Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 302, Section 19: "Window Shopping"

The dinner party ended at 6 p.m.

Stepping out of the restaurant, the red Kobe Tower stood tall in the night. Asami stared at the iconic building that had appeared many times in tokusatsu films, and patted her stomach like a man-eating monster.

"Oh dear, I'm so full, my tummy is even starting to bulge out."

Upon hearing this, Masumi glanced at her slightly plump belly, reminiscent of the character Undine emerging from the water, and said:
"It happens all the time... It hurts!"

The half-spoken sentence, uttered without thinking, earned him a kick from Ms. Mami with an unfriendly expression.

"You're really annoying today, Masumi-kun."

"Is this some kind of personal revenge?"

"Then you should ask Masumi-kun himself what private things he did that would make me furious."

On their way out of the restaurant, they passed by Kobe Rinkai Land.

Since its opening in 1992, this park has quickly become an event and shopping center in Kobe.

High school brass and jazz clubs perform here on their days off, couples meet at the numerous cafes and restaurants, and mothers with children while away the time at the department store and Anpanman Museum.

"Hey, Masumi-kun, let's go inside the mall and take a look."

Asami suddenly suggested.

"Oh? Is there anything you want to buy?"

"No, but if I go in, I'll know if there's anything I want to buy."

"This sounds like irrational consumption where people create a need for something they don't actually need."

"Doesn't Masumi-kun know the term 'window shopping'?"

"It's the kind of thing where you don't spend money to buy anything, you just look at the merchandise in the store."

"That's right, now that Masumi-kun understands, let's set off! Everyone else, let's go, let's go!"

Led by Asami, the group entered a shopping complex called "Umie".

There were five girls in the group, so they naturally headed to the women's clothing section of the store.

"Wait a minute, you guys, you're in too much of a hurry."

"It's because Masumi-nii is walking too slowly~ Hurry up and catch up, or you'll be mistaken for a suspicious person."

Qian Ai pulled up his arm.

As she said, this area is exclusively for women, since normal men wouldn't want to shop in women's clothing stores.

The shop assistants and female customers would look at lone men with suspicious eyes, but Masumi sensed something different.

"...I feel really uncomfortable here."

Masumi said, feeling the burning gazes that the girls around him were constantly glancing at him.

"How does it feel to be a charming hero with maximum charisma who has accidentally wandered into a succubus's lair?"

Mami nudged him lightly with her elbow, teasingly.

Masumi sighed.

"Compared to them, the five of you feel this even more."

Beautiful women are a scarce resource everywhere, except at Starry Night Cafe.

Moreover, the actions of these people were very much in the style of succubi. When he saw Mio and Rinne behind Mami looking up at him, the sensation of their toes moving seductively on his thighs seemed to be about to be revived.

"It's okay, Masumi-nii."

Qian'ai thought he was feeling awkward because he was surrounded by so many girls, so she gently patted his shoulder to comfort him:

"There are also guys here shopping with their girlfriends, although they are few, but Masumi-san isn't the only guy here."

"A normal person seeing a boy with five girls wouldn't imagine that they're a couple, right?"

Masumi shrugged.

Perhaps "family" would be a more appropriate description than "couples"?

"Masumi Family."

It sounds like a manga he recently read where the male protagonist was dating 100 girlfriends at the same time.

"So Masumi-nii knew that dating five girlfriends at the same time is hard for other people to understand."

Qian Ai pouted, looking dissatisfied.

"know."

Masumi nodded calmly.

"However, it's enough that you understand."

"..."

Qian Ai's eyelids trembled slightly.

"Even if Masumi-nii says that..."

"Wow, Chia is so easy to handle."

Mami was stunned.

"Aren't you the same, Mami-nee!"

To hide her shyness, Qian Ai changed the subject of her chat.

"It seems like you didn't hesitate at all and just accepted it without any hesitation."

"Hey, why are you suddenly interrogating me?"

Mami was taken aback, then immediately put on an innocent face.

"There's nothing we can do about it. Among the five of us, Masumi-kun is the one in control. If I say something too harsh and upset him, he might become disheartened and go to Miyako Island to live in seclusion, and then spend his days immersed in my gentleness and maternal love."

"...No, I'm not that fragile."

“That’s right. If that’s the case, I will take responsibility and take care of Masumi, who has become a cripple,” Rinne said.

"I should be the one saying that! You cunning little cat, you're always so sly!"

"I want to be with...Masumi...and never be apart..."

Qian Ai let out a short sigh.

"Sigh, so this is why Masumi-nii is so fearless."

"That's not true at all. If you really abandoned me, I would be in a lot of pain, okay?"

Masumi closed her eyes helplessly.

"Oh? Is that true?"

Qian Ai narrowed her eyes slightly in skepticism.

"of course."

"In that case, stop being so slow and hurry up and catch up, Masumi-nii!"

After saying that, Qian Ai walked towards the women's clothing store not far away, with the girls following closely behind.

◇

"Ah, that dress, it's the style that was featured on TV last time!"

"It's a pity that there's no TV in the coffee shop."

"Masumi-nii, how's this outfit? Hehe, isn't it cute? Isn't it?"

"I admit that, but I don't really want you to wear it outside."

"Huh? But it's really cool like this."

"Girls shouldn't let their stomachs get cold."

Masumi looked at Chiai's outfit, which revealed a little bit of her navel, and said decisively.

"What's wrong? What era is Masumi-nii from?"

Qian Ai stared in disbelief.

"In short, it just won't work."

"Okay, okay, I know. I just wanted to wear it for Masumi-nii on a whim."

Mami nodded in agreement.

"Oh, this is what male possessiveness is all about."

"I won't deny it."

Shopping on the women's clothing floor with girls is a feast for the eyes, like watching a fashion show, but it's also quite tiring to find ways to compliment them without repeating yourself.

So when they entered the lingerie store, Masumi was finally able to sit down and rest for a while in the rest area outside the store.

"Oh my, isn't this Miyazawa-senpai?"

A familiar female voice, though not quite the same, rang out above her head. With a skeptical expression, she called out Masumi's name.

"what……"

Masumi looked at the person who had arrived, her cool-colored twin ponytails swaying slightly, and she was casually wearing a high school uniform. She smiled broadly when she saw him.

"Ah, it really is Miyazawa-senpai!"

"Oh, it's Inukai. Good evening."

Masumi calmly greeted Yuyuko Inukai, the only part-time employee at the coffee shop.

"Miyazawa-senpai, which senior are you accompanying to buy... lingerie?"

“Mm.” Masumi nodded.

"To be precise, it was with five people."

"Hey, that really has Miyazawa-senpai's style."

Yuyuko gave a forced smile.

Should we say hello to them too?

"No, no need."

Yuyuko seemed to remember something and frantically waved her hands in front of her face.

Masumi recalled that Inukai had been unusually quiet and reserved around Mami and the others at work the past two days, a stark contrast to her usual lively self. So she asked:

"What? Did something happen? Could it be... that Mami bullied you? If so, I can teach her a lesson for you..."

No! That's not true!

Yuyuko quickly denied it, her face immediately flushing with embarrassment, steam rising from her cheeks, as she stammered an explanation:
"Actually, during the break earlier... I heard the seniors talking about things like 'eating everything up,' and I thought they were discussing food, so I rushed in excitedly, and then..."

As Yuyuko spoke, her face grew redder and redder, spreading to the base of her neck, making her look like a cooked octopus.

"I'm sorry to have made you run into this."

Masumi sighed.

"No! That's not true!"

Yuyuko gently shook her head, her twin tails swaying back and forth.

"And I also thank my seniors for their continued care. That's all for now, goodbye Miyazawa-senpai!"

After Masumi replied with "Goodbye," Yuyuko ran away in a panic like a puppy.

"Masumi... was having a great time chatting with other girls..."

Suddenly hearing a voice that sounded like a vengeful spirit coming from behind her, Masumi was startled and reflexively turned around.

Haiyue appeared behind me without my noticing.

"Hey? Haiyue, why are you out alone?"

"Because...it's so boring..."

Haiyue showed the tired expression of a young daughter who was forced to accompany her mother shopping, even though she was clearly not interested.

"Oh, I see. Haiyue, you can just buy a few pieces of underwear while you're at it."

The jellyfish girl shook her head in silence.

"The underwear they bought... was all too revealing... I didn't like it..."

"How exactly is it revealing?"

Unable to enter the lingerie store, Masumi couldn't help but ask for details.

"Going to the toilet... you don't need to take your clothes off..."

Haiyue spoke expressionlessly, but a faint blush crept into her ears.

"I see."

Masumi once again couldn't control her shameful flutter of the heart.

Speaking of which, when did Haiyue become so eloquent?
It is said that honest authors will try their best to tell you what they are thinking, while cunning authors will leave it to your imagination.

Judging from Haiyue's answer just now, she has almost joined the ranks of top writers. Could this be what talent is?
Seeing Masumi fall silent, Kaigetsu, unaware of the turmoil in his heart, tilted her head curiously and asked:

"Masumi... wants me to wear it too...?"

"No, I still respect Haiyue's opinion on this matter. Don't you dislike clothes that show too much skin?"

"Ah."

Haiyue nodded.

"But... if Masumi wants... I can also wear... those clothes that rub against my body..."

Please stop making me daydream.

Masumi was defeated.

While the two girls were chatting, the other four girls also walked out of the lingerie store carrying paper bags.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, Masumi."

Mio's lips curved into an incredibly confident smile, while Asami, like a carnivorous plant using a sweet fragrance to lure its prey, wore a bewitching smile.

Masumi looked at the paper bags with the word "Wacoal" written on them, and Mio noticed them and immediately came closer, tilting her head like a large dog rubbing against her.

"Masumi, do you want to know what kind of lingerie I bought? I bought really cute stockings~"

Her beautifully shaped, full lips uttered passionate whispers in a voice that sounded like hot breath, and her large, tender eyes looked up at him.

"No, Mio has already said it..."

The way Masumi clutched the front of her clothes was like a nun praying to God, her slender fingers trembling slightly.

"These stockings are made of very good material; they feel so smooth to the touch..."

Masumi unconsciously pressed her temples.

"Mio, that thing just now—"

It was very troubling—Masumi gave a wry smile that implied this, while Mio wore her previous ambiguous smile.

"You don't dislike Masumi, do you?"

"..."

What is this cunning way of asking the question?

However, a different kind of pressure, different from the emotional pressure surging from the front, came from those around me.

Masumi glanced to the side and saw four other girls staring at him with cold eyes.

There wasn't a single word of rebuke or complaint; she just stared at him expressionlessly, her gaze sharp and painful.

"..."

Please don't stay silent, okay? Even the snow sculpture's expression wasn't that cold.

"Um, don't stand here for so long, let's go look around somewhere else."

"Masumi-nii, can you carry my bag?"

Chiai snorted and pushed the various paper bags she was carrying into Masumi's arms.

"Oh, oh..."

Seeing Masumi's face buried in the bag's handle, Chiai's tense expression finally relaxed, and she sighed, deciding not to argue with him.

"Never mind, Masumi-nii, just give me the thing..."

"It's okay. That's fine."

Masumi took the initiative to assume the role of a helper, which is not always a bad thing, at least for the current situation, as it can save a lot of trouble.

Although it was supposed to be window shopping, in the end, all five of them still bought something, more or less.

No wonder this word, which clearly doesn't cost money to buy, calls itself "shopping"—its intentions are despicable.

As Masumi was inwardly criticizing consumerism, they passed by a video game area that primarily catered to groups or couples.

Arcades that require purchasing game tokens, shooting and racing games that require two or more players to cooperate, and photo booth machines—this is a no-go zone for socially anxious people and loners.

Although Mami had never seen her enthusiastic about arcade games, Masumi always felt that now that she had friends, she would be endlessly drawn to all kinds of video games, so she decided to quickly pass through this area.

But unexpectedly, one of the six people suddenly stopped.

"Huh? Does Rinne want to play games?"

"Do not."

Rinne gently shook her head, her black hair framing her head swaying slightly from side to side.

"I have no interest in games or anything like that."

Masumi noticed the unnatural pause in her speech. Huh? Did she treat that as a game too?

"That's because...?"

Chiai then shifted her gaze to where Rinne was looking, her purple eyes fixed on the claw machine.

To be precise, it was the pile of familiar plush toys inside.

An orange cat swallowed by a blue shark, an orange cat swallowed by a green dinosaur, an orange cat swallowed by a pink monster...

Although she didn't know why this cat was always being swallowed by other creatures, Rinne gave it a passionate look as if she wanted to hug the cat.

"...Would you like to give it a try?"

Masumi asked her.

"No need, I'm not interested in games or anything like that."

Miss Heiress emphasized this again.

"So you just want the plush toys inside, right?"

After Masumi translated her thoughts, Rinne glanced at him without making a sound, and then nodded slightly honestly.

"Okay, okay, let's give it a try! Let's all try to win the prize together, it's just like a scene from an anime!"

Asami reacted exactly as Masumi had expected, making a cheerful suggestion.

(End of this chapter)