Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 276, Section 11: "I didn't see it, I saw it!"

"..."

For a moment after Mio said those words, time seemed to stand still.

It wasn't until Qian Ai woke up from her dream and hurriedly squatted down to pick up the bath towel, wrapped it around her body and pulled it up that time began to flow again.

"Ha ha ha ha ha……"

Suddenly, Kurokawa Mio broke into a smile.

"Um—Mio-neechan?"

Qian Ai spoke cautiously and fearfully.

"Hehehehehehehehe..."

A chilling laugh erupted.

Mio's shoulders trembled uncontrollably from the force of her smile.

"Mio...Mio...?"

Her current mental state makes one wonder if she is possessed by a ghost.

Her honey-gold, soft, lustrous hair writhed like a snake—there was no such image, but the heavy atmosphere gave Masumi that illusion.

Thinking back to when I first met Mio, her cold and aloof arrogance and beauty on the LiveHouse stage are now gone.

The transformation was so drastic that it was as if someone were yelling at Masumi, "Do it! Do it now, Masumi! That's not the Mio you know anymore!" causing Masumi to hesitate, wondering whether she should take action to free Mio.

"Hehehehe... She actually stole Masumi right in front of me, and even dressed like that to seduce him. I underestimated Chiai-chan... Hehehehe..."

No, this is the Mio that Masumi knows.

"Mio? Are you alright?"

Masumi spoke up.

"I don't think things are as tense as you think. Okay, Qian'ai, please explain as well."

He turned his face toward Qingmei, who was completely flustered.

"Huh? That one."

Qian Ai awkwardly twisted her fingers in front of her chest, and before she knew it, the bath towel had slipped down a little bit more.

"Yes, sorry!"

The sound that Masumi managed to squeeze out left her speechless.

"Although I planned to seduce Masumi-nii, it was because he always acted so serious that I felt like I wasn't being treated like a woman, so I got carried away by that thought!"

Qian Ai explained incoherently:

"And I only planned to expose myself a little bit to attract Masumi's attention, then catch him red-handed with evidence, make fun of him, and that would be the end of it. I really didn't intend to go any further... Oh right! Let me make this clear! This is absolutely not because I don't have the courage to become a woman or anything!"

After Qingmei finished explaining her entire battle plan, Mio listened and nodded, saying expressionlessly.

"So that's how it is. Is this a declaration of war against me?"

"No, that's not it! It's a show of weakness, a show of weakness!"

Qian Ai emphasized loudly.

"Isn't my attitude already very sincere? Do you expect me to show my belly like a dog and be weak?"

No, you already did that. Masumi thought to herself.

"But as far as I know, dogs also expose their bellies to creatures weaker than themselves to signal that they are ready to fight—there seems to be such a saying."

Mio responded calmly.

"Anyway, I have no intention of fighting with Mio-neechan! Besides, I'm not a dog; I'm a cat person in real life."

Chiai clenched her fists in front of her shoulders and reacted agitatedly in her defense, earning a cold glance from Mio in return.

"Stealing cat."

"It's not just cats that have the habit of stealing fish!"

“...I said, Qian Ai.”

Seeing her childhood friend so excited, Masumi couldn't help but speak up.

"What's wrong now, Masumi-nii?"

Qian Ai stopped arguing and looked at him with a frustrated expression.

"Your bath towel... isn't tied tightly enough..."

"Well."

Upon hearing this, Qian Ai's shoulders hunched, and she immediately lowered her head tremblingly.

"babble!!!!"

The scream that was originally missing from the animation has now been added back.

◇

The hairdryer hummed, blowing out scalding hot air that gently caressed the ends of her light-colored hair.

"Seriously, in the end, it was Mio-neechan who helped me blow-dry my hair."

Qian Ai pouted as if she was being difficult.

"Is there anything you're unhappy about, Qian'ai? I'm the one who dried your hair."

A voice, chillingly cold, spoke to her from behind.

Mio's slender fingers combed through Chiai's hair.

Although hair doesn't have a sense of touch, Chiai felt like her vitals were being manipulated. Well, after all, hair is a woman's lifeblood.

"...By the way, doesn't Mio-neechan feel angry?"

Qian'ai asked anxiously.

"Ok?"

"I just... seduced... Masumi-nii."

Qian'ai mumbled the verb in her mouth, making it sound indistinct.

"Of course I'm angry."

"Without a second thought, Mio said in a cold voice."

"I have zero tolerance for any philandering cats around Masumi."

A chilling aura swept across the back of her neck, and Qian Ai couldn't help but shiver. She quickly defended herself, saying:
"I'm not a cheater at all! Masumi and I are childhood friends!"

"They're all the same to me."

"Completely different! What do you think, Masumi-nii?"

"Hmm, in which specific aspect?"

The criticism was directed at her again, and Masumi subconsciously tensed her face.

"If it's a childhood friend, that kind of behavior just now... is quite normal, right?"

"No, even if they're childhood sweethearts—"

"Mamazu Masumi."

Qian Ai stared at him expressionlessly. It was terrifying; it was rare to see Qian Ai so intimidating.

"Speaking of which, after bothering you for so long, it's time for me to—"

"Masumi wants to take a bath, right?"

Masumi's words were interrupted once again, this time by Mio.

"Huh~ I didn't want it—"

"Right?"

"No, this is Qian Ai's home after all—"

"Chiai shouldn't mind, right?"

"Hey, I really don't care."

Qian Ai was taken aback, but still nodded.

"Didn't Masumi-nii use the bathroom in this apartment before?"

"...!"

Mio's previously empty eyes now have completely lost their focus.

"Could it be... that a boy and a girl who grew up together took a bath, and out of curiosity about sex, they confirmed the differences between boys and girls..."

No! That's not true!

Masumi immediately denied it.

"I was already in high school by then."

"...!"

The sound of a hairdryer's plastic casing being squeezed could be heard in the room.

"Boys and girls in puberty taking baths together... wouldn't that be even worse?!"

"Just say you haven't showered together since."

"A philandering cat...a childhood sweetheart...I see..."

Mio understood everything.

"Childhood sweethearts are the most natural at stealing fish!"

"certainly not!"

This time, not only Masumi, but also Chia blushed and denied it.

Masumi looked at Mio, who was completely absorbed in imagining her defeat, and shook her head.

"I went to take a shower."

◇

Awful!

In the bathroom, Masumi soaked in the bathtub, looking up at the ceiling where water droplets had condensed, and let out a deep breath.

Wait, could it be that Chiai also made the same remark in the bathtub just now?

Masumi tried to understand Chiai's feelings, just like she had just experienced.

With only a bath towel wrapped around her, Aome's body was completely unguarded. Although she pretended to be nonchalant, her tension was already transmitted to Masumi through the air.

Even though she was aware of Chiai's deliberate actions, her instincts still bared their fangs in her mind due to the temptation, gnawing at Masumi's fragile rationality.

I guess I'm really just pretending to be serious.

His gaze fell on the frosted glass door, and the light at the other end of the dressing room behind the door suddenly dimmed.

Huh?
Masumi became alert.

Could it be...

"—Excuse me, Masumi."

Someone pushed open the bathroom door with a relaxed attitude.

"Oh, the bath salts smell so nice!"

"I didn't put any bath salts in."

"Okay, then I'll help Masumi add the bath salts."

Mio smiled slightly, the white bath towel tightly wrapped around her slender and elegant curves, and an "unpretentious beauty" overflowed from both ends.

"Would this be considered a deliberate intrusion?"

Masumi asked calmly.

"That's not true. Masumi didn't lock the door either. I heard that in some isolated mountain villages where no outsiders ever set foot, it's a custom that allows people to do whatever they want."

"Please, Mio, don't make such criminal statements that sound like a pervert making excuses."

Since it's a "secluded mountain village that no outsiders have ever set foot in," how did Mio know all this?

As if she could read his mind, Mio smiled.

"It's all thanks to the game that Ms. Asami lent me. Deep in the mountains of Honshu, in a mountain village that no detector can find, the male and female protagonists are happily entwined together every day... Ah~ what an ideal place."

She narrowed her eyes as if in a trance, a dazed blush rising on her face. "...I feel like everything is going wrong. A bustling modern city like Kobe would be more suitable for me."

And that's probably not a serious game.

"Masumi thinks it's great too, right? No one bothers us, and we only have eyes for each other. This kind of place is perfect! Compared to that, the basement can only be considered a backup plan. Masumi understands, right?"

Uh, asking me "right?" won't help.

So, the basement option hasn't been removed from Mio's plans yet?

"Right? Right? Right?"

"I said, Mio..."

"Right? Right? Right? Right? Right? Right?"

"Wait a moment……"

"Right? Right? Right? Right? Right? Right? Right? Right? Right? Right? Right? Right? Right? Right?"

"..."

"Hey, Masumi?"

"……Yes."

Under Mio's domineering aura, Masumi managed to squeeze out a pathetic sound from her throat.

To say something so casually at such a rapid pace is truly frightening...

Mio clapped her hands together in front of her chest.

“That’s great. I’m glad Masumi thinks the same way. Then let’s not delay and start looking for a secluded mountain village.”

"...I'd like to talk about it after I've finished my bath."

"Yeah, that's true."

Mio nodded deeply, satisfied, then turned around and asked.

"Sister Qian'ai, the bath salts are—"

"Ah, here it is."

Nervously clutching a bath towel, Qian'ai walked to the bathtub shelf.

*Swish!* Bath salt powder was scattered into the water.

The water turned the color of bamboo, and its taste was as refreshing and fragrant as fresh grass.

"It's a hot spring bath salt from Hakone, and I quite like the scent."

Qian Ai's introduction.

"so."

As Masumi listened to the introduction, her gaze fell on the snow-white lines of her shoulder blades and back.

Why is Qian Ai still dressed like this?

"Well!"

Qian Ai's shoulders stiffened, and she then emphasized in a slightly flustered manner.

"This is my home, and I'm free to dress however I want!"

"You're still sticking to that argument?"

Mio subtly interrupted their conversation.

"Speaking of which, Masumi is calmer than I expected. I thought you would blush and your heart would race more."

"After all, if a romance light novel is still screaming about a lucky pervert incident in its ninth volume, then the creator has already failed miserably."

Even worse things have happened.

"Wow! Masumi-nii has become a complete otaku, is it because of Asami-nee's influence?"

"Tch, Masumi's body is already being marked by more and more girls."

Mio's tone lowered again.

Masumi vaguely sensed an extreme cold, as if it were pitch black.

"It must be thoroughly cleaned."

"Huh? I'm taking a shower right now."

A chill ran down my spine.

Is it an auditory hallucination?

I think I heard a sound like something came loose...

But none of that matters!

“Masumi should understand that I’m not just talking about taking a bath, but about the filth that has accumulated in your heart, which needs to be properly removed... and washed clean.”

Mio approached him relentlessly in a detached tone devoid of any emotion. Despite being in the bathtub, Masumi felt a cold sweat break out not only inside her but also on her body.

Oh right, speaking of which, why do I feel colder even though I'm soaking in the bathtub?

"Masaki-nii! Bathwater!"

Qian'ai suddenly shouted excitedly.

The hot water level, stained bamboo-colored by the bath salts, is steadily decreasing.

"Eh?"

By the time Masumi realized this thanks to Omega's reminder, it was already too late.

"When? The stopper came loose."

Masumi frantically groped around under the bathtub.

I guess when I was overwhelmed by fear, my limbs accidentally got caught on the chain of the drain plug, and in my excitement, I pulled it off with too much force.

"Oh dear, this is a terrible situation, things are in serious trouble."

Mio spoke in a monotonous, emotionless tone, but her obsidian eyes were filled with intense emotion.

"Mio? This couldn't be..."

"Don't worry, my plan is just to wrap myself in a bath towel and spend some sweet time with Masumi in the bathroom."

"I should have felt relieved to hear that."

But now, Masumi's sense of security is decreasing along with the water level.

"Damn it, because of the bath salts, I can't see the plug at all!"

Masumi could only clumsily explore with her hands, so you can imagine how inefficient that was.

The water level is continuously dropping.

Masumi's well-trained and muscular physique is gradually becoming more and more apparent. If this continues, something even worse will eventually be revealed!
"Mio! Chiai! Please leave for a moment!"

"Oh."

Qian Ai nodded blankly, but showed no intention of leaving, seemingly stunned.

As for Mio—

"Ah~ How can there be such a beautiful scene? Masumi's body is unfolding before my eyes like a ukiyo-e scroll. Please increase the intensity!"

Excitement still lingered on his lips.

There is no hope.

In times like these, the only way to save yourself is to save yourself.

Oh, and the zipper!

If you just follow the chain, you can find the drain plug, right?
I was so flustered just now that I completely forgot.

Having found a solution, Masumi quickly brought the crisis to a halt.

Thankfully, it was just a close call... or so?

Masumi breathed a sigh of relief and saw that the two women in front of her had their eyes wide open and were not blinking.

What is this?

When it comes to romantic light novels, manga, and anime, there are countless bathing scenes.

The resulting "lucky pervert" incident is cliché, but it's always a good one.

However, this is all based on the premise that the one looking is male and the one being looked at is female.

As for now.

"--It's completely reversed, isn't it?"

After Masumi blurted out her感慨 (feeling of emotion), she heard a "click" sound.

Mio pressed the shutter button on her phone.

Why does Mio bring her phone into the bathroom?

"The latest mobile phone has a very good waterproof effect."

She answered nonchalantly.

No, that's not what I meant.

"I'm good at capturing the wonderful moments in life."

After hearing the speech of the infatuated woman Mio, Masumi covered her head.

"Ugh, I feel so ashamed. If I could, I would disappear from this world."

"Then how about we consider the closed-off mountain village plan I mentioned before? If that's the case, Masumi and I can stay together forever in a private place where no detector can find us."

Masumi raised her face, her expression strange:
"Mio, could you please not give me such specific solutions to the examples I gave? You're not going to actually dig a hole when I say 'I really want to crawl into a hole,' are you?!"

"Yes, indeed."

Mio nodded.

"If it's a secluded mountain village, digging a hole would be really troublesome. It seems we need to find an area where marmots live so that we can directly occupy their burrows."

“Island countries’ laws recognize private land, and I think even groundhogs should be respected.”

Seeing Mio's bright smile, Masumi felt a deep sense that an insurmountable chasm had formed between them.

as well as--

"Qian Ai?"

"What...what happened?"

Upon hearing his call, Qian'ai's body stiffened abruptly, and her face changed color abruptly.

"Sorry, Masumi-nii! I didn't see anything, I really didn't see anything!"

◇

After saying goodbye to Masumi and Mio in a daze, Chiai returned to her bedroom and collapsed onto the bed, hugging her pillow tightly as she recalled the scene from just now.

"...I saw it."

I recall the scene etched into my pupils not long ago.

The water level in the bathtub gradually dropped, revealing Masumi-san's—
"I saw it! I really saw it! Oh my gosh!"

Qian'ai rolled around on the bed, kicking and swinging her legs wildly.

That...that's Masumi-nii's...

Ah! How could this be? Masumi-nii looks so refined and speaks so gently, yet he's so... so...!
It feels so amazing.

So that's how it is. So that's what Masumi-nii is like.

Am I really capable? If I were really put in that situation, could I really handle it? How terrifying! Absolutely terrifying!

On another note, if Mio-neechan hadn't come then, would she have ended up with Masumi-nii—

"Ugh."

Qian Ai sighed deeply, trying to cool down her overly excited emotions.

What should I do?

Really!
As a result, Qian'ai tossed and turned in bed until her mother returned.

(End of this chapter)