Starting a New Life in Tokyo by Inheriting a Shopping Street [71]

Nase Sumire replayed the earlier scene in her head and realized—realistically, there was no way he could’ve moved that fast. After reading, he’d just sat right back down without the chair even creaking.

“That’s right.” Chiba Shuuichi nodded, casual as ever. “I just made a random guess. Didn’t think I’d hit the mark so fast. Guess Sensei and I have great chemistry, huh?”

“…”

Nase Sumire’s face instantly darkened—this was even worse than peeking! Was her heart really that easy to read?

Harada Akane watched from the side, expression cool, and grew more certain that her friend had already fallen way too deep into this.

This was straight-up flirting!

Nase Sumire, what happened to you? Where’d that lofty ambition of becoming an excellent teacher go?

You’re sprinting down the road to disqualification, no brakes in sight!

Sumire grumpily tossed the phone back at him. “If you’re done, go back to class already. Stop fooling around here!”

“But I’m not done—I told Sensei earlier, remember?” Chiba Shuuichi caught his phone smoothly, shot Akane a friendly glance, and started explaining the whole shop-opening thing again.

Sure enough, just as Sumire expected, Harada Akane declined.

“I don’t plan to resign anytime soon, but I’ll help keep an eye out—see if any students or friends might be interested.”

“Then I’ll trouble you, Harada-sensei. If the people you recommend are as exceptional as you in looks and talent, the Shopping Street can offer a generous discount,” Chiba Shuuichi said with a grin.

Akane smiled playfully. “Aren’t you afraid Nase-sensei will get mad, saying something like that right in front of her?”

Chiba turned to Sumire. “I invited Nase-sensei too, but she refused—though she did refer a friend.”

At that, Sumire’s irritation eased a bit, though she still grumbled, “Amamiya agreed, but now I’m having second thoughts. Feels like I made a huge mistake—some people are completely unreliable.”

“That’s prejudice, Sensei. You shouldn’t let emotions cloud your judgment. To really know someone, don’t listen to what he says—look at what he does,” Chiba replied calmly. “Think about it, Sensei. Have I ever actually done anything bad?”

Sumire paused, expression softening despite herself. Sure, he had the most infuriating way of talking and loved teasing her—but in terms of actions, all he’d done was force her to rest and recover, even if it came with a few threats.

And other than that…

Hm?

Wait, what?!

Her eyes widened. Hold on—this guy had played that kind of game with a female student in the Nurse’s Office! Definitely not a good person!

Er… but thinking again, private stuff between lovers wasn’t inherently bad. At worst, it was just breaking a school rule or two.

Come to think of it, she’d overheard students doing…

Hiss—

Nope. Not thinking about that. Too awful. Forget it! Forget it now!

“Harada-sensei, any idea what’s going on with her? Looks like symptoms of a brain disorder,” Chiba said dryly, watching Sumire knock her forehead against her hand.

Harada Akane couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t worry, she’s usually like this in private. Probably just remembered something embarrassing.”

Sumire froze mid-motion. “Is it that obvious?”

“A miracle doctor, Harada-sensei!” Chiba clapped dramatically.

“Keep it low-key, keep it low-key—just my everyday brilliance,” Akane replied, deadpan.

“You two, knock it off already!” Sumire snapped, on the verge of tears.

Seeing that, Chiba quickly changed the subject. “Ahem. Back to business. When’s your friend coming over?”

“This weekend. I’ll take her myself—I know where the Shopping Street is, so you don’t need to explain anything. Now hurry back to class.” Sumire waved him off wearily.

“Alright, then I’ll wait for your good news, Sensei.” Chiba looked pleased, already imagining the new shop owner joining the street.

With that settled, his monthly salary would see another boost soon. If he could hold out till next month, maybe his wallet would finally have some backbone again.

But before he could stand, Harada Akane’s phone suddenly buzzed. She checked the screen, her face shifted instantly, and without a word, she hurried out of the Nurse’s Office.

Chiba and Sumire traded puzzled looks.

“Sensei, any idea what’s up?”

“How should I know?” Sumire rolled her eyes.

“Fine, fine. Then I’ll head back. Since Sensei’s doing better now, I guess next week I can make a few more requests?” he said, tone teasing but eyes unreadable.

Sumire, used to his constant jokes, didn’t take it seriously. She just glared at him irritably—completely unaware that, for once, he wasn’t joking.

...

After class, the clouds hung low and heavy, looking ready to burst any minute.

Chiba waited until most students had left, then stopped by Akiyama An’s desk and tapped it lightly. “You and your sister didn’t bring umbrellas, did you?”

“Huh? Oh—you’re right!” Akiyama An blinked. “I was so busy listening to you this morning, I totally forgot.”

“Don’t make excuses. Even without that, you two probably wouldn’t have remembered. Only Kaichou actually forgot because she was chatting.”

He reached out and lightly pinched her nose.

“Take this. You and your sister can share. I’m heading out early anyway.”

Akiyama An scrunched her nose and took the black umbrella, smiling sweetly. “Chiba-kun, you’re so nice!”

“Keep the compliments. I’m off.”

With a wave, Chiba strode out and quickly caught up with Uchida Yae, who’d just left.

“Uchida, got an umbrella?”

“Yeah, why?” Uchida looked confused.

“No reason. Mine now.” Chiba took it straight from his hand.

“Hey, Chiba, what the—”

“I got you a great Sports Day position. Lend me your umbrella as thanks. Fair trade, right?”

“What position?”

“Sports Equipment Storage duty.”

Uchida’s eyes lit up instantly. He grabbed Chiba’s hand. “Good brother! Keep the umbrella as long as you want!”

Mission accomplished, Chiba strolled back to the Shopping Street, umbrella in hand.

Except… it never rained.

The sky stayed heavy and gray, but not a single drop fell.

Tch. Damn patient clouds.

And then—just as he grumbled inwardly—raindrops finally splattered down, as if the sky had been waiting for his cue.

Standing under the covered walkway, he watched the drizzle thicken into a downpour.

Autumn rain, cold and sharp.

Perfect timing to have Madame warm him up…

---

This is a fan translation of 从继承商店街开始东京生活 by 净消尘土 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!