."

"Oh, let's go together then."

The meat bowl restaurant is on the third floor. The two of us took the escalator to the store. It was past lunchtime, so there weren't many people in the store.

There was only one busy South Asian employee in the store. When he heard the two people enter the store, he looked up and greeted them in fluent Japanese.

“Welcome~”

Masumi operated the automatic ordering machine and ordered a medium-sized grilled beef set meal.

Haiyue originally wanted to order the same set meal as him, but suddenly changed her mind and ordered a small portion of chicken neck rice bowl.

After handing the two meal vouchers along with the extra meat voucher to the clerk, Masumi and Kaigetsu sat down and waited.

"Is there anywhere you'd like to go later, Umi-zuki?" Masumi asked.

"aquarium."

"I mean inside the complex," Masumi said helplessly. "Besides the aquarium."

Haiyue thought about it seriously for a while, then gently shook her head:

"There's nothing in particular I want to go... As long as I'm with Masumi... that's fine..."

"Sigh, she's a little bit self-assertive."

Aside from the aquarium and the restaurant, Haiyue usually seems indecisive and goes with the flow.

The last time we decided to go to Miyako Island, it was the same thing. As long as Rinne and the others agreed, there was no need to consider her opinion, and Mizuki would definitely come along.

Thinking about it this way, restaurants are for satisfying the instinct to eat, while aquariums are probably for meeting her "kindred spirits".

Hanekawa Kaigetsu, a jellyfish-like girl with a weak will.

The South Asian employee came over and asked the two about their sauce preferences. Shortly after, two set meals were served. The aroma of scallions wafted up to their noses.

The perfectly grilled beef slices are piled up layer upon layer in the bowl, forming a mountain that completely covers the rice.

There was miso soup on the side, and they also gave us a plate of bean sprouts, saying that we could get free refills.

Only then did Masumi understand why Kaigetsu had changed the set meal at the last minute.

"Would you like to try a bite of mine?"

Seeing Haiyue staring intently at the slices of braised beef in her bowl, Masumi asked.

"Ah."

Haiyue's expression brightened as if a lightbulb had been turned on. She seemed to really want to do it.

If the two of them choose different meal sets, she can openly play games like "feeding" or "exchanging bento boxes" with Masumi.

"Here, here you go."

Masumi picked up a slice of beef with her chopsticks, and Kaigetsu immediately opened her lips without any warning and bit into the tender, sizzling roasted meat.

The juices gushed out from between the muscle fibers like a fire pump at a fire scene.

How amazing! Although the meat looks dry, the moment you bite into it, the juices gush out endlessly.

She wiped the juices from her chin with the back of her hand, then stuck out her tongue and lightly licked the back of her hand, leaving her lips smeared with a lip balm called grease.

"You can't eat like that."

Masumi picked up a tissue from the table, wiped the girl's mouth, and then told Kaigetsu to pick up her chopsticks and urge her to continue eating.

At the same time, he lowered his head and dealt with his own set meal.

Insert the tip of chopsticks into the soft-boiled egg and stir it to mix the egg liquid with the meat slices.

The rich sauce of the roasted pork becomes more vibrant with the egg, and the smooth flavor spreads across the tongue when it's put in the mouth.

Masumi finished her meal with great satisfaction.

The food at this restaurant was indeed delicious; there wasn't a single grain of rice or a drop of sauce left in the bowl.

Masumi had finished eating the sea mooncake in front of her. She looked up and saw a spot of sauce on the corner of her lips, glistening under the shop's lights.

"Haiyue got sauce on her face."

Her chicken neck set meal was even more tender than my roast beef. With one bite, the soft meat and rich juices quickly filled my mouth.

"Hmm...where?"

"On the right, here."

Masumi pointed to the spot corresponding to the corner of her mouth.

"...It was wiped off."

Haiyue wiped the barbecue sauce off with her index finger and then licked her fingertip.

Masumi's casual post-meal actions made her heart skip a beat.

In the morning, when he was in the room, Haiyue would lick the chocolate sauce off his fingertips like this.

Further on, there's orange juice and sweet shrimp.

Thanks to this, Masumi could vividly recall the soft touch of her lips and the moist, sticky sensation in her mouth.

"Masumi... what's wrong?"

He met Haiyue's gaze as she wiped away the barbecue sauce.

"Where else... can I find barbecue sauce?"

No, it's gone—

"Masumi... help me... wipe it clean..."

Haiyue put down her chopsticks and gently squeezed her hand into Masumi's palm, as if she wanted to temporarily borrow his warmth and courage through his hand.

Then, without saying a word, he brought his face closer.

Perhaps because Masumi cared so much, she always felt that the jellyfish girl's breath seemed particularly charming, and she couldn't take her eyes off her luscious lips.

"Well……"

A delicate, doll-like face, so beautiful you could never get tired of looking at it, slowly approached.

Its lips are slightly parted, making it look like a flower bud about to bloom.

Masumi stared blankly at Kaizuki, who was facing him with her chin raised, and noticed something—

This is exactly like a newlywed wife asking for a vow kiss at a Western wedding!

Whoever it is, let's break this status quo quickly.

Otherwise, he would find it hard to resist the urge to touch Haiyue's lips.

With trembling fingers, Masumi slowly reached towards her lips.

For some reason, Haiyue didn't flinch, but stared at him as if expecting something.

Ding-dong-

Suddenly, the bell rang, signaling the automatic door to open.

Masumi suddenly snapped back to reality.

"It's almost time to go."

His agitated mood quickly calmed down. He picked up his plate and gestured with his eyes to the counter where the cutlery would be returned.

"Ah."

After leaving the meat bowl restaurant, the two continued to wander aimlessly through the shopping mall.

Clothing stores, secondhand audio-visual stores, bookstores, pet stores, shoe stores, and 100-yen stores.

As they walked side by side, Haiyue remained silent, only occasionally letting out weak murmurs like a fledgling bird.

You have to lower your head slightly and bring your cheek close to hers to hear what she's saying.

I originally wanted to go to the movie theater in the mall, just like Mr. Hojo suggested, but Haiyue refused.

"I just want to be with Masumi."

That's what she said.

Because it was a rare time just the two of them, even watching movies was a waste of time, a source of jealousy, as it would steal Masumi's attention away from her.

This seemingly harmless, innocent girl is far more cunning and burdensome than she initially thought. Masumi sometimes thinks this way.

Even so, the time spent strolling around the complex with the jellyfish girl still felt as comfortable as being surrounded by flowing water.

He was immersed in this feeling of comfort.

This isn't so bad—that's what Masumi thought on a day... Correction, it was half a day.

On their way back to the coffee shop from the shopping mall, a sudden downpour caught them off guard, and even with umbrellas, they were soaked to the bone.

(End of this chapter)