Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 336, Section 4: "This isn't a tourist spot."

Why did things turn out this way?
"...Wow, that's amazing! It looks like a Disney castle from the outside, and the inside is just as... This is the first time I've ever been to a place like this!"

Upon entering the hotel, Chiai hesitated, intimidated by the overwhelming suggestive meaning, while Mio seemed quite happy in contrast.

She naturally took Masumi's arm, leaned against him in a very charming way, and practically dragged him into the hall.

"This is my first time in a place like this too. It has such a great atmosphere! So, Masumi, which one should we choose?"

"...Huh? Is Mio serious?"

Masumi's shoulders stiffened.

"I'm always giving it my all in front of Masumi~"

She smiled charmingly, but the gentle yet undeniably stern expression hidden behind that smile sent a shiver down Masumi's spine.

On the other side, Mami was dejected and obediently accepted Rinne's scolding.

"...Mami-nee, so you originally planned to just stay out all night in Osaka with Masumi without even telling us?"

Rinne put on a stern face, as if she were a teacher giving a stern lecture to a delinquent student in her class.

Mami looked away guiltily and stammered:
"No, that's not true. I was planning to contact Rinne after the first round."

"Given Asami's physical condition, she probably wouldn't have had time to worry about that at that time."

"I'm not that insignificant!"

Asami puffed out her cheeks, as if she were sulking, but after seeing Rinne's cold expression, she immediately deflated, shrugged, and said in a deflated voice:
"...Because if I tell you, Ms. Mio will definitely come after me."

"Even if you don't tell her, she'll still come after me. And even if she's worried about Mio, she should at least let me know first. Doesn't Mami-nee trust me either?"

"Oh, I see."

Mami surrendered quickly, raising the white flag and letting out a soft sob, so quiet it was almost inaudible.

Her eyes were moist, her breath was warm, and her hands, which were clutching the hem of her skirt, trembled slightly. She raised her slender shoulders slightly and looked timidly at Masumi not far away.

Every move she made spoke of her earnest expectations for Masumi. Rinne pressed her forehead, sighed with worry, and then turned her head to look in that direction as well.

In the dimly lit space, there were machines that were so brightly lit they looked like vending machines at night.

The machine's screen is divided into about twenty sections, each displaying a photo of a guest room and its associated cost.

"Which one should I choose, Masumi?"

Mio asked him casually, but Masumi became so nervous that her whole body stiffened.

"...Something cheaper will do, right?"

His eyes looked uneasy. What was wrong? It felt like he and Mami had been caught cheating by others.

But I clearly had no intention of doing that...

Judging from my own willpower, I'll probably end up going in with Mami.

But what didn't happen, didn't happen! We can't generalize.

"..."

Masumi looked at Kaigetsu, who remained silent, her blue eyes fixed on the screen, and who was making soft, incoherent gasps.

They seem very interested.

"Does Haiyue have any rooms that interest you?"

"I want to...go here..."

Haiyue pointed expressionlessly at a hotel room on the screen.

"...I see, it's an ocean theme."

She chose a room decorated in an aquarium style, with blue marine life drawings on the walls and a large round bed in the shape of an open seashell in the middle.

The atmosphere was like a fairy tale, and you couldn't tell what kind of place it was for.

However, if you think about it carefully, being in such a dreamy and gentle atmosphere would naturally make the experience wonderful.

"Then let's take this one."

Masumi reached out her finger and gently tapped the grid at the bottom of the screen, thus selecting a room.

The machine dispensed a receipt and key with the room number on it. This LOVE HOTEL is the kind where you pay upon check-out.

After doing all this skillfully, Masumi noticed that Mio, Chiai, and Rinne were all staring at him with half-closed eyes, their expressions meaningful.

"...Masumi-nii is so skilled, he must frequent places like this often."

Qian Ai's eyes revealed a sharp scrutiny, and her words were almost overflowing with doubt.

"No such thing."

Masumi answered in as nonchalant a tone as possible.

"How suspicious!"

"It's not suspicious at all."

After receiving the receipt and key, Masumi walked with the girls from the dimly lit lobby into the building and took the elevator.

They listened to the soft hum of machinery as they surrendered to the gentle force of gravity.

"When you're in an elevator, you feel like you're being carried around."

As Mami said these words while watching the elevator display change floor numbers.

"Is this happening?"

Chiai tilted her head slightly, indicating her confusion.

"Yes, when I hear the elevator going up, I feel like I'm turning into a piece of luggage."

Asami waved her hand in the air, seemingly trying to express the feeling of rising, but the next moment she was ruthlessly chopped at by Masumi.

"Don't make any big movements in the elevator."

"Ugh! Masumi-kun, that's so mean! Hitting my head like that isn't even a big move!"

The elevator doors opened quickly, and the six people walked down the deserted corridor.

"...What's wrong, Qian'ai?"

Rinne turned her head and looked at the childhood friend who had suddenly slowed down.

"No! It's alright!"

Qian Ai felt so nervous that even her toes became stiff. She took a deep breath and tried not to be noticed by the people in front of her.

"This is the one, isn't it?"

Masumi compares the numbers on the receipt with those on the room number plate to see if they match.

This is the one.

He opened the door with the key.

"Hey, it's so dark inside."

The entire room was like a night road illuminated by moonlight, with only dim lighting as the source of light.

Upon entering the room, the door automatically locked after closing, turning it into a room where you couldn't leave without paying.

The group went straight to the bedroom.

In the dim lighting, the only large round bed comes into view. It is shaped like an open seashell, and it looks like six people could lie down on it together without any problem.

Qian Ai was the last to enter, and she instinctively gasped.

Masumi walked straight to the coffee table, squinted at the control panel on it, and, based on his limited experience, figured it was used to finely adjust the color and brightness of the lights.

He pressed a few buttons on the panel to turn up the brightness, and the room immediately became bright.

"Whoa whoa--"

Haiyue looked around at the entire room and exclaimed in admiration.

The room's four walls are covered with blue wallpaper featuring marine life patterns, creating a calming atmosphere. It's quite spacious, almost the size of three rooms in a coffee shop.

Aside from the extravagantly large round bed in the middle, the most amazing thing about the entire room is...

"Whoa! Masumi-nii! Why is the bathroom here made of glass walls?!"

Qian Ai blushed all the way to the roots of her neck.

"W-Wow, we've seen everything!"

Not far from the round bed is the bathroom, which has glass walls—not the frosted kind—so the glass is completely transparent.

Just sitting on the bed, you can clearly see the rather spacious bathtub in the bathroom. It's a private bath design similar to that of a hot spring hotel, and it's big enough to accommodate several people.

Speaking of which, this LOVE HOTEL even has a special sign on its promotional board that says "Welcome to your bestie gatherings".

What kind of gathering was it? Would people stay overnight in a place like that?

"Look, what a big bathroom, Masumi."

Mio excitedly ran into the bathroom and flashed him a V-sign from inside.

Masumi could only force a smile through her twitching lips.

How did it come to this?
He and five girls he was dating walked into the LOVE HOTEL—a place where lovers confirm their feelings for each other. Aside from Rinne and Mizuki, the others probably wouldn't want anyone else present when confirming their love.

Except for Mio's competitive spirit.

Fortunately, Masumi probably won't have that kind of romantic encounter today.

He was just trying to calm the girls down and show them this kind of place.

But is it really necessary to make a special trip to visit a place like this?

"...However, I still prefer a slightly smaller bathtub. Although it might be a bit cramped, I can fit in close with Masumi in many places."

Mio returned from the bathroom and sat down on the round bed without any ceremony.

Masumi deliberately distanced herself from Mio, who was sitting on the bed in a W-shape like a duck, and pulled up a chair and plopped down.

"Is Masumi tired?"

"Yeah, after all, we've been walking all day."

"I've been following Masumi all day and it's been tiring. I'm all sweaty. I'll go take a shower first."

Mio revealed a mischievous smile, with the glass bathroom behind her completely exposed. I really admire how she can talk about that kind of thing so openly.

"Since it's all visible anyway, why don't we just shower together?"

"Please forgive me for refusing."

Masumi sighed wearily.

It would be fine if it were just him and Mio...

Thinking this, he turned his head and looked to the other side, where Rinne, Chiai, Asami, and Kaigetsu were silently staring at him with dim and lifeless eyes.

Without realizing it, Mio said, "Then I'll go wash up," got out of bed, went into the washroom, and disappeared behind the door leading to the bathroom.

The next moment, out of the corner of her eye, Masumi caught a glimpse of Mio emerging from the unobstructed depths of the bathroom, a pristine white figure.

"Let me see... how do I use the hot water... Ah, is this how it is—it's so cold!"

The sound of water from the showerhead hitting the bathtub could be heard from the room.

"I really admire her persistence under such circumstances."

Rinne sighed.

"That's right, I'm so restless just sitting here."

Qian Ai frowned, her chest heaving, and she took deep breaths to calm herself.

Masumi also quietly exhaled, as if she had put down a heavy burden on her shoulders.

As he relaxed his tense emotions, he turned around...

I saw Mio with her naked body pasted on the glass.

"Huh! Mio?"

"Oh dear, Masumi saw it by accident."

A subtly seductive smile appeared on Mio's lips as she pressed herself against the glass, as if wanting Masumi to see it all.

"Well!"

Masumi quickly looked away, trying to calm herself down.

The event happened so suddenly that Masumi's mind couldn't keep up, and she inadvertently stared at it for a few seconds...

"It's a rare opportunity, Masumi, just take a look. Otherwise, I'll lose my confidence."

"Stop joking, you'll catch a cold if you don't get in the bathtub soon."

Masumi reluctantly looked away as she spoke, while Mio chuckled like a wicked woman.

"That's so unconvincing~ They clearly looked me up and down with greedy eyes."

"I'm going to take a shower too."

Rinne suddenly stood up and said.

"Huh? So sudden."

Masumi paused for a moment, then clarified that he wouldn't peek.

"Then I too..."

The jellyfish daughter that the cat-girl found followed closely behind.

"Ah! You guys go first, I'll soak later."

Mami was lying on the headboard, playing a game on her phone horizontally.

With her two long, fair legs crossed, she patted the blanket repeatedly, a glimpse of purple lace peeking out from under her skirt, her white buttocks trembling.

"Mami is really relaxed."

"After all, it's not my first time in a place like this."

Asami spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, her little feet swaying with a joyful arc.

"Anyway, nothing will happen if we all come together, so let me play the game in peace for a while."

"If only Qian'ai could have your big heart."

“It’s impossible no matter what!” Qian Ai said.

Her gaze lingered on the edge of the coffee table.

"Huh? What's that...?"

Following her gaze, Masumi noticed the object in the room for the first time.

That thing that looks like a wooden mustard seed doll isn't—
"Ah, it should be a neck and shoulder massager."

Masumi casually brushed it off, her tone slightly unnatural.

"Oh, yes."

Qian'ai picked it up without hesitation.

"...Why would you find something like this in a place like this? Is it for massage?"

"Does Qian Ai really not understand?"

Masumi couldn't help but ask.

"Understand? What do you understand?"

The childhood sweetheart stared at him with her innocent, doe-like eyes, not at all like she was lying. Instead, this made Masumi feel a subtle sense of guilt.

"It seems like you click here to open it..."

A fair-skinned finger flipped the switch, and the object, shaped like a wooden mustard seed doll, began to vibrate with a "buzzing" sound.

"Masumi-nii, you want me to help you relax a bit? You've been carrying so many things for Mami-nee all day, you must be very tired."

Qian Ai said with a sincere expression.

"No, no need."

Thank you, Masumi.

"Oh, okay."

Chiai looked at Masumi's somewhat flustered reaction with a puzzled expression, and sighed with a hint of regret.

"Ah! I'm tired too. Since Masumi-kun doesn't appreciate it, please ask Chiai to give me a massage as well."

"That's what a guy who was lazily playing mobile games on his bed said."

"Sister Mami, you came by yourself."

Qian'ai handed over the shoulder and neck massager.

"Huh? Both of my hands are occupied right now, so I can't do anything. Chia, please take care of me~!"

"There's really nothing I can do about you."

Qian Ai sighed in resignation.

Should I massage your shoulders or the back of your neck?

"I'm playing a game right now, and massaging my shoulders might mess up my gameplay. Could you massage my thighs first? They're a bit tired after walking all day."

"Oh."

Qian Ai shrugged, seemingly helpless, adjusted the massage intensity, and pressed herself against her.

"……babble!"

Mami suddenly reacted with a loud cry, then sat up in a tense manner, looking at the bewildered Chiai with an incredulous expression.

"Little, Little Qian'ai! What... what is this in your hand...? Even you aren't pure anymore?!"

"Eh."

(End of this chapter)