Starting a New Life in Tokyo by Inheriting a Shopping Street [17]

Chiba Shuuichi let out a sigh, his tone suddenly serious. “You’re supposed to be an honors student, right? If you end up becoming Tokyo’s queen of law one day, then I might be interested in ‘training’ you.”

That gentle, almost concerned way of speaking made Akiyama Tsuki flinch slightly, a hint of softness flickering through her eyes.

But right after that, a wave of defiance surged in. We’re the same age, and he’s talking to me like he’s some kind of elder? Who does he think he is?

Her mouth remained sharp. “So you’re into messing with strong-willed career women? I knew you were a freak. But fine. I get it. I’ll work hard.”

Chiba rolled his eyes. “Get what? The rent’s cheap because we’re classmates, and your mom offered me free meals. That’s it. Stop imagining nonsense.”

To be honest, he was already sick of Yoshinoya. A ramen shop with a 30% flavor boost was appealing enough, but he, as the manager, got a 300% buff. The taste was going to be phenomenal.

But Tsuki’s reaction was way beyond what he’d expected. Her eyes widened in shock.

“You even want to play out your sick fantasies in front of my family?! No way—I won’t accept that! At most… maybe something more discreet…”

A vein throbbed in Chiba’s temple. Seriously? I explained it so clearly and she still took it the wrong way?

He finally lost his patience. Grabbing her by the wrist, he said, “Come with me.”

Behind him, Tsuki’s expression flickered with a strange kind of anticipation. But her mouth kept running: “Knew it. Dropped the act, didn’t you? Men are all perverts.”

Chiba ignored her completely. He brought her into the bedroom, sat at the desk, and had her stand in front of him.

With an utterly unshakable tone, he ordered: “Lift your skirt.”

“…What?” Tsuki blinked.

“This is what you wanted, right? Lift your skirt. Don’t make me say it a third time,” Chiba said, face blank.

Tsuki suddenly looked nervous. A moment ago, she’d been thinking maybe this guy wasn’t so bad—but now…

Did I push him too far?

“I-I mean, this kind of thing… shouldn’t there be a process…?” she stammered, eyes darting around.

Chiba said nothing. Just watched her.

“I—I get it…” Tsuki finally gritted her teeth and took the first step.

...

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“You bastard…”

“That’s all it takes to throw you off?” Chiba said with a smirk as he pulled out a permanent marker.

Tsuki froze. “Wait—it’s not over?!”

“What’s the rush?”

Without another word, Chiba wrote a square, neatly-formed kanji character on her pale, slender thigh.

Tsuki’s face burned with shame and indignation. “You… you…”

“What?” Chiba said with a relaxed grin, legs crossed, watching her reaction with amusement. “Isn’t this what you wanted? Let’s be honest here—who’s the real pervert between us?”

“Ugh… just kill me already…” Tsuki muttered, trembling from head to toe.

Though honestly, this kind of “humiliation” only made her more… excited.

“No wiping it off. You can wash it tomorrow night. That’s all—go home. You’ve got a move to prepare for, don’t you?”

Chiba waved her off like a nuisance. If he kept this going, he really might lose control.

“…That’s it?” Tsuki blinked. Besides the humiliation and rage, her face showed something else—reluctance?

Chiba gave her a deadpan look. “Fine. One more thing. From now on, only wear blue-and-white striped underwear.”

“Blue and white stripes? You’re into something that basic?” Tsuki looked baffled.

“Why do you care?” Chiba had finally figured out what tone worked with her.

“I don’t have any money.” Tsuki’s ears turned red for the first time, her voice slightly flustered. “Cram school’s expensive…”

Chiba pulled out his wallet, handed her a crisp Fukuzawa Yukichi note. “Go buy some.”

“This is too much. I don’t need this much.”

“Buy spares.”

“…Got it. You freak.” She snatched the bill, huffed, and walked out, pressing one hand against the hem of her skirt as she went.

With writing on her thigh, she couldn’t risk the wind lifting it up.

“What even was that?” Chiba leaned back in his chair, caught between laughter and disbelief.

...

Meanwhile, Tsuki left the management office and returned to the newly leased shop—only to find it completely empty.

Frowning, she called her mom.

Turns out, they’d left her behind and gone to lunch without her. They were on their way back now.

A few minutes later, they returned. Mrs. Akiyama smacked her forehead. “Oops! I forgot to bring Tsuki-chan something to eat. I’ll go buy it now—”

“Oh no, I forgot too!” An rubbed her round belly, realizing it just a beat late.

“No need. I’ll go grab something myself later,” Tsuki said, already used to her family’s chronic forgetfulness.

“More importantly, I took care of it. You don’t have to worry anymore.”

“Worry about what?” An looked blank. Just from having lunch, she’d already forgotten everything.

“…” Tsuki was beyond words. Her blood pressure spiked. She grabbed her sister’s cheeks and pulled. “Fine! Let someone kidnap you next time! I’m done!”

“Why are you mad again…” An whined through squished lips.

“You girls need to get along~” Mrs. Akiyama said cheerfully, watching them bicker like it was the most heartwarming thing in the world.

“And you!” Tsuki turned on her mother. “Can’t you at least try to be more cautious?!”

“There aren’t that many bad people in the world, Tsuki-chan. You’re way too tense,” Mrs. Akiyama replied with a wave of her hand, completely unconcerned.

“That Chiba guy next door is definitely not one of the good ones. An, you’d better stay away from him,” Tsuki said sternly.

“Will he really… do weird things to me?” An asked, blinking innocently.

“Absolutely!” Tsuki slapped a hand over the kanji on her thigh, face flushing pink again.

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T/N: kids these days ared too wild

This is a fan translation of 从继承商店街开始东京生活 by 净消尘土 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!