Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 271, Section 6: "Now, the verdict on Kurokawa Mio's punishment will be announced."

What exactly is going on?
Masumi brainstormed to process the information she received from the outside world.

First, there's Mio, slumped on the floor, looking utterly despondent.

She lowered her head, her honey-gold hair seemed to have dimmed slightly, and she uttered a weak murmur from her tightly clenched lips.

"It's all over, all over... The beautiful and elegant image I've always held in Masumi's mind... has completely collapsed..."

"—This image was never intended to exist from the beginning!"

Then there's Haiyue, wearing glasses and looking smug.

"Hmph~ This is... a famous detective..."

"—Haiyue's drool is coming out. Don't move, let me wipe it for you. Did you just drink milk or soy milk?"

And Chiai, who had been reacting to their actions since just now.

In short, let's start with those who should be considered outsiders in this case.

"...When did Qian'ai arrive?"

About ten minutes ago.

Qian'ai answered subconsciously, then suddenly opened her eyes wide.

"...Huh? I clearly changed the aura around me, how did Masumi-nii manage to notice?"

"Of course you'll find out, because Senai is Senai."

Masumi said nonchalantly.

Even if her hairstyle and facial features are altered, Chiai is still Chiai.

The tone of her voice, her unintentional little gestures, or her lovely smile... there are many ways to recognize her.

"……snort--"

The childhood sweetheart turned her face away, avoiding the main point, and let out a soft snort through her nose.

"Huh? What's going on?"

"fine--"

Masumi was simply stating a self-evident fact, but for some reason, Chiai's lips kept curving upwards.

"Compared to that, what do you think of my outfit, Masumi-nii? I dressed up specially for today."

Chiai looked up at Masumi and asked a question.

Even through a pair of round-framed glasses, you can still see the transparency of her very light-colored eyes, which sparkle in the light, as beautiful as real jade.

"Well, it's beautiful."

Masumi tried to remain calm and gave a normal response.

so close.

Is it because I'm currently being pursued? I feel unusually easily moved.

Beneath her seemingly serious exterior, Masumi actually has a very low deviation rate when it comes to romance.

Perhaps dissatisfied with his lukewarm response, Chiai moved her face closer unhappily.

"Masumi-nii is so stingy with words when it comes to praising people! I heard Rinne say before that your praise for her is to the point of being annoying!"

That cute little face was filled with protest against Masumi's differential treatment.

"Uh."

Praising Rinne... I think it refers to the time I saw her try on a cheongsam last time.

Alright, since that's the case, Masumi has decided to go all out.

"It looks great! This is the first time I've seen Qian Ai in this look, it's very refreshing, but most importantly, you look good in anything!"

"Oh! Th-thank you."

"Wearing glasses gives me an intellectual look without being too rigid. The contrast between the glasses and my cute expression makes me even more charming!"

"……Um."

"The fluffy little pom-poms on the lace trim of the socks add a touch of liveliness. Is it really because of the beautiful curves of her calves and feet? I've always thought Chiai looks great in these short white ankle socks—"

"That's enough! Stop praising me! That's enough!"

Qian Ai, her face flushed, stretched out her hands and waved them repeatedly.

Seeing that her childhood sweetheart still seemed to have had enough to say, the girl sighed:
"...Just as Rinne said, even I... can find so many things to praise."

Her tone was somewhat self-deprecating, and she spoke very softly the last sentence, so Masumi didn't quite hear it.

"What did Qian Ai say?"

"No! It's nothing...cough cough!"

After clearing her throat, Chiai looked Masumi up and down.

"Masumi-nii's butler uniform is also very cool. Even though I've seen it many times, I still can't get tired of it."

She smiled sweetly as she spoke.

"Well, thank you."

Being praised frankly can be both pleasing and embarrassing.

Just as Masumi and Chiai were enjoying the slightly ambiguous atmosphere, a discordant voice suddenly rang out.

"...Ah~ The punishment came so quickly. I had to kneel on the ground and witness Masumi being intimate with another girl. Could anything be worse than this...?"

The resentful mutterings to himself instantly destroyed the originally warm atmosphere.

Masumi then remembered what she needed to do.

"Speaking of which, Chiai was just with Mio—"

"Don't get me wrong! Masumi-nii, I just happened to stumble upon it! I'm not Mio-neechan's accomplice! I just got here, I just got here."

Fearing that Masumi might misunderstand, Chiai quickly explained on her behalf.

"Oh, oh, so that means..."

Masumi turned her gaze to Mio, whose eyes were lifeless.

When they made eye contact, Masumi sensed an awkward atmosphere.

"Let's hold a meeting at the coffee shop now."

He sighed and announced this.

◇

"I had no choice!"

The shouts echoed throughout the staff break room.

"Please, Mio, don't start yelling right away." Rinne sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"No, I really had no choice. Actually... it was another me, dormant within me, who did it. Yes! That's right! So the fault doesn't lie with me."

Mio murmured this repeatedly, only to be met with Rinne shaking her head in response.

"Could you please come up with a more plausible excuse, Mio?"

"It's true, I didn't mean to do it at first, I was just momentarily blinded by greed, Masumi! You have to believe me..."

"Uh, although I really want to believe Mio, I've been caught red-handed..."

"I... I just took a small step forward from what I usually do when collecting clothes that Masumi wears. It's a very ordinary thing!"

"Huh?" Masumi asked in surprise, "So Mio usually collects my clothes? No wonder I often have a couple of extra clothes missing when the seasons change. Why do you do that?"

"what."

Mio was stunned.

Oh no... Now I have to explain why I always wear Masumi's shirts as pajamas and why I keep sniffing the clothes to smell Masumi's scent...!
"...Do we really have to say even that...?"

Mio asked tremblingly.

"Now that things have come to this, Mio, you should stop keeping secrets and confess."

Rinne said calmly.

"Let's make this clear first, Masumi can't think I'm disgusting!"

Mio's eyes were fixed on Masumi, her expression pleading.

"I don't find Mio disgusting." "I think Masumi already finds Mio disgusting enough, so it's fine."

Masumi's words of comfort and Rinne's sarcasm overlapped in the air.

"..."

Mio remained silent for a long time before finally giving up.

Like every criminal sunk by the sleeping Kogoro, she slumped weakly on the floor, burying her face in her hands, looking utterly helpless.

Seeing this, Masumi couldn't help but feel a little pity and sympathy.

"Um, Mio..."

Suddenly, my arms were grabbed from both the left and right sides.

Masumi looked at the girls who were holding him from both sides, and Rinne and Mami each spoke up.

“Empathy, if used inappropriately, will turn into being a pushover.”

"This is where things get interesting, so I advise Masumi-kun not to meddle!"

Helpless, Masumi could only watch as Mio confessed to her past blasphemous acts.

What an agonizing ordeal!
A dark history that had been kept secret from outsiders was suddenly revealed in front of another party involved.

"...It all started last November when, after rehearsal, I found the guitar pick that Masumi had accidentally dropped out of her pocket."

"Is Mio planning to start by talking about Izanagi and Izanami creating the Great Eight Continents?" Rinne said expressionlessly.

(Note: Creation myth from the Kojiki.)
Mio ignored him, seemingly completely absorbed in her own world.

“From the picks to the beverage bottles I bought from the vending machine, and the little gifts that Masumi usually gave me, these ordinary things became special because they were imbued with Masumi’s scent.”

Mio's hazy eyes seemed to be gazing at the distant past.

“From then on, I paid special attention to collecting items that carried Masumi’s scent… So, perhaps I should say that my old collecting habit suddenly resurfaced…”

Qian'ai stared in disbelief: "Wow! It feels so heavy!"

Asami's eyes sparkled: "Miss Mio is truly a textbook example of a dowager woman! 100 points!"

"Why...not collect it from the person themselves?"

Haiyue tilted her head curiously. "That's enough, all of you."

Rinne sighed heavily. What kind of people was she living among?

She gazed at Mio with a complicated expression and uttered the line that had already appeared several times in Mio's hallucinations.

"—Mio, she really is an incurable pervert... I really don't know what's so interesting about that smell, it's so pungent..."

Mio hadn't heard the next line in her hallucination.

She snapped out of her daze and openly revealed her wariness.

What did Rinne just say?

"No, it's nothing."

The cat, who had been stealing fish, turned its head and glanced to the side unintentionally. It saw Masumi scratching her face, covering her mouth, her shoulders trembling slightly.

What's wrong with Masumi?

"No, it's nothing."

When Masumi subconsciously used the same excuse that Rinne had just used to brush it off, it showed that he hadn't been listening to the conversation at all and was clearly trying to cover something up.

what is it then?

"Ah, Masumi-kun's ears are red! Is he shy?"

After Mami pointed this out, Masumi immediately denied it without hesitation.

"...Don't talk nonsense, I'm not shy."

"Tsundere male protagonists only get popular in BL novels~ Masumi-kun."

Mami gave a mischievous smile, while Chia looked on incredulously.

"Ma-Masumi-nii!? Are you happy to hear that Mio-neechan is collecting things about you...?"

"...How could I be happy about something like that?"

"Then let's see Masumi-nii's face!"

"Just say you didn't...!"

Masumi almost yelled, but she restrained herself at the last moment, sighed, and continued:
"I just feel that the feeling of having your things valued is slightly different."

"Eh."

Chiai was dumbfounded by Masumi's true feelings, which were wrapped in layers of ambiguous words.

Mami continued to pursue him in a mocking tone.

So you like it when girls do weird things with their own underwear?

"……No."

"Why does Masumi-nii seem to have paused for a moment?"

"Ha ha ha ha ha……"

"what sound?"

Chiai frowned, puzzled, and turned to look. Mio, who had been sitting on the ground, was smiling so much that her lips curved like a crescent moon. It was terrifying.

"I see. I didn't expect Masumi to like this kind of thing too. I'm completely relieved now."

No, I don't like it—

Masumi turned her head to defend herself, and unexpectedly met Mio's gaze.

Hmm, what kind of look is that!
Its eyes were open, but there was no light; its empty eyes seemed to devour everything.

"Mio? Are you alright?"

Masumi asked the question hesitantly.

"It's wonderful! I've never felt so good before!"

Mio answered in an excited tone, her breath hot from the corners of her lips, and her beautiful and dignified face flushed with excitement.

"The fact that Masumi approves of my secret fetish means that I've always been mutually attracted to her! Could there be anything better than this?!"

She suddenly grabbed Masumi's arm tightly, her pale fingers sinking into Masumi's skin.

It hurts so much. The part that Mio is holding feels burning hot, just like the ghost in Ryunosuke Akutagawa's novel who is climbing up a spider's web.

Unable to break free, when did Mio become so powerful?

Could this also be the power of love?

The existence that can defeat a dark sorcerer with a 15-month-old child is indeed very powerful.

Unable to know the complex emotions Masumi was going through, Mio continued to shorten the distance between them.

"Come on, Masumi, be true to your desires and pour out everything!"

Her astonishing, eccentric remarks sounded strangely loud in the otherwise silent lounge.

Immediately afterwards, a rustling sound came from Masumi's body as fabric slipped off, leaving all the girls present stunned.

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

Qian Ai blushed and covered her eyes, but secretly peeked through her fingers.

Wow~ those two are so bold~

Asami whistled with a mocking smile, while Haiyue stared blankly at the scene unfolding before her, her slender fingertips touching her lips as if savoring something.

In the end, it was the heiress's heavy chop that woke up the sickly-looking Mio.

The dark aura dissipated as a result.

"Huh? What happened?"

Rinne spoke with her usual indifferent expression.

"Then, those who believe Mio is guilty, please raise your hands."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Very good, five votes in total, unanimous approval, this court hereby declares the defendant Kurokawa Mio guilty."

"Wait a minute! Why am I suddenly being declared guilty! Rinne, tell me what crime I committed!?"

Mio trembled all over, her whole being shrouded in an indescribable gloom.

"Let me think, crime of pervert, crime of perversion... and crime of perverted pervert."

"These three are all the same! And I'm not a pervert!"

Qian'ai sighed: "Sister Mio, now that things have come to this, there's no way you can deny it."

“That’s what I’m saying, Ms. Mio,” Mami said earnestly. “Just accept the judgment and reformation. A few years is nothing. On the contrary, you’ll be seen in a different light, just like the protagonist of the Yakuza series.”

"What kind of modification?! I absolutely refuse to accept it! Besides, don't lump me in with any yakuza!"

"It's exactly the same as in the comics!"

The jellyfish girl's eyes were shining for some reason.

"You jellyfish, don't get excited! Speaking of which, you're the one who brought Masumi here, aren't you! Damn it."

Mio glared at Kaigetsu through gritted teeth.

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

"Scent tracking is done by police dogs, wait, how could you detect the scent of Masumi's boxer shorts? Could it be..."

"Cough cough!"

Masumi spoke up as if to change the subject.

"Well, it's almost time to open for business. Shouldn't we be getting ready to welcome our customers?"

"What was the verdict against Mio?" Rinne asked.

As expected of arch-rivals, they have no intention of letting each other go.

Masumi scratched her ear with her fingertip.

"Um, about this..."

◇

"How terrifying! What an inhuman punishment this is, Masumi-kun! How could you even think of such a thing!"

Mami watched with a look of unbearable pain as everything that happened to Mio occurred to her.

Masumi took a water-based pen and drew one ○ and X after another on Mio's fair arm.

"Uh, isn't this just a punishment game like sticking stickers on your face when playing cards?" Qian Ai complained.

"That's what you don't understand, Chiai. Your understanding of doujinshi is far too shallow."

Asami seemed to transform into a teacher who was disappointed in her students, saying, "If we replaced the water-based pens with ballpoint pens, the ○ and X with tally marks, and the insides of our arms with..."

"Mami-nee, that's enough," Rinne said calmly.

"it is good."

Mami closed her mouth decisively.

Without her voice, Mio's reaction as she was being punished became all the more noticeable.

Her body trembled, and a thin layer of sweat seeped from her forehead, with a few strands of golden hair sticking to it.

Perhaps it was itchy; whenever the tip of the water-based pen glided across Mio's skin, she would wriggle her body and make a soft sound.

The sound of the pen nib rubbing against the skin, the moist eyes, and the breathing that gradually becomes heavy.

Seeing all these reactions, Masumi couldn't help but feel strange.

He just came up with a punishment like sticking stickers on your face while playing cards; it was definitely not a special game!
"Mio, are you alright?"

"very good!"

Mio nodded, her face flushed.

"The thought of Masumi leaving marks on my body... hehehehe..."

This person is probably beyond redemption.

(End of this chapter)