Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 91:22 Daily Business at the Beach

Chapter 91:22. "Daily Business at the Beach (2)"

"Hekawa, take a break. I bought some ice cream."

"Thanks……"

"Which flavor do you want?"

"……yogurt."

"Here you go, wait, where are you going?"

"At the beach...looking at the jellyfish washed up by the waves..."

"Oh, don't go too far, and put on this sunhat."

"Ah."

Wearing a sun hat askew, her flaxen hair swaying gently, Haiyue walked towards the beach, walking barefoot on the scorching sand.

"Where are your slippers?" Masumi asked.

"Because I had to be really close to the beach to see the jellyfish... so I didn't wear anything..."

"I see." He warned, "Don't go too deep."

"Oh, I see……"

At the beach on a weekday, the three employees of the Sea House today are Masumi, Rinone and Umizuki.

During the rare break, Rin was staring at the tableware.

She felt a cool touch on her forehead. She lifted her eyelids and slowly raised her soft eyelashes, and her vision was then covered by a touch of green.

It's Meiji's Matcha White Ball Ice Cream.

"Eat an ice cream to cool down," said Masumi.

He calmly looked at the girl in front of him with long black hair. Her long hair, which was usually loose, was tied into a ponytail at the back of her head to dissipate heat. Her snow-white skin was slightly red due to the steaming summer heat.

"Thank you."

Linyin took the ice cream, tore open the package, put it to her lips and took a small bite.

Her amethyst-clear eyes were still staring at the tableware in a daze.

"What's wrong?" Masumi frowned in confusion. "Is there something wrong with these tableware?"

"No."

Linyin shook her head slightly.

"Really? I always feel like you seem to be struggling with something." Masumi didn't beat around the bush and expressed his feelings directly.

After all, he had lived with Rin for some time, and when interacting with others, he was somewhat influenced by the girl's frank personality.

"...Is my expression obvious?"

She was a little surprised.

Masumi shook his head: "Not at all."

"I should say... I can tell from their aura or their eyes."

He carefully considered his words. Although the girl always had a cold expression, her beautiful purple eyes contained a lot of emotions: "I feel this way."

"so."

Rin's face had the same indifferent expression as always.

"...That's quite sharp."

This sentence was said in a very low voice, and the next sentence was raised to a volume that could be heard by two people.

"I was actually thinking that the tableware here seems a bit boring."

"I've been thinking about this since I went to that sushi restaurant called 'Umi no Hana' last time."

Located in the Haiya branch farthest from "Fanxing", the nigiri sushi here is top-notch. Not only does it maintain a perfect balance between the taste of the ingredients and the vinegared rice, but the plates used are also specially made in-house.

The exquisite patterns and shapes complement the exquisitely presented nigiri sushi.

"I see." Masumi nodded slightly.

"But I don't think there's any need to worry about it."

"Ok?"

Rinyin cast a curious look at him.

Masumi seemed to think that it was not a good idea to deny her thoughts in this way, so she paused for a moment, but then she was relieved. She felt that there was no need to be so cautious in front of Kamishiro, and she could just say what she wanted to say directly.

He then said, "I think this is God's style for you."

"My style?"

Linyin tilted her head slightly to express her confusion.

"Kamiyo, you've always disliked doing unnecessary things. You'll do your utmost to shoulder your 'responsibilities' in areas you deem important, without getting bogged down in minor details. Your efforts and seriousness are evident in your actions, and I presume this is your style."

Masumi explained, "Since you've already put so much effort into decorating the dessert, there's no need to worry about the plates or anything like that. After all, the food in our restaurant is already gorgeous enough."

Speaking of gorgeousness, Masumi's latte art also seems to have a good publicity effect on this beach, but she only has time to do so when she is not busy.

“…Is that so?”

"Thank you," she said softly.

"It seems I'm getting too stuck in a rut."

Hearing the unexpected answer, Rin'in remained calm and took another bite of her ice cream. As they chatted, the surface of the ice cream melted in the summer heat.

The moisture on it moistened her lips, giving them a shimmering, moist luster. They looked as delicious as velvet strawberry cake, making one want to taste the sweetness.

Masumi then took a bite of the matcha ice cream in his hand.

It is bitter, but bitter on the outside and sweet on the inside.

The slight bitterness and sweetness at the entrance spread on the tip of the tongue and melted in the mouth. Masumi spoke again.

"I'm not being picky. I think this is also your strength."

"It's precisely because you're a serious person that you get so hung up on this kind of thing."

Lin Yin frowned slightly: "...Are you being too gentle today?"

"Have it?"

Masumi was completely unaware.

"Yeah." She nodded firmly and said helplessly, "It seems that no matter what I do, in your eyes, it will become something worthy of praise."

"I'm sorry if this bothered you..."

"I didn't say it was bad."

Linyin blurted out, interrupting him.

Upon hearing that, Masumi blinked in surprise, then saw her turning her face away to avoid the issue, with her ears exposed from under her long ponytail, stained with a faint blush.

Probably because of the hot weather.

"only……"

"I'm not as good as you say."

Linyin turned her head, and her expression immediately returned to her usual calm state:
"Regarding 'my style' you mentioned, it's not that I don't care, but I'm not capable of being perfect in every aspect, so I try to play to my strengths and avoid my weaknesses."

"Otherwise, my self-doubt will affect the areas where I could have done well."

"For example, when running a coffee shop, I just focus on the food, hygiene, and suppliers because that's all I can do."

"If it weren't for you, the coffee shop would probably still be deserted under my management. That's why I want to return the position of heir to you."

"That's too much. I didn't do anything."

"The new design and decoration plan is from you, right?"

"That's based on Instagram bloggers and the designs of the store where I used to work."

"No, to be more specific, it's plagiarism." Masumi joked, "I hope the manager of the part-time job shop won't come to Kobe to demand royalties."

"...You were the one who pointed out the depressing atmosphere in the store."

“Simply pointing out a problem is not enough; solving it is the key.”

"And the atmosphere of the store wasn't transformed by me alone. The uniforms designed by Chiai, and the new desserts you and Mami served under Miss Shionji's guidance, all contributed greatly."

"Then, the barista job, and teaching me how to make coffee..."

"Since you're getting paid, you have to work hard."

"It's common for seniors and juniors to exchange coffee skills. My latte art technique was taught by a senior at Streamer."

"..."

Her soft lips were pursed into a "ヘ" shape in displeasure, and Rinyin cast a sharp look at him.

"What's wrong? Looking at me like that."

"Are you a Teflon-coated iron pan?"

"What's that description like?"

Masumi smiled frivolously, then said seriously, "Anyway, I just want to tell you that in my eyes, you are a very strong person, so it's okay to have a little more confidence in yourself."

"I believe that Kuon, Seno, and Chiai must also be thinking the same thing in their hearts."

"Sure enough, you've been too gentle today."

Rin said nonchalantly, a blush creeping up her cheeks from her ears. "Is it really that hot?" Masumi took the last bite of his ice cream and subconsciously reached for the glass next to him, only to find it was empty.

I heard the girl's clear voice, along with the sound of the sea tide:
“I never expect anything from others.”

"Similarly, I was afraid of being expected by others, so I kept my distance from them."

I don’t want to rely on or cherish anyone because I’m afraid that one day they will leave me - they will expect me to be close to them because of my “specialness”, but in the process of getting to know them, they discover my weak side and leave in disappointment.

Rinyin didn't want this to happen.

So just don't expect it.

"But if you praise me so much now, I can only..." she said with a sigh.

Masumi was puzzled: "Only what?"

"……nothing."

Rinyin spoke softly as if she was exhausted, not daring to look at Masumi, for she was afraid that her thoughts would be revealed in her eyes.

(Isn’t it just a matter of responding to your expectations?)
Seeing that she seemed to be hesitant to speak, Masumi was about to ask further questions but was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"……I'm back."

Taking off her sun-protective straw hat, Haiyue appeared in the store with a smile on her face.

"You're in a good mood, you see the jellyfish?" Masumi asked.

"Ah."

She nodded slightly, picked up the mobile phone in the waterproof bag, opened the video in the album, and clicked play.

A wild jellyfish, completely transparent, is swaying and floating with the waves under the afternoon sun.

"It's my first time seeing wild jellyfish..."

Perhaps because he was so happy that he couldn't suppress it, his blue pupils were sparkling, like the sea reflecting the starry sky, or like the starry sky with a blue background because of the sea.

"That's it."

Masumi nodded and said happily for her, "It's a really good experience."

After looking away from the phone screen, he immediately noticed Haiyue's jeans legs stained with mud and sand, and frowned slightly: "How did it happen?"

"The sand next to the jellyfish...sinks...I wasn't paying attention...and I fell..."

"Didn't I tell you to be careful?" Masumi frowned even deeper and asked with concern, "Are you hurt?"

"No."

Haiyue shook her head quietly, her eyes avoiding the viewer, behaving like a child who had done something wrong.

"Don't get me wrong." Masumi relaxed his brows and said in a softer tone, "I'm not angry."

"Ah."

Haiyue responded simply.

"But... my feet are covered in sand... it's a bit uncomfortable."

I just walked on the beach and fell into the sea. The sticky sand got stuck between my toes and it felt very uncomfortable.

"There should be a footbath pool over there if you walk over there, right?"

"Yeah, but there are so many people... we have to queue..."

“It’s public, after all.”

Masumi thought for a moment and said, "I'll take you to the staff pool."

"Where are your slippers?"

"there."

Haiyue's beach slippers are flip-flop style, with anti-slip patterns on the bottom, the upper fits the shape of the arch of the foot, and the heel is very thick, so it is indeed not suitable for going into the water.

He grabbed the laces by the toe and lifted the slippers in his hands. The soft aqua fabric had a cute jellyfish print on it.

It's quite heavy in my hand.

"let's go."

Behind the Sea House, there is a small pool for employees to use. Of course, it is also open to tourists, but there is a fee. And because the employees of the Sea House are basically active in the store, it is rarely used.

Two people came here and there was no one around.

Haiyue walked into the pool barefoot, turned on the faucet, first lifted her left foot under the water, rubbed her five crystal clear toes, and cleaned the fine sand between her toes.

"Masumi..."

"what happened?"

"Help……"

"I can't do it alone..."

"Oh."

I can't stand on one foot.

Masumi responded, put the beach slippers in his hand aside, walked over, and let Haiyue put her hand on his shoulder to keep her balance.

As a result, the jellyfish girl leaned half of her body weight over.

"Help me wash..."

"So this is how you help." Masumi sighed.

"Masumi... don't you like it?"

Haiyue blinked: "I heard from Mami that... this is a reward for Masumi..."

"Don't believe the nonsense she said."

Masumi sighed as if in trouble, reached out and held the girl's snow-white slender feet. Her skin was soft and her bones were well-proportioned.

"Well."

Haiyue let out a soft moan.

"It's so itchy."

I almost forgot, she mentioned before that her skin is very sensitive.

"Why don't you wash it yourself?"

"Don't..." Haiyue's face showed a pitiful expression, and she begged: "I will try my best to be patient..."

"So... please don't stop..."

"Wait a minute, I understand."

I always feel that this line is a bit strange.

Masumi lifted the soles of her feet with her palms, letting the water flow over the graceful curves of her feet and her cute and dainty toes, carefully washing away the fine sand stuck in the cracks of her skin.

During this period, the girl kept making sounds that could be easily misunderstood.

"Please bear with it. I don't want any strange rumors to spread on this beach."

"Wow...I know..."

Haiyue covered her mouth, and occasionally a few soft, fragmented words like a young swallow's feathers flowed out from between her lips and teeth. It seemed that she was enduring with great difficulty.

After finally washing both feet, the girl put her wet bare feet into flip-flops, and her fair cheeks flushed.

"Thank you... Masumi..."

"It's okay, go back to the store and continue preparing for business."

Masumi turned on the faucet.

"Ah."

She responded softly.

As soon as she returned to the store, Haiyue sat down on the chair weakly, and her relaxed face looked a bit like a capybara.

"I'm so tired... I have no strength left..."

"You're not that unmotivated." Masumi complained.

The girl pursed her lips, as if mumbling something to herself.

"What did you say?"

Masumi put his ear closer.