Starting a New Life in Tokyo by Inheriting a Shopping Street [70]

After finishing lunch with the Akiyama sisters, the clouds in the sky thickened ominously.

There were about twenty minutes left in the midday break. Chiba Shuuichi felt bored, yet didn’t want to return to the classroom to idle away the time.

After a moment of thought, he decided to visit the nurse’s office, chat with Harada-sensei, and build their relationship a bit more.

But when he arrived downstairs at the nurse’s office, he found Harada Akane absent—instead, Nase Sumire was sitting on the bed, absorbed in scrolling through her phone.

"Sensei, why are you here again? Could it be you lied to me before, didn't obediently rest, and haven't fully recovered?"

Chiba Shuuichi's sudden voice startled Nase Sumire so much she jumped, hurriedly locking her phone screen and shoving it into her pocket, straightening her posture guiltily.

"I didn’t lie to you—I usually take my lunch break here."

"Really?"

"Really!" Nase Sumire declared confidently, but then quickly regained her senses, snapping irritably, "Wait, who's the teacher here, you or me?!"

"Well, I happen to have Sensei’s secret, so all you can do is obediently listen," Chiba Shuuichi said with a grin, sitting casually in Harada-sensei's office chair.

Watching Nase Sumire’s conflicted expression, he raised an eyebrow teasingly. "Come to think of it, Sensei, do you like this place that much? Could there perhaps be some lovely memories here?"

Nase Sumire froze momentarily, then quickly relaxed, casually brushing a strand of hair behind her ear—a subtle motion that exuded unexpected charm.

"What lovely memories? What weird things are you imagining? It’s just that there's a bed here, making it convenient for naps."

"Oh, I see…" Chiba Shuuichi didn’t expose her lie, letting his eyes roam unreservedly over her.

Just as Nase Sumire was about to explode from embarrassment, he suddenly said, "Sensei, could you lend me your phone for a bit?"

"No!" Nase Sumire reflexively blurted, heart tightening.

"That reaction…" Chiba Shuuichi eyed her with a cheerful smile. "Very interesting—I think I can guess what's going on."

"There's nothing!" Nase Sumire glared at him, flustered and angry.

"You know, Sensei, you wouldn’t want your dark history known by others, right?" Chiba Shuuichi leaned forward slightly, inching closer as he spoke.

"You… And here I thought you were a good kid—I even felt guilty for misunderstanding you before!" Nase Sumire exploded, flustered and furious.

"Sensei, that’s unfair. I just wanted to borrow your phone to get Harada-sensei’s contact info. How does that make me a bad person?" Chiba Shuuichi shrugged innocently.

"What do you need her contact info for?" Nase Sumire eyed him suspiciously. This student always jumped around unpredictably, making her feel mentally unstable.

"My shopping street—Sensei’s visited it, right? There are still a few empty storefronts, so I wanted to ask Harada-sensei if she'd consider opening a pharmacy or something there," Chiba Shuuichi answered openly, not hiding anything.

"Why would she ever do that? She’s perfectly fine as a school nurse—why would she quit?" Nase Sumire immediately poured cold water on his idea.

"It’s just a try. It doesn't have to work out. Just wanted to let her know the option exists. Who knows, if circumstances ever change, it could become Harada-sensei’s backup pla—ahem, consideration."

"Or she could even introduce some suitable classmates or friends to open a pharmacy in one of my places. That would also work."

Seeing Chiba Shuuichi casually throwing out ideas with a “whatever happens” attitude, Nase Sumire couldn’t really object anymore. She took out her phone and unlocked the screen. "Fine, I’ll send you her contact—"

Mid-sentence, she felt the room dim slightly. When she raised her head, the lighting was back to normal.

She stared suspiciously at Chiba Shuuichi, still sitting comfortably in the chair, as if he'd never moved. "Did you peek?"

"Nope, absolutely not. I know nothing about any methods to get bigger or smaller." Chiba Shuuichi shook his head solemnly.

Nase Sumire instantly flushed scarlet, overwhelmed with shame. A student had seen her searching for that kind of thing...

Unforgivable!

Her dignified image as a teacher was now completely destroyed, wasn’t it?

"Sorry, I shouldn't have done that. Want to look at mine in return?" Chiba Shuuichi said, offering his phone.

"A boy’s browsing history is absolute top-secret material. If Sensei gets hold of it, you can reverse-blackmail me. Then you won't have to worry about your past secrets, right?"

Nase Sumire’s heart skipped at that. She slowly raised her head, swallowing nervously, feeling as though she were hearing the whispers of a devil, her hand subconsciously reaching out.

But immediately, her conscience kicked in again. No, I can’t! How could I seize a student's weakness to threaten him?!

"It’s alright—I peeked at Sensei’s phone first. Consider it an equal trade. No need to feel guilty, Sensei."

Chiba Shuuichi’s voice drifted softly, as though infused with a strange, tempting magic. Nase Sumire finally gave in to temptation, trembling as she took the phone from his hand.

This way, she could preserve her teacher’s dignity, wouldn’t have to fear being threatened by her student anymore, and could go back to her previous life, continuing her peaceful teaching career…

All her nightmares would disappear instantly, like illusions fading away.

Just as Nase Sumire was reassuring herself, her expression abruptly changed. "You jerk—unlock your phone for me first, dammit!"

Chiba Shuuichi couldn’t help laughing aloud. "Sensei really is adorable."

"Adorable, my foot! You little bastard!" Nase Sumire felt she might explode from anger.

"Uh… Did I come back at a bad time?" Harada Akane, having just returned from the restroom, stood hesitantly by the half-open door, looking awkwardly between them.

Sensei really is adorable…

As expected, Sumire-chan and this student had a special relationship…

"No, Harada-sensei, you're back just in time. Nase-sensei was forcing me to hand over my phone so she could see my browsing history," Chiba Shuuichi immediately put on an innocent act, shamelessly throwing Nase Sumire under the bus.

"You clearly peeked at my phone first, then voluntarily handed over your own phone!" Nase Sumire ground her teeth in anger. "You said you’d let me see your browsing history but didn’t unlock your screen!"

"So… you really wanted to see Chiba-kun’s browsing history?" Harada Akane blinked, smiling mischievously.

"..." Nase Sumire had no words left. Her face burned scarlet, and she directly threw herself face-down onto the bed, burying her head under a pillow and beginning her ostrich act.

Seeing this childish reaction, Harada Akane became even more certain of her suspicions. She wondered if she should offer some advice.

Although this wasn’t high school and society nowadays was more open, there were plenty of similar incidents publicly known, yet such relationships still faced strong mainstream resistance, right?

Most likely, nothing would come of these two.

"Sensei, you don’t have to be like this. I'm sitting across from you—quite far from the bed, actually. How could I really have seen your phone screen? How fast would I have to move?" Chiba Shuuichi watched the "ostrich" position with amusement.

"Really?" Nase Sumire lifted her head slightly, glasses crooked, hair messy—but this image held far more charm than her usual proper appearance.

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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!