Tokyo: Love Begins with Controlling the Rich Girl

The wind chimes rang, and the shop manager disappeared outside the door.

The shop quieted down.

Shimada Sho stood behind the cashier and glanced at the clock on the wall—5:03 PM.

He began organizing the shelves, taking stock of the inventory, and picking out the near-expiry bento boxes and setting them aside.

My movements were mechanical, but my mind involuntarily kept recalling what Reina Takikawa had just said.

Miu Miu perfume, they really don't skimp on money.

The debt repayment should be secured.

……

Time passed second by second.

At six o'clock, the peak passenger flow arrived.

Shimada Sho was so busy he barely had time to breathe, scanning codes, collecting money, giving change, and restocking, a cycle he repeated endlessly.

By the time I finally had a little free time, it was almost eight o'clock.

He leaned against the cashier's counter, picked up his water bottle, and took a swig.

Just then—

"jingle."

The wind chimes rang.

Shimada Sho looked up reflexively: "Welcome—"

The speaker paused.

A petite figure stood at the doorway.

Wearing a gray hoodie, a black baseball cap pulled low, and a face mask.

The person was completely wrapped up, with only their eyes showing.

Those eyes were looking at him timidly.

"Why are you here again?" Shimada Sho put down his water bottle and fixed his gaze on her.

The videos were deleted yesterday.

I thought we wouldn't have any contact for a long time afterward.

She came again today.

“I…” Tenkai Chizuru stood there, looking hesitant.

The automatic door sensed her presence and remained open, emitting a continuous "beep" sound.

Shimada Sho sighed helplessly, "Come in and talk."

Only then did she take a step and cautiously walk into the store.

But after taking only two steps, he stopped by the shelf near the door, clutching the hem of his clothes with both hands and lowering his head.

"What are you standing there for? Come here!" Shimada Sho couldn't stand her spineless attitude.

Upon hearing his voice, Tenkai Chizuru trembled and slowly moved to the cashier's counter.

As they got closer, Shimada Sho noticed that she looked a little different today.

She was still dressed in the same heavily covered outfit, but the hoodie had been changed to a light gray one, making her look completely unremarkable.

The few strands of hair peeking out from under the brim of the hat were incredibly soft.

As she walked in, a faint fragrance wafted into her nostrils.

“Miumiu?” Shimada Sho blurted out.

Tenkai Chizuru suddenly looked up, "You... how did you know..."

"Just a guess," Shimada Sho said expressionlessly. "Is there something you need?"

"I...I..." Tenkai Chizuru stammered again, "I came...to express my gratitude."

"thank?"

"Okay." She nodded, took a small box out of her hoodie pocket, and carefully placed it on the checkout counter. "This... please accept it."

Shimada Sho looked down.

It was a small gift box, about the size of a palm, wrapped in light blue wrapping paper and tied with a white ribbon.

It looks exquisite.

"what?"

"Yes, yes..." Tenkai Chizuru's voice trailed off, "It's a thank-you gift... Thank you for helping me that day..."

"How can I help you?"

"Help, help me..." she couldn't finish her sentence and began bowing again, "I'm sorry!"

Shimada Sho: "..."

He picked up the gift box and weighed it in his hand; it was very light.

Can you open it?

"Please, go ahead."

Shimada Sho unwrapped the paper, opened the box, and inside lay a bar of handmade soap.

It's a translucent light pink color, and you can see a few dried flower petals embedded inside.

It smells faintly of roses.

Chizuru Amami nervously explained, "I made this myself... it's not worth much... but, however..."

Hearing her struggling words, Shimada Sho looked up, ready to respond.

But before he could speak, his phone suddenly rang.

Shimada Sho took out his phone and saw the contact name displayed on the screen: "Auntie Shima-hana".

He answered the phone with some surprise.

"Hello, Auntie?"

"Xiao Xiang!" As soon as the call connected, a voice choked with sobs came through, "Youyue, Youyue is missing!"

Shimada Sho's heart tightened. "What?"

"I came back today wanting to bring Youyue to see you, but I kept calling Youyue and no one answered. I went to the school to look for her, and the teacher said she disappeared around noon! I've searched everywhere but can't find her, and I can't get through on the phone..." Aunt Daohua's voice grew increasingly panicked. "Xiaoxiang, do you know where she is?"

Shimada Sho took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "Auntie, don't worry, I'll go find her right away. When was the last time she appeared?"

"At noon, the school teachers said that someone saw her leave the school gate during the lunch break, and she never came back. Her classmates also said that they hadn't seen her since the lunch break..."

noon.

Suddenly, images from the memories of the entrusted storage flashed through Shimada Sho's mind.

Hoshino Yuuki appeared at the entrance of Class C several times, looking inside with a hint of something in her eyes.

Was she looking for me at that time?

"I understand," Shimada Sho said calmly. "Auntie, please wait a moment. I'll inquire and contact you as soon as I have any news."

"Okay, okay... Xiao Xiang, you must find her..."

After hanging up the phone, Shimada Sho stood there, his face gradually turning gloomy.

Tenkai Chizuru looked at him timidly and asked softly, "Sir, is something wrong?"

Shimada Sho did not answer.

His mind raced.

Although Hoshino Yuuki complains about him, she is not the kind of person who would disappear without a trace.

She goes to and from school on time every day, and occasionally works on weekends; her life is as regular as a clock.

They disappeared around noon, and it's almost 8 o'clock now, more than five hours ago.

Although it doesn't necessarily mean something bad has happened.

But concern can cloud judgment, and Shimada Sho couldn't help but think the worst.

After thinking for a moment, he looked up at Tenkai Chizuru and said, "I'm going to take a nap now. Can you watch the shop for me?"

"Huh?" Tenkai Chizuru was caught off guard.

Shimada Sho ignored her and went to the bar to instruct, "Scan what the customer wants here, and we'll charge whatever the actual amount is."

After saying that, he turned around, sat down in the chair, and opened the system.

[Use the item "Temporary Character Login Card"?]

"Yes."

Sho Shimada used it directly.

Please select the character you wish to log in to. If the character is not already entered, please enter it first.

"Enter the character 'Hoshino Yuzuki'."

Shimada Sho remained expressionless as he continuously executed commands through the operating system.

Finally, the familiar prompt appeared:

[Do you want to log in as the character "Hoshino Yuuki"?]

Chapter Forty-Seven Silly Girl

The incident happened so suddenly that Shimada Sho couldn't think of a better solution.

The only thing that can help with the current situation is this item I won in the lottery.

The login card can temporarily invade another person's body, just like logging into a character already registered in the system.

Once activated, it can take over the target's body regardless of distance.

Originally, Shimada Sho wanted to keep this item to see if there was any opportunity to create greater value, but now that Hoshino Yuzuki has disappeared without a trace, he can't worry about that anymore.

His nominal sister and her mother had always taken good care of him.

So even though they are not related by blood, Shimada Sho will do everything in his power to protect her safety.

[Note: The target is currently in a high-risk environment and exhibiting abnormal mental fluctuations.]

[Should we enable the "body care" mode?]

Two notifications popped up in a row, and Shimada Sho's heart sank.

In a high-risk environment, with abnormal mental fluctuations, Hoshino Yuuki is really in trouble!

Connect now!

Without the slightest hesitation, Shimada Sho initiated the connection directly without enabling hosting.

The moment consciousness faded, a familiar dizziness appeared along with darkness.

A moment later, he opened his eyes again.

The first thing that catches the eye is a dark, damp cement wall.

Looking up, I saw an old incandescent light bulb hanging from the ceiling, its bulb covered in a thick layer of dust.

The air was thick with the smell of mildew, several empty beer cans were piled up in the corner, and cigarette butts and stains left at some unknown time were scattered on the ground.

Shimada Sho looked down at his body.

A dark blue JK uniform, a plaid skirt, and black stockings—that's what Hoshino Yuuki is dressed in.

But the weight I felt in my chest was clearly wrong.

He subconsciously raised his hand and touched it.

"Don't touch it!!!"

A woman's voice, filled with shame, anger, and panic, suddenly echoed in my mind.