Starting a New Life in Tokyo by Inheriting a Shopping Street [54]

“Uuu… so scary, I was wrong…” Akiyama Tamako was trembling as she pleaded for mercy, looking for all the world like a little girl getting scolded for misbehaving.

“Your mom is…”

Chiba Shuuichi didn’t even know how to describe it. She was already the mother of two children, yet still reacted like this.

Tsuki was equally speechless, rubbing her temple. “Nothing we can do. My mom’s most afraid of Kizaki-obaasan.”

Hearing the two of them, Kizaki-obaasan snorted. “If she’d do things even a little better, I wouldn’t bother playing the nagging old woman.”

“Ah, Kizaki-obaasan I missed you so much”

At that crucial moment, Akiyama An came down the stairs and made a direct beeline for the eighty-something elder, nearly making Tsuki leap to block her.

“Are you trying to die? If you fling yourself at her like that, do you think Kizaki-obaasan’s body can take it?” Tsuki scolded, pinching her little sister’s cheeks until An squealed in protest.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. An-chan is still just as cute. It’s been a while since you’ve had my ramen, hasn’t it? How about for breakfast today you have the ramen I make?” Kizaki-obaasan asked with a kindly smile.

“Eh? But I want Mom’s ramen,” An said, blinking her big clear eyes.

“…” The old lady’s smile stiffened. She cast Tamako a distinctly unkind glance. “Your mom’s cooking isn’t as good as mine.”

“But lately Mom’s is better than yours.” An, guileless and unfiltered, delivered the critical hit without hesitation.

“Kizaki-obaasan, don’t be mad, she just doesn’t know how to talk. You know how she is…” Tsuki rushed to cover her sister’s mouth.

“Class rep might not know how to talk, but she doesn’t lie,” Shuuichi said shamelessly from the side, poking holes in the cover. “Why not taste for yourself? Akiyama-san’s cooking skill has improved a lot lately.”

Granted, everyone except him could only enjoy about fifty percent of the buff, but that was still first-class flavor.

Kizaki-obaasan gave him a glance, then looked at Tsuki as if in thought, and tapped the table. “Stop hiding. Make me a bowl of noodles. I want to see what level you’re at now.”

Seeing there’d be no more scolding, Tamako finally dared to peek out, even showing a hint of pride. “I’m really good now. You’re going to be shocked, Obaa-san!”

“Let’s hope that’s true.” The old lady sighed, clearly not optimistic about the silly girl—in her eyes, all three of them were just “girls” anyway.

Tamako rolled up her sleeves, ready to show off for once. Kizaki-obaasan, meanwhile, pulled Tsuki over and asked quietly:

“This boy… is he yours or An-chan’s…?”

“Neither,” Tsuki said quickly, shaking her head.

“No need to be shy with me,” the old lady said with a chuckle, glancing at Shuuichi. “Whoever he belongs to, if he has Tsuki-chan’s approval, he must be a good kid.”

Tsuki suddenly felt guilty. If Obaa-san knew the sort of twisted things she and Shuuichi got up to, she might just faint on the spot.

Shuuichi, unaware of what the pervy Kaichou was fretting about, was being introduced to Kizaki-obaasan and chatting with her.

“You look a little thin. Boys should eat more. You and Tsuki-chan are classmates, right? Do you live nearby?”

She wasn’t a gossip by nature—she simply still worried about the Akiyama women. If the boy lived nearby, maybe she could ask him to help look out for them.

“That’s right, we’re in the same year. I live right next door,” Shuuichi replied politely.

“I see…” The old lady relaxed. “Then I’ll count on you to keep an eye on Tamako and the girls. It’s not easy with only women in the household.”

“Not at all—in fact, Akiyama-san is the one looking after me.”

At the word looking after, Shuuichi’s hand, purely by habit, started to slip toward Tsuki’s skirt hem. She froze instantly.

It was one thing for him to pull little stunts in front of her mom and sister—this was in front of Kizaki-obaasan!

Don’t you dare!, Tsuki screamed internally, terrified of being found out.

Thankfully, Shuuichi realized the setting was wrong and pulled his hand back.

“Chiba-kun takes good care of us. He charges really low rent. He’s a great guy—though my sister’s always picking on him,” An chimed in innocently.

Kizaki-obaasan chuckled knowingly. “When a girl’s in a relationship, she’ll nitpick a boy more—but it’s really just her way of being affectionate.”

Back in her day, that was a perfectly reasonable take.

“Relationship?” An frowned at her sister. “Sis, did you lie to me again? You badmouth Chiba-kun to me, then go date him yourself?”

“???” The old lady was stunned. Wait—did both girls like the same boy?

She knew Tsuki wasn’t the type to scheme maliciously, but in love… maybe she would do such a thing.

Shuuichi wasn’t particularly surprised. The class rep spouting nonsense was normal.

Tsuki was fuming inside. Did her idiot sister actually think Shuuichi was a good person? Someone who played so well with her in such twisted games—what kind of “good” could he be?

“When have I ever lied to you? We’re not dating. Don’t waste your brain on nonsense—use it for studying.” She sounded tired.

“You lied to me the night before last! You drank white peach soda and told me you didn’t,” An said, wearing an expression of don’t take me for a fool.

“…,” Tsuki gave up entirely, ignoring her.

White peach soda…

The memory of that damp, cocktail-scented, peach-fragrant leg made Shuuichi’s mouth water.

An’s attention span was short. Soon the smell of Tamako’s cooking had her little nose twitching like a puppy’s.

Kizaki-obaasan turned her gaze that way too, watching Tamako work—and frowned.

Those little bad habits she’d corrected time and again were still there. Where was this so-called improvement?

To her eyes, Tamako’s technique was “painful to watch.” How could this possibly taste good? Better than hers? Impossible.

She found it irritating to look at, but held her tongue. The kids still had to eat breakfast before school—she could save the lecture for after.

However, when the ramen was finished, plated in a bowl, and placed in front of her, Kizaki-obaasan felt something was… off.

Why did it seem like the aroma had grown richer after it was served?

She suspected it was just her old age playing tricks, some worn-out sense giving her an illusion. She suppressed her doubts and decided to taste first.

One spoonful of broth—she closed her eyes to savor. Her frown deepened.

A bite of noodles—her brow knitted even tighter.

Then the chashu, the other toppings—she tasted them all before setting down her chopsticks in silence.

The movements made Tamako’s heart pound. She was clutching the pot lid, ready to be scolded any second.

“This makes no sense…”

Shuuichi’s sharp ears caught the almost inaudible murmur from Kizaki-obaasan.

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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!