The premise of breaking up in Tokyo

Katsuhiko walked to the door of the iron scroll and was about to bend down and sneak in when the glass door inside was locked with iron chains.

Inside the store, near the shelf on the right wall, Mikoto was standing on a small stool, carrying bags of flour down from the shelf.

She was wearing a somewhat worn-out dark blue work uniform with an apron tied around her waist. She wasn't wearing a hat, and her black hair was tied back with a black rubber band, the strands of which had long been dyed white by flour.

Each time she carried down a bag of flour, she would wipe the sweat from her brow with her sleeve, then lightly clench her hands and tap her knees, occasionally tapping her lower back a few times.

Sheng Yan stared blankly for a moment. Hardworking people do have a unique charm.

It seems that Mikoto is going to set aside an area to create a "game corner".

In that case, there's definitely no need for any office drama to unfold in the convenience store.

Katsuhiko suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.

It's not that I've lost interest in her; in fact, she seems even more attractive now. It's just that I just finished with Sayuri and then came straight to Mikoto to continue, like an animal performing a monotonous task.

Katsuhiko's ideal sexual interest should be something that can be spiced up and depends on his mood. If he were to work overtime, it would deviate from his original intention.

Katsuhiko rushed over in such a hurry precisely to take care of Mikoto's feelings.

Maintaining a good and close relationship is all about emotions.

Sex is just one way; ultimately, it serves emotions.

Of course, among young men and women with surging hormones, especially when things have become ambiguous with Mikoto, using condoms together is indeed a shortcut. After all, young people's rationality is often dominated by hormones.

But now, Katsuhiko has found other, better ways: moving flour bags together, carrying shelves together, setting up the store together... Even just having her watch over things is fine, she seems quite tired.

This is both a sign of respect for the hardworking and capable Mikoto and a way to purify one's own integrity—a win-win situation.

Katsuhiko glanced at Mikoto's back through the crack in the door one last time, then quickly ran to the food stall across the street and bought Mikoto a bowl of ochazuke (rice with tea) and a bowl of pork miso soup.

Then he rushed back and slowly lifted the roller shutter door.

With a "clatter," the rolling shutter door clicked open. Mikoto put down the flour bag and turned around. Her face, flushed from her hard work, was a mix of pink and white, with patches of flour on it, which made her look quite adorable.

Katsuhiko knocked on the glass door, waving the breakfast in his hand, and said, "Open the door quickly, the Big Bad Wolf has brought food."

Mikoto blinked, her lips, smeared with flour, curving upwards as she walked this way, patting the flour off her hands.

"Thank you, Mr. Big Bad Wolf."

Mikoto opened the glass door, her eyes crinkling with laughter. She then clasped her hands together, bowed, took the breakfast, and tilted her head, saying, "Shall we eat together?"

"The way you were working just now really touched my heart."

Katsuhiko lifted her chin with his left palm, then cupped her face with his right hand and rubbed it, his thumb stroking her soft lips. "I bought this especially for you."

Mikoto blinked in bewilderment, her lips trembling slightly, looking unsure whether she should laugh or not.

He then looked up at Katsuhiko, nodded blankly, and said, "Oh..."

Katsuhiko immediately put on a stern face, pinched Mikoto's cheeks and shook them, saying, "You should be very touched right now and rush into my arms."

"Oh..." Mikoto looked like she was trying not to laugh, and slowly leaned her head on Katsuhiko's shoulder.

"Stop dawdling..." Sheng Yan put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to his chest, then leaned down and slapped her pert buttocks. He then untied her apron from her waist, tied it around his own body, and walked towards the shelves, saying, "I'm not interested in women anymore. Time to get to work."

Mikoto stood there holding her breakfast, stunned for a moment. She tilted her head, looking at Katsuhiko with a wry smile, and said, "Fine, you're such a man who has no interest in women..."

Mikoto sat on the flour bag next to her, eating her breakfast while watching Katsuhiko move the flour bag.

Katsuhiko turned to look at her, then took off his shirt, revealing his well-defined muscles, and made a bodybuilding pose with his arms bent and waist exposed.

Mikoto covered her mouth and burst out laughing. Then she picked up a grain of rice, placed it on the tip of her upturned nose, and then gave Katsuhiko a slightly flirtatious twitch of her eyebrows. She then slowly stuck out her tongue, hooked the grain of rice stuck to the tip of her nose into her mouth, and glanced at Katsuhiko with a smile.

Katsuhiko's expression froze, as if he hadn't seen clearly, and he frowned and stared intently.

Mikoto's eyes crinkled with laughter. She pouted slightly, then tucked the rice grains she had just put into her mouth back onto the tip of her nose.

Katsuhiko was dumbfounded.

Mikoto then used her tongue to lick the rice grain that was on the tip of her nose into her mouth, and raised an eyebrow at Katsuhiko as if chewing gum, her lips curving into a smile that revealed a row of white teeth.

Katsuhiko immediately gave her a thumbs up, to express his recognition of her extraordinary talent...

Working in pairs, perhaps due to the involvement of hormones and endocrine systems, can indeed effectively alleviate fatigue to some extent.

From 5 a.m. to 7 a.m., I was busy until the sunlight shone through the glass door.

The right side of the store was completely cleared out, leaving exactly half the space, about twenty square meters.

Although there is a transparent glass window facing the roadside, there is no need to open a new door.

We don't have much money right now, so we'll just do a simple tidying up and then skip the renovations.

Sheng Yan tentatively plans to use this shop to buy and sell low-priced secondhand items such as game cartridges, celebrity autographs, records, valuable postcards, and photo albums. He expects to earn enough money in about six months, at which point he can start buying high-priced luxury goods, as well as old household appliances, and even begin smuggling overseas to Hong Kong and Guangdong.

It is said that a guy who robbed a gold shop with an AK-47, after escaping death, discovered that the bag of gold he risked his life to steal was not as profitable as someone else smuggling a ship full of second-hand household appliances.

After finishing his work, Sheng Yan was covered in sweat. He took the towel that Mikoto handed him, wiped his face, and said, "This afternoon I'll take Sayuri to the secondhand market to familiarize her with the process. I'll hand this shop over to her later."

"Are you going to hand the shop over to her?" Mikoto asked, tilting her head.

"She's good at saving money; she'd be good at business."

Katsuhiko handed the towel to Mikoto, turned his back, and gestured for her to wipe his back. He then continued, "We won't register a new business license. You can use your convenience store business license and apply for an antique dealer license. You'll be joint legal entities, each holding half, tied together..."

Although Mikoto had accumulated over ten million yen in debt due to poor management of her convenience store, the addition of the secondhand store would quickly revive her business. Once it was fully operational, she would be able to secure even more loans from the bank.

"Shall we tie ourselves together?" A hint of anticipation flickered in Mikoto's wandering eyes.

"I noticed last night that she's starting to become clingy."

Sheng Yan frowned, his eyes serious yet somewhat brooding, and continued, "I won't be able to stand it. But I can't bear to get rid of her, and I'm worried she'll run away. I definitely have to keep her tied down. Once the shop is up and running, you take her to the bank to get a loan, the more the better, so she can't shake you off, can't run away..."

If only I could have kept Xiaobaihe hanging for another month, things are progressing so fast now that it's making her feel insecure.

Based on his past experience, Sheng Yan knew that these kinds of people would ask "Do you love her?" every three minutes. If he didn't get a satisfactory answer, they would lean close to his ear and keep asking.

Like the buzzing of mosquitoes, "buzz—buzz—buzz—"

Which man could stand it? Even Sun Wukong couldn't.

"Huh? Um..." Mikoto opened her mouth, rubbed her temples in confusion, and looked a little uneasy. She continued, "Although I... I really don't want to pry into your love life, but... um, will you take responsibility for Sayuri-chan?"

Xiaobaihe is a wonderful girl, beautiful and cute, and she knows how to save money. She's never been in a relationship, a pure and innocent girl. Her clinginess is her strength, but unfortunately, she met a womanizer who makes her both lovable and infuriating.

"Absolutely! I've already said I'm going to marry her."

Katsuhiko answered decisively, then paused before continuing, "But we can't lose touch here either. You're so wonderful, I can't bear to part with you. Anyway, every man in the world with the means makes a mistake; I can't be that kind of pure love exception."

"Uh, okay..."

Misaka got the answer she wanted: as long as he could take responsibility...

"From now on, you'll be my trusted secretary. You'll have to remind me of things I might not think of."

"Me? No way! You'll be getting involved in so many 'mistakes' in the future, it'll kill me!" Mikoto shook her head quickly, continuing to rub Katsuhiko's back, and asked, "Since you're planning to give the shop to Sayuri, what are you going to do next?"

"I'll use the money you lent me to enter the film and television media industry, the entertainment industry... um," Sheng Yan estimated that the amount lent out was far from enough, "Let's see how much we can borrow first! Investing in stocks is also a good option."

"Investing...investing in stocks?" Mikoto's legs went weak, and she hugged Katsuhiko's waist, looking up at him and saying, "You're not kidding, are you?"

It's 93 now, and there have been several waves of people who jumped off buildings after speculating in stocks...

Katsuhiko placed his hand on Mikoto's chin.

"Miss, Mikoto, the store manager?" A slightly trembling, almost tearful voice suddenly rang out from the doorway, "Husband...husband, what...what are you doing?"

Sayuri put her convenience store uniform back on: a beige jacket over a white shirt and a brown knee-length pleated skirt, along with her usual white knee-length stockings and black leather shoes.

However, her hair was already styled in a bun, resembling a married woman's hairstyle. If she were walking down the street, she would give passersby the impression of "the charm and shyness of a newlywed bride".

Of course, her current state was somewhat peculiar; her face was pale, her eyes were darting around, and she was filled with tension and disbelief.

Mikoto's body suddenly stiffened, and she turned her head stiffly, her face turning pale and then red, her wide eyes filled with panic and helplessness.

It was so sudden... She wasn't mentally prepared to deal with it.

"Ahem!" Katsuhiko coughed dryly without changing his expression, took the towel from Mikoto's hand, then patted Mikoto's shoulders with both hands to help her up. He then looked down at her ankle and asked, "Manager Mikoto, why did you suddenly fall? Did you twist your ankle?"

"Uh, oh, yes, yes," Mikoto quickly twisted her left leg, bowed her head, and said, "Mr. Takenaka, I'm so sorry for being so rude and offending you..."

"Oh dear, that's really troublesome," Katsuhiko said, turning to Sayuri, and then added, "Honey, don't just stand there, quickly help Manager Mikoto to the rest chair."

"Huh?" Sayuri looked around blankly, then quickly walked into the store, took Mikoto's arm, and led her to a bench. She asked softly, "Ms. Mikoto, are you badly hurt?"

"It's alright..." Mikoto hopped on one leg, "It just hurts a little..."

Katsuhiko, waving a white towel, said, "You can't even handle something as simple as handing over a towel. No wonder your convenience store is about to go out of business."

Mikoto turned around as if "ashamed," biting her lower lip, and said, "I'm so sorry to have disappointed you..."

Judging from Katsuhiko's calm and collected demeanor, Mikoto could basically conclude that Katsuhiko was only lying to protect his own feelings, and that he was still somewhat dissatisfied.

Knowing his personality, he'll probably just be honest... I'm both touched and powerless, so awkward...

Sayuri glanced at Mikoto in a flustered manner, then turned back to Katsuhiko, a hint of worry in her eyes, and said cautiously, "Manager Mikoto, it's very good."

Sayuri is trying to make amends for Katsuhiko's "rude" words and actions. Besides having a good relationship, they both work at Mikoto's shop and rely on her for their salaries; jobs are hard to find...

"Coward, all you're good for is being hardworking and capable," Katsuhiko said, stretching the towel vertically and rubbing it on his back. "Tonight, let's see who dares to come among those harassing gangs. I'll beat them all up."

It's the beginning of the month, and the yakuza's monthly protection money collection campaign has begun.

Xiaobaihe's reaction seemed to be out of sync; she simply nodded stiffly.

After sitting down, Mikoto immediately lay face down on the long dining table, then covered her flushed cheeks with her arms. To an outsider, it looked as if she was overwhelmed with shame and self-blame.

"Honey, could you pour this water out for me?" Katsuhiko noticed that Sayuri was still looking suspicious and lost in thought...

"Huh? Oh!" Sayuri quickly walked over, picked up the basin and headed towards the sink, but she still felt a little uneasy. She subconsciously turned around and saw Katsuhiko right behind her, almost dropping the basin.

"What's wrong?" Katsuhiko asked.

"Um... I, I just saw..." Sayuri stammered, then subconsciously glanced at Mikoto's location, poured the water from the plastic basin into the sink, and then whispered, "You... you pinched Manager Mikoto's chin..."

The faint voice carried a deep sense of grievance.

"Sigh!" Katsuhiko sighed wistfully, then lifted Sayuri's chin with his index finger, making her tilt her head back. "I was a little dazed at the time. The way she tilted her head back was exactly the same as how you look now. I saw your shadow. I mistook her for you. Now everyone I see looks like you. Do you think I'm sick?"

"Ah~" Little Lily couldn't stand this cheesy pickup line, her face flushed red, and she gripped the plastic basin with both hands, not knowing how to respond.

Sheng Yan placed the basin of water she was carrying on the sink, then put his arm around her shoulder, pulled her into his embrace, and asked, "Didn't I tell you to sleep in a little longer at home?"

"I...I miss you..." Sayuri rested her head against Katsuhiko's chest, swaying slightly.

"It's like we're telepathically connected. I missed you so much that I mistook Mikoto for you."

"No, you can't..." Sayuri pressed her head against Katsuhiko's chest, trying to burrow deeper. "Manager Mikoto already has a boyfriend, don't do this..."