Tokyo: Starting with a fake boyfriend

"Can't I arrive at school earlier...? Then I'll come later."

Seeing her surprise, Shiratori Osamu seemed to ponder for a moment before turning and leaving.

He didn't really want to come to school in the first place, but Mr. Dongyun threatened him to come. As a result, he was not only not praised when he arrived at school early in the morning, but was also mocked.

He hadn't done anything wrong, yet he was being treated with sarcasm and taunts. He couldn't stand that kind of attitude.

Anyway, he has 50 yuan in hand now, so even if he is forced to drop out of school and has a complete falling out with his family, he can still find a way to survive.

"Huh?"

Seeing him turn and leave, Shinonome Mizuki was stunned.

2 m.

4 m.

6 m.

"Shiratori-kun, wait a minute, you misunderstood... I didn't mean that you can't arrive at school early. I'm just surprised that you came to school so early today, because you usually don't arrive until 8:29."

Seeing him walk further and further away without looking back, Higashino Mizuki finally understood the meaning of his words and quickly chased after him, blocking his way.

This child finally managed to come to the school, and left without even entering the school building. Wasn't all the messages she sent over the past three days wasted?

Moreover, he said he would come back later. Shiratori Shu was the student who gave her the most headaches in Class 3(1). Now that he left, it was a question whether he would return to school today.

"Misunderstanding? Mr. Dongyun, are you sure your reaction just now was surprise, and not sarcasm?"

When Shiratori saw her chasing after him to stop him, he didn't make things too difficult for her; he simply turned his head to look at her.

"The teacher was genuinely surprised, but wasn't very good at managing her facial expressions, which is why you misunderstood."

Having successfully stopped him from leaving, Shinonome Mizuki no longer spread her arms to block his way. Instead, she raised her hand to adjust her glasses and said seriously.

She was very surprised, but she is too serious by nature and has never liked to smile since she was a child, so she couldn't show it, which led to an unnecessary misunderstanding.

She is very clear about her own personality issues.

Because she always has a stern face, people often think she is very serious, but that's not actually the case; she just can't seem to change it.

"That's good."

Seeing her serious expression, Shiratori Osamu thought for a moment and then expressed his understanding.

The main reason was that Mr. Dongyun had put in a lot of effort to make his absence from class look like he had taken leave, even though he was absent without cause.

"Shiratori-kun, do you have time now? I'd like to talk to you."

Once the misunderstanding was cleared up, Shinonome Mizuki extended an invitation.

Given the phone call she received last night, she's really anxious now and wants to speak with Shiratori Osamu alone.

"of course."

Seeing that she wanted to meet in person, Shiratori Osamu did not refuse.

In the previous life, being a teacher was equivalent to the position of a homeroom teacher.

He skipped three days of school without reason and only reported to school on Thursday. It's normal for his homeroom teacher to want to talk to him.

"Come with me."

Having reached an agreement, Shinonome Mizuki waved to him and turned to leave.

After pausing briefly in the shoe cabinet area, they began to walk through the school building.

It was during the peak time for students going to school, and their movements, one in front of the other, immediately attracted a lot of attention.

These two are both prominent figures at Takeno High School.

Ms. Higashion Mizuki, who officially joined the faculty last year and took over the position of retired teacher, is a teacher in Class 1, Grade 3.

Young teachers often attract the attention and curiosity of students, and Shinonome Mizuki is very beautiful, so she is the center of attention.

The only drawback was that she was too serious. She always had a stern face and rarely smiled, which made the students a little afraid.

As for Shiratori Osamu, needless to say, even the freshmen who enrolled this year know him.

The school bully of Takeno High School, a perennial bottom-of-the-class delinquent, the guy you absolutely shouldn't mess with.

The only thing worth praising about him is his appearance; he's tall and handsome.

"What's going on with Shinonome-sensei taking Shiratori out so early in the morning?"

"I don't know, I guess Shiratori caused trouble again."

"Why is this guy back at school? Wasn't he supposed to have dropped out?"

"He didn't drop out of school. I heard he was sick and was resting at home for a few days."

"He can get sick again?"

The combination of a strict female teacher and a delinquent student was so conspicuous that it attracted curious glances wherever they went, with some even gloating.

Because Takeno High School is a college entrance exam-oriented school with a great learning atmosphere, the school buildings were already packed with people even though it wasn't 8 a.m.

That being said, it is still very easy for teachers to find a quiet, secluded place.

Before long, the two entered the student guidance room.

The room was small, with four connected desks and chairs on both sides.

"Please sit down."

As she entered the room, Shinonome Mizuki said, closing the door behind her.

"Thank you."

Shiratori Osamu didn't stand on ceremony and went straight to sit down on the opposite side, where the students' seats were.

Based on memory and impressions, he was a frequent visitor to the student guidance office, after all, his academic performance was very poor, and he was always embroiled in some unfounded rumors, which attracted the attention of the school.

This was the smallest team we had; usually, it was a combination of teachers, the dean of studies, and a life guidance teacher.

"Shiratori-kun".

Higashino Mizuki wore flat shoes under her suit trousers, and walked with a light and silent gait. She walked around the table to sit down in front of it, rested her arms on the table, and began to speak with a serious expression.

Her voice was bright but not harsh, mellow and elastic, with both the clarity of a young girl and a touch of mature warmth. Her enunciation was clear and powerful, making it very pleasant to listen to.

"Yes."

Shiratori Osamu responded, indicating that he was listening.

"Suck……"

Finally having a private conversation, Shinonome Mizuki didn't continue speaking but instead took a deep breath.

Because the content of the following conversation was very important, even though she was a serious person and had prepared in advance, she was still a little nervous.

"Shiratori-kun, last night I received a call from a parent, it was Mrs. Yamabuki."

After carefully considering her words, Shinonome Mizuki began to speak.

"Ok?"

Shiratori Osamu was taken aback by what he heard, and his expression turned somewhat strange.

With just one sentence, he realized the situation.

The reason the teacher called him in for a private talk wasn't because he skipped class, but because it was related to Minami Yamabuki.

"Mrs. Yamabuki told me... that you're dating Mr. Yamabuki, is that true?"

Even as she said these words, Shinonome Mizuki found them utterly absurd, but she still wanted to verify the truth of the news.

Faced with this question, Shiratori Osamu fell silent.

As soon as she finished speaking, lines of text appeared before his eyes:

[Recognizing a Turning Point in Her Fate—Mizuki Shinonome's Career Crisis]

[You can choose from the following world lines]

(Shionome Mizuki: Oh no, oh no! The best student in the class and the worst student are dating, and they even went to each other's homes. Their parents called to confront me. If the head of student affairs and the principal find out, they'll definitely think I've neglected my duty... No, I have to find a way to break them up. I absolutely can't let Shiratori Osamu lead Yamabuki Minami astray.)

[Option 1: Be honest and tell the teacher the truth about impersonating your boyfriend so she doesn't need to worry.]

(Reward: Character - Good Kid)

[Option ②: Keep it a secret. This matter concerns Minami Yamabuki's family crisis and cannot be overlooked.]

(Reward: Talent - Keep Your Mouth Shut)

[Option 3: Turn over a new leaf, teacher. I didn't have a choice before, but now I want to study. I want to get into Tokyo University. Please tutor me!]

(Reward: Mental fortitude - a comeback; Shinonome Mizuki will provide one-on-one tutoring until you graduate high school, with a certain probability of getting into the University of Tokyo.)

[Option 4: Taking advantage of the situation, teacher, you don't want the principal to find out about my relationship with Minami Yamabuki, do you?]

(Reward: Talent - Beginner Negotiation Skills; Shinonome Mizuki's submission and hatred, extremely low probability of winning her heart, extremely high probability of mutual destruction.)

Chapter 24 Teacher, you didn't want this either...

The reappearance of another turning point in his fate left Shiratori Shukan speechless.

The reward for this timeline option is still one of four: character design, talent, temperament, or skill, but there are more text prompts now.

Is it because he has already completed the first selection, and the system has been upgraded?

As is customary, the options are easy to understand at a glance; the key lies in the rewards.

Option ① [Character Design - Good Kid]

This reward isn't exactly useless, it's practically worthless. Who would want to be a good kid?

Option ② [Talent - Keep Your Mouth Shut]

He possesses the talent for complete concentration and has a clear understanding of the power of such talents. However, this time, the talent seems rather weak. Is it because the options are too simple? After all, all he needs to do is keep it a secret.

Option ③ [Mental fortitude - a desperate counterattack; Shinonome Mizuki will provide one-on-one tutoring until you graduate high school, with a certain probability of getting into the University of Tokyo.]

This reward looks interesting. The mental reward is secondary; the key is the additional reward.

Although he didn't know the exact probability, the teacher's extracurricular tutoring was obviously of great help to his academic performance.

Option ④ [Talent - Beginner-level negotiation skills, Shinonome Mizuki's submission and hatred, extremely low probability of winning her heart, extremely high probability of mutual destruction.]

Familiar introductory negotiation skills... But which door are we actually entering?

After a quick glance, especially at the reward for option ④, Shiratori Osamu couldn't help but look up at Shinonome Mizuki across from him.

To be fair, Ms. Dongyun is very beautiful; she truly deserves the title of a beauty.

With her deep purple hair and light purple eyes, if she moved the beauty mark from the corner of her left eye to the corner of her right eye, took off her glasses, changed out of her suit into a kimono, and cosplayed Raiden General, the resemblance would probably be over 95%.

"If she chooses option ④, will she really give in?"

Looking at her calm expression and exquisitely beautiful face, Shiratori Xiu couldn't help but think.

Seeing that he remained silent, Shinonome Mizuki began to try to persuade him:

"Shiratori-kun, if this is true, could you please break up with Yamabuki Minami?"

“I know this request is presumptuous. Schools and teachers cannot interfere with students’ free love, but Mr. Yamabuki is very unhappy about your relationship. He was very angry when he called last night.”

"Please, if you really like Yamabuki-san, please break up with her."

This matter is so important that parents have called to demand answers.

Paying attention to and caring for students' academic performance and mental and physical health is a teacher's duty, but she neglected this student, Minami Yamabuki, because she was too sensible.

The thought that because of her negligence, the top student had been tricked into marrying the perennial underachiever, and that Minami Yamabuki, a prospective student for Tokyo University, might be led astray, fall into depravity, or even fail to get into Tokyo University, causing the principal and parents to be furious and hold her accountable, was driving her crazy.

That's why she acted out of character last night, resorting to threats instead of trying to persuade Shiratori Osamu to return to school.

She bears undeniable responsibility in this matter and cannot shirk her duty, so she must do something.

"..."

Shiratori Osamu remained silent, instead focusing intently, discarding distracting thoughts and irrelevant emotions, and refocusing his attention on the four options and rewards, beginning to think deeply.

Options ① and ② can be skipped, as their actual benefits are too low.

In other words, he only had two options in front of him.