Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 292, Section 9: "A Date for Three...Three People?"

The unwrapped bandages lay on the ground. When Rinne saw this outfit last night, she complained that these bandages would come off with just a little tugging.

Now, these two people are right under his nose, moving very slowly and quietly, as if they are afraid of disturbing him.

Rinne was like a stiff little chick; although her mouth and nose weren't covered like Mami's, she still dared not make a sound.

Should we expose them?

Unfortunately, people often arrive at the answer before they even ask the question.

So Rinne simply kept her eyelids tightly closed, trying to banish those subtle tremors from her mind.

It wasn't until the heiress's head was spinning that she heard Masumi's sighing voice.

"Feel sorry."

Asami turned her head away, her eyes red-rimmed, like a wronged rabbit, gritting her teeth to release her emotions.

"Masumi-kun, you always push your luck like this, it's too much..."

"I understand, it was my fault this time."

Faced with the furious Ms. Mami, Masumi simply and sincerely repeated "I'm sorry," "I'm sorry," with small but forceful gestures each time.

So Mami stopped arguing with him and turned her head away, her body tense slightly from nervousness, her fair toes clenched tightly together.

"...Fortunately, Rinne didn't notice."

She spoke with trepidation and a lingering fear in her eyes.

Upon hearing this, Rinne's snow-white eyelids twitched almost imperceptibly.

"Yeah."

Masumi looked thoughtfully at the black cat dozing on the carpet.

"I felt like... her eyelid twitched just now."

"Eek! Really!? Masumi-kun, don't scare me—wait a minute?!"

Because Mami was so tense, like a fully drawn bow, she reached the peak of her emotions, which made Masumi relax and hit the bullseye like an arrow.

Mami stood there stunned for a moment, then looked at Masumi with a reproachful gaze.

Masumi looked away, feeling slightly guilty.

"..."

She let out a heavy sigh.

"Sigh, I was so sleepy that I was planning to take a nap after defeating this boss."

"Taking a shower before bed can help you sleep better."

"Masumi-kun must think he's being really funny right now!"

"It was an accident, just an accident."

To change her mood, Masumi asked with concern.

"By the way, how is Mami?"

"Yeah...it's okay."

Asami said, biting her lip.

"Yeah, that's good."

Masumi let out a quiet breath.

"What happened? If you're worried, Masumi-kun, would you like to take a shower together?"

A radiant smile appeared on Mami's face.

"If it's a family, they usually use one tub of water for washing, right? That saves time."

"Sharing a bath in the same tub and taking a bath together are two different things. Besides, don't you never share a tub of water with your family?"

"Yeah, after all, I've only ever shared a tank of water with Masumi-kun."

It seemed that Mami's mood had improved. With a "heave-ho," she propped herself up and stretched out her arms to feel around on the carpet next to the kotatsu table.

"Let me look, it should be around here... Ah! Found it, found it."

Asami picked up the bandages she had just slipped off from the tatami mat.

Just as she was about to open her arms and armpits to let one end of the bandage pass through, Masumi couldn't help but ask:
"You don't want to put this bandage back on, do you?"

"Huh? It won't work?"

"Of course, in the end, you still have to take it off."

Upon hearing this, Mami froze in her position, her arm poised to slip through the bandage.

"Masumi-kun?"

"Ah, what I mean is that since you'll have to take it off anyway when you take a shower, there's no need to put it back on."

Masumi was met with Mami's cold disdain and disdainful gaze, as if she were looking at scum. She quickly explained herself.

"Yes."

Mami nodded blankly, then got up and walked barefoot to the door.

"Wait, I didn't tell you to keep it as it is. I just wanted you to take off the bandages."

Masumi's face showed a dumbfounded expression.

But Asami, heading straight for the bathroom, completely forgot what he had said.

◇

I haven't heard any sound for a long time, they must have...

Rinne was about to cautiously open her eyes when she suddenly felt a light press on her.

Someone seemed to poke her thigh, which was tightly bound by the edge of her stockings, with their finger.

Huh...? Huh? Huh? Huh!

Asami-nee should have already left, so it must be Masumi?!
Although Rinne told him that she was available anytime, didn't he just get together with Asami-nee...?!

And this was even when I was already asleep.

poor.

Rinne couldn't keep up the act any longer.

She suddenly opened her eyes and grabbed the wrist of the hand that was touching her.

Even though we've already established a relationship, we shouldn't be in this situation... Rinne is clumsy when it comes to these things, so she doesn't know how to describe it.

In short, if he continues to indulge in such unrestrained behavior, it will make Rinne very worried!

"That's enough! You've already—"

That said, the wrist in my hand seems excessively slender.

"Well?"

Her flaxen hair, disheveled from sleeping, had some strands curled out and rested neatly against her cheeks.

His bluish-green pupils stared directly at her.

"The little black cat...is awake..."

"Haiyue? What are you doing here? And don't call me 'Little Black Cat'."

Masumi and Mami were nowhere to be found in the room, only Kaigetsu was there for some unknown reason.

Rinne sat on the ground like a duck, forcefully tugging at the hem of her burgundy miniskirt.

Haiyue stared at her expressionlessly and spoke slowly.

"When I woke up... I found that Masumi's room was empty... so I came over... and saw that there were three people in Mami's room..."

"So, Haiyue has always..."

Rinne covered her mouth in disbelief.

The jellyfish girl nodded quietly, then asked.

"Rinne...likes peeping...?"

"That's not the case!"

◇

At 9:20, a spirited Masumi arrived at the agreed location ten minutes early.

I thought I had arrived early enough, but the moment I passed through the turnstile and stepped out of the ticket gate...

boom!
Someone patted him on the shoulder from behind.

Good morning, Masumi-nii!

Masumi turned around and saw a beautiful girl with a cheerful smile on her face.

Her light-colored hair was tied into a small bun at the back of her head. She wore a white coat and a small brown crossbody bag hanging at her waist.

The overall look is very youthful, like a model who stepped out of a fashion magazine.

"Good morning, Qian'ai, you're here very early."

"Because I'm really looking forward to today's date. Compared to that, what do you think, Masumi-nii? I dressed up especially for today. Because it's a date."

Why do we need to say it twice to emphasize it?
and also……

"Dating?"

"Ah."

Qian Ai nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"When two people who are in love go on a trip together, spend the same amount of time together, see the same things, and confirm each other's feelings and thoughts, isn't that what dating is all about?"

Masumi nodded in agreement.

"You're right..."

"—You're right! Thinking about it that way makes me even more excited for today's date!"

The voice of a third party suddenly rang out.

"what?"

Chiai looked in astonishment toward the source of the sound. Mio smiled as she walked through the turnstile, wearing a sophisticated-looking women's coat with a peak lapel and high heels.

Moreover, he was wearing a pair of exaggerated sunglasses on his forehead. Even though it was a sunny day, it was still a bit too much!
Are you a female star who's trying to break into Hollywood?

"Good morning, Qian'ai sister."

"Mio-neechan...?"

Upon seeing this, Chiai was speechless, her gaze meeting that of Mio, who appeared completely at ease.

"How will you be here?!"

"I just suddenly felt like visiting the zoo. I haven't been to a zoo since I came to Kobe."

Mio smiled and spoke in a nostalgic tone.

"Don't let my appearance fool you, I really love animals. I even bought an annual pass for Ueno Zoo just to see the pandas."

"Stop lying! Mio-neechan just came to interrupt my date with Masumi-nii!" "Chiai-neechan is so mean, I'm Masumi's boyfriend too."

"No way! Besides, didn't Mio-nee-san reject Masumi-nii's confession?"

"I just don't accept the confession that you guys made together. Of course, I accept Masumi's private confession to me. So Masumi and I are definitely lovers now."

After saying that, Mio took a step forward, took Masumi's arm, and raised her face with a smile.

"Am I right? Masumi, huh?"

"Um……"

"me too!"

Chiai, unwilling to admit defeat, took Masumi's arm from the other side.

"I also accepted the part where Masumi-nii confessed to me privately!"

"I see. So, it means that Chiai doesn't accept serving Masumi with me, right?"

"Yes, that's right, what's wrong?"

Chiai was a little confused by Mio's sudden question.

"And they even mentioned 'serving' and stuff... Is Mio-neechan from ancient times?"

Mio didn't care about that and continued talking.

"In other words, Chiai is against being with me. In that case, I won't force her. I'll just take Masumi to the zoo instead! As for Chiai, I have a ticket to a symphony concert here..."

"Mio-neechan, wait a minute! You've usurped my place, cutting in from the middle! Honestly, you almost got me all messed up."

"Tch, he didn't fall for it."

The two exchanged intense glances, sparks flying.

In the bustling Sangu, this intense commotion naturally attracted the attention of many passersby, but the person involved didn't seem to care at all.

"Right, right! It's almost time for the park to open! Let's hurry and take the tram to the zoo!"

Noticing the tense atmosphere, Masumi raised her voice and led the way toward the station.

Chiai and Mio exchanged a glance, temporarily halted their fight, and walked separately on either side of Masumi.

The dark auras emanating from the two girls collided violently above Masumi's head.

They bought three tickets at the manual ticket office at Portline Kobe Sannomiya Station, which included admission to the zoo and round-trip train tickets, and then boarded the train.

◇

"It's a weekday, but there are so many people!"

Both girls nodded in agreement at Masumi's casual remark.

Even on a weekday, many tourists leisurely stroll and sightsee at Kobe Zoo Kingdom in late winter and early spring.

The child suddenly ran off, followed by his young mother calling his name and chasing after him. An elderly couple who had stopped to watch the animals turned around and saw this scene, their faces beaming with smiles.

It was a truly peaceful and heartwarming scene.

This is the best way to spend a relaxing day off.

Unlike the bustling Sannomiya Station area, time seems to flow more slowly inside the zoo.

"Speaking of which, this place smells strongly of animals."

Mio muttered these thoughts to herself; she seemed to be very sensitive to smells.

"Didn't Mio-neechan say she really likes animals?"

"Of course, after all, humans are a type of animal."

"That's a foul answer!"

After entering the park, you can scan a QR code to see a map of the zoo and the feeding times for the animals in the interactive areas.

Some are available anytime, while others are issued pre-booked tickets.

"Brother Masumi, look, it's a red panda!"

"where?"

Surrounded by lush green plants, it's hard to spot the red panda at first glance.

"There!"

The girl pointed to a tree and said.

A red panda with soft brown fur and a striped tail is biting bamboo with its adorable face.

"Oh, so red pandas eat bamboo just like giant pandas."

Masumi was slightly surprised.

"Yes, red pandas like to eat bamboo shoots, tender branches and leaves of arrow bamboo. They also eat wild fruits or hunt small birds. They especially like sweet foods."

Chiai seemed to transform into a tour guide, talking incessantly, while Masumi listened with a smile beside her.

Seeing the seemingly perfect atmosphere between the two, Mio's expression was one of obvious jealousy, and she interjected:
“Masumi, look, there’s one under the shade of the tree too.”

"Oh, really?"

Another red panda was seen nimbly stuffing a carrot into its mouth, looking blissfully satisfied.

"You're eating with great gusto!"

Qian'ai's gaze darted back and forth between the two red pandas, but it was filled with joy.

Masumi nodded, sighing in admiration.

"The red panda looks so free and carefree; its life must be without any worries."

"That's not necessarily the case."

Qian Ai, who had been admiring the red panda's adorable antics with shining eyes, interrupted:

"This red panda is listed as an endangered species internationally because human hunting activities and land encroachment have reduced their population by 40%. Although red pandas give people a carefree feeling, they actually have many natural enemies, such as leopards, jackals, and weasels. They are also fighting desperately for survival."

"Oh, I see. Making a living is really not easy."

When Masumi looked at the little panda again, a hint of respect appeared in her eyes.

"Speaking of which, Chiai really knows a lot about animals."

"Yes, yes, after all, I was the one who invited Masumi-nii to the zoo, so of course I need to know about this kind of thing!"

Qian Ai proudly puffed out her chest.

Masumi thought it best not to expose her habit of secretly glancing at the cheat sheet in her hand from time to time.

However, she put so much effort into preparing for this, which really touched Masumi.

The three of them spent 300 yen to buy a bag of bamboo leaves, fed the red pandas for a while, and then left the exhibit area to gaze at the hippopotamus that was eating.

"You can bite a watermelon in one bite, that's amazing."

This was the first time Masumi had witnessed a hippo's astonishing bite force, and she stared in disbelief.

"Speaking of which, the hippopotamus's name also contains the Chinese character for 'horse,' so are they closely related to horses?"

Upon hearing about animal-related knowledge, Chiai immediately reacted.

She was overjoyed, as if she had seen the exact same questions as those in the question bank on the exam paper, and introduced the topic with a beaming smile.

"Among living organisms, the animals most closely related to hippos are actually whales and dolphins. It is said that their common ancestor evolved into two separate branches 5400 million years ago."

"Amazing."

Masumi muttered to herself unconsciously.

But it wasn't because of the hippopotamus.

Could it be that my childhood friend has done her homework on all the animals in the garden?
Although Qian'ai only made plans with me last night, she might have started preparing a long time ago.

"Does Masumi-nii have any other questions about animals? I can answer them all!"

Qian Ai leaned her upper body forward towards her.

No boy could resist being looked at with such innocent eyes.

"So, that big bird over there..."

Qian Ai's eyes brightened even more.

It seems this was also within the scope of her prior study.

"That's a species called the shoebill stork. It's native to the swamps of Africa. It's very popular online because of its adorable appearance and is called the 'immobile bird.' Don't be fooled by their large size; they can actually fly, and they don't even need a running start. They can take off vertically!"

“I see.”

As Chiai excitedly explained, Mio's cheek twitched slightly.

"These birds are also natural enemies of Nile crocodiles, which are several times larger than them. Because Nile crocodiles lay their eggs in the sand on the shore, sometimes shoebills will ambush the hatchlings. In addition, although they are monogamous, they will abandon their young, for the reason that—"

"Wait, Qian'ai."

Even though Chiai's explanation was easy to understand, Masumi's memory was still limited.

His eyes turned into mosquito coil circles, and Mio interrupted her when she saw this.

"Qian'ai, let's stop the explanation here for now. Shall we go through all the pavilions and exhibition areas first?"

"……makes sense."

Qian Ai nodded.

"In the first round, observe the animals carefully, as this will make it easier to remember the relevant information."

Huh? Does that mean we have to do a second round?
It looks like today is going to be a long day. Masumi thought to herself.

"Masumi-san?"

Chiai looked at the stunned Masumi with a puzzled expression.

"Oh, sorry, I'll catch up now."

Masumi took a step forward, and Mio unexpectedly reached out her hand to him.

"Masumi, hold my hand so we don't get lost."

"Huh? But there aren't that many people..."

"I want to hold your hand. Okay, okay—"

Mio happily grasped Masumi's hand, and Chiai couldn't help but puff out her cheeks upon seeing this.

"I want one too! Masumi-nii."

"Eh."

So, Masumi took Mio and Chia's hands on either side, warmly sharing their holiday time.

When two people who are in love travel together, they spend the same amount of time together, see the same things, and confirm each other's feelings and thoughts.

but--

There are three of them.

It shouldn't make much difference.

A date for three.

(End of this chapter)