Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 325, Section 11: "In the Spring Depicted by Cherry Blossoms"

"Masumi-nii, do you want some takoyaki?"

To be honest, Masumi had eaten a full breakfast so he wasn't hungry, but he wouldn't say something so unromantic.

Oume, who was still sulking, clearly cheered up after arriving at the cherry blossom viewing spot, and Masumi naturally wanted to strike while the iron was hot.

"Okay, let's eat."

So Chiai picked up the two toothpicks stuck in the takoyaki, forked a takoyaki, and brought it to Masumi's mouth.

"Ah~"

Masumi obediently opened her mouth, and then...

"It's so hot!"

The moment the takoyaki entered her mouth, Masumi let out a scream.

Qian Ai, sitting next to him, revealed a sly smile.

"Of course it'll be hot! You have to blow on it to cool it down. Blow on it~ Whew──..."

Chiai suddenly brought her face close and blew on the takoyaki near Masumi's mouth, the two of them so close that it seemed like they might kiss at any moment.

My vision was filled with a fair face. The girl had a shy and timid expression. Then, her cheeks, ears, and even her slender neck were tinged with a cherry blossom pink.

"Cough cough, Masumi-nii, is he already cold?"

She cleared her throat and reminded him.

"Oh, oh."

Masumi snapped out of her daze, putting the takoyaki back into her mouth and spitting out the hot filling as she savored it.

"Mmm, delicious..."

"Really? That's great! Eat more!"

Masumi was focused on eating his takoyaki, chewing silently so as not to waste Chiai's kindness. Chiai watched him eat with a smile.

"Won't Qian'ai eat it?"

"Okay. Then, I'll start eating."

Qian Ai used a toothpick to pick up a takoyaki, took a small bite, and chewed it slowly.

When she was halfway through eating, Masumi had already cooled the takoyaki by blowing on the outer shell, but the filling inside was still radiating heat. She ate the whole thing and was already eating a second one.

"It reminds me of when I went to festivals with Masumi-nii back in elementary school."

With takoyaki in her mouth, Qian'ai spoke indistinctly.

"That was in junior high for me."

Masumi echoed her:
"I still remember Chiai back then. She bought a set of twelve takoyaki at the festival, but she ate it very slowly and didn't finish it until the fireworks festival was over."

"That's because I was very young back then, and I was a little short. To be honest, my cheeks were sore from eating so much."

Chiai answered after swallowing the food in her mouth.

Masumi smiled wryly as she recalled memories from long ago:

"Back then, Chia forced herself to finish eating, and with tears in her eyes, she stuffed her mouth full. It was so worrying, so I still remember it very clearly."

"It would be a waste if I couldn't finish them. I bought twelve because I wanted to share them with Masumi-nii."

"After all, a 700 yen takoyaki is a luxury for a junior high school student's allowance, so of course I wanted Chiai to eat more."

"...Is this what they call being blinded by concern?"

"It would be more appropriate to describe it as good intentions gone wrong."

As Masumi and Chiai reminisced about the past while enjoying their takoyaki, they belatedly realized that the silence around them was eerily profound…

He looked around and swallowed the scream that almost escaped his lips.

Four beautiful women in kimonos with killer-like eyes exuded a chilling aura, looking like female ninjas from the Warring States period disguised as geishas, ​​harboring murderous intentions.

Uh, that...

A sense of tension immediately filled my heart. I felt that if I made even the slightest sound, the four girls would raise their wide sleeves and fling out kunai that gleamed with a cold light, piercing my body through the heart.

Masumi knelt on the picnic mat, cold sweat pouring down her face.

"...Masumi-kun."

Masumi's whole body trembled.

"Yes Yes……"

He nodded, feigning ignorance, eager to escape the atmosphere as quickly as possible, while observing the opportune moment to explain.

"You and Xiaoqian have a great atmosphere. I just said I would create opportunities for you two to be alone. It seems I was just being redundant."

Mami squinted and stared at him with a meaningful look.

It seems the girls unanimously chose her as their representative to speak.

"Huh? It was just casual conversation."

"It's anything but ordinary."

Mio picked up the conversation, her rosy lips pouting as if she were being difficult.

"Memories of childhood friends make the rest of us feel excluded. I also want to have romantic, exclusive memories with Masumi!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to exclude you."

Masumi said sincerely, her fingers unconsciously drooping down to the cap of the large bottle of barley tea that was sticking out of the plastic bag.

"By the way, would you like some tea?"

"Don't change the subject."

"Then... sake?"

"Want to drink."

Mami nodded without hesitation, thinking she would show even more backbone.

Masumi poured the sake from the bottle into a disposable paper cup, filling it to about one-third full.

"Masumi-kun! I want mine full!"

"understood."

Masumi poured a full glass of tea for Mami, and then poured a glass of barley tea for Chiai, who couldn't hold her liquor. When it was Kaigetsu's turn, she said...

"Would Haiyue like barley tea or orange juice?"

"I'm an adult...I want to drink..."

"Drink your beverage obediently."

Without a word, Rinne poured two different drinks and placed them in front of the jellyfish girl, leaving no room for argument.

It seems that after the previous role-playing experience, the heir lady has become more authoritative like a mother in front of Haiyue.

"Here, this cup is for Mio."

"Thank you, Masumi."

Mio took the cup he offered, and their hands brushed against each other slightly, intentionally or unintentionally.

"Masumi, your hands are so cold."

Mio looked worried.

"Really? That's quite normal."

Mio picked up the paper cup and drank the sake in one gulp, her delicate white throat bobbing.

She looked at Masumi with her flushed, delicate face and reached out her hand to him.

"Can I borrow Masumi's hand?"

"Huh? What's wrong?"

Confused, Masumi stretched out her right hand, and Mio then covered Masumi's hand with her snow-white palm and pulled it in front of her.

The soft touch and intimate gestures made Masumi's heart race.

"It is indeed a bit cold. There's an old saying, 'Cold hands, warm heart.'"

"Then wouldn't Mio's hands be warm...?"

Masumi said half-jokingly, and then she saw Mio smile.

"Yes, my heart has always been cold and lonely, so I warmed Masumi's hands. Now it's Masumi's turn to warm my lonely heart..."

Mio blinked her one eye and exhaled a sweet breath from her lips.

"It is said that the body is the armor that protects the soul, so why not start with the body?"

"There's...there's another trick to it!"

Chiai, standing nearby, stared in disbelief, seemingly understanding why she was the last one. She mustered her courage and turned to Masumi.

"N-no, it's just warming your hands! Masumi-nii, I can do that too... Ee-eh!"

A flaxen-colored figure suddenly flashed through my field of vision.

Qian Ai stared wide-eyed in surprise.

That's for sure; even Masumi herself was taken aback.

The jellyfish-like girl in a light blue kimono drew closer and closer, then opened her lips and let out a "Ha—" sound, breathing hot air into Masumi's other free palm.

A moist, warm sensation gently enveloped Masumi's left hand.

"Haiyue?"

next moment.

Haiyue opened her mouth and took a big gulp, sucking on Masumi's finger.

As if enveloped by a thick, unobstructed cloud of heat, the heat from the jellyfish girl's mouth began to spread from his fingertips to Masumi's entire palm, causing his heart to race.

"Hai... Haiyue!? What are you doing!" Qianai asked in a trembling voice.

Not only Qian Ai, but everyone else present was stunned.

The jellyfish girl is as unpredictable as ever.

She sucked on her knuckles, licked between her fingers, and gently licked them twice like a cat, before taking her fingertips into her mouth.

Fingertips, between fingers, at the base of fingers...

She continued until her fingertips were glistening, then slowed her movements slightly, before opening her lips and taking out Masumi's finger from her mouth.

With her middle finger still glistening with moisture, Haiyue changed her target and put Masumi's index finger between her lips.

"Hey! What are you doing, you shameless jellyfish, trying to seduce Masumi?!"

"Haiyue, come here."

"Wow~ Little Moon is so skilled."

Mio and Rinne grabbed Kaigetsu's arms from both sides and dragged her away without saying a word, while Mami cheered as if watching a show.

The jellyfish that had tried to escape was pulled away by three girls.

A crystal clear string of saliva was pulled out, hanging between the fingertips and lips.

Masumi wiped her hands with a tissue.

Now my body feels completely warm and cozy.

The six people ate and drank, occasionally raising their cups and silently clinking them together.

After leisurely finishing their meal and drinks, they tidied up their belongings and trash, and then, seemingly still not satisfied, took another stroll around the park.

The sky was crystal clear, so clear it was almost unbelievable.

The slender, soft cherry blossom petals seemed to be on fire, making the whole world so vivid it was almost unreal.

Masumi walked behind, watching the backs of the kimono-clad beauties flutter like petals, blending into the cherry blossom-colored scenery that perfectly matched their beauty, as splendid as falling flowers in the spring breeze.

Their profiles were radiant, and the elderly couple strolling in the park looked at them with kind smiles, as if admiring cherry blossoms.

Five stunningly beautiful women, walking side by side, are like a work of art.

Whenever someone pretends to take pictures of the scenery to secretly photograph them, Masumi will step forward to block the camera's view to protect them.

However, even such moments are full of fun.

I wish this moment could last forever.

Masumi had this expectation from the bottom of her heart, and breathed a sigh of relief at the warmth of the sunlight shining on her back.

We walked together under the springtime scene depicted by the blooming cherry blossoms.

But of course, that won't work.

It would be too shabby to just linger in this small park full of cherry blossom trees, so the six of them began to spread their footprints throughout Matsuyama City.

The towering Matsuyama Castle keep is one of the twelve castle keeps still standing in the island nation.

Masumi had never even been to Himeji Castle, one of the twelve castle towers near her home, before arriving at the "birdless island" that Oda Nobunaga had mentioned.

This was Masumi's first time seeing an ancient castle like this; it looked so magnificent...

Haiyue, standing to the side, also had her lips slightly parted as she looked up at the high-ceilinged castle tower.

"so big……"

Yes, Matsuyama Castle is situated atop Mount Katsuyama at an altitude of 132 meters, offering panoramic views of the beautiful Seto Inland Sea and Matsuyama City. It is indeed quite large.

When people are stunned by something beyond their comprehension, this is the only feeling they can express.

Masumi remembers that the girls had all expressed similar gratitude to her...

"Masumi-kun! Why do you look like a country foot soldier serving his master for the first time? You look so silly~"

Mami teased him from the side.

"Do the farmers of Omi Province have the right to say such things?" Masumi asked, exasperated.

Are you still living in the Warring States period?

"Yes, that's right. I am the princess of the Matsudaira clan. Now, why don't you serve me back to my castle!"

Asami raised her chin imperiously, and Masumi was dumbfounded by her sudden change of attitude.

"Alright, Your Highness, I will escort you back to the city right away."

"Your attitude is utterly disrespectful! This princess will punish you!"

Asami swiftly unfolded a folding fan she had bought at some point and spoke condescendingly.

"From today onwards, you are my human chair, only fit to kneel on the ground and serve as my stool."

"Is that so? It seems that Your Highness wants to be slapped on the bottom by this humble servant tonight, and have the hem of your kimono lifted up to be spanked."

"Alas!"

Asami nervously shielded herself with her fan, seemingly because of the cartoonist's rich imagination and her immersion in the role, she easily projected herself into the unspeakable plot.

"How dare you, a lowly villager, defile this princess's noble and beautiful body! No, unforgivable!"

Gazing at that face, one could see a slight sheen of sweat on the princess's nose, her eyes shimmering, and a blush rising on her cheeks.

...On another note, the thought of such role-playing is quite exciting.

Napoleon said: Men conquer women by conquering the world; women conquer the world by conquering men.

Every time I try to get Masumi-kun to listen to me, he refuses.

Moreover, she was forced by Masumi-kun to say such shameful lines as, "I am a nobody... I'm so sorry, sob... I always provoke people... sob, Masumi-kun, I couldn't be honest and truthful, I'm sorry, please punish me, Masumi-kun~".

If I were a princess, things would definitely be different!
perhaps.

"...That's enough."

Rinne, who was watching the two acting without expression, pressed her forehead and let out a tired sigh.

Because they didn't want to ride the cable car separately, the group rode the sightseeing cable car together.

After leaving Matsuyama Castle, we visited Baijinji Station, a filming location for the famous TV drama "Tokyo Love Story," in the afternoon.

Haiyue, who had never been to Tokyo and never watched TV dramas, was completely clueless about this famous pilgrimage site.

But the jellyfish girl was clearly content as long as she could spend time with everyone.

Then, at dusk, take the Takashimaya Ferris Wheel and overlook the city you've explored during the day.

The six of them reminisced about the meal as they headed to the restaurant that Masumi had booked.

Next up is the feast that Mami has been eagerly anticipating:

Ehime Prefecture's specialty, sea bream rice, is incredibly fragrant and delicious after being stirred...

Tuna belly sashimi, salmon belly sashimi, snow crab, and all sorts of fish whose names I don't know...

Abalone sushi, flounder fin nigiri sushi, Hokkaido sea urchin sushi, botan shrimp nigiri sushi wrapped in crab miso...

There were so many kinds of seafood dishes that they could almost open an aquarium, piled up on a table for six people.

"Alright everyone, let's drink!"

Asami raised her glass high.

"Mami-nee, this isn't an izakaya, please be quiet."

Rinne quickly tried to stop her.

"Oh, sorry, cheers then (whispering)!"

Glasses filled with beer and juice clinked together under the bright indoor lights.

(End of this chapter)