Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 205, Section 7: "Doctor, there's a sick cat here."

……What's happening here?
In Rinne's room on the second floor.

Masumi was wearing only a light gray swim trunk and was forced to kneel on the bed in a sitting position.

Miyazawa, a high-end barista whose photos have been published in a well-known magazine; Coffee Boy, a light novelist with a large online readership; and Masumi, a former member of an underground rock band, are now forced to adopt such a humiliating posture—it's unbelievable…

Logically speaking, he should never have been seen in such a disheveled state, but a graceful and beautiful girl with long, straight black hair appeared before him.

That was Rinne, who stood opposite him with one hand supporting her slender waist and her brows furrowed with frost.

"Masumi, what's going on?"

The heiress, seemingly unconcerned about her half-soaked knitwear that subtly revealed her shapely figure, glared menacingly at them.

Ugh... even more disgusted than when she saw food waste in the coffee shop kitchen.

Masumi shuddered and murmured, "No, listen to me..."

Rinne shook her head slightly, her tone seemingly disappointed.

"Masumi, this is cheating..."

"Wait, is there some mistake?!"

Masumi shook her head vehemently in denial.

Leaving aside whether "bathing with Umizuki while other girls were out" constitutes cheating, the very fact that Rinne said that word is strange enough.

To understand why things turned out this way, we need to rewind a bit and go back to when Masumi and Kaigetsu were in the bathroom.

"I want to try singing for Masumi."

Haiyue's words echoed in the bathroom.

"Sing for me...?"

Masumi was taken aback, then tentatively asked, "Do you mean the anonymous singer account I want to create?"

"Hmm." She nodded.

"But Haiyue is still finding singing difficult, isn't she?"

"Well……"

Haiyue fell silent upon hearing this. After a long while, as if she had made up her mind, she parted her lips slightly and uttered words that were not very fluent:

"If it's not in front of outsiders... it should be okay... probably..."

"No, this is still a stretch."

Masumi forced a wry smile and said, "Have you soaked long enough? You'll get dizzy if you stay any longer, and the water in the bathtub will get cold. Let's get out."

Haiyue gave a blank "hmm" but made no movement.

"Haiyue?"

Masumi then realized that the jellyfish girl was sitting on his lap in almost the same position as the girl sitting opposite him.

Like a jellyfish's umbrella, its rounded and soft shape squeezed in and pressed against my chest.

Although Masumi tried to lift Kaigetsu off the ground, Kaigetsu pressed down on him very hard.

“Masumi… takes good care of me… so… I will do my best… to help Masumi…”

Her beautiful blue eyes stared straight at him.

"Haiyue has helped me a lot, like with the coffee shop job, she's been working very hard lately."

Haiyue gently shook her head, "It's not enough."

"Eh?"

“Just working at a coffee shop… isn’t enough…” she kept emphasizing this point.

"So you want to do your part on the anonymous singer's account as well?"

Haiyue's affirmation went a step further: "We can...do more...as long as it helps Masumi..."

"Like... helping Masumi resolve this situation..."

"No need for that!"

Splash, splash—the hot water in the bathtub rippled everywhere, reflecting Masumi's current mood.

Just then, the bathroom door was suddenly pulled open.

What came into view was Rinne's face, with her hair slightly damp. In an instant, Masumi's heart tightened, and Kaigetsu also subconsciously let out a "woo".

—This is the calamity that befell Masumi after the shared bathing incident.

But calling it a calamity doesn't seem quite right.

"Even if it's just to keep warm, a man and a woman alone together... and in that kind of position!"

Rinne had a towel draped over her shoulder, her icy gaze piercing down from above.

She held a bottle of apple juice she had bought from a vending machine in her hand, took a small sip, and her slender white throat bobbed.

Noticing that Masumi was looking at her, she gently lowered her gaze; it seemed that Masumi had accidentally looked too far ahead.

All I heard Rinne say was, "Want a drink?"

I just took a shower, and my throat is a little dry... no, it's very dry in every sense of the word.

"Uh, I'll go downstairs and get another cup."

"No need to bother."

Does this mean I should continue to reflect on myself in this posture?

While Masumi was still trying to figure out the shop manager's "intentions," her eyes widened in disbelief the next moment.

Rinne took a sip of apple juice from her teacup. As Masumi's eyes widened, her luscious lips drew closer, seemingly intending to transfer the drink directly to her.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?

Masumi kept blinking.

Wait, is this supposed to be "mouth-to-mouth water feeding"?

In bishoujo games, shouldn't such CGs occur after the first kiss? Except for certain hospital visit events.

Rinne slowly approached, and the entire area in front of her turned into the color of the heir.

She urged herself on with her eyes, and her small beauty mark under her eye was also quite eye-catching.

A few drops of apple juice spilled from the corner of her lips, drawing a line. This wouldn't do; she absolutely couldn't let the heiress's sleeping area get dirty tonight.

Masumi convinced herself of this, gazing at Rinne's lips, which were painted with matte bright red lipstick, and felt a tingling sensation deep within her body.

The heart said, "It's time to go."

Although it wasn't intentionally kept, this was Masumi's first kiss—well, it was just mucous membrane contact.

Just as Masumi was finally ready to accept her fate, Rinne suddenly stopped moving.

Then his snow-white Adam's apple bobbed.

“I swallowed it,” she said.

"Eh?"

“It’s too slow.”

She gave her a reproachful look and spoke in a disgraceful tone.

"I am sorry."

Masumi wondered whether she should feel happy or disappointed, then she saw Rinne cross her arms and grab the hem of her cardigan.

"……what?"

Masumi felt a strong sense of déjà vu about this action, but this was the first time she had seen it on Rinne.

"Rinne, isn't something wrong with you?"

He looked at the girl wearing black cat-themed underwear and said that the open-chest design used the shape of cat ears, black and white, and that it looked like a huge cow cat.

It's practically a virginity-killing outfit!

"It's very rude of you to say that to others," Rinne said with her usual indifference. "I just wanted to change out of my wet clothes."

Because of the heavy rain along the way, the heir changed her route, gave up on going to the orphanage, and went straight back to the coffee shop. Otherwise, Masumi and Kaigetsu wouldn't have been bumped into.

Fortunately, her personality hasn't completely changed, otherwise Masumi would have thought it was a case of twin sisters who look very alike coming to visit.

“No, I just feel like… something’s not quite right,” Masumi said.

Are you referring to this outfit?

As Rinne spoke, she spun around. The edge of her strappy underwear not only had cat ears shaped like cat ears, but also a pink cat paw print. Damn it, which lucky cat got to press there!
Masumi calmed her inexplicable jealousy.

"This was a gift from Asami-nee, and I don't dislike this cat-themed design."

Rinne said calmly, although her boundless tolerance for cats was still within the framework of her character, but... something was definitely not right!
"This dress has other parts, right?" Masumi asked, trying to start a conversation.

"Well, how do you know?"

Rinne tilted her head with a curious look, her bright, watery eyes resembling a cat's.

"Uh, this outfit is quite popular online." This is mentioned in some image creations and fan comics.

After Masumi gave this explanation, Rinne accepted it easily.

"Really? Cats are cute after all."

"Uh-huh."

Masumi nodded vigorously, "Cats are the cutest! Especially black cats!"

“This outfit does have other parts, and it’s quite fashionable,” Rinne said.

"fashionable?"

Isn't this just being sentimental?
"Hmm, a cat ear headband that looks almost exactly like the ones sold at Disneyland, a collar with bells, and over-the-knee socks."

"It feels like an accessory that trendy girls like Sannomiya would wear," Rinne commented.

Huh? Would girls from Sannomiya really go out dressed like this? Isn't that way a bit too trendy? Even in Harajuku, Tokyo, you wouldn't see girls dressed this provocatively.

Did my Line message at noon cause my world to enter a shameless beta timeline? What should I do next? Move the microwave out of the warehouse?

Masumi stared blankly, thinking that Rinne seemed to have confused the matching headband and choker with other fashionable items from Harajuku.

"Um, can I wear it and take a look?" he said, almost as if possessed.

"Oh."

The promise was made so casually.

What exactly caused Rinne to act strangely? Masumi stared thoughtfully at her skin, which was now tinged with a faint blush.

Ding-dong, ding-dong—the clear, melodious sound of bells, comes from…a cat.

A black cat appeared in front of Masumi.

"Meow~"

She made a cute meow that sounded a lot like a cat.

At the same time, make a cat gesture with your hands.

As expected of the ultimate cat lover, the degree of bending of the heir's knuckles, the angle of pressing down her wrist, and even the dangerous charm of the claws hidden underneath have all been perfectly replicated one-to-one.

The current Rinne cat is twice as cute as Tama, the calico cat owned by the fish shop owner in the shopping district.

From this perspective, Xiaoyu can already be considered "disqualified from being a cat"!

Moreover, the cat-themed underwear clung tightly to her body, outlining her voluptuous curves that made hearts race.

"Tama... oh no, Rinne."

"Meow?"

Rinne raised the end of her voice and sat on the bed, moving closer to Masumi.

Huh? Why can she only speak cat language now?

"Meow...meow..."

Masumi:!!!∑(Дノ)ノ!!!
This is terrible! The heiress has completely turned into a cat.

She climbed right off the bed, her apple-scented breath brushing against Masumi's face. Rinne sniffed Masumi's scent like a real cat.

My gaze swept over her soft back. Good, no cat tail had grown out yet. There was still room for maneuver.

However, its presence, which wobbles around like jelly, is just as strong as a tail.

A warm touch suddenly came from my face.

Rinne playfully licked his face.

"Rinne?"

When the warm tongue left, the cheeks, wet with saliva, felt cool, as if trying to calm the skin, but Masumi's heart was pounding.

This must be the first time he has seen Rinne completely overturn her usual calm and composed demeanor.

Well...so cute!

So cute it's unfair!

The black cat is now rubbing against him even more intensely, but it doesn't bother him at all; it's pure bliss.

So that's how it is. Pet cats really do bring happiness.

Wait!
Suddenly, a thought struck Masumi: I understand! I'm dreaming right now, aren't I!
In this way, Rinne's change in temperament can be explained.

But when exactly did the dream begin?
"Meow, meow~"

The cat next to him was meowing urgently and trying its best to lean its body against him. Could this cat be in heat?
Upon closer inspection, Rinne's face was also quite red.

"Rinne? Are you alright?"

Masumi asked with concern, saying that even in his dreams, he didn't want to see her get hurt.

"Meow."

Even if he's frantically pacing around, Rinne will only meow innocently.

Masumi sighed, rubbing her forehead. This was really difficult; she could only speak Japanese.

As if sensing his emotions, Rinne meowed sweetly while licking his face.

Masumi finally realized something was amiss.

So hot.

Not only himself, but also Rinne, who was now clinging to him, was very hot.

Could she be delirious from a fever?
"Haiyue!"

Thinking of this, he shouted the name of the jellyfish girl.

Ever since Rinne came back, she's been acting like something terrible has happened and has gone back to her room.

After a while, the door to the room was pushed open.

Before this, Masumi, whose face was covered in the scent of apples from being licked, reached out and clamped down on the cat's tongue.

Rinne let out a cute, cat-like hum, mixed with panting, then turned her head and blinked her innocent, beautiful eyes at him, begging for mercy.

Such gentleness and clinginess are simply unfair, putting Masumi's heart to an unprecedented challenge.

"Masumi... is there something you need from me?"

A deer appeared before Masumi.

What happened? Has the starry sky turned into an animal kingdom?
Upon closer inspection, beneath the soft antlers was a clean, expressionless face.

Penguins, sharks, calico cats... and deer, where did Haiyue get so many costumes?
“Qian’ai… gave it to me.” She replied, “It’s fashionable.”

"Uh, I don't understand fashion, please bring me a thermometer."

"Oh."

"By the way, when I had a cold last time, did you and Rinne go to the pharmacy to buy medicine?"

"Ah."

"Is there any medicine left?"

"Have."

What's going on? Because Haiyue's gaze kept shifting between Masumi and Nekorin, and she looked puzzled, her answers were extremely brief.

"Then please bring them over as well."

"no problem."

Haiyue ran off as soon as she finished speaking, her movements were very nimble, it seems that what she said in the bathroom earlier, that she would help me as much as possible, was not untrue.

A moment later, she returned to the room and handed Masumi a thermometer and a box of medicine.

Masumi carefully placed the thermometer under Rinne's fair and smooth armpit, a process that took quite some effort. Forgive him, it was his first time taking a cat's temperature.

With one less hand to control him, the cat seized the opportunity and immediately sniffed his nose.

That exquisite face instantly captured Masumi's entire field of vision.

Her eyes, sparkling like clear amethyst, were more beautiful and dazzling than jewels in a glass display case, yet as cute and endearing as a kitten.

Her indifferent face now looked as endearing as a doll.

She has a beautiful figure and a firm, mature attitude that can even be intimidating, but when she slightly opens her lips, you can hear a sweet, delicate voice like that of a kitten.

This contrast is far too cunning.

"Rinne?"

Left with no other choice, Masumi reached out and gently stroked her head, as if she were a real cat.

At least in terms of cuteness, it's undeniably adorable.

Be patient with cats.

The method seemed to work; her body trembled from the tickling, but it also subtly revealed that she was in a good mood.

Masumi continued patting her slender back slowly down her beautiful nape.

A line stretched out, which was the flexible spine of the black cat girl. Masumi slowly traced that line, stopping when she touched the cat's underwear.

"Meow, meow~"

Rinne finally calmed down, slowly turned her face away, and then lay back down like a liquid, her long black hair spreading out on the sheets like a fan.

She remained lying on her side, supporting herself with her knees, the contrast between her black stockings and her fair legs making it impossible not to stare.

Wait, the soles of the black stockings even have a cat paw pattern.

Masumi suppressed her urge to touch them, because Kaigetsu was staring intently at them the whole time.

After a period of agonizing waiting, the electronic thermometer finally went off.

Masumi picked it up and frowned deeply: 38.9℃! No wonder Rinne was already delirious.

It is said that this high fever should not last more than two hours, otherwise it will cause serious harm to the body, and fever-reducing medicine must be taken immediately.

Masumi picked up the medicine box that was placed to the side and struggled to read out the katakana on it: acetaminophen suppository.

It doesn't seem to be a very common medicine.

Take the instruction manual out of the medicine box. Compared to the incomprehensible drug names, the content on it is much more concise.

"..."

"Why is it this kind of medicine?" Masumi twitched the corner of her mouth after reading it.

"This medicine... has the highest efficacy... I want Masumi to get better quickly..."

Haiyue explained slowly and deliberately with a serious expression.

“Oh, thank you,” Masumi said sincerely.

Fortunately, Rinne didn't use this medicine on herself back then, but now she's the one who has to use it on Rinne?

"Is there really no other medicine?"

He checked again, then looked out at the torrential rain. It would be terrible to go out in this weather, and he was also worried about leaving Nekorin and Haiyue alone at home.

"No."

Haiyue shook her head again.

"Sigh~"

My head hurts so much. Rinne's meows no longer sound sentimental, but rather like painful groans.

Compared to her health, it seemed like meaningless modesty, and everything else was insignificant.

Without hesitation, Masumi asked, "Can Kaigetsu come over and help administer the medicine?"

"For Masumi?" Kaigetsu asked.

"Of course not." Masumi sighed deeply. So, she really couldn't have a jellyfish girl?

In that case——

"Excuse me, Haiyue, could you go downstairs and get a glass of water?" he asked.

(End of this chapter)