Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 279, Section 14: "This creator is so engrossed in the game that he's been slow to advance the plot."

After the coffee shop closed, around 8 p.m., Masumi went to the shop entrance to cool off.

It's already winter, so using the term "cooling off" to describe it is rather strange.

So, hidden beneath the excuse of cooling off, Masumi simply finds it hard to accept the recent atmosphere in the coffee shop.

"Oh my, isn't this Masumi-kun? What a coincidence."

A voice with a perpetually lazy tone sounded from behind.

Masumi turned her head.

"You look like you just took a shower, right? You'll catch a cold coming here."

Illuminated by the streetlights, Mami wore a jacket over her loungewear, and her bright orange toenails were visible through the toes of her sandals. Her slightly damp black hair shimmered under the lights.

They weren't dressed warmly at all; they looked like they'd catch a cold in an instant.

"Masumi-kun, you've been here for an hour trying to cool down your overheated, lewd brain, haven't you? You'll catch a cold if you keep going like this~"

"I won't argue with you about your lewd thoughts... but how do you even know how long I've been here?"

"Hmph~ Nothing in this coffee shop can escape my notice."

She made a camera gesture with her hands in front of her face.

"I have serious doubts about that statement, and it's not something that needs to be hidden."

"Ah~ that seems to be the case."

Asami gave an ambiguous response, walked to Masumi's side, and looked up at the night sky where there were few stars.

"Those stars are so bright, could it be the Summer Triangle?"

"No, it's a winter hexagon."

"Hexagons... there are twice as many as triangles, no wonder it's so bright."

Mami nodded, then suddenly realized something and turned to look at Masumi.

"Speaking of which, how come you suddenly know so much about astronomy, Masumi-kun? I remember you used to be just like me, completely clueless about the names of these stars!"

"In romance works, it's pretty much a given that the male protagonist is knowledgeable about astronomy."

Masumi offered a vague explanation that was just as bad as hers, and Mami smiled slightly after hearing it.

"Masumi-kun really is—Achoo!"

She suddenly sneezed.

Masumi sighed, "I told you, if you don't go back to the shop looking like this..."

"There are other ways, right?"

Mami interrupted him, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

"As long as we press our bodies together like this, and hug each other to keep warm, we won't be cold..."

A voluptuous, fleshy body pressed against her, and the soft touch instantly ignited Masumi's entire body.

"—However, I will not do that, after all, it goes against Masumi-kun's original intention of standing here."

Asami wore a mischievous smile, and unlike the slightly languid atmosphere that had a subtle allure, her feet remained firmly planted on the ground.

If she hadn't deliberately used that sentimental tone to be malicious, Masumi would never have imagined it.

As expected, she's a terrible female protagonist who needs to be taught a lesson!

"Alright, alright, since Masumi-kun is so eager, Mami-sama will grant the believer Masumi a little warmth."

Asami feigned a compassionate demeanor, grasping Masumi's hand with her warm, freshly bathed hands, but the next second she broke character, giggling mischievously.

"So? Aren't you tempted?"

"I've heard that idiots don't have the right to consent, and I don't intend to break the law."

Masumi said expressionlessly.

"That's infuriating!"

Mami's eyebrows shot up sharply as she gritted her teeth and said.

Even so, she didn't let go of his hand. She shared her body heat with Masumi in the cold winter night.

"Masumi-kun's hands are so cold. If this continues, I'm afraid I'll catch a cold too."

"Didn't they say idiots don't catch colds?"

"Masumi-kun!"

"I've already said all this, but you still won't go back. I don't understand why you're so stubborn."

"That way of showing concern is so twisted."

Mami puffed up her cheeks as if she were being difficult.

"I just want you to get back to the store quickly."

"If Masumi-kun goes back to the shop, I'll go back with him."

"..."

After a moment of silence, Masumi asked:
"...You, did you need something from me?"

"Huh?" Asami exclaimed in surprise, "How did Masumi-kun know?"

"intuition."

"Ah, a man's intuition..."

"No, it's the creator's intuition."

"Well."

Mami looked up at him.

The lights, like fallen stars, shone brightly in the depths of the night-tinged gaze.

"Masumi-kun."

"Ok?"

An uneasy expression appeared on that stunningly beautiful face.

Do you think I still have the talent to be a creator?

"...What's this? Is it self-doubt stemming from chuunibyou (middle school syndrome)?"

"Stop ruining the mood!"

Mami finally let go of his hand and kicked his shin in a fit of rage.

"I just wish you could be more direct."

Masumi sighed.

"What? Are you starting to get tired of the endless serialization of comics? Is your enthusiasm wearing off? Are you starting to feel exhausted being a creator?"

"If I had to say, there is a little bit, but it's not to the point where I would want to give up."

"Only a little?"

"Some."

"Only a few—"

"You're too long-winded, Masumi-kun!"

Miss Mami kicked him again, this time almost knocking off his sandals.

"That's not the point at all, okay? Just listen to me!"

"Excuse me, please continue."

"Ahem." Mami cleared her throat and continued.

"Actually, it's because I've recently... hit a bit of a roadblock..."

"bottleneck?"

"Well, while it's not necessary for creators of fighting comics to be real-life fighting masters, they certainly can't be completely clueless about it either~"

Mami looked troubled.

"Mr. Hojo came to the store a while ago, he was also troubled. Although he writes romantic comedies, he has absolutely no experience in love and was deeply troubled by the upcoming Valentine's Day storyline."

"That's right."

Masumi nodded.

"So the bottleneck you're facing is also..."

Upon hearing this, Mami gave him a resentful look.

"Speaking of which, it's all Masumi-kun's fault for the script!"

"Eh."

"Masumi-kun knows perfectly well that I've never done anything like that, yet he deliberately wrote so many of these kinds of scenes in the script, which really annoys me!"

"No, I didn't do it on purpose..."

And there aren't many of those kinds of plots, are there?

"Take responsibility!"

Asami wore the expression of a girl who had been deceived by a scumbag, and said with furrowed brows.

"So how did you manage to complete tasks when you encountered unfamiliar areas before?"

"Hmm..." Mami thought for a moment and replied, "I'd say it's all wishful thinking."

"Why not just rely on wishful thinking this time as well?"

"It's impossible! There's an end to wishful thinking. Just like a game file can't load due to missing resources, no matter how much I try to fantasize, my ideas are long gone."

Mami clutched her head in frustration.

"So what do you want?"

Masumi pressed her forehead and said.

"At this point, that's the only way!"

Asami seemed to have made up her mind to go all out, revealing a resolute expression.

"In what way?"

Well, Masumi wasn't deliberately being silly; rather, it was because he had a premonition about what Mami was about to say and was incredibly nervous.

“Creative collaboration.” Asami slowly uttered the word from her rosy lips.

"Creation... Collaboration..."

"That's right, creative collaboration."

Asami narrowed her eyes seductively.

"This is a way of sourcing material that only mature male and female creators can do."

"I'm not an experiential writer~ This kind of creative collaboration is a bit too trendy for me."

Masumi instinctively stepped back, shrugging her shoulders like a wary hamster.

"Really."

Mami pouted with dissatisfaction, closing in step by step, her upper body leaning towards Masumi.

"The male protagonists in Masumi-kun's novels always bravely face these kinds of situations, so why is the author himself such a coward!"

"Aren't Asami the same?"

Masumi, not to be outdone, spoke up.

"You yourself are still a virgin, yet you're drawing those kinds of doujinshi."

"Hey! This is creative freedom. Anyway, Masumi-kun, come here right now!"

She gripped Masumi's arm tightly, so firmly that the latter gasped.

◇

Five minutes later, in Mami's room.

What dominated Masumi's view was a face that was barely suppressing a smile.

"...Should I cooperate with Masumi-kun at this time and say some lines that are easy to misunderstand and suggestive?"

"Please spare me."

Masumi sat upright on the tatami mat, her back hunched over as if she had withered.

"Who told Masumi-kun to be such a hypocrite, actually thinking I was saying something lewd."

Asami crossed her arms and looked down at Masumi.

When Masumi looked up, she could see her southern hemisphere. Seeing it from such a completely different angle than usual felt strangely spectacular.

It's as if she's gazing up at a star that could fall at any moment... If it were to fall, it would probably be a meteorite, right? Is that something so destructive on her chest?
A smug smile curved her lips:

"Well, I've always been a magnanimous person, so I won't hold it against Masumi-kun..."

Okay, let's leave this topic at that.

"...If you think I would say that, you are sorely mistaken!"

Asami laughed like a villainous woman from an anime, the kind of exaggerated laugh that makes you want to laugh your tongue out.

"There's no need to make such an exaggerated mockery of me."

"Hmph, Masumi-kun has exposed his dirty desires. It would be a shame not to take this opportunity to ridicule him properly."

"This statement feels strangely familiar."

Yesterday at Qian'ai's house, it seemed that my childhood sweetheart was planning the same thing.

Looking back now, I realize how easily I was hooked.

"Aren't we going to cooperate on material gathering?"

Masumi changed the subject and asked.

"Oh! I almost forgot."

Asami snapped out of her daze.

"I'll leave the rest to you, Masumi-kun."

As she spoke, she sat upright on the tatami carpet, her round buttocks resting on her ankles, her feet gently curled up, and her ten delicate white toes tightly arranged together.

"oh I got it."

What we are about to do is to collaborate on the creative process of the male protagonist's arduous training in "The Brave Squad is Full of Demon King's Army Spy".

Speaking of which, Masumi got her inspiration from ancient Indian mythology. Whenever the protagonist in the mythology encountered a powerful enemy that was difficult to defeat, he would gain power through ascetic training.

Thanks to this, Masumi also designed a scene in the script where the male protagonist meditates under a waterfall in a secluded village, and then arranges for a female protagonist to help him with his practice...

There's no need to mention what happened next; it was just a matter of trade-offs for the commercial viability of the work.

"Then please sit up straight. If you move around during the process, I will gently tap your shoulder or back... Is it necessary to go to such lengths?"

"Of course! I've heard that Tolstoy would look in the mirror while writing, so he could see his own face and whether it resembled the expressions of the characters he wrote about."

Asami said it with utmost seriousness.

"Oh."

Masumi nodded slightly. It was a good thing that people had high standards for the quality of the works, and she should support them.

"Then let's begin now—"

"Wait a moment!"

Mami suddenly called a halt.

"Ok?"

"There's not much fat cushioning on my shoulders and back, so it feels like it would hurt a lot if I just punched them."

"So, should we change tapping the shoulders and back to spanking the buttocks?"

Masumi asked expressionlessly.

"Eek! Why!"

Her snow-white feet curled up tightly as if stimulated, turning a faint red, and her neatly arranged toes looked like a row of round pomegranate seeds.

"When it comes to places with a lot of fat, that's probably the first place that comes to mind."

Masumi said matter-of-factly.

"And I feel like even if I hit it hard, nothing will happen."

"Something's happened! How could nothing be wrong!"

Asami put her hands behind her back to cover her buttocks, and hunched her shoulders like a wary hamster.

"Could it be... that Masumi-kun deliberately wrote this script to make things difficult for me, just for this moment?"

She suddenly realized a possibility, and a shadow fell over her face as she discovered that the power of life and death was now in the hands of the seemingly upright man in front of her.

"No, that was just a reference to make the creative process easier."

"Really!? Masumi-kun isn't planning to beat me up while calling me a pervert, shattering my butt, my pride, and my self-esteem, leaving me completely immersed in shame and humiliation?!"

"Just say you don't have any, I was just joking."

"I... I won't tell you that there's a sleep mask and a rope for tying up luggage in the cabinet next to me!"

“Telling me won’t help,” Masumi sighed. “I never intended to use these anyway.”

"Eek! So... Masumi-kun intends to enjoy the wicked pleasure of punishing me personally!!"

Mami had already vividly pictured the scene that would happen in a few seconds; in fact, she had almost finalized the storyboard in her mind.

"Hey, hey, hey, you've finally met your match."

"Don't worry, I just plan to do it to you the way it's done in the doujinshi."

"Now please keep bowing deeply. If you make a sound during this process, I will punish you... Is this too easy for you?"

The content can be summarized as "color cover / B5 / 66 pages / paperback".

Incidentally, Mami had already decided on the title in her mind: "The day will come when doujinshi authors are treated as characters in their own works."

There are still six months until Comic Market, so it's not too late to start writing now, hmm...

"Aa ...

Mami emitted a high-pitched voice.

"No! Masumi-kun, please have mercy... spare me!"

"I already said I didn't intend to do that... and don't repeat my original lines after altering them beyond recognition."

"Thinking about it carefully, if it were Masumi-kun, he would probably solemnly use the excuse that 'punishment is a substitute for love, because one cannot take love for granted, so by demanding punishment, one also receives attention and discipline,' to justify his actions."

"No, I don't have that kind of strange theoretical knowledge. By the way, have you been listening to me since just now?"

"Ugh, waah, waah...!"

"Calm down, you delusional idiot!"

Masumi, unable to bear it any longer, delivered a chop to her hand.

"Ugh."

With tears welling up in her eyes, Mami covered her head and finally came to her senses.

"That's enough."

Masumi showed an impatient expression.

"Creative collaborations and all that, let's talk about that when you give up on this whole thing."

After saying that, he walked straight to the door without hesitation.

"Hey, wait a minute."

Mami was dumbfounded and subconsciously got up to chase after Masumi, but her legs were numb from sitting upright for so long.

"It's my fault, Masumi-kun. But I'm really facing a bottleneck that's hard to overcome."

She braced herself with one hand on the ground, stretching her other arm high towards Masumi, like someone trapped in a swamp.

"Really? I believe you can overcome this just like before."

After saying that, Masumi slammed the door shut without a second thought.

"Huh, they actually left directly."

Miss Mami slumped to the ground, utterly dejected, her expression one of utter despair.

Suddenly, an idea flashed into her mind in a flash.

"Wait! Could it be that Masumi-kun's real purpose is actually... a kind of idle play?!"

(End of this chapter)