Starting a New Life in Tokyo by Inheriting a Shopping Street [65]

Chiba Shuuichi was eating with complete focus when he suddenly felt something rubbing against his leg.

Looking down, he saw a little white-faced, adorable kitty of unknown origin. It was pressing its head and cheek insistently against his thigh, then resting its chin there, looking up at him with pleading eyes.

“Meow~” The kitty let out a soft, delicate cry.

That “meow” made Shuuichi’s heart tremble. He swallowed, reached down, and stroked the kitty’s head.

“What a greedy little thing… are you hungry too?”

“Meow~” The kitty’s tail gave a small, gentle swish.

Shuuichi caught the detail instantly, and his heart went a little mushy. Who could withstand this kind of test?

He picked up a slice of chashu with his chopsticks and held it to the kitty. The kitty gave it a tentative lick with its pink little tongue, then happily bit down.

Watching it eat so seriously—juices even dribbling from the corner of its mouth—Shuuichi used a napkin to wipe it clean.

Then he scratched its chin with a finger. The kitty narrowed its eyes in bliss, clearly enjoying itself.

“A cute kitty should have its belly rubbed thoroughly by a human.” Shuuichi said this as he teased it into lying on the floor, showing its snowy, soft stomach.

He crouched beside it and started rubbing with gusto.

“Meeoow~~~”

The kitty squirmed non-stop, making spoiled, whimpery sounds—only making him want to rub more.

No wonder people say petting cats is addictive—this felt too good.

Shuuichi was getting a little carried away.

After a while of playing with it, his gaze drifted to its tail. He’d heard that cats’ tails had a highly sensitive nervous system.

As if sensing his intent, the kitty froze instantly, staring at him in sharp alert.

But it didn’t pull away, so under its watchful gaze, Shuuichi reached out his “guilty” hand toward the tail.

The moment he took hold of it, the kitty gave a sudden shiver—its eyes wide with surprise and confusion.

He grasped the furry tail, savoring its plush texture… and gently wiggled it.

Sure enough, the kitty reacted like it had been jolted with a huge shock—trying to block his movements with its paws, making odd warning noises.

But when those paws landed on his arm, they were feather-soft, with no strength at all.

He tugged lightly on the tail again, and the kitty went even softer—its cries growing more delicate, those clear feline eyes like pools of water reflecting his face.

“Looks like you don’t dislike this at all.” Shuuichi chuckled softly, wrapping the tail around his hand, teasing it with light flicks…

---

Meanwhile, in the ramen shop—close to closing time, with only a few customers left—Akiyama Tsuki had gone to deliver Shuuichi’s dinner.

Akiyama An was putting cleaned bowls and chopsticks to one side when she lowered her voice to her mother:
“Mama, there’s something I want to ask you.”

“What is it?” Tamako was using the lull to catch her breath. She tilted her head toward her younger daughter.

“It’s… how did you confess to Papa back then?” An’s big eyes were full of curiosity.

Tamako’s cheeks took on a faint blush at the question, her mind slipping back to her youthful days, her whole bearing taking on a soft, radiant glow.

“Confessing, huh…” Her lips curved into a smile. “Mama was clumsy back then too. I didn’t know any fancy tricks—just copied what I saw on TV. Wrote a love letter, asked your Papa to meet me on the rooftop and confessed in person, that sort of thing.”

“Eh?” An nodded at first, but midway frowned. “Aren’t writing a love letter and going to the rooftop supposed to be an either-or thing?”

“Why would it be either-or?” Tamako looked genuinely puzzled. “If giving chocolates to hint failed, I wrote a letter. If the letter failed, I went to the rooftop to confess in person. If the rooftop strategy failed, then—”

An broke in, shocked, “But Mama, didn’t you say it was simple? That you succeeded easily?”

Tamako spread her hands. She couldn’t see what was confusing. “It was simple, and easy—because I only did one thing: I confessed to your Papa every single day."

“The other girls were busy figuring out what kind of girl he liked, constantly changing outfits and makeup, studying dating strategies, thinking up all kinds of seduction tricks…"

“I couldn’t think of all that. So I just stayed myself, and confessed once a day. In the end, it worked.”

Speaking of it made her look quite proud.

An blinked her clear eyes. “Something feels… off.”

Tamako ruffled her daughter’s hair. “Then, An-chan—are you good at makeup?”

“…No.”

“Do you know how to stir a boy’s interest?”

“…No.”

“Do you know all the little techniques for dating?”

“…Not really.”

“Then there you have it.” Tamako chuckled, poking her forehead. “Just use the clumsy method.”

“That’s… true…” An let out a small sigh, feeling a little dejected. She really wasn’t like the girls in class who knew how to work their charms.

What kind of personality did Chiba-kun like?

Well, she did know he liked Mama’s cooking. As for the rest…

Maybe she really could only do what Mama did. “Then… what should I say in the confession?”

“Just tell him you like him and ask if he wants to go out. Unless you’re great at writing essays?” Tamako pinched her cheek.

“Mmph…” An mumbled, “Writing essays is such a pain…”

Another customer came in, and Tamako hurried away to greet them—leaving An to mull it over alone.

“Dating really is a troublesome thing. No wonder Chiba-kun says it’s boring.” An rubbed her face and sighed softly.

“But I can’t lose heart. If Mama could do it, I can too! Let’s go, Akiyama An—you’ve got this!”

After giving herself a pep talk, she bounced back to work full of energy.

---

“The little maid is really slacking, huh? How long does it take to change clothes? I’ve already finished dinner—were you lazing around in the bathroom?” Shuuichi eyed Tsuki as she came out.

“I was cleaning the bathroom…” Tsuki said between faint breaths, the flush on her face proof of her recent “effort.”

“Is that so? Pity—you just missed a cute kitty.” Shuuichi glanced at his palm with lingering fondness.

“Oh? And where did this kitty come from?” Tsuki’s hand went to cover the blue-and-white stripes at her rear.

“I’m not sure. Maybe a stray that climbed in from the balcony. But it was clean, cute, and greedy. I hope I meet it again—I’m thinking of adopting it.” Shuuichi’s fingers still itched at the thought.

Tsuki absently touched her stomach, biting her lip. “Kitties love having someone to play with. If it enjoyed itself just now, you’ll probably see it again.”

“That’d be great. Petting it felt amazing—bet the kitty liked being rua too.” Shuuichi mused aloud.

“Mmn…” Tsuki licked her lips, her skin feeling faintly feverish, her eyes flickering between heat and haze.

“Alright, back to work. The floor’s a mess from the kitty.” Shuuichi started ordering the “little maid” around again.

---

T/NL ...WAFASFASFAS

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!