I became Hokage in Tokyo

Chapters 37 and 38: Princely Daimyo (100,000 words, please read and add to your favorites)

On Tuesday, the lunch break bell rings gently at Jinguji High School. Students laugh and joke as they rush out of the classroom to the cafeteria, or gather in small groups to share tables in the classroom or enjoy their lunches together in any available space on campus.

Naruto Uchiha carried a double-layered bento box and walked into the cafeteria with Hikaru Tanaka.

This lunchbox was secretly handed to Uchiha Naruto by Takasaki Tsuki when she waited for him at the school gate that morning, avoiding the students' gaze, as a way of thanking him for helping Takasaki An out of a predicament last night.

Takasaki Tsuki's cooking skills are quite good. Since it's a free meal, why not take it?

When he received the bento box, it was still slightly warm, but it had gone cold by morning. Unlike his classmates, Uchiha Naruto didn't like eating cold bento boxes.

The school cafeteria also has microwave ovens, which are perfect for heating things up.

By the time Uchiha Naruto had heated up his bento and sat down to eat, Tanaka Hikaru was already sitting next to him with a tempura set meal, quite familiar with the situation.

Opening the bento box, one layer contains side dishes such as meatballs, fried chikuwa, grilled mackerel chunks, and cold burdock salad, while the other layer is filled with rice, topped with seaweed rice seasoning.

"Uchiha, why are you suddenly bringing bento boxes? Judging from the way they're made, it looks like they're made by a girl. Uchiha, you haven't betrayed your single life and secretly gotten a girlfriend, have you?" Tanaka Hikaru asked with wide eyes and a look of surprise.

"I actually just bought this bento at a convenience store near my home," Uchiha Naruto said casually.

Whether Tanaka Mitsuru believed it or not, he didn't care and just picked up his chopsticks.

I must have seen Naruto Uchiha's appetite in the cooking class; this bento box is very thick and substantial.

"A convenience store bento box?"

Tanaka Hikaru's small eyes darted around, his face showing disbelief.

"Here, have this precious fried shrimp. Let me try your meatballs!"

"No need, help yourself if you want some."

Seeing that Tanaka Hikaru hadn't touched his chopsticks yet, Uchiha Naruto said indifferently.

"Very good, with a full and firm texture. When you bite into it, the juices burst in your mouth. It's 30% fat and 70% lean, and it's also a bit crunchy. It's because of the water chestnuts."

Tanaka Hikaru stretched out his chopsticks, picked up a meatball, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed it heartily.

"This tastes good, very good. Most importantly, there's no taste of romance. It seems you, Uchiha, haven't betrayed your brothers to find a girlfriend."

After finishing the meatballs, Tanaka Hikaru, like a gourmet, gave them a satisfied evaluation.

"It tastes pretty good. Let me try another piece of mackerel. I love fish the most."

Tanaka Hikaru reached out his chopsticks and picked up a piece of grilled mackerel. As soon as he put it in his mouth, his brows furrowed.

"The taste is just average, much inferior to the meatballs from before. It's almost as if they weren't made by the same person. But, the thought behind it..."

As he carefully chewed the mackerel in his mouth, a complex expression appeared on Tanaka Hikaru's face:

"With a shy gratitude, the girl's feelings of affection seem to be just beginning to blossom. Uchiha, you really do have a girlfriend after all!"

Uchiha Naruto found it somewhat laughable. "Tanaka Hikaru, do you think you have some kind of divine tongue that can taste the emotions in food? Do you think you're the male protagonist of some gourmet anime?"

Food is simply a matter of whether it tastes good or bad; there's no such thing as heartfelt sentiment involved. The so-called "taste of mom" is nothing more than a familiar taste from memory.

Shaking his head, Naruto Uchiha picked up a meatball and took a bite. It was indeed delicious, with a home-style flavor, yet with subtle variations, leaving a lingering aftertaste.

Remembering Tanaka Hikaru's words, he picked up the grilled mackerel again and tasted it. Hmm, it was indeed as Tanaka Hikaru said, very ordinary, and the cooking time was a little too long, making it dry and tough.

This dish was noticeably inferior to the ones I'd had before. Did Takasaki Tsuki make a mistake?

Anyway, it's edible, and Uchiha Naruto has never cared about the taste. He picked up the bento box and devoured it in a flash.

After finishing his meal, he heard Tanaka Hikaru chatting and rambling, talking about how he was making great strides in compiling files on all the girls in the school, and how he would soon have all the girls' body measurements under his control.

"What do you know about Matsudaira Chiyo, a second-year student?"

Tanaka Hikaru is a well-informed person, so he must know more.

"Matsudaira-senpai, she's an unattainable beauty, a true lady of high society!"

When this was mentioned, Tanaka Hikaru became quite animated, his eyes shining as he launched into a long, detailed explanation:

"The surname Matsudaira is extremely prestigious. If we go back three hundred years, when it was still under the rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the noble Matsudaira-senpai was entitled to have the character 'Hime' added to her name. Commoners like us would have to kneel down and lower our heads when we saw her carriage pass by."

Matsudaira?

Although Uchiha Naruto wasn't very good at studying Japanese history, he did have some understanding of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The original surname of the old turtle Tokugawa Ieyasu was Matsudaira.

"You mean Matsudaira? The Matsudaira that only a daimyo of the royal domain could use?"

After Tokugawa Ichiro gained control of the country, the daimyo lords who were related to the Tokugawa family by blood were called "shinhan" (intimate lords). Except for the three families and three ministers who were closest in blood and were allowed to use Tokugawa as their surname, the other Shinhan could only use their old surname, Matsudaira.

If that's true, then Matsudaira Chiyo really is an extraordinary young lady.

However, Naruto Uchiha felt that he was just so-so. As the saying goes, a phoenix that has lost its feathers is no better than a chicken. After the Meiji Restoration, the Tokugawa family withdrew from the center of power. After more than a hundred years of great historical changes, even the Tokugawa main family and the three great families and three noble families declined, let alone the branch families.

"Matsudaira-senpai is not only of noble lineage and fair-skinned and beautiful, but most importantly, she also has a rare kind heart. When Matsudaira-senpai was in Jinguji Junior High School, she was very famous for helping others. My mother told me that many of the scholarships and grants in Jinguji Junior and Senior High Schools were established under her initiative."

"Uchiha, why are you suddenly asking this? Could it be that you've fallen for Matsudaira-senpai at first sight? But even a handsome guy like you would have a hard time winning him over, right?" Tanaka Hikaru asked curiously.

Naruto Uchiha skipped over the details and simply said that he had been invited by Chiyo Matsudaira to join the support department.

"What kind of campus romance comedy is this?! A lone boy and a lone girl in a room—why didn't this kind of good fortune happen to me? I wish I could skip thirty years of hard work. Is it really true that being handsome means you can do whatever you want?"

Tanaka Hikaru was so envious he was gritting his teeth, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was slamming his fist on the table as if he wanted to devour the Uchiha alive.

"Would you like me to introduce you to the support department?"

"Really?!"

"Of course, we're friends. The club only has two people, so we're probably short-handed. Even if you can't join, the support club's purpose is to help your classmates. Tanaka, I think you're the one who desperately needs help. Not having a girlfriend must be tough for you, right? But you're already in the archery club, so it shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"What archery club? I've been tired of that for ages. Uchiha, you're truly my brother, no, my second parents!" Tanaka Hikaru said, his eyes filled with tears and his voice trembling with emotion.

Judging from his expression, if they weren't in the bustling cafeteria, Tanaka Hikaru might have even bowed to Uchiha in gratitude.

"Come on, there's still some time before lunch break ends. Minister Matsudaira should still be in the event building. Let's not delay any longer."

Uchiha stood up and led the way outside, with Tanaka Hikaru following eagerly behind.

"Uchiha, if I successfully join the club, I'll treat you to a big meal this weekend."

Arriving at room 501 of the club activity building, Naruto Uchiha casually knocked on the door, waited a few seconds for a reply, and then pushed the door open and entered.

The girl sat behind the huge mahogany desk, wearing frameless black-rimmed glasses, and was writing something with a serious expression.

"Uchiha, it's not even time for after-school club activities yet, and you're already in such a hurry to see me? Are you some kind of tsundere?"

Matsudaira Chiyo raised her head and gave Uchiha a charming smile. A breeze blew in through the half-open window, ruffling her long black hair.

Tanaka Hikaru stared in disbelief.

Seeing Tanaka Hikaru's expression, Matsudaira Chiyo's gaze shifted, and her smile became indifferent.

"Who is this dazed-looking male student?"

Tanaka Hikaru's face flushed red, and he swallowed hard a few times, his mouth opening and closing, but he couldn't say a word.

I never expected that someone as smooth-talking as Tanaka Hikaru would become so timid and stuttering when it really matters.

"Ahem, this is my classmate, Tanaka Hikaru from Class B. He heard I joined the support club, so he came to check on me. He's had a lot of troubles since birth and needs help," Uchiha Naruto said with a light cough.

"Oh dear, maybe I forgot to mention it yesterday? The support department is not accepting requests from boys for the time being."

Matsudaira Chiyo scrutinized Tanaka Hikaru for a moment, then chuckled, "Since it's a problem that's been there since birth, perhaps it would be better to consider starting over with a different account in life."

"Tanaka-kun isn't a proxy; he wants to join the club. Tanaka-kun is also a knowledgeable and well-read person with a great memory. He also likes to help his classmates, which aligns perfectly with the support club's mission. He's the kind of talent you, Captain, are lacking, and I'd like to recommend him for membership."

"Since it's a recommendation from the Uchiha clan, I'll give them a chance. Uchiha, please step out first; I need to interview Tanaka-kun privately."

"Uchiha..."

Tanaka Hikaru was already considering giving up, and he looked at Uchiha Naruto with a pleading look. Uchiha Naruto patted Tanaka Hikaru on the shoulder, whispered a word of encouragement, "Good luck," and then left the activity room.

Naruto Uchiha retreated outside the door, naturally not going to eavesdrop by leaning against the door. He took out his phone and casually scrolled through a few pages.

A news item caught his attention:

"Did the Ground Self-Defense Force conduct military exercises today in Yamanashi Prefecture, which borders Tokyo?"

I've reached 100,000 words, and the protagonist hasn't seen any blood yet, only killed a few minor monsters. I'm going to speed things up now and have him go on a killing spree.

The current state of Qidian is too competitive, especially in the death zone of light novels. The authors of the same period are all incredibly talented, and I can only beg to read and collect their works.

(End of this chapter)