Starting a New Life in Tokyo by Inheriting a Shopping Street [6]

After delivering their gifts, the Ogawa sisters left to visit the other shop owners on the street.

Chiba Shuuichi watched them go, then turned back inside without rushing to school. Instead, he headed upstairs to examine the two omiyage they’d left behind.

Ogawa Fumika had given him homemade cookies. The moment he picked up the box, a sweet aroma wafted through the air. The cookies were unexpectedly cute in shape, filled with a girlish charm. He tried one—delicious, rich with buttery flavor.

Then he picked up Sayuki’s gift.

It was a small box—light enough that it felt nearly empty. That alone piqued Chiba’s curiosity.

He lifted the lid.

Inside lay a sleek black shimmer, faintly scented with perfume. He reached in and pulled it out—the fabric was smooth as silk to the touch.

“Black stockings…??”

Chiba froze.

He unfurled the black tights and immediately realized—they were used. Not just used, ripped.

These are the same torn stockings Ogawa Fumika wore yesterday!

“…Looks like I don’t need to test the waters anymore. This is all the confirmation I need.”

Chiba ran the silky material through his fingers. The fabric retained a subtle softness, almost as if it still held the warmth of those delicate, creamy thighs.

No wonder she was so cryptic. Good thing I didn’t bring this to school…

He carefully folded the stockings and placed them back into the box, silently marveling.

No doubt about it—older women really are bolder than younger girls. They don’t hold back.

But a moment later, he frowned. Something didn’t quite add up.

If this had been Fumika’s idea, given how mortified she’d been yesterday, she’d have probably buried her face in the floor from embarrassment.

She’d looked a little shy just now, but nowhere near that flustered.

She… doesn’t know, does she? She has no idea her sister gave me her worn stockings as a gift…

Yeah, that seemed very likely.

The shops still needed some time for renovations, and it’d be a while before he could sample that aromatherapy massage. Chiba shook the lingering images from his mind and finally set off for school.

...

At the school in Bunkyō Ward, Chiba sat in a rowdy corner of the classroom, quietly observing the bustling energy of his classmates.

Ever since arriving in this world and gaining this new body, he’d been freed from nearsightedness, tinnitus, insomnia, chronic neck pain, and back problems.

Sharp senses had returned to him—and with them, the simple joy of watching the world.

Just before class began, a female teacher entered—disheveled ponytail, clunky glasses, oversized tracksuit, and an aura of authority.

She cleared her throat once, and the classroom immediately fell silent.

“Chiba, Uchida. You two—come with me.”

Chiba rose from his seat alongside another boy. Coincidentally, he was one of the few people the original Chiba had actually been on speaking terms with.

Their homeroom teacher, Nase Sumire, was standing by the hallway window. She looked ready to chew glass.

“Do either of you know why I called you out?”

Chiba and Uchida Yae exchanged glances, then shook their heads in unison. “No idea.”

“No idea?!” Nase’s chest heaved with frustration—though her tracksuit did nothing to accentuate the motion. Flat as a board.

She pulled two forms from behind her back with the exasperation of a soldier burying comrades in war.

“These post-graduation plans are about your future, for god’s sake. Could you at least try to take them seriously? Do you have any idea how the other teachers laughed when they saw these?!”

Uchida adjusted his red half-rim glasses with perfect calm. “I did take it seriously.”

Nase narrowed her eyes. “You call this serious? First choice: ‘transmigrate to another world.’ What, are you twelve?”

Chiba turned to look at Uchida in disbelief.

This guy… he’s either an idiot or a comedic genius. Might need a blessing from the Truck-kun gods at this rate.

“And your second choice?” Nase went on. “Enroll in elementary school?! Are you trying to reverse-age your way to enlightenment? Why not just go straight back to kindergarten?”

She let out a bitter laugh. “Fine. At least the third option sounds somewhat plausible—elementary school teacher. …That’s what you meant, right?”

Chiba’s mouth twitched.

Knowing what he did from the original body’s memories, he was certain Uchida didn’t mean that in any wholesome sense.

Because Uchida Yae… was a lolicon.

Apparently, he hadn’t even been born with that name. He’d been so obsessed with The Ryuo’s Work is Never Done that he renamed himself after the main character, joined the shogi club, and prayed for a grade school girl to ask him to be her master.

Of course, reality gave him no such luck. The shogi club had zero female members.

Then again, the old Chiba had been just as hopeless—he’d joined the camping club hoping to meet a Shimarin of his own, and naturally, hadn’t.

Uchida muttered under his breath, “Society just doesn’t understand… Loving lolis isn’t a crime. Only in another world can I live my ideal life…”

Chiba heard every word, thanks to his sharp ears. Nase, however, either didn’t hear or chose to ignore it. She simply slapped the form into Uchida’s chest.

“Bring your parents next Monday. I didn’t want to make a fuss, but I think we need a serious conversation about your future.”

Uchida clutched the form against his chest with a glum expression but didn’t argue.

Then Nase turned to Chiba.

“Now you. Compared to Uchida, your answers aren’t delusional, but they’re still ridiculous. Could you at least try to take your future seriously?!”

Chiba didn’t protest. In fact, he felt oddly touched by her scolding.

In his past life, no one had ever seriously helped him plan his future. No one had even given advice when he chose a college. He’d wasted a good score on a worthless application.

In life, choice mattered more than effort. And he’d learned that the hard way.

Nase, still fuming from Uchida’s nonsense, checked her watch. “Fine. Like him, have your parents come to school on Monday. Go back to class.”

That, Chiba couldn’t let slide.

“Sensei,” he said, “my parents probably can’t come…”

Nase cut him off immediately. “Then I’ll come to you. Don’t bother with excuses. After class today—don’t leave. I’m coming to your place for a home visit!”

She turned and strode off before he could respond.

Chiba watched her retreating back and shook his head. Well… you asked for it.

Beside him, Uchida sighed. “Chiba, why is this world so unfair? Is it really wrong to like lolis?”

“Whether it’s wrong or not, I do know one thing—it’s definitely a crime.” Chiba patted his shoulder and walked back into class.

“I wasn’t even gonna do anything,” Uchida grumbled. “Just liking them is off-limits now? Girls write ‘marriage’ and it’s fine, but I say ‘reincarnate to another world’ and I get punished?”

---

T/N: ....police? where are you POLICE GET THAT MAN

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!