Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 39. "Plum Rain"

In the morning, the news push reported that Kobe had entered the plum rain season. The annoying rainy season had finally arrived, and earlier than expected.

In previous years, it would have been at least June. Masumi remembered that last year's rainy season in Tokyo had arrived around mid-June. She and her teammates had gone to Enoshima for a training camp, and when they returned to their rental house in Ogikubo, it was practically a mushroom house, completely shattered.

When I thought of this, a faint musty smell seemed to drift to my nose across time.

Masumi was still hoping for a lucky break when he went for his morning run as usual. On his way back, the sudden rain soaked the floor tiles. He almost slipped several times because he was running in a hurry to avoid the rain.

Anyway, the rain wasn't heavy and everything on my body was wet, so there was no need to rush.

So he was covered in mist and just walked slowly back to the stars.

"The bathroom is functional and you don't have to go outside to take a shower."

Back at the store, Kamishiro Rinone said calmly while handing a clean towel to Masumi, who was soaked like a drowned rat.

"Thank you, are you being sarcastic?"

"I'm paying tribute to your persistence in going for a morning run regardless of the weather."

"So that's caring?"

Linyin stared at him for a second, then said in a nonchalant tone, "Take a hot bath, then come over for dinner."

"Ah."

After changing out of his soaked clothes and walking into the bathroom, Masumi didn't have the leisure to take a bath. He just took a quick shower to warm up his body, then went back to the room and changed into clean and comfortable clothes.

Mami was still lying in bed in her room, and the three of them sat around the table eating breakfast as usual.

The salt-grilled mackerel exudes fragrance on the plate, with the slightly charred skin enveloping the crispy fish meat. With every bite, you can taste the perfect blend of crispiness and tenderness.

The steaming miso soup was added with pork and vegetables. The rich fat spread in the soup, and the vegetables were cooked very soft. Masumi felt very satisfied to drink such a steaming and delicious bowl of soup on a rainy day.

"I'm planning to hire a part-time clerk."

At the dinner table, Rinne said to Masumi.

"How many people should we recruit?"

"Not necessarily. As long as I can share the afternoon and evening shifts, that's enough."

Rin is still a university student and needs to balance her studies. Now that Fanxing's business is on track, it's a bit too much for her, Masumi, and Asami to handle it all.

But it seems unnecessary to hire full-time staff.

"I'll make the regular desserts in advance and put them in the dessert cabinet. For desserts that need to be made on the spot, like parfaits, I'll just leave them to Mami-san."

"But even so, there are still not enough reception staff, and you don't have time to rest."

Masumi swallowed the omelet in his mouth, nodded, and said, "Well, let's post the job posting first."

A job posting was posted at the store entrance, and job information was also published in newspapers and on recruitment websites, such as Baitoru, a part-time job app for high school students.

Just after eight o'clock, after spraying waterproof spray on his loafers, Jiuyuan Mirai said, "I'm going out." He put his schoolbag on his shoulder, opened a transparent umbrella, and disappeared in the crowd going to work or school.

In the store, Kamiyo Rin was wiping the wooden table with a rag, doing the daily cleaning before opening.

Masumi also picked up the broom to sweep the floor. When passing by her, he casually said, "Kuon, she seems to be working hard recently."

"Even though the regular exams are over, he's still leaving early and coming back late. Does Beigao have to arrive at school at 9 o'clock?"

"Yeah." Lin Yin nodded slightly, confirming two things at the same time in a concise manner.

She wiped the tabletop clean until it was shiny enough to reveal the outline of her beautiful face. Then she straightened her back, revealing her fair profile through the gaps in her black hair. "I've always worked hard in the future."

"The school rules of Beigao High School are quite strict, right?" Masumi remembered that the girl in front of him was also from Beigao High School.

"After all, we're going to high school, so the annual cultural festival is not something we'll just do perfunctorily."

Always leave some space for students to relax and release stress.

"Fanxing is so close to Beigao, have you ever thought about applying to Beigao?"

"I can't get into a high school with such a high deviation value." Masumi said self-deprecatingly.

"Really? But I heard from Mr. Jing Jian that your grades in junior high school were pretty good."

Masumi was surprised: "I thought he only told you how much of a jerk and unreliable I was."

Linyin nodded expressionlessly, then parted her lips and said, "His next words were, 'Ever since he joined the light music club in high school, he's become so restless and irritable. I should have let him apply to Beigao High School.'"

"That's not surprising." Masumi laughed.

He stopped sweeping the floor, narrowed his eyes slightly in thought, and said, "Well... because I want to start over."

There are many reasons to choose a high school: distance to school, deviation value, club activities, school rules and regulations, or even simply because of a senior who you admire.

"As for me, I simply want to go to a high school where I don't know many people and start anew on my own."

"High school debut?"

"You can say that."

After putting the broom tools back in their place, Masumi walked outside the store and turned the sign that read "CLOSED" over to read "OPEN".

The first day of business for the rainy season has begun.

The view outside the floor-to-ceiling glass windows was blurred due to the rain.

The rain has never subsided since it started. The sound of raindrops hitting the buildings is like the rhythmic sound of a xylophone, gently echoing the jazz music playing in the cafe.

Even in this kind of weather, there are still a few guests who come to visit despite the rain, enjoying the leisure time in their own way.

For example, the light novel writer who is rushing to finish his manuscript.

"Mr. Hojo, I've always wanted to ask, aren't light novels published in volumes? The authors of the series I often read are considered diligent if they publish one book a year. Why do you keep writing every day?"

Asami's question also piqued Masumi's curiosity.

He usually reads comics, light novels, and regular novels to pass the time. Light novels are easy to read, have illustrations at key points, and are quite entertaining, so Masumi prefers them.

The only criticism is that as a serialized literature, light novels have a very touching creation speed. Diligent authors can publish three to four books a year, but the vast majority of authors cannot do it. There are many examples of authors publishing one volume every two years.

In this regard, the number of updates from mystery novel authors is frighteningly high.

The well-known writer Kyotaro Nishimura, whose representative work is the Totsukawa Inspector series, has published more than 600 books throughout his writing career. At his peak, he could publish three works in a month.

When Mr. Hojo heard this, his fingers typing on the keyboard stopped in mid-air. He subconsciously picked up the teacup next to him, but the black tea was already finished. Seeing this, Masumi refilled him with a cup of barley tea.

"Thank you."

The light novel writer, who looked to be in his early twenties, with long, unkempt hair and dark circles under his eyes, took a sip of barley tea. The gloom on his face seemed to fade a little, and then he spoke slowly:
"I'm different from those debut authors. Although I call myself a light novel writer, it's just a way of flattering myself. In reality, I can only serialize light novels on the website."

(End of this chapter)