Starting a New Life in Tokyo by Inheriting a Shopping Street [57]

After school in the afternoon, Chiba Shuuichi headed alone back toward the shopping street.

When he reached the entrance, he spotted the Yoshinoya manager standing at the door, staring at the sky in a daze.

Noticing Shuuichi, the man immediately sent over a gaze so full of grievance it was almost pitiful.

Getting that kind of look from a grown man made Shuuichi’s skin crawl. Even if he, a regular customer, hadn’t been coming by lately, it shouldn’t be that big a deal, right?

But when he returned to the management office, he suddenly understood exactly why the Yoshinoya manager had looked so mournful.

At the entrance to Akiyama-san’s ramen shop, there was… a small line forming.

Not some exaggerated queue stretching from one end of the street to the other—just three to five people—but for a freshly opened, one-person shop, not even during peak hours, it was impressive enough.

Yoshinoya sold ramen too, so obviously a good chunk of nearby customers had been stolen away. No wonder the man looked like that.

I wonder if Akiyama-san can even keep up…

Shuuichi glanced in through the door. The female customers were eating enthusiastically, and Akiyama-san was so busy her feet hardly touched the ground.

That same Kizaki-obaasan from the morning was there helping too. Seeing the situation looked fine, Shuuichi didn’t go in to disturb them—he turned and crossed the street to the beauty salon instead.

The long-awaited Ogawa-san was already there waiting, her gaze brimming with spring warmth as she looked at him.

“Where’s Sayuki-neesan? It’s still early for dinner—how about I take you two for a stroll first?” Shuuichi said with a smile, giving Ogawa Fumika an appraising once-over.

She had clearly dressed up especially today—looking extra radiant, her movements occasionally flashing a glimpse of snowy-white thigh.

“Hm?” Shuuichi immediately caught that little difference. “Fumika-neesan, is that…”

Standing at the shop door, Fumika glanced at the people in the street, restraining the urge to throw herself into his arms, and whispered shyly,

“Today I wore garter black stockings. Chiba-kun, do you like them?”

Shuuichi licked his lips. That tantalizing glimpse of soft pale thigh above the stocking band, made fuller by the edge’s pressure, stirred a strong temptation—but in public, he could only enjoy it with his eyes.

“Very nice. With garter stockings, I can touch bare thigh and the black stockings. Fumika-neesan, you really do know me well.”

Her cheeks flushed, her peach-blossom eyes shimmering as if to melt someone, she pressed her lips together in pleased delight. “I’m glad Chiba-kun likes them…”

“I’m busy upstairs, and you two are flirting here—is that appropriate?” Ogawa Sayuki’s voice suddenly came from behind her sister.

“Shhh, keep it down, Sayuki… someone might hear,” Fumika jumped in surprise, the buttons of her blouse straining under the sudden pressure.

Shuuichi instantly grew concerned for that button’s life, ready to leap in and save it if necessary.

Sayuki, looking as mournful as the Yoshinoya manager, said, “I’ve been working all day, didn’t have time to dress up like sis. Chiba-kun won’t think I’m being rude, will you?”

Fumika’s face immediately showed guilt. She couldn’t help with the troublesome work—if she tried, she only got in the way—so the burdens of the opening had fallen entirely to her younger sister.

Shuuichi smiled, letting his gaze sweep over Sayuki. “If we’re talking about rude… the rude one would be Fumika-neesan.”

Fumika froze. A strange, uneasy feeling began to grow.

Chiba-kun said I was rude… I must have done something wrong. But what exactly? And how do I fix it?

Is it because I left everything to my sister? That really is awful of me… it’s only natural if he dislikes me now, isn’t it?

He said he liked my scent, liked my legs, didn’t mind my age—but maybe that was just kindness, so I wouldn’t feel bad…

And I actually felt smug about it, thinking I wasn’t so bad after all…

In a flash, her mind supplied a hundred sins, convincing her she was terrible through and through. Her hands and feet went cold, her glow seemed to visibly drain away.

“…When you’re already naturally beautiful, dressing up this carefully is unfair to ordinary women. It makes them feel inadequate, even leaves them with a complex. Sayuki-neesan here is much more low-key. She might still hurt other women’s confidence, but at least she leaves them a way to live.”

At the latter half of his words, Fumika shot straight from the depths of despair to the heights of elation. Her world went from dim to bright in an instant.

The emotional whiplash left her feeling as if she’d survived a great battle, her body turning soft and a little numb.

“No wonder you’ve got my sister so wrapped around your finger—your mouth really is sweet.”

Sayuki, not noticing her sister’s strange mood, saw the way Shuuichi’s gaze lingered on her body and curved her lips in a half-smile.

“Fumika-neesan?”

When Shuuichi turned his eyes back, he noticed something was off. The vibrant beauty from moments ago now looked pitiful, almost as if she’d been bullied.

“Sis?” Sayuki startled, quickly steadying her. “I was just joking—I didn’t mean to blame you.”

Fumika shook her head slightly, clutching her chest, murmuring with relief, “Thank goodness… I’m not disliked by Chiba-kun…”

“What silly thing are you saying? How could I dislike you? You even wore garter stockings just for me today—I’m more touched than anything.”

Shuuichi stepped closer, took her hand, stroked it slowly, and pressed a light kiss to the back of it.

With his back to the street, it wasn’t easy for passersby to see this small gesture.

“Chiba-kun…” Her eyes misted over, clearly moved.

Seeing her mood bounce back, Sayuki realized her worry had been unnecessary and said dryly,

“Alright, you’ll have plenty of time to get all lovey-dovey during the date. No need to rush.”

Still, she thought to herself, This little brat’s mouth really is dangerous—cheering her up that easily.

“Then shall we head out?” Shuuichi looked at the twin-like sisters. The date for three was finally beginning.

The stroll itself was unremarkable. The Ogawa sisters didn’t buy much—mostly they wandered, chatting about school days and sighing over the passage of time.

When it was about time for dinner, the three went to the izakaya Shuuichi had reserved in advance.

It wasn’t a fancy place, just one with character—and more importantly, it had private booths, perfect for couples to talk intimately.

“You two are the main guests today, so order whatever you like,” Shuuichi said, sitting across from the sisters and pushing the menu toward them.

“I-I’m fine with anything. What does Chiba-kun like?” Fumika asked curiously—she genuinely wanted to know more about his tastes.

“Me? I like…”

As he spoke, both his hands slipped under the table. He leaned forward slightly and pulled each sister’s leg onto either side of his seat.

“Ch-Chiba-kun?”

Fumika jumped, glancing nervously at her sister, terrified she’d notice the little stunt—that would be far too embarrassing.

Sayuki, also ambushed, stayed perfectly calm, looking over at her sister. “What is it, Sis?”

“N-no, nothing…”

Fumika shook her head quickly, cheeks flushed, doing her best to endure the kneading and stroking on her calf.

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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!