Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 227, Section 2: "The first thing to do after the exams is, of course, to travel."

The calendar turned to November, and the weather was getting colder day by day.

Masumi has always believed that a life with rituals helps people remember the seasons, such as cherry blossom viewing in spring and fireworks festivals in summer.

So what did they do this autumn?

Running a coffee shop, offering delicious coffee and light meals to the citizens of Kobe and tourists alike, yeah, they're working very hard.

I went to Miyako Island and enjoyed the blue sky and white clouds, swimsuits and white sand beaches, driving along the coastline, diving, kayaking... a series of activities full of summer, well, autumn charm.

She created an anonymous singer account called "Haiyue" on YouTube and uploaded her first video.

"Wow, that's amazing! Miyazawa-senpai, the video has already surpassed 2 views."

Looking at the five-figure number on the screen, part-time shop assistant Yuyuko couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

However, Masumi was still not satisfied and sighed:
"Well, it's not bad for a first-time posting account, but I still hope to get even better data."

Whether it's Haiyue's singing, Mio's piano playing, or the pieces provided by my senior Rugu, they shouldn't be limited to this level.

"I understand how Miyazawa-senpai feels, but this is already incredibly amazing!"

Yuyuko seemed even more excited than about her own account, saying, "My beauty videos on YouTube only get a few hundred views."

"Huh? Inukai is a YouTuber too?"

“Mhm.” Yuyuko nodded. “I use YouTube and Instagram, but I actually use Instagram more.”

Those few hundred views were probably drawn by the current "landmine-type" JK (high school girl) beauty.

"Having ideals is a good thing, but it's also important to set reasonable expectations."

Rinne interjected at this moment. She tried to soften her tone so that her words wouldn't sound like a lecture.

"...Yes, I understand that too."

Masumi relaxes her tense shoulders.

"Let's take enabling revenue as our initial goal."

Yuyuko clenched her fists in front of her shoulder and said.

"Isn't it a bit too superficial to make this a goal?" Kurokawa Mio frowned slightly.

“Indeed, you can’t keep going just for money without passion,” Masumi nodded.

"But these clear, small goals usually give people the motivation to 'just persevere a little longer,' which I personally quite like."

"Yes, I think so too, after all, Masumi and I are on the same wavelength."

The speed at which Kurokawa Mio changed her tune left the heiress speechless.

But it's not surprising.

Rinne seemed to remember something, "Speaking of which, today should be Asami-nee's theory exam, right?"

"Ah."

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked anxiously. "I didn't contact Mami before the exam because I was worried she'd be nervous."

“I asked her about it on Line last night.”

As Masumi spoke, she unlocked her phone.

"This time it'll definitely be fine! Everyone, just wait for my triumphant return at the store! I want to eat offal hot pot..." That's what she replied to me. You can see for yourselves.

Masumi showed the girls his chat history with Asami, and Kurokawa Mio paid special attention to it.

Masumi: "Have you memorized all the traffic regulations from the textbook?"

Ryujinin Michiyo: "I memorized it! Masumi-kun will never guess. I found some practice tests online and got a 94!"

"..."

The atmosphere fell into silence.

After hesitating for a moment, Rinne said softly:

"...Mami-nee, you must be lying again, trying to keep up appearances."

Masumi nodded: "I think so too."

"It's probably because seeing that both Masumi and I passed the exam smoothly put too much pressure on us."

Kurokawa Mio pressed her temples, a deep sigh escaping her lips.

Haiyue: "Asami... so pitiful..."

Rinne stood up from the chair in the lounge. "I'm going to buy ingredients for hot pot. I'll comfort her properly today."

"Yuyuko, would you like to stay and eat with us?"

"No, no." Yuyuko waved her hands in front of her face, refusing. "I'm not good at comforting people at all. It would be terrible if I accidentally said the wrong thing."

"I see."

Rinne nodded slightly, then suddenly looked at Masumi: "I probably can't carry all that stuff by myself, so come with me."

"...Is that so?" Kurokawa Mio asked calmly, "She can move a small coffee machine with ease and doesn't want anyone to help her."

"..."

"Ahem." Masumi quickly stepped in to smooth things over for Rinne, "It's because you've been working too hard lately, right? In that case, Mio, come along too."

"Humph~"

Kurokawa Mio snorted coldly, "You thieving cat."

◇

Asami's theoretical exams were long over, and she was currently browsing around shops like Surugaya and Melonbooks in Sannomiya.

Although she claimed it was a pastime after the exams, Masumi and others unanimously believed it was a form of revenge spending to distract herself.

Rinne's usual discount supermarket for daily necessities is about a kilometer away, and it starts offering discounts after 7:30 pm.

The three of them, each carrying a shopping basket, showed a glimpse of the heiress's domestic side in the supermarket's raw meat section.

The sales clerk, holding the discount tag, leisurely affixed it to the surface of the product.

Rinne appeared harmless amidst a group of waiting housewives, her figure appearing so delicate.

However, the moment the label was completely adhered to the surface of the transparent plastic box, that slender, white hand moved faster than anyone else.

No matter how shrewd and capable a housewife her opponent is, Rinne always comes out on top in the fight.

Discounted beef, offal platters, cabbage, chives, tofu... Wandering around the supermarket, my shopping basket gradually filled with discounted items.

Well, to reward Mami for her hard work, Rinne showed great sincerity and even bought a slice of watermelon for 429 yen, which was not discounted.

"That's really something, Rinne."

Kurokawa Mio praised meaningfully, "She seems like the kind of girl who keeps people at arm's length, but she's actually surprisingly aggressive."

My motto is "Keep a watchful eye."

Rinne spoke those words with her usual cold expression.

(Note: Unlike in Chinese, this word in Japanese is mostly used to describe "acting decisively and seizing opportunities.")
"...Well, now that we've bought the groceries, let's head back. Mami should be back around this time."

Masumi spoke up from the side, saying that he hoped he could play a role similar to lubricant in the face of the two women who were constantly fighting each other.

Although most of the time, he is the "oil" that adds fuel to the fire.

◇

"—Masumi-nii, I heard you guys were going to have offal hot pot, so I brought beef intestines with me. They're supposedly from Wagyu beef."

A cheerful female voice rang out in the coffee shop at night, and a girl with emerald eyes pushed open the door.

"Oh, it's Qian Ai."

Hearing the commotion, Masumi came out of the kitchen and took the ingredients from her hands.

“I’ve heard about it.” Qian’ai nodded heavily, a look of premonition on her face. “Mami has failed the exam so many times. She must be in a lot of pain.”

"Although I don't really approve of binge eating to vent emotions, at least today, with everyone by her side, she should feel better."

“Chiai is too gentle,” Masumi sighed. “I don’t think she cares at all.”

This guy just sent a Line message, showing off that his manga "The Hero Squad is Full of Demon King's Army Spy" was prominently displayed on the bookshelf of Junkudo Bookstore, and also updated his Twitter with a photo.

Well, after the digital edition achieved good sales, Shinazugawa Bunko took the opportunity to contact its affiliated publishers to publish the physical edition of the first volume of the manga.

Riding this wave of momentum, Asami decided to create a doujinshi (fan-made comic) of her manga at this year's Winter Comi.

Although he suffered a major setback in his driver's license test, is he enjoying great success in his comic book career?
As the saying goes, "Heaven does not bestow two things," but for Mami... she already has "two things" on her chest.

"Masumi-san?"

Seeing her childhood friend lost in thought, Qian'ai tilted her head in confusion.

"Ah, it's nothing." Masumi shook her head. "What did you just say?"

"Honestly, you don't even listen to what I'm saying." Qian Ai puffed out her cheeks as if she were being difficult. "I was talking about how to comfort Mami-nee."

How to comfort them?

"Um... in short, we absolutely mustn't bring up the topic of the theory test or driving—"

Just then, the wind chimes swayed. "Ta-da! Mami makes her dazzling entrance!"

Asami appeared before the two, carrying two tightly wrapped black plastic bags and beaming with smiles.

"Hey! Mami-nee, you, you're back."

Qian'ai, who hadn't yet thought of a first cheerful topic, sounded slightly flustered.

"Yeah, it's been a long time, Chia. I almost started living in the driving school dormitory like a student dormitory."

Mami let out a sigh of relief, as if she had survived a disaster.

Oh no, she brought up the topic herself. Masumi and Chiai exchanged bewildered glances.

fortunately.

"The hot pot is ready."

Rinne, wearing heat-resistant cotton gloves, picked up the casserole and walked out of the kitchen.

"Yay! Offal pot!"

Asami put down the plastic bag and waved her hands in cheers.

The childhood sweethearts breathed a sigh of relief.

Including the future, seven people sat around the table eating a steaming hot pot of offal.

Fresh beef intestines are cut in half from the middle, and glistening fat flows out, giving rise to a delicious and clear broth.

"Sister Mami, you've worked so hard, eat more."

Qian Ai eagerly served food to Mami.

Masumi also helped her open the beer tab, saying, "We can't drink as much as we want in the dorm, but today you can indulge a little and drink as much as you want. We'll clean up after you."

"Mami...eat chives..."

Haiyue also gave Mami the food she didn't like.

"At least eat some vegetables, Haiyue."

Rinne said with a troubled expression.

She's not the kind of person who would force someone to eat food they don't like, but the jellyfish girl is an absolute carnivore.

For her health's sake, we have to be firm and force her to eat some vegetables.

"Ugh."

Seeing the cabbage and chives reappear in the bowl, Haiyue's face fell, and she looked dejected.

"...Oh, thank you everyone."

Faced with the continuous concern and goodwill from everyone, Mami was a little overwhelmed.

"Why is everyone suddenly being so nice to me?"

"What kind of talk is that? Everyone has always been concerned about Mami-nee," Chiai quickly said.

Very good, the topic was handled flawlessly, except that the corners of the mouth were a little stiff and the smile was a little unnatural.

Hang in there, Chia! Masumi cheered her on in her heart.

"is it?"

Asami stared at Chiai, who was gesturing wildly as she explained, and narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

Seeing that Chiai was struggling alone, the understanding Mirai immediately came to the rescue: "Mami-nee is overthinking it. Everyone just wanted to comfort you."

"That's it."

Mami nodded. "That's true. After all, out of the three people who went to take their driver's license test, I stayed the longest."

"Masumi-kun and Mio-san cleared the game in one life and left early. There are no new students at the driving school recently, and I'm so lonely living alone in a double room."

She poured out her grievances like beans pouring from a bamboo tube.

Masumi then comforted her, saying, "It's alright, Mami. As the saying goes, 'Heaven doesn't bestow two things upon one person.' Everyone has different strengths. Of course, I'm not saying you're not good at it."

If you're good at something but not good at it, then what exactly does it mean to be yourself?
In an attempt to comfort Mami, Masumi herself became confused by her own words.

Never mind, Mami probably wouldn't understand.

Asami truly didn't understand; her coffee-colored eyes seemed to be spinning like mosquito coils: "What exactly is Masumi-kun saying? I don't understand at all."

Masumi quickly cast pleading glances at the others.

Rinne and Kurokawa Mio understood each other perfectly and said one after the other:
"It's alright, Ms. Mami. That's life. We often encounter things that are beyond our control. All we can do is go with the flow."

"Very good, that's it." Masumi nodded in agreement. Completely irresponsible words are the best way to put people's burdens at ease.

Rinne nodded in agreement: "What's done is done, so there's no need to dwell on it. I think it's better for Asami to keep looking forward."

Yes, that's a very typical statement from a heiress.

So the effect of their words was—

Masumi tentatively turned her gaze to Mami, who was chewing on a piece of beef intestine that she couldn't seem to chew properly, with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"What's wrong, Mami-nee?" Chiai asked cautiously.

Mami swallowed the beef intestines whole and said:
"You guys... have you misunderstood something?"

"Eh?"

The offal pot on the table already contained the noodles that were to be eaten last, which were bubbling away in the broth mixed with soy sauce.

However, no one touched the noodles, causing them to expand to almost double their original size.

Seeing everyone's frozen reaction, Mami sighed as expected.

"So, you guys don't actually think I failed the exam again, do you?"

"Huh? Isn't that how it is?"

Masumi accidentally blurted out her true feelings.

"No way! Look what this is!"

Mami suddenly pulled out a hard card. Where? Where did she get it from?
Masumi was certain she hadn't blinked; the most likely place on her upper body where she might be hiding something was...

"I got my driver's license today!"

Asami proudly puffed out her ample breasts. Could it be...? Masumi stared thoughtfully at the light tank top she had changed into after returning to the store.

"That's amazing, Mami-nee."

Mirai reacted quickly, clapping enthusiastically to congratulate Mami: "Congratulations on passing!"

"Mmm, little Future is the best. Come here and let your big sister pamper you."

Moved, Mami hugged Mirai tightly, so tightly that the girl let out a strange "gurgling" sound, like a frog being flattened.

"So you passed the exam. Why didn't you just say so?" Masumi sighed.

"Didn't I say I was going to have a celebratory banquet and eat offal hot pot?"

"Everyone thought that he was venting his emotions by binge eating after failing the exam."

"stare--"

With sharp eyes, Mami glared at him fiercely.

"It must be that Masumi-kun made fun of my embarrassing moments with other people after he came back from driving school."

"I don't have such bad intentions." Masumi said helplessly, it was just that Mami's "saintly and pure" persona was too deeply ingrained in people's minds.

"Never mind, I'm in a good mood today, so I won't hold it against Masumi-kun," Mami said nonchalantly, then brought up another matter.

"Now that we all have our driver's licenses, let's go for a drive and go on a trip together!"

She made the suggestion with great interest.

"A road trip? Where to?"

"Good question!"

Asami pulled out a paper flyer with a "whoosh." Where? Where did she get it from?
Masumi was once again certain that she hadn't blinked. Did her upper body have a space like a four-dimensional magic pocket?
"Sister Mami? What is this?" Chiai asked in confusion.

Mami then pushed the flyer even closer.

The overall appearance is green, with eye-catching lettering on it.

Gunma Prefecture: A Summer Resort and Hot Spring Destination

Wait, escaping the heat? Could it be...? Masumi lowered her gaze and, sure enough, found the small print: June 15th, Reiwa X.

Is this a summer travel poster?
After a moment's thought, Masumi deduced the answer: it must have been an expired poster that Mami had found while idly studying at the driving school.

"Hey everyone, let's go on a trip!"

Asami's eyes gleamed as she spoke aggressively:

"Let's take a spontaneous road trip!"

(End of this chapter)