Starting Tokyo Life From Inheriting A Shopping Street

The third period on Thursday morning was once again a classical literature class. After finishing the lecture, Sumire Nagase hurriedly left the classroom, afraid of being stopped if she delayed.

After all, for the entire class, that brat had been watching her with a mischievous glint in his eyes, clearly up to no good.

However… she still got caught.

Shuichi Chiba caught up with her in the hallway, cornering her by the window. He smiled warmly and asked, "I have some questions I'd like to ask the teacher. You're available, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not. Please ask me next time, Chiba." Sumire replied, clutching her lesson plan tightly with a wary expression.

"Oh? I thought Teacher Nagase was very responsible. Is it really okay to brush off an eager student like this?" Shuichi tilted his head, feigning disappointment.

Sumire gritted her teeth and glanced at the bustling students in the hallway. "Then ask here. I have something to do after this."

"Well…" Shuichi's smile turned sly. "Has the teacher's health improved? Have you been good and taken proper rest?"

Sumire had already fallen for his tricks once before and wouldn't let it happen again, so she remained on guard.

"This has nothing to do with the lesson content, nor does it relate to responsibility. It's a personal matter. Chiba, you should stick to questions about classical literature," Sumire Nagase replied.

"That's not true," Shuichi Chiba corrected her. "I've said it before—taking care of your health is essential for having the energy to educate students. Thinking otherwise is quite irresponsible of you, teacher."

Sumire took a deep breath and forced a smile. "Thank you, but as for my health..."

She hesitated, wanting to say it was fine, but then remembered Shuichi's words from last time—"Only when you're fully recovered then you can demand more from others."

But what if her answer wasn't good enough?

The scene in the infirmary resurfaced in her mind, along with Shuichi's teasing joke about fetching the thermometer for her…

Her instincts told her that no matter how she answered, it might lead to something unpleasant—perhaps even worse.

"It's fine," Sumire finally decided to tell the truth. Since both answers could lead to trouble, being honest at least maintained her professional integrity.

"You're welcome," Shuichi replied casually, clearly unfazed by her attitude. He simply smiled and said, "If you don't take better care of yourself next time, I'll just have to threaten you again."

With that, Shuichi turned and began walking away.

Sumire was momentarily stunned. He… just left like that?

He didn't continue pressuring her to do anything else? Wasn't he the one who said there would be more demands once she got better?

Of course, it wasn't like she was expecting any demands—absolutely not. It was just that…

If things ended like this, wouldn't it mean she had truly misunderstood Chiba? He was just being kind, yet she had imagined him in such a negative light, even…

Even as something so sinister…

"Wait, Chiba," Sumire Nagase called out hastily.

"Does the teacher have more to say?" Shuichi Chiba turned back with an amused expression. Surely, she wouldn't be like the student council president, right?

"Um… sorry. I realize I've misunderstood you a bit before," Sumire said, feeling a pang of guilt.

"If it's about cosplay, Chiba, if you're still interested, feel free to come and discuss it with me anytime. Just, please, don't—"

"Perhaps it wasn't a misunderstanding," Shuichi suddenly interrupted her.

"???" Sumire's eyes widened, her mouth slightly agape in shock. His sudden shift left her completely bewildered, her mind struggling to process this unexpected turn. The way he switched back and forth was enough to make her feel like she was about to crash.

The student standing before her—was he genuinely kind or downright wicked? It was impossible to tell!

"Teacher's reactions are just so adorable. It makes me want to tease you a little," Shuichi Chiba said, struggling to hold back his laughter.

Sumire Nagase suddenly felt a surge of anger. This guy! He was purely indulging in his twisted sense of humor, wasn't he? Just to mess with her!

Couldn't he show a bit more respect for his teacher?

Adorable, my foot…

Teachers need their dignity too!

Clenching her teeth tightly, she ground her jaw in frustration, as if she wanted nothing more than to sink her teeth into Shuichi Chiba.

"If there's nothing else, I'm heading back to the office," She said, her voice laced with suppressed fury.

She was utterly infuriated, but since he wasn't genuinely wicked—just someone with an annoyingly mischievous way of showing concern—she couldn't scold him outright. All she could do was stew in her own frustration.

"There is something," Shuichi Chiba said unhurriedly.

"What is it?" Sumire Nagase asked stiffly.

"That friend you mentioned before—how's that going?" Shuichi leaned against the window, one arm resting on the sill as he turned his head casually to look at her.

Sumire, however, stood as rigidly as if she were a secretary reporting to her boss, clutching her files and standing straight as a rod.

"Still not sure. Why are you suddenly bringing this up?" Sumire felt the topic shift was far too abrupt.

"Because I needed a conversation starter to chat with you a little longer," Shuichi teased.

"..." Sumire rolled her eyes, deciding not to respond. She didn't want to believe anything this guy said; it was impossible to tell if he was ever serious.

Shuichi didn't seem to mind her reaction and continued, "Honestly, leaving the shop empty isn't ideal, and if I don't follow through on my promises, I feel like it weighs on me."

"I see. That's very considerate of you, Chiba. I'll make sure to confirm things with her in the next couple of days."

Sumire felt a pang of guilt. She had asked a student for help, yet he seemed more proactive about it than she was. It felt a little over the line.

"So, about the after-class tutoring, Chiba… when would be a good time for you?" Sumire Nagase asked tentatively.

"Are you sure about this?" Shuichi Chiba blinked at her, his gaze filled with a teasing smile.

"What do you mean?" Sumire was taken aback.

"After-class tutoring, a one-on-one session..." Shuichi's tone turned ambiguous. "Doesn't that worry you, teacher?"

Sumire's heart skipped a beat. As a cosplay enthusiast, she was familiar with certain anime tropes.

After-school private lessons? That is a dangerous scenario…

"But then again," Shuichi continued, as if reading her thoughts, "as a teacher, isn't it your responsibility to follow through on promises? Otherwise, wouldn't that be… unprofessional?"

Sumire felt a chill run down her spine. This was tricky. Yet she couldn't shake the suspicion that he was saying all this deliberately, just to wriggle out of the tutoring.

Still…

A confident smile suddenly spread across Sumire's face. "Not a problem. Actually, a friend of mine, who used to be a teacher, has a much stronger background in literature than I do. She's exceptionally talented in languages— English, French, you name it. I'll arrange for her to tutor you personally."

Female teachers really are slippery, Shuichi thought to himself, amused. At the same time, he found himself curious about this friend of hers who excelled in languages.

"So, your friend is also a teacher? What kind of person is she? I think you mentioned before that… she's had a somewhat unfortunate past?"

Sumire's expression shifted, becoming more complex and serious at his words.

"Her name is Ichika Kitagawa. She was a classmate of mine," Sumire Nagase began, her tone a mix of fondness and regret. "As for her past… there's really nothing unspeakable about it. After all, she wasn't at fault—she was the victim."

"What happened?" Shuichi Chiba asked, slipping into full-on story-listening mode.

Sumire sighed, her expression softening as she recounted the tale. "It's a simple story, really—something that can be summed up in a few sentences. Ichika is exceptionally beautiful, so much so that after she started working, she became the target of relentless pursuit."

"She was pursued not only by male teachers, but also by students, and even members of the school's board of directors. But she turned them all down…"

Shuichi raised an eyebrow, intrigued by where the story was going.

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