Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 33 Bonus: "After that, on a certain holiday"

Chunjiutang Bookstore.

One of the most famous bookstores in Kobe.

We had two guests today, a man and a woman.

Masumi Miyazawa walked past the bookshelves in the comics section, where recommended books were prominently displayed. The bookstore's display layout and recommendation slogans were obviously carefully designed, and the staff must be avid ACG fans.

Just like the girl next to him.

"Masumi-kun, look, this manga is going to be animated soon, did you know?"

Seno Asami picked up a comic book with great interest and showed it to him. Masumi narrowed his eyes and read the name on it.

"Flowers bloomed, like Shura."

"The name sounds interesting. What's it about?"

"Let me think about how to describe it: high school students, broadcasting club, national competition."

Asami only said these few key words, and Masumi felt a youthful atmosphere overflowing.

High school is the best age, perhaps the most confusing stage of life, because every step forward brings the hesitation of entering adulthood. But it is also perhaps the most determined stage of life, because you only need to work hard towards your dreams and not worry about other things, such as Koshien, wind music competitions, national competitions...

He has experienced both of these stages.

"Masumi-kun, what are you doing there? Let's go!"

Asami invited Masumi to walk to the light novel area. One of the bookshelves was filled with yuri works, that is, works that mainly explored the delicate emotions between girls. They were not necessarily limited to love, but most of the popular ones were love-themed.

"This one is also going to be animated soon. I'm really looking forward to it, but I'm also worried that it won't be well made."

Masumi remembered the book Asami picked up; it was the one she had bought her last time. The title was long: "How Can I Be Your Lover? No, No, No! (Isn't it impossible?!)"

"Ah! I also recommend this book 'General Letters Not Required!'"

"It tells the story of a washed-up female voice actor who's about to turn 30, and a popular high school female voice actor who co-stars on a radio show."

Mami shuttled back and forth in front of the bookshelf like a butterfly, and from time to time she picked up light novels, her "spiritual food", like a bee collecting honey.

"You really like these." Seeing her knowing everything like the back of her hand, Masumi exclaimed.

"Of course. I'm a seasoned reader who's read hundreds of works. I'm what's called a 'yuri girl.'"

Asami poked her cheek with her right index finger and put on a cute smile.

"What is that?" It was a term she had never heard of before. Masumi frowned in confusion and said hesitantly, "Could it be..."

He had a vague guess.

"Masumi-kun."

"Ok?"

"You're thinking about something terrible, aren't you?"

"Not too bad."

"I like boys."

Ah, I guessed it.

"Yuri girls, or yuri boys, simply refer to readers who are passionate about yuri themes," Mami explained. "It's completely different from reality."

"You've probably seen fujoshi who like BL themes, right? They're the same type of girl. It has nothing to do with one's own sexual orientation."

"I see." Masumi nodded slightly.

Asami paused, then continued:
"In the end, people are attracted to someone by their looks. Two beautiful girls or two handsome guys together are doubly pleasing to the eye, right? There are many more niche themes like this."

"Then I was attracted by the shining points in the work, such as the delicate emotional description or the story plot, and became a fan of the subject matter."

"People who like to read BL or lesbian comics may not like it in real life. Those boys and girls who live in words or comics are all shining and lovable, but on the other hand, in reality, there are more ordinary people with ordinary looks. They will age and don't have beautiful appearances or gorgeous personalities."

She patiently talked about a lot of random things, which sounded a little confusing, but she finally explained it to Masumi clearly.

"Then why did you fall in love with me?" Masumi asked.

"Me?" When asked this question, Mami thought for a moment and replied, "I like the equal relationship between two people in this kind of work."

"You could say it's my view on love." The two of them wandered around in front of rows of bookshelves. Mami hurriedly put the books she was interested in into her pocket, and then walked to other sections to buy a few textbook reference books. These were the ones that Kamijiro Rinone asked them to bring to the children in the welfare home.

"Thank you for accompanying me to buy books on your regular holiday, Masumi-kun."

"It's okay. After all, since I returned to Kobe, except for going to the maid cafe that day, I don't think I've seen you leave the house."

"It's a rare opportunity. I want to observe what you look like outside."

"Eh—that's an extreme statement."

"I really enjoy browsing in bookstores. Compared to online shopping or e-books, going to a bookstore and encountering a good book is like meeting a destiny. This is the meaning of the existence of bookstores in the information age," Mami said with a smile.

This statement is quite romantic.

"By the way, Masumi-kun, aren't you going to buy anything?"

"You didn't use my library card last time, did you? Really, that's so awkward."

"You can choose whatever you want this time, and I'll pay."

"it is good."

This time, Masumi didn't insist on being polite. She carefully chose in the novel section for a while and picked up a selected novel: "Summer, Fireworks, and My Corpse".

"This one," he said.

The novel was written in 1996, and the copy he has in his hand is the Nth reprint.

The recommendation slogan above is very exaggerated: the 6th JUMP Novel Award, the Edogawa Ranpo Award, the Mystery Writers Association Award... He has won many major awards, and the author was only 16 years old when he wrote this book.

He is really gifted and became famous at a young age.

"This book, 'The Childhood Friend I Thought Was a Tsundere for 10 Years, Actually Really Hates Me,' seems quite interesting as well."

"No need." Masumi shook his head, "This one is fine."

"Then buy both." Mami shoved the books at him. "I'm the one paying anyway."

"Let's go."

After paying at the cashier, the two left the bookstore. Instead of rushing to take the tram back, they walked to a nearby park and enjoyed the afternoon sunshine.

Bright rays of light suddenly flashed through the shadows of the trees. Kobe is about to enter the rainy season, the best season for viewing hydrangeas, so opportunities like this to enjoy the warm sunshine are becoming more and more precious.

Mami sat down on a park bench, crossed her long, white legs, and devoured the fried noodles with both hands.

The sweet and soft hot dog buns made her feel full, and the fried noodles covered with rich sauce were soft and chewy. She enjoyed her meal there very much.

Masumi wasn't hungry, so he just bought a bottle of Suntory oolong tea to sip.

There are many solid-colored and colorful pigeons in the park. They walk along the ground and peck at the ground with their heads down.

Even if it sensed the presence of humans, it would just move its dark brown pupils, glance at them, and then look away indifferently, showing no fear of humans at all.

Mami ate most of the fried noodles and bread, but she choked a little, so she decided not to eat any more.

She suddenly looked at the pigeons all over the ground, her brown eyes rolling around. She broke the bread into crumbs with her fingers and scattered them to feed the pigeons.

Seeing the pigeons flapping their wings and pecking at the food, Mami raised her lips slightly.

"There's a sign over there that says 'No feeding pigeons,'" Masumi reminded.

"I didn't feed it."

"This is food lent to the pigeons," Mami argued.

She smiled and fed the pigeons with bread crumbs, saying, "Remember to give it back to me. You too, remember to give it back to me."

"You ate the most of that pitch-black pigeon that looks like a crow. You must repay me double in the future!"

Masumi shook his head helplessly, "Do you think of them as tongue-slicing birds repaying a favor?"

Unconsciously, she had left the pigeons in the park with a large debt. Mami stretched lazily, stood up contentedly, and tossed the plastic wrap around her fried noodles into the trash. Then, she and Masumi walked back to the coffee shop.

——We will open tomorrow.

　PS: Tongue-cutting Sparrow is a Japanese folk tale, which is also recorded in Dazai Osamu's "Otogi Papyrus". The details are not described in detail. It tells the story of an old man feeding sparrows, and the sparrows repay the favor, but the old man's wife suffers the consequences of her greed. You should be able to guess it by listening to the description. If you remember correctly, there are similar fables in my country. However, when Dazai Osamu retells it, he gives very interesting insights. If you are interested, you can learn more about it.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)