Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 335, Section 3: "What an unfortunate encounter!"

"Huh? No way."

Qian Ai slightly widened her eyes.

"Is Haiyue's nose that sensitive?"

Sniff sniff~
"...This way."

The jellyfish girl chewed on the air as she spoke, then walked straight in that direction.

Rinne and Mio exchanged a silent glance before following after her.

……

"……arrive."

Led by Haiyue, the four women finally stopped in front of a curry shop.

"Are you sure this is here?"

Faced with suspicion, Mio watched as the jellyfish girl silently stared intently at the signboard at the shop entrance.

"Well, Asami-nee really does love curry."

Qian Ai rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought.

"So Masumi-nii and Asami-nee are having lunch here?"

"No, I think Haiyue probably just wants to eat curry."

Is it true that "no one knows a daughter better than her mother"? Rinne saw through Haiyue's innocent thoughts at a glance.

After all, Haiyue hadn't eaten anything since morning, not even a drop of rice... No, that's not true.

Not only did she eat breakfast, but she also asked Rinne to make two more thick omelets. However, even with her stomach well-nourished, it started rumbling again.

Perhaps it was because they had been well-supplied earlier that they showed such longing for the next meal, and even urged her to eat lunch while they were starving.

So after Chiai asked questions related to location and orientation, the jellyfish girl's empty stomach radar subconsciously began to detect nearby restaurants that looked good.

"She really is a woman with bottomless desires, in every way."

Mio squinted, looking utterly defiant, then suddenly remembered something, picked up her phone, and glanced at the time.

"Oh no, it's getting late, if we don't hurry..."

"Isn't it only noon?"

Chiai tilted her head slightly, indicating her confusion.

"It's precisely because of noon that things are so bad!"

Mio's expression twisted slightly with unease.

"Human beings have three major desires: waking up in the morning satisfies the desire for sleep, eating lunch satisfies the desire for food, and then there's... ee!"

A mournful cry escaped from between her teeth.

"We must find them both quickly."

"...But Mio-neechan, Kaigetsu has already gone inside."

"!? Hurry up and have Rinne call her back."

"Rinne went in with Kaizuki too. Oh, by the way, is Mio-nee-san hungry?"

"Not hungry."

Mio answered without thinking.

"Hey, it's already this late."

"Not hungry, not hungry at all, not hungry at all, not hungry at all."

"There's no need to emphasize it so much."

Qian Ai's pursed lips revealed a sense of helplessness.

"I just checked on Tabelog, and this curry restaurant has pretty high ratings. Since we have a rare opportunity, do you want to go together, Mio-neechan?"

"I reject."

"Don't say that. A meal is more appetizing when there are many people. You might even bump into Masumi-nii in there."

Do you think I'm a child who would have such unrealistic fantasies?

The beautiful woman with long, honey-gold hair stood ramrod straight, gave a dismissive snort through her nose, and then stared at the curry shop sign in front of her.

◇

"——Welcome!"

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Here is your order: large curry, fried pork chop, white rice, and raw egg. It's level 4 in spiciness. Please enjoy."

"...You really have a good appetite."

After being dragged by Mami to a full sweep of otaku stores including Animate, melon books, Suruga-ya, Compass, and Gamers, the two, exhausted and hungry, settled down at this curry shop.

At lunchtime, the curry shop was packed with all sorts of customers: families, tourists, and couples.

Masumi sat in the corner, watching as Mami, as if she had been waiting for a long time, picked up a spoon and eagerly began to eat.

"What can I do? I've already had enough sleep on the train and fully satisfied my thirst for knowledge on the OTA-ROAD. The only things that haven't been satisfied yet are my appetite and my sexual desire."

Asami said matter-of-factly, she scooped up a ball of rice covered in curry sauce with a spoon and put it in her mouth.

The smile on her face changed from anemone to iris; she pressed her cheeks and made a satisfied sound:
Mmm~ Delicious~!

"I don't intend to satisfy you for the last one."

"Huh? Masumi-kun means I have to satisfy my own desires in front of you? What a perverse sense of humor... How awful! The worst!"

"Please don't misinterpret my meaning and then talk to yourself."

Masumi sighed helplessly, finally picked up her spoon, and scooped up a mouthful of chicken curry in front of her.

"...If possible, I hope Mami doesn't live so subserviently to her instincts and can be more rational."

"Is Masumi-kun really that rational? He breaks free of his rationality the moment the location changes, and he desperately unleashes his sadistic desires on me."

"...Would you like to try some of my chicken curry?"

"Hmph, this is Masumi-kun's apology, right? I won't be polite with you."

Asami extended her spoon straight toward Masumi's plate.

"Let's leave it at that... But this is the first time I've ever seen someone take white rice from someone else's chicken curry."

“That’s what you don’t understand, Masumi-kun.”

Asami raised one eyebrow triumphantly.

"When someone takes away the rice from a curry dish, the perfect balance between the curry sauce, side dishes, and white rice is broken, and it tastes saltier than expected."

"In other words, is this Mami's revenge on me?"

This was the first time Masumi had ever encountered such a childish act of revenge.

"I'm stuffed!"

Mami finished the curry rice on her plate in about five minutes.

"Masumi-kun is eating so slowly."

"Who told someone to ruin the perfect balance of curry sauce, side dishes, and white rice, making this curry both salty and spicy?"

"If you can't finish it, Masumi-kun, you can share it with me. I still feel a little unsatisfied."

"Please."

Masumi pushed the plate in front of her.

"Thanks for the treat!"

With rice grains sticking to her face, sitting in front of an empty plate, Mami wore a satisfied smile.

"So, shouldn't we go next...?"

"Hmm, it's about time we went to see a movie."

"See a movie?"

"What's with that expression, Masumi-kun? Isn't this what dates between couples are like? Shopping, window shopping, lunch, watching a movie, and things like that."

"Huh? So we really are on a date."

Upon hearing his offhand remark, Mami's rice-covered lips curled up in displeasure.

"You better be joking, Masumi-kun."

"Because I couldn't feel that atmosphere at all when I was at Melonbooks this morning..."

"Okay, okay, I understand!"

Mami interrupted him, her tone firm:

"Then, during our next date, I'll let Masumi-kun fully experience Mami-sama's charm!" ◇

"...Waaaaah...This movie...is so awful..."

At the exit of the movie theater, moviegoers came and went, while four young and beautiful women stood against the crowd, facing each other.

"Have you calmed down yet, Qian'ai?"

Rinne gently offered a tissue to Chiai, who was quietly sobbing, showing her concern.
"It's just a movie, don't take it to heart."

"Um... I know, I'm sorry, Rinne, for making you see me so pathetic."

The girl, who had been crying, sobbed, her emerald eyes reddening as she cried so hard, tears and snot streaming down her face.

"I don't mind that."

Rinne sighed, pressing her forehead:

"Qian Ai is just more emotional, but that smug look on someone else's face is the real problem."

"That's a really good movie!"

A pleased smile appeared on Mio's lips, like a villainous female executive of an evil organization about to deliver the final blow to a magical girl.

"After going through many hardships, the male lead finally decides to forget his childhood sweetheart and choose to get back together with his ex-girlfriend. The screenwriter really has style; this is practically a masterpiece! This is exactly the kind of plot I want to see!"

She revealed a supreme smile and burst into laughter.

"Mio...how scary..."

Haiyue said expressionlessly.

This jellyfish slept from the moment we entered the movie theater until the end.

"It was clearly...we were childhood sweethearts who started it all...how could this be..."

Tears streamed down Qian'ai's face like pearls from a broken string, and she sniffled, sobbing.

"Feelings aren't a game of first come, first served. The bond between people isn't about how long it's lasted. As expected, Chiai is still quite naive."

A confident yet provocative smile curved at the corners of Mio's lips.

"It's such a touching movie, it's a pity I couldn't come see it with Masumi... Oh right! Masumi! How did we end up watching a movie together in Namba!"

"What? Is Mio not satisfied with her experience here?"

Rinne asked the question knowingly, her expression remaining calm and composed.

"That's not the point! I'm trying to say why we're wasting our time in this movie theater, watching for two whole hours!"

Mio awoke as if from a dream.

Oh no! I've completely forgotten about those two people!
"Because this movie is two hours long."

"You don't need to answer me so seriously, honestly, I've completely lost track of them."

"Isn't it too late for Mio to only realize this now?"

"Why didn't Rinne remind me! She just let me watch that kind of boring movie!"

"Mio just said it was a masterpiece..."

"Worrying about that now won't help! The most important thing right now is to find Masumi and the others!"

Mio's words were tinged with anxiety, but Rinne merely responded to the story with a flat, emotionless tone:

"Ah, I see. But it's probably getting dark outside right now, so those two might have already gone back to Kobe..."

"So, I just saw two figures in the movie theater that looked a lot like Masumi and Asami."

Mio seemed to suddenly remember something, and Rinne sighed helplessly.

"It's just a hallucination that Mio is obsessed with."

"No, this time it's absolutely for real!"

Mio cast a determined look at Kaigetsu.

"Aren't you supposed to have a very sensitive nose? If you catch up with them, you should be able to find them."

◇

"This movie is really baffling. Why is that drunken cartoonist older sister just a drunken, sex-obsessed character from beginning to end? She doesn't deliver any real impact at all!"

As they walked out of the movie theater with the flow of people, Mami said indignantly.

"It's not surprising that childhood friends usually end up as the losers in stories, but I didn't expect the winner to be the blonde."

Is there anything incredible about it?

"Of course, the last blonde winner I saw was in that anime where the male protagonist was looking for someone to match him with a key."

"I've seen that anime too."

"Huh? Really? Masumi-kun's otaku vibe is obviously very strong, and this is an anime from ten years ago."

"It's pretty much like today's date."

"I see. Speaking of which, thank you for your hard work today, Masumi-kun."

Asami gave Masumi, who was carrying a black plastic bag from Melonbooks and a blue plastic bag from Animate, an approving look, and a smile played on her lips.

"...He's a perfect boyfriend."

"From my perspective, he's more like a male servant."

Masumi looked tired.

Early in the morning, I took the Hankyu Railway to Nipponbashi and accompanied Asami to browse through all the otaku-themed shops on the street, regardless of whether they were aimed at men or women, or whether they were doujinshi or commercial magazines.

Asami's shopping desires are endless, just like a foreign otaku who is visiting the island country for the first time. She buys all the new magazines and products that interest her and pushes everything onto him to carry.

He looked up at the sky as dusk gradually set.

—Sunset is approaching.

The sky was dyed in a beautiful gradient of colors, like mandarin oranges or gentians.

It's getting late... it's time to head back to the coffee shop.

Given Mio and Chia's personalities, they must be feeling incredibly anxious waiting for the two of them to return.

but……

"Does Mami not want to go back yet?"

"I think I could tell from her expression," Masumi said, looking at her face.

"Huh, is it that obvious? Since Masumi-kun noticed, it means you and I share the same thought: to stay a little longer, right?"

"What do you mean, stay a little longer... If we don't leave now, it'll probably be evening by the time we get back."

"Don't worry, don't worry, I've already thought about this."

Mami looked at something on her phone, then said, "Come with me," and grabbed Masumi's wrist.

They moved toward Namba, passing a tall Takashimaya department store building along the way.

The clamor of voices across the street sounded like the gentle murmur of the tide, and streetlights lit up one by one, their light illuminating the intertwined shadows of the two people.

"Let me see, it should be around here—"

Asami looked around and murmured to herself.

Masumi also looked around.

How should I put it...?

It was an alley with a strange atmosphere, and the pink glow of the signs cast an ambiguous glow on the two of them.

"Rest", "Free Time", "Accommodation", "Discounts", "Welcome to Gatherings", No entry for those under 18 --
"Mami, you wouldn't—!"

"Hmph, my research isn't limited to the otaku world."

Asami smiled smugly, her expression revealing that her prank had succeeded.

To put it bluntly, this place is basically a street full of Love Hotels.

They are all LOVE HOTELs.

The hotel is next to another hotel, and then another hotel, standing side by side, even more densely packed than the otaku shops on the OTA-ROAD.

"This is it—!"

Asami pointed to one of the buildings and said, "It's just like the hotel in the manga by Yoshinobu Yamaguchi; it's practically a castle."

Just as Masumi was being taken aback by its quintessential LOVE HOTEL style, a familiar voice suddenly rang out behind him, causing him and Mami to flinch and quickly pull back.

"Ah! I knew I wasn't mistaken, these two people are going to..."

Turning to look at the source of the sound, he saw the four women who should have been in Kobe standing there, radiating resentment and jealousy.

Raising the gaze upwards, the entire building, resembling a large pink candy castle, stands majestically, overlooking the man and five women on the ground.

(End of this chapter)