Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 253, Section 28: "Masumi is thinking; Christmas is in progress."

The next morning, Masumi, who couldn't possibly sleep well, was jolted awake by the cold air.

He left sleepily, walked to the window, and drew back the curtains. Soft morning light shone through the glass, shimmering gently in the room.

The weather is slightly overcast today.

The twilight mist was like Masumi's still hazy thoughts.

Because my mind kept going blank, I simply didn't have the energy to remember every little detail that happened last night.

The view before me was as if it were obscured by swirling white snow.

Snow?

Masumi's eyes, which had been half-open, suddenly snapped open and shone brightly as she looked out the window. The eaves of the houses in the residential area were gradually turning white, reflecting a soft light.

I glanced at my phone; it was Monday, December 20th.

Kobe's first snow this year came so early!

It usually takes place between January and February.

Because it faces the Seto Inland Sea, Kobe doesn't get heavy snow in winter; only the mountainside gets a thicker layer of snow.

The snowflakes melted quickly after falling to the ground, making the road surface a bit slippery, so Masumi only went so far for her morning run today.

"Wow! It's snowing! That's rare."

Ms. Mami, who rarely gets up early, stood in front of the shop in the early morning, opened her arms, and took a deep breath of the snowy air.

A moment later, however, she hugged her arms tightly, rubbing them incessantly, and returned to the shop trembling.

"It's so cold! Masumi-kun, let me warm my hands!"

Without saying a word, she shoved her cold hand into the back of Masumi's neck.

"Sigh~"

Masumi got goosebumps and instinctively swatted her hand away, then threatened her expressionlessly.

"Do you want a spanking again?"

"babble--!"

Hearing Mami gasp, she quickly reached behind her to protect her buttocks and retreated in fear.

"Wait! Masumi-kun, didn't we agree that if I give you the things, you'll..."

"Yes, that's why I'll be a little gentler this time."

"Eek! Masumi-kun has definitely awakened his sadistic tendencies, the tyrant of the coffee shop is about to be born!"

"What kind of tyrant are you? And don't hide your hands behind your back."

"Ugh."

Mami let out a sob and reluctantly moved her hand away from her buttocks.

This trick actually worked on this guy.

He took a step forward, getting closer to Mami, who was already pale with fright, but then her ear tips turned a striking crimson, which crept up her soft features and across her cheeks.

Masumi's expression immediately turned strange.

What's wrong with this guy? Why the sudden expression?

He took Mami's hand, turned her palm up, spread her fingers, and then covered her hand with his palm, letting her fingers intertwine.

Perhaps because her hands were being held so tenderly, as if treated as treasures, Mami seemed quite confused.

"Huh? Aren't you going to spank me? I was already mentally prepared."

This statement makes you want to complain.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't meet your expectations. I just wanted to warm your hands."

After hearing Masumi's sarcastic remark, Ms. Mami's cheeks flushed an unbelievable shade of red.

It was less about shyness and more about a mixture of shame and indignation, with anger being the dominant element.

"Masumi-kun, you're terrible! You don't actually think I'm some kind of pervert who expects to be treated roughly, do you?"

"I never said that."

"...It would be best if..."

Mami muttered under her breath, annoyed. She knew that continuing the conversation would only hurt her, so she reluctantly dropped the topic.

To change her mood, she turned to look at the snow falling outside the French windows.

"Ah~ the snowflakes are so beautiful. I wish it could snow like this on Christmas Day."

"The topic shift was so abrupt."

"It's noisy."

Mami viciously stomped on Masumi's toes, grinding them forcefully.

"Even a homebody like me longs for romance, so doesn't Masumi-kun also look forward to a white Christmas?"

"If it really happens, that would be great, but in all the years you've been in Kobe, have you ever seen it snow on December 25th?"

"If it were available, I wouldn't be so eager for it."

She let out a sweet sigh.

Indeed, the fact that the weather doesn't coincide with festivals shows that both the timing of festivals and their special meanings are determined arbitrarily by humans.

So, what kind of holiday is Christmas? And what is the kind of happiness that comes with Christmas?

"Asami."

"What's wrong, Masumi-kun?"

What is Christmas?

"..."

Mami narrowed her eyes slightly and looked at Masumi.

"Masumi-kun, are you trying to emulate Matsuoka Yoshitsugu?"

"Then what's going on?"

"Christmas in Japan is a holiday for lovers to get really into each other."

Suddenly, a hand grabbed his shoulder from behind.

Slowly turning her head, Masumi glanced over her shoulder and saw Mio behind her, a faint smile on her face, but her eyes completely devoid of any joy.

Further away, Rinne gently placed a plate on the table, avoiding his gaze, and Umizuki, her hair disheveled and half-asleep.

"Masumi's hand."

Mio frowned unhappily, staring intently at Masumi and Asami's clasped hands.

"hand?"

After exchanging a glance, the two naturally let go of each other.

"Ah, Ms. Mio, don't misunderstand, it's Masumi-kun who wants to warm my hands."

Worried about her safety, Mami hurriedly explained. Thanks to Masumi, her hands were warm now, and so were her cheeks.

"..."

Mio suddenly let out a heavy sigh.

"Never mind, if it's this bad, then it doesn't matter what."

"Huh? Does this mean you don't mind Masumi-kun holding my hand?" Mami asked.

"..."

She didn't say anything, and her expression looked somewhat listless.

"What's wrong with Mio?" Masumi asked, puzzled.

"I just feel a little overwhelmed... Even a football goalkeeper can't defend against ten opponents by himself."

Mio's eyebrows were furrowed together in distress, like a tangled ball of yarn.

"Compared to that, contact at the extremities seems less important."

“That’s right.” Masumi nodded in agreement, blurting out unintentionally, “You just get used to these things.”

"Ok?"

Mio stared straight at him, her eyes flickering with dark flames.

Even Mami raised an eyebrow, sensing something was amiss.

"stare--"

"It's time to eat."

A voice, even colder than Mio's questioning gaze, rang out, and Masumi felt as if she had been granted a pardon.

"Okay! I've been hungry for ages."

Masumi sat down at the table and saw red bean butter toast, boiled eggs, salad, and coffee on it. It was a Nagoya-style breakfast.

What are you planning to eat tonight?

"Eh, why would Rinne suddenly ask that?"

Mami, like a hamster, savored the food that filled her cheeks, making gurgling sounds.

“In the past, we would just eat whatever Rinne cooked.”

"Well, since Miss Ru Gu is coming to the store today, I think we should treat her well."

Rinne said calmly.

"so."

Asami nodded knowingly, appearing unconcerned. "Shouldn't you ask Masumi-kun about this kind of question? As for what kind of food Miss Ruko likes or dislikes... ugh?"

It took her a few seconds to realize what was happening. She spat out the coffee in her mouth with a "pfft," followed by a violent cough.

Mio immediately straightened up and asked in a low, almost flat voice:

"Masumi... what's going on?"

"That's right, Masumi-kun, you're not satisfied with just having us, so you actually made me, Miss Ruko, fly all the way from Miyako Island to spend Christmas with you!"

Mami puffed out her cheeks and protested in dissatisfaction.

"Masumi...you're so greedy..."

Haiyue let out a weak murmur.

"What's going on here?" Masumi sighed, rubbing her forehead in exasperation. "It wasn't me who called you here, and I only found out about this last night."

"How did Rinne know that?"

Mio asked astutely, "You haven't been able to speak to her at all this morning, have you?"

“…Because she was there when I called last night.” Masumi answered subconsciously, then belatedly realized the problem.

"last night?!"

Mio made no attempt to hide her wariness, pressing him rapidly, "Why were you two together last night? Why only with Rinne? What did you do behind our backs? Could it be...?"

Uh, Masumi hopes she won't jump to conclusions and make assumptions so quickly, because that would make it easy to deduce the truth.

"exist……"

Masumi hesitated. How could she possibly say such a thing, especially in front of other girls?

"Discussing Christmas gifts."

Rinne answered in a calm voice.

"Christmas present?"

Asami tilted her head slightly, indicating her confusion.

“Masumi said he wasn’t good at picking out gifts for girls. I happened to run into him deep in thought when I went downstairs for a drink, so I discussed it with him.”

After the heiress finished speaking calmly, she gave Masumi a look that revealed her stunned and dumbfounded expression, signaling for him to cooperate.

Masumi looked on in astonishment, her jaw slightly agape. So, even the heiress has this mischievous side.

Well, what happened last night was already quite a contrast.

"Oh, so you were thinking about a gift for me."

Mio's expression immediately softened, and she breathed a sigh of relief, a quiet smile blooming on her lips.

"It seems Masumi is also looking forward to spending Christmas with me."

“Um, Ms. Mio, Christmas presents are supposed to be exchanged,” Mami reminded her.

"Of course I know that, but I have a feeling that I will definitely get Masumi's gift."

A confident smile curved Mio's lips as she clasped her hands together excitedly in front of her chest.

"I'm really looking forward to Masumi's Christmas present."

◇

The coffee shop is open as usual at 10 a.m.

Brewing cups of coffee skillfully is simply a matter of muscle movement.

Masumi's attention, however, was entirely focused on something else.

He stared blankly at his phone, or more accurately, at the message bubbles on his LINE chat screen.

I am as old as the ancients: "I'm really looking forward to meeting you today!"

I am as old as the ancients: "On Christmas Eve, please help me book a hotel with two double beds. Please fill in your and my information when registering."

Masumi: "Please don't make fun of me, senpai."

Masumi: "What time is your flight, senpai? I'll come pick you up."

I am like a thousand years old: "Well, I'll tell Masumi where to pick me up when I get to Kobe."

Masumi: "Just so you know, if the location is a hotel or something similar, please come over yourself, senpai."

I am as old as the ancient times: "An anime girl with a meaningful smile.jpg"

"...Even if you're going to see me, Miss Rugu, tonight, you're far too distracted."

Suddenly, a slightly cold voice came from above.

"Rinne".

Masumi straightened her back and stood up from the chair. For some reason, she had a strange feeling of being caught cheating by her wife.

I'm probably still a long way from the level of "being used to being with multiple women at the same time" that my seniors described.

"What? Am I that scary?"

Rinne spoke with her usual coldness.

It looks like I'm about to eat you up.

"But you really did eat some of it last night..."

After Masumi blurted out the words unconsciously, he saw the heiress staring at him coldly.

The sharp gaze pierced my face, it hurt so much, and I was choked back my words halfway through.

"this is for you."

Rinne handed him a sushi roll wrapped in plastic wrap, which should be today's staff lunch.

Throughout December, guests came in a steady stream, leaving no time to leisurely enjoy lunch.

Thus, the staff meals at Fanxing became what Haiyue had said: to ensure sufficient nutrition and calories during work breaks while also being prepared quickly.

It would be even better if you could eat it with one hand.

"The ingredient we used was Agu sea bream," Rinne explained.

"Wow? This is so luxurious."

Agu sea bream is a popular premium white fish in winter, and it is very popular whether it is used as sashimi, sushi, or fish hot pot.

"After all, the cooking method is already quite perfunctory, so the ingredients can't be perfunctory either."

When it comes to cooking, the heiress has her own principles.

After she finished speaking, she tore open the plastic wrap in her hand, revealing a red bean cream toast for breakfast. It was made in Nagoya, with the red bean paste filling from Hokkaido being delicate, smooth, and sweet.

Rinne bit into a corner of the toast, her lips tinged with a light red bean paste.

Masumi hadn't really noticed before that Rinne's lips were such a rosy color; even without lipstick, they had an alluring crimson hue.

Why is this happening? This makes it even harder for Masumi to take her eyes off her face, and she just keeps staring at her.

"Why are you staring at me?"

Rinne felt a little uncomfortable under his direct gaze.

"Do you want some toast too? Well... here you go."

She tore off a corner of the toast, held it in her hand, and brought it to Masumi's mouth.

Masumi hesitated to take the toast, but seeing that the red bean paste piled on top of the toast was about to fall off, she stretched her neck and bit the toast.

During the process, it was inevitable that the girl's slender fingertips would be touched. Because Rinne's nails were neatly trimmed, they would not be scratched, but would only feel softness.

Do you like eating toast?

Rinne looked at Masumi, who was silently chewing on red bean toast, and asked.

"No, it's fine."

"Because I eat Japanese food for breakfast, I sometimes worry whether you will be able to get used to it."

“Of course I can eat it. I’m not a foreigner,” Masumi replied without hesitation.

"And I've never been a picky eater since I was a child."

"Yes, that's easy to see."

Rinne nodded, but there was something else about it.

Of course, it's also possible that I'm overthinking it. After all, Rinne is in charge of all three meals at the coffee shop, and she knows everyone's tastes.

So you're saying you've been too sensitive lately because you're so easily alarmed.

This wasn't something to worry about, so Masumi decided to ignore that statement.

Would you like another bite?

"Huh? But this is your lunch, isn't it..."

Despite Masumi's words, Rinne still tore off another piece of toast and handed it to him.

So Masumi opened his mouth again, letting Rinne feed him, and the sweet taste of red bean paste spread across his tongue once more.

The red bean paste is very sweet.

Looking closely at her face, Masumi's gaze was drawn to her slightly parted lips, and she couldn't help but imagine such a thing—

If I kiss the heiress's rosy lips, will it taste the same?
"Sigh, I have this feeling of being manipulated by the upcoming Christmas."

Masumi suddenly pressed her face against the table and sighed as if she were exhausted.

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

Rinne tilted her head, seemingly unaware of what was going on, but her cool voice contained a gentle undertone.

"Good luck on Christmas, young master."

(End of this chapter)