Starting a New Life in Tokyo by Inheriting a Shopping Street [31]

“Fine...” Uchida Yae clicked his tongue reluctantly. “Given your taste, she probably counts as pretty. Oh, wait—I have a photo of her right here; judge for yourself.”

He took out his phone, opened a social media app, scrolled through his follow list, and tapped on the profile of a beautiful woman.

“You didn't just randomly pick someone you follow, did you?” Chiba Shuuichi asked cautiously, wary of being tricked.

Uchida Yae looked deeply offended. “What happened to basic trust between friends? Do you honestly think I'd willingly follow someone who's not a loli?”

“That’s...fair enough.” Chiba Shuuichi immediately found his explanation believable. “I misunderstood you. I shouldn't have doubted your taste.”

Uchida rolled his eyes and swiped downward. “Look, they're all her selfies.”

Chiba leaned in to take a closer look—no, inspect professionally—and found she indeed perfectly matched his system’s criteria.

One particular casual shot caught his eye: the woman wore a sleeveless, sky-blue sweater dress that hugged her curves enticingly, with an alluring expression that radiated charm. She was deliberately posing in a provocative stance, accentuating an exaggerated S-curve figure, her crimson lips slightly parted, the tip of her tongue visible, enticing endless imagination.

She looked like the very definition of a seductive predator—dangerously alluring. If he actually hired her for the shopping street, Chiba suspected that he might be the one who ended up getting devoured.

Still contemplating, he asked, “With your sister being this attractive, how is she still single? How old is she?”

“She's already 29, definitely single at the moment—but she was married once before. Are you sure you still want to introduce her to your cousin?” Uchida hesitated, clearly withholding something.

“A divorced woman, huh? That’s not an issue,” Chiba replied without hesitation. “But it seems like you're trying to say something else. Is there something... wrong with your sister?”

Uchida hesitated before whispering mysteriously, “I'll tell you, but don’t spread it around or I'll get beaten to death.”

“Got it. Won’t spread it.” Chiba silently amended, Well, ‘not spreading it around’ doesn't mean I won't share it discreetly.

“My sister had three serious relationships,” Uchida explained carefully. “Don't judge—it’s actually not many, considering she was sincere each time. But the thing is… the first one suddenly became critically ill and died mid-relationship. The second died in a traffic accident during one of their dates. The third was tougher—he survived long enough to marry her. But less than a month after their wedding, he went bankrupt after a failed investment and jumped off a building...”

Uchida visibly shuddered. “Still want to introduce her to your cousin?”

Chiba felt chills running down his spine as well. Young people nowadays naturally believed in science, but he himself had experienced reincarnation—so who was he to dismiss superstition entirely?

This sister of Uchida’s was definitely terrifying. No wonder she remained single despite her seductive charm.

After all, gods and spirits still had their place in Japan.

“You have her contact info, right? Send it to me first. I'll check with my cousin before making a final decision,” Chiba decided cautiously.

But internally, he wasn't overly worried. After all, he wasn’t the one looking to date or marry Uchida’s sister—he only wanted to collect some rent.

At most... he’d just have some deeper interactions.

Feeling concerned for Chiba’s distant cousin, Uchida kindly asked as he sent over his sister’s LINE details, “Does your cousin have a stable job?”

“He does,” Chiba nodded.

“Any debts?”

“No.”

“Does he engage in domestic violence?”

“No.”

Uchida became puzzled. “Then why hasn't he found someone yet? Japanese women have pretty low standards these days—he sounds perfectly acceptable.”

Chiba patted Uchida’s shoulder with a solemn sigh. “Because he's just like you—an otaku with zero social life. How can he marry when he doesn't even know any suitable women?”

“And you're any different?” Uchida shot back instantly.

“We’re not the same…”

Before Chiba could finish, Uchida flinched defensively. “If you mention the lolicon thing again, I swear I'm cutting ties with you!”

“You’re not a lolicon?”

“I am…”

“So, any more questions?”

“No…”

Uchida knew he’d never really cut ties. In class, Chiba was about his only conversational partner.

“Oh right, almost forgot—what’s your sister’s name?” Chiba quickly asked, noticing their PE teacher had arrived to start warm-up exercises.

“Ogura Minami,” Uchida replied lazily, clearly unenthusiastic about the exercises.

“True to her name...” Chiba muttered quietly. From the pictures, at least, the shape indeed looked stunning.

PE classes in Japan weren't much different from the casual stretching routines across the ocean—students lazily swinging their arms and legs, pretending to exercise.

But today, Chiba put extra effort into his stretches—and promptly sprained his ankle due to his exaggerated enthusiasm.

“Sensei, I accidentally sprained my ankle. May I go to the nurse’s office?”

Chiba conveniently timed his injury for the teacher’s observation, avoiding suspicion.

“Sure, be careful.” The PE teacher approved without question.

“Sensei, I'll escort him!” Uchida eagerly volunteered.

“No, I'm fine alone,” Chiba promptly rejected.

“Please don't be shy, Chiba-kun!” Uchida frantically winked, obviously desperate to skip class.

Considering he had just obtained Uchida’s sister’s contact info through him, Chiba softened, agreeing. Uchida, after all, would only make a quick trip and return—unlike Chiba, who planned to linger in the infirmary.

From among the students, Akiyama Tsuki’s heart raced excitedly upon seeing Chiba actually leaving for the nurse’s office, eager to follow suit. But repeatedly requesting permission would attract unwanted attention, so she restrained herself for now, subtly eyeing her sister, hoping An would become useful later.

Outside the gym, Chiba immediately walked normally as soon as he and Uchida were out of sight, abandoning his act entirely.

“You faker! How bold of you to skip class like this! What if the nurse finds out?” Uchida exclaimed, shocked.

“I really did twist it a bit. It doesn't look bad, but it hurts a lot—is that unacceptable?” Chiba calmly defended.

“Fine...” Uchida had nothing to say. “Why do I feel like you've changed this semester?”

“People naturally mature,” Chiba replied nonchalantly. He wasn't worried about Uchida noticing anything strange; their relationship was casual, mostly limited to anime discussions.

But Uchida suddenly turned quiet, speaking softly after a long pause. “If given the choice, I'd rather not mature.”

“Oh? Sounds like you've got a story,” Chiba raised an eyebrow curiously.

Uchida didn't elaborate, and the two walked quietly to the nurse’s office.

“What are you two doing here instead of attending class?” a familiar voice greeted them.

Turning toward the sound, they saw Nase Sumire.

---

T/N: OGURI??? OGURI CAPPUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

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!