Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 308, Section 25: "Cats and maids are a perfect match."

A crow flapped its wings and flew across the sky above the street at night, its hoarse caw breaking the silence between Chiai and Masumi.

The words that escaped from Chiai's dry lips caused Masumi's expression to contort.

The next moment, Qian Ai forced a nonchalant smile.

"—If I ask you that, how should Masumi-nii answer?"

"Qian Ai..."

"Sorry, Masumi-nii, I said something strange all of a sudden. Did I startle you?"

Qian Ai spoke in a voice no different from usual, then rubbed her hands together as if to warm them, and said casually.

"Ah~ it's so cold outside, let's go back quickly."

"Huh? But we've only been out for a short while..."

"How many chances do we get to go for a walk? If Masumi-nii isn't leaving, I'll head back now."

As she spoke, Qian'ai threw off her coat and walked back the way she came without looking back.

Terrible!

I did something incredibly absurd.

Feeling fearful due to a lack of self-confidence, her mental state became very unstable, and she blurted out words that sounded like she was blaming Masumi-nii. What am I doing?!

I really am...

Qian Ai sighed heavily.

"Wait a minute, Qian'ai."

Masumi quickly followed and walked alongside her.

Her light-colored bangs swayed gently in the wind. Qian Ai looked up regretfully and unexpectedly met those gentle eyes.

"Put on some clothes, be careful not to catch a cold."

Masumi took off her coat and gently wrapped it around Aome's slender body.

"Ah."

Qian Ai nodded nervously.

◇

If you look out at the endless streetlights

They would feel that even without them, nothing would change.
After deleting and rewriting the text on the Word page, only these two lines remained.

As Masumi was racking her brains over the lyrics, the door suddenly creaked open.

He didn't turn around; the weariness between his brows was clearly visible in the cheap glow emanating from the laptop screen.

"Are you alright? You look very down."

The person who came was Rinne. She brought herself a cup of black tea and sat down next to Masumi, her full buttocks pressing against her slender ankles.

"Yes, something happened..."

Masumi answered absentmindedly.

"And Qian'ai?"

"Ah."

"Are you having trouble?"

"It's not exactly a quarrel, but love is definitely not as simple as I thought."

What's more, he was in a relationship with so many girls.

"so."

Rinne nodded, her face as indifferent as ever, and suddenly said:
"wait for me a while."

"Huh? What?"

"You'll find out soon enough. You guard the room and don't let anyone else in, especially Mio and Kaigetsu."

"Okay, I get it now."

Although Masumi was puzzled, she nodded nonetheless.

◇

Time passed second by second with the ticking of the clock hands.

Masumi hadn't expected Rinne to be gone for so long, and his songwriting had hit a roadblock, so he could only wait idly in his room.

It wasn't until the clock struck 9:30 that Rinne finally returned to her room, belatedly.

"Sorry for the waitting."

Along with the sound came the clear, melodious ringing of bells.

There is a cat.

A black cat appeared in front of Masumi.

It has fluffy black cat ears and a choker adorned with bells around its slender, gracefully shaped white neck.

"Hey, what's with Rinne's outfit!?"

Masumi was stunned; the heiress in front of him took him by surprise.

It's a maid outfit.

Rinne gently lifted her skirt with both hands, pulled one leg, encased in white lace stockings, back, bent the other leg, and lowered her head deeply.

Huh?

Is this the curtsy gesture that a maid makes when greeting her master?
Masumi stared blankly at Rinne, who was dressed in a maid outfit.

A classic dress with a long apron and a white lace headdress.

Unlike the sentimental styles in the manga, this maid outfit has a Victorian feel, which is perfect for Rinne's dignified demeanor.

The reason it took so long was to properly style my long hair.

The beautiful girl with long, straight black hair seemed to have stepped out of a fairy tale, giving people a feeling of beauty and tranquility like the most well-mannered aristocrat.

If it weren't for its ability to blink, it would probably just be a mere ornament.

Why is Rinne wearing a maid outfit?

"If we're going to take care of the 'Master' and keep him alert, then only a maid can do it."

Rinne adopted a more respectful tone. Although there was a three-year age difference between them, judging from the current situation, it was clearly not a junior addressing a senior.

Masumi blinked repeatedly in surprise.

"Master... oh, what, do you mean this kind of play in costume?"

"Yes."

Rinne answered directly.

I always feel like I'm having a hard time getting into character. Masumi swallowed hard and forced a question out:
"Cosplay is fine, but what should I do in this situation?"

"Just do as usual, sir. Leave the tasks of serving you to me."

"Excuse me, Rinne, could you please drop that honorific? It's giving me goosebumps..."

“How can ‘Master’, a nobleman, treat me, a mere maid, as an equal? ​​But ‘Master’s’ orders must never be disobeyed… Hmm, what should I do?”

The maid looked conflicted.

"Huh? Rinne's really getting into character!"

Masumi was dumbfounded. What was going on? It was as if he had really transformed from a mere citizen of Kobe into a nobleman of the Meiji era.

"..."

The cat ears on its head seemed to twitch.

After a moment of silence, the icy maid's profile flushed a rosy hue. She lowered her head slightly and spoke softly:
“…Really.”

"Eh?"

"Seriously! I finally mustered up the courage to get into character, can you please stop saying things that ruin the mood!"

Rinne suddenly raised her face, her beautiful purple eyes wide open, and she shed her maid's disguise to vent her dissatisfaction at Masumi.

"Sorry, sorry, this is so sudden, I'm not in the zone yet."

"You were so enthusiastic about coaxing me into pretending to be a cat before..."

Rinne shrugged helplessly, then lifted her skirt and sat down on the floor, wagging her tail in frustration.

"Oh, speaking of this..."

Masumi looked the heiress in her maid outfit up and down.

"Rinne wouldn't really like dressing up as a cat, would she?"

"That's not the case."

Rinne turned her face away, avoiding the main point, but a faint blush appeared on her ears.

"Oh, is that so?"

Masumi curled the corners of her lips and asked meaningfully.

"Of course... Don't touch it!"

Rinne playfully brushed away his outstretched hand.

"It was just touching the kitten's tail."

Masumi said with a hint of sarcasm.

"You are this person..."

Rinne gritted her teeth and glared at Masumi with a cold, disdainful look, while the latter smiled slightly.

"Anyway, thank you Rinne, I feel much better now."

"Wow, that was fast."

The heiress was surprised.

"I still have my real trump card to use..." Rinne silently swallowed those words.

"Seeing Rinne looking so cute, no one would have a long face, right?" "You're kidding me again."

Rinne tied a knot between her brows in displeasure; her unhappy expression suited her perfectly.

Compared to the elegant and obedient Victorian maid just now, this time it is a fallen noble lady who has to condescend to work as a maid in the home of the man she usually despises because of her family's decline.

"It's true. Thank you, Rinne, for dressing up like this to cheer me up."

Masumi stroked the kitten's ears, her fingers sliding down the girl's soft black hair, and thought that the heiress was truly elegant and adorable at this moment.

"Cats and maids are such a perfect match."

"I think it's just your weird sense of humor."

"That's true."

Masumi readily admitted it.

Rinne's charm, coupled with her embellished attire, is as appetizing as a cake roll decorated with plenty of fruit and whipped cream.

"If we could have a maid like that, we wouldn't care even if the Miyazawa family lost its title."

"How did I suddenly get so into character?"

Rinne frowned.

"Those remnants of the old era among the Chinese community no longer exist—eh!"

Snapped--!
The maid's full buttocks received a solid slap.

"Meow meow!"

Rinne cried out in pain, then glared fiercely at Masumi.

"what are you doing?"

"...Is this the tone and attitude of a maid when speaking to 'Master'?"

Masumi deliberately put on a stern face and spoke in a harsh tone.

"Cosplay time is over."

Rinne blushed and said through gritted teeth.

"The timing shouldn't be decided by the maid."

"What's wrong with you... um."

Rinne quickly closed her lips and made a sound from her throat.

Her expression changed; her eyes became moist, and her cheeks flushed.

Masumi hugged her waist from behind. Her skin was incredibly soft, and her fingertips were pushed back by the elasticity of her flesh when she pressed down.

Hugging a beautiful girl dressed in a Victorian maid outfit like this is like a dream.

He then buried his face in her neck, inhaling deeply the girl's fragrance.

Rinne, slightly sweating, exuded an incomparably fragrant aroma.

"Hey, Rinne."

Masumi suddenly spoke.

"what?"

"Rinne, you've always wanted to be special, haven't you?"

"Why are you asking this all of a sudden? Especially at a time like this."

Masumi carefully peeled away Rinne's layers of rationality.

"That's what I wanted to ask. So, what's Rinne's answer?"

"Yes, that's right... That's correct."

Rinne answered as if releasing heat from her body.

"I want to be special, I want to be someone others can rely on, I want to have my own unique qualities."

The lines spoken by Rinne are gentle and powerful, and the words are pleasant to hear, while her sweet voice adds to the charm.

"Rinne is really amazing."

Masumi sighed sincerely.

The girl's flushed cheeks were covered in sweat, and there were traces of tears at the corners of her eyes; she was unable to maintain her composure as usual.

Although it was incredibly embarrassing for my lover to see me like this... I still thought it looked beautiful.

"And then? After becoming a special person, what does Rinne want to do?"

Masumi stroked Rinne's hair, wiping the sweat from her forehead as if she were polishing the most precious gem, carefully infusing it with loyalty and love.

Masumi then asked.

Without a second thought, the maid replied in a resolute tone:
"I want to leave behind the fruits of my life."

"The fruits of life..."

Masumi silently recited the question, and without thinking, blurted out:

"Like we are now?"

"..."

Rinne didn't say anything. After a couple of seconds of stunned silence, she turned to look at him, her beautiful purple eyes flashing with a chilling coldness.

The originally sentimental beauty mark under her eye, as the corner of her eye turned up, became as sharp as a needle point, which Masumi found extremely glaring.

He read what the heiress wanted to say from her eyes.

I absolutely, positively want to kill you!

"Whoa, how scary!" Masumi instinctively shivered.

In contrast, her body was limp and weak.

"...The results of my life are those responsibilities that I bear."

Rinne answered weakly. Masumi liked watching her stiff muscles slowly relax, like a squashed Fuzanti cat doll gradually returning to its original shape.

so cute.

"Being with you made me realize that the Chinese character for 'person' is composed of two strokes, one horizontal and one vertical, supporting each other."

She adjusted her breathing and said:

"But whether it's a left-falling stroke supporting a right-falling stroke, or a right-falling stroke supporting a left-falling stroke, I want to be the one who supports others. I think that's the meaning of my life."

"...The meaning of life, Rinne is truly an enviable person."

Masumi sighed sincerely and had Rinne sit on his lap, face to face, close to him.

The heiress tilted her head slightly, indicating her confusion.

"Why are you suddenly asking me this question? Could it be related to Qian'ai?"

"As expected of Rinne, her senses are incredibly sharp."

"Don't use those ambiguous compliments."

Rinne glared at him with displeasure, and suddenly tightened her arms around his neck.

As if threatening to break his neck, she deliberately put on a fierce look.

Unfortunately, to Masumi, who understands her soft inner self, it was like watching a harmless kitten hiss.

I just think it's cute.

Masumi couldn't suppress the upturned corners of her mouth.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Rinne is right, it is indeed related to Chiai."

"So, what happened?"

"Well..."

He didn't mention what happened tonight, but simply relayed to Rinne the unease that Chiai had confided in him last night.

"I see. So you think you're... very ordinary?"

Rinne muttered to herself, then looked up at Masumi.

"what are you thinking?"

"My mind was a complete mess, but thanks to Rinne, I've gotten a little clearer things out. I plan to have a serious talk with Chiai tomorrow."

"Do I have such great magic?"

Rinne couldn't help but feel puzzled.

“Yes.”

Masumi touched her thigh.

If I told Rinne, she'd probably be disgusted, but he feels much more voluptuous than when we first met. He feels great to the touch, and what's most gratifying is that only he can sense the change in Rinne.

His most adorable companions, his maid, and his cat.

As a consolation gesture, Masumi kissed Rinne with a force that made a sound.

The heiress was startled by the sudden turn of events.

"Is it okay to be a little willful today...?" Masumi asked.

Rinne shook her head gently in refusal.

"That won't do..."

"I enjoy the time I spend with Rinne, no matter how many hours it is."

Just as he wanted his beloved girl to fully experience happiness, Masumi was also very happy.

Rinne shrugged.

"That way... I might... I might die..."

Masumi laughed, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Dying is unacceptable, but becoming an ascension to heaven or something like that would be very welcome."

(End of this chapter)