Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 280, Section 15: "Does everyone really have to have a solo session at least once? Absolutely!"

Tuesday, February 14th.

The calendar on the phone screen caught Masumi's sleepy eyes. After waking up, she kept staring at the 14th on the digital calendar.

The words "Valentine's Day" were marked in red on it, making it seem like a trip I had been looking forward to for a long time and had specially booked.

Before I knew it, it was today.

The saying "time flies like an arrow" probably describes this perfectly.

The thought of this makes me restless.

To be honest, for a period of time before this, Masumi felt as if he were being chased by something, and he dabbled in his past memories:
After the band disbanded, he returned to Kobe from Tokyo, renovated a coffee shop, spent a spring night with Rinne at Mount Rokko, visited the hot springs of Tajima, opened the Umi House, went on a trip to Kyoto, Osaka and Uji, went to Kusatsu to catch up with Asami, the two went to the Shinazugawa editorial office in Tokyo together, traveled to Miyako Island, worked hard to make Umi sing, went on a road trip in Gunma Prefecture, Christmas and New Year's...

...Past events surfaced in my mind one by one, only to vanish into nothingness.

What's going on? Is this some kind of time capsule?!
No, he is clearly still a fine young man of twenty-three.

In short, today is a holiday that everyone looks forward to, everyone despises, and everyone feels indifferent to—

Valentine's Day.

According to Mami, it was the day the Pacific War broke out in South America, and also the last war in the world to use crossbows in combat.

Chile is vying with Peru and Bolivia for control of the world’s largest nitrate mine.

The war resulted in 14000 deaths, with Chile emerging victorious, Peru losing territory, and Bolivia becoming a landlocked country.

I wonder if people in these three countries celebrate Valentine's Day. I think they probably do.

He shifted his focus away from the grand historical perspective and concentrated on self-reflection.

—Will I also find myself caught in a bloody battleground, fiercely fought over by girls?
"...Ugh, this feels so troublesome."

Masumi's involuntary murmur was interrupted by another weak murmur.

"Masumi...is she troubled?"

The sound floated up from below his chin and above his chest, and a soft touch pressed against his body through his pajamas. Since Masumi was lying down, he looked up and saw a flaxen head that was still half asleep.

"Haiyue, when?"

Haiyue had somehow gotten onto his chest and curled up in the blankets, like a cat sneaking into its owner's bed for warmth.

Every morning I wake up to a different beautiful girl... What kind of fanservice anime protagonist gets this kind of treatment?!

“I clearly remember locking the door last night.”

"I came in... before the door was locked..."

"Really? You're quite clever."

Masumi sighed.

The jellyfish girl slightly curved her lips into a smile, her soft cheeks gliding down her chest towards Masumi's abdomen.

Masumi couldn't help but look up at the sky and sigh.

"I'm not praising you. It's about time you got off me."

"Masumi... hasn't answered... my question yet..."

"The reason I'm troubled right now should be obvious."

Haiyue frowned slightly:
“Masumi clearly said… she wouldn’t find me troublesome…”

"Uh, I did say that, but what I'm saying now is not the same as what I said back then."

"I don't understand...is it...breaking a promise...?"

"No, how should I put it... I wouldn't abandon Haiyue because of trouble of this magnitude..."

The conversation, like a bird unable to take flight, could not proceed smoothly.

Suddenly, Masumi thought of a possibility—

"Haiyue...could she have done this on purpose?"

"I don't understand..."

"Don't look away, wait! Don't scroll down!"

Haiyue was leaning her body further and further downwards; this was going to be bad! Masumi suddenly threw off the covers and took a forceful approach.

"Get up! ...Huh?"

Haiyue squinted, her eyes sensitive to the light. The marks of the blanket were clearly visible on her porcelain-smooth skin.

"Ugh, Masumi...so rude..."

"Why are you dressed like that?! You look just like Mami."

"Because... just being in bed... is so warm..."

"Do you wear clothes just to keep warm?"

Masumi pressed her temples in exasperation.

"Isn't it...?" Haiyue asked in return.

"Well, that's true, but..."

Masumi thought of Chiai.

"...It should also have an aesthetic function, right? Yes, it's aesthetically pleasing."

If it were Mio at this moment, she would probably pout and ask, "Does Masumi think my carefully maintained beautiful body is less important than a mass-produced garment?"

If I were to follow the advice of my senior, I'd probably say, "Really? Then Masumi will personally choose clothes that suit me and dress me up herself, right? By the way, if Masumi doesn't want me to be naked, don't deliberately leave out my underwear~"

Haiyue is different from these two.

"Do pajamas... also need to be aesthetically pleasing?"

She asked the most incisive question.

"Of course."

At this point, simply affirming everything is sufficient.

"But... no one else will watch..."

"Even if no one else sees it, at least Haiyue will see it herself. Seeing herself falling asleep in pretty pajamas that she finds pleasing to the eye will make her feel better."

"Being next to Masumi... even without wearing pajamas... makes me feel better..."

"You can't say such foul things."

Reciting such lines in this situation is practically against the rules, especially when Haiyue stares at him with those innocent, doe-like eyes, which only adds a subtle allure.

Enticing Masumi to temporarily abandon her gentle side.

"I want to make Masumi... more energetic..."

Haiyue spoke earnestly, her flaxen hair swaying slightly up and down.

"I've never heard of such a method for restoring mental well-being."

"When your body is alert, your mind will follow suit..."

"That's completely untrue..."

As Masumi was speaking, the image of the heiress's expressionless face and her lips, which were in stark contrast to the cold atmosphere, suddenly appeared in her mind.

"Masumi... seems a bit more energetic now..."

"It's just an illusion, and stop playing that trick on me!"

Masumi rubbed her temples, propped herself up slightly, and then reached out with both hands to grab the jellyfish girl's waist from both sides.

Holding her waist like this, you can feel how slender Haiyue's waist is, and her abdomen is not only soft but also very firm.

"Woo..."

Perhaps it was itchy, Haiyue let out a soft moan, twisted her body, her eyes moistened, and her breathing gradually became heavy.

Wait a minute, isn't this a bit ominous?

"If someone were to come in at this moment—"

"will not."

Haiyue said softly.

"Ok?"

"Because Masumi... locked the door last night..."

"Right."

What's going on? Doesn't this make it seem like I'm deliberately hiding behind closed doors, doing something shameful with Haiyue?

"Masumi."

The jellyfish girl gently called his name in a soft voice.

"what?"

"To refuse food offered to one's lips... is a disgrace to a man..."

Masumi sighed, "Where did you learn that phrase?"

"comics."

"It's that Mami guy again?"

"No." Unexpectedly, Haiyue gently shook her head.

"It was... my own doing..."

"Eh? Why?"

"Because... I'm learning... ways to make Masumi happy and cheer her up..."

“Learning from those kinds of comics would probably make your brain circuits very strange.”

If reality were a romantic comedy, then Masumi would be the character who stubbornly prevents the work from crossing the line of mainstream appeal, although readers of this work probably wouldn't want to see that.

"Does Masumi think... I'm strange?"

"It's weird."

Masumi nodded without hesitation.

"So, Masumi... dislikes me because I'm weird?"

Haiyue asked me with pity, and being stared at by those wet, bluish-green eyes, it would be hard for anyone to say anything hurtful.

Besides, Masumi didn't find it annoying at all; she was just a little bothered.

"Of course I won't hate Haiyue, no matter what Haiyue becomes."

Saying that would definitely earn him points; if he were the male protagonist of a light novel, he might just win the female lead's heart with that thoughtful remark.

Of course, Masumi's performance was also quite good. After hearing this, Kaigetsu's lips curled into a faint smile, and she looked very satisfied.

"In other words... Masumi won't resist... me doing strange things..."

"Well, logically speaking, perhaps that's the case?"

Maybe it's not like that.

But it doesn't matter anyway, because Masumi doesn't have the time to think about whether this is right or wrong at the moment. I'm very sorry, Marcus Tullius Cicero!
If Haiyue is not dealt with soon, the situation could escalate to the point of no return.

So, it's definitely better to strike first.

"Haiyue."

"Well?"

In a split second, Masumi helped her up and made her sit obediently in a duck-like position.

Watching Haiyue's lips open and close, her breath as sweet as sugar, Masumi bent down and sealed her lips with hers.

The jellyfish girl's pupils widened suddenly.

Separate, silver threads.

"...This is...my first kiss?"

Haiyue murmured, her expression as if she were witnessing magic for the first time.

The reactions were different from those of the heir, Mio, and my senior, Ruko. Apart from that first kiss with Nekorin, Mio and my senior both had a satisfied expression.
And then it was Haiyue's turn...

Confused, bewildered, puzzled, completely baffled, even... doubtful?
Please stop, I'm losing my confidence!
"Haiyue... what's wrong?"

"nothing."

The flaxen hair that covered her head swayed slightly up and down.

"I was just thinking...it's different from the comics..."

"Huh? What's it like in the comics?"

"...like this ○...like that ○..."

After hearing Haiyue describe the specific situation, Masumi's forehead immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

"Of course they won't be the same! Comics deliberately exaggerate the body's reactions."

"But...that day when we were gathering clues...Masumi's reaction...was just like in the manga..."

In Haiyue's beautiful eyes, fragments of desire from that time still linger.

Her voice was tinged with sentimentality, her lips parted slightly, revealing a pink tongue that unconsciously licked her lips, which had become dry without her noticing.

"Compared to..."

"I sincerely hope that Haiyue can act more like a girl her age, blushing and having her heart race when she kisses her lover for the first time, and then avoiding eye contact and such."

Masumi sighed heavily, gazing at that face. She could see beads of sweat on the jellyfish girl's nose, her eyes shimmering, and her cheeks flushed.

Although Masumi didn't know what ignited the flame in Kaigetsu's heart, this guy was serious.

The throat makes a swallowing sound.

Whose?
Haiyue immediately looked at him and brought her face closer.

Masumi's face was reflected in her blue-green eyes, and that face gradually drew closer—

The sensation for a moment was like tasting a sweet candy.

Masumi opened her eyes wide.

A face as exquisite as a doll filled his entire field of vision, and then Haiyue slowly left.

"Huh? Doesn't Haiyue not feel anything when kissing?"

"Because...it's with Masumi...I like her too..."

"I told you not to say such foul things," Masumi sighed.

Every guy in the world who heard that would be instantly KO'd. But without a doubt, there's only one person in the whole world who can hear that sentence.

This fact brought Masumi unparalleled satisfaction.

From this perspective, isn't Haiyue specifically targeting the teenage assassins she trained? It's truly terrifying to think about.

While Masumi's attention was wandering, she received another sweet kiss from the girl.

This is the third time.

A moist and soft sensation came directly from Haiyue's lips, which were like cotton candy.

"Hmm, that's about enough, Haiyue."

In just one morning, he almost caught up with Mio's progress. If this continues, if Mio finds out about this, she'll probably turn completely irrational.

"Masumi...is she satisfied?"

Haiyue tilted her head with a curious look.

Masumi nodded hurriedly.

"Yes, that's enough."

"Then... it's Masumi's turn... to grant my wish..."

Haiyue happily extended her index finger, the tip touching Masumi's lips.

"Huh? What's going on?"

Masumi blinked, seemingly unaware of what was going on.

"I've never heard of that. Isn't kissing something that makes both people feel satisfied?"

"I don't like Masumi as much... so it doesn't count..."

"Isn't this cheating? You clearly kissed me so many times!"

Faced with Masumi's questioning, Kaigetsu turned her face away, avoiding the main point, and uttered a weak murmur from her lips.

"It's...really..."

Even so, the jellyfish girl's eyes are the eyes of someone lying, and Masumi feels that she is understanding girls more and more lately.

As I felt I had made progress, the proportion of skin color in my field of vision gradually decreased until I could no longer see Haiyue's eyes when I looked straight ahead.

Masumi lowered her head, while Kaigetsu stared at him with her beautiful, emotionless eyes, though her lips moved passionately. The gesture was very similar to how she had eaten Mitarashi dango at the izakaya.

He took a deep breath and gently stroked Haiyue's hair and face with his fingers, just like feeding a baby bird.

The moon trembled slightly.

This is Masumi's reaction to her.

Regardless of what Masumi says or thinks, his body is very satisfied with itself.

"Haiyue."

"Well?"

"You'll get an upset stomach if you do that..."

The words that finally managed to be squeezed out of my throat were nothing more than this; both the content and the tone were incredibly pathetic.

...I really hate myself, and I'm also very greedy.

So, it's only natural, or rather, deserved, how I'm treated on Valentine's Day.

Since that's the case, let's face today with a more positive, proactive, and open-minded attitude.

Just as Masumi's fighting spirit was burning brightly, "cough cough!", the jellyfish girl coughed lightly, and her originally snow-white and translucent skin turned red due to lack of oxygen.

"Feel sorry."

Masumi patted the girl's head to comfort her.

That being said, is it really necessary for everyone to have a solo performance at least once?
However, even though it was just him and Haiyue, it made all the other girls appear in his mind.

(End of this chapter)