Tokyo: Love Begins with Controlling the Rich Girl

He didn't have any particular interest in the exam before.

Do your best. As long as you've tried your best, you can have a clear conscience even if you don't do well on the exam.

But now, that idea has changed.

This feeling of being constantly held is suffocating.

He wants to aim for the highest possible score in the exams and get rid of Ayase Yuki.

But thinking about this, Shimada Sho couldn't help but think about his current studies.

His knowledge of Chinese literature and history is very weak.

Even with tutoring from the young lady and the help of her younger sister's notes, she made progress.

However, this kind of progress is very limited when applied to exams.

Barely passing was his most optimistic estimate for this exam.

Now, how easy is it to break free from Yuki Ayase and aim for higher levels in the college entrance exam?

In contrast, Yuki Ayase only needs to maintain her score near the passing mark, or even control it to just barely pass.

It's almost certain that he's categorized in the same tier as them.

Unless Shimada Sho submits a blank paper, there's no way to avoid it.

Is this what it means to have the leisure time of a top student?

Shimada Sho felt a headache coming on.

Just then, the test papers were handed out.

Shimada Sho took a deep breath, picked up his pen, and began working.

Question 1: Honorifics selection.

Question: Which of the following options has the same meaning as "徒然" in "徒然なるままに" (to follow one's heart)?

A. Standing blankly B. Wasted effort C. Apprentice D. Suddenly

Shimada Sho looked at the question and felt it was somewhat familiar.

I think I saw it in the test paper I was helping the young lady with last week?

Shimada Sho recalled the differences that the young lady mentioned when she tutored him.

They made their choice without hesitation.

After filling in the blank, skip to the next question: Which of the following sentences best refers to the meaning of "これ"?

A. Forest B. Birds C. People D. Time.

Yes, we're quite familiar with each other.

This question was also on the young lady's test paper, which is quite a coincidence.

Thinking this way, Shimada Sho felt a little relieved.

Two consecutive multiple-choice questions, and I've easily secured four points. If I can get a few more right, I might just surpass the passing grade.

With this in mind, Shimada Sho looked at the next question with renewed fighting spirit.

Question: Which of the following phrases are correct honorifics?

"Huh?" Shimada Sho suddenly opened his eyes halfway through reading. "What's going on?"

If you've seen one or two questions before, you can explain it as a coincidence.

What if the third one is the same?

Shimada Sho stopped writing.

Instead of working through the questions one by one, he quickly scrolled down and scanned the whole thing.

Then he discovered that he had seen all of these questions before!

Just last week, on the test paper I helped the young lady with.

It's not just that the question stems are similar, they are completely identical!

The second question, the third question, the fourth question... every question was so familiar to him that it made his scalp tingle.

All of them were questions from that test paper.

In that room at the shrine, filled with the scent of incense, he was watched by the young lady as he went through each and every step of the process.

There was a question about honorifics that he didn't know the answer to, so he specifically went to ask Yuki Ayase for the answer.

That question was placed in the third multiple-choice section.

Shimada Sho held the pen, his mind a complete mess.

what happened?

This set of exam papers was produced by the education division of the Kamishiro Zaibatsu.

As the only daughter of the Kamishiro family, it makes sense that the young lady received the questions in advance.

It makes sense that she found it boring and decided to do it.

But why was it specifically the same thing he did when he logged in?

Is it a coincidence?

Or……

Shimada Sho recalled what the young lady had said when he logged in that day.

“Mr. Thug made many mistakes. Today it’s my turn to give Mr. Thug a lesson.”

"Let's start with the Chinese text where Mr. Thug made the most mistakes."

"I have already compiled the relevant knowledge points."

At the time, he didn't think much of it, assuming it was just a young lady's sudden whim to become a teacher.

But looking back now, those knowledge points and those example questions, every single one of them precisely hit his weak points.

Her notes were so targeted, it was as if she already knew what he would be tested on.

An even more terrifying thought came to mind.

The young lady not only guessed his identity, but had already locked onto it.

She knew he was a student at Dongli High School.

I knew his grades were poor, and I also knew that his weakest subjects were Chinese and history.

The young lady might even know that he's going to participate in this quiz today.

So she gave him the test paper to do in advance.

Using the guise of "tutoring".

If that's the case, when did the young lady start to have doubts?

How much did she find out? Why didn't she just expose herself?

Shimada Sho's joy at having surpassed the passing grade and escaped Ayase Yuki's clutches vanished.

Instead, there was genuine astonishment.

"Fifteen minutes left."

The proctor's voice brought him back to reality.

Shimada Sho took a deep breath, suppressed his turbulent thoughts, and looked at the paper again.

Regardless, I need to finish the exam first.

Although the sudden discovery was quite astonishing.

This also added a lot of uncertainty to his future life.

But at least, I can definitely achieve my goal of getting high scores and getting rid of Ayase Yuki.

"Consider it a pleasant surprise."

Shimada Sho muttered to himself as he lowered his head and began working diligently on the test paper.

After Chinese literature came mathematics, which, unsurprisingly, he had seen before.

It's the set that the young lady made for him.

Next up are English, history, geography...

I've done every single question in every subject, without exception.

The more Shimada Sho wrote, the stranger his mood became.

Until the day passed and the exam ended.

Shimada Sho stared blankly at the table.

"Shimada-kun!" Kenta Takada turned around from the front row and asked with a look of despair, "How did you do on the test? I didn't know the last big question in math at all, so I left it blank."

"It's alright," Shimada Sho replied absentmindedly.

"Not bad?!" Yosuke Murakami leaned closer. "Shimada-kun, you've changed. You used to always say 'It's all over'."

"I've reviewed."

Kenta Takada and Yosuke Murakami exchanged a glance, both looking incredulous.

Shimada Sho wasn't in the mood to argue with them, so he packed his things and left the classroom.

The corridor was crowded with students who had just finished the exam, looking at their answers in twos and threes.

Some were happy, some were sad; the noisy voices mingled together, creating a chaotic scene.

Shimada Sho walked through the crowd downstairs, his mind still preoccupied with the exam papers.

If the young lady really locks down his identity, will he still be able to do whatever he wants when he logs in again?

Could she have been secretly observing him all along?

Those things he thought Yukine Kamishiro didn't know—standing up for Nozomi Sasaki, participating in the King of Chefs competition, clashing with the yakuza…did she actually know them?

Shimada Sho's head was getting more and more ache.

My phone vibrated.

He took it out and saw that it was a message from Tenkai Chizuru.

[It's my idol: Sorry, sir! I was rehearsing and didn't see the message. I'm free this afternoon! Very, very free!]

[It's my idol: Sir, are you working alone today too? I can come over. Is the manager not here?]

The first reply was followed by a string of exclamation marks and an emoji of someone kneeling and apologizing.

Looking at the string of emojis, Shimada Sho's agitated mood calmed down a little.

It's still better to be a young idol.

Simple and easy to understand, it blossoms with just a little encouragement.

If all the women around me could be like Chizuru, how wonderful that would be.

Chapter 123 Please Look at Me, Shop Clerk

A message from his idol brightened Shimada Sho's gloomy mood once again.

He packed his schoolbag while waiting for the exam to end.

As soon as the teacher announced the end of school, we left the school gate immediately and headed towards the Imperial Garden.

I finished all my exams today.

It was already 6:30 in the evening.

As compensation for the extended class time, the whole school will have a holiday tomorrow morning.

Therefore, he and Rena Takikawa agreed that he could work until 10 o'clock today.

Of course, going to work was secondary; Shimada Sho mainly wanted to invite Amami Chizuru over to try out the effects of the Kizuna camera.

I've had this thing for a while now, but I haven't been able to find a suitable opportunity to use it.