Tokyo: Love Begins with Controlling the Rich Girl

He speaks off the cuff without even writing a draft.

Shimada Sho, somewhat displeased, asked, "So?"

"So I was thinking, is Shimada-kun in some kind of trouble?" Ayase Maki's tone was utterly sincere. "Isn't my sister quite close to him? Should we go check on him?"

Shimada Sho's lips twitched slightly, but his face remained expressionless.

In her mind, Ayase Yuki's voice rang out again: "That Shimada-kun she mentioned... is it Sho-kun?"

"What do you think?" Shimada Sho asked in a flat tone.

"She seems to care about him a lot."

"...What she cares about is whether you care about him or not."

Yuki Ayase remained silent for a moment.

When the phone rang again, there was a hint of wavering in her voice that she herself didn't realize: "Shall we go take a look tomorrow?"

Shimada Sho silently rolled his eyes in his mind.

This girl really knows how to manipulate her sister.

She could easily come up with a reason why Shimada seemed unhappy, and Ayase Yuki couldn't help but want to confirm it.

Even someone as intelligent as her lacked any judgment in this matter.

What's even more frustrating is that, as the person involved, he was subjected to this cricket attack and had no way to explain it.

This feeling is so suffocating.

"Just say yes to her already."

Shimada Sho didn't respond, and Ayase Yuki became anxious.

She seemed eager to go find Shimada Sho right now.

"...Alright then." Finally, he could only reluctantly agree, saying, "We'll talk about it tomorrow. You go back to sleep first."

"Okay~" With her goal achieved, Ayase Maki immediately stood up from the bed.

A smile appeared on her face, and her steps became lighter.

As she reached the door, she turned back, giving him a sweet smile, "Goodnight, sister!"

After the door closed, the room became quiet.

Shimada Sho stood there, looking at the closed door, and thought to himself with a sigh, "It's a shame your sister isn't an actress."

"What do you mean?"

"nothing."

Shimada Sho shook his head, ending the conversation.

He couldn't explain it.

Even if he were to use his current identity, Shimada Sho wouldn't be able to explain it clearly.

Because he had absolutely no contact with Maki Ayase.

As the person involved, he shouldn't even know about their current conversation.

So there's no need to say too much.

The choice is entirely up to Yuki Ayase; at most, he'll offer a casual reminder.

I checked the login time limit; there were still a dozen minutes left.

With nothing else to do, he pressed the logout button.

"They're gone."

"Um."

After the conversation ended, Shimada Sho's vision went dark.

The moment consciousness returned, the familiar system panel appeared.

Nothing has changed.

Yuki Ayase's development progress is forever stuck at 0%.

The labels remain the same as before.

The mission is still ongoing.

This indicates that her relationship with Seiichiro Ayase remains unchanged.

I wonder if things will improve after this sports festival ends.

Lost in thought about all sorts of things, I drifted off to sleep without even realizing it.

The next day.

Upon waking up in the morning, Shimada Sho went to school as usual.

The early summer sun peeked through the gaps in the clouds and shone on the trees lining both sides of the street.

He was under the tree, and when he walked to the school gate, he saw the familiar figure standing under the rain pavilion in the distance.

Yuki Ayase was wearing her school uniform today, but she had a light blue scarf tied around her neck. Her hair was braided into a side braid and hung over her shoulder. She was holding a folder in her hand and her gaze was fixed on the direction of the school gate.

When she saw Shimada Sho walking over, her eyes lit up for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure.

"Xiangjun." She stepped forward, stopped in front of him, and asked bluntly, "Have you... encountered something lately?"

Looking into her concerned eyes, Shimada Sho sighed inwardly.

"No," he replied helplessly.

But your complexion...

"I'm fine, really nothing's wrong."

Fearing he might actually believe Ayase Maki's lies, Shimada Sho interrupted him directly.

And he emphasized with certainty, "I was training in the kendo club all day yesterday, and I was in a good mood. I didn't even go back to the teaching building."

This answer served two purposes: to reassure her and to remind her.

Unfortunately, Yuki Ayase didn't notice at all.

Her gaze lingered on Shimada Sho's face, as if trying to determine whether his statement was true or false.

After a while, she nodded gently, "It's good that you're alright."

Even so, the worry in my eyes hadn't disappeared.

"I'm really fine, don't overthink it," Shimada Sho reminded him one last time.

Before she could say anything more, he started walking towards the school, saying, "I'm going to the classroom first."

“Okay.” Yuki Ayase nodded and didn’t stop him.

This woman is usually so smart, how could she fall for this girl's trick?

On his way to class, Shimada Sho was still pondering.

I really can't figure it out.

Upon entering the classroom on the third floor, Shimada Sho saw Amami Chizuru sitting in the second row.

She was looking down at her textbook when she heard footsteps, looked up, saw him, and her eyes lit up immediately.

She glanced down at her chest, a distinct smile curving her lips as she eagerly awaited his arrival.

Seeing this, Shimada Sho didn't hesitate. He walked past her seat, put down his bag at his own seat, and then quickly crossed the classroom and left through the back door.

Chizuru Amami's mouth, which had just opened, froze in place.

Stepping out of the classroom, Shimada Sho breathed a sigh of relief.

This girl has gotten a taste for it; she'll definitely try to use that necklace to hypnotize someone again.

Maybe I was thinking of using it right away.

This is a classroom.

There were other classmates around; he couldn't possibly continue to cooperate.

Therefore, to avoid any further misunderstandings, Shimada Sho decided to avoid the situation for the time being.

Now we have special privileges and don't have to worry about attending classes.

After going down the stairs, he headed straight for the student activity building along the corridor.

The kendo club now has its own training ground, and people can come and go as they please.

You don't have to worry about getting entangled here.

While pondering, he arrived at the activity room of the Kendo Club.

Pushing open the door, I was surprised to hear the sound of swords being swung inside.

The students are all in their classrooms early in the morning and won't come over.

Shimada Sho guessed it might be a teacher.

But upon entering, one sees a delicate figure dressed in a white kendo uniform.

Standing in the center of the activity room, he tirelessly swung his bamboo knife, one strike after another.

Her movements were precise and fluid, each strike landing at the same height with perfect accuracy. The sound of the bamboo sword cutting through the air created a rhythmic pattern in the spacious activity room.

Perhaps because she had been practicing for a while, her forehead was slightly sweaty.

Hearing the door open, Kiryu Ichiyo stopped what she was doing and turned around.

When his gaze met Shimada Sho's, he paused for a moment.

But she quickly recovered and turned back to training.

She didn't say a word from beginning to end.

It was as if they didn't even see Shimada Sho.

Since she was already like this, Shimada Sho naturally couldn't be bothered to pay any attention to her.

He pursed his lips, went to the corner to change into his kendo uniform, picked up a bamboo sword from the sword rack, walked to the window seat in the activity room, and began to practice his kendo.

The two people stood on either side of the activity room, neither of them speaking.

The sound of bamboo knives slicing through the air rang out alternately, carrying a unique rhythm.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on the tatami mats.

At first glance, the two are making the same movements, like parallel shadows.

But if you observe more closely, you'll find that their movements are completely different.

Although both involve swinging a sword, Shimada Sho's bamboo sword falls in different trajectories each time.

Not only are their routes different, but their force and landing points are also completely random.

Ordinary people probably wouldn't be able to see the intricacies involved.

But Kiryu Ichiyo, who was originally wielding his sword seriously, unconsciously slowed down his movements.

Her gaze unconsciously drifted toward Shimada Sho.

"Are you a peeping tom?" At one point, I was caught red-handed.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Little Idol Has Broken!

Shimada Sho stopped what he was doing.

He held the bamboo sword in mid-air, his gaze fixed on the white figure a few steps away.

Kiryu Ichiyo also stopped.

She was being watched, but her gaze remained unwavering.

"You've been staring at me the whole time, haven't you?" Shimada Sho asked, frowning as their eyes met.

"Look at the way you're swinging your sword," Kiryu Ichiyo replied calmly, showing no embarrassment at being caught red-handed. Instead, he commented, "Your movements are not standard."

"so what?"