Tokyo: Love Begins with Controlling the Rich Girl

Then came two deep blue beams of light, with a more pronounced presence than the green ones.

Finally, just as the turntable was about to come to a complete stop, a dazzling light, seemingly about to dye the entire light screen gold, suddenly burst forth and shot straight into the sky!

"The Golden Legend! Finally..."

Shimada Sho slapped his thigh excitedly, feeling both thrilled and gratified.

A guaranteed blue light after ten consecutive pulls, and a guaranteed purple light after a hundred consecutive pulls.

But this time, I got a golden legendary item in a 10-pull, which was incredibly lucky.

He eagerly opened his inventory and began to take stock of his spoils.

First, there were seven green lights:

[Reaction +2]: Increases the player's base reaction speed. Each point of reaction increases neural reflex speed and dynamic visual capture ability by approximately 3%. Use?

[Charm +1]: Increases the player's base charm value. Use?

[Character Attribute Viewer] ×2: Allows you to view detailed attribute information for a character.

【Hypnotic Phone (Fake)】×1: A prop that looks no different from a regular smartphone. Showing it to the target and saying "Look at me" will put the target into a brief trance state (lasting about 30 seconds). During this time, the target will unconditionally obey simple commands given to them. It will break after three uses and will no longer be able to be commanded to do anything that seriously violates their will or endangers their safety. Note: This is just a toy.

[Affection Sticker] ×1: A sticker with a cute bear design. Placing it on the target's personal belongings will increase their affection for you. The duration depends on the target's mental state. Note: It's really just a sticker.

Then two beams of blue light:

[Master Level - Acting Skills]: After use, players will gain professional-level acting skills, able to freely control facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice to accurately portray various emotions and characters. Use?

[Master Level Culinary Skill]: After use, the player will gain master level culinary skills, becoming proficient in various cooking techniques and able to create exquisite dishes with excellent flavor and aroma. Use?

Finally, there was that golden light that everyone had been waiting for:

【Intelligent Hosting】(Legendary Passive Skill): Replacing the original basic hosting mode, when the player's consciousness leaves the body, the system will take over the body in a more human-like, intelligent and flexible way based on the player's preset behavioral logic, schedule and current environment.

They can handle most daily social interactions and emergencies independently, and will no longer make rigid, mechanical, or suspicious behaviors. At the same time, their learning efficiency and task execution ability are greatly improved. This skill does not need to be used; it takes effect automatically after being acquired.

"Pretty!"

Seeing this last reward, Shimada Sho finally showed a satisfied smile.

With this feature, he no longer needs to worry about physical issues when logging into his character.

The previous times my body was placed in trust, problems always arose.

This can be completely avoided in the future.

No more worrying about your body inexplicably seeking out other things and causing a series of problems.

Chapter Ninety-Six: The Correct Way to Manage One's Body

This time, the ten-pull rewards were all very substantial, except for a few seemingly useless fashion junk items.

Without much hesitation, he immediately used the [Reaction +2] buff on himself.

A cool sensation welled up from the depths of his brain, and the world seemed to slow down slightly in his eyes, with all the subtle sounds of the surrounding environment becoming exceptionally clear.

As for charm, Shimada Sho stayed.

The girls around me are already living chaotic lives, and I feel that trying to enhance their charm would easily cause problems, so I'll leave it at that for now.

Next are two blue Mastery-level skills.

It may not be as good as an expert's product, but judging from the description, the effect is definitely not bad.

Shimada Sho directly used the [Master-level Culinary Skill], and a vast amount of culinary knowledge instantly flowed into his mind. The handling of various ingredients, the control of heat, and the combination of seasonings all seemed to become his instincts.

"Perfect timing, I can cook something nice to improve our meals from now on."

After reflecting on it for a while, Shimada Sho muttered to himself, his gaze falling on the "Master-level Acting Skills".

He can't use this thing.

Because from the very beginning, I never intended to develop a career in the entertainment industry.

Improving his acting skills won't be of much use to him.

It could be left to Chizuru Amami. Although this idol is popular, her professional skills have always been criticized.

Using it on her would perfectly compensate for her shortcomings and make her path in the entertainment industry smoother.

Anyway, I plan to treat her as a long-term meal ticket. The better she develops, the more I can take advantage of her in the future.

With that in mind, Shimada Sho had already made arrangements.

He then looked at the [Hypnosis Phone (Fake)] and the [Favorability Sticker].

Although the former has a scary name, the effect description makes it seem like a prank toy. It causes 30 seconds of daze, and you can't give commands that seriously violate your will. At most, it makes you space out for a while.

Perhaps this thing would excite a young idol with a particular fetish?

I can use it to tease her another day.

As for the stickers... they're just a psychological consolation prize.

"Overall, this ten-pull was a huge win."

Shimada Sho closed his inventory with satisfaction.

With the intelligent care system in hand, he no longer has to worry about doing anything outrageous during physical care, or being treated like a helpless toy by a woman like Yuki Ayase.

Just then, the system notification sounded again.

【Ding! 】

[A drastic change in the character "Tenkai Chizuru's" mentality has been detected; character development progress is being updated...]

【Tenkai Chizuru】

Age: 17

[Tags: Two-faced idol, coward, extreme inferiority complex, chosen one (fake), perfect suffering master, dreamer, personal puppy]

Current progress: 47% (+23%)

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

"My own personal puppy..."

Shimada Sho's lips twitched as he looked at the newly added tag.

The young idol seems to be heading in a strange direction.

Will there be any problems?

Looking at the progress of the training, Shimada Sho's worries were dispelled once again.

The idol's development progress has reached 47%, just one step away from the 50% mark.

Compared to the young lady back then, it's many times faster.

Based on the experience gained during this period, as the progress increases, the relationship between him and the character also advances in tandem.

Once the relationship is closer, even if Chizuru gets into trouble, he can fix it, so there's nothing to worry about.

After processing all the rewards, Shimada Sho let out a long breath, feeling completely refreshed.

With money, skills, and an upgraded system, everything was on track.

Next, it's about developing your character step by step and enjoying life.

……

The next morning, Shimada Sho woke up to the sound of his alarm clock.

The sky outside the window was somewhat gloomy, with thick clouds hanging low, as if brewing a heavy rain.

He stretched his energetic body, washed up briefly, took out the rice ball he had brought back from the convenience store the night before from the refrigerator, heated it up, ate it with milk, then changed into his school uniform and went out.

He didn't go running today; instead, he chose to take the bus.

Judging from the weather, it will probably rain soon.

The bus swayed and rattled along the streets in the early morning.

Shimada Sho sat by the window, gazing at the street scene flashing by outside, and opened the system panel in his mind.

The smart hosting feature has been automatically activated, and the previously rudimentary hosting interface has become much more sophisticated.

He can pre-set various behavioral logics here, such as listening attentively in class, prioritizing buying a bento box at the convenience store during lunch break, and prioritizing obtaining information about next week's quiz when he encounters his homeroom teacher, Natsumi Yonekura.

The system even thoughtfully provides a preset template for "Daily Student Mode".

It covers almost all the scenarios a high school student might encounter from morning to night; he only needs to make minor adjustments to it.

"Now that's what you call intelligence." After studying it for a while, Shimada Sho smiled with satisfaction.

With this, he will no longer have any worries when logging into his character.

His body will act out the script he sets, portraying an ordinary high school student who, although not academically gifted, is working hard and has a somewhat aloof but still normal personality.

Instead of acting like a remotely controlled robot, he ran straight up to Yuki Ayase and was treated like a toy.

Thinking of Yuki Ayase gave Sho Shimada another headache.

The events that happened in the activity room yesterday were still fresh in his mind, and he really didn't know how to face this woman today.

She thought he was still sleepwalking, which was why he was being so reckless.

To avoid embarrassment, he chose to play dumb.

But how long can this tacit pretense last?

Oh well, things will work themselves out.

The bus stopped not far from the school gate. Shimada Sho got off the bus and walked towards the school gate with groups of students.

From afar, he spotted the familiar figure standing under the pavilion, holding a folder.

Yuki Ayase was dressed in her school uniform as always, her long black hair tied into a low ponytail at the back of her head, revealing her fair neck.

She looked down at the folder, occasionally glancing up at the students entering the school; her eyes behind her glasses were calm and undisturbed.

Shimada Sho paused slightly, took a deep breath, and walked over expressionlessly.

As he passed by her, he could feel her gaze linger on him for a moment, but only for a moment, before it moved away.

His sharp words were gone, and his catchphrase "Mr. Pervert" had also disappeared.

Shimada Sho didn't say anything and walked straight into the school gate.

He didn't know what Ayase Yuki was feeling at that moment, but he himself felt inexplicably empty inside.

It seems as if something has been deliberately avoided and hidden deeper inside.

Chapter Ninety-Seven: The Young Lady's Tutoring

Upon entering the teaching building, the entire floor was filled with a solemn atmosphere that was completely different from usual.

The hallways were no longer filled with chasing and playing, and the classrooms were silent.

Almost all the students were sitting in their seats, either engrossed in their books or frowning as they worked on practice problems.

Occasionally, a few people would huddle together and discuss in hushed tones, all of which revolved around the surprise quiz next week.

The news that the Kamishiro Zaibatsu was going to invest in the school and that exam results would directly affect the school's survival and the individuals' future had spread throughout the entire Dongli High School after just one day.

All the students felt that invisible pressure.

Shimada Sho sat back in his seat, while Takada Kenta, unusually, wasn't lying down to sleep. Instead, he was scratching his head, staring at a math reference book, with dark circles under his eyes.

"Good morning, Takada," Shimada Sho greeted him.

"Good morning, Shimada-kun..." Kenta Takada replied weakly.

A short while later, he turned around and sighed in despair, "I'm doomed, I'm really doomed this time. I studied until 2 a.m. last night, and I found that I've forgotten all the quadratic functions from junior high school. How am I supposed to cram all the knowledge from three years of high school into my brain this week?!"

"Cramming at the last minute, just try to remember as much as you can," Shimada Sho casually offered a word of comfort.

"No, Shimada-kun, this time it's for real!"

Yosuke Murakami also leaned over from the side, lowering his voice and looking serious.

“I heard more concrete news from my dad yesterday. The Kamishiro Zaibatsu is serious this time. They are going to carry out a complete reform of the school and take an elitist approach. This quiz is not only for evaluation, but also for selection. Those with poor grades will really be expelled, and it will be mandatory, without any leniency.”

"So ruthless?" Shimada Sho raised an eyebrow.

“That’s how ruthless they are.” Yosuke Murakami pushed up his glasses. “I heard they plan to turn Tokyo High School into a top-tier private school in Tokyo, aiming to be on par with schools like Sacred Heart Girls’ School.”