Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 231, Section 6: This is bad, this feeling is...

Chapter 231, Section 6: "This is bad, this feeling is—"

"Wow, upon closer inspection, it really looks amazing; the entire snake has been hollowed out and is soaking inside."

When their eyes met those of the snake submerged in wine, Qian'ai covered her mouth and widened her eyes in surprise.

"Hmph, snake wine really is that powerful."

Asami proudly puffed out her chest.

"What's so great about it?" Masumi looked at the lifeless snake eyes with a strange expression.

"Alright, everyone, listen up."

Asami seemed to transform into a tutor, pushing up her glasses, which were essentially nonexistent, with her middle finger.

"The term 'wine' refers to beverages containing alcohol."

Well, like some textbooks, it starts with a bunch of nonsense like an introduction.

"...In East Asia, China was the first country to transition from a hunter-gatherer society to an agricultural society. It began cultivating rice 8000 years ago and also learned how to brew wine from grains."

"Oh, I see." Masumi offered a dry compliment: "So?"

Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to describe wine as a "messenger witnessing human civilization," or even a "partner in promoting the development of human civilization." After all, to brew more delicious wine, it is necessary to develop a series of technologies such as distillation, fermentation, sealing, and the making of vessels.

"Oh, that's really great. But isn't it going to be a long time before we get to the main point?"

Mami nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"I know Masumi-kun is looking forward to it, but don't rush me. Next, I'm going to explain the amazing benefits of snake wine."

I wasn't expecting anything.

After clearing her throat meaninglessly, Mami continued:

"Snake wine is a medicinal wine made by soaking venomous snakes in high-purity, high-quality distilled spirits for at least a year. It is known for its ability to arouse men."

"Alas……"

Qian'ai's throat suddenly blared like a whistle.

"The man...gets excited..."

"That's right, that's right, it's a really magical wine, isn't it? And it also contains many medicinal ingredients with similar effects, boosting your energy! Boosting your energy!~"

Could you please not lift your chest with your hands when you say "UP!UP!~"?

"I see, it really is a magical wine."

The person who smiled and agreed with Mami was Kurokawa Mio.

For some reason, the corners of her lips couldn't help but turn up, and even her honey-gold hair seemed to writhe and dance like a snake, just like Lamia from Greek mythology.

Although it's just an exaggerated description, the aura she's exuding right now is terrifying.

With a smile, she turned to Masumi and said, "In that case, Masumi should drink more today."

"Uh, I think it's better to drink less, since I have to go out tomorrow."

Kurokawa Mio's smile remained undiminished, which was terrifying; it clearly meant, "I will not let this go tonight."

"...Snake-infused wine, is this wine really safe to drink?" Rinne asked hesitantly, frowning.

"Of course you can drink it."

Mami gave an affirmative answer without hesitation.

"And it's a high-grade tonic that can improve bodily functions, it's simply amazing!"

As she spoke, she unscrewed the cap of the bottle, and the rich aroma of alcohol instantly filled the air.

"Hmm, the smell is very strong."

Rinne's small nostrils twitched as she absorbed the smell of alcohol, causing her brows to furrow even more.

"Speaking of which, a medicinal wine that puts men into a state of excitement sounds suspicious. What would happen if a woman drank it?"

"Hmm." Mami hadn't really thought about this before. She squinted and thought for a moment before spreading her hands and saying, "It should be the same as drinking regular alcohol."

Rinne could only sigh helplessly at Mami's unreliable behavior.

"Alright! Come on, everyone, have a drink, don't be shy."

Mami poured the snake wine she brought into small porcelain cups used for drinking sake, and then served them to each person in turn.

"Mami...my sake..."

Haiyue said softly.

"Haiyue is not 20 years old yet, she cannot drink alcohol."

Rinne, sitting next to her, spoke in an unquestionable tone.

"Oh~"

The jellyfish girl obediently picked up the juice, but her eyes kept glancing at the snake wine bottle.

"Well, cheers!"

The sounds of multiple voices overlapped in the air.

Chiai stared intently at the glass emitting a strong aroma of alcohol, her snow-white throat bobbing unguardedly as she finally decided to go all out.

She picked up her glass, downed it in one gulp, and then—

"Qian Ai, what's wrong?"

Looking at the swaying green plum, Masumi asked with concern.

"Ugh, this, this wine is..."

Qian'ai stared at the cups in front of her—one, two, three… more and more, an uncountable number—and complained in a hoarse voice.

"Xiao Qian'ai, you can't drink it like that. This snake wine is made with baijiu, which is 60 degrees. You have to drink it slowly."

As Mami spoke, she took a small sip of snake wine and then squinted her eyes in a blissful state.

Strangely enough, Mami's alcohol tolerance is definitely not high, but whether it's beer or sake, her tolerance is about the same, meaning she's the type who can go toe-to-toe with anyone.

"Sixty or sixty degrees..."

Chiai's face instantly turned an unbelievable red. After muttering a few indistinct words, she leaned back and fell onto the tatami mat.

"Qian Ai?"

Masumi shook Aome's slender shoulders, but all he received in response was the sound of her shallow, steady breathing.

"Fell asleep?"

"It's only one cup!" Mami exclaimed, dumbfounded.

"Hmph, Qian'ai is really too lame. Although she is an adult, she is still just a child."

With a winner's expression and a slight smile, Kurokawa Mio raised her glass; this was already her third drink.

"Mio, don't push yourself too hard," Rinne said calmly. "At least in my opinion, Mio herself has already gotten excited."

"...Nonsense! I'm just excited because I can travel with Masumi."

With a sharp gaze, Kurokawa Mio glared at her unhappily.

Rinne ignored it, tilting her head slightly in confusion to look at Masumi.

"What's wrong? I've noticed you haven't been eating any vegetables. Is it not to your liking?"

"No such thing."

Actually, I wanted to choose some less intense dishes to avoid expending too much energy.

"Masumi... shrimp..."

Sitting opposite her, Haiyue put unpeeled shrimp into Masumi's plate.

"Oh, thank you. So you want me to peel the shrimp for you?"

As a lobster, guessing what the jellyfish riding on him is thinking is a piece of cake... Let's ignore that slightly awkward statement.

"Masumi...is very smart..."

Haiyue nodded expressionlessly.

Masumi skillfully peeled the shrimp shell, then pinched it between her fingertips and subconsciously brought it to Kaigetsu's lips.

"Ah~"

Her glistening, soft lips parted like a fledgling bird begging for food, her breath lightly brushing against Masumi's fingertips.

The soft touch of the shrimp on her lips made her heart skip a beat, as if urged by an unusually rapid heartbeat. Masumi pushed the shrimp into her mouth.

"Chew, chew~"

The sound of soft, bouncy shrimp being crushed by teeth echoed in my mouth.

Haiyue's lips brushed against Masumi's fingertips, sucking on them before closing them again. The warmth and moisture made Masumi blush and her heart race.

Oh no, my heart is beating faster than before, and my defenses seem to have weakened for some reason.

Is it because of the snake wine?
"Well."

Haiyue looked like a squirrel with its mouth full, its eyes curved like crescent moons, and it made satisfied gurgling sounds.

"……tasty."

"Well, as long as you like it."

It's just shrimp, nothing more.

After all, being silently stared at by four girls, their gazes stung my face. When did Qian'ai wake up?
"Uh, what's wrong with you guys?"

"That's strange, why does Masumi-kun seem completely unresponsive? He's already had several drinks." Mami muttered, seemingly quite troubled.

Masumi closed her eyes helplessly: "What kind of reaction do you want from me?"

"A body itching unbearably, like a male wild beast in spring, desperately attacking the vulnerable and unsuspecting females around him—that's the kind of reaction," Kurokawa Mio said bluntly.

"That's going too far! I'm a human male, you know."

"Ah, the extra oysters I ordered have been served."

Mami distributed the oysters, still in their shells, to everyone.

"Hey, didn't we already order fried oysters?"

Eating so many oysters isn't a good idea, is it?

"This is fresh oyster sashimi, delivered fresh daily from Toyosu Market in Tokyo."

"Ok."

Masumi squeezed a little lemon juice, then cautiously picked up an oyster with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth.

A rich umami flavor spreads across the tongue.

"Well, it's delicious."

"Eat more if it's delicious."

Kurokawa Mio said with a gentle smile.

"Oysters are known as a gift from the ocean. They are rich in nutrients and have the effects of nourishing the body and restoring energy."

"Please make sure you recharge your energy for our training camp."

◇

Japan has a very common culture of training camps, ranging from ordinary travel training camps to group training camps for competitive events and driving school training camps for obtaining driver's licenses.

So, are there training camps that exist to address the declining birthrate?
It's probably only found in works aimed at adults.

◇

"Ha~ It's back to life."

After enjoying a hearty and energetic meal, Masumi is probably the most energetic man in this hot spring town.

After taking off her clothes in the changing room and quickly washing herself in the shower, Masumi immersed herself in the open-air bath.

This is a rented open-air hot spring. The bath is built with rocks and cypress wood and surrounded by a bamboo fence, so there is no risk of being spied on.

The gurgling hot spring water gushes out from the springhead, which is said to be drawn from the source of Ikaho Onsen.

As the steam from the hot spring slowly seeped into his internal organs, his mood gradually relaxed.

The starry sky hung low, and a rustling sound came from overhead.

He looked up and saw that it was the wind blowing through the densely growing red leaves, making the maple tree rustle.

Silvery moonlight shone through the gaps in the maple leaves, and the pleasant sounds created a warm yet refreshing atmosphere in the open-air hot spring.

"Wow, the scenery is amazing! No wonder it's a famous hot spring town."

Ok?
Masumi's eyebrows twitched; that voice was...

Beyond the rising steam, a familiar figure appeared.

"Excuse me, Masumi."

Wrapped in a snow-white bath towel, Kurokawa Mio smiled radiantly.

"Hey, what are you guys doing—"

One figure after another appeared.

"Wait a minute, Asami-neechan, this is too embarrassing."

Chiai clutched the towel wrapped around her body tightly as Mami pushed her toward the bath.

"Idiots! What are you thinking?"

Masumi hurriedly submerged the area below her chin in the water.

"Hey, Masumi-kun is so stingy. This open-air hot spring was rented by everyone together, right?"

"That's right, but even so, there's no need to 'glug glug' together."

"I don't care, since that's the case, I'm going to exercise my right to freely enjoy the hot springs," Asami said willfully.

"The water is so hot."

Haiyue is already soaking in the hot spring. Wait, when? And she even tossed her towel onto the bathroom chair next to her, which means...

"It's okay... I've already... soaked up to my shoulders... so it's fine..."

No, there's something wrong with that.

"Wait, Asami-nee, don't push!"

Puff——

Water splashed everywhere.

The bath towel, still carrying the lingering fragrance of childhood sweethearts, hit Masumi on the head.

Qian'ai submerged the area below her nose in water to maintain maximum vigilance.

Asami and Mio casually tossed aside their towels and stepped into the bath, water overflowing from the edge of the hot spring.

The wooden barrel with the wine glasses on it was pushed aside by the ripples on the water and floated to Masumi's side.

"Masumi-kun, you can open your eyes now."

Asami said sarcastically, "You're too nervous."

"How could I not be nervous in this situation... Wait, where's Rinne?"

"Hmph, as expected, you don't want to let any girl go, Masumi-kun."

Mami gave a meaningful smile, then raised her arm high from the hot spring with a "splash" and waved and shouted.

"Hey, Rinne, it's about time you came in."

Idiot, don't raise your hands so high, they're floating.

"Wait, Asami-nee, are you really planning to bathe together? Even if you're close, there's still a bit of a... "

The heiress's voice came from the dressing room, sounding much hoarse and nervous than usual.

"What a bizarre sense of shame."

Kurokawa Mio shook her head, then smiled again: "However, if Rinne continues like this, I'll feel much more at ease."

"What a joke."

As if touched on a sore spot by those words, the heiress completely abandoned her shame and suddenly appeared from the hot spring.

Delicate bare feet trod on the cobblestone floor, and jewel-like toes danced lightly on the ground.

Before even soaking in the hot spring, her snow-white body, wrapped in a bath towel, already glowed with a fragrant cherry blossom pink hue.

"Wow~ That feels good."

"Then, I can stay here."

As Rinne spoke, she sat down on the edge of the bathtub, simply tying the towel under her smooth, soft armpits.

She soaked her straight, slender calves in the hot spring.

"No, Rinne!"

Mami pressed her temples in frustration. "Didn't we soak in a foot bath at the Way Station during the day?"

"Also, it's impolite to soak in a hot spring while wearing a bath towel. When we're out and about, we represent the image of the stars. As a member of the coffee shop, I'm quite strict about this."

Asami said, feigning nonchalance.

There were so many flaws that Masumi didn't know where to begin her critique.

Rinne seemed to be persuaded, and like a fair and tender full moon, Masumi saw her body tremble before her eyes and quickly closed them.

"……I see."

She used her hands to untie the knot tied under her armpit.

Losing her support, the bath towel slid down her beautiful body curves, and Rinne slowly immersed herself in the scalding hot spring.

—Yes, judging from the sound, that's the case.

And just like that, for some reason, the scene turned into a chaotic mixed-gender bathing scene.

"The bath is made of cypress wood, and it smells so good. Open-air hot springs are really great. I wish I could have one in a coffee shop too."

Amidst the pervasive steam, Mami sighed sincerely.

"The coffee shop is located in a busy area," Masumi reminded her.

"Then let's set one up inside the house."