Tokyo: Starting with a fake boyfriend

What a joke, he's a delinquent.

"Xiujun, I was just asking out of curiosity. Look how fierce he is."

Startled by his harsh treatment, Seto Yuki looked at Shiratori Osamu with a pitiful expression, hoping he would stand up for her.

"You shouldn't have eavesdropped."

Shiratori Osamu remained unmoved by her witty remarks and simply stated the facts.

Japanese people have a strong sense of boundaries, and they even clearly distinguish interpersonal relationships into several levels.

The lowest level is "zhihe," which refers to mutual acquaintance or nodding acquaintance.

To become friends who can chat and have fun together, it takes a long time to get to know each other and build trust, and you may even have to verbally express that you want to be friends.

Next up is Zhongliang, a close friend and buddy who often goes out to play together, visits each other's homes, and has a harmonious relationship.

The highest level is with close relatives and friends, where you can confide in each other, even stay overnight at each other's homes, and have a very close relationship, equivalent to a buddy or best friend.

They might be a small circle of people, but Yuki Seto suddenly appeared around them without saying a word, forcibly joining the conversation between the boys, and even digging deeper into their questions, which was undoubtedly overstepping her bounds.

"Okay... I'm sorry."

Seeing that his attitude was lukewarm and he had no intention of standing up for her, Yuki Seto's lips twitched, and she had no choice but to apologize to Tomoki Nakamura.

Although she was very unhappy, she was indeed wrong in this matter.

There was no way around it, because she was very curious about what had happened this morning: Zhihui discovered that Xiujun had returned to school and specifically pulled him outside the classroom to talk to him alone.

"Be more careful next time... I was very harsh just now, but that's because I've already forgiven you once."

When Nakamura Tomohiro saw her apologize, he didn't make things difficult for her, but simply explained the situation clearly.

"I'm sorry, I know I was wrong, it won't happen again."

Faced with his lecture, Yuki Seto clenched her hands behind her back, feeling very unhappy, but still forced a smile and agreed.

Nakamura Tomoki could sense that she was very unhappy, and considering her relationship with Osamu, he nodded and didn't say anything more.

"Then you two talk first."

Because of the argument, the atmosphere became a bit tense, and Yuki Seto didn't stay long, making an excuse to leave.

"Thanks. I'm so glad you didn't speak up for her earlier, or I would have been in a difficult position."

As she left, Nakamura Tomoki patted Shiratori Osamu on the shoulder, in a good mood.

He was actually quite worried that Xiu would help Seto Yuki... because the two of them usually got along quite well, were very close, and seemed somewhat intimate.

Although he and Shiratori Shu are close friends, even among close friends, there are still situations where guys will side with their girlfriends.

"You don't need to thank me. She just crossed the line, so I have no reason to speak up for her."

Shiratori Osamu shook his head, closed the textbooks on the table, and put them back in his schoolbag in the drawer.

In fact, he was quite grateful for Nakamura Tomoaki's anger earlier.

Yuki Seto was just someone he spent a lot of time with on weekdays, not his girlfriend yet, but he was already extremely jealous and controlling. If he didn't let her run into trouble, she would only become more and more outrageous until he had to explicitly stop her.

He had no interest in this hot girl.

Although she is somewhat pretty, good at dressing up, and even wears black stockings, her character is not good; she's a troublemaker.

Putting aside his current plan to focus on preparing for the exam, even if that weren't the case, if he really wanted to date, he would definitely want to find someone suitable.

……

There's a popular internet saying that goes something like this: people can do anything when they're pushed to the limit, but they can't do math problems.

Because math is a subject where if you bend down to pick up a pen and then look up at the blackboard again, you'll feel like you can't keep up.

Shiratori Osamu, relying on his state of flow with complete focus, took the question, which consisted of numbers, letters, and symbols, very seriously. He was completely baffled and even found it difficult to understand.

Although he was a college student in his previous life, he was already a senior in college before he was reincarnated. He had been studying and playing for several years, and even started an internship. He had long forgotten the knowledge he had learned in high school.

This helpless situation only improved after he activated his "Desperate Counterattack" mindset.

Faced with a math problem that seemed like an incomprehensible mystery, he racked his brains and perhaps unleashed his potential, gradually recalling mathematical laws and formulas buried deep in his memory, as well as similar exercises he had practiced before.

That being said, he had too little foundational knowledge in this life, so learning was still very difficult and strenuous.

"hiss……"

When the lunch break bell rang, Shiratori Shu broke out of his two states and suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head. He couldn't help but rub his temples, his head feeling swollen and filled with knowledge.

After a morning of experimentation, he gained a more comprehensive understanding of the talent "Concentration".

The energy expenditure of the flow state is not determined by the length of time, but by the degree of deep thinking.

While both are in a state of flow, the energy expenditure for playing games seriously and studying seriously is definitely not proportional.

Playing games can bring joy and relaxation. In contrast, many people find reading and studying tedious and boring after a short time, and may even experience headaches and drowsiness.

As he rubbed his temples to relieve his headache, a pair of beautiful eyes were secretly watching him.

“Mom made a bento for Shiratori-san today, so now is a good opportunity for him… But if Seto-san sees me bringing him a bento, she might get angry.”

Minami Yamabuki sat in her seat, glancing furtively at Osamu Shiratori out of the corner of her eye, then at the blonde bombshell in the classroom, her feelings conflicted.

"Why is Shiratori-san suddenly paying attention in class? Didn't he always secretly play on his phone while lying on his desk during class?"

Torn between conflicting thoughts, Minami Yamabuki couldn't help but feel curious as she recalled the events of her three classes that morning.

Although she was listening attentively to the lesson, because of yesterday's interaction, she couldn't help but keep an eye on Shiratori Osamu, wanting to see what he was doing.

As a result, she saw Shiratori listening attentively to the lesson and writing in his textbook with a pen, looking very serious, just like those students who study hard.

"Shu, let's go to the cafeteria for ramen together."

At the same time, Nakamura Tomoki walked up to Shiratori Osamu and extended a warm invitation.

"I'm a little tired from studying, I want to rest for a bit." Shiratori Osamu, with a terrible headache, had no appetite and shook his head in refusal, feeling as if his head was spinning. But he quickly realized, "Chihiro, are you going to the cafeteria? Could you bring me something to eat on your way back?"

Studying hard is physically demanding; if you don't eat anything at noon, you'll definitely be starving in the afternoon.

"No problem, what would you like to eat?"

Nakamura Tomoki originally wanted to go to the cafeteria with him to have a good meal, but seeing that he looked unwell and seemed to be feeling unwell, he readily agreed.

"Thank you." Seeing that he readily agreed, Shiratori Xiu took out his wallet, pulled out two thousand-yen bills, and handed them to him. "Bring me a nutritious bento box with meat and vegetables, two bottles of water, and some candy."

"No need to be so polite, and what you're talking about doesn't cost that much."

The prices at the school cafeteria are cheaper than outside the school. Although staple foods such as ramen, rice bowls, and fast food bento boxes are relatively expensive, they are not much more expensive.

"Consider the extra money my treat."

"Row."

"Thank you for your help."

Having solved the lunch problem, Shiratori Osamu, whose brain was overloaded, simply lay down on the table to rest.

Trying to tackle math problems that are currently unsolvable without a solid foundation is too much of a drain on energy and mental effort.

As he closed his eyes to rest, several pairs of beautiful, large eyes watched him.

"Yuki, what's wrong with Shu-kun?"

"I do not know either."

"Xiu Jun is acting so strange today. He took off all his earrings, and he never pays attention in class before, but he listened attentively for the three classes this morning. It's like he's a completely different person."

There's something off about the three hot girls, led by Yuki Seto.

They had noticed Shiratori taking out his money earlier and could vaguely guess what was going on: he wanted Zhihui to buy him food instead of going to the cafeteria.

Hot girls and delinquents generally don't have good relationships with their parents, and bringing lunch to school is too low-class. Although they couldn't understand it, they chatted for a few minutes and then headed to the cafeteria.

Normally, Yuki Seto would definitely invite Osamu Shiratori to the cafeteria; the more people, the more lively it would be.

However, after a minor argument this morning, she hesitated and decided to give up the idea, deciding to find an opportunity to have a proper talk with Xiu Jun later.

Chapter 30 The Wife's Bento Box

Shiratori Osamu lay on the table with his eyes closed, trying to rest. Although his head was spinning and he had a terrible headache, he couldn't fall asleep.

Because the position was uncomfortable, he was too tall, but the table was too low.

"I wonder if there are any rewards like quick sleep or quality sleep. If there are, I have to take the test no matter how difficult the options are."

Realizing this, Shiratori Osamu couldn't help but mutter to himself.

As a former senior in high school, he knows all too well the importance of sleep quality.

Studying is actually very tiring and difficult. In a highly competitive environment, you also have to face the strong expectations and demands of your parents. Over the long term, it can leave you physically and mentally exhausted and under tremendous pressure.

After resting with my eyes closed for a while, I heard a light footstep approaching.

“Chihiro couldn’t possibly be back from the cafeteria this quickly, and his footsteps aren’t that light… Is it Seto Yuki? Let’s just pretend to be asleep.”

Upon noticing this, Shiratori Osamu realized that he didn't really want to pay attention to this scheming, horny girl.

Before his memories were awakened, he drifted through life aimlessly, indifferent to making friends, and readily accepting others who took the initiative to approach him.

But things are different now. He wants to go to university and doesn't need to waste time on useless socializing.

Just then, Shiratori Osamu felt his arm, which was resting on the table, being gently poked by a finger.

"Ignore it, ignore it." Noticing this action, Shiratori Shu ignored it.

"Are you asleep?" Yamabuki Minami poked him a couple more times, and was surprised to find that he didn't react at all.

Thinking of this possibility, she looked around and, using her body as cover, secretly slipped the lunchbox into his drawer before turning and walking away.

As she quietly walked away, Shiratori suddenly opened his eyes, adjusted his posture, and looked over, seeing a beautiful and slender figure from behind.

"Not Yuki Seto, but her?"

Shiratori Osamu was quite surprised; this was an unexpected turn of events.

If he had known the person looking for him was the class monitor, he wouldn't have pretended to be asleep.

"What did she just slip into my hand?"

Upon noticing the situation, Shiratori Osamu became curious and reached into the drawer to feel around.

He didn't even need to take it out to see what it was; it was a bento box, because he could feel its warmth even through the cloth.

"Why did she bring me a bento box? Is it because I left too early today, and Mrs. Yamabuki made too much?"

With this thought in mind, Shiratori Osamu stood up, placed the bento box on the table, and couldn't help but look at the beautiful figure in the first row.

Meanwhile, taking advantage of Yuki Seto's absence from the classroom, Minami Yamabuki, who had given away the extra bento her mother had made, had already returned to her seat and started eating her bento.

After doing something wrong, people often feel guilty and uneasy, and they can't help but review the details to make sure they haven't been exposed.

"There are hardly any people left in the classroom. They've either gone out to eat lunch or are doing practice problems while eating. I don't think anyone's paying attention to me, right?"

"Shiratori-san looks very sleepy. Did you fall asleep so quickly because you didn't sleep well on the sofa last night?"

"He left so early today, could it be that he couldn't sleep and went home to catch up on sleep?"

"I wonder if he'll even notice that the bento box in the drawer was made by Mom..."

After thinking for a while, Minami Yamabuki finally couldn't resist and cautiously peeked to the side.

However, when she turned around, she was startled and quickly looked away, afraid of meeting his gaze.

Because Shiratori-san had woken up at some point and was eating a bento box.

"Mrs. Yamabuki's cooking skills are really good, they can rival those of restaurants outside."

Exhausted, Shiratori Osamu opened his bento box, took a bite, and felt much better.

"Shiratori-san looks very happy. Mom's cooking is really good."

Minami Yamabuki glanced at him again, noticed his expression, felt a slight joy, and continued eating.

After a while, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside the classroom.

"Heh... Heh heh."

Nakamura Tomoki appeared in the back row, one hand on the door frame, the other holding a bag, panting.

He was walking slowly to the cafeteria, but even though he was very slow-witted, he realized what was happening halfway there.