Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 270, Part 5: "Detective Haiyue's Little Tricks"

"……strangeness?"

After calming herself down, Masumi squatted in front of the washing machine, frowning as she looked at the clothes that had been taken out.

Why is one item missing?
Masumi separated the tangled clothes and counted them several times to confirm that one of the most crucial garments was indeed missing.

Yes, those are his boxer shorts.

...No one would want to steal something like this, right?

Did it fall under the washing machine?

Masumi lay on the ground, peering into the gap between the washing machine and the floor.

"……No."

Could it have been mixed with other people's clothes?

There are several laundry baskets in the washroom, each with a nameplate bearing the name of the person who washed them.

Aside from Masumi's, only Rinne's laundry basket currently contains clothes.

Masumi stared intently at the pile of clothes in the basket, which looked like an altar summoning demons.

"Let me make it clear beforehand, I just wanted to check if my boxer shorts were mixed in, that's all."

After making such a meaningless disclaimer to thin air, Masumi reached out towards the laundry basket.

It was as if he was truly summoning the demon within him. He flipped open the top layer of clothing, and the first thing that caught his eye was a white lace fabric.

Oh, so even heiresses have this kind of sophisticated style...

Masumi picked it up instinctively; it was a bodysuit supported by straps that outlined a beautiful curve.

The entire garment is almost entirely open, though it is somewhat concealed by crisscrossing straps, but from the chest to the hips, it is almost completely exposed.

One can imagine that if a girl with a good figure like Rinne wore it, every part of her body would be overflowing.

grunt.

Masumi swallowed hard.

Stop! Don't imagine it to be so specific.

He belatedly realized that the way he was staring at the woman's underwear was the epitome of a pervert.

If the girls living together were to witness this scene—the nutrition they just consumed for breakfast might be in jeopardy!
Although it's not something that specifically needs to be protected.

Now that things have come to this, Masumi's qualification to become a magician has been stripped by my senior, Rugu.

Moreover, after returning to Kobe from Gunma, his defenses crumbled completely, and now they are riddled with holes. It is foreseeable that the girls in the coffee shop will completely breach his fortress.

"Ugh."

The boy holding the girl's underwear sighed heavily.

"……Um?"

The door leading to the corridor opened a crack, and a slender figure staggered closer.

"Haiyue?"

"Masumi... is holding my underwear... and smelling it..."

Haiyue said expressionlessly.

"No! I was just looking, not smelling! By the way, is this Haiyue's underwear?"

"Hmm... Rinne's... is down there..."

Upon hearing this, Haiyue immediately tried to find Rinne's underwear that she had buried underneath, but Masumi quickly stopped her.

"No need! I don't want to see your underwear, I'm just looking to see if my clothes are mixed in."

As Masumi explained, Kaigetsu moved her eyes left and right.

"I'll help Masumi... look for her too..."

She volunteered.

"Oh, no need to bother."

"I need... help..."

Haiyue quickly closed the distance between them, her delicate face appearing incredibly close to Masumi.

Her legs were trembling, and upon closer inspection, it was discovered that she was standing on tiptoe.

"Do not……"

Is there anything more absurd or strange than asking a girl to help you find your missing underwear?

"I'm... a famous detective..."

"Huh? When did you start wearing those glasses... Come to think of it, they're really too close."

It was almost touching my nose.

"help……"

"Okay, okay, I understand."

Masumi sighed in resignation. Boys always fall for girls who are particularly close to them at lightning speed...

Haiyue finally stopped invading Masumi's personal space and nodded contentedly.

"Leave it to me! My body...is very sensitive..."

Although the jellyfish girl looked quite smug, Masumi felt that she had misunderstood the meaning of the word "sensitive".

"You mean you have a very keen intuition or senses, right?"

"That's about it... that's it..."

Haiyue adjusted her glasses, not as a deliberate attempt to look cool, but simply because the glasses were too big, pressing against her small face and slightly slipping off her nose.

"Masumi...what clothes did you lose?"

"Hmm." Masumi's eyes darted around for a moment. "Let's talk in my room."

Haiyue nodded.

"I understand...it was accomplished...in secret..."

Masumi's eyes widened in surprise.

"Haiyue knows idioms of this caliber."

No wonder he was surprised. Haiyue's weak tone and fragmented way of speaking made people wonder if she knew more than a hundred words of Japanese.

“I’m not… Mami…” Haiyue emphasized.

“That’s true.” Masumi nodded with a smile.

Speaking of which, has Mami become synonymous with idiot in the coffee shop?

◇

"Ah-"

"Sister Mami, do you have a cold?"

"No, it's probably just that I didn't sleep well."

Mami sniffed, rested her chin on her hand, and sat in the dining area on the first floor.

"Not sleeping well is probably not a universal explanation."

Rinne said calmly, and suddenly the sound of wind chimes rang out at the shop entrance. The heiress instantly switched to business mode.

"Welcome! Our shop won't open for another hour, if you don't mind—"

"It's me~ Rinne, Asami-nee."

The visitor was a beautiful young woman with a cheerful smile on her face.

Her radiant light-colored long hair was tied at the nape of her neck, and round-framed glasses concealed her large, round, emerald-colored eyes.

She wore a white shirt and a long, plaid skirt that went past her knees, with a small brown crossbody bag hanging at her waist. The overall look was very youthful, like a model straight out of a fashion magazine.

"Eh? You are..."

Mami paused for a moment, then tentatively asked:
"Huh? Chia!"

"It's me, how about that? Were you startled?"

Chiai looked up triumphantly at Mami, who was walking towards her while exclaiming in surprise.

"Wow, that's amazing! Chia looks like a completely different person in this outfit."

"Hehe~ Actually, I got the inspiration from Asami-nee's outfits at every anime convention. I sometimes want to try a completely different look from my usual style."

"Wow, are these real glasses?"

"Just like Asami-nee, they're just wearing fake glasses."

Qian'ai slipped her fingers inside her glasses and hooked her fingertips, which were painted with blue nail polish.

"After all, even if it's Asami-nee, wearing glasses makes my head look a little better... Ouch!"

Mami mercilessly delivered a chop to the girl's hand.

"I've always been very intelligent! I'm a bestselling manga artist, and readers describe the stories I draw as 'Ryujinin Michiyo-sensei is creating an immortal masterpiece.'"

"Huh? But isn't Masumi-nii in charge of the storyline..."

"Ok?"

Mami crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing sharply into slits.

"No, it's nothing."

Qian Ai swallowed back what she wanted to say.

"That's good."

Mami snorted contentedly through her nose, implying that this older sister was incredibly childish.

"Have something to drink."

Rinne placed the brewed black tea in front of Chiai.

"Thank you, Rinne!"

Chiai picked up her black tea, took a sip, and her body relaxed thanks to the benefits of caffeine and tea polyphenols. But Rinne's question made her tense up again.

"Did Chiai come to see Masumi today?"

"Huh!? How did Rinne know... Wait! Why would Rinne ask that!"

"Just a casual question."

Rinne answered nonchalantly.

"That casual question was so insightful!"

"It's because Chihiro's thoughts are too easy to guess." Mami smiled knowingly.

"Did you go to the trouble of changing your appearance and dressing up to test Masumi-kun?"

"I, I'm not that bored," Chiai denied immediately. "Please don't make fun of me, Mami-nee."

"Good good."

Mami smiled as she watched Chiai deny the accusation, her face flushed red.

"Your brother Masumi is upstairs, should we call him down now?"

"No, no need, I'll go upstairs and find him myself."

"Okay, then please go ahead."

Asami curled her lips into a teasing smile.

◇

"...That's just the way it is."

Masumi succinctly explained the details of the case—no! Is it too early to call this a case? After all, what thief would be so perverted as to steal Masumi's boxer shorts—and then.

Haiyue nodded very seriously after listening.

"I smell...crime..."

"Huh~ Really?" Masumi asked in surprise.

"real."

The jellyfish girl pulled out her glasses again and put them on.

"Because I am... a famous detective..."

"So, Detective Haiyue, where should we begin our search for clues?"

"odor."

"odor?"

"That's right... based on the scent... we found the lost item..."

Haiyue twitched her small, fair nose and said.

"No, you can't be considered a famous detective at all, you should be considered a famous police dog," Masumi retorted.

“However…” she suddenly frowned, looking somewhat troubled, “Regarding Masumi’s scent… I’m still missing a part that I haven’t collected…”

"I'm not a gacha pull, by the way. By the way, with Haiyue's current encyclopedia entry, isn't it possible to find her by following the clues?"

"no……"

Haiyue shook her head.

"We must collect...scents that are unfamiliar from before..."

"Uh, how do we collect them?... Wait, wait a minute!"

He quickly grabbed the jellyfish girl's hands with both of his and shouted to stop.

"Ok?"

Haiyue looked up curiously.

"What kind of clues are you collecting?! Would a detective do this to a client?! This is practically a crime!"

"So, is Rinne... also considered a criminal?"

"Eh?"

Masumi was taken aback by what she heard, and then turned her face away to avoid the main point.

"No, how should I put it..."

Hearing Haiyue's incisive question, his gaze shifted guiltily, and he subconsciously reduced his strength, giving Haiyue the opportunity to continue gathering evidence.

"...She should be considered to have received permission."

Permits and all that...that sounds ridiculous!

Am I some kind of undiscovered mineral deposit or treasure?
"Then I also need... permission..."

Haiyue is acting like a child demanding that adults treat everyone equally.

"No! That won't work!"

Masumi shook her head reluctantly, like a piece of chocolate being placed on a plate.

"I'm just... gathering clues..."

Confined by the jellyfish girl's gentleness, Masumi's serious thoughts were driven out of the room.

Masumi let out a deep breath:

"Have you collected all the clues?"

"Not yet... just a little while..."

Our defenses have been breached once again!
For a moment, he couldn't tell whether he was genuinely resisting or just putting on a show to maintain his serious image.

No, there's a mistake!

He's really serious!
◇

The neighboring house, separated by only one wall.

As Qian'ai climbed the stairs step by step, something in the third-floor corridor caught her eye.

"It's so bright, what is this?"

A row of plastic bottles with their wrappers torn off were placed in front of Mio's room. They were filled with tap water and shimmered in the light from the corridor.

"Is this... chasing away the cat?"

(Note: People in island nations believe that placing plastic bottles filled with tap water outdoors will repel stray cats because the sunlight reflecting off the bottles will deter them from approaching.)
I have a feeling... that something is amiss.

Just take a quick look.

Qian'ai placed her hand on the doorknob and quietly pushed open the door without being noticed by the people inside.

"Ah, Masumi's scent... it feels like she's always been by my side... I love it..."

The blonde girl on the bed looked dazed, clutching a piece of light gray fabric in her hand; it seemed to be…

Men's boxer shorts?

The sheets around her were neatly laid out with white shirts, cardigans, and other clothes.

Like a dog rubbing against its owner's knees, Mio Kurokawa brought her cheek close to one of the white shirts.

"If Masumi sees this, my life will be over. I might even end up in jail for sexual harassment... When she visits me in prison, she'd better bring Masumi's worn shirt as a gift... Hehehe..."

Qian Ai was completely speechless.

Rather than being speechless, she was completely at a loss for how to react, so she could only stand there frozen in place.

"It's almost time to open for business. I should get ready for Masumi... Ah!"

Mio looked up and her eyes met Chiai's, who was peering into the room through the crack in the door.

The world stood still for that brief moment.

Mio, still clutching the fabric tightly in both hands, calmly questioned:

"Are you here to steal Masumi's boxer shorts from me?"

“How is this possible—!”

Chiai shouted without any of the grace of a literary young lady.

"Hey, Mio-neechan, what are you doing?"

The young girl felt a cold sweat pour down her neck.

When humans instinctively feel fear, they seem unable to speak fluently.

"Sister Mio?" Mio narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Who are you? Why do you call me Sister Mio so familiarly? It's really embarrassing."

"Hey, it's me, Qian—"

"Tch?" Mio's expression turned cold. "You just 'tch,' didn't you?"

"No way! I didn't say 'tch,' I said 'thousand'—"

"Never mind. It doesn't matter."

Mio interrupted casually.

"Just so you know, I haven't licked it yet."

"That's scary enough!"

Today's events will probably become a psychological shadow for me for the rest of my life, Qian Ai thought.

Mio frowned, crossed her arms in front of her chest, and stared at her coldly.

"That being said, no matter who you are, this constitutes trespassing, which is a crime!"

very scary.

Qian Ai instinctively stepped back.

He nonchalantly ignored what he had just done and lectured her under these circumstances.

"I... I only came in because I was worried about Mio-neechan. What's with that row of bottles by the door?"

"It's just to prevent that philandering cat from barging into my room and discovering my secret, affectionate side."

"A cat that steals fish?" Chiai asked doubtfully. "Is it Rinne? But she's not actually a cat, is she? And, can Mio-nee's behavior really be considered affectionate?!"

If true, this girl from Peru will likely never be able to face that Japanese phrase again.

"It's so noisy and rambling!" Mio said impatiently.

Her eyes were unfriendly, a warning to Qian'ai.

"Since you've seen it, I'll make it clear beforehand: you'd better forget everything you just saw, and especially, you absolutely cannot let Masumi know, otherwise—"

"Otherwise what?"

"otherwise……"

Mio wanted to say something more threatening to Chiai, but she suddenly stopped halfway through, followed by a sharp scream.

"Ma-Masumi!?"

She suddenly opened her eyes wide, looking tremblingly at Masumi and Kaigetsu who appeared from behind Chiai.

"Masumi!? What are you doing here... Listen, let me explain!!"

(End of this chapter)