Tokyo: Love Begins with Controlling the Rich Girl

The door was pushed open from the inside.

Maki Ayase, wearing the uniform of Dongli High School, walked out from behind the door.

She wore a light blue shirt, a dark blue plaid skirt, and her long hair was tied into two low ponytails, with a sweet smile on her face.

She looked completely different from when I saw her at Ayase's house that day; now she seemed like a lively girl next door.

But Shimada Sho knew that this was just her changing her mask.

"Hello, Shimada-kun~" She walked up to her mother and looked at Shimada Sho with a smile.

"Hello," Shimada Sho replied expressionlessly.

“Maki just transferred to Dongli High School and isn’t familiar with the environment yet,” Hanayama-in Seina interjected at the opportune moment.

"Her classroom is in the first-year high school area, so it's not convenient for me to take her there. I'd like to trouble Shimada-kun to show her the way."

Shimada Sho glanced at Ayase Maki.

A sweet smile played on her lips as she waited obediently for his reply.

If I hadn't gotten to know this girl through Ayase Yuki's body, I might have been completely deceived.

Meeting her smiling face, Shimada Sho replied, "No problem, I'm going back anyway."

"Thank you for your help, Shimada-kun." Kiyona Hanayama smiled and thanked her.

Ayase Maki immediately stepped forward enthusiastically, "Let's go, Shimada-kun."

Seeing her eager expression, Shimada Sho silently led the way.

The two walked out of the administration building and along the walkway toward the teaching building.

On the way, Ayase Maki kept asking questions.

"Shimada-kun, how big is this school?"

Are all the first-year high school classes in the same building as the other classes?

How do girls participate in PE class?

Where do you usually eat lunch?

Her tone was innocent, her smile sweet, just like a curious girl who had just transferred to the school.

Shimada Sho walked ahead expressionlessly, occasionally responding, "It's quite big." "Yes." "I don't know." "The classroom."

Every answer was a very brief and perfunctory one.

But Maki Ayase didn't seem to care.

She still followed him with a smile, her steps light and quick.

Are Shimada-san and her older sister classmates?

As they approached the teaching building, she suddenly asked a question.

coming.

Shimada Sho had already anticipated this, and calmly replied, "Yes."

"Then Shimada-kun must know your older sister very well, right?"

"generally."

"What's your sister like at school? She doesn't talk much at home and ignores me and Mom. Is she like that at school too?"

A series of new problems followed.

Shimada Sho turned his head to look at her, and she still had an innocent look on her face.

Those big eyes were full of curiosity, as if she really was just a well-behaved younger sister who was curious about her older sister.

But Shimada Sho knew that her real purpose was to find out about his relationship with Ayase Yuki.

Because of the existence of those photos, she may have become curious about herself.

Actually, Shimada Sho was quite curious too.

What exactly is this girl's intention?

If she disliked her sister or had any ulterior motives, she could have done it quietly.

But what she showed was a straightforward inquiry.

When facing Yuki Ayase, he made no attempt to hide his curiosity.

This is not the behavior of an outsider with ulterior motives.

Shimada Sho was eager to know what her desires were.

So, without interrupting the conversation, he replied, "It's alright."

"What do you mean by 'okay'?" Ayase Maki puffed out her cheeks. "Shimada-kun is so perfunctory."

The two crossed the playground and walked onto the tree-lined path in front of the teaching building.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, and Ayase Maki skipped and hopped ahead, stepping on patches of light. Then she suddenly turned around, walked backwards, and looked up at Shimada Sho.

"Shimada-kun."

"Ah."

"Are you and your sister really just classmates?"

Shimada Sho paused for a moment. "What do you mean?"

“Well…” Ayase Maki tilted her head, her tone innocent, “I saw a lot of your pictures on my sister’s room, and I thought you were her boyfriend.”

"No."

"Then why did your sister post your picture?" Her eyes sparkled. "Don't you find it strange, Shimada-kun?"

I don't think so.

"Shimada-kun is so boring." She pouted, turned around, and continued walking forward.

After walking for a while, she spoke again.

"Shimada-kun."

"What's wrong now?"

Do you know what your sister used to be like?

"What does it look like?"

“Well…” Ayase Maki thought for a moment, “She’s cold to everyone, but she seems to be completely different with you.”

Shimada Sho didn't respond, and continued listening to her.

"So I was wondering if Shimada-kun did something." Ayase Maki stopped and scrutinized him with a faint smile. "Like... did he seduce your sister with something?"

Shimada Sho raised an eyebrow. "What do you think?"

“I don’t know.” Ayase Maki shook her head. “But Shimada-san should know that her older sister is a member of the Ayase family, and her future cannot be with an ordinary person.”

Upon hearing this, Shimada Sho instantly understood.

This girl is targeting him.

"You seem to care a lot about your sister's interpersonal relationships?" Shimada Sho asked back, unfazed.

Ayase Maki nodded matter-of-factly, "Of course, she's my older sister."

"Just because of my sister?" Shimada Sho didn't think so.

Everything this girl is doing is too deliberate.

Ayase Maki maintained her calm smile, saying, "As a younger sister, it's only right that I care about my older sister."

“I see.” Shimada Sho continued walking forward, his tone casual. “Then your way of caring for her is quite unique.”

"special?"

"Yes, for example, smashing her picture frame, pretending to be wronged in front of her, and putting on a melodramatic show in front of our parents." Shimada Sho calmly recounted her misdeeds.

Ayase Maki's smile faltered.

"How do you know all this?!" Her tone unconsciously turned cold and hard.

Shimada Sho didn't care at all. "You said we have a special relationship, so it's normal for you to know these things."

"You really were seducing my sister!" Ayase Maki was certain of her guess, her eyes narrowing and revealing a very dangerous aura.

But this momentum was shattered in the blink of an eye.

It was only because Shimada Sho asked, "So you still care about her after all, right?"

As he spoke, a half-smile appeared on his face.

Ayase Maki guiltily avoided his gaze.

"So you did all that to get her attention?" Shimada Sho continued to ask.

“I didn’t.” Ayase Maki turned her head away, her voice stiff. “I just didn’t want her to be fooled by strange people.”

"Oh, so you smashed her picture frame to protect her?"

"That was an accident!"

"Then why don't you pretend to be wronged in front of her?"

"I'm not pretending to be wronged!" Ayase Maki's voice suddenly rose, her face flushed as she retorted, "You don't understand anything, so what gives you the right to point fingers here?"

Seeing her reaction, Shimada Sho was basically certain of his guess.

This girl is less cunning and more an awkward child who doesn't know how to express her care.

She had lived with her mother since she was a child, and suddenly she had an older sister. She wanted to get close to her, but she didn't know how to do so.

So they resorted to the most foolish method: creating conflict to attract attention and make the other party notice them.

Just like a child deliberately causing trouble to get their parents' attention.

Her methods are indeed annoying, but she is not inherently bad.

Of course, this is just one-sided speculation.

That was the conclusion he reached by deliberately trying to get information out of her.

He hadn't experienced what kind of feelings she had for Ayase Yuki, and he didn't know.

Thinking this, Shimada Sho suddenly found it a little funny.

He's got nothing better to do than analyze other people's sisterly relationship.

There's really no need for that.

After this brief exchange, Shimada Sho realized that this girl was incredibly stupid and posed no threat whatsoever.

Those actions, to be honest, were ridiculously childish.

There's absolutely nothing to worry about.

"why are you laughing?"

Upon noticing the smile on Shimada Sho's lips, Ayase Maki's expression immediately turned cold.

Chapter Twelve Shrine Maidens

It was probably Shimada Sho's nonchalant attitude that made Ayase Maki feel offended.

Once she shed her naive facade, she immediately launched into a questioning.

"It's nothing, I just think you're quite cute." Shimada Sho, of course, wasn't affected by her tone and was in the mood to tease her.

Ayase Maki narrowed her eyes instantly. "What did you say!?"

"Is there a problem?" Shimada Sho, completely oblivious, reflected, "The way you acted just now, wasn't that..."

"Shut up!" she interrupted Shimada Sho.

Although what this guy said was correct, I did indeed portray an innocent and cute image just now.

Having had their conversation earlier, Ayase Maki felt that his words were somewhat sarcastic when she heard him say them now.

She doesn't like being teased.