Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 240, Section 15: "Everyone's here! We can summon the dragon now!"

Masumi had not considered the current situation.

The tent, already cramped due to the piles of luggage, now felt even more crowded for some unspeakable reasons.

Mami and Kaigetsu hid in his sleeping bag, completely unaware that they were hiding.

The outline of the sleeping bag seemed to stir restlessly in the darkness, occasionally emitting a muffled sound devoid of any tension.

"...Hey, Little Moon, move over a bit, it's my turn to observe the three of them."

"I...want to see too..."

"Let Xiao Haiyue see it later, let me see it first."

These two guys.

As Mio's gaze fell on the table, Masumi mercilessly delivered a karate chop to the two people in the sleeping bags, silencing them.

Mio noticed Masumi's strange expression: "Masumi, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing."

Masumi feigned composure and said.

"Your expression is quite strange."

"Have it?"

Masumi feigned confusion and forced a smile: "Why don't I feel anything?"

"lie."

Mio squinted, and Masumi, thinking she had been exposed, instinctively felt her heart leap into her throat.

"No! Um, I didn't mean to hide it from Mio—"

"What is Masumi saying?"

Mio looked at Masumi's helpless reaction with a puzzled expression.

"I just want you to be more honest with me. Masumi's face is all red, it looks like you could squeeze red paint out of it if you pinch it lightly."

Mio assumed there was no one else in the tent, so she became bolder, her soft, fragrant hands caressing Masumi's cheeks and then pinching them.

"What? Being alone with me makes Masumi's heart race this much?"

She rested her other elbow on the table, propped her chin on her palm, and said with a smile.

"Huh? Well, my heart is definitely beating really fast."

Masumi breathed a sigh of relief; Mio's reaction was slower than he had expected.

It seems that the ability of the "Cat's Radar" has been largely neutralized since returning from Miyako Island.

It should be said that Mio only has Masumi in her eyes right now, so she unconsciously ignores some small, amiss details.

“I’m so happy that Masumi said that.”

A gentle smile appeared on her lips.

Does your heart race more than other girls'?

"Ah."

Masumi answered without hesitation; his heart was pounding so hard he could hardly believe it.

"I see. That means I'm number one in Masumi's heart."

Mio's lips had been turned up high ever since.

"Yes, yes."

Masumi was extremely nervous at this moment, so she agreed without thinking twice.

Sweat spread across his entire forehead, and a drop of cold sweat seeped from the tip of his hair, slowly soaking into the blanket spread on the folded table.

The dark gray blanket was wrinkled once again, and Rinne was venting her dissatisfaction at Masumi in whatever way she could.

Masumi could hardly imagine how Rinne, this beautiful girl with slender arms and legs, managed to maintain her hunched back and pert buttocks while hiding in the cramped space under the table.

There was even enough room to squeeze Masumi.

"I was just going through the motions," Masumi thought to herself, feeling wronged.

But the heiress ignored her and leaned back as if throwing a tantrum.

The night breeze drifted in from the tent entrance, carrying the color of moonlight and the cool breeze from the crater lake.

Masumi used her eyes and nose to sense the light and the air.

Despite its damp and cool texture, he felt as if sparks were falling into his heart, like embers being rekindled.

Silent and invisible, it drifted into his chest, yet it burned with a crackling sound, making Masumi's mouth dry, his mind wander, and his body shiver.

hiss--

Masumi lowered her eyelashes and saw the shadows sculpted under the blanket, their contours soft and gentle, conveying all the information about its owner to whoever caught them in their light and shadow.

Completely captivated by the soft touch under the table, Masumi spoke up to distract herself:
"Mio, shouldn't you go to sleep? It's already very late."

Upon hearing this, Mio pouted in protest.

"Does Masumi treat me like a child?"

No, I didn't mean that.

Masumi answered in a normal tone.

"I want to enjoy more time alone with Masumi."

No, this can no longer be called a time for just the two of them.

Then came the sound of a zipper slowly sliding open.

The state of mental agitation worsened rapidly.

"Masumi? Your face has turned pale again? Are you alright?"

"No, I'm just a little tired after playing all day."

Last night, I stayed up very late to tame the little kitten who was acting spoiled after drinking, but then woke up early as usual. Afterwards, we strolled around the hot spring town, went hiking, drove around, toured the ranch, pitched a tent in the evening, cooked curry, and kept exercising.

The fatigue from the activity accumulated and tormented Masumi's body.

To be honest, if they weren't in such a precarious situation, Masumi would have already collapsed into her sleeping bag and fallen fast asleep.

Mio leaned forward, her soft hands enveloping Masumi's palms and the backs of her hands, and asked worriedly:
"Masumi, are you alright?"

Her slender fingers, as delicate as if they were playing piano keys, gently stroked the back of Masumi's hand.

"Um……"

After seeing the head retract into the sleeping bag at the edge of her field of vision, Masumi breathed a sigh of relief and answered with a gentle smile.

"It's nothing, I just need to rest for a while."

"I see."

Mio nodded understandingly, then asked, "Shall we sleep together?"

"Huh? No, that's not necessary."

When Masumi mumbled excuses, Mio puffed up her cheeks as if she were being difficult.

"What does it matter? Nobody else knows anyway."

No, everyone knows now.

Under the table, the heiress's movements became more intense, realizing she was being threatened: If you dare agree...

But honestly, this isn't a threat at all; it's a reward.

Unfortunately, under these circumstances, no matter how tempted Masumi was, she couldn't possibly agree.

He simply stretched out his arms to Mio, placed his hands on her slender and beautiful right-angled shoulders, and said earnestly.

"Mio, I hope you can sometimes listen to me."

Masumi tried her best to speak in an extremely gentle tone.

Then, Mio seemed to take it as a complaint or blame, and her cheeks, which were originally flushed with happiness, instantly changed and became somewhat stiff.

"I'm sorry, Masumi. Um, I wasn't being unreasonable, it's just... I don't really want to be separated from Masumi..."

First, his face turned pale, as if he had been struck by a blow, and he stammered out an explanation.

Her eyes were weaker than usual, and seemed to carry a hint of coquetry.

"Uh, it's not that serious."

Seeing her so gentle face, Masumi felt uncomfortable in many ways. Please, don't do this, Rinne.

"...Masumi and Rinne's interactions have become increasingly intimate lately."

"Hmm? Really? Is it the same as usual?"

Masumi's eyes widened in slight surprise, and Rinne stopped moving under the table. At this moment, both of them were extremely nervous.

"It's obviously there."

Mio's tone was sour, with obvious jealousy.

"Last night, my emotions were all messed up because of my first kiss, so I left first and waited for Rinne for a long time before she came back. What happened to you guys during that time?"

No! Nothing happened!

"Really?"

Masumi nodded vigorously: "Really."

This is a lie.

However, it was an emergency, and there was no other way. Besides, he hadn't done anything truly irreversible or outrageous.

"It better be."

Mio still couldn't truly relax, her shoulders stiffening as she responded to Masumi with a subtle reaction.

It seems she's still unhappy. Her reaction is very similar to when Chiai threw a tantrum as a child. It's really a headache. Masumi couldn't help but smile bitterly.

However, in order to calm Mio down, Masumi had no choice but to speak gently in a tone that was meant to coax a child.

"It's rare to get out for a drive and a trip, so have some fun." He chose what was probably the most effective way to attack Mio, holding her soft hand in his palm with a gentle smile on his face.

This caused Mio's gaze to wander, just as he had expected, and her face to flush.

"Hmm, hmm... but Masumi should also be mindful of the distance between herself and Rinne..."

Her voice gradually weakened and faded until it finally stopped as if she had fallen headfirst into the mud.

Get it!

But Masumi only had this thought for a fleeting moment.

This angered another girl, and her smugness was instantly shattered by the soft impact.

Rinne seemed to be grinding Masumi's shallow thoughts back and forth.

"Sigh~"

Masumi guessed that her anger wasn't just directed at him, but also mostly at Mio across from her.

Mio, you can't believe it, can you? You told me to keep my distance from Masumi, but now, with Mio here, I'm slowly, bit by bit, eroding the distance between myself and Masumi.

Is it absurd or humorous? Both girls emerged as winners from their respective perspectives.

Win-win!

Weird.

There's no such thing as a free lunch. If this continues, who knows what might happen?

For example, Rinne suddenly stopped; she seemed to have realized something.

Rinne, hiding under the folding table, is having a tough time.

This cramped space is not a place to hide. If possible, Rinne's first choice would be a sleeping bag, but Masumi for some reason is desperately trying to stop her.

As a second choice, she complied with Masumi and hid under the table covered with a blanket.

To conceal herself, Rinne needs to lower her upper body, slouch her shoulders, and collapse her waist and abdomen, while simultaneously raising her hips and buttocks.

"Masumi, your face has turned red again? That's really strange."

Mio looked at Masumi's reaction with a puzzled expression.

"No, it's just because I didn't get enough rest."

Masumi persisted in this view, as if grasping at a lifeline, refusing to let go.

Even Kurokawa Mio couldn't help but wonder about his obviously strange reaction.

"Masumi, that's very suspicious."

……(slightly

"...No, that's not true at all. Um, Mio should probably go back and rest now, she has plans for tomorrow."

After listening to Masumi's earnest advice again and again, Mio pouted and thought for a while, and finally probably accepted it.

She nodded, her eyes clearly showing a lingering sense of satisfaction.

"Alright, Masumi, get some rest. I'll be going now."

"Okay, goodnight, Mio."

Goodnight...!

When Mio stood up, her knee hit the corner of the folding table, causing a half-empty plastic bottle of apple juice on the table to shake violently and fall to the ground.

As if needing a breath of fresh air, Rinne peeked out slightly to breathe when Mio got up.

Masumi, who witnessed the whole thing, cried out "Oh no!" but it was too late.

The apple juice bottle grazed the edge as it fell and hit Rinne on the forehead.

"Ugh."

The heiress under the table immediately cried out in pain.

"what sound?"

Her ears were so sharp that they caught the sound, and Mio felt a chill run down her spine, her expression turning cold.

"Guuuuu!"

Masumi's throat tightened, and her smile froze on her face.

"No, I don't know, it's probably a wild cat from the mountains."

Are there wild cats in Chicheng Mountain?

Mio's voice was full of vigilance.

"Oh, of course, Mio forgot that when we got off at the Onuma parking lot, we could see a Neko Rock as we walked down, and there's also a Neko-Gion on the western slope. Haha, this place really has a connection with cats."

Damn it, his reaction right now is extremely suspicious.

Even if Mio's eyes are only for him, she would never believe it...

"So this is ah."

Mio nodded, a smile spreading across her face, as if she had accepted Masumi's words, and gently patted her chest.

"Excuse me, Masumi, I knocked your drink over."

"It's okay, it was tightened anyway, so it didn't spill."

Masumi swallowed hard, moistening her dry throat. How could Mio believe that so easily?
However, it is also a good thing.

"By the way, are there stray cats by the lake too?"

Mio asked casually.

"Yes, yes," Masumi said with a dry laugh. "I even saw one this evening."

"What a coincidence! I saw it too. Could it be that Masumi and I saw the same one?"

She said it as if she were joking.

"That's quite a coincidence, maybe it's the same one."

"Is that so? I saw a black cat. Where's Masumi?"

"Me, me too."

"It was a black cat with purple eyes, as beautiful as crystal."

"Eye color, I hadn't noticed that."

"Oh, I see. Oh, by the way, it's a cat that can cook curry."

"Cooking curry?" Masumi finally realized something was wrong. "How...can a cat cook curry?"

"Yeah, how could a cat cook curry?"

A meaningful curve appeared at the corner of Mio's lips. Her long, slender fingers gripped the edge of the table and suddenly flipped it over with force!

! ! ! !
Masumi was stunned.

Rinne, who was hiding under the table, was suddenly exposed in front of Mio, and she also looked surprised.

Startled, Rinne raised her face, then, as if by inertia, completely slumped down and lay face down on the mat, her delicate body curving into an exaggerated and alluring arc.

At the same time, make a cat gesture with your hands.

"Meow~"

"..."

Masumi slapped her forehead with a "smack," utterly despondent.

Miss Heir, it's too late to meow like a cat at this point.

Rinne was a beat slow to realize that she had been exposed, and her cheeks instantly turned an unbelievable red.

how come!
She should have been the one to catch Mio, the philanderer.

But now I've become the cat that steals the fish.

Meeting Mio's ambiguous gaze, she forced herself to bend her stiff body, feeling as if she could hear the bones cracking and breaking throughout her body.

"So, what's going on here, Masumi?"

"Uh, Mio, it's a long story, let me explain..."

Misfortune never comes singly.

"Pfft! It's so cramped and stuffy in the sleeping bag, I can't stand it anymore!"

"Mami... is too fat..."

"Huh? Little Haiyue is going too far!"

Mami and Haiyue poked their heads out of their sleeping bags like groundhogs peeking out of their nests.

However, there are no such cute groundhogs in reality.

Masumi cautiously shifted her gaze to her side. Mio's lips still held a faint curve that could be described as a "smile," yet it sent a chill down one's spine.

"So, I'm the only one excluded, right, Masumi?"

Wow, her eyes have lost their sparkle.

"No, that's not the case."

Masumi frantically waved her hands in front of her face.

"And not everyone is here—"

Footsteps suddenly came from outside the tent.

Qian Ai's dazed voice drifted over from the air.

"I'm sorry, Asami-nee, Umizuki, I accidentally turned on the light. I'm really sorry if this woke you up."

"Ah~" Qian Ai said, letting out a big yawn. "So sleepy."

Then I went into the tent.

(End of this chapter)