Tokyo: Love Begins with Controlling the Rich Girl

The door to the equipment room was locked from the inside; no one would come in.

A few minutes later, Shimada Sho withdrew his hand.

Tenkai Chizuru lowered her head, her face flushed as if it were burning, and leaned against him, feeling as soft as if she had no bones.

The equipment room was so quiet that only the soft breathing of the two people could be heard.

After a while, a muffled voice came from Tenkai Chizuru's chest: "Shopkeeper."

"Ah."

"What is your relationship with Kamishiro-kun?"

Shimada Sho paused for a moment. "Classmate."

"You're lying." She looked up, her eyes full of stubbornness. "When you two were together, you didn't act like ordinary classmates at all."

"What's not like it?"

“It’s nothing like her.” She said with certainty, “When you look at her, she looks at you too, and that feeling… is different from how she looks at other people.”

Shimada Sho opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but found that he really had nothing to refute.

“And another thing,” Chizuru Amami continued, “she doesn’t really pay attention to Haruko when she talks to her, but as soon as you come over, she immediately looks over. Also, during group study sessions, she could have refused to teach me, but when she heard that you were going to teach me, she immediately took over.”

Shimada Sho was silent for a moment, then said, "You're overthinking it."

"I didn't overthink it," Tenkai Chizuru shook her head. "I could tell everything."

She paused, then a small smile curved her lips, carrying a hint of smugness.

"But it's okay."

"What do you mean it's okay?"

“Anyway, I’m the closest person to Mr. Shop Assistant right now.” She buried her face in his chest again. “They don’t know Mr. Shop Assistant’s secret, only I do.”

Shimada Sho looked down at her fluffy head, unsure of what to say.

"Sir, clerk." Her voice became sticky again.

"Ok?"

"Did you... find me strange just now?"

"……Have."

"Do you hate it?" Tenkai Chizuru looked up at her, her eyes red-rimmed.

Shimada Sho replied helplessly, "I don't dislike it."

Chizuru Amami smiled contentedly and rubbed against his chest like a cat being petted by its owner.

"Are you still feeling unwell?" Shimada Sho asked.

"Much better." Her voice was lighter, with a hint of post-coital languor.

Shimada Sho looked down thoughtfully at the girl in his arms.

Not right.

Based on the experience of previous missions, the effects of bond missions should become stronger over time.

We told her not to post random things before, and after only two days, she seems to be on the verge of a breakdown.

She acted strangely yesterday, her actions were unusually bold, she even dared to take those kinds of photos.

But she acted perfectly normally just now.

At least when she wasn't lunging at him, there was absolutely nothing unusual about her.

Furthermore, the system did not send a notification that the task was completed.

“Chizuru,” Shimada Sho suddenly spoke.

"Ok?"

"Is it true that you felt unwell?"

Chizuru Amami stiffened for a moment. "-Of course it's true..."

"When you lunged at me just now, did you think about what would have happened if I hadn't come to the equipment room?"

"I...I didn't think of that..."

You are lying.

Tenkai Chizuru remained silent.

Shimada Sho reached out and lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him.

Their eyes met, and her gaze began to dart away, her lips pressed tightly together, and her eyelashes trembled incessantly.

"Chizuru," Shimada Sho's voice deepened, "Are you faking it?"

Chizuru Amami's eyes widened suddenly, her pupils contracting slightly.

Her lips opened and closed, closed and opened, but she couldn't utter a single word.

"I……"

"To be honest, this is an order."

She lowered her head, buried her face in his chest, and said in a muffled voice, "...just a little bit."

"A little bit of what?"

"Just a little bit... I'm faking it." Her voice trailed off. "But only a little bit! Really just a little bit! I still feel terrible, just not as bad as yesterday..."

Shimada Sho took a deep breath.

This girl has learned to lie.

"Why do you want to do this?" he asked with a serious expression.

Tenkai Chizuru remained silent.

"Chizuru."

“...Because I also want to get close to the shop assistant.” Her voice came from her chest, with a hint of grievance, “Like Kamishiro-san, who can get the shop assistant’s attention without doing anything.”

Shimada Sho was taken aback.

"Although it's strange, the shop assistant always cares about Chizuru after doing that. He looks at me very carefully, just like when he's with Kamishiro..."

Shimada Sho was speechless.

The girl's sensitive heart noticed something he himself hadn't realized: her feelings for the young lady were different from his own.

It turns out that the attention and warmth she had been enjoying were things that others could easily obtain.

It is only when they perceive the difference that they stubbornly want to prove that they can do it too.

……

The equipment room was quiet.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, casting a small patch of light and shadow on the floor.

Dust particles drifted slowly within the beam of light.

"Chizuru," Shimada Sho said softly.

"Ah."

"Don't do that again."

"it is good."

"You can contact me anytime you want. You don't need to do it this way to prove you're different."

Chizuru Amami raised her head, her eyes red and brimming with tears. "Can the shop assistant treat me the same way he treats Kamishiro-kun?"

"……Can."

"really?"

"real."

Shimada Sho nodded seriously.

Even he himself didn't know what the difference was between treating the young lady and treating others.

"The shop assistant can't lie to me." Tenkai Chizuru believed her.

"I'm not lying to you."

"Then hug me."

Looking into her expectant eyes, Shimada Sho reached out and pulled her into his arms.

Chizuru buried her face in his chest, wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, and snuggled into his embrace.

“Sir, clerk.” Her voice was muffled.

"Ah."

"I like you."

"..."

"I like it very, very much."

Shimada Sho didn't answer, but simply put his arm around her back.

At that very moment—

"Brother, are you in there?"

Hoshino Yuuki's voice came from outside the door.

Shimada Sho's body stiffened abruptly.

Tenkai Chizuru was also stunned. She lifted her head from his arms, her eyes wide open.

"Brother? I saw you come in, stop pretending to be dead!"

Hoshino Yuzuki's voice grew closer, and her footsteps stopped at the door of the equipment room.

The door handle was twisted, but because it was locked from the inside, it couldn't be turned off.

"You're inside, right? My classmate said they saw you walking this way."

Shimada Sho looked down at Amami Chizuru, who was still clinging to him, and then at the closed door.

Only one thought crossed my mind: It's over.

The equipment room is so small that you can see it all at a glance.

If she opened the door and saw him and Tenkai Chizuru like this, she would be in deep trouble.

"Brother? Are you alright? Why aren't you saying anything?"

Hoshino Yuuki's voice carried a hint of worry.

The door was slapped twice. "If you don't say something, I'm going to call for help."

"Chizuru," Shimada Sho said in a low voice.

"Hmm?" Tenkai Chizuru also became nervous.

"You hide first."

Chizuru Tenkai looked around. Although the equipment room was not large, there were several stacks of gymnastics mats piled up in the corner, and there was just enough room for a person to hide on the side.

She nodded, tiptoed over, and slipped into the gap behind the cushion.

Shimada Sho took a deep breath, walked over, unlocked the door, and opened it.

Hoshino Yuuki stood at the door, arms crossed, looking at him with suspicion.

Why did you lock the door?

"Change your clothes." Shimada Sho said without changing his expression. "I was all sweaty from moving the mats earlier."

Hoshino Yuuki looked him up and down.

His sports T-shirt was indeed a bit wrinkled, and there was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. He had worked up quite a sweat while moving the mat and "helping out".