Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 214, Section 16: "Is a coffee shop standoff a staple of romance light novels?"

"No."

Across the table, Amamiya Kozue's face was ashen.

"I will absolutely not leave Haiyue here."

The next day, when she mentioned this to Kozue, who was at the coffee shop, his reaction was exactly as Masumi had expected.

Masumi calmly said, "For her and for us, Haiyue still has things to do and reasons to stay here."

"You mean the coffee shop?" Shao asked calmly.

"Aside from Ms. Kamishiro, who is the store manager, and Mr. Miyazawa, who is the barista, the other jobs aren't irreplaceable, are they?"

Although it was a question, it left no room for rebuttal, and the tone was calm, as if stating a fact.

That is indeed the truth.

Masumi nodded: "So what I was talking about was having Kaigetsu take on the lead vocals for the anonymous singer account..."

"--impossible."

Before Masumi could finish speaking, Kozue denied it without hesitation.

The previously calm atmosphere froze instantly.

"Whether it's a band or some anonymous singer account, Haiyue would never join."

"why?"

“Because…” Her face tightened, and she looked away, avoiding the main point: “Haiyue is very hurt.”

"Haiyue, we were in a band together before, right?"

Masumi looked at her face as if testing the waters.

"Then... she ran away on the stage of the LiveHouse."

His words left Shao speechless for a moment, and the girl's throat, which had been tracing a smooth curve, trembled slightly, at a loss for words.

Sho sighed, feeling troubled:

"Did Haiyue tell you this?"

As she spoke, Shao's gaze quietly fell upon Haiyue, who remained silent to the side, her crimson eyes revealing a lack of emotion.

The jellyfish girl remained restless, her head bowed.

Masumi sensed that Kaigetsu seemed to have been blamed, so she quickly tried to smooth things over by saying:

"I asked that question."

For some reason, it felt strangely familiar.

Perhaps unable to bear seeing Haiyue's face continue to turn ashen, he extended his well-maintained hand with an apologetic expression and gently placed it on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Haiyue, I didn't mean to blame you, not even back then, I just..."

A bitter feeling caused the girl's lips to twist slightly, and the ends of her eyebrows drooped in distress.

I'm very worried about you.

"Sho...what are you worried about me for?"

"I'm worried that Haiyue will get hurt again."

These words undoubtedly came from her heart: "Haiyue is a friend I cherish, and that's why I don't want to see Haiyue suffer like she did back then."

"..."

Feeling like a child who had angered her parents, Haiyue avoided Shao's gaze.

A chilling silence erected a transparent barrier in the air.

Her fingers gripped her arm tightly, reminiscent of a cherry blossom's nails, leaving crescent-shaped marks on the soft skin.

"...Mixed coffee, please."

Rinne broke the silence, gently placing a mug in front of Koji. The mug was quietly filled with warm liquid, exuding the aroma of coffee.

"Thank you, Ms. Kamishiro."

With a flick of her fingers, she moved across the handle and concluded, "That's it. I have a reason to take Haiyue with me."

"Will taking Haiyue back protect her and prevent her from getting hurt?" Masumi asked.

“...Masumi (brother).”

Three adorable heads peeked out from behind the bar not far away: in order, they were Kurokawa Mio, Asami, and Chia, cautiously observing the scene of the confrontation, their faces showing no attempt to hide their worry.

Kozue was taken aback for a moment by Masumi's question, then her expression sharpened, and she calmly replied:

"No."

"That……"

"But I'm even more worried about leaving Haiyue here alone, let alone having her join you guys singing or anything like that..."

"I wanted to sing it myself."

The chair beneath Haiyue was dragged, making a sharp creaking sound.

"Haiyue?"

She opened her eyes slightly in surprise, but her expression returned to normal in an instant.

"That's what you said to me back then."

"..."

Haiyue immediately fell silent, staring quietly at the ground as if trying to escape something, her lowered eyelids trembling slightly.

"Different."

The resounding, firm words echoed on the coffee shop table. Kozue looked at the source of the voice with some surprise, and Masumi replied without hesitation:
"As long as I am here, there is no way that the same mistake will be repeated."

He narrowed his eyes slightly: "Really? Mr. Miyazawa is quite confident."

"Moreover, anonymous singer accounts upload music videos to websites, so they don't need to face an audience like they would in a livehouse."

"Oh, really?" Shao replied calmly, her tone still devoid of emotion.
"However, once the video is released, it will still face an online audience, just with a difference between direct and indirect views. As long as this pressure exists, the risk of Haiyue getting hurt cannot be avoided."

Absolutely not. These are things that even I, before going to Miyako Island, couldn't quite convince myself of. Trying to sway this Miss Kozue is simply wishful thinking.

“Mr. Miyazawa is indeed a kind person,” she suddenly said.

"Ok?"

"It wasn't just that act of bravery that morning..." He paused for a moment.

Even so, it seems that my behavior that day left a very good impression on this Miss Kozue; otherwise, she probably wouldn't have had the patience to listen to Masumi continue.

He continued, "...the same goes for Haiyue."

"What's this?"

"Haiyue... is a very fragile child, and looks very pitiful, right? And Mr. Miyazawa is also a very kind and gentle person."

"So it's because you have empathy for other people's problems, and because you sympathize with Haiyue, that you're willing to take care of her like this."

She was talking to herself, and for some reason, Masumi felt as if Kozue was talking to herself.

"Please wait a moment."

Masumi couldn't stand it anymore and interrupted:
"I admit I'm a pushover, but gentleness and kindness alone are not enough to build lasting relationships with anyone."

"I don't have the power to be all-encompassing and give endlessly. On the contrary, I'm a very selfish person."

Masumi had originally intended to gloss over the conversation, but for some reason, she felt uneasy and continued talking incessantly:

"If you can't get the support you need from the other person, your enthusiasm will fade and your gentleness will eventually wear you down."

Perhaps I could do what my senior, Rugu, did; she was the most shrewd and worldly person Masumi had ever met.

But as her good-for-nothing junior, Masumi knew she absolutely did not have that ability.

As he spoke, he realized that his feelings were gradually taking shape: there was no such thing as a guardian's obligation; he was simply enjoying the feeling of being relied upon while taking care of Haiyue.

"I think Miss Kozue is more than that. Who would take care of someone they don't like? That would be too humanitarian."

"Therefore, Miss Sho, please face your own feelings and also take Haiyue's thoughts into account."

"..."

Perhaps not expecting Masumi to say such a thing, his tone was so sincere that Kozue couldn't help but lower her eyelashes and remain silent for a long time.

Seeing her expression, Haiyue turned her face away as if to avoid it, her delicate fingers, as always, grasping the hem of Masumi's clothes.

Masumi sighed, pried her hands apart, and smiled as if to reassure her, "Don't worry, I'll be with you."

After making the promise, Masumi pushed her in front of Kozue, who stared intently at the hand that Masumi was using to pat Kaigetsu's back.

"...the tip."

Haiyue's gaze darted nervously back and forth, her slender, delicate fingers still clutching the hem of Masumi's shirt in a flustered manner. Her gaze shifted from Masumi's hand patting Haiyue's, then returned to Haiyue's tightly gripped hand, looking flustered and uncertain.

She squinted her eyes in disappointment, feeling overwhelmed by the sights.

"Haiyue, do you want to stay by his side... and sing?"

Her voice trembled slightly.

"Ah."

Haiyue tightened her fingers, and the sound that came out of her lips was also soft but powerful.

Shao was stunned for a moment; Haiyue's answer was both within her expectations and unexpected.

She expected Haiyue to give an affirmative answer, but she didn't expect Haiyue to speak so firmly, which was completely different from the time she came to find her.

What makes this man so different?
A complex emotion flickered at the corner of her lips as she stared intently at Masumi.

"Miss Shao?"

Masumi felt uneasy under her gaze and couldn't help but ask.

"Feel sorry."

He shook his head slightly, then said, "One week."

"A week?"

Too concise to understand, Masumi struggled with confusion:
"What does it mean?"

"time."

He responded with a brief and clear answer, then explained slowly and deliberately:
"My vacation ends next week. If I don't hear Haiyue's singing before then, I will take Haiyue away without hesitation—even if it means ignoring her wishes."

"Short..."

"I'm sorry, Haiyue, I didn't mean to force you, it's just..."

As if to prove her determination, she said resolutely:

"I'd do anything to protect you, even if it means such cruel methods."

“…I understand.” Masumi nodded.

"Um, thank you for Mr. Miyazawa..." She paused, glancing at the other girls watching in the shop, "and for the kindness of everyone in the coffee shop."

"Well then, see you next time, Haiyue."

As she spoke, she stood up and picked up the tote bag that was placed to the side, when Masumi suddenly called out to her—

"Please wait a moment, Miss Kozue."

"Ok?"

She paused briefly, tilting her head slightly with a blank expression.

"Miss, please be sure to try this coffee."

Masumi pushed the mug towards her and said with a serious expression.

"Eh."

Slightly taken aback, he glanced at the coffee on the table, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded:
"Okay, then let me try the skills of Starry Night Cafe."

She sat down again, picked up her coffee, took a sip, closed her eyes slightly, and carefully savored the coffee that had settled on her tongue.

A moment later, he frowned slightly.

"How to describe the taste... it's a bit astringent, and there's a lot of off-flavors. It seems like the coffee beans were steeped for too long."

Seeing how knowledgeable she was, Masumi raised an eyebrow in slight surprise, then said sincerely:
"Yes, thank you for your valuable feedback."

Occupational hazard: when encountering a customer who is skilled at appreciating coffee, Masumi almost blurted out, "I'm quite confident in my ability to appreciate blended coffee."

Unaware of the complex emotions swirling within him, she wore a suspicious expression.

"Excuse my rudeness, but your shop has a pretty high rating on Tabelog. Logically speaking, your craftsmanship shouldn't be this bad. Or... was it intentional?"

What kind of coffee shop enjoys making things difficult for its customers?

Masumi quickly explained:

"No, this was brewed by Haiyue before you arrived. She didn't have the courage to bring it to you, so Rinne brought it up instead..."

"If that's the case, why didn't you say so sooner!"

He blurted out an impatient voice, abandoning his previous casual movements, and properly held the bottom of the cup with his hand.

Wow, that's a huge reaction.

"Is everything alright?" Masumi blinked worriedly.

The water temperature of this cup of coffee should be controlled at 92 degrees Celsius. Even if it has been sitting for a while, it should not be at the point where it can be replaced by a tray by hand.

Holding the mug carefully in her hands, as if hesitating, she cautiously began to speak:

"that……"

Masumi looked at her reaction with surprise, but still said, "Miss Kozue, please speak."

"May I take this coffee cup home?"

"Eh?"

"Um, I think it's better to finish it at the store."

“No, I want to savor it properly when I get back,” Kozue said earnestly.

"This, this is it."

"Okay, that's it. I'll wash the cup thoroughly with dish soap before returning it."

"...There's no need to go to such trouble. This is a new cup I bought at the souvenir shop. No one has used it yet, so I'll just give it to Miss Kozue."

"Is that so? Then I shall respectfully accept your offer."

With a gentle touch, Masumi thought to herself, "Maybe this mug will become a family heirloom."

"but……"

She looked up at Haiyue with a surprised expression, her eyes sparkling.

"...It's coffee brewed by Haiyue."

He left after saying that, picked up his tote bag, and went.

◇

A few minutes later, at the coffee shop after he left.

Masumi, whose face had been tense, relaxed, pressed her face against the table, and sighed softly:

"...A week."

"As expected of Masumi-kun, his sweet words actually managed to bewitch that seemingly unapproachable Miss Kozue."

"Sister Mami, whose side are you on?" Chiai complained.

"Of course I'm on the side that wants to keep Umizuki here, but Chia also saw Umizuki's performance in the recording studio."

"Is it really possible to record this song in less than a week?"

"Certainly possible!"

Qian Ai doesn't know who to cheer up for.

"Speaking of which, Masumi-nii's performance just now was truly amazing."

"Where?" Masumi asked, puzzled.

Qian Ai explained: "She is usually easygoing and gets along well with people, and even seems to have a bit of a feminine quality."

"However, if you are fooled by Masumi-nii's appearance and accidentally cross one of his bottom lines, he will become unusually arrogant and persistent, which is surprising."

"indeed so."

Rinne nodded in deep agreement.

"This is my Masumi," Kurokawa Mio said proudly, puffing out her chest. "She's special, a world apart from those guys who think they're 'different'."

Then she added, "Masumi is a cloud. Ah~ it feels like being with Masumi makes my consciousness happily ascend to the clouds."

She had a dreamy expression on her face, and a blush of blissful daze appeared on her cheeks.

"Mmm-hmm." Mami chimed in with a hint of sarcasm, "I've heard that guys like that are quite different in some ways."

"Like evolving from a herbivore to a carnivore."

Chiai stared in disbelief and said, "Mami-nee really does always talk about inappropriate topics."

The noisy chatter of the girls helped to ease the gloom that had settled in Masumi's heart.

(End of this chapter)