Tokyo: Becoming the Perfect Male God Starting with a Rented Boyfriend.

Miyazawa Itsuki and Tsukimi Yuko both paused, turning their heads in unison towards the front door. They watched as the girl's gaze shifted from the men's shoes in the entryway to the two people in the living room.

The girl has long, smooth, light chestnut hair inherited from her mother, her skin is bright and radiant, her nose is straight and well-defined, her long, slightly upturned eyelashes frame beautiful, large eyes, and her cherry-colored lips have a jelly-like texture.

All the elements combined to form the exquisitely beautiful girl before us, who resembles a doll.

Judging from the familiar uniform, the girl and Miyazawa Itsuki attended the same high school.

Miyazawa Itsuki knew her, or rather, it was hard for him not to know her.

That person who has consistently topped the list of "most desired girls to date" with overwhelming popularity, an idol-level figure at Sakura Ryou High School.

—Tsukimi Sakura.

Possessing overwhelming beauty, consistently holding the top spot in her grade, and treating everyone with equal gentleness, she is a flawless, aloof beauty with the air of a young lady from a wealthy family.

The above information was obtained by Miyazawa Itsuki from an anonymous forum. Those busybodies gave her a somewhat exaggerated nickname—[Saintess].

I initially thought it was just the exaggerated naming style common among Japanese people, but now that I've seen it up close, I think the code name is really quite fitting. Her beauty, so perfect that it makes one unable to feel any sense of blasphemy, is indeed like a saint in a story.

"What...are you doing?"

The saintess, Tsukimi Sakura, spoke.

His tone carried a hint of confusion and scrutiny.

Anyone returning home late at night and seeing their mother and a strange man arguing would feel uneasy and wary, especially if the mother and daughter live alone.

"Sakura, Sakura, listen to your mother. This is Mr. Miyazawa, who lives next door to us. He has helped me a lot, so I would like to invite Mr. Miyazawa to stay for dinner..."

Yuko Tsukimi hurriedly let go of Miyazawa Itsuki's hand and explained.

Miyazawa Itsuki sighed and bowed slightly: "Hello, I'm Miyazawa Itsuki from next door."

He briefly explained what had happened, including the microwave making a loud noise, Mrs. Tsukimi screaming, his arrival to inquire about the situation, and his repair of the malfunctioning machine.

After hearing the whole story, Tsukimi Sakuna's tense but beautiful face relaxed, and she bowed slightly to him.

“I see… I’m so sorry to have troubled you. My mother isn’t very good at using cooking utensils, so I usually do the cooking at home. It’s just that today’s situation is special, which is why this happened.”

"No, that's not true. I don't think it's Mrs. Tsukimi's fault. It's unavoidable for the things left by the landlord to age," Miyazawa Itsuki said with a wry smile.

“When I first moved here, the washing machine in the house had a similar problem. It took me a long time to fix. So when I see neighbors with the same problem, I think of myself back then and decide to help if I can.”

Tsukimi Sakuna smiled demurely, her eyes gentle: "Thank you, you really are a kind-hearted gentleman."

"Ah, I forgot I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Tsukimi Sakuna."

"I know."

"Huh? Did Mr. Miyazawa know me before?" Tsukimi Sakuna asked, somewhat puzzled.

"I'm also a student at Sakura Ryou High School," Miyazawa Itsuki explained, and Tsukimi Sakuna's expression quickly froze upon hearing this.

"...Is that so?" Her voice sounded strange. "It's a classmate...I..."

Yuko Tsukimi held Sakuna's small hand: "Sakuna, Mr. Miyazawa is different from those people. We just moved here, but Mr. Miyazawa has been living here for a long time."

"Yes, yes." Tsukimi Sakuna's trembling voice gradually calmed down. She looked at Miyazawa Itsuki with an apologetic expression:

"Um, I'm sorry, I lost my composure a bit."

"It's nothing," Miyazawa Itsuki shook his head.

It's perfectly normal for pretty girls to be wary.

Having already received excessive attention at school, and then finding unfamiliar classmates at my home after school, I would also feel that someone had ulterior motives.

"Since there's nothing else, I'll head back now."

Miyazawa Itsuki planned to return to his rented apartment. He hadn't reviewed his lessons yet and needed to go back to improve his shorthand skills.

How much more efficient would LV3 [Shorthand] be compared to his current skills? He had never experienced elite-level skills before.

Maybe he can memorize the entire history of the world word for word.

"Please, please wait a moment!"

Tsukimi Sakura's tone was somewhat flustered.

She instinctively reached out and grabbed Miyazawa Itsuki's sleeve.

Miyazawa Itsuki turned around and met her watery eyes. Beneath those eyes, his delicate face quickly turned as red as a boiled shrimp.

"Yes, yes, yes... I'm sorry!"

As if electrocuted, Tsukimi Sakuna quickly withdrew her finger: "Um, I just wanted to thank you for your kindness. Just like my mother said, I don't have any other strengths, except that I'm quite confident in my cooking skills, so if you don't mind..."

Miyazawa Itsuki opened his mouth, trying to say something.

But a sudden, empty hunger pang came over him – he didn’t have the habit of eating dinner; he would go home after school, change into casual clothes, and go to work. He would only get through dinner with the sugar from coffee and a small snack.

Although he knew in his heart that this kind of life was unhealthy, Miyazawa Itsuki found it difficult to change. The fast pace of life left him no time to cook or maintain a balanced diet.

But to say that he really doesn't like delicious food would be a lie.

At this point, the stomach bulge becomes a sign of protest.

"...Well, since that's the case, then I'll take the liberty of bothering you."

After hesitating for a moment, Miyazawa Itsuki finally agreed.

Since I was a bit hungry anyway, I figured I might as well go with the flow and quickly settle the matter; it would be better for both of us.

Yuko Tsukimi's cheeks puffed up quickly: "...Mr. Miyazawa, you'd agree if my daughter invited me, but not me? Although I know I'm not as young and beautiful as my daughter..."

"Oh dear, Mom, what are you saying!" Tsukimi Sakura shyly stopped her mother from speaking. "Mr. Miyazawa isn't such a superficial man. He probably agreed because he considered our feelings."

Miyazawa Itsuki did not speak.

Isn't he a superficial person?

It may be, or it may not be.

Humans are visual creatures, and even Miyazawa Itsuki has to admit that.

When faced with a stunningly beautiful girl begging him to stay, and she offered to cook him a simple meal without any reaction, it must be because she was trying to soothe his stomach.

But it's not fair to say that someone would want to stay here and freeload just because of this.

Miyazawa Itsuki knew that he had never encountered such a rare and exceptionally beautiful girl as Tsukimi Sakuna.

But just because something is rare in one's life does not mean that it has never been seen before.

He had long since developed a certain resistance to the allure of beautiful young women. He turned to another girl.

Miyazawa Itsuki's gaze was somewhat unfocused.

That's when I inexplicably started thinking about that guy. What's going on?

Memories of that girl flickered inappropriately in my mind.

"A-Shu! Look, I made a bento box!"

"Ashu, even if it tastes bad, you absolutely cannot spit it out. This is your wife's lovingly prepared bento box, and you must eat every single grain of rice!"

"Huh? What are you talking about? Childhood sweethearts, doesn't that mean you'll be together forever?"

"...Isn't that marriage? Does that mean Ashu wants me to be with another man?"

"No, no, no! I'm not like Ashu! I absolutely cannot accept Ashu choosing another woman. If you dare to do that, I..."

Chapter 17 Cooking with the Saintess

Inside a 24-hour convenience store not far from the apartment.

Miyazawa Itsuki and Tsukimi Sakuna are selecting ingredients for dinner in the vegetable section.

Because they had just moved in, the Tsukimi family's refrigerator didn't have any fresh ingredients to cook, a fact they only discovered at the last minute.

After that, Tsukimi Sakuna suggested that she go to the nearby convenience store to buy the items herself.

However, it was getting dark, and it was a bit worrying to let such a beautiful high school girl go out shopping alone. In the end, at Miyazawa Itsuki's suggestion, the trip was changed to the two of them going together.

Miyazawa Itsuki was carrying a shopping basket containing a white radish, tofu, chicken, and seasonings such as soy sauce and salt.

"This... um, it's quite plump."

Sakura muttered softly in her sweet and cute voice as she selected potatoes.

Miyazawa Itsuki did not participate in the selection of ingredients; professional matters should be left to professionals.

Despite having redeemed professional-level knife skills through the panel, Miyazawa Itsuki's understanding of cooking remains superficial.

The culinary skills I developed from living alone in my previous life were at most just cooking food and processing it according to steps; the taste wasn't particularly outstanding.

After graduating from a top university and entering the lucrative finance industry, I never cooked for myself again. I could simply order takeout whenever I wanted to eat.

"Miyazawa-kun, would you like stew for dinner?"

Tsukimi Sakuna asked him in a gentle voice.

“I don’t have any dietary restrictions. I’ll eat anything that Tsukimi-kun makes…” Miyazawa Itsuki said casually, then realized that his words were ambiguous, “…Sorry, that’s not what I meant.”

He unconsciously adopted the tone he used when he rented a boyfriend. Perhaps it was because they really sounded like a couple traveling together.

Tsukimi Sakuna gave an understanding smile: "Yes, I know. Miyazawa-kun doesn't have those kinds of feelings for me."

As expected of someone hailed as a "saint," even her personality is so gentle and considerate, never putting anyone in an awkward situation.

Miyazawa Itsuki also began to understand why that group of people were so fascinated by the charm of the person in front of them.

If you only look at appearances, Asahina Oomi is not bad either, but in the details, the two are very different.

Naomi is like the sun, radiating a bright and sunny aura. Her fashionable and sophisticated demeanor can make her seem unapproachable.

Sakura is more like the moon; though gentle, she carries a sense of aloofness, and that aloof gentleness sometimes becomes a kind of magic, making people yearn for and be fascinated.

Tsukimi Sakuna selected the potatoes and put them into the basket in Miyazawa Itsuki's hand.

She gently rested her chin on her hand, pondering: "We have the main dish, and we've bought the ingredients for miso soup, but we're still missing a staple food... Miyazawa-kun, what do you think of omelet rice?"

"Can Tsukimi-kun make such complicated food?"

"Hehe, it's not that complicated. Omelette rice was the first dish I learned to make, so it's a familiar dish for me."

"Let's go with what Yuejian wants then. I'm really looking forward to your specialty dish."

"I can only cook average-quality meals." She gave a shy smile. "Please forgive me if it doesn't suit Miyazawa-kun's taste."

"How could that be?"

Tsukimi Sakura picked out a carton of eggs from the miscellaneous food section. Looking at the price tag, she frowned and said, "So expensive," before putting the eggs into her basket.

Miyazawa Itsuki followed half a step behind her, watching her back.

Tsukimi Sakura looks exactly like a good wife who takes good care of her family.

People at school speculated that with Tsukimi Sakura's refined demeanor, she might be a young lady from a prestigious family. But in reality, she was just a child from an ordinary family, who would worry about rising egg prices and rejoice when vegetables were on sale late at night.

Is this what they mean by "commoner saintess"?

After selecting their items, the two went to the front desk to pay and then returned to their apartment.

Tsukimi Sakura put on a cooking apron and tied her hair up, making her cute appearance even more endearing.

Just as she was about to take the ingredients into the kitchen, Miyazawa Itsuki said at the right moment, "Can I join in too?"

"Huh?" Tsukimi Sakuna tilted her head. "Why? Miyazawa-kun just needs to wait."

"No, look, it's getting quite late. I think cooking would be faster if someone could help."

Miyazawa Itsuki explained, "Although I don't have much talent for cooking, I am quite skilled at chopping vegetables. When I was a child, I always helped my mother with cooking, so let me take charge of this part."

Tsukimi Sakuna looked troubled: "But you're clearly a guest..."

"I don't think it's necessary to be so polite. We'll all be neighbors who help each other from now on. If we're too distant, it won't be easy to get along."

Tsukimi Sakura thought about it seriously for a while, and seemed to be convinced. She nodded slightly: "...What you said makes sense. Okay then, I'll leave the chopping to Miyazawa-kun."

She made way for him and went into the kitchen. Miyazawa Itsuki followed behind.

He temporarily opened the panel, glanced at the [Knife Skill LV2 (15/600)] on it, and then closed it again.

Finally, I had a chance to improve my proficiency with it.

He initially exchanged for this skill with the mindset that "maybe there will be a chance to show off my masculinity at work," but unexpectedly it became Miyazawa Itsuki's most neglected skill.