Tokyo: Love Begins with Controlling the Rich Girl

Nozomi Sasaki left.

Chapter Twenty-One: Isn't she my girlfriend?

It was almost ten o'clock when Shimada Sho got home.

Aunt Island Flower wasn't home, and the house was quiet.

Hoshino Yuuki has probably already returned to her room.

After he entered the house, he saw a note on the coffee table.

"Auntie has something to do and may not be back until very late. You can have your own lunchbox for dinner. Auntie left some money in the drawer downstairs."

Shimada Sho opened the drawer and saw several stacks of 1,000 yen bills.

He didn't touch the money, got up and went into the kitchen.

The most distinctive feature of this place compared to a rental apartment is that it has a kitchen, complete with all kinds of cooking utensils.

With kitchen utensils available, there are naturally plenty of ingredients as well.

Since we have the means, why spend money?

He opened the refrigerator, rummaged through it and found a few eggs, a handful of scallions, and a small half-bowl of leftover rice. He also found a piece of luncheon meat in the refrigerator compartment.

Chop scallions, beat eggs, heat oil in a pan, pour in rice and stir-fry quickly.

Hoshino Yuuki came down at some point.

Standing at the kitchen doorway, wearing loose loungewear, her hair still wet, she must have just taken a shower.

Leaning against the door frame, she watched Shimada Sho skillfully flip the wok, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

"...You can cook?"

Shimada Sho didn't even turn his head. "I practiced this when I was living alone."

As he spoke, he scooped the fried rice into two bowls, pushing the extra portion forward, saying, "This one is yours."

Hoshino Yuuki glanced at the bowl of rice, then at him, before finally coming in to take the bowl.

"I'm starting!"

After the two sat down at the dining table on one side of the living room, Hoshino Yuuki put her hands together first.

After saying that, he picked up a piece of rice and put it in his mouth. After chewing it a couple of times, he picked up another piece with his chopsticks.

Shimada Sho didn't ask her if it was good or not. He sat down on his own, picked up his chopsticks, and started eating.

The rain outside the window gradually intensified, and the raindrops pounded against the windowpane, making a dense sound.

After finishing his meal, Shimada Sho went upstairs to take a shower.

The rain was still falling, and it was even heavier than before, with occasional distant rumbles of thunder.

After he finished washing up, he went back to his room, ready to get a good night's sleep.

But just as I was drifting off to sleep, there was a knock on the door.

The sound was very soft, almost drowned out by the sound of rain outside the window, but it was still clearly audible because of the quiet night.

Shimada Sho opened his eyes, sat up, and asked, "Who is it?"

"……I."

Shimada Sho got out of bed and opened the door.

Standing outside the door was Hoshino Yuuki, dressed in her pajamas.

She was clutching a pillow in her arms, her hair was disheveled, and she looked anxious.

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

Hoshino Yuuki glanced out the window, then turned back and said, "It's raining."

"Ok?"

"It's thundering."

Shimada Sho glanced at the window at the end of the corridor. Rain was streaming down the glass, and the night sky in the distance was briefly illuminated by lightning, followed by a muffled clap of thunder a few seconds later.

He then turned his gaze back to her.

"...Are you afraid of thunder?"

Hoshino Yuuki's lips twitched slightly; she neither admitted nor denied it.

Shimada Sho suddenly found it amusing.

This brave girl, who dares to break into a thief's den alone, is surprisingly afraid of thunder.

"My room window is drafty and it's too noisy."

Perhaps feeling embarrassed, Hoshino Yuuki offered a muffled explanation.

Shimada Sho couldn't help but chuckle, but he didn't expose him. He stepped aside to make way for the doorway and said, "Come in."

"Hmm." Hoshino Yuuki entered the room carrying a pillow.

She glanced around the room, then went straight to the bed, placed the pillow on it, lifted a corner of the blanket, and lay down.

His movements were as natural as if he were in his own room.

"???" Shimada Sho didn't expect her to be so efficient.

His room was converted from an attic, and it wasn't very big. The bed was only a little over a meter wide, and it couldn't fit two people at all.

Hoshino Yuuki knew this, and said in a muffled voice, "You sleep on the floor..."

“…Okay.” Shimada Sho did not refuse.

Anyway, you can sleep on the floor, so there's basically no difference.

If this girl is scared, let her sleep here for now.

Shimada Sho rummaged through the closet and found a thin blanket and an old mattress, spread them on the floor, and lay down on them.

The rain was still falling outside the window, and thunder occasionally rumbled, but it was farther away than before.

Hoshino Yuuki had her back to him, her shoulders were taut, and her expression was not visible.

Shimada Sho lay on the floor futon. After a while, he heard a very soft turning sound from the bed, but it quickly became quiet again.

He closed his eyes and said nothing more.

The next morning.

When Shimada Sho woke up, the bed was empty.

The blankets were folded neatly, and the pillows were put back in their original places, as if the person who came knocking on the door with a pillow in the rain last night had never appeared.

Only a faint indentation remained along the edge of the bed.

Shimada Sho sat up and rubbed his eyes. The sky outside the window had cleared, and sunlight shone through the gaps in the curtains, casting a bright golden band of light on the floor.

He changed his clothes and went downstairs. Shima Hana Runa was busy in the kitchen. Hearing footsteps, she turned around and smiled: "Sho is awake? Breakfast will be ready soon."

"Good morning, Auntie." Shimada Sho sat down at the dining table, glancing around. "Where's Yuzuki?"

"I've already finished eating and left. I said it's my turn to be on duty today and I need to be there early." Shima Hana Runa placed a bowl of white porridge in front of him. "She told me to tell you to leave early because there's only one bus here, and if you miss it, you'll be late."

Shimada Sho glanced at the wall clock; it was 7:20, which was indeed getting late.

He quickly finished his breakfast, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and headed out the door.

As I walked out of the courtyard gate, I saw Hoshino Yuuki standing at the entrance of the alley not far away, looking down at her phone.

Hearing footsteps, she looked up at him, said nothing, and turned to walk towards the station.

Shimada Sho followed her, walking beside her: "Wasn't it supposed to be your turn to do chores?"

"I'm just kidding Mom." Hoshino Yuuki said without turning her head. "If I didn't say that, she would definitely make me drink a lot of milk, and it tastes awful!"

Upon hearing this, Shimada Sho couldn't help but chuckle.

When the bus stopped at the station, the two boarded the bus one after the other.

The train carriage was crowded, with students and commuters packed together during the morning rush hour.

Shimada Sho stood in the aisle, with Hoshino Yuuki standing next to him, one hand gripping the handrail and the other in her pocket.

After the car started, she suddenly spoke up: "Hello."

"Ok?"

"Next week is the sports festival, what event did you sign up for?"

Shimada Sho glanced at her. "It's already been submitted."

"Tch, who are you trying to fool?" Hoshino Yuuki turned her head away, her tone clearly disbelieving. "The registration forms haven't even been handed out yet, and the teachers haven't taken attendance. How are you going to register?"

Shimada Sho didn't answer, but the corner of his mouth curved slightly.

"What are you laughing at?" Hoshino Yuzuki frowned.

"nothing."

She stared at him for a while, and seeing that he really didn't intend to explain, she snorted softly and turned to look out the window.

Shimada Sho gripped the rings, his gaze fixed on the street scene flashing past the window, but his mind was on the sports festival.

Dongli High School is currently undergoing a critical period of restructuring. After the Kamishiro Zaibatsu invested in it, the most important thing is to promote the brand.

The most direct way to increase brand awareness is to deliver outstanding performances at major events.

The sports festival is the best window into this.

Whether he has time to register or not is irrelevant; the school is more than happy to have him enroll.

Yonekura-sensei had come to ask him about it before, and Hanayama-in Seina had also spoken to him. Judging from the school's level of attention, they would help make arrangements as long as he was willing to participate.

The bus stopped at another stop, the doors opened, and a group of students in school uniforms and several office workers carrying briefcases poured on.

The carriage suddenly became crowded, and the previously spacious aisle was squeezed into a narrow gap.

Hoshino Yuuki stood in front of him, and was pushed back half a step by the crowd, her shoulder gently bumping into his chest.

She instinctively tried to take a step forward, but the person in front of her didn't move, so she had to step back.

Shimada Sho glanced down at her, said nothing, released his left hand from the handrail, raised his arm to support himself on the handrail beside her, separating himself from the crowd that kept pushing in their direction.

Hoshino Yuuki's body visibly paused for a moment.

She turned her head to the side, her peripheral vision falling on the arm that was lying across her cheek, before quickly pulling it away.

The arm blocked the flow of people and her, creating a narrow but safe little space, just enough for her to stand firm.

The car continued to move forward, and the swaying of the carriage forced her to grab Shimada Sho's arm from time to time to steady herself.

However, she always tried to move as quietly as possible, as if afraid of being noticed.

In fact, Shimada Sho could sense it.

Knowing she was embarrassed, I pretended not to have noticed.

After a while, Hoshino Yuuki's voice rang out.

"...When did you become so good at taking care of people?"

"Didn't I take care of you before?"

She paused briefly, then scoffed, "Back then, you only tried to please me when you wanted to borrow money."

"...

As the car rounded a bend, Hoshino Yuuki's body swayed slightly, and her fingers landed on Shimada Sho's forearm again.

This time, I didn't pull back quickly; I tried to let it fall for a few seconds.

After letting go, she whispered, "Thank you."

Shimada Sho glanced down at her; the tips of her ears were faintly pink in the morning light, but her gaze was fixed on the street scenes rushing past the window.

He looked in that direction and saw familiar scenery gradually appearing outside the window; they were almost at their stop.

In the silence of that stretch of road, not a single word was spoken, but the thin barrier that had always stood between the two seemed to have quietly receded a little.

The bus swayed and bumped its way past several stations before stopping in front of Dongli High School.