Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 69 New Year's Special: "One-Day Tour of Chinatown"

On January 1th, Kobe saw a rare light snowfall.

"Masumi-kun, do you know what day it is today?"

When I came back from my morning run, I heard Mami's cheerful voice early in the morning.

"What day?"

Masumi sat on a chair to rest, kneading and massaging his exercised calves with his hands, and responded nonchalantly.

"New Year, it's New Year!"

"You've been drunk since December 12st and haven't sobered up until now?" Masumi complained calmly.

"What do you mean by that, Masumi-kun?" Asami puffed up her cheeks like a pufferfish and then nudged him with her elbow in dissatisfaction. "Are you questioning my drinking tolerance?"

...You actually care about this?
"Uh...is there any doubt about your drinking capacity?"

Masumi said this subconsciously, causing Asami to elbow him again without mercy.

"Ms. Mami is right."

Linyin came out of the kitchen with a plate in her hand, looked at the two people playing around, and said calmly.

"Ok?"

"Today is New Year's Day."

Even the usually serious Kamishiro said so. Could it be that he was the one who traveled through time and space? Masumi couldn't help but fall into self-doubt.

"It's the Chinese New Year." Mami sighed with a look of resignation, revealing the answer in a disappointed tone.

"I see, it's the old New Year."

Masumi finally nodded in understanding.

The "Spring Festival" is an ancient festival that originated in ancient Western countries and usually refers to the first day of the lunar year.

During the Asuka period, the lunar calendar was introduced to the island nation, and the custom of celebrating the Spring Festival began to take root in this land, lasting for more than a thousand years until the fifth year of the Meiji era when the Gregorian calendar was fully adopted.

All the original lunar festivals were forcibly copied to the Gregorian calendar. For example, New Year's Day is on January 1st of the Gregorian calendar, and Chinese Valentine's Day is on July 1th. The dates no longer have anything to do with the phases of the moon.

Since the Lunar New Year is no longer a legal holiday, the custom of celebrating it has gradually faded. Perhaps only in remote areas in southern Kyushu is it occasionally mentioned as a tradition.

"They actually betrayed such a fine tradition. What on earth were the people of Satsuma and Choshu thinking?" Asami lifted her hair in confusion.

"Ms. Mami, do you really like tradition so much?"

Putting the plate of salt-grilled mackerel on the table, Kuon Mirai looked at her curiously.

"Well, if we celebrate New Year's Day and the old lunar calendar at the same time, we can celebrate the New Year twice a year." Mami smiled sweetly.

"So, can I get two lucky moneys a year?"

She looked forward to it with joy.

"You are no longer old enough to receive New Year's money," Masumi said lightly.

"Masumi-kun——"

Those beautiful brown eyes cast a resentful look.

"what?"

"You're such a killjoy."

Mami let out a mock sigh. After the food was served, the five of them sat down to eat and chat.

"I heard that if you give Lucky Birth Money over a certain amount, you'll have to pay gift tax. I think it's... 110 million yen! Does anyone really receive that much Lucky Birth Money?"

"There should be some, such as the young masters and young ladies of the consortium families." Masumi said casually.

This is quite common in the light novels he has read recently.

"Hey, if it's a big family like that, would they still stick to the traditions of the old New Year?"

Mami seems to be very interested in the New Year's Day today.

“…Does anyone still celebrate the Spring Festival now?”

Masumi thought for a moment, "On New Year's Eve, Tokyo Tower seems to change colors to celebrate the New Year."

It’s just that he has been in Tokyo for five years and has never visited it specifically.

"Hey, Tokyo Tower can change colors," she said in a surprised voice, then asked, "Then why can't Kobe Tower change colors? That's lame."

"Who knows." Masumi shook his head.

"And then there's Yokohama's Chinatown. It's always bustling this time of year."

"If you want to say where the Spring Festival atmosphere is the best, it must be there."

"Why are they all in Kanto?" Mami was depressed. "Does Kansai have no presence at all?"

"Sister Mami, do you want to experience the atmosphere of celebrating the Spring Festival?" asked Kuon Mirai.

"Uh-huh."

Mami nodded rapidly.

"I see... Isn't the only Chinatown in Kansai in Kobe? There will definitely be people celebrating there."

"Oh," Asami suddenly realized, "I forgot. There's a Chinatown in Kobe."

"But there are usually not many people there. It seems very deserted. Will there really be any celebrations?"

"If you want to know, just go and take a look."

Rin said this nonchalantly, which was exactly what Mami wanted.

She smiled cheerfully, as if to say "I've been waiting for you to say that," and announced enthusiastically, "Okay! Since Rin'in-chan has said so, let's all go to Chinatown to celebrate the New Year together!"

"So this is your purpose." Masumi sighed.

Mami ignored him, blinked her round eyes, and looked at Hanekawa Kaizuki who remained silent the entire time: "Kaizuki, you want to go too, right? Maybe there's some delicious bread there."

The persuasive tone sounded a little strange.

"Yeah... I want to go." Haiyue lived up to Mami's expectations and nodded slightly.

This girl has always been a person who is not good at making decisions on her own, like a soft jellyfish that goes with the flow. It is not difficult to take Haiyue out to play.

The only thing you need to pay attention to is to take good care of her to prevent her from being accidentally swept away by the crowd. In this respect, she is like a child who needs care.

"Okay! Let's go out and celebrate the New Year together!"

Asami couldn't wait to shout.

"Let's finish breakfast first." Rinyin drank a mouthful of miso soup with a spoon and said slowly.

After breakfast, after Rinyin washed the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen, the girls went back to their rooms to change clothes and walked together to the nearby station to catch the train.

Get off at Motomachi Station and walk for 5 minutes to Chinatown.

Before noon, this narrow street, about 270 meters wide from east to west and 110 meters long from north to south, was crowded with tourists.

"So many people, are there usually so many people on this street?"

Asami looked at the crowd curiously.

Mirai thought for a moment and replied, "This street has a lot of snacks, so after school every day there are a lot of female high school students."

"But this is the first time I've seen so many people like this."

"That's it."

Red lanterns are hung everywhere, and the falling snow looks like salt crystals, with a strong contrast between red and white.

At the same time, the aroma of salty snacks wafted through the air.

Hundreds of shops lined the streets, their colorful signboards looking quite unique. Masumi glanced at Rin's indifferent expression and followed the other girls into the crowd of tourists.

"Crackling——"

The loud sound of firecrackers suddenly exploded in my ears, and the tourists who were originally talking and laughing around were startled. Their attention was all focused on the quiet center of the street. After the performance team lit the firecrackers, they beat gongs and drums and began to parade.

Looking at the bustling crowd, Masumi couldn't help but sigh, "It really does have a festive atmosphere."

"Look, these actors have heavy paint on their faces."

Mami pointed to the parade in the middle of the road and said, "They have lots of small flags behind them, just like warriors."

"This is a performance style called Peking Opera, and it has quite a long history." Linyin briefly explained, then nodded slightly in approval. "I really enjoy this traditional art form."

"Hey, it sounds so babbling, I can't understand it at all. Is there really anyone who likes this kind of performance?"

"You just don't know how to appreciate it." Masumi complained.

"The only thing I don't want is for Masumi-kun to say that."

Mami glanced at him unhappily: "Masumi-kun also likes this performance called "Peking Opera"? "

“Although it’s my first time seeing it, it feels very unique and charming.”

"Eh--really? Really? You didn't mean to say that." Asami pouted.

After hearing Masumi's words, Rinone turned her gaze away from the actor, a rare hint of eagerness flashing through her cold expression. She looked at Masumi and asked, "Do you also think it has a kind of 'special' charm?"

"……"special"?"

Masumi was startled, then after carefully chewing on the word, nodded in approval. "It does have a certain 'special' charm."

"Is that why you like it?"

"Well, I like things that have that 'special' charm."

A faint blush appeared on her snow-white skin, and Masumi was a little dazed watching her express her love so frankly.

Kamiyo Rin has always given him the impression of being calm and mature, so the girlish side she occasionally reveals is bound to make people's heart beat faster.

"You two actually have a common topic in this regard?"

Asami sighed dumbfoundedly, then stared intently at the performance team, frowning in confusion as she murmured softly, "Charm..."

They were standing in the front row of the crowd of tourists. After singing a few lines, the actors walked towards the tourists on both sides, waving their sleeves and greeting the audience.

An actor in a black costume and a green mask passed by Mami. Noticing her fixed gaze, he suddenly stopped and stared at Mami.

"Uh……"

The silent stare was a little awkward. Mami pursed her lips, wondering whether she should say hello first, when a gust of wind lifted by the sleeves of her wide robe made her squint.

At this moment, the actor's face mask had changed from green to white without anyone noticing.

"Whoa!"

Mami was startled at first, and after subconsciously taking two steps back, her eyes suddenly sparkled, and she uttered incoherently in surprise, "Great, that's amazing!"

"I feel the charm of Peking Opera!"

"Sister Mami, that's Sichuan Opera face-changing, not Peking Opera." Linyin said helplessly.

After showing off his skills in front of Mami, the Sichuan Opera face-changing actor kept waving his sleeves, and the colorful facial mask flowed across his face, making the surrounding tourists applaud in amazement.

Masumi glanced at Asami, who was obviously immersed in the "special" charm of "Kawaguchi Opera".

"Ah—look everyone, that's so cute."

I heard Mirai's slightly excited voice, and following the direction of her finger, several fluffy little animals came jumping onto the stage.

"Is this... a lion dance?"

Masumi had seen the performance called "Lion Dance" before, but today was a little special.

The actors wearing lion dance costumes are all children with childish faces, but they all have serious expressions during the performance. The cute contrast is very popular with female and elderly tourists.

"These kids are really amazing," Mami couldn't help but sigh. "Sure enough, it's not Chinatown without lion dances."

Masumi was a little overwhelmed by the series of performances. Suddenly, someone gently tugged at the corner of his clothes.

"what happened?"

He turned his head, and his blue eyes looked straight at him.

"I want to eat...that..."

Haiyue pointed to the snack stall next to her.

She was pointing to a snack wrapped in a brown paper bag with the Chinese characters "xiao ma hua" (small ma hua) written on the package and a portrait of Zhuge Kongming printed next to it. It looked like an authentic Chinese snack.

There is a handwritten Japanese introduction on the cardboard next to it. It is a snack called Yoriyori. One bag is 208g and costs 453 yen including tax.

"This seems to be spicy, can you eat it?" Masumi asked her.

"No problem... probably..."

Is it really okay?

He found a 500 yen coin from his wallet and bought a bag of snacks from the stall owner. Masumi opened the package and handed it to Haiyue.

"Give."

The girl didn't take the bag, but reached in and took a small twist, then took a bite with a crunch.

"what about the taste?"

The small fried dough twist seemed very hard. Haiyue chewed it silently, then swallowed the snack in her mouth with her snow-white throat rolling. She said to him slowly:
"Masumi... try it too..."

"Yeah." Masumi nodded and picked up a small twist and put it in his mouth.

"Crack--Crack--"

The texture is a bit hard and the taste is average. Although it is said to be spicy, the actual taste is more sweet and spicy.

It's not his favorite flavor anyway.

"You can eat the rest."

Masumi handed the snack to the girl, but she gently pushed it away.

"I don't want to eat it."

Haiyue shook her head slightly: "It's not as delicious as I imagined."

So I didn't even look at it.

He's just a willful child.

The snacks in his hand were despised by the two men, and Zhuge Kongming was sweating on his forehead.

"Eh? Masumi-kun, you bought some snacks."

After the intermission of the performance over there, three people walked towards them.

"Would you like to try it?"

Masumi held the opening of the paper bag toward her, and Asami picked up one and put it in her mouth.

"Crack--Crack--"

After a chewing sound.

"It tastes just average," Mami commented. "But it's a good snack to go with alcohol."

"In that case, you can eat it all."

"Hey, you're very generous today, Masumi-kun. I won't be polite then."

She took the snacks, and as if by magic, a foil-wrapped box of sake appeared in her hand.

It’s still the local brand “Demon Slayer Sake” from Hyogo Prefecture, but this time it’s packaged in blue and white.

"You actually carry alcohol with you."

"Hehe, that's pretty impressive."

She seemed to take this as something to be proud of and became complacent.

"Speaking of which... I've been standing for too long and I'm a little hungry. How about going to eat something?"

"Sure." Lin Yin nodded slightly, "But I haven't been here much, do you have any restaurant recommendations?"

"There's a store over there called Lao Xiangji. Their pork buns are very famous. My classmates and I have been there to eat." Weilai said.

"Pork buns? Yeah, yeah!"

Asami drank half a box of sake with a "gulp" and let out a satisfied sigh.

The five people then headed towards the pork bun store that Jiuyuan mentioned.

After only a few steps, he stopped in front of the dark crowd.

"Uh... this is too exaggerated." Asami sighed in astonishment as she looked at the long queue in front of the store.

Popular restaurants are always like this, and coupled with the Japanese people's tendency to follow trends, it's impossible to eat here before dark.

"How about we eat something that suits the festive atmosphere?" Masumi suggested.

"Food for a festive occasion?" Asami wondered. "Mochi? Soba?"

"For the Spring Festival, it should be dumplings." Linyin said lightly.

"Fried dumplings?"

“Dumplings.”

"Dumplings? The kind you get from Wang Jiang?" Mami showed a slightly disdainful expression. "The dumpling skin is sticky and feels like glutinous rice. I don't like it."

"Fried dumplings are definitely better. They're crispy and perfect with soy sauce and rice."

"Sister Mami, everyone eats dumplings on the Spring Festival." Kuon Mirai said.

"Eh, is that so..." Mami thought about it with a troubled look on her face, and finally compromised: "Forget it, since we are here to experience the festival, let's go all the way."

The five of them then found a Chinese restaurant that specialized in selling dumplings.

The restaurant's customer seats were also full. After waiting for a while, they sat down at a window seat on the second floor.

When the receptionist heard that they ordered dumplings, he looked slightly surprised and took a closer look at them.

Masumi, Mirai, and Rinne ordered dumplings stuffed with pork and cabbage, Mami ordered dumplings stuffed with beef and onion, and Kaizuki ordered dumplings stuffed with fish.

"I kept you waiting."

The waiter brought out five plates of steaming dumplings.

"Oh, it looks pretty good."

Mami straightened her chopsticks, picked up a dumpling, dipped it in some soy sauce, brought it to her lips, and took a tentative bite.

The beautiful brown eyes blinked, and then a surprised sound was uttered.

"Hmm~ This dumpling skin is so smooth, it tastes completely different from the ones I've had before."

She chewed with a smile on her face.

"Try it quickly, it won't taste good if it gets cold."

"Ah."

Masumi responded, picked up the chopsticks, and suddenly thought of something. His movement towards the dumplings paused, and he immediately said something to the others.

"Happy New Year."

The four girls also stopped, looked at each other, and then their beautiful eyes looked at him in unison.

Rinne was the first to come back to her senses and responded softly, "Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year……"

"happy New Year to all."

After wishing each other a happy new year, Masumi glanced out the window.

Powder snow, granular snow, soft snow, wet snow, hard snow, rough snow, and ice and snow slowly fell over the city.

　Thanks to 17th's Black Cat for the tip to Kamishiro Rin, thanks to yu Yuyu for the 5000 starting coins tip, thanks to everyone for the subscription, monthly tickets, recommendation tickets and comments

　　
　
(End of this chapter)