Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 304, Section 21: "Topics for Young Girls"

"nursing home?"

Chiai and Asami repeated the word in unison.

"Yes, the doctor said that after a year of treatment, my father's condition has greatly improved and he can be discharged from the hospital."

Masumi nodded.

“When I told him about this, I was suddenly told that he had already contacted a nursing home in Arima where he had connections and was planning to move in.”

◇

"Huh? Why so suddenly?"

Masumi opened her lips and asked.

The ward smelled of lingering food, but not the pungent smell of disinfectant. The sweet, slightly rotten smell of everyday life stirred my nose.

"...I should say that I started thinking about this a month ago when you brought Rinne and the others to visit me."

The father spoke slowly, recalling how, when he first returned to Kobe a year ago, his cheeks were so thin it was heartbreaking, and his unkempt, thick black eyebrows looked as if they were plants growing in his body's nursery.

He was completely different from his current rosy complexion and vigorous spirit.

Masumi drew back the curtains, letting the dazzling sunlight stream into the room without restraint.

There was a single sofa next to the hospital bed, and the TV on the wall was much bigger than Mami's monitor.

The father picked up the remote control from the bedside table, turned on the TV, and a baseball game appeared on the screen, the sound of metal bats hitting echoing throughout the ward.

Even though he turned it on himself, his father didn't watch TV; he just stared quietly at the floor.

The sun-warmed air began to convect, and shadows swirled across the green linoleum floor.

Perhaps she's not used to having a calm, one-on-one conversation with her son. She needs a bit of background noise to keep the atmosphere from becoming awkward.

"that is……"

The father spoke in a deep, muffled voice, looking at Masumi with a knowing look in his eyes.

"If I go back to the coffee shop now, I'll definitely bother you, kid."

"Eh."

Masumi was stunned.

His father gave him a meaningful look, and continued speaking in a sighing tone:

"...I originally thought that whether it was Rinne, Chia, or Asami marrying into our family, it would all be a good outcome, but I never expected..."

When his father stopped speaking, Masumi understood what he meant, but remained silent, only chuckling awkwardly.

"I can't say anything about this. You young people have plenty of time, so think it through yourselves..."

◇

"Well, after all, a normal person would find this unbelievable. To confess to five girls at the same time, it's no wonder Mr. Ike reacted that way..."

Mami shrugged dismissively.

"So that means... Chia can move into Mr. Ken's room?"

"Well, that's right."

Masumi nodded in response, then looked at her childhood friend.

"What did Qian'ai say?"

"Huh? What?"

Masumi sighed, "We've been talking about staying at the coffee shop all along, haven't we?"

"Uh, about this..."

Qian Ai's eyes darted back and forth nervously, and she said hesitantly:

"I was just saying it casually. Suddenly saying you want to move in... feels a bit too rushed! Generally speaking, couples should go through the ambiguous period and the honeymoon period before considering living together when the relationship is stable."

“Eh, but I was already living under the same roof as Masumi-kun before we officially became a couple.”

Mami blinked.

"And Rinne, Umizuki, and Mio are too."

"Well, that's true."

Qian Ai was speechless for a moment.

Asami placed her hand on the girl's shoulder, a faint smile playing on her lips, and looked directly at the girl as she asked.

"Qian'ai, you want to move in, right?"

"Hey, this..."

"Qian'ai, you want to move in, right?"

"Why did you say it twice, Mami-nee?!"

"If you don't come soon, the other girls are going to take advantage of Masumi-kun."

"what?"

"Don't you want to know what kind of decadent life your Masumi-nii is living every day?"

Mami narrowed her eyes mischievously and asked in a teasing tone.

"Hey, Mami."

Masumi, standing behind him, raised her voice slightly in protest.

"Masumi-san..."

Chiai hesitated, observing Masumi's expression.

Finally, she nodded heavily, as if she had made a decision, and opened her somewhat heavy lips to say:

"Okay! I've decided, I want to move in too!"

"That's right."

Mami smiled broadly, opened her long arms, and like a white snake, wrapped them around the girl's back before suddenly tightening them.

"Welcome to the Starry Family! Qian'ai!"

"Ma, Mei, sister...you're holding me too tight! Let go!"

Qian Ai was suddenly hugged tightly, and immediately let out a strange cry like a frog being flattened.

"...The Star Family?"

Masumi murmured to herself. This name sounded much better than the embarrassing name "Masumi Family".

◇

"That's it, Chiai has also decided to move into the coffee shop."

Please give me your guidance.

Chiai knelt upright on the carpet, placed her hands on her thighs, and then solemnly placed three fingers on the ground before slowly looking at everyone in front of her, or more accurately, at Masumi in the middle, and bowed.

"...What's with this bride-to-be looking like she's about to move in?"

Mio casually commented on Chiai's actions, her obsidian-like eyes revealing a blatant wariness.

But that's all.

At this point, defense is futile. Faced with these cunning thieves, Mio, who considers herself a loyal dog, can only give up guarding and instead seek out her own share of affection from her master.

"……I see."

Rinne nodded.

"But it's already this late, and I probably won't be able to finish tidying up the room by now. Will Qian'ai sleep in my room tonight?"

"Of course, Chia Ai is going to sleep in the same room as me tonight~!"

Mami raised her hand with a grin.

"After all, we're the best partners. We even shared a room with Gunma back in Miyako Island."

"That's why I don't want to sleep with Asami-nee who has no sleeping posture. Every time Asami-nee rolls over and I get pressed down on, I feel like I'm being paralyzed by a ghost."

Qian Ai sighed with lingering fear.

Masumi wholeheartedly agrees with this.

This guy's sleeping posture is terrible; he often wakes up to find Mami's feet shoved against his face.

"Hey, what's wrong? Chia is disgusted with you."

Asami lowered her head dejectedly, her dejected tone reminiscent of a stray puppy abandoned in the rain.

After some hesitation, Qian'ai sighed.

"If Asami-nee does obediently tie her hands and feet..."

"What?!" Mami exclaimed, speechless. "Are you and your childhood friend both sadists?!"

"If Asami-nee doesn't kick or press on people while sleeping, there's no need to resort to such coercive measures."

"Okay, I'll behave well and sleep properly this time!"

Asami clasped her hands together in front of her chest, giving a pleading look. Chiai slightly closed her eyelids, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, then opened one eye again.

"...Then, let's trust Asami-nee one last time."

Mami's face lit up immediately.

"Great! Come on, little Qian'ai, let your big sister pamper you today."

"Huh? Mami-nee, I didn't plan to stay up all night playing games with you."

Qian'ai, like a shy child, hesitated before reaching out her hand.

"It's okay, today's game is interactive, you can just watch from the side."

Mami gripped that hand tightly and nodded with a smile.

"That kind of thing is no good either! Staying up late will give me pimples... Waaah! Asami-neechan is so strong, where are you taking me?"

...Qingmei was taken away.

Rinne also said she needed to tidy up the rooms on the second floor first, and forcibly dragged Kaizuki and Mio, who still wanted to stay, away from the room.

The room suddenly became quiet.

As a result, even though there wasn't a strong wind outside, you could still hear the wind howling and hitting the windowpane.

◇

Despite Chiai's persistent and firm urging, Mami finally and reluctantly turned off the game on the hour.

The childhood sweetheart, dressed in her pajamas, rubbed her sleepy eyes, turned off the light, and crawled into bed.

"Let's make this clear first, Mami-nee is not allowed to press down on me with her body, or kick me off the bed."

Qian Ai made a prior statement.

"Alright, alright, if Chihiro is so worried, she can just sleep on the side of the wall."

"No way! That way, even if Asami pins me down, I won't be able to break free!"

"What happened to the trust between us?! How can you base it on 'I'll have restless sleep'?!"

Mami protested with puffed-up cheeks, but still lay down against the wall.

Her black hair rustled and tousled on the pillow. Mami changed from lying on her back to lying on her side, facing the girl.

As the eyes adjust to darkness, they gradually gain a clearer view of their surroundings.

Even through her loose tank top, her voluptuous curves were clearly visible, and Qian Ai couldn't help but look down at her own figure.

...Hmm, the visibility is excellent; all the cute patterns on these pajamas are clearly visible.

The gods are too cruel!
They're both girls, so why is there such a big difference between them? Qian Ai muttered to herself.

"Oh dear, why is Chia staring at her older sister like that? Her gaze is so suggestive~"

Mami teased her with a sarcastic tone, laughing uncontrollably on the pillow.

"No way! I was just thinking about individual body differences..."

"I told you, Chia doesn't need to worry about this kind of thing. Besides, not to mention the various inconveniences in life, Masumi-kun will find all sorts of ways to torment you!"

Asami put on an expression that was more of a threat than a warning.

"Ma-Masumi-nii...?"

"Uh-huh."

A shadow fell over Qian'ai's face.

"Speaking of which, Mami-nee..."

"Ok?"

"You and Masumi-nii, could it be that you've already..."

"Eh~?"

Asami gave a shy smile, fiddling with the ends of her hair with her fingertips.

"Sigh, why is it that you guys can all see it?"

"Asami's reaction was too obvious; there was no way she could hide it."

Chiai saw Mami's happy, grinning face.

Although I was feeling down, seeing her expression made me genuinely happy for her.

This relaxed and carefree mood, if it weren't for Masumi-san making that choice, would probably have been filled with a different kind of emotion.

Qian'ai dared not imagine such a future, yet she also felt an inexplicable negative emotion towards the present situation, so she parted her cherry lips and spoke:
"Hey, Asami-nee."

"What's wrong? Ah, Chiai, do you perhaps want to ask about your first experience..."

"No! That's not how it works."

Qian Ai quickly denied it.

"I just want to ask Asami-nee, what are your thoughts on Masumi-nii confessing to all of us before?"

Mio had asked her the same question when they went on their date at the zoo.

"Huh? Why are you suddenly asking this question?"

"Does Mami-nee not want to answer?"

"That's not it. It's just that the question came out of nowhere, and I couldn't think of a coherent answer for the time being."

Qian Ai took a deep breath and then exhaled briefly.

"So, let me ask you this: Mami-nee, would you be willing to be Masumi-nii's girlfriend along with other girls?"

"I can accept it."

She looked directly into Qian Ai's emerald eyes without flinching and answered without hesitation.

Because Mami's gaze was so sincere, Chia's eyes wandered instead.

"Wow, that's decisive! By the way, you can only fill in one person's name in the marriage registration form, right?"

"Really? I think this is just a minor detail. If Masumi-kun starts to doubt our relationship because of that piece of paper, I'll definitely teach him a lesson!"

Mami narrowed her eyes sharply into slits and said bluntly.

Although she herself is always the one who gets reprimanded.

Qian Ai paused slightly, her fingers gripping the blanket tightly, wrinkling it and creating shallow grooves that filled the darkness.

"Sister Mami, this is quite unexpected..."

"Very what?"

Qian Ai thought for a moment and said:
I don't know how to describe it.

Just like her mood right now.

"Ah, it feels really cool and awesome, right?"

Asami, a smug smile on her face, asked with obvious pride:

"Like the female protagonist in a romance comic who is completely oblivious to her own feelings, that kind of feeling?"

"That's probably it."

A suggestive expression appeared on Qian Ai's lips.

Asami observed her reaction: the childhood sweetheart's lips were closed into a line, her bangs were swept to one side, her slightly furrowed brows seemed to be enduring some heartache, and her hands, which were tightly gripping the blanket, were trembling slightly.

Looking at Qian Ai like this, she slowly opened her soft lips.

"Ah~ I'm suddenly a little sleepy. Let's end our bedtime girl talk here. I still need to help Chia tidy up her room tomorrow."

After speaking, Mami yawned widely, and tears welled up in her eyes and slid down her soft face.

From any angle, Asami is no longer a girl—Chiai didn't faithfully fulfill her role as the tsukkomi (straight man) as usual, but nodded slightly.

The hair and pillow made a slight rubbing sound.

Goodnight, Asami-nee.

"Mmm, goodnight, Chia."

Mami changed her sleeping position from lying on her side to lying on her back.

"Sleep peacefully. I will control myself with an iron will and maintain a perfect sleeping posture."

"...If only that were true."

Qian'ai, who had been keeping a straight face just moments before, finally broke into a smile.

As if a quiet nerve had finally relaxed, the corners of her lips softened.

◇

The ceiling was pitch black, and because of the pressure on her cheek, Qian Ai woke up about an hour later.

"Waaah, Asami-neechan, don't kick me!"

Asami, whose body had somehow ended up outside the blankets and was now completely upside down, stretched out her long, fair legs and kicked her foot rudely at the cheek of her childhood friend.

(End of this chapter)