Starting a New Life in Tokyo by Inheriting a Shopping Street [1] & Synopsis

As the administrator of a local shopping street, Chiba Shuuichi’s job is to take good care of the neighborhood shop ladies—his tenants.

“The plumbing’s acting up again. Can you come take a look?”
“Time for your workout. Don’t think you can slack off.”
“You’re joining today’s flower arrangement class too?”
“Rough day? How about a spa to unwind?”
“……”

From one end of the street to the other, Chiba Shuuichi trudged along, rubbing his aching back with a sigh.

Who knew collecting rent could be such backbreaking work!

Chiba’s Diary:
The beauty salon’s pipes are leaking again. I bought a full-year pass for the gym, so I can’t skip today…

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October in Tokyo. The sky was high, the air crisp, and not a cloud in sight.

Chiba Shuuichi stood atop the rooftop of a university building, gazing into the distance and savoring the feeling of perfect eyesight.

The clarity, the vividness of the world stretching endlessly before him—it never got old.

Although it had been over a month since he transmigrated into this parallel world, and he’d more or less figured out his current situation after absorbing the original host’s memories, he still felt a little dazed from time to time. Lingering regrets from his previous life surfaced now and then.

“All those long nights of overtime, pulling all-nighters on side hustles, finally scraping together enough for a down payment by the time I hit thirty… and the place I bought was way out in the suburbs of a major city. I never even got the chance to spend a single night there!”

Chiba Shuuichi couldn’t help grumbling aloud. But the frustration passed quickly, and a faint smile returned to his face.

Heaven must’ve thought it owed me one.
So it threw in a little compensation—not only do I get to relive life in a healthy young body, free from occupational ailments, I even get to enjoy…

“Chiba-kun, I’ve been looking all over for you. So this is where you were.”

A cool, clear voice cut into his thoughts.

Chiba Shuuichi turned around to see a girl with her hair tied back in a ponytail, slightly out of breath, staring at him with a blank expression.

She had delicate features and a striking appearance. Her calves were bare beneath ankle socks, pale and almost translucent in the light—visibly eye-catching.

“Akiyama-san? What’s up?” Chiba blinked in surprise. The original Chiba had been practically invisible in class—it was rare for anyone to seek him out.

Akiyama An took a deep breath, trying to calm the shortness of breath from her dash up the stairs. Her face was slightly flushed. “I came to tell you that…”

“A confession?” Chiba glanced around the rooftop scene. The strong sense of déjà vu made him blurt it out without thinking.

“Eh?” Akiyama froze mid-sentence, completely thrown off.

“Ah, guess not. That’s too bad,” Chiba said casually. “So, what was it then?”

He didn’t seem at all embarrassed by his outburst, smoothly shifting the conversation along with a relaxed air.

Watching her blink blankly, her usual cold demeanor temporarily forgotten, Chiba found her… kind of adorably clueless.

“Oh, right, it’s about your career survey form,” she said quickly, regaining her composure. She reached into her folder and pulled out a printed page. “The one you turned in has issues. I don’t think the teacher will accept it like this.”

Chiba took it and gave it a glance. “What’s wrong with it?”

Akiyama’s lips twitched—barely restraining a reaction. “Are you serious, Chiba-kun? For post-graduation plans, you wrote: First choice—inherit a fortune from a rich relative. Second choice—live off rental income. Third choice—permanent couch potato?”

Chiba nodded earnestly. “That’s right. What’s the problem?”

Akiyama took another breath, patting her chest with her palm to maintain her cool facade. But her cheeks puffed ever so slightly. “The problem is—literally all of it!”

“I think it’s fine. Just turn it in as is.” Chiba handed the paper back.

She took it reflexively, about to argue, when a buzz sounded.

Akiyama scrambled for her phone, only to realize the sound wasn’t hers—it was Chiba pulling out his own phone.

“Yes, this is Chiba… Mm, sure, I’m available. You can come by anytime.” He ended the call and looked up.

“I’ve got something to take care of. Thanks for coming all this way, Akiyama-san. I’ll be going now.” With a nod, he turned and left.

Akiyama opened her mouth to stop him, hesitated, then closed it again. Clutching her folder, she watched him walk away, cheeks puffing again as she muttered under her breath.

“Seriously… that form was totally ridiculous. Just like onee-chan said, I probably was underestimated. But I followed all her advice, so why do I still feel like I’m being ‘bullied’…”

Frowning in frustration, she suddenly remembered something. “Wait—what did he mean earlier? A confession? And what was that about it being a shame?”

She tilted her head in thought, but no answer came.

“Ugh, forget it. I’ll just ask onee-chan when I get back.”

…

Meanwhile, after leaving the rooftop, Chiba Shuuichi exited the university and headed straight for a certain shopping street in the neighboring Taitō ward.

Not to buy anything, but to inspect the inheritance he would soon take over.

That’s right—the entire shopping street was his inheritance.

On paper, it came from some distant relative he’d barely even heard of. But Chiba knew better. It was just a cover story created by the system implanted in his mind.

The so-called [Shopping Street Management Simulation Game System] had seemed suspicious to him from the start. After days of tinkering with it, he still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

Take the rental prices for example—he had zero control. The system dictated all the rates.

Even stranger, when Chiba met potential tenants last month, the system had given each person a different price—completely arbitrary, like it was pricing them based on their face.

If the system had some kind of black-tech insight, letting it suss out people’s financial limits and tailor offers to land the deal, that’d be one thing.

But the worst part? Half the deals fell through.

Now that was a pain in the ass.

Also, the massive inheritance? Not just handed over on a silver platter.

The system came with “additional conditions”—as it put it, the shopping street needed to be “entrusted to someone suitable.” Chiba had to hit certain milestones to earn full control.

What milestones, exactly? The system wouldn’t say.

But Chiba didn’t complain. Compared to selling his soul for a down payment in his last life, what were a few vague conditions?

Lost in thought, he soon arrived in the northern part of Taitō—mostly a working-class residential area.

After weaving through narrow, aging alleyways, taking several winding turns, he finally stepped foot into his shopping street.

There was a covered arcade stretching over the road, reminiscent of Usagiyama Shopping District from Tamako Market. A faded sign hung at the entrance: Chisuzu Shopping Street.

Chiba paused to study the sign, thinking he should get it replaced soon—you could barely make out the characters.

He picked up his pace and walked through the street, heading straight for the building in the middle: the management office, which also doubled as his residence.

The door to the office was already open. Inside, he could see the back of someone sitting on a chair. The moment they noticed him, they stood up and turned around.

“Y-you’re… Chiba…?” Ogawa Fumika began to speak, then trailed off in hesitation.

The boy in front of her looked way too young. With a schoolbag slung over his shoulder, he didn’t seem like someone who worked here at all.

Chiba Shuuichi, meanwhile, was eyeing her up in return—though, regrettably, his gaze fell somewhere impolite.

Couldn’t help it. The view was just too distracting.

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T/N: ooooh this is original stuff heh, also im like idk GIVE ME MORE SLICE OF LIFEEEE

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!