Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 23 23. "Daily Reasoning"

It rained lightly at night on Sunday, and when Masumi woke up in the morning, he found the sky surprisingly clear.

There was still a slight dampness on the ground, and the gravel was condensed by the water. The feeling of stepping on it was very real, making a rustling sound on the soles of the shoes, but it did not affect Masumi's morning jog plan.

Fresh air.

White lines were drawn at equal intervals on the hardened road surface. Masumi stared fixedly at the lines, running step by step on the jogging path that his body was gradually becoming familiar with.

This kind of life actually gave him a subtle sense of happiness. Although Masumi didn't know that this sense of satisfaction came from the dual physiological and psychological effects brought about by exercise and an orderly life, he knew that he liked this kind of life.

Thinking back carefully, he was also looking forward to a new life when he first arrived in Tokyo.

On the way back, I went to the convenience store I had gone to yesterday and walked to the freshly made fruit smoothie counter.

I remember yesterday Seno recommended...melon flavor.

The price is actually a bit higher than other flavors, so I guess it’s worth the money?
With this thought in mind, Macheng walked out of the convenience store with the melon fruit smoothie made by the machine.

Insert a straw and take a sip.

A sweet taste spread in his mouth. Masumi had recently discovered that he could eat sweets better than he thought, so he thought this level was okay, but a moment later -

——A slightly bitter taste surged up.

Is it because it's too sweet that it has a bitter aftertaste?
Masumi frowned slightly, holding the melon fruit smoothie and walking back to Fanxing Road, sipping it from time to time along the way, but the more he drank, the more bitter it became.

Every time when he wanted to throw it away to cut his losses, he couldn't help but think of its price of 300 yen. For example, the vegetable juice in the vending machine was only 100 yen, enough to buy three boxes.

But the bitterness that this melon smoothie brought to Masumi was more than three times greater.

So they returned to Fanxing and waited until morning. When Seno Asami was stretching and lazily walking down the stairs as usual, Masumi started to attack Asami.

"This is definitely a misunderstanding. I didn't mean to play a trick on you this time." Asami quickly defended herself.

Her soft and plump lips were slightly tensed, with special emphasis on "this time".

Folding her arms, Asami fell into deep thought. Then, a look of sudden realization appeared on her face. She stretched out her arms, pointed her index finger at the tip of Masumi's nose, and said, "I understand!"

"Understand what?"

"Milk, there must be some unknown chemical reaction between honeydew melon and milk."

"Drinks like this have to be consumed as soon as they're made, otherwise they become as bitter as black coffee."

"Is... that so?" Masumi asked doubtfully.

"That must be it!" Mami said confidently, "Think carefully, didn't you drink it right after you finished fighting?"

After hearing her words, Masumi recalled: a freshly made fruit smoothie was 300 yen. In order to collect 1000 yen for the lottery, he first bought a pack of chewing gum, and then went to the comic magazine shelf to buy two weekly or monthly magazines.

Although she was trying to make up for the loss, she couldn't just buy two magazines without reading them, so she carefully selected them before making her decision. Unfortunately, she didn't even win the fourth-place prize of tissue paper.

No smoothies were consumed during the entire process.

Thinking about it this way, it seems to be true.

"I'm sorry...it seems I misunderstood you."

"It's okay, it's okay." Mami waved her hand generously. "But after this, you should understand how smart I am, right? I was able to deduce the truth of the whole incident from just a few clues."

"Hehe, this is called 'everyday reasoning'."

She raised the corners of her lips in triumph.

What a surprise, "Are you a fan of everyday reasoning?" Masumi asked.

"I guess so." His eyes were a little evasive. "Is that so..."

"Kaoru Kitamura, 'Pegasus in the Sky', 'Heron and Snow'."

Masumi's eyes reflected the cheap light from the phone screen as he spoke as if he was reading out a dish.

"what is that?"

"Everyday mystery novels I found online."

"So there really is such a classification." Mami was a little dumbfounded.

"Hmm." He hadn't finished reading yet. "Everyday mystery novels are generally considered to have originated in the late 20th century in Japan. In 1989, Kitamura Kaoru published his debut novel, "Pegasus in the Sky." The story's mysteries revolve around questions like, "Why does the electric horse in front of the grocery store mysteriously disappear at night and reappear the next morning?" and "Why do three girls in a teahouse repeatedly add a sip of sugar and take a sip of tea?" This style of novel, blending everyday warmth with mystery and deduction, was quite novel at the time and, upon publication, was a huge hit with readers."

"After the bubble economy burst, the mystery fiction industry was hit hard by a sharp drop in readers' incomes. Changes in social thought also made traditional mystery novels less popular with some readers, leading to sluggish sales. As a result, everyday mystery novels entered a period of rapid development..."

The words that came out of Masumi's mouth one after another made Asami dizzy.

"Stop, stop, stop, spare me."

"I learned this word from Hyouka and Petty Bourgeois. I will never again pretend to be a mystery enthusiast," she begged for mercy.

"It seems you're quite professional indeed. These two works are also milestones in everyday mystery writing," Masumi continued. "The 'Classics Club' series, published in 2001 by author Honobu Yonezawa, is a classic that cannot be ignored in the development of everyday mystery fiction. Since its publication, it has won numerous mystery literature awards..."

"Ma-Cheng-kun."

Hearing Asami muttering his name word by word with regret, Masumi raised his head and stopped muttering.

Asami belatedly realized the situation and showed a stunned expression, then narrowed her beautiful brown eyes and stared at him.

"Actually, you are a bit of a bad person, right?"

"I guess so." Masumi smiled ambiguously and answered softly.

"I was wrong." Mami sighed in mock demeanor. "That's exactly right."

"I really lost to you."

"Okay, I do want to tease you a little. I just want to see you enjoy the sweetness first, and then when you taste the bitterness, your face twists and you vomit bitterness."

Asami confessed her evidence in one breath, and Masumi sighed quietly, this guy has really given up.

"But because I stayed up late last night, I didn't get up this morning. What a pity."

"I won't give you another chance."

"This time it's real. I recommend the strawberry, blueberry, banana flavor. I guarantee it with my life."

"Good good."

Masumi evaded the question and changed the subject, "Where's that powerful foreign player you mentioned yesterday?"

At dinner yesterday, Mami said that she had found someone to train Kamishiro Rinone in pastry making. She was a senior in the culinary research department in high school and was said to be a very good pastry chef.

He was keeping it a secret while washing the vegetables, but after drinking a can of beer he told everything.

"I saw her post on Instagram at noon, checking in at the Anpanman Museum. I guess she won't be coming to the store until the afternoon. How is it? Are you looking forward to it?"

"I'd like to state in advance that this senior of mine is quite skilled, but..."

"...just what?"

"She's not a pastry chef, but a wagashi chef in Tokyo."

(End of this chapter)