Tokyo: Love Begins with Controlling the Rich Girl

After the competition ended, the main body left the venue.

As the scene shifted, Shimada Sho suddenly opened his eyes.

A pretty figure flashed by just now; it seemed to be Nozomi Sasaki.

He shook his head and refocused his attention on the screen.

At this point, the original entity had already left the scene and moved to a more distant location.

The system in my mind prompted me to decide to have a picnic using the rice balls I bought.

Of course, it didn't work out because Shimada Sho's consciousness returned.

"..."

After exiting the memory screen, Shimada Sho leaned back in his chair and remained silent for a long time.

Is the pressure level too high?

He is indeed under pressure.

Two million in debt, threats from the underworld, the system's progression, school studies, a part-time job at a convenience store...

These things piled up, like a mountain pressing down on my shoulders.

He thought he could handle it.

In his past life, he was penniless and struggled on the streets. What kind of hardship didn't he endure?

I thought I was mentally strong enough.

Now it seems that it wasn't so flawless after all.

He simply ignored these pressures because of the crisis in his life.

“Relaxation mode…” Shimada Sho muttered to himself, stroking his chin.

The system felt he needed to relax, so it took the liberty of taking him out for a stroll.

Although the process was absurd, it seemed to actually work?

Shimada Sho stretched his shoulders and felt that his body was indeed not as tense as before.

"Once the debts are paid off, I'll find some time to take a good rest."

He made a decision silently in his heart.

Then, I reopened the system panel to check my gains.

【Ding! 】

[You have successfully completed Yukine Kamishiro's limited-time wish quest—The Promise of the Kanda River.]

[Mission Rating: SS Rank. (You created an irreplaceable memory for the young lady under the cherry blossom tree with a bowl of fried rice you cooked yourself. This was not just food, but a real connection that transcended physical boundaries and distance, perfectly illustrating what it means to "do something meaningful.")]

[Wish fulfillment complete, reward being distributed...]

[Congratulations to the player who has won: 500000 yen in cash!]

[Congratulations to the player for acquiring the skill - Professional-level Singing!]

[Skill Description: Includes a complete music theory system, top-notch vocal techniques, and emotional expression abilities. You will acquire singing skills comparable to professional singers, capable of handling various musical styles such as pop, rock, and folk, with a vocal range spanning three octaves.]

[Note: This skill has been synchronously loaded into the player's real-world body, forming permanent muscle memory, and requires no further learning.]

"Another 500,000?!"

Shimada Sho's eyes widened.

The original mission reward description only mentioned 100,000 in cash and random rewards.

Is it because the rating reached SS?

Shimada Sho pondered for a moment, then smiled. "That's more like it."

More stress-relieving than shopping and sightseeing, this money in hand is the most satisfying thing.

Another 500,000 came in, and with the previous 500,000, that makes a million.

In other words, with another million, he could pay off his debt completely.

Even if we can't get it right away, at least we have something to look forward to.

In addition, a skill was awarded as a reward.

After reading the skill description, Shimada Sho tried humming a couple of lines.

He was stunned for a moment the sound flowed out of his throat.

The pitch, breath control, resonance—every detail is impossibly precise.

High notes rise effortlessly, low notes sink deeply, and transitions are clear and smooth.

I feel that his singing skills are now on par with professional singers.

only……

"It's useless."

This skill seems to be quite effective; he can make a living whether he debuts as an independent artist or becomes a streamer.

However, it cannot create value in the short term and does not help the current situation.

Let's look at the young lady in the distance, family.

Shimada Sho turned off the skill details and looked at the character development progress:

【Kamidai Yukiyin】

[Development Progress: 42% (+11%)]

[Tags: Lack of common sense, fanatic, speedrunner of a Tokyo delinquent group, Ellie Benli, fanatical copycat, Bloodhound]

[Connection Cooldown: 11 hours 59 minutes 03 seconds (Reset)]

"It's gone up 11%." Shimada Sho nodded in satisfaction.

I'm only 8% away from unlocking the second slot.

But what's with this label?

After reviewing the progress of the training, Shimada Sho's gaze fell on the last label.

"Bloodhound?" He frowned.

The first few are easy to understand: "lack of common sense" means that the young lady lacks the common knowledge that ordinary people have; "fanatic" means that she seeks thrills; "Tokyo delinquent speedrunner" means that she is involved in entrapment, etc.

But what does "bloodhound" mean?

Shimada Sho stared at the word for a long time, thinking about it.

When he saw this word, he could only think of monsters in games.

With a keen sense of smell and excellent tracking skills, they will relentlessly pursue their target once they lock onto it, showing a bit of a hunter's mentality.

But this word, when used to describe a young lady...

"Is she looking for me?!"

Chapter 57 Testing the Little Idol

When Shimada Sho first had this idea, he was startled.

If the daughter of the Kamishiro family wanted to find someone, she could turn Tokyo upside down simply by mobilizing the power of her family.

He was just an ordinary high school student; he had nowhere to hide.

But then he thought about it again and Shimada Sho relaxed.

First of all, Yukine Kamishiro had no reason to find him.

He had never revealed any of his true identity information to her.

They never revealed their name, address, or even their real identity.

The only time he introduced himself was during the initial binding, when he threatened to declare himself a desperado.

In Yukine's mind, he was just a volatile-tempered creature who would occasionally help her, a kind of possessing spirit.

As for clues, the original body that was taken to the Chef God Competition today by the system might be one.

But so what? He's just a passerby who can also make fried rice.

Tokyo has a population of 20 million, and there are at least 8,000 to 10,000 people who can make Chinese-style fried rice.

Besides, the young lady has no idea what he looks like.

Each time she logs in, Yukine Kamishiro can only hear his inner thoughts.

In this situation, even if the Kamishiro Zaibatsu is incredibly powerful, it's impossible for them to pinpoint a complete stranger in a major city like Tokyo without any basis.

Shimada Sho shook his head, banishing these distracting thoughts from his mind.

Overthinking can cause hair loss.

"If she can still find me despite my caution, then there's nothing more to say. I'll just lie down and let her have her way."

After shutting down the system, Shimada Sho glanced at the time: 2:11 PM.

Time to go to the store.

I changed out of the school uniform I habitually wear in the morning and put on the only long-sleeved shirt I had.

He went downstairs, locked the door, and ran to the Imperial Garden.

On the way, Shimada Sho bought a newly delivered bento box and ate it as he walked.

In the past, he would most likely have grabbed two loaves of bread to tide him over until evening, when he could eat the leftovers.

But after today's system hosting incident, he changed his mind.

People should be kinder to themselves.

Even if you can't repay your debts, there's no need to sacrifice your health.

"I should take better care of myself from now on!"

……

In April, the afternoon sun shines brightly in Tokyo.

As Shimada Sho walked along the street, watching the people coming and going, he experienced what it meant to be relaxed for the first time.

When he arrived at the store, Rena Takikawa was dozing off at the cash register.

Hearing the wind chimes, she groggily looked up. "Genji-kun~ Why are you here so early?"

"Didn't you say you could come anytime?"

“That’s true…” Takikawa Rena stretched and stood up from her chair, “But didn’t you just come here yesterday? Young people should know how to balance work and rest.”

"We're short of money."

"Such a practical reason." Takikawa Rena patted his shoulder with a grin. "Alright, I'll leave it to you then. I have plans to see a movie today, gotta go!"

She shoved the apron into Shimada Sho's arms, picked up her bag, and walked out.

He turned back at the door, his tone teasing, "By the way, Genji-kun, your little girlfriend came by at noon, didn't she?"

"...She is not my girlfriend."

"Okay, okay~"

The wind chimes tinkled as the shop manager disappeared around the street corner.

Shimada Sho sighed, put on an apron, placed his phone on the shelf, and started recording.

[Gold Medal Instructor - Island Adventure EP2: What kind of amazing customers will they have at the convenience store on weekends?]

Although his previous video still had zero views, he decided to try again with a few more episodes.

What if it becomes a hit?

After setting up his phone, Shimada Sho sat down at the cashier.

Feeling utterly bored, he started thinking about the system again.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the young lady's development progress should reach the target by tomorrow.