Tokyo: Love Begins with Controlling the Rich Girl

He was able to get first place in the grade because the rich girl leaked the exam questions and he received intensive tutoring.

Putting all that aside, his actual skill level is still hovering around the passing mark.

How could anyone possibly answer this question?

"Shimada-kun?"

Seeing that he did not answer, Yukine Kamishiro asked again softly.

Her amber eyes blinked gently, as if she were just waiting for an extremely ordinary answer.

But Shimada Sho clearly read a hint of amusement in those eyes.

She definitely did it on purpose.

Back when they were getting extra lessons at the shrine, she personally identified his weaknesses.

Knowing that his Chinese literature and history were his weak points, they specifically targeted those two subjects for questioning.

The purpose was nothing more than to test them.

“Well…” Shimada Sho coughed and pushed his history book forward. “Isn’t this math class? Let’s talk about it after class.”

"But the time for group study is limited," Yukine Kamishiro persisted. "Shimada-kun is the top student in the grade, he should be able to solve these basic problems quickly, right?"

First in the grade.

These four words now sound like a mockery to Shimada Sho.

He was able to get first place in the grade because the young lady of the house leaked the exam questions.

Now that the exam is over, being questioned by the person directly involved feels like being publicly executed.

Even if you're the top student in your grade, you don't know everything.

Shimada Sho finally forced a vague answer, saying, "I'm really not very good at Chinese literature and history."

But as soon as he said it, he regretted it.

As expected, Yukine Kamishiro's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Not very good at it?" She squinted her eyes like a cunning fox and said, "But in last week's quiz, Shimada got full marks in both Japanese and history."

"..."

Shimada Sho felt cold sweat breaking out on his back.

"Well, I was just lucky that time," he tried to salvage the situation, explaining, "The questions just happened to be things I had reviewed."

“Is that so?” Yukine Kamishiro replied.

She didn't ask any further questions, but her eyes clearly showed she was suppressing a laugh.

It was as if he had become even more certain of something.

Shimada Sho looked away and pretended to flip through a book.

He knew the young lady was testing him.

From the moment she sat behind him that morning, she had been testing him in various ways.

Chocolate, rice balls, study groups, and now these are the same old problems.

Every sentence seemed meticulously crafted.

She's probably 99% sure.

I just don't dare to gamble on that 1%.

So I kept probing, trying to find more evidence from his reactions.

However, because of this 1%, Shimada Sho decided to carry out his previous plan.

Pretending to be stupid.

Go all the way.

No matter how she tested him, he was just an ordinary high school student, an ordinary transfer student who was lucky enough to get first place in his grade.

I don't know any Mr. Thug, nor do I know any possessing spirit, and I've never logged into her body.

“Then this question…” Yukine Kamishiro spoke up again.

"Let's talk about it after class," Shimada Sho interrupted her decisively. "It's class time now, let's listen to the teacher first."

Just then, the math teacher walked into the classroom.

With a sigh of relief, Shimada Sho turned around, his back to Kamishiro Yukine, and faced the blackboard.

He could feel her gaze still on his back.

The faint scent of gardenias lingered around his nose, reminding him that the young lady was sitting right next to him, within arm's reach.

This feeling is so damn agonizing.

……

In the afternoon classes, Shimada Sho was not paying attention.

He did well in math class; he did have a good foundation and could keep up with what the teacher was saying.

But every time Yukine Kamishiro flipped through a book, wrote, or even just breathed softly next to him, he felt very uncomfortable.

After finally enduring until the school bell rang, Shimada Sho was the first to pack his schoolbag.

"I go first."

Without turning his head, he threw down a sentence, got up, and walked out.

Hoshino Yuuki looked up, as if to say something, but Shimada Sho had already walked out of the classroom.

Students were leaving school in twos and threes in the corridor, and he mingled in the crowd, walking quickly towards the stairwell.

"Xiang Jun".

As I passed Class C, I heard a familiar figure behind me.

I stopped and looked, and saw Yuki Ayase standing at the entrance of Class C.

She wore a dark blue school uniform skirt, black stockings, and long hair that fell over her shoulders.

She leaned against the door frame, a faint smile on her lips, her eyes gazing at Shimada Sho with affection.

"Why are you walking so fast? Are you hiding from someone?"

“…No.” Shimada Sho stopped. “What are you doing here?”

“Of course, we’re waiting for Sho-kun,” Ayase Yuki replied matter-of-factly.

Finally, she tilted her head and looked at Shimada Sho, asking, "Did Yukine transfer to your class today?"

Shimada Sho's heart skipped a beat.

He was so busy dealing with the young lady that he forgot about this woman.

They are best friends, and I feel like I'm caught in the middle.

"Hmm." He replied calmly, "Kamishiro-kun, sit behind me."

"Sitting behind you?" Ayase Yuki's eyes narrowed. "What a coincidence, Sho-kun."

"..."

Shimada Sho didn't know what to say.

This woman is no pushover either.

When I logged into the game before, she immediately noticed the problem.

She witnessed several times when the system was online and the user appeared dazed.

It's hard to say whether she will tell the young lady.

"Xueyin came to see me today."

While Shimada Sho was still lost in thought, Ayase Yuki suddenly spoke up.

Upon hearing this, his heart tightened.

Then Ayase Yuki said, "She asked a lot of questions about you."

"Why are you asking me?" Shimada Sho asked, feigning ignorance and frowning.

"They'll ask you which class you were in, how your grades were, who you were close to, and whether you participated in any clubs."

She paused, looked directly at Shimada Sho, and said, "You even asked about your relationship with me."

Shimada Sho's throat bobbed. "What did you say?"

“I said…” Ayase Yuki deliberately dragged out the last syllable, then revealed a sly smile, “I said that Sho-kun and I are members of the same club, and we are often together.”

"..."

Shimada Sho looked at her speechlessly.

Ayase Yuki, however, didn't seem to care and continued, "But Sho-kun, don't you find it strange? Yukine just transferred here on her first day, and the other students, without asking around, seem to..."

"What?" Shimada Sho feigned ignorance.

Ayase Yuki's eyes behind her glasses gleamed with wisdom. "I think I've fallen for you."

The number of students in the corridor gradually decreased, and the setting sun shone in through the window, casting a golden light between the two of them.

Shimada Sho silently watched the dust motes drifting in the setting sun.

After a moment, he denied it, saying, "You're overthinking it. She's the eldest daughter of the Kamishiro family. She's probably just curious about her classmates."

"Really?" Ayase Yuki's tone sounded completely unconvinced. "Then why doesn't she question others, but instead focuses on Kise Sho-kun?"

Shimada Sho did not answer.

Yuki Ayase stared at him for a few seconds, then sighed softly, "Never mind, I won't press you about things you don't want to talk about."

She seemed to have given in, and a hint of disappointment crept into her voice.

But she quickly composed herself and looked up again, "By the way, Xiangjun, there's something else I need to tell you."

"what's up?"

"The exchange match on Friday."

Shimada Sho's brow twitched slightly.

The exchange competition, the one that was previously postponed due to the inspection by the Kamishiro Zaibatsu.

He had almost forgotten about it.

“Kobayashi Takeshi, the vice-captain of the karate club, came to the student council today to confirm the competition schedule.” Ayase Yuki looked at Shimada Sho, her tone unusually serious. “He specifically asked to challenge Sho-kun.”

"name?"

"Yes, he said we made an appointment at the subway station last time."

Shimada Sho remembered.

Last Saturday at the subway station, that guy named Xiaolin did say that.

He had just casually replied, but he didn't expect the other person to take it seriously.

“So,” Ayase Yuki took a step forward, getting very close to Shimada Sho, “does Sho-kun still want to participate?”

Students kept passing by in the corridor, and there were also students in the classroom.

Shimada Sho was not used to such close proximity in public, so he took a small half-step back.

"If Xiangjun doesn't want to participate, I can cancel."

Yuki Ayase didn't seem to have any intention of going any further. When he pushed her away, she opened her mouth to add something.

Shimada Sho was taken aback.

"Didn't you say before that the exchange competition was a matter of life and death for the club?"

"Ah."

"Then why did you cancel?"

"Because I'm more worried about Xiangjun getting hurt than about the survival of the club."