Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 305, Section 22: "Key story CGs always unlock at night."

Because she went to bed early, Masumi woke up around midnight.

Darkness still enveloped the surroundings as he squinted and unlocked the phone on his pillow.

It's only a little bit, no wonder it's still so dark.

I wanted to stay asleep, but the light from my phone screen woke up all my senses, which had become dulled by sleep.

A slightly awkward neck, numb fingertips, and a slight urge to urinate.

My throat felt dry.

Feeling unable to fall asleep again anytime soon, Masumi crawled out of bed, picked up her phone, and walked out of the room by the light of her flashlight.

Walking down the corridor in such a quiet environment can feel a little strange.

It's like having your everyday things taken away and being forced to walk in an unfamiliar place.

This feeling wasn't something that just started, or rather, Masumi had always been used to this kind of life before.

Although I have Qian'ai by my side, my senior sister Rugu, and the other band members to accompany me...

But in Masumi's subconscious, he has always been unilaterally seeking fulfillment of others' expectations, rather than relying on others' companionship to obtain the energy to sustain his life.

Masumi only realized this when Ms. Kozue came to take Kaigetsu away.

From this perspective, he might have a very similar personality to that stubborn yet endearing heiress.

No, perhaps it's quite the opposite.

Lost in thought, Masumi slowly descended the stairs, when she suddenly noticed a figure on the dark first floor.

"...Qian Ai?"

In the dining area, a lone figure sits on a chair—someone Masumi couldn't possibly mistake.

As if by telepathy, Masumi always seems to meet other girls who are also awake when she can't sleep.

"It's so late and you're still not asleep. Is Qian'ai someone who's sensitive to sleeping in a different bed?"

The childhood friend sat in a chair, wearing pajamas that Masumi had lent her but which Masumi had never seen Masumi wear before, and held a cell phone in her hand.

"Being unable to sleep in a bed is only true if you are actually sleeping in one."

A Thousand Sighs:

"Being kicked off the bed doesn't count."

"I'll teach her a lesson for you tomorrow."

"But no need~ Masumi-nii, why aren't you asleep yet?"

"I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd go out and get a glass of water."

"Huh? Insomnia?"

"No, it's more accurate to say that I woke up at this time precisely because I slept too much."

"It's different from last time."

"Last time?"

Qian Ai nodded, a gentle smile appearing on her lips.

"Yes, we had a similar conversation at the guesthouse on Miyako Island last time, didn't we?"

"Oh, oh."

Masumi's response seemed somewhat wooden, which Chiai noticed, and she said helplessly:

"Honestly, if I didn't know that Masumi-nii always remembers things people say casually, I would definitely think you were just making excuses for me."

"...That's not entirely true either."

Masumi gently shook her head.

"What? You've completely forgotten what happened last October, Masumi-nii?"

Qian Ai's lips curved into a displeased smile, her voice turned cold, and she looked at him sharply.

"I was referring to the second part, 'remembering things people say casually' very clearly."

Masumi closed her eyes, sat down in the chair next to Chiai, and continued speaking:

"I've never eaten memory bread, so how could I possibly remember everything that others say? That's why I can only remember people I'm close to more clearly."

"Well."

Qian Ai was slightly taken aback, then pretended to be indifferent, turned her face away to avoid the main point, and snorted through her nose.

"Since Masumi-nii decided to have six relationships at once, he's gotten better and better at saying nice things."

"I've always been the same, haven't I?"

Masumi gave a wry smile and a helpless expression.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that recently, he's been making the girls at the coffee shop angrier more and more often.

"Perhaps, that's how it is..."

Why the sudden hesitation?

"..."

Silence suddenly descended, and Masumi gazed intently at the childhood friend's face.

"Qian'ai, what happened?"

The young girl's heart skipped a beat, and she unconsciously tensed her face.

"Hey, why are you suddenly asking that, Masumi-nii?"

"...Because Qian'ai seems a little off lately."

"Well."

Qian Ai slowly opened her eyes as if she were breathing through her pupils.

To be honest, she was indeed troubled by something.

How should I view my current relationship with Masumi-san and everyone at Fanxing?

Despite being childhood friends, she didn't understand Masumi-nii as well as she thought.

And can someone like myself possess... no, can I receive the same love as everyone else?

It must be those anxieties that have surfaced.

but……

"...Masumi-nii, which aspect are you referring to?"

Qian Ai simply responded with a silly smile.

Well, there's no solid evidence.

If I were to say it directly, it would make Qian'ai feel like she was exposing the part of herself that she dislikes, which would be a bit uncomfortable.

But Masumi was clearly not so easy to deal with. He stared at Chiai and quickly closed the distance between them.

Good, very close.

Masumi-san's face was right in front of me.

The two stared at each other, and their breaths stopped.

Qian'ai gradually felt short of breath, and her face turned red.

Out of shame and guilt for lying, Qian'ai involuntarily avoided eye contact.

She was afraid that her true feelings would be revealed.

"Qian'ai, are you really alright?"

Masumi asked in a skeptical tone, her slightly narrowed eyes unconsciously carrying a sharp, scrutinizing quality.

"Really, really."

When Masumi pressed for an answer, the blush on the childhood friend's face deepened.

Even in the dark dining area late at night, they could clearly see the change.

"Then, Qian'ai, could you look me in the eyes and say it again?"

"No...that's also..."

"If there's really nothing wrong, you can definitely tell me, right? Hurry up."

Masumi softened her tone, making the sentence sound less like a accusation.

"...In which aspect?"

Qian Ai murmured and repeated the sentence, but her attitude already revealed that she was hiding something.

Masumi finally adopted a serious expression, staring intently at the childhood friend, and asked:
"...We're lovers, right? We were childhood sweethearts, and we're lovers now."

Qian Ai nodded.

"Well, that's right."

"In that case..."

Masumi sighed deeply:

"Then you can rely on me a little, okay?"

He looked at the childhood sweetheart with gentle eyes, and gently reached out his slender hand to place on Qian'ai's shoulder.

As if realizing she had no way out, Qian Ai kept making "uh~uh~" sounds.

"..."

Seriously. As expected, Masumi-nii is so cunning.

He usually appears serious and earnest, but he always gently tries to connect with and understand others.

Being able to understand others and having empathy for their affairs.

Chiai thought it would be okay to show her weak and useless side in front of Masumi-nii.

"Qian Ai?"

Masumi looked at her face, tilting her head slightly in confusion. Perhaps it was because she had been spacing out for a moment.

"You can't just space out halfway through a conversation."

"No, no! I was just thinking about how to bring it up."

With a melancholy heart, Qian'ai sighed softly, her gaze fixed on the moonlight casting shadows on the floor not far away:
"I've always found it very strange."

"No, no, no, Qian'ai, start from the beginning. Don't suddenly start with your thoughts."

"Long, long ago, when there was no distinction between day and night, the Creator Pachacamak created the first life—"

"Let's start from the beginning, without going back to when the gods created the world."

Masumi smiled with a troubled expression, feeling shaken by the relaxed profile of the woman. Chiai's gaze quietly shifted to the side, and this time she finally spoke properly.

"Actually, I just feel that I am too ordinary."

"……ordinary?"

"Ah."

Qian Ai nodded slightly.

“I was so happy when Masumi confessed to me on Valentine’s Day. Although it wasn’t just for me, which made me feel a little awkward, it was still much better than the worst outcome I had imagined.”

It takes courage to break a stable relationship.

I clearly don't have that courage right now.

That confession on the Venus Bridge was less about mustering up courage and more about being unwilling to fall behind, with fear being swallowed up by the surrounding atmosphere, like a drowning person struggling to save themselves.

Looking back, Qian Ai broke out in a cold sweat.

What if Masumi hadn't confessed? What if he had chosen Rinne, Mio, Asami, or Kaizuki...?

Although these assumptions are meaningless, they allow Qian'ai to see through her own inner unease and weakness.

"...Finally, I can date the person I've always loved... That's what I was thinking, but..."

Thinking about the other girls who were also confessed to by Masumi-san.

"Mio is a music genius, Asami is a debuted manga artist, I've always admired Rinne's strong personality, and Uizuki has a voice that Masumi wants to protect. When we get together, we're all amazing people... or rather, we're all special people."

Qian Ai lowered her eyelashes quietly.

"But I'm just an ordinary girl who's better at making clothes than the average person. Even compared to my classmates in the same major, I'm not the most outstanding one."

"No, feelings aren't something tangible that has to be exchanged for something of equal value."

Masumi interrupted him, staring at Chiai, and said, word by word:

"Didn't I say! I like Qian'ai's cheerful personality all along, and I'm also touched by your enthusiasm and kindness. I like Qian'ai like this."

Masumi stared straight at her, constantly sending messages to Omega.

"Chiai is able to express her feelings frankly, whether she is happy or sad, she can show them directly. Because of this, when Chiai is happy, I will also be happy, and when Chiai is sad, I can't bear to see you with that expression."

Masumi's feelings once again simply and genuinely impacted Chiai.

His words soothed the parched corners of my heart, but then a wave of bitterness washed over me.

Qian'ai, however, felt that she had no right to accept these words.

"I believe in Qian'ai, so Qian'ai, you must also believe in yourself."

Qian'ai has always been saved by her childhood friend.

"……I see."

Therefore.

"Ah."

Masumi nodded, but still looked at Chiai's expression with unease.

"Did you say everything that was on your mind?"

"Um... I said it, thank you, Masumi-nii."

Qian Aicai could never forgive herself for being like that.

Masumi gently stroked her head, a tender smile on her face.

"Sure enough, when people can't sleep at night, they tend to overthink. By daytime, they'll probably find their thoughts from last night irrelevant."

"That's not true at all!"

Qian Ai puffed out her cheeks, slapped his hand away, and pouted, saying something sullenly.

“I hate it when Masumi-nii talks to me like he’s coaxing a child.”

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but I just hope that no matter when, Qian'ai can express her emotions so frankly in front of me in the future."

"Hmm, um."

"Then it's a deal! It's getting late, Qian'ai should get some rest."

"Yeah, Masumi-nii too."

"I'll just have a drink of water and then head back. Goodnight."

"Good night."

Chiai stared blankly at the boy's figure, watching Masumi gradually disappear into the dimly lit depths of the stairwell before finally snapping out of her daze and realizing that she had been gripping her phone tightly without her noticing.

The black screen reflected my current expression.

"All of them...?"

She murmured in a somber voice, feeling helpless about her own cunning.

Even when faced with Masumi-san, who cared about her, she ultimately hid her true feelings.

Even though he didn't say everything, he still nodded.

Qian Ai sighed and muttered to herself:
"I still can't bring myself to say it all."

◇

Strange ceiling.

But I felt a familiar squeezing sensation on my face.

Qian Ai opened her eyes, troubled, and sighed helplessly:

"...Seriously, I'll never trust Asami-nee again."

Even though I don't have class today, I got up so early. It doesn't feel like me at all.

Chiai tiptoed out of bed to avoid waking Mami, but it was completely unnecessary.

After she propped herself up, Mami's legs unceremoniously took over the spot where Chiai had just been lying, like a large dog curled up asleep.

"...Sister Mami."

Qian Ai's lips twitched, but she still helped her cover herself with the blanket, gently closed the door, and left the room.

In the early morning light, when the sun has just risen, the air has an indescribable transparency, with a thin, cool, bluish layer of air floating in the transparency.

Qian'ai walked to the washroom, turned on the faucet, and a thin stream of water flowed out.

I washed my hands, and then quickly washed my face as well. The cool water felt soothing on my slightly warm face after waking up.

From the corridor windows, you can see the sunlight stretching across the city sky, pushing the blue of the night to a corner before disappearing completely.

Has Masumi-nii already gotten up by now?
He goes for a run every morning, so he must get up very early.

But he chatted with me so late last night, I wonder if he'll sleep in.

Qianai shook her head. Instead of guessing here, she decided to go directly to Masumi-nii's room to take a look.

Anyway, they're already living together as a couple! So there's nothing to be ashamed of!

That's right, that's it.

With these feelings in mind, Qian'ai tiptoed up to the third floor, passing through the rooms one by one.

Mio's door was closed, and so was Haiyue's... wait, it was open.

Qian'ai glanced into the room from the corridor.

There was no one inside.

And Masumi's room is...

It's closed.

"..."

Qian Ai sincerely hopes that she is just overthinking things.

Haiyue looks so natural and innocent; it's too early for that kind of thing.

Then, stopping at the door of Masumi's room, she heard what sounded like the springs under the bed being bent.

!

After hesitating for a moment, the girl approached the door and listened intently to the sounds.

(End of this chapter)