Tokyo: Love Begins with Controlling the Rich Girl

“Um…” Sasaki Nozomi hesitated again, “I still don’t know your name.”

"Sho Shimada".

"Shimada... Sho." She repeated it softly, then looked up and said seriously, "My name is Sasaki Nozomi."

“I know.” Shimada Sho took another sip of coffee.

Sasaki Nozomi was taken aback. "How did you know?"

Shimada Sho almost choked to death.

I know her name, of course, because I had already interacted with her countless times when I logged into the game.

But I definitely can't say that.

I spoke too quickly and completely forgot about it.

A thought flashed through his mind, and he quickly added, "It was last time, on the bus, when I saw your name written in your book."

“Oh…” Nozomi Sasaki didn’t suspect anything, her cheeks flushed slightly. “Then, please take care of me from now on, Shimada-kun.”

"Nice to meet you, Sasaki-kun."

The bus pulled into the station and stopped while the two were talking.

Shimada Sho folded his umbrella and got into the car, and Sasaki Nozomi also got up and followed.

Thanks to her self-introduction, Nozomi Sasaki finally relaxed a lot.

Along the way, Shimada Sho and she chatted intermittently.

Before I knew it, the bus had stopped at the Tonino Yoshimachi Station.

The two got out of the car together, held an umbrella, and walked side by side into the rain.

There weren't many cars on the road, and you couldn't hear any people talking; it was very quiet.

All that could be heard around them was the sound of raindrops hitting the umbrella.

Chapter 104 Cohabitation? Staying Overnight!

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

He seemed to want to say something, but each time he swallowed his words back.

When they reached the fork in the road at 3-cho, Nozomi Sasaki stopped.

"Well then, I'll head back now." She bowed to Shimada Sho. "Thank you for walking back with me today."

"It's just on my way." Shimada Sho waved his hand and turned to walk in the direction of his home.

After walking a few steps, I heard Nozomi Sasaki's voice behind me.

"Shimada-kun!"

Shimada Sho turned around upon hearing the sound.

Sasaki Nozomi stood there, holding the umbrella handle with both hands, her cheeks flushed.

"Will you take this train tomorrow... tomorrow?"

Shimada Sho thought for a moment, "Probably."

"See you tomorrow!" she said quickly, then turned and jogged into the alley.

After watching her figure disappear, Shimada Sho turned and walked towards his home.

The rain lessened slightly, almost turning into a mist.

The air was filled with the damp scent of earth, mixed with the aroma of food wafting from a distant house.

Shimada Sho had grown accustomed to the stark contrast between the dark, desolate house and the brightly lit houses of other homes whenever he returned.

But when he turned the corner and saw the dilapidated wooden building where he lived, he was surprised to find that the lights on the second floor were on.

"what happened?"

He remembered turning off the lights when he left home in the morning.

Moreover, the window was slightly ajar, and the curtains were fluttering gently in the wind, which was not how he had left the house.

Shimada Sho walked to the front of the yard, took out his key to open the door, and then tiptoed upstairs.

Arriving at the half-open door, the scene inside came into view.

Under the warm yellow light, Hoshino Yuzuki sat cross-legged on his bed.

He was wearing a men's T-shirt that was obviously several sizes too big, and his legs were bare. He was lying on the bed, swinging his long, white legs and leisurely playing on his phone.

There was an insulated lunchbox on the bedside table, and two oranges next to it.

"This state..."

Shimada Sho felt that she was more casual than last time.

They acted as if they were at home, showing no signs of being reserved at all.

But this is clearly my place, isn't it?

Shimada Sho pushed open the door and entered the house with a somewhat annoyed expression.

Hearing the door open, Hoshino Yuuki put down her phone and turned around.

Upon meeting Shimada Sho's gaze, she stopped swinging her legs, realizing her actions were indecent, and her cheeks flushed crimson at a visible speed.

But she didn't back down, shouting, "You—why are you only coming back now!"

“This is my room,” Shimada Sho said, looking at her expressionlessly. “And you’re wearing my clothes.”

"My clothes are wet!" Hoshino Yuuki grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around her legs. "Your washing machine leaked and soaked all my clothes!"

Shimada Sho glanced at the washing machine in the corner; there was indeed a small puddle of water on the floor.

He then looked at the T-shirt that Hoshino Yuuki was wearing.

It was the oldest of his few clothes; the collar was even a little deformed from washing.

"Those are my pajamas."

“I know.” Hoshino Yuuki shrank her face further into the blanket, leaving only her eyes showing. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have worn it.”

Upon hearing this, Shimada Sho, who was about to put down his schoolbag, paused and turned around to ask, "Are you planning to spend the night here?"

"Can't I stay at your place?" Hoshino Yuzuki's tone was stiff. "Mom is away on a business trip again, and the house is too far from the school. If no one wakes me up, I'll easily oversleep."

Why didn't you consider these things before?

"...That was before."

Shimada Sho stared intently at her.

Her ear tips were so red they looked like they were about to bleed, but she still had a self-righteous expression on her face.

After thinking about it, I swallowed back the words that were on the tip of my tongue.

He had lived with Aunt Island Flower's family for a period of time before.

To give him some private space, Aunt Daohua specially cleared out the attic.

Now that Hoshino Yuuki needs to stay overnight, there's nothing wrong with that.

However, he felt it was inconvenient because of the difference between men and women.

So he said, "There's only one bed."

“I’ll sleep on the bed, you sleep on the floor,” Hoshino Yuuki replied without hesitation.

Shimada Sho's face darkened. "This is my bed."

"I am your sister."

"Stepsister".

“A stepsister is still a sister.” Hoshino Yuzuki said matter-of-factly, “It’s only natural for an older brother to give way to his younger sister.”

"..."

Shimada Sho chose to stop the conversation.

He noticed the insulated lunchbox on the table.

I walked to the table and opened the container. Inside was still steaming hot curry rice, with a small dish of pickled radish on the side.

Did you do it?

"Mom made this before she left. I just heated it up a bit," Hoshino Yuzuki's muffled voice came from under the covers.

Upon hearing this, Shimada Sho picked up a spoon and took a bite.

It tasted good; the curry was very flavorful, and the chicken was stewed until very tender.

He took another bite, then suddenly remembered something, looked up and asked, "Have you eaten yet?"

"have eaten."

"Really?"

"...You talk too much!"

Shimada Sho scooped half of the curry rice out of the bento box and pushed it onto the bedside table. "Eat up."

"I'm not hungry."

Your stomach is growling.

Hoshino Yuuki's face flushed bright red.

She glared at Shimada Sho, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she was defeated by her rumbling stomach.

She wrapped herself in the blanket, moved to the bedside table, picked up a spoon, and began to eat in small bites with her head down.

The room fell silent, with only the patter of rain outside the window.

Shimada Sho finished his lunch in a few bites, put the lunchbox aside, and leaned against the headboard to rest with his eyes closed.

"Hey," Hoshino Yuuki suddenly said.

"Ok?"

"I'll wash your clothes for you tomorrow."

"Need not."

“I said I’m going to wash it, and I mean it.” Her tone left no room for argument. “The washing machine leaking is my fault, and I will take responsibility.”

Shimada Sho opened his eyes and turned his head to look at her.

Hoshino Yuuki kept her head down as she ate her rice, the blush on the tips of her ears not yet completely gone.

The T-shirt she was wearing was too big; the neckline slipped to one side, revealing a section of her fair shoulder and the bra strap.

She was completely oblivious, focused on dealing with the curry in her bowl.

Shimada Sho looked away and stared at the ceiling.

"Whatever you want."

After finishing her meal, Hoshino Yuuki put the bento box aside and wiped her mouth.

She huddled back in the corner of the bed, wrapped herself in the blanket, picked up her phone and scrolled through it, then suddenly asked, "By the way, are you familiar with Ayase Yuki from your class?"

Shimada Sho's brow twitched. "Not familiar. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Hoshino Yuzuki said casually. "I just heard that she has excellent grades, second in her grade."

"Ah."

"She's not bad looking."

"what do you want to say in the end?"

“It’s nothing.” Hoshino Yuzuki turned her phone screen towards him. “I just saw a post on your school’s forum saying that she’s been spending a lot of time alone with a guy in the club room lately. The photos are a bit blurry, but they look a bit like you to me.”

Shimada Sho took the phone and glanced at it. The photo was indeed very blurry, and all that could be seen was the back of a boy in the corridor on the fifth floor of the club building.

He was pushing open the door to the activity room; his back and backpack clearly indicated it was him.

"...Who has so much free time?"