Tokyo: Starting with a fake boyfriend

Seeing her polite demeanor, Shinonome Mizuki immediately took a few steps forward and bowed in response.

"No, no, no, I'm the one who's causing you trouble."

"No, no, no, I'm the one who's causing you trouble."

"Mrs. Yamabuki, I heard you were looking for me."

Because their polite conversation and small talk were pointless and likely to go on and on, Shiratori Osamu chose to interrupt.

"Yes, Shiratori-kun."

Yamabuki stopped bowing and thanking him, straightened up, and saw him appear. Her eyes lit up.

After thinking it through at home, she struggled for a while about how to contact Shiratori-kun. After much deliberation, she decided that it would be better to come to the school to find him, preferably during class time.

Moreover, by arriving at school during the third period, she could deliver lunch to Shiratori-kun and Minami just before lunch break.

"Mrs. Yamabuki, I've brought him here. Would you mind telling me why you came to the school to see Shiratori-kun?"

After exchanging pleasantries, Shinonome Mizuki cleared her throat and got straight to the point.

Putting aside her minor conflict with Shiratori-kun earlier, the main focus now is on Mrs. Yamabuki's visit and why she's looking for Shiratori-kun.

"This one……"

Faced with her question, Yamabuki's face immediately showed a troubled expression. She looked left at her teacher and right at Shiratori Osamu.

"Mr. Shinonome, Mrs. Yamabuki seems to want to talk to me alone."

Seeing that she seemed to be in a dilemma and didn't know how to start the conversation, Shiratori Osamu had no choice but to speak for her.

"To talk privately? Mrs. Yamabuki, is that what you're thinking?"

Upon hearing this, Shinonome Mizuki paused, then looked at Yamabuki to confirm her intentions.

"Uh-huh."

Yamabuki glanced at Shiratori Osamu and nodded with some delight.

Seeing her obediently nod, Shinonome Mizuki couldn't help but glance at her sideways.

She's such a mature older sister, yet she's so well-behaved and adorable. It's just too unfair!

"Okay... I'll wait outside. Please let me know if you need anything. Excuse me."

Although she was surprised that she was much older than her, she still had this side to her. However, Shinonome Mizuki did not dare to comment, but agreed and turned to leave.

As she moved, both Shiratori Osamu and Yamabuki watched her, waiting for her to leave.

"Why do they insist on talking alone? Is it inconvenient for others to hear what they want to discuss?"

Feeling two gazes upon her as she left the room and closed the door, Shinonome Mizuki, having made room for Shiratori-kun and Mrs. Yamabuki to be alone, felt inexplicably stifled and humiliated.

She originally wanted to find out what was going on and help Shiratori fight against his girlfriend's mother, but instead she was forced to come here.

This feeling of being out of place and excluded made her very uncomfortable.

Chapter 77 Turning Point of Fate

As Shinonome Mizuki walked out of the room and closed the door, only the two of them remained in the life guidance room.

The room was brightly lit because the living guidance room has excellent natural lighting, and it was broad daylight.

"..."

Shiratori Osamu and Yamabuki exchanged a glance, the latter avoiding eye contact.

The atmosphere was a little awkward, as this was their first time alone together.

Although they had spoken privately at the Yamabuki residence a few times, those situations were nothing compared to what was happening now.

"What should I do? I acted impulsively and came to Shiratori-kun... Would it be better to divorce my husband? Why did I even think of discussing this with Shiratori-kun?"

Yamabuki didn't dare to meet his gaze, feeling very embarrassed, her face burning hot.

"My mother-in-law came to find me so quickly after she came to her senses..."

Shiratori Osamu breathed in the heavy air in the room, feeling a headache coming on.

According to his script, his mother-in-law would take the initiative to seek his help, which would take about 3-10 days.

Because it's a family matter that's hard to talk about with others when a well-behaved daughter suddenly becomes rebellious and turns against her mother.

My mother-in-law can't handle this alone, and my cheating father is helpless too. Besides, my husband could go on a business trip at any time.

In order to win back her rebellious daughter and stop her husband from having another affair, the mother-in-law, having exhausted all other options, had no choice but to place her hopes on this outsider, based on his previous statements such as "I really want you and your daughter to be happy" and "If one path doesn't work, then we'll try another."

Although he is an outsider, he used to get along well with the daughter and knows about the troubles and family affairs of the Yamabuki family, so he may be trustworthy.

"If it were Shiratori-kun, perhaps he would have a solution."

Only when this idea comes to mind will his mother-in-law try every means to find him.

As it turned out, his mother-in-law figured things out so quickly that she caught him off guard, leaving him completely unable to grasp her thoughts and feelings.

"Mrs. Yamabuki, let's sit down and talk."

After standing there facing each other for a while, Shiratori Osamu broke the silence by speaking first.

"..."

Even though the teacher had already left, his address was still so distant. Yamabuki found it very grating. She glanced at him after regaining her senses, but still nodded and walked towards the table in the center of the room.

This guy said this morning that he really wanted her and her daughter to be happy, but after arguing with her daughter and storming off, he changed his mind in less than a few hours and won't even call her mother-in-law anymore.

He used to call her "mother-in-law" so enthusiastically and energetically.

She began to regret it, feeling that she shouldn't have come to find Shiratori Osamu.

Men are all big liars, including Tomokazu and Shiratori-kun.

Her scan was quick, but Shiratori Osamu, with her enhanced observation skills from activating [Full Concentration], was incredibly meticulous and still managed to capture that moment.

What did his mother-in-law mean by the look she gave him just now?

"Dissatisfaction? Sadness? Disappointment? Resentment? Resentment?"

Shiratori Osamu was also moving around, taking a step forward.

In a state of flow, he can discard useless emotions, his thinking is very close to absolute rationality, and he will make calculations based on the information he has.

"It should be resentment."

Shiratori Osamu continued walking, taking two steps.

"It was definitely the right thing for me to break the silence and invite her to sit down. In other words, she was upset that I called her Mrs. Yamabuki, saying it was too formal."

Thirdly, when Shiratori arrived at the table, he already had the answer in his heart.

Because of his mother-in-law's sudden visit, which differed greatly from the script he had painstakingly calculated the night before, he could only improvise based on the available information.

"Mother-in-law, why did you come to the school to find me? What happened?"

After sitting down at the table, Shiratori looked around and asked in a low voice.

"Why are you calling me 'mother-in-law' again? Didn't you just call me Mrs. Yamabuki?"

Upon hearing the word "mother-in-law," Yamabuki, who had been feeling quite upset, felt much better, though she was still somewhat sullen.

What's wrong with this guy? His attitude changed so quickly. I really don't know if I can trust him.

Perhaps she had finally made up her mind and was really planning to divorce her husband. She hated Shiratori calling her Mrs. Yamabuki.

"Because we were too far away just now, if I had called out to your mother-in-law and the teacher had heard it, things would have been troublesome."

Hearing her slightly reproachful and complaining tone, and seeing that her lips were slightly pouting as she spoke, clearly indicating that she was not happy, Shiratori Xiu's guess was confirmed, and he explained.

"Huh? Is that how it is?"

Yamabuki was taken aback when she heard this. Thinking of his reaction of looking around before he sat down and spoke, she suddenly realized what he meant and covered her mouth in surprise.

Oh no, she's so careless, she actually forgot about something like this.

Ms. Shinonome was still outside the door, and she didn't expect Shiratori-kun's good intentions. Just because he didn't call her mother-in-law, she was thinking about this and that, and even complaining.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Shiratori-kun... I thought you called me Mrs. Yamabuki earlier because you had a fight with Minami and wanted to distance yourself from me."

Realizing her behavior, Yamabuki panicked and quickly bowed her head to apologize.

"It's okay, it's okay, and you look cute when you're angry."

Seeing that she was easily persuaded, Shiratori Osamu was not surprised. He simply shook his head and waved his hand to indicate that he did not mind, and pressed his advantage.

Yamabuki, who was still feeling guilty, was stunned when she heard this.

cute?

Is she cute when she's angry?

What did Shiratori-kun mean by that?

Could it be that Shiratori-kun likes her, not her daughter?

"You are a good woman, and I really want you and your daughter to be happy."

When the words Shiratori Osamu had said before leaving her house that morning flashed through her mind, Yamabuki realized what he had done and blushed deeply. She hurriedly spat out:

"What do you mean by cute? I'm much older than you, how can you say such a thing?"

"..."

She rolled her eyes at him, and Shiratori was stunned.

Although his mother-in-law's flustered and shy reaction was adorable, he wasn't distracted by it because he was fully focused; rather, he was distracted by the rows of squares that appeared before his eyes.

[A turning point in her life has been detected—Yamabuki's marital crisis]

[You can choose from the following world lines]

(Yamabuki: My daughter says my marriage is a failure. Would it be better to get a divorce? But what will life be like after a divorce? And I'm too soft-hearted. If Tomoya apologizes to me because I brought up divorce, I don't know if I can be ruthless enough to insist on it. Maybe I should talk to Shiratori-kun and ask him what happened to Minami last night, and also ask him about what he said this morning. What does it really mean that he really wants my daughter and me to be happy?)

[Option 1: I was too young to appreciate you, mistaking a young girl for a treasure; Big sister, I love you, I want you and my daughter to be happy for the rest of your lives! — Help Yamabuki regain her single status, marry Hojo Yuki, and persuade her father, Hojo Ryoma, with sincere and devoted love and actions, successfully marrying into the Hojo family.]

(Rewards: Character design - pretty boy, Osamu Hojo, with a beautiful wife, living in a Japanese-style mansion, driving a luxury sports car, living a happy life, with a monthly allowance of 1000 million yen, and Minami Yamabuki's resentment - marital infidelity, will also be rewarded with an extra one-way ticket to the Dragon Palace.)

[Option ②: Proceed according to the original plan, help Yamabuki regain her single status, help her repair her relationship with her rebellious daughter, and bring happiness to both of them.]

(Rewards: Talent - Energetic, gratitude and trust from Hojo Yuki and Yamabuki Minami, key to the Hojo family's luxury apartment in Minato Ward, observation from Hojo Ryoma, 100 million yen per month)

[Option 3: This is difficult. What I mean is, we need to pay more... to become Yamabuki's partner and help her regain her single status, so that she and her daughter can be free.]

(Rewards: Greed, Hojo Yuki's disappointment, Yamabuki Minami's gratitude, Hojo Ryoma's approval, the Hojo family's keepsake, 2000 million yen)

[Option 4: Taking advantage of the situation, ma'am, you don't want your daughter to be unhappy, do you?]

(Reward: Talent - Beginner Negotiation Skills, extremely low probability of winning the heart of a beautiful woman, extremely high probability of being personally trained by Hojo Ryoma.)

Even though Shiratori Osamu was completely focused, he was still shocked when he saw the perfect world line option.

The options this time were so strong, and the rewards were so generous that they dazzled him.

Option ① is incredibly tempting. If he just does what the option says, he can live a carefree life, earning 1000 million yen a month without having to work hard at all.

Option ② was his original plan. The talent of "Full of Energy" seemed pretty awesome, not to mention the subsequent delayed rewards.

Option ③'s reward, the "Greed" trait, may seem ordinary, but it grants a one-time gain of 2000 million. With so much start-up capital, he wouldn't need to study anymore; he could hire several programmers skilled in game development to create "The Joker." Plus, there's Hojo Ryoma's approval and the Hojo family's token—it all seems pretty impressive.

As for option ④, he was too lazy to even look at it.

The fourth option related to talent always rewards beginner-level negotiation skills, but the consequences become more and more serious each time.

If he wasn't mistaken, the only way he could have changed the increasingly worse situation was if he had chosen option 4 from the beginning and relied on rudimentary negotiation skills to embark on a life of exploiting others.

Just as cattle are graded, the level of negotiation skills will significantly affect the success rate.

However, he was genuinely uninterested in this. Although he considered himself a bad man, he had principles and was not a piece of trash.

"Shiratori-kun?"

After spitting out her annoyance, Yamabuki noticed that he had suddenly stopped talking, and after a while, she began to panic.

Oh no, did she say something wrong?

"Mother-in-law, please don't worry, I'm thinking about it."

Noticing her panic, Shiratori Osamu reassured her and continued to think.