Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 261, Section 36: "Cleaning is an exhausting task."

After Christmas, Masumi began her 23rd year.

If you encounter a network problem again that results in "winning 00 million yen, but at the cost of your age being reversed," it won't be as guaranteed a profit as before.

Thinking about it this way, Masumi couldn't help but feel a little sentimental. What if it really came true one day?

After all, he was surprised that he could find a beautiful, clueless girl in front of a coffee shop.

"Masumi-kun! I caught you daydreaming and slacking off!"

Mami interrupted Masumi's thoughts with a loud voice.

She held a duster in her hand and pouted with dissatisfaction.

With the year-end approaching, the coffee shop is busy with a thorough cleaning.

Aside from Kuon Mirai, who is on vacation back in her hometown of Koike-cho, all six girls, plus Masumi, are involved.

"Weren't you busy cleaning your own room? How come you have time to come here?" Masumi asked casually.

The amount of cleaning work in this guy's room is almost ten times that of Rinne's. If it were me, I would never have time to go into someone else's room and leisurely supervise the progress.

"Alas!"

Upon hearing this, Mami immediately looked troubled.

"Listen to me, Masumi-kun."

She suddenly adopted a serious expression and said in a very earnest tone:

"Everyone has probably experienced this situation, whether it's a major cleaning or a minor tidying up of a room, right?"

"what's the situation?"

"—You accidentally discover something that has been buried for a long time, perhaps a book, a photo album or a notebook, or even just a photograph. You brush away the dust that has accumulated on it, and then you become engrossed in looking at it."

Masumi nodded. "It's a very common situation."

"Right, right!"

Mami nodded deeply, satisfied, as if she had received some kind of approval.

It was easy to guess what was going on from her words and expressions, and Masumi couldn't help but sigh.

"Let me guess, did you perhaps get itchy and start flipping through the bookshelves while you were organizing them?"

"Wow! Masumi-kun really understands me! Since that's the case—"

Mami suddenly bent down, "Please!"

Her voice bounced loudly on the floor, and the upper part of it seemed to jump as if to assert its presence.

"Huh? You wouldn't be thinking of..."

"If Rinne comes to check after a busy morning and finds that I haven't accomplished even half a thing, she'll be furious. She might even ban me from drinking alcohol during the New Year's meal, just like last year..."

At this point, Mami's expression suddenly darkened.

"Eek! Absolutely not! So please, Masumi-kun, this is a once-in-a-lifetime request."

Masumi sighed softly.

"...Okay, anyway, my room is almost tidied up."

"Great!"

Mami's eyes regained their sparkle, and she cheered, "Oh oh~".

"Oh my, I knew Masumi-kun was the most reliable person around, Doraemon Masumi."

Her mood clearly improved. She leaned closer and patted Masumi's shoulder heavily, a playful smile curving her lips as she said:
"As a reward, I'll let Masumi-kun touch me as much as he wants~"

Beneath the light tank top, the fair skin exposed from her neck to her chest rose and fell gently with her breath, creating an inexplicably alluring effect.

Masumi sighed helplessly, "Don't misinterpret my kindness as a dirty transaction of flesh."

"what the hell."

Asami puffed out her cheeks with air, "I just took a shower this morning, and even the spaces between my toes are clean."

"Wait! Does Masumi-kun want to hit me... No, no! Absolutely not! Uh, if it's for the big clean-up... that seems feasible?"

That's why I said you're an idiot.

"Hey, I'll let it go since Masumi helped me tidy up the room."

Masumi corrected, "We cleaned it together."

The two bickered as they walked out of the room toward the second floor, passing by Mio's room on the way.

The door to the room was open, and a slender and beautiful figure was kneeling there, folding a rag inside out and wiping the floor with the rag that was now half its original size.

"Miss Mio is really working hard at cleaning."

Asami subconsciously stopped in her tracks, and Mio's soliloquy drifted over from the air at that moment.

"...I really want to get rid of those thieving cats as soon as possible!"

"...Ahh~ We can't skip a thorough cleaning! We have to get rid of those fish-stealing cats! Clean them up completely!"

She suddenly tightened her grip on the rag.

The neatly folded rag was now crumpled into a ball, and the dirty side that had been folded in earlier was now exposed again.

Upon witnessing this scene, Mami broke out in a cold sweat.

"Eek! Let's hurry up and go, Masumi-kun."

She slumped her shoulders, like a weak puppy, and drooped her head, pulling on Masumi's arm as they hurriedly left.

Haiyue's room was empty, and Masumi guessed that she was with Rinne.

"Alright, Masumi-kun, I'll leave the cleaning to you!"

When he arrived at Mami's room, to his surprise, it was even better than he had imagined.

Although clothes, underwear, light novels, and comics were still scattered on the floor, the carpet and tatami mats were nowhere to be seen.

However, if you've seen Mami's room in spring, summer, and autumn, you'll find that this is already relatively tidy.

Perhaps because since the beginning of winter, Mami has been staying in the kotatsu table in Masumi's room all day without moving, she has had fewer opportunities to mess up the room.

"So, you're just going to stand there and watch?"

Masumi watched as Asami, who had just entered the room, sat down on the edge of the bed with her legs crossed without any hesitation.

The silly beauty's expression was very serious, her snow-white and plump thighs pressed and rubbed against each other, creating a fleshy curve.

"To be honest, I don't want to clean at all. If possible, I'd like to ask Masumi-kun to do it all by himself while I sit next to him eating snacks and reading comics."

"...You're quite honest." Masumi was speechless.

"But Masumi-kun will definitely get angry if I say that, so I'll work with you too!"

Mami suddenly stood up and gave a spirited shout.

"But you've already said it... never mind."

Masumi sighed, not wanting to argue with her.

First, pick up the scattered items on the ground and temporarily put them into cardboard boxes, categorizing them by type.

"Mami, put all the manga and light novels here..."

Masumi turned around, her face suddenly darkening.

"What are you doing?"

"Guuuuu!"

Halfway through cleaning, Asami, unable to resist the urge to pick up a light novel, suddenly looked up and squeezed out a strange sound from her throat.

"Ma-Masumi-kun? Don't look so scary, I wasn't planning on slacking off~"

Asami gave a weak smile, then, as if suddenly remembering something, emphasized her growth this year, radiating an overly strong presence from beneath the fabric.

"Um, I heard this place can help guys calm down~"

"Wait! Masumi-kun, I know I was wrong! I'll work hard and not slack off!"

"Ouch, wait, wait a minute! That hurts!!"

The cotton casual shorts were only a thin layer, clinging tightly to the buttocks. This slap felt no different from being struck on the skin without warning.

Two minutes later.

Miss Mami lay on the bed, sobbing with tears in her eyes.

“Now your wish to just watch others work is fulfilled,” Masumi said calmly.

"Masumi-kun, that's so mean."

“I held back when I hit you, so don’t lie there pretending to be pitiful. Come over here and get back to work.”

"Oh."

Like a whimpering little animal, her pitiful voice sounded so aggrieved that Masumi felt a pang of sympathy.

But the Great God of Bamboo Wheels above, he really did hold back his strength just now.

"...I'm sorry, I went too far—"

Turning around, I saw that Mami had already forgotten the pain, a quiet smile playing on her lips as she leisurely flipped through a comic book.

Her fair, bare feet and straight, slender calves were patting the sheets alternately. Masumi's forehead throbbed again.

"Pfft, haha! This little brat female lead is hilarious. She can't beat the male lead but she still tries to provoke him, and every time she ends up getting a spanking... Ouch!"

The page in the comic about the female protagonist, a story full of tension and lessons, is shrouded in shadow.

Mami cautiously raised her head, her mouth opening and closing repeatedly, her lips trembling so much they seemed about to fall off.

"Whoa! Masumi-kun! Let me explain, I only planned to take one look and then get back to work!"

"No, what I looked like just now wasn't an act, it was real... Ouch! This time it really hurts!"

The tender, upturned mound of flesh was beaten so badly it jumped around like a frightened rabbit, its pale pink and deep red hues blending together.

As expected, a tough approach is the most effective way to deal with a female protagonist with a bad temper.

Under the threat of a spanking, Mami finally obediently tidied up the room with Masumi.

In order to get everything sorted out before Rinne's inspection, the two of them didn't stop for a moment.

Open the windows that are usually closed to let fresh air in.

They moved all the cardboard boxes filled with miscellaneous items to the hallway, and then the two of them together removed the carpet that was laid on the tatami mat.

Dust-covered fabrics and blankets are laid out to dry in the sun, and dust is swept from the ceiling while standing on a chair.

It was a cold winter day, so cold that your nose would get cold if you relaxed even a little, but the two of them were sweating profusely while tidying up the room.

"Oh no, my stamina is completely depleted."

Mami, without any regard for her image, leaned against the bed and lay down, letting out a groan the moment her buttocks touched the sheets.

"Ouch! That hurts!"

Then, while lying down, jump vertically off the bed, about half a meter high.

What stupid thing are you doing now?

Masumi was already used to Mami's occasional startling and exaggerated behavior, and because she was exhausted from cleaning, she just stared at Mami with a cold eye.

"It's all because of Masumi-kun. Whenever he sees me slacking off, he slaps me across the face."

Asami clutched her buttocks, gritting her teeth as she released her emotions.

Masumi sighed, "Don't you ever reflect on why you have so many thoughts of slacking off?"

"There's no need to go on like you're playing a drum set! If I remember correctly, isn't Masumi-kun a guitarist?"

"Say whatever you want, just put the room back in its original state, and the big cleaning will be done."

"Hey! There's still more? I'm already exhausted."

Mami let out a sound of utter exhaustion.

Seeing this, Masumi subconsciously raised her hand, and halfway through the swing, accompanied by a soft sigh, she grabbed Mami's ankle instead.

"Come on, get to work!"

"Waaah! I don't want to! Can't I take a break after working all morning?"

"Don't say anything capricious."

Masumi sighed, grabbed Mami's slender ankle with one hand, and pulled her back forcefully, dragging the fleeing Mami back.

With a long face, Ms. Mami could only bite her lip and continue.

In the end, the two reached their limit at the same time and collapsed on the carpeted floor.

"This time it's really... burned out..."

Exhausted, Mami's speech became as fragmented as Haiyue's.

"No matter what you say next time, I won't help you anymore..."

"Hey, don't say that, Masumi-kun. No matter how much you struggle, you'll always come to help me in the end. Why not just give up? You never learn your lesson."

Damn it, it's really annoying to hear this guy talk to me like that.

Even though she was exhausted, Masumi didn't intend to keep quiet.

"You're the one who won't learn your lesson. How could I possibly agree obediently after being told a few words? That would only push you further."

"Hmph~ Well then, let's wait and see."

A lazy voice, tinged with smugness, gradually enveloped my eardrums.

Asami stretched out her arm, and unexpectedly her palm touched the cardboard box, causing the fabric piled on top to slide down.

The soft cotton, silk, and lace fabrics instantly buried Masumi's face in them.

"what!"

Masumi frowned and peeked out, casually picking up the nearest piece of clothing: a pure cotton crotch, with a triangular piece of lace fabric embroidered with butterflies strung together by an elastic cord.

"You have quite a variety of underwear."

Masumi casually uttered lines that were clearly sexually harassing.

But please don't misunderstand, his remarks were not tinged with any gloom; they were simply reflections from someone who was exhausted.

Asami's response was also surprising.

“Sure~ If you like them, Masumi-kun, I can pick out a few to give to you... Ah! I haven’t worn that one yet, at least let me try it on.”

"Isn't this a bit too daring?"

"None of them are as daring as the one Masumi-kun bought me at the love hotel in Kashiwa City!"

When that matter was brought up, Masumi frowned as if troubled.

"You haven't thrown away that pair of underwear yet?"

"Why throw it away? It's quite comfortable to wear because it's openwork, so it doesn't stick to your skin when you sweat."

"Really? As long as you like it."

"Why does it feel weird?"

Mami squinted, but couldn't figure out what was wrong, so she simply gave up trying to think about it.

"Give me the one you're holding, Masumi-kun. You've made this one all sweaty."

"Oh~"

Masumi reluctantly propped herself up and handed over what she was holding.

Too lazy to even reach out, Mami straightened her toes, hooked the thin rope with her toes, and lifted one leg off the ground, then sat up while maintaining the raised leg position.

"You're incredibly lazy," Masumi retorted.

Immediately following this, I felt the soft touch of fabric falling from my palm.

Masumi instinctively clenched it in her hand; it was a very small piece, warm, and had the texture of silk.

"Eh?"

In a daze, Mami changed her clothes right in front of him.

"This is……"

"If you like it, Masumi-kun, I'll give it to you. Anyway, I have plenty of other things, so it's fine."

She said it in a casual tone.

"No, you didn't secretly drink, did you? Why are you acting like nothing happened?"

"……what?"

Upon hearing Masumi's criticism, Mami finally stopped what she was doing.

Or rather, she was already dressed.

Then, after a few seconds or tens of seconds...

She stood there, only moving her gaze, looking back and forth between herself and Masumi, her final reaction becoming subtle.

"Did I do something that I should feel ashamed of?"

Just as Mami was confirming her actions, the door clicked open.

"Mami... Rinne is coming to check... your progress..."

Masumi turned her head to look in the direction from which the sound came.

A white seal, or more accurately, a girl wrapped in a seal mascot costume, stared at them expressionlessly.

"Sea Moon!? And—"

"Rinne!?"

Behind the jellyfish girl, Rinne stood with her arms crossed, her expression as cold as ice.

"...What are you two doing?"

"No, I'm not doing anything!"

Upon hearing Masumi and Asami's perfectly synchronized and unanimous answer, Rinne's beauty mark at the corner of her eye, as her eyes slanted upwards, became as sharp as a needle point.

She uttered harsh and cold words from her soft lips.

"poor."

(End of this chapter)