Tokyo: Love Begins with Controlling the Rich Girl

However, she was not included in this family.

Shimada Sho understood immediately, then looked up at the woman and returned her smile, "I think it's better to give a birthday present on the day itself."

The middle-aged woman's smile froze. "Yuki?"

"What's wrong?" Shimada Sho asked calmly, looking at her.

"Auntie was worried you'd be disappointed if you didn't receive a gift on your birthday, so she..."

“I won’t feel disappointed,” Shimada Sho interrupted her. “I’ve spent the year with my dad in previous years too.”

The dining table fell silent.

"Does my sister hate us?" Ayase Maki's eyes reddened again, and she asked in a tearful voice, "Is it because Mom and I moved in that my sister is unhappy?"

"Maki!" the middle-aged woman whispered, "Don't talk nonsense."

“But…” Ayase Maki lowered her head, tears falling onto the table with a “plop”.

Shimada Sho watched this scene with a cold smile.

It's such a shame that this girl doesn't go into acting.

“Yuki.” Seiichiro Ayase put down his chopsticks.

He took a small, dark blue box out of his pocket and pushed it in front of Shimada Sho. "This is a gift. We won't be celebrating it together this time."

Shimada Sho looked down at the box.

It's a watch box, made of transparent material, so you can see what's inside.

A women's watch with a light blue strap, slender hands, and a white leather strap, which looks very elegant.

Looking at the gift, then at Ayase Seiichiro who had put down the box, a fleeting look of guilt crossed his eyes.

But that's about it.

His actions have already demonstrated his decision.

"Yuki, please accept this."

Seeing that Shimada Sho didn't move, Ayase Seiichiro urged him on.

Ignoring his voice, Shimada Sho asked in his mind, "Do you think we should accept it?"

Yuki Ayase did not answer.

This woman usually seems sharp-tongued, but she's playing ostrich when faced with this situation.

Is she expecting me, the creepy, voyeur she hates, to handle everything for her?

[Ding! Limited-time training mission triggered!]

[Yuki Ayase's Wish: The Vanishing Love of a Girl]

[Mission Description: The girl's favoritism has been gradually stolen away by a new intruder, and her father's attitude has become increasingly cold. Standing at a crossroads in her life, she is lost and confused. Please help her regain her father's attention and let some people know who the true mistress of this house is!]

【任务奖励：视完成度奖励：体质+5、反应+3、魅力+3、现金2000000円、随机道具×2】

[Task Requirements: Within one month, help Seiichiro Ayase to acknowledge Yuki Ayase's existence as his biological daughter again, and help his stepmother and stepdaughter realize their place in the family. Note: Task completion will affect your reward rating; please plan each step carefully.]

Shimada Sho's heart skipped a beat as he looked at the generous rewards on the panel.

I haven't seen such a generous reward in a long time.

The mission takes a long time, and the requirements... well, with all these attribute bonuses and money, what more could you ask for!

“No need.” He ignored the watch box and raised his wrist, saying, “I have a watch.”

Ayase Seiichiro's expression twisted.

Shimada Sho remained unfazed and smiled, "As for the school matters, I will handle them. Whether it's the student council or that student named Shimada Sho, I will ensure his participation."

After saying that, he got up and left the restaurant, going upstairs without looking back.

A timid voice came from behind: "Dad, is my sister angry?"

"Ignore her." Ayase Seiichiro's voice carried a hint of annoyance.

Shimada Sho quickened his pace, entered Ayase Yuki's room, and only after closing the door did he let out a long sigh of relief.

He felt immense pressure sitting in this scheming and backstabbing home.

"Are you crazy?"

As soon as Shimada Sho calmed down, Ayase Yuki's voice echoed in his mind.

The voice carried a hint of suppressed anger as it said in a deep voice, "Who gave you the right to make decisions for me?"

"What?" Shimada Sho leaned against the door, his tone casual. "I helped you reject a gift that lacked sincerity and helped you vent your anger. Aren't you going to thank me?"

"Thank you?" Ayase Yuki sneered. "Do you even know that watch was the first birthday present he ever gave me?"

Shimada Sho was taken aback.

"You think you're helping me?" Ayase Yuki's voice grew colder and colder. "You're just indulging your own heroism. You have no idea what I want."

"Then what do you want?" Shimada Sho asked in return.

"..."

“You can’t say it because you don’t know it either.” Shimada Sho walked to the bedside and sat down, leaning against the headboard. “You’ve just gotten used to passively accepting things, accepting your father’s neglect, accepting the existence of that mother and daughter, and accepting that what originally belonged to you has been taken away little by little.”

"you shut up."

"What, did I say something wrong?" Shimada Sho persisted. "They've already come to our doorstep and you're still playing the ostrich. If you don't try to win over your father, your position in the family will be taken away. And you're still pretending it doesn't matter?"

"Who cares about them?" Ayase Yuki's voice was curt.

"You don't care, but they care a lot." Shimada Sho scoffed. "That little girl started acting the moment she walked in, smashing your photo frame, pretending to be wronged in front of your dad, and your stepmother implying that you're hard to get along with. Do you think they just came here for a meal?"

"..."

"They're here to take your place."

"I said, who cares about them?" Ayase Yuki's voice carried a hint of impatience.

Shimada Sho sighed, "And what about Shimada Sho? Will you take care of him?"

"What do you mean?" Ayase Yuki seemed not to understand.

Shimada Sho said playfully, "I'll agree to let your crush participate in the sports festival." His tone was teasing. "Aren't you afraid he'll steal the spotlight in front of the whole school and become a competitor with another rich girl?"

"you……"

"What, are you angry?" Shimada Sho interrupted her. "Are you afraid he'll be too dazzling at the sports festival and attract more attention?"

“Not everyone is as self-righteous as you.” Ayase Yuki’s voice turned cold. “Not everyone is like the voyeur, who forces another person to do things they don’t want to do in order to please them.”

"How do you know he's unwilling?" Shimada Sho retorted.

"Because Xiangjun is afraid of trouble."

Shimada Sho's heart skipped a beat.

His aversion to trouble is indeed part of his fundamental personality.

But even the young lady never noticed it.

To my utter surprise, Yuki Ayase interpreted it that way.

So much so that from the very beginning, they simply gave up on persuading him to represent the school in the sports festival.

I was afraid he would find it troublesome.

Shimada Sho suppressed the surging emotions in his heart.

But his tone was still irritating: "You don't even try, yet you say others are afraid of trouble. You really are the most self-righteous one, aren't you?"

"you……"

"What, you're not convinced?"

Yuki Ayase fell silent.

Shimada Sho leaned against the headboard, looking at the photos on the wall.

His photo.

Each one was carefully pasted on the wall; some were large, some small, some clear, and some blurry.

The earliest photos were taken at the beginning of his time travel.

He had just come into this world, bewildered, distressed, and penniless.

And she was already watching him silently from the corner.

"Why did you film these?" Shimada Sho suddenly asked.

"..."

"Is it because you like that boy?"

Yuki Ayase still did not answer.

[Remaining time for this connection: 00:00:30]

A countdown timer popped up.

Shimada Sho sighed, "Never mind, I won't ask you anymore."

"..."

“But I’ll take on your task.” He got up from the bed and walked to the door. “Go ask about the sports festival and see what happens. Don’t just assume things and be self-satisfied.”

"I said..."

“If you don’t go, I’ll come up tomorrow and force you to go,” Shimada Sho interrupted her. “Anyway, I don’t care what you think of me.”

[Log out of the character "Yuki Ayase"?]

"Yes."

The moment he logged off, he seemed to hear Ayase Yuki say something again.

But my consciousness drifted away, and I didn't hear it clearly in the end.

……

Shimada Sho opened his eyes, and the ceiling of the rented room came into view.

He lay in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

【Ding! 】

[This connection did not trigger task completion, and no rewards will be issued.]

[A slight change in the character "Yuki Ayase's" mindset has been detected; character progression update in progress...]

Yuki Ayase

Age: 16

[Tags: sharp-tongued, germaphobe, severe dream girl, voyeur, paranoia, unspeakable secret]

Current progress: 0 (+0%)

[Connection Cooldown: 11 hours 59 minutes 03 seconds (Reset)]

Shimada Sho looked at the unchanged progress on the panel and his lips twitched.

Is this woman made of stone?

Their defenses are too deep; I'm not making any progress at all.

Fortunately, there were some gains as well.

At least I learned about her family situation, and I also received a lucrative mission.

Constitution +5, Reaction +3, Charisma +3, 2 million yen in cash, and two random items.

This reward is much more generous than what the young lady received.

The task requirements are a bit abstract.

"Within a month, make Seiichiro Ayase re-recognize Yuki Ayase's existence and make the stepmother and daughter realize their place in this family."

What does "re-correction" mean?