Starting a New Life in Tokyo by Inheriting a Shopping Street [3]

As Ogawa Sayuki withdrew her hand, Chiba Shuuichi’s gaze happened to catch a faint mark on her ring finger—an indentation left by a wedding band.

So, she’s married too? No rings on either of them, though… Divorced?

Sayuki turned and shrugged off her jacket, draping it over her sister’s shoulders. “Mind if we use the bathroom?”

“Go ahead.”

Chiba watched as the tearful Ogawa Fumika leaned on her sister for support and was led into the restroom on the second floor. He gave a faint shake of his head.

What a mess. I didn’t even do anything, and now I look like some kind of pervert.

He slipped the rogue button into his pocket.

A few minutes later, the bathroom door opened, and the two women’s voices drifted into the hallway.

“This is… this is too embarrassing. Is it really okay?” Fumika’s voice was soft and hesitant.

Sayuki let out a sigh. “Would you rather keep wearing those torn stockings? That’d be even worse. And anyway, you’re still more covered than I am right now.”

“But…” Fumika sounded uncertain, her voice full of unease.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake! You’re almost thirty! Can you stop acting like some blushing schoolgirl? Even a schoolgirl wouldn’t get this flustered over something like this.”

“I—I know, don’t be mad…”

“I’m not mad. Just hurry up.”

Chiba wasn’t eavesdropping on purpose—there just wasn’t much space, and the room’s acoustics weren’t exactly studio-grade.

When the sisters finally emerged, Chiba’s gaze instinctively flicked toward Fumika’s legs—after that conversation, curiosity was impossible to resist.

It was just a quick glance, but her plump, creamy thighs were already etched into his mind.

Compared to Sayuki’s toned, athletic limbs, Fumika’s were softer, paler—rounder. More inviting, in a word.

Chiba was well past the age of innocent naiveté. He understood perfectly well that sometimes, softness simply trumped slimness. No contest.

Shifting his gaze to Sayuki’s face, he asked in a more professional tone, “Would you like to continue the tour?”

Sayuki, still holding her sister’s arm, looked a little exasperated from the incident. She scanned the room, then asked, “So how much is the rent for this place? By the way, it’s kinda strange—you don’t list prices anywhere.”

Chiba didn’t answer right away. Instead, he posed a question of his own. “Just to confirm—are you two planning to rent for yourselves? Who will be the store manager?”

Sayuki arched a brow. “Does that matter right now?” She could understand checking for contracts later, but asking about it just to get a price seemed a bit odd.

The truth was, Chiba had figured out how the system worked—he could only get a rental quote after confirming the store manager’s identity. The prices were customized for each person, like tailor-made menus based on the customer.

Not that he could say any of that.

Without missing a beat, he gave her a polished smile. “If you sign today, there might be a discount.”

Sure, 20% off is a discount… so is 120% on.

Sayuki didn’t think much of it. That kind of sales tactic was everywhere. Still, judging by how eager he seemed, the shop must’ve been sitting empty for a while. Maybe she could negotiate a little.

“My sister’s the store manager. But just talk to me.”

Chiba glanced at Fumika. She looked like a frightened rabbit, head down and knees nervously pressed together, her soft thighs squished into changing shapes.

He pulled his eyes away and checked the system's quote in his head…

Then nearly cursed out loud.

This price… if he said it aloud, would they beat him up?

“Chiba-san?” Sayuki prompted when he stayed silent.

“Ahem.” He cleared his throat and forced a courteous smile. “This shop spans two floors, about 150 square meters total. Rent is 200,000 yen per month. What do you think?”

Sayuki blinked. She didn’t react with shock or delight—just confirmed calmly, “200,000 yen… per month?”

“You heard right,” Chiba replied smoothly.

Her expression began to shift. She’d taken her sister to view several other locations before coming here.

Taitō Ward wasn’t one of Tokyo’s six central wards, but it bordered Bunkyō and was home to places like Ueno Zoo and Sensō-ji. Not exactly a cheap area.

A similarly sized unit—120 square meters—near Ueno Station had been listed at 600,000 yen per month.

Sure, this was the northern part of Taitō, more of a working-class neighborhood than a commercial hotspot—but still, this price felt off.

Her gaze sharpened. “And the reikin and shikikin?”

(Reikin = key money, a non-refundable gift to the landlord; shikikin = deposit, usually one month’s rent.)

Chiba’s smile deepened. “No deposit, no key money.”

“Management fees?”

“Included in the rent.”

Sayuki slid her arm out of her sister’s and strode slowly toward him, step by step.

When they stood face-to-face, she looked him straight in the eye. “So… what’s the catch?”

Chiba rubbed his stiff cheeks and sighed internally. Damn you, system. With terms this generous, there was no way it wouldn’t look suspicious.

“If I say there’s no catch, you won’t believe me. If I tell you not to misunderstand, you won’t listen. So maybe it’s better if you just look at some other options.”

Sayuki frowned slightly. Something about this guy was… off. But his exasperation didn’t seem fake.

Still, what kind of landlord slashes prices this far without a reason? Was this some kind of reverse psychology?

“Sayuki…” Fumika called softly from behind.

Sayuki turned and walked back to her sister. The two of them moved to a corner to talk privately.

“He’s probably hiding something too. We should look elsewhere,” Sayuki said bluntly.

“Eh?” Fumika blinked. “Isn’t that a bit much? Chiba-san’s just a student. You’re overthinking it.”

“Student?” Sayuki blinked and turned to glance at Chiba. “How do you know?”

“I saw him come home in a school uniform earlier—he changed into the suit upstairs.”

“Oh? And you think that proves he’s harmless?” Sayuki snorted. “Men…”

“Don’t be like that, Sayuki. Chiba-san… doesn’t seem like that kind of person,” Fumika murmured, nervously tugging at the hem of her blouse.

Even if something did happen… I’d probably be the one taking advantage of him, not the other way around. I’m not that young anymore…

She kept that thought to herself, but Sayuki caught the flicker of emotion in her sister’s eyes. One brow rose, and a smirk curved her lips.

“Don’t tell me… you’ve taken a liking to him? Makes sense—you’ve been divorced for years. You’ve got needs.”

Fumika’s face went bright red. “W-what are you saying?!”

Sayuki rolled her eyes. “C’mon, you’re a grown woman, you’ve been married before. There’s nothing to be shy about.”

She glanced back at Chiba. “So… a sickly pretty boy, huh? Didn’t know that was your type. Wonder if that delicate little body can handle it…”

Sayuki’s tigerish teasing left Fumika burning with embarrassment, her heart pounding so loud she couldn’t even speak.

“But hey, no problem. If it comes to it, I’ll help train him up for you.”

“P-please stop…!” Fumika pleaded, her whole face flushed with mortification.

“Relax. If he turns out to be a jerk like your ex, I’ll protect you. I’m not going anywhere.”

Sayuki patted her sister on the shoulder, then turned decisively and strode back to Chiba.

“This price works for me. But—I want to rent two units.”

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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!