Tokyo: Love Begins with Controlling the Rich Girl

When I arrived at the street corner where I used to work, I saw a familiar figure standing on the other side of the street.

Nozomi Sasaki stood beside the flower bed, wearing a light gray thin coat and carrying a small square basket wrapped in a cloth.

Upon seeing Shimada Sho, her eyes lit up, and she jogged over towards him.

The red light just turned green.

"Shimada-kun!" She ran up to him, still a little breathless from jogging, but with a big smile on her face. "That's great! I was afraid I wouldn't run into you."

Shimada Sho looked at the basket wrapped tightly in a cloth in her hand and asked, "You were waiting for me here?"

"Hmm... well, it wasn't really a special wait." Sasaki Nozomi glanced down at the basket in her hand, then raised it again and offered it to him with both hands. "This is for you."

Shimada Sho took it; it felt quite heavy, and a faint sweet fragrance could be smelled through the cloth.

He lifted a corner of the cloth, revealing rows of neatly arranged, golden-brown pastries with slightly charred edges, emitting a faint steam.

“Mom made it,” Nozomi Sasaki explained.

"She said she really wanted to thank you for what happened yesterday, and also for the shop incident. She'd been wanting to express her gratitude, and since she had just tried a new batch of the recipe today, she asked me to bring some over."

Shimada Sho looked down at the basket of still-warm pastries, then looked up at her again: "Your family's pastry shop has opened?"

“Yes!” Nozomi Sasaki nodded vigorously. “It officially reopened the day before yesterday. Although the store is not big, many old customers have returned. Mom said that business is better than expected, and also said… thanks to your and Shinji’s help, otherwise our family might not even have a place to live now.”

She finished speaking with a tone full of gratitude.

Hearing her words, Shimada Sho took the pastries and held them in his hands before shaking his head. "I didn't do anything. The shop's affairs were handled by Kamishiro-kun. I just ran an errand."

“You were the one who helped me run errands,” Nozomi Sasaki looked up at him earnestly. “And yesterday at the bar, if Shimada-kun hadn’t stepped in, I definitely wouldn’t have been able to handle it…”

“What happened yesterday is in the past,” Shimada Sho interrupted her. “Let’s go, it’s almost time for work.”

Nozomi Sasaki paused for a moment, then hummed in agreement and turned to walk beside him.

The two walked side by side along the street, the evening breeze carrying the warmth of early summer and the aroma of grilled skewers wafting from a distant izakaya.

As Shimada Sho turned the corner, carrying the basket of pastries, he casually asked, "Have you taken care of everything at home?"

"Yes, everything is fine." Nozomi Sasaki's voice was lighter than before. "Since the shop reopened, Mom has been very energetic every day, and her health is much better than before. The doctor said that after a period of recovery, she should no longer need to have regular check-ups."

"That's good."

"Yes," she replied, a hint of satisfaction in her voice, but as she passed the next streetlight, her steps faltered. "It's just..."

"Just what?"

Nozomi Sasaki did not answer immediately.

She walked a short distance with her head down, seemingly considering her words, but after a while, she waved her hand and gave an unnatural smile: "It's nothing, it's just... the shop just opened, there's a lot to do, and Mom is working too hard. I feel a little sorry for her."

Shimada Sho looked at her. Her gaze was somewhat evasive, clearly not revealing the real reason.

But he didn't press further, only nodding: "It's bound to be tiring right after opening, but it'll get better in a while."

"Mm," Nozomi Sasaki responded, and didn't continue the topic.

By the time the two reached the bar entrance, it was already quite dark.

Shimada Sho walked in, and the store was already open for business.

The two of them were working part-time, but the shop also had full-time staff, including a bartender and a shop assistant.

Shimada Sho and Sasaki Nozomi entered together and could see that several tables of guests were already seated in the lobby.

Warm yellow light streamed down from the ceiling, refracting scattered points of light from the glasses above the bar.

Shimada Sho arrived at the bar, greeted the full-time barista named Ichijima Hana, placed the basket of pastries he was carrying on the shelf in the corner, and took off his apron and tied it.

Nozomi Sasaki also walked to the bar, took off her coat and hung it up, and took another apron from the rack.

She was much more skilled at tying her apron than yesterday, bending down to tie a knot in the strap behind her waist.

When she looked up, she found Shimada Sho looking at her.

Their eyes met, and Sasaki Nozomi blushed, asking timidly, "What's wrong?"

Chapter Twenty-Six: A Love Affair Through Trusteeship?

"nothing."

Seeing that Sasaki was embarrassed, Shimada Sho shook his head and looked away.

He just thought the girl was quite cute the way she was.

Composing himself, he turned to tidy the glasses on the table and asked, "Did your mother find out you spilled the wine last night?"

“I don’t know.” Nozomi Sasaki walked over and stood on the other side of the bar. “I didn’t tell her, because I was afraid she would worry.”

"That's good," Shimada Sho nodded gently.

It's best not to tell them, so as not to worry your family.

"That guest hasn't bothered you again, has he?" he asked again.

“No, he didn’t mention the clothes when he paid the bill, he probably… forgot,” Sasaki replied, but his voice sounded a little weak.

Clearly, he himself felt that the claim of forgetting was not very credible.

But it's good that nothing's wrong.

Shimada Sho pretended not to understand and didn't ask any more questions.

After 6 p.m., the number of people in the bar gradually increased.

Similar to yesterday, most of the customers are people who are leaving get off work nearby and come in for a drink.

There were groups of office workers, as well as middle-aged men sitting alone at a high table in the corner, scrolling through their phones.

Shimada Sho stood behind the bar, taking orders and handling payments, while Sasaki Nozomi carried a tray, moving between tables and chairs, occasionally stopping to collect empty glasses and sometimes bending down to gently place newly served drinks on the table.

She was much more composed than yesterday; her arms were no longer so stiff when carrying the tray, and she could naturally tuck her shoulders in when turning to avoid customers.

Once, as she passed by the bar, there were three unserved cocktails on the tray. Her foot stepped on a small puddle of water that had been splashed on the ground, and her body swayed slightly.

Shimada Sho reached out and steadyed the three glasses of wine by touching the edge of the tray.

Nozomi Sasaki turned her head shyly and thanked him softly.

With such cooperation, we worked until after eight o'clock without realizing it.

At this point, the number of customers gradually decreased.

Shimada Sho grabbed the window and logged into Tenkai Chizuru using the smart hosting feature.

"System!"

The idol has no engagements lately and is currently lying in bed scrolling through his phone.

Upon realizing that its body was being controlled, it immediately made a sound of excitement.

Before Shimada Sho could respond, he asked again, "Are there any more items, System Master?"

"Props?" Shimada Sho asked, puzzled.

She said, "It's a prop that can make the shop assistant more obedient, like the necklace and that cell phone!"

"Didn't I already give it to you?" Shimada Sho frowned.

Is this girl really that ungrateful?

He already gave her a necklace.

Although it was fake, he cooperated quite well.

From her perspective, at least, the hypnotic effect was incredibly realistic.

What's the point of having another one?

"It's not enough. The necklace isn't working well enough. The sales assistant... isn't very obedient."

Shimada Sho: "???"

He's been so cooperative, why isn't he listening?

How effective must the hypnosis phone be to allow this silly girl to see the difference in one go?

What kind of person do you want?

Shimada Sho was surprised, but kept a straight face and asked.

Chizuru Amami then made her request, "It's like... a hypnosis phone, that can make the shop assistant obedient, and he'll know what to do and how to please me just by saying one word..."

"There's no such thing." Shimada Sho refused without hesitation, feeling embarrassed inside.

He thought the hypnosis phone only had a hypnotic effect that could roughly make him obey her commands.

Now it seems there's much more to it than that?

Just by saying one sentence, you can make people want to please you.

That effect is just too damn amazing.

"I can pay," said Chizuru Amami, still determined to pay.

Shimada Sho simply said, "This system is going offline."

"Eh?"

"goodbye!"

After saying that, Shimada Sho logged out immediately.

If they keep talking, it'll definitely go on and on, and he doesn't have the energy to deal with it.

This girl's appetite is getting bigger and bigger.

Perhaps she's developed a dependency on hypnosis, so let her struggle with it on her own.

At least for now, the necklace is enough to deal with her.

Upon regaining consciousness, Shimada Sho opened his eyes.

The familiar data panel popped up, but there were no rewards.

Unsurprisingly, the training progress did not increase.

That's understandable, since he didn't do anything.

The bar was as lively as ever.

Newly arrived guests are jostling each other for seats.

Nozomi Sasaki, one of only two waitresses in the restaurant, was extremely busy.

Seeing this, Shimada Sho shut down the system and went over to help for a while.

But he felt, whether it was his imagination or not, that Sasaki Nozomi seemed a little nervous when he walked over.

She could normally handle the customer's questions with ease, but as soon as he came over, she seemed to be muted.

He doesn't say much, and sometimes when asked a question, he'll be lost in thought for a long time before giving a response.

"Are you alright?" Shimada Sho asked her with some doubt after finishing serving the customer.

Sasaki Nozomi looked up in surprise upon hearing this, "N-nothing!"

"..." This doesn't look like anything's wrong at all.

Shimada Sho returned to the bar, pretending to be calm, while secretly observing.

At this moment, Nozomi Sasaki finished serving the drinks and walked back to the bar with the empty tray.

The way she walks is not very coordinated.

As he raised his hand, his waist involuntarily tensed, and a fleeting look of pain crossed his face.

Noticing this, Shimada Sho put down the dry cloth he was holding and asked, "Is your back bothering you?"

“No, it’s just…” Nozomi Sasaki shook her head subconsciously, unable to find the words to answer.

After a long pause, he explained, "I twisted my ankle while moving things this afternoon, but it's nothing serious."

"Then why are you still coming to work?"

"It's much better now."

She stretched her shoulders as she spoke, trying to prove that she was alright.