Tokyo: Love Begins with Controlling the Rich Girl

If Takikawa Rena really wants to mess with Owada, then she's practically challenging the Sumiyoshi Association.

It's hard to imagine how she dared to do that.

Sumiyoshi-kai is not some random street urchin.

This is a long-established gang with numerous businesses under its name, all of which are shady operations.

If they were to truly clash, they would become mortal enemies.

Even if you're incredibly bold, you shouldn't do something so stupid, right?

"Is the store manager very capable?" Shimada Sho pondered, asking a question that came from someone who was completely unfamiliar with the business.

Sure enough, Sugita chuckled. "This guy is really funny. Are you trying to ask how strong our 'Armed Front' is?"

"..." Shimada Sho's face darkened.

He finally understood why Rena Takikawa had made fun of him on the first day of her job interview.

So she's also a fan of Crows Zero?

Armed front? Isn't this just like the biker gangs in Crows Zero?

If he gives his organization such a name, then giving his ID "Dominate Tokyo Academy" isn't at all cringeworthy!

"That's one way to understand it," Shimada Sho nodded in agreement.

Upon hearing this, Sugita immediately revealed a smug smile. "Young man, you probably don't know this, but although our Armed Front is a newly emerging force, with our leader leading us, we've been developing rapidly lately. It won't be long before we crush all the other small gangs under our feet!"

"So confident?" Shimada Sho was somewhat surprised.

Sugita wanted to explain further, but at that moment, the bar door was pushed open again.

A figure walked in through the door, wearing a loose white shirt and black trousers, carrying a paper bag in his hand, and walked in unhurriedly.

Upon seeing the newcomer, the bartenders at the counter almost simultaneously stood up from their bar stools.

"Rena-nee!"

They greeted each other in unison, their previous laziness vanished, and even their posture became much straighter.

After Takikawa Rena walked in, her gaze swept over the people at the bar, lingered on Shimada Sho for a moment, and then landed on Sugita's face: "What are you doing in my shop so late?"

"I was just passing by and thought I'd come and take a look."

Sugita's smile had a hint of ingratiation, a stark contrast to his boss-like demeanor when he sat at the bar earlier.

"Just passing by?" Takikawa Rena raised an eyebrow, her gaze falling on the empty glasses on the bar counter. "How much did you drink?"

"Just a few glasses of water, no alcohol!" the blond boy quickly explained.

Rena Takikawa did not respond to that statement.

Her gaze shifted to Shimada Sho, her tone softening slightly: "They didn't cause you any trouble, did they?"

"No," Shimada Sho shook his head. "We just chatted for a while."

Rena Takikawa nodded, then walked to the bar and placed the paper bag on the counter.

She turned her head and glanced at Sugita, her gaze carrying a calmness completely different from that during the day: "You guys, come with me to the back to talk about something."

Sugita immediately stood up, and the other underlings also stood up.

The blond delinquent gave Shimada Sho a grateful gesture as he walked past him.

Rena Takikawa took a couple of steps, then stopped, remembering something, and turned back to look at Sho Shimada. "Genji-kun, thank you for your hard work. You can leave once you're done packing."

“Okay.” Shimada Sho nodded in response.

A few people went into the office next to the kitchen, and after the door closed, the front hall became quiet again.

Shimada Sho stood behind the bar, collecting the remaining cups into a tray. As he turned around, he peeked through the half-open door and saw his underlings standing in a row in front of the desk, their posture much more reserved than before.

"What a surprise," Shimada Sho remarked with a smile.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Are You a Spy?

At 9:30 p.m., Shimada Sho unlocked his house with his key.

"I'm back~"

He habitually uttered a sound, but when he looked up, he found the living room was lit up.

My younger sister, Hoshino Yuzuki, sat on the sofa, her pretty face shimmering in the light emanating from the television screen.

Shimada Sho was surprised, "Why aren't you asleep yet?"

"I can't sleep," Hoshino Yuuki replied, staring at the TV screen without looking up.

After Shimada Sho changed his shoes and walked into the hall, she looked up and asked, "Why are you so late?"

"We had a lot of customers today, so we closed a little late." Shimada Sho walked over and sat down at the other end of the sofa, explaining, "The manager is here and is talking to a few people, so I felt bad leaving first."

"Who is it?" Hoshino Yuzuki's brows furrowed.

"They seem to be friends," Shimada Sho said vaguely.

I definitely can't reveal her specific identity; if I did, this girl would worry.

"Mom said you work at a bar, which is a very unsafe place. Did you encounter any strange people?"

Even without saying anything, Hoshino Yuuki looked concerned.

Shimada Sho could only offer a perfunctory reply, "It's just going to work, what's so strange about that?"

As he spoke, he added in his mind: "It certainly didn't exist before, but it's hard to say now."

He truly hadn't expected that Takikawa Rena, who appeared calm and easygoing and liked to joke about being the guy who dominated Tokyo Academy, would actually be the boss of a yakuza organization.

Not only was his status special, but he also trained his underlings like dogs.

This truly broadened Shimada Sho's horizons.

Now, even if he's not exactly on a pirate ship, he's at least become Takikawa Reina's employee.

Given my status, I certainly can't confidently say "I'm fine" like I used to.

But it's nothing.

It's just a regular workday.

As long as it doesn't worry Aunt Island Flower and Yuzuki, it's fine.

As Shimada Sho pondered, Hoshino Yuuki looked him up and down.

She seemed to have something to say.

But in the end, he didn't say anything, just gave a soft "hmm" and turned back to watch TV.

"I'll go up first." Shimada Sho stood up, stretched his shoulders, and headed for the stairs.

"Okay." Hoshino Yuuki's gaze was still on the television, but as he reached the stairwell, he added, "Go to sleep early."

"knew."

Shimada Sho went upstairs to his room, closed the door, leaned against it, and let out a sigh of relief.

He took off his coat and hung it up, then lay down on the bed and opened the system panel.

Yuki Ayase's field indicates that the connection has been cooled down.

He pressed the connect button directly.

In the instant his consciousness left his body, the scene before him changed rapidly. When he refocused, he was already sitting at the desk in Yuki Ayase's room.

A workbook lay open on the table, next to a pen and a cup of tea that had gone cold. The warm yellow light from the desk lamp cast a soft halo around the pages.

"You're a persistent ghost." Ayase Yuki's voice echoed in my mind, carrying a familiar sense of disdain.

"Let me see if you've done your homework properly."

Shimada Sho glanced down at the workbook, which was covered with neat handwriting.

I can't help but wonder, "The school doesn't require us to write this much every day, does it?"

"What's it to you?"

"It's because I care about you."

"nausea."

Shimada Sho smiled but didn't reply.

He reached for the pen on the table, twirled it, and was about to continue speaking when there was a knock on the door.

"Sister, are you asleep?" Ayase Maki's tentative voice came from outside the door.

It sounded like they were being very careful, as if they were afraid of bothering others.

Shimada Sho paused his pen-twirling motion for a moment.

He glanced up at the door and asked himself, "Should I pay attention to her?"

Yuki Ayase did not answer immediately.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "...See if she needs anything."

"Okay." He got up and walked towards the door.

After all, it's someone else's body, and unless there are special circumstances, he has no right to make decisions for them.

But if it were him, he wouldn't bother with that girl outside anymore.

All he does is pester his older sister and cause trouble all day long.

He went to the door and opened it.

Maki Ayase stood outside the door, wearing a light pink nightgown, her hair disheveled, as if she had just gotten out of bed.

She was holding a pillow in her arms. Seeing the door open, she tilted her head slightly and said, "Sister, you're still awake?"

"What is it?" Shimada Sho leaned against the door frame, not letting her in.

Maki Ayase tilted her head, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment, then lowered her voice slightly: "Actually... there's something I don't know if I should tell my sister."

"Then don't say it."

“…It’s about Shimada-kun.” She quickly added.

Shimada Sho's expression froze.

In her mind, Ayase Yuki's voice rang out: "Ask her what happened."

"...What about him?" Shimada Sho asked, following up.

Hearing his name called, he now wanted to know what the girl had to say.

But Maki Ayase doesn't intend to say it right away.

She leaned forward and peeked slightly into the doorway: "Sister, let me in. It looks weird standing at the door."

“…Okay.” Shimada Sho stepped aside.

Maki Ayase immediately came in carrying a pillow, and naturally sat down on the bed with her legs together, looking very obedient.

She looked up at Shimada Sho, her eyes filled with a serious, almost earnest concern: "I ran into Shimada-kun at school today."

"Hmm?" Shimada Sho raised an eyebrow.

He spent the entire day at school today in the kendo club and didn't go outside at all.

How could she possibly see herself?

Though inwardly suspicious, Shimada Sho calmly asked, "And then?"

"And then... he seemed a little unhappy." Ayase Maki tilted her head slightly, a look of reminiscence on her face, and slowly said, "He didn't look well. At noon, he passed by our classroom in the teaching building, walking with his head down. I called him, but he didn't hear me."

Upon hearing this, Shimada Sho's face darkened.

What utter nonsense!

He didn't go to the teaching building at all during lunchtime.

They even ate their meals at the kendo club.

Where can this girl see me?

It was just a fabricated reason made up so he could see Yuki Ayase.