Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 260, Section 35: "A Healthy Christmas Party"

Cheers! Merry Christmas!

After the confetti cannons were pulled, there was a "pop" sound as the sparkling wine was released.

The sparkling wine was poured into glasses filled with ice. The seven people raised their drinks, tapped their glasses lightly in a toast, and offered their Christmas wishes.

"Wow, Christmas is all about eating chicken!"

Asami placed the glass on the table, the ice cubes inside making a crisp clinking sound, and a smile spread across her face.

“When I was little, my family would buy KFC every Christmas.”

"Huh? Shouldn't it be roast turkey?" Qian Ai asked, puzzled.

"You have to eat KFC for Christmas? Is Chia really from Japan?"

"I'm Peruvian, and according to Mami's logic, wouldn't KFC be celebrating Christmas every day?"

"Wow! It seems like KFC stores are really lucky!"

"They actually followed my line of thinking."

Qian Ai stared in disbelief.

“Never mind that girl, Chiai,” Masumi sighed. “It’s not like you’re a newcomer to the fact that she’s an idiot.”

"You can't pretend you didn't hear that, Masumi-kun!"

Mami frowned, raised her antlers, and prepared to attack Masumi.

"—Come on, Ms. Mami, calm down and have a piece of cake."

As I smiled, I forked a small piece of cream cake and brought it to Mami's lips. She took a big bite without any hesitation.

"Masumi-kun... Chew Chew~"

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

She was uttering incoherent lines, and although the exact words were unclear, Masumi guessed that she was blaming herself.

"Masumi-kun, I..."

Asami cleared her mouth and managed to utter half a sentence. Fearing that Asami would continue to bombard her with her cheerful words, Masumi quickly picked up a piece of cake with a fork and brought it to Asami's mouth.

"Eh."

Despite her doubts, Mami slowly opened her lips and put the cake in her mouth.

After chewing a few bites and swallowing, she looked like she had something to say again, so Masumi continued to feed her the cake.

"Waaah...wait...Masumi-kun...there's too much...waaah...let me have some first..."

Her slender, pale throat rolled unguardedly, her hoarse voice carrying the sticky sound of swallowing food.

Masumi frowned as she watched Asami, whose cheeks flushed red as she struggled to breathe.

Hmm? Something feels a little off.

What am I doing right now?

"STOP! Masumi-nii!"

The childhood friend suddenly squeezed between the two of them, separating Masumi and Mami.

What are you two doing?!

"Hey, I just don't want this guy to keep rambling on and on."

Masumi blinked innocently.

"Really?"

The doubt in Chiai's eyes was almost overflowing, while Rinne stared at them with an icy expression on either side of her.

Mio stood up with a gloomy face, a fleeting glimpse of the alluring sight at the end of her snow-white thighs, before she sat heavily down next to Masumi.

"Is Masumi trying to leave us out of the picture and focus on enjoying her feeding play with Asami-san?"

That's not true.

Masumi sighed quietly.

"Feeding play with this guy is just feeding, there's no play involved... Ouch!"

This remark prompted Mami to elbow Masumi without hesitation.

She quickly swallowed the cake in her mouth, wiped the cream off her lips with her fingertips, and then spoke indignantly.

"Masumi-kun is really going too far! I just wanted to remind everyone that it's time to exchange Christmas gifts."

"Oh, I see."

Meeting Mami's blazing, furious gaze, Masumi feigned nonchalance and hurriedly shouted:

"Great! It's time for the gift exchange! Come on, everyone, please prepare your gifts and place them in the center of the table—"

"Okay! Let's exchange gifts."

I smiled broadly as always, and took out a gift to show my appreciation:

"This is my share!"

The others also put the earlier incident aside and took out their own gifts to follow suit.

Masumi glanced at her senior gratefully. Just as she had said, her senior was always on her side...

Ok?
A pink tongue darted out, licking around the corner of my lips, while my ancient eyes revealed the gleam of a predator.

Masumi couldn't help but shiver.

I am too young to know that every gift that fate bestows has already been secretly priced.

On the other side, after confirming that all the gifts had arrived, Asami announced loudly:

"Alright—then, let's break up the gifts!"

After she finished speaking loudly, she began to mix the colorful, beautifully wrapped gifts together, and then explained the rules for the next step.

"After the gifts were handed out, everyone started singing the birthday song while passing the gifts around. By the time the whole song was finished, everyone had their own gift in their hands."

Rinne nodded. "It's a very easy rule to understand."

"Why is it the birthday song?" Masumi asked.

"Because this isn't just a Christmas party, it's also Masumi-kun's birthday!"

Asami said matter-of-factly.

"Oh."

Because of the strong Christmas atmosphere, even Masumi herself almost forgot that today was her birthday.

Perhaps the reason he doesn't like celebrating his birthday, besides wanting to spend it in his own way, is also because his birthday and Christmas fall on the same day.

"Okay." Mami cleared her throat meaninglessly and said, "I hereby declare the gift-giving session officially open."

Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!
The girls sang their hearts out, and everyone started passing gifts around clockwise.

Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!
"Ah, the exchange is over."

The silence that suddenly descended upon the crowd suggests that the gift exchange was rather short.

"...Was the time too short?" Masumi asked first, sounding puzzled.

"Because there are only four lines of lyrics."

Asami shrugged.

"No, there wasn't even a proper exchange of gifts!" Qian'ai protested, puffing out her cheeks.

"Let's change to a different song and go around in circles again," Rinne suggested.

"Okay, then... let Xiao Haiyue do it!"

"I?"

Haiyue, who had been quietly chewing on her cake the whole time, tilted her head with a curious look.

Her snow-white skin was exposed, and the front of her Christmas dress had slipped down to the point of being on the verge of collapse.

Seeing this, Rinne sighed, slipped her fingers into the gap between the fabric and her skin, and pulled it up a little.

"Haiyue, please be careful, these kinds of clothes are really..."

After the heiress straightened the jellyfish girl's front, she hesitated, looking troubled.

"This is my first time wearing a Christmas outfit. It's more revealing than I expected, and my shoulders and other areas feel chilly."

The white lace of her underwear can be glimpsed through the open neckline of her Christmas outfit. To fully expose her shoulder line, Rinne wears a strapless bunny-ear style bra.

"Mami said... Christmas outfits... should be worn like this... to make Masumi blush and her heart race..."

"Oh~ Really?"

Rinne immediately looked down at Masumi with an icy gaze. Wait! Why are you pointing the finger at me now?

Reindeer shouldn't have this expression when facing Santa Claus, right?

Furthermore, they say they blush and their heart races; such prejudice cannot be ignored.

Masumi couldn't help but feel indignant; he had clearly tried his best not to show it on his face.

"What does it matter? We're all in the same boat anyway."

Mami seemed unconcerned and shrugged.

"That's right, there are no outsiders present anyway."

I nodded in agreement, my eyes brimming with amusement.

These two have such incredibly alluring figures! Although Masumi seems to have mastered them all, it's still hard to say who's better.

Of the six girls, only Chiai and Mio remained silent and did not join the conversation.

Normally, Masumi would wisely ignore them, but this time was different.

The gentle archangels... or rather, the fallen angels in Masumi's eyes, I, like the ancient Chitose, patted their shoulders with both hands, a gentle smile on my face.

"Ladies, don't be discouraged. Your modest figures paired with these alluring Christmas outfits actually have a unique charm in my opinion~"

Her words only made the two girls' expressions even more gloomy.

"That's what Masumi thinks too, right?"

And she even shifted the blame elsewhere. "She's very charming! Mio, Chiai!"

Masumi nodded hurriedly, trying to comfort the two girls whose expressions had completely turned into dead fish eyes.

"Ahem! Let's continue exchanging gifts!"

After the interlude, it was decided that Haiyue, the songstress from Starry Night Cafe, would sing half of the song. The song was the second one they had worked on together, and they planned to upload it to YouTube tomorrow.

Water droplets falling from the horizon kept splashing up~
The streets, resembling water tanks, shimmered and gleamed.
The lamplight fades away one by one~
Tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep~
The gentle singing voice, like a tide reflecting starlight, enveloped my eardrums.

After singing half the song, Mami called for a stop.

"Okay, stop—now, Masumi-kun, you should start opening the presents!"

"Oh." Masumi then picked up the gift that was handed to her and unwrapped it.

"What is this? It's so light!"

Masumi opened the gift with a puzzled look, and inside was...

A piece of paper?

To be precise, it was a rectangular piece of paper marked with a marker, and the jellyfish on it clearly showed whose handwriting it was.

"...Wish Fulfillment Ticket?"

Masumi read aloud the cute handwritten text above.

“It’s…my gift…” Haiyue claimed it.

"Is it like a back massage voucher from a kindergarten? Haiyue is so thoughtful."

Rinne remarked with a sigh, her tone as if she were a parent attending her child's school open day.

"Where is the heart in that?"

Mio and Chia both looked dumbfounded.

Despite knowing that because of her own experiences and the seemingly useless aspects of Haiyue, Rinne has always shown great care for Haiyue.

After learning about Haiyue's pitiful past, her feelings for her almost reached the point of doting. Their relationship was more like that of a mother and daughter than friends.

"Oh~ is it one of those wish-granting tickets that allows me to command Little Moon to do whatever she wants without any conditions?" Mami asked excitedly.

"No."

Haiyue gently shook her head.

"Yes... Masumi wants to fulfill... my wish..."

"What kind of Christmas present is this?"

Masumi was stunned.

"Well, that's the rule for exchanging gifts, so don't try to back out, Masumi-kun."

A smile played on Asami's lips.

"Don't worry, it won't happen."

Masumi closed her eyes helplessly, a sigh escaping her lips, and carefully put away the wish-granting ticket.

"Well, next up is—Ms. Mio."

After being called upon by Asami, Mio picked up the gift in front of her and opened it.

"What's inside... oh, what a uniquely personal gift."

It's a canvas bag belonging to a cat named Fawcett.

Rinne sighed softly, "It's ended up in Mio's hands. I hope it will be treated gently."

"Hey, don't make me sound like I'm some kind of ferocious monster."

I nodded with a smile, just like Gu:

"Yes, Ms. Kurokawa, why don't you take this opportunity to learn how to get along with cats?"

"...it won't happen until this cat changes its philandering ways."

Mio snorted coldly through her nose and said meaningfully.

"Next up is Rinne—"

“This is…” Rinne frowned, staring at the fabric in the plastic bag: “Underwear?”

"To be precise, it's about winning with underwear."

"I see. Only Mio would give such an embarrassing gift."

Rinne nodded expressionlessly.

These two arch-rivals actually drew gifts from each other! Masumi felt a chill run down her spine.

"Don't get me wrong, I originally wanted to give this gift to Masumi."

"Cough cough cough cough!"

Masumi, who was drinking, choked upon hearing this.

"No way? Could it be that Mio is planning to..."

"What are you thinking, Masumi?" Mio scolded playfully.

"To be honest, the best Christmas and birthday gift would be to give Masumi myself, dressed in the 'Victory Underwear' and beautifully wrapped, but Masumi definitely wouldn't accept that."

She actually knew how to think one step further, and the way she tried so hard moved Masumi.

"But Mio-neechan's gift didn't get delivered to Masumi-nii."

"It's okay." Mio shook her head indifferently. "That bra is my own size. I suppose you wouldn't accept such a gift. We'll just exchange it again later. That's what I'm thinking."

"...I've disappointed Mio."

Rinne spoke with her usual indifferent expression.

"I...I'm very...very satisfied with this gift."

“Rinne doesn’t need to force herself to say things she doesn’t mean,” Masumi sighed quietly.

"That's right, the size isn't right either."

Asami casually remarked, earning a icy gaze from Mio.

"Uh, sorry!"

"...Isn't there this one too?"

Rinne said, feigning calmness, as she unzipped the plastic bag.

"Speaking of which, this string of pearls is...?" She tilted her head slightly, puzzled.

"Alright! Let me answer your questions, Miss Kamishiro~"

As I smiled and whispered a few words in her ear, I saw the heiress's cheeks instantly turn an unbelievable red.

"Next, please open the gift, Qian'ai!"

"Uh-huh."

Qian'ai picked up the gift in her hand, and after unwrapping it, she saw a small container.

“Ah, it’s my gift,” Masumi said.

"Huh! It's a gift from Masumi-nii!"

Suddenly struck by a delightful surprise, the childhood sweetheart covered her mouth, her eyes sparkling.

“It’s scented bath salts, I hope you like them,” Masumi said.

"I really like it!" Qian'ai nodded vigorously, her eyes crinkling with laughter. "The outer packaging is also very cute. I'm very satisfied!"

"Tch, I'm not envious at all."

Mio's resentment has materialized to the point that she's freezing the kotatsu table.

"I never expected Masumi-kun to give such a girly gift."

Asami narrowed her eyes meaningfully.

"Speaking of which, Masumi-kun, is preparing such a gift because you want to take a bath with a girl? Honestly, Masumi-kun is really lewd."

"Masumi-nii!?"

Chiai made a whistle-like sound from her throat.

"So, does that mean that because I accepted Masumi-nii's gift, I have to take a bath with him!?"

"That's not true!"

Masumi sighed and glared fiercely at Mami, who was watching with a smile.

The gift exchange continued.

I exchanged gifts with Mami, and the gift Mami prepared was a deluxe edition of the manga "The Hero Squad is Full of Demon King's Army Spy," complete with the author's signature—a gift very much in the style of Ryujinin Michiyo.

"Thank you, Ms. Mami." I smiled slightly. "I will keep it safe."

Haiyue received a gift from me, a marine creature figurine customized by Kongkongliu Aquarium, which couldn't be more perfect.

Asami received a gift from Chiai: hand cream. It's the dry season now, and Masumi hopes this gift can soothe Chiai's parched heart.

Time passed amidst the noise and commotion.

"Ah—it's already 12 o'clock."

The alarm clocks set by the girls started ringing one after another.

"Merry Christmas, and happy birthday, Masumi."

Chiai and Asami, their faces beaming with smiles; Mio, her gaze warm and enthusiastic; Iruko-senpai, her eyes crinkling with a smile; Rinne, her lips slightly curved; and Kaigetsu, her face expressionless.

They were dressed in Christmas outfits and offered their blessings to Masumi.

"...If possible, I also plan to offer something else to Masumi—hmm!"

Mio was speaking when Rinne covered her mouth with her hand.

Masumi smiled. Christmas comes in all sorts of forms and can warm people's hearts in countless ways; it's truly a wonderful holiday.

This way of spending Christmas is unique to him and them.

(End of this chapter)