Tokyo: Love Begins with Controlling the Rich Girl

Then she pursed her lips, silently jumped down.

"It's just rain, nothing serious."

She said these words to herself, bracing herself for being soaked in the rain.

But when I jumped out of the car, the heavy rain I had imagined didn't fall on me.

The raindrops fell densely, but were blocked by something, making a "pattering" sound overhead.

Sasaki Nozomi looked up with teary eyes and found that her head was covered by an umbrella.

Looking down along the umbrella ribs, what comes into view is a hand.

Looking further back, there stood a tall figure, also under the umbrella.

Suddenly approached by a stranger, Nozomi Sasaki instinctively tried to back away.

But when their gaze fell upon the owner of the hand, they found a pair of eyes that seemed familiar.

The other person held an umbrella over her head, a kind smile on their face, and joked, "You weren't bullied this time, so why are you crying again?"

Chapter 100: Usury with Compound Interest?

The heavy rain blurred the street scene.

The sound of car horns mingling with the sound of raindrops made the whole world noisy.

Only in the small world sheltered by the umbrella was the atmosphere peaceful and tranquil.

Nozomi Sasaki, sheltered under the umbrella, had tears clinging to her eyelashes.

Upon realizing that the person in front of her was the boy who had helped her not long ago, she anxiously reached out to wipe away her tears.

Then she turned her head away and said in an unnatural voice, "I...I didn't cry."

"Hmm." The boy in front of her nodded in agreement, then said, "If you're not crying, then let's go."

He didn't seem to intend to delve into his unconvincing denial.

But Nozomi Sasaki was a little confused, "Where...are we going?"

"Aren't you going home?" Shimada Sho asked calmly.

Nozomi Sasaki glanced outside the platform and remained silent for a moment.

She was indeed going home, but she couldn't bring her umbrella with her after school today.

With the rain so heavy, she originally planned to wait under the platform until the rain subsided before going back.

just now……

"If you get caught in the rain, you're likely to catch a cold, and then you'll have to spend a lot of money on medicine."

While Sasaki Nozomi hesitated, Shimada Sho said a reason that she could not ignore no matter what.

"There's still time. You must have just finished your part-time job, right? If you go back too late, you'll be sleepy for school tomorrow."

Shimada Sho's next words made Sasaki Nozomi's brows furrow even deeper.

Yes, if I get back late, I won't get enough rest. Besides class, I also have to work a part-time job tomorrow.

And a cold...

Nozomi Sasaki's fingers unconsciously clenched tighter.

These were her most pressing concerns.

She could tell that the boy in front of her intended to take her home with his umbrella.

I just received help last time and haven't even had a chance to thank them yet, and now I have to trouble them again.

She felt very uncomfortable.

So my subconscious instinct was to refuse.

But what the other party suggested made it impossible for her to refuse.

"Let's go."

The boy didn't give her much time to think and walked forward.

The umbrella moved slowly along its edge. Nozomi Sasaki hesitated for a moment, but eventually followed.

Stepping back under the umbrella, she timidly said, "Th-thank you."

Raindrops pattered against the umbrella, and the two stood side by side beneath it.

Sho Shimada did not respond.

He tilted the umbrella slightly towards Nozomi Sasaki, leaving his right shoulder exposed outside the umbrella and soaked by the rain.

Nozomi Sasaki walked with her head down, occasionally stealing a glance at the boy beside her before quickly looking away.

The atmosphere was somewhat somber.

Shimada Sho thought for a moment before asking, "Did something happen to you in the car just now?"

Nozomi Sasaki paused for a moment.

"No, no," she shook her head in denial.

"Is that so?" Shimada Sho didn't press further, but simply said, "No difficulty is insurmountable. For example, I recently borrowed two million yen at exorbitant interest rates, and with the interest compounding, I couldn't pay it back. Those gangsters blocked me every day, saying they were going to kidnap me to international waters."

"..." Nozomi Sasaki's eyes widened.

“But it’s all paid off now.” Shimada Sho turned his head and smiled at her. “I just paid it off last week, the principal of two million, not a penny less.”

Sasaki Nozomi was taken aback upon hearing this.

Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but she swallowed the words back.

He then lowered his head and continued walking.

Shimada Sho didn't rush her.

The two walked for a while longer, and the sound of rain gradually subsided.

"I……"

As they crossed a street corner, Nozomi Sasaki hesitated before speaking softly, "My family is also in debt."

Shimada Sho slowed his pace and turned to look at her.

“It’s also two million.” Nozomi Sasaki clutched the bag in her schoolbag and stated with her head down, “Dad was scammed and borrowed money from loan sharks. Last week… last week he finally managed to scrape together the principal and pay that person back.”

"And then?" Shimada Sho asked.

Nozomi Sasaki's eyes involuntarily reddened.

"Then that person said the principal had been returned, but there was still interest, four million."

Shimada Sho frowned. "Four million in interest? Two million in principal?"

“Yes.” Nozomi Sasaki nodded, her voice trembling with a hint of tears. “He said it was written in the loan agreement that the interest rate is 10% for each day of overdue payment. We were overdue for 23 days, and the principal plus interest totaled… a total of more than six million.”

My father took out all the family savings, withdrew my grandmother's pension, and borrowed from all the relatives. He finally scraped together two million yuan to pay him back, but he said it wasn't enough; he still owed four million. He threatened to take away our shop if we didn't pay it back.

By the end, her voice had completely turned into a sob, and tears were falling again.

“That shop is my mother’s only source of income. She sells handmade pastries there. If it’s taken away, my mother will…”

She couldn't continue, so she covered her mouth with the back of her hand, her shoulders trembling violently.

Shimada Sho stood there, silently watching her.

The space under the umbrella was small, and the two people were very close.

Shimada Sho could see the teardrops clinging to her eyelashes.

The immense pressure from the underworld fell on a high school girl, and Shimada Sho could imagine the suffocating feeling she experienced.

Because he had also experienced it.

Two million in principal, four million in interest—this is blatant extortion.

Should I say I'm lucky?

When I returned the money last week, the middle-aged man was very polite and didn't say a single harsh word.

The IOU and guarantee contract were returned to him intact.

There was no mention of interest at all.

As it turned out, the Sasaki Nozomi family encountered this kind of exploitative entity.

"Don't cry." Seeing her teary eyes, Shimada Sho pulled a pack of tissues from his pocket and handed it to her. "Wipe your face. If your family sees you like this when you get back, they'll worry again."

Nozomi Sasaki took the tissue and lowered her head to wipe her tears.

As she was wiping, she suddenly raised her head and looked at Shimada Sho with her red, tear-filled eyes.

"You...did you say those things on purpose?"

"What?"

"It's about... your own debt." Sasaki Nozomi sniffed. "You said those things on purpose so I would tell you, didn't you?"

Shimada Sho neither denied nor admitted it.

He looked away, gazing at the blurry street scene in the rain.

"Let's go, the rain is getting heavier again."

He started walking forward.

Nozomi Sasaki stood there watching his back, and after a moment she followed him.

She walked beside him, stealing glances at him every now and then.

Her profile revealed no expression, but a strange feeling welled up inside her.

This person, despite being a stranger, always seems to be able to see right through her thoughts.

The same thing happened when I helped her out of a difficult situation on the bus last time, and again when I found her crying on the bus just now.

He didn't press her or force her; he simply let her tell him herself.

She is just as assertive as Kamishiro, but her way of doing things is completely different.

He was like...like an umbrella in this rain.

They won't ask you why you didn't bring an umbrella; they'll just silently hold it over your head.

Sasaki Nozomi blushed at her own analogy and quickly lowered her head.

The two walked for a while longer before turning into the alley where Nozomi Sasaki lived.

The alley was narrow, with old wooden buildings on both sides. Raindrops dripped from the eaves, splashing into tiny water droplets on the bluestone slabs.

At the end of the alley is a two-story old house. The ground floor is a small shop with a closed roller shutter and a faded sign hanging above the door.

Through the rain, I could vaguely make out the words: "[Ximei Handmade Pastries]".

"We're here." Nozomi Sasaki stopped in front of the shop.

Shimada Sho looked up at the signboard, then at the tightly closed roller shutter door.

Is this your home?

“Yes, the first floor is Mom’s shop, and the second floor is where we live,” Nozomi Sasaki explained softly, then added, “Mom’s strawberry daifuku is delicious. Next time… next time you come, I’ll treat you to some.”

She was stunned for a moment after she finished speaking.

What is she saying?

Why did you invite them to your home?

“Okay.” Shimada Sho nodded, then gestured to the small building with the lights on, “Let’s go inside, don’t catch a cold, medicine is expensive.”

“Okay.” Nozomi Sasaki replied, leaving the space under the umbrella and jumping under the eaves.

Turning around, I saw that Shimada Sho had already walked a few steps away.

I watched as his figure receded into the distance, finally disappearing into the rain.

Nozomi Sasaki looked down at the puddle under the eaves and murmured to herself, "I still don't know his name..."

"Nozomi?" A voice suddenly called from inside the house.