Starting a New Life in Tokyo by Inheriting a Shopping Street [16]

Akiyama Tsuki held her forehead, grinding her teeth. “That guy's definitely after my sister. There’s no way he has good intentions!”

“Hmm…” Mrs. Akiyama tilted her head, blinked a few times, then turned to her youngest daughter with a casual look. “An-chan, do you like Chiba-kun? If you do, then there’s no problem.”

An rubbed her cheek, still red from earlier pinching, and shook her head in confusion. “I don’t know. I’m hungry. I want lunch.”

“True, it is lunchtime,” Mrs. Akiyama nodded in agreement. “Let’s eat first.”

Tsuki twitched. She stared at the two of them, completely exasperated. “Mom, don’t you care if your daughter gets taken advantage of?! Dad was so smart—what did he even see in you?! Wasn’t he super popular back in school?”

Instead of getting angry, Mrs. Akiyama puffed up with pride. Her cheeks flushed pink as she fondly recalled, “That’s right~ Lots of girls were chasing him, but in the end, I won.”

Tsuki’s mouth twitched. “How?”

“Because I was dumb,” her mother said brightly. “He couldn’t relax knowing I might get tricked if he wasn’t around, so he chose me.”

Tsuki’s eyes went wide. That worked?!

“Waaah, Mommy, you’re amazing,” An said, eyes sparkling.

Mrs. Akiyama patted her head. “An-chan will be fine too, I’m sure~”

“…I’m so tired,” Tsuki sighed. Then she slapped her cheeks, trying to refocus. “You two don’t need to worry about this anymore. I’ll handle it. Where is he now?”

Mrs. Akiyama tapped her lower lip in thought. “Probably out for lunch? But the management office is right next door—Chiba-kun should be back soon.”

“I’ll wait for him there. You two stay put.” Tsuki turned on her heel and marched out. Her stride was quick, urgent—almost like she couldn’t wait.

Mrs. Akiyama watched her go with a warm smile. “Tsuki-chan really does love to worry. Just like her dad.”

“Mom,” An suddenly asked, “did Dad ever tie you up in the bedroom and do weird stuff?”

Mrs. Akiyama’s face lit up with excitement and nostalgia. “He did~ I was so surprised the first time. I never thought he had those kinds of interests.”

“What kind of interests? Tell me, I’m curious!” An clung to her mom’s arm, pleading.

“Nope, not for kids~” Mrs. Akiyama tapped the tip of her daughter’s nose. “You said you were hungry, didn’t you? Let’s get food. Bring some back for your sister too.”

...

After staring holes into the manager at Yoshinoya for a good five minutes and making the man visibly nervous, Chiba Shuuichi finally let him off the hook and returned to the management office.

Only to walk in and find a girl with a high ponytail, arms crossed, and a frosty expression waiting for him.

She bore some resemblance to Akiyama An in her features, but with sharper eyes and a commanding air. Unlike An’s performative aloofness, this one radiated real “don’t get close” energy.

“So you’re Chiba,” she said coolly, sizing him up.

“Well, that’s a rude way to greet someone, Kaichō-dono,” Chiba replied with a touch of sarcasm.

“Can the lease be canceled?” she asked bluntly.

“Absolutely not,” Chiba replied without hesitation.

Are you kidding? That was ¥300,000 a month in system salary! And she was the most “loyalty-prone” excellent shopkeeper he’d ever seen. No way he was letting that go.

Tsuki didn’t seem surprised. She took a deep breath, as if mentally steeling herself. “Fine. Then let me take my sister’s place.”

Chiba blinked. “Take her place for what?”

She scoffed. “Don’t play dumb. You offered a deal like this because you’re after my sister, right? I’ll satisfy your perverted desires instead. I’m just as pretty, aren’t I?”

Chiba immediately raised a hand. “Hold on—what ‘perverted desires’? Be specific.”

Tsuki shot him a sharp look. “Don’t pretend. You want to lure a girl in, lock her in a room, and do all sorts of twisted things to her, right? Bondage. Discipline. Roleplay. Tell me I’m wrong.”

Chiba’s face darkened. “What kind of books are you reading?! Is your curriculum secretly published by Thunderfire Press or something? What kind of person just jumps to that?”

Tsuki looked at him with grim certainty. “Isn’t that what all men are like? Especially rich ones. Use whatever means you want—I’m not going to break.”

“…Hah?” Chiba was genuinely stunned. You won’t give in, but you’re telling me to go ahead anyway? Isn’t that contradictory?

Tsuki pressed on. “Don’t bother hiding it. I know what you are. Come on. I’m ready. How far are you planning to go the first time?”

Chiba stared at her for two seconds, then stepped forward, reached out, and pinched her sharp chin, holding her gaze.

“You seriously think too highly of yourself. Honestly? I’ve got zero interest in ‘disciplining’ you.”

If I had that kind of time, I’d rather flirt with one of the married ladies across the street…

Tsuki flinched. A spark of something flashed in her eyes—Was that excitement? Like he’d just said the magic words.

But outwardly, she held her head high, swan-like neck proud, and said coldly:

“Ah. Psychological manipulation? You’re trying to undermine my self-esteem, make me question my worth, and eventually submit to your every command. Classic PUA tactics.”

Chiba was beyond words. He turned and headed for the stairs, leaving her to stew in her own madness.

Tsuki, clearly unsatisfied, followed right after him, muttering, “Ah, so now it’s the ‘ignore play’? New kink, huh?”

Chiba paused halfway up the stairs, looked down at her from above, and thought, Is this girl okay? Both sisters are weird, but in totally different ways…

At least An’s cluelessness was cute. Tsuki’s whole “I’ve figured you out” attitude? Just plain exhausting.

Wait—

Why is her face red? And why do her eyes look… eager?

Chiba froze. A wild, absurd theory popped into his head. No way…

Could the school’s icy, untouchable student council president actually have that kind of kink?

He stared at her, lost in thought.

Tsuki felt his gaze and licked her lips. “Ah. Eye-contact play? That’s a rare one. Looks like you know your stuff.”

Not as much as you, apparently.

Chiba cursed inwardly. Two lifetimes of experience, and I still don’t think I know as much as this girl.

Sure, youthful energy and innocence had their appeal—but honestly, Chiba found it a hassle.

At least married women understood how awful marriage could be. They didn’t romanticize things. There were no unrealistic expectations. No strings. Just mutual comfort, mutual satisfaction.

Now that, he thought, was bliss.

Teenage girls, though… were a whole different beast.

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T/N: no comment wait./. im not a teenagare4rer anumore FUCK

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!