Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 236, Section 11: "Reasons for Liking Horse Riding"

Continuing from Ikaho Shrine, a red drum bridge comes into view, spanning the source of Ikaho Onsen.

The bridge is called Deer Cry Bridge.

Standing on the bridge and looking out, all you see is a vast expanse of fiery red, the sound of the hot spring flowing into the tranquil atmosphere, and the maple leaves are breathtakingly beautiful.

It is the tourist destination where people can most directly experience the beauty of the autumn foliage season.

"Look, Masumi-nii, what a beautiful view!"

Chiai excitedly patted Masumi's arm.

"Oh, indeed."

Let's capture this scene. Masumi picked up her phone and snapped two photos.

Rinne leaned against the railing, her gaze fixed on the red leaves drifting on the water.

"...A deer treads on red leaves, wandering alone in the deep mountains. Its cries never cease, for this moment is the most sorrowful of autumn."

She spoke softly, her expression gentler than usual.

Seeing her beautiful figure reciting waka poems, the heiress would definitely be the perfect choice to play Ono no Komachi if she were to wear a gorgeous twelve-layered kimono.

Linyin Yuqian.

"As expected of Rinne, she can immediately think of a suitable waka poem when she sees a landscape."

Qian Ai, standing beside her, looked on with adoration.
"Compared to her, Asami-nee is..."

"So big! So red!"

Asami gazed at the river flowing beneath the bridge, her lips slightly parted. This was the only thought one could utter after being overwhelmed by a magnificent sight.

"Even the river water is the same color as the maple leaves, it's amazing."

"Because hot springs contain a lot of iron, they turn this color when they come into contact with air."

Masumi explained from the side.

So the hot spring we soaked in yesterday came from here?

"Ah."

Masumi stood on the bridge and pointed to the wooden pavilion not far away.

"The hot spring water is available for tourists to drink freely over there."

"Hey, is the hot spring water drinkable? And are there any free hot spring eggs to eat?"

Mami's eyes immediately lit up.

"There's no such thing."

Masumi sighed helplessly.

"Go and have a look."

The six people walked to the wooden pavilion with the words "Ikaho Onsen Drinking Water Place" written on it.

The slightly rusty water tank has two cylindrical outlets from which water gushes out continuously, and a cup connected by an iron chain sits on top of the tank.

Here's your cup.

When the cup was pulled, the chain rattled and made a "clattering" sound.

Mami immediately showed a look of disgust:
"I don't want to use this cup, who knows how many people have used it... Give me Masumi-kun's water bottle!"

"I left it in the car and didn't take it with me."

"Hey, Masumi-kun, why are you like this?"

Mami pouted, looking dissatisfied.

"But I brought disposable paper cups."

"Oh, you should have said so earlier! Give it to me, give it to me now!"

"Why does Masumi-nii carry this with him?" Chiai asked curiously.

"To prepare for the current situation."

If you bring your own water bottle, then the water bottle will probably become shared by all the girls.

"—Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!"

Asami took a sip of the hot spring water, and her beautiful features immediately contorted into a bitter expression.

"This hot spring water tastes like iron, it's awful!"

"After all, hot spring water is for bathing, not for drinking."

Masumi sipped the water in her paper cup with a nonchalant air, and incidentally, the water coming out of the right-hand spout was normal drinking water.

"If you want to soak in a hot spring, there is an open-air hot spring there."

Mio naturally took his arm, giving him a flirtatious look, her slightly upturned lips a charming smile to anyone who saw it.

"...That open-air hot spring does not support mixed bathing."

"Is that so?" Mio lowered her brows in confusion. "Then forget it."

If possible, Masumi hopes Mio can be more tactful.

There was no road on the other side of the bridge, so the six of them returned the way they came.

As the sun climbed to its highest point in the sky, Masumi and her group, having exhausted themselves climbing the stairs, went into a tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet) restaurant for a meal.

"No need to queue for dining at a tourist spot, lucky me!"

Fried pork cutlet rice bowl with sauce is also a local specialty of Gunma Prefecture.

The selected pork tenderloin is low in fat, tender in texture, and crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside after frying.

Each restaurant has its own unique recipe for the sauces, and the six of us ordered both sweet and spicy sauces.

From the moment the pork cutlet rice was served, Mami stared intently at the golden fried pork cutlet.

"What's wrong with Mami-nee? She keeps staring at me." Chiai wondered.

"I'm seriously considering where to get my tonkatsu."

Asami answered with utmost seriousness in both tone and expression.

"Huh, is this even a problem?" Qian Ai was taken aback.

"of course."

Asami nodded heavily: "Some people say that it tastes best to start eating from the edge, some say that you can't eat anything except the second slice which is fried at the perfect temperature, and some say that the third slice has the perfect ratio of meat to fat."

"...If you hesitate for so long, it'll get cold if you don't eat it soon," Masumi said, oblivious to the romantic sentiment.

"Don't rush, I'm waiting for the right opportunity."

Asami's lips curled into an inscrutable smile.

When? When the fried pork cutlet has cooled down to the point of being neither crispy nor crunchy, and all the pieces of meat in the cut are equally unpalatable.

Just as Masumi was pondering how to respond to that statement.

"—This is the Junmai Daiginjo sake you ordered. Sorry to keep you waiting!"

"what?"

Rice wine sold directly by a local brewery in Gunma Prefecture was placed in front of the group.

"Oh my gosh~ The time has finally come!"

Asami was smug, her lips curling up in a triumphant smile.

"Sister Mami is really a drunkard monster."

Rinne sighed, whether out of helplessness or exhaustion, picked up a piece of pork chop with her chopsticks, and elegantly put it into her mouth.

The tender pork tenderloin burst with succulent juices from between the lips and teeth, the flavor of the sauce spreading across the tongue, and the heiress nodded in approval:

"The meat slices are not thick, so they don't feel greasy. The batter must have had a little vinegar added during processing to reduce the gluten that makes it sticky, so it's very crispy."

"Wow, Rinne is amazing! She's a true gourmet."

"No, I should call it an occupational hazard."

Rinne sighed.

"Although it's a bit of a downer to say this, after eating delicious food in a tourist area, I'll think about how to improve the restaurant's menu."

The set meals offered by Starry Night Cafe mainly consist of men's dishes such as omelet rice, curry, and fried pork cutlet rice.

Masumi took a sip of oolong tea: "When you're out having fun, it's better to relax a bit."

"That's right, that's right. Since the young master has said so, Rinne should just focus on enjoying the trip."

Ms. Mami, who was the most relaxed among the six, said this.

"Ah."

The heiress nodded slightly, and the gradually melting and shrinking ice in the glass reflected her elegant profile.

After the meal, the group rested while sipping tea. They then returned to the entrance of the hot spring town along the original path of the stone steps.

Our next destination is the Ishiba Green Ranch.

This ranch is located at the foot of Mount Haruna and covers an area of ​​about 10 hectares, with a fairly open area.

A clear, azure sky dotted with white clouds, and beneath it, on the endless hillsides and meadows, sheep graze like tiny clouds. Masumi, nestled among these white clouds, hands over the hay she's bought.

A nearby sheep slowly raised its head and chewed the hay in his hand. Seeing this, Masumi picked up a few more stalks from the plastic bucket.

Suddenly, another sheep snatched the hay from his hand.

"Eh."

Then came the third, the fourth...

Huh? When?
Before he knew it, six sheep had surrounded Masumi, staring expectantly at the hay in his hand, making even moving a challenge.

Even though Masumi had given away all the hay she had, the sheep still seemed unsatisfied.

"Oops."

Just as he was about to be overwhelmed by the flock of sheep, a stern voice suddenly rang out in the air:

"This way."

A stunningly beautiful young woman with black hair appeared under the blue sky and white clouds.

The sheep around Masumi were immediately drawn to her, or more precisely, to the hay in her hand.

However, after being fed hay, the sheep did not swarm around Rinne as they had before, but instead dispersed leisurely.

"Why is that?" Masumi stared in disbelief. "Is it the dignity of the heir?"

"They must be full."

Rinne answered casually, then looked intently at Masumi, her small, pink nose twitching slightly.

"...You smell terrible."

"Please don't do this, it will hurt me."

Masumi said dejectedly.

"Kidding."

The wicked heiress gently raised the corners of her lips, brushed aside the black hair that fell to her shoulders, and handed a wet tissue from her pocket.

"However, it's best to wipe the sheep's drool off your hands."

"Thank you."

Masumi follows the good and follows the flow.

On the other side, the group that had enthusiastically participated in the popular activity of horseback riding also returned.

Mio, beaming with pride, smiled and clasped her hands together in front of her chest, saying:

"The scenery from horseback is amazing~ I wish I could experience it with Masumi."

"...Well, it's dangerous for two adults to ride on one horse, and the ranch probably wouldn't allow it."

Bando samurai have always upheld the way of archery and horsemanship, so it's only natural that Mio, being a native of the Kanto region, would enjoy riding.

"I want to ride a horse with Masumi..." Haizuki said expressionlessly.

"I already said it's very dangerous."

Izumi Province is more famous for its arquebuses (firearms).

Asami felt as if she had been punched in the semicircular canal; her face turned pale, and she swayed and collapsed onto the bench.

"I can't take it anymore. It's so shaky on horseback, and I feel like I could fall off at any moment. I guess I'm better off on the ground."

"It's the ground, isn't it? I know Mami isn't good at riding horses."

After all, Omi Province didn't have any samurai traditions like the Ryubi horse or the Dragon Rider.

Qian'ai, who was supporting her, also looked unwell, as if she were carsick.

"My head is spinning, it's so scary~ I feel really uneasy when I can't see the horse's eyes."

Well, Peru is a country without horses at all. So, there's no way you could have a riding experience where you can make eye contact with someone.

"Why don't Masumi and Rinne go and experience it? What's the point of feeding sheep here?"

“No need,” Rinne refused. “Feeding sheep here feels very therapeutic.”

“Eh.” Mio gave a meaningful smile. “Rinne is actually scared, isn’t she?”

This tactic of provocation couldn't be clearer.

Given the heiress's personality, she shouldn't fall for such a low-level trick... This thought was immediately dismissed by Masumi.

Rinne is actually a girl with a strong competitive spirit and an unwillingness to admit defeat.

Not to mention in front of Mio.

Ever since what happened last night, Mio has been taking every opportunity to tease Rinne, causing the latter to emanate a strong chill.

"It's just riding a horse, what's there to be afraid of?"

Rinne looked at her calmly.

"Oh~ In that case, I'm really looking forward to seeing the shopkeeper riding a horse."

A provocative smile curved at the corners of Mio's lips.

"I won't let Mio down."

Rinne took a towel out of her bag and placed it on Asami's forehead, who was leaning against the bench.

"You guys rest here for a bit, Masumi, Mio, and I will go and arrange for a horseback riding experience."

“Hey, I didn’t say I wanted to ride a horse.”

Without a word, Masumi was dragged away.

As the most popular activity at Ikaho Green Ranch, the queue for horseback riding is always incredibly long.

However, the procession, which should have been arranged in two columns, somehow turned into a scroll with three people huddled together somewhere in the middle.

The two girls glared at each other fiercely, making Masumi, who was sandwiched between Rinne and Mio, feel extremely pressured.

The phone in my pocket vibrated.

I picked it up and saw it was a Line message from my senior, Ru Gu.

Masumi just sent her photos of the ranch.

I am as old as the ancients: "They're actually experiencing horseback riding! How leisurely! I'm so envious."

Masumi: "I've never heard of you liking horseback riding."

I, like a thousand-year-old ancient man: "I only started to like it after returning to Miyako Island."

I am as old as the ancients: "Horse riding is a very fun activity, right? And horses are also very beautiful animals, especially the adorable little foals, they are so cute."

Masumi: "Maybe, but it's not my turn in the line yet."

I, like a thousand-year-old woman: "Hmm, Masumi should definitely give it a good experience."

Masumi: "Does your senior have any experience to share?"

I, like a thousand-year-old being: "Let me think..."

I am as ancient as a thousand years old: "At the beginning, you should not put all your weight on the horse. You can lean forward, support yourself with your hands on the saddle, or put your feet in the stirrups to distribute your weight with the help of external force."

Masumi: "Yeah."

I am as old as the ancients: "Because it's very shaky on horseback, some people will sway back and forth with the horse, but this is very tiring for beginners. The correct way is to keep your upper body as still as possible, and then use your waist strength to swing flexibly to keep up with the horse's movements."

Masumi: "You're really good at riding horses, senpai, but I have a question."

I, like a thousand-year-old being: "What?"

Masumi: "Are there any ranches on Miyako Island where you can experience horseback riding?"

I am like a thousand years old: "Yes, there are, but the native breed of horses on Miyako Island are small ponies, and the experience activities are only open to children."

Masumi: "Eh, so you've never actually ridden a horse before, senpai?"

I am as old as the ancients: "Hey!"

I am as old as the ancients: "Sorry, this is just theoretical talk."

I am as old as a thousand years old: "As an apology, next time I come to Miyako Island, please ask Masumi to give me her personal guidance, big sister~"

Without horses, what kind of instruction can you provide?

Masumi put her phone back in her shirt pocket without expression and sighed.

Is this a case of a good horse being ridden?
I really want to show the seniors how amazing the horse is. One of the top horse racing events, the Takarazuka Kinen, is held in Hyogo Prefecture.

The line moved forward, and finally it was Masumi and Rinne's turn.

The two people took the helmets from the staff, put them on, and then stepped onto the mounting blocks and slowly rode onto the horses.

To be honest, I felt a sense of unease, like riding a roller coaster alone.

But the view also has a unique sense of openness.

The staff explained the basics of horseback riding to the two people.

"...pressing the horse's belly gently with the knees is a signal to start."

Since safety was paramount, the two listened attentively to every word before the staff released the reins.

(End of this chapter)