Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 245, Section 20: "A Christmas Eve where lovers are deeply in love is the best coming-of-age ceremony."

"Listen up, everyone!"

The staff break room at Starry Night Coffee Shop is being used as a meeting room today.

On the fourth day after returning from their trip to Gunma, all the staff at the coffee shop, including support staff Chiai and part-time staff Yuyuko, were gathered here.

The person in charge of the meeting was unexpectedly chosen: the famously naive and beautiful woman from the coffee shop, Asami Seno.

"Do you have any objections to me chairing the meeting, Masumi-kun?"

Asami, who was writing on the whiteboard with a water-based marker, turned her head and glared at him fiercely.

"No, I have no objection."

Masumi's expression was a bitter smile without any real joy.

"It better be."

Asami smacked her lips.

"Otherwise, I'll have to teach Masumi-kun a lesson."

As she spoke, a smug and provocative smile curved her lips. This guy has a really nasty personality.

"Why does Masumi-nii seem so afraid of Asami-nee?"

Chiai looked at Masumi with a puzzled expression and asked.

"Have it?"

"Yes." The childhood friend nodded firmly, "And Mami-nee seems so confident, even though she was a little afraid of Masumi-nii before."

As Mami smiled broadly, her voice as cheerful as if she had shaken off all her troubles.

"That's because I used an Onmyoji's talisman to subdue Masumi-kun as a shikigami."

Chiai sighed, "Seriously, Mami is saying weird things again."

"It's true, Masumi-kun! Show it to Chii!"

"Uh~ Let's talk about it after the meeting. Chiai and Inukai can't go back too late."

Mami nodded: "Shikigami-kun is right, business is more important."

Who is Shikigami-kun?

"Cough cough!"

Mami cleared her throat meaninglessly, loudly attracting the attention of everyone in the lounge.

She lightly pushed up her non-existent glasses with her middle finger, then gestured with both hands to the elegant handwriting on the whiteboard.

It is said that Mami usually practices calligraphy so that she can write a stunning autograph at future autograph sessions. It took Masumi some time to decipher the writing on the whiteboard.

"Coffee Shop Meeting"

Topic: "Limitless Talent! The Winter Business Battle of Spira's Coffee Shop: A True S-Rank Battle of Wits by the Modern's Strongest Sorcerer, Alchemist, Artist, and Marketing Master!"

"Leaving aside the long list of titles that couldn't all fit in the lounge, what's with that 'limitless talent' thing?"

"I borrowed a small bit from the promotional slogan for Kyoto University's 'November Festival' last year."

Asami continued to push up her glasses.

"Huh? I remember there's a second half to that sentence: 'Infinite talent, in short, incompetence'..."

"Okay, then, I'll begin the formal introduction."

Mami ignored Masumi's words and got straight to the point.

Incidentally, she was wearing a fluffy Christmas dress, a reindeer headband, and her fair and plump legs were peeking out from under her red skirt.

"Sister Mami, what's with that outfit?"

Rinne pressed her temples as if she were having a headache.

"...Well, I should say it's the festive atmosphere."

"There's still more than a month until Christmas," Qian Ai wondered.

"That's a good question, and that's the key point of this meeting."

As she spoke, Mami drew a circle around the "Winter Business Minds Battle" and then tapped the whiteboard lightly with the end of a water-based marker.

"Everyone, winter is coming."

"Ah."

The crowd nodded in agreement.

"As everyone knows, Kobe's winters are very lively, with the city's light festival, Christmas Eve and Christmas when lovers are in the throes of passion, followed by the New Year, and then Valentine's Day."

"...Valentine's Day is a bit far away, there are still two months after the New Year," Mio said.

"No, no! Ms. Mio, time flies by so quickly, it's gone in the blink of an eye, so we must cherish our time."

Mami said something that sounded like something a principal or teacher would say.

"So, you mean we need to prepare for business during the winter?"

Masumi rested her chin on her hand. "Aren't we already developing limited-edition winter merchandise?"

Rinne prepared a winter-limited-edition filled chocolate, which will be sold until Valentine's Day. It should be the first takeaway dessert launched by Starry Night.

"This doesn't differentiate it from other seasons at all, and it doesn't show any respect for Christmas."

"So, what Ms. Mami means is..."

Asami turned around and smoothly wrote two lines on the whiteboard with a water-based marker.

Operation Plan ①

"A sparkling, captivating coffee shop"

She glanced at Masumi: "Speaking of which, this is all thanks to the inspiration provided by Masumi-kun."

"I?"

"When Masumi-kun returned to the coffee shop in the spring, didn't he drastically renovate the coffee shop's decor and ask Chia to design a new uniform?"

"Hmm, could it be that..."

"That's right. I plan to decorate the coffee shop with colorful lights, just like decorating a Christmas tree, to make it sparkle and be captivating. Then, inspired by Gunma-chan from Gunma Prefecture, I'll design a mascot with a starry sky. Finally, I'll ask Chiai to design a new winter uniform so that we can welcome winter with a fresh new look. That's all."

Asami finished her long and rambling speech, and perhaps satisfied with having proposed the battle plan, she let out a sigh of relief.

"Amazing, Mami, it's rare to see you so motivated."

Masumi said sincerely.

He's been so busy dealing with various "incidents" lately that he almost forgot that running this coffee shop should be the main focus of his life simulation game.

"Hmm~ It sounds like we're preparing for a cultural festival."

Yuyuko clenched her fist in excitement. "May I ask, Mami-nee, what do you need me to do?"

"--Don't schedule shifts for Inukai on Christmas Eve, the last train will have already stopped running that late," Masumi said.

"Huh? Doesn't business close at 7 p.m.?" Yuyuko asked, puzzled.

"On Christmas Eve, the coffee shop will stay open until 11 p.m.

This was true when Masumi was little, and it remained unchanged even after Rinne took over the coffee shop.

Based on the coffee shop's current popularity, it's no surprise that there will be many customers on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

"Huh? I see..."

Yuyuko looked troubled.

“It’s okay.” Mami thought for a moment and said, “Yuyuko can come with me this weekend to buy lighting fixtures and then take charge of the props group.”

"Leave it to me! I was a member of the props team at the cultural festival."

"Hmm, that sounds reliable."

Mami nodded deeply, completely satisfied.

"Then it's decided!"

After everyone reached a consensus, she made the final decision.

"Everyone! Let's work together to dominate Kobe's coffee shops this winter!"

We're sharpening our claws for the upcoming winter season.

Although there are many things to prepare, Masumi doesn't dislike this kind of action where everyone goes all out for a common goal.

“…If it’s 11 p.m., wouldn’t that be the perfect time to prepare for Masumi’s birthday celebration?” Mio suddenly said.

Qian Ai also showed a look of sudden realization:

"Oh yeah, Masumi-nii's birthday and Christmas are on the same day."

"Ok?"

One, two, three.

Rinne, Kaizuki, and Asami also silently looked over at Masumi.

"Wow, Masumi-kun's birthday is on the same day as Christmas!"

Mami's eyes suddenly lit up, and she loudly clasped her hands together.

"Oh, yes."

Masumi had a bad feeling.

"It seems we need to add another operational plan."

As Mami spoke, she quickly wrote "Operation Plan ②" on the whiteboard.

"Wait a minute, didn't I tell you before that I don't really like having my birthday celebrated in a big way?"

As if sensing danger, Masumi leaned back slightly. "Did I say that?"

Mami tilted her head slightly, puzzled.

"I told you, back in the summer, at the aquarium's souvenir shop, don't you remember?"

"That was so long ago, Masumi-kun," Mami sighed.

"If we were to use a light novel adaptation as an analogy, it would be roughly the span of the third to eighth volumes of the novel, or the first to third seasons of the anime."

"Then I'll repeat it again..."

"Put your birthday aside for now! Masumi-kun, don't you realize how memorable this moment is?"

Mami suddenly gave a cold laugh and covered one eye with her right hand, a very pretentious gesture, like a famous detective who knew the truth of the case.

"No, you're still talking about birthdays."

"Masumi-kun."

They were ignored.

Mami turned her face to the side and said, "Little Umizuki, tell Masumi-kun what Christmas is like."

"It's... a holiday for close men and women... to celebrate together... and... to be human..."

"No, Christmas is a holiday to commemorate the birth of Jesus," Masumi retorted.

Even Protestants during the European Reformation wouldn't dare to be so rebellious.

"Yes...that's right..."

Haiyue nodded and uttered a soft murmur from her lips.

"I've heard that Jesus... will give children... directly to the couples celebrating the festival... so for those who want children... it's... a very worthwhile festival to celebrate..."

"Completely correct!"

Mami snapped her fingers and grinned, revealing her teeth.

“Completely wrong! Are you two idiots?” Masumi said, rubbing her forehead.

"Birthday plus Christmas, isn't this a very memorable double coming-of-age ceremony! Under the Lord's blessing, I'm so happy, ah~ perfect!"

Lustful idiot.

"Unfortunately, it was still a little short of perfect."

Asami sighed as if she felt regret.

"What's wrong?"

Masumi asked with the thought, "I'd like to see what other nonsensical and twisted logic you can come up with."

"If Masumi-kun were 19 years old now, it would be even more perfect."

"What's that like?"

"Becoming a man at the moment when Christmas Eve turns into Christmas Day means simultaneously achieving the triple coming-of-age ceremony of adulthood, adulthood, and adulthood."

"Alas……"

Masumi suddenly heard a sound like a steam whistle, turned her head, and saw Yuyuko's face flushed and steam rising from the top of her head.

"Well, it's getting late, I should head back. You guys keep having fun and chatting!"

After Yuyuko made an apologetic gesture, she straightened up, and Masumi, seeing this, also intended to stand up.

"Then I'll take you to the station—"

Both arms were held by one on the left and one on the right, and Mami and Mio's fingers dug tightly into Masumi's skin.

"The meeting isn't over yet, so don't leave without permission, Masumi-kun."

Rin, whose ears were also slightly flushed, stood up from her chair. "I'll take Yuyuko to the station."

"Huh? No need for that, Senior Kamishiro."

"It's okay, I just wanted to go out for some fresh air anyway."

"Alright, then, goodbye everyone. I will prepare diligently for the winter operations."

The two girls disappeared from the staff break room.

Snap.

The door was slammed shut.

"Alright, let's have a proper chat about Masumi's birthday."

The one who struck first was Mio, whose eyes gleamed with a predatory light.

What kind of gift would Masumi like to receive for her birthday this year?

She placed her hand on Masumi's shoulder and asked, her eyes gleaming with an eerie light, an expression that suggested she was anticipating an answer.

"Uh~ because it's Christmas, I've decided to only receive gifts according to Christmas tradition this year."

Mio frowned unhappily.

"The Christmas tradition is probably exchanging gifts."

"Oh, what a pity." Asami looked quite disappointed. "If that's the case, then the girls can't give themselves as gifts to Masumi-kun."

“It shouldn’t have been possible in the first place,” Masumi said expressionlessly.

"Xiao Haiyue."

"Christians...have a tradition of self-sacrifice..."

"I have decided to issue the 'Ban Tian Lian Expulsion Order' in the coffee shop starting today."

Masumi issued these orders with the authority of a young master.

(Note: The "Bantenren Expulsion Order" was a decree issued during the Azuchi-Momoyama period to expel missionaries and prohibit the spread of Catholicism.)
"You're kidding! Masumi-kun clearly likes nuns."

No, what Masumi actually likes is the contrast between lofty purity and vulgarity.

"Ah, I understand."

Instead of backing down, Mami gave a meaningful look.

"Masumi-kun really does prefer shrine maidens, you know, he's a shrine maiden fanatic!"

"Huh? Masumi-nii?"

Qian'ai, who had been blushing as she listened to others' inappropriate conversations, finally breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and asked curiously.

“Masumi-nii used to be too lazy to even go to the New Year’s shrine.”

It was incredibly crowded because there were so many people.

"Chihiro may not know this, but Masumi-kun actually—"

"Asami!"

Masumi interrupted her as if she were about to speak.

"What's wrong with Masumi?"

Seeing Masumi's flustered expression, which was completely unlike her usual self, Mio narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Don't worry about it, Miss Mio."

Asami, the instigator, "kindly" tried to defend Masumi.

"I think Masumi-kun is just shy because his fetish has been exposed to everyone, right? Masumi-kun."

"Hmm, hmm... that's about right..."

Masumi felt a chill run down her spine.

I had initially thought that the tiny, flea-like kindness in Mami's brain overwhelmed the whale-like malice, but now it seems to be the complete opposite.

She was simply making fun of herself, and subtly threatening herself: I have something on Masumi-kun that I can use against him.

“Hey, Masumi, there’s absolutely no need for you to worry like that.”

Mio momentarily looked stunned, then gently enveloped Masumi's hand with her soft, boneless palm and said understandingly.

"I like Masumi no matter what she is like."

“And…” Her eyes gleamed with determination. “If Masumi likes it, whatever her hobby is, I will fulfill it for you.”

"Yes, thank you, Mio."

Although the occasion wasn't quite right, Masumi was still very touched.

It's still very strange, though.

Puff!

A burst of uncontrollable laughter came from the side.

Masumi looked at Mami with a defeated expression.

"So, what do you want?"

"Don't think so badly of me, Masumi-kun. I'm not some kind of demon."

Asami's delicate lips curved into a mischievous arc.

"I just wanted Masumi-kun to have a wonderful, unforgettable Christmas and birthday, that's all."
-
That night, Masumi had a very heavy dream.

Wearing a Santa Claus costume, he was being cruelly ridden on by Mami, who was dressed as a reindeer.

Unable to tolerate it any longer, Masumi decided to reverse the balance of power.

Then, I heard a "uh-uh" sound.

"Ok?"

(End of this chapter)