Chapter 15

The elderly butler with graying hair made another trip, signed the contract, and then left.

Shuichi Chiba watched the mother and daughter pair, who were thrilled about moving to their new home, and felt a pang of sympathy.

"The contract is signed, so shouldn't we go check out the store in person now?"

"Oh, right." The mother and daughter replied in perfect unison.

What a pair of mother and daughter. Who signs a contract before seeing the property?. It would be wrong not to deceive them a little after they've been so cooperative.

Shuichi Chiba led the two women next door to check out the store, and couldn't help but add, "In the future, don't trust people so easily. What if they're scammers?"

"Huh?" An Akiyama's eyes widened immediately. "Are you saying that you were trying to deceive us, Chiba-kun? Is there something wrong with the contract?"

Shuichi Chiba rubbed his forehead and said, exasperated, "No."

"Oh, that's a relief." An Akiyama said, visibly relaxed.

Akiyama's mother then tapped her on the forehead. "Chiba-kun is such a well-behaved boy. How could he possibly be lying? An-chan, don't make such baseless accusations."

"But you said the same about my older sister, and she often deceives me." An Akiyama retorted, puffing out her cheeks.

Shuichi Chiba felt a slight itch in his head, as if something were eating away at his brain. He couldn't take their conversation seriously; otherwise, he'd risk having his intelligence destroyed by them.

"Wow~ It looks so spacious! We won't be so cramped now." An Akiyama exclaimed happily, darting around the store like a sparrow flitting between branches.

The store had a total area of sixty square meters over two floors, with the second floor providing a living space of around thirty square meters for the mother and daughter.

Even though in Japan the listed area is the usable area with no shared spaces, it wasn't exactly large. This gave a sense of how cramped the Akiyama family's previous living conditions must have been.

Shuichi Chiba didn't feel any sympathy or pity; his own first job had him living in a similarly small space. In a major metropolis like Tokyo, narrow living quarters were quite normal.

"Once we move everything in, it won't look so spacious anymore," Akiyama's mother said with a smile, surveying the new place. "This shop used to be a restaurant, right? It seems like we won't need to do much renovation—just change the sign and we can open right away."

"Yes, it used to be an izakaya." Shuichi Chiba confirmed. This was one of the reasons he had recommended the place. [The Japanese word izakaya is made up of three kanji with the meaning, in order, "stay-drink-place." A spot to grab a drink, settle in, and get comfortable.]

"That's great, it saves us a chunk of money." Akiyama's mother said with a contented smile. "We really owe it to you, Chiba-kun. Without you, we wouldn't have found such a suitable place."

Seeing her satisfied expression, Shuichi Chiba suddenly remembered he should check the system.

Sure enough, several notifications popped up.

Akiyama's mother's sense of belonging to the shopping street had already risen to 30 in such a short time, faster than Fumika Ogawa.

"Monthly salary... It's now 800,000." Shuichi Chiba murmured, his eyes shining with excitement.

How wonderful it would be if there were more excellent store owners like her, who were easily satisfied and had a strong sense of belonging.

He wondered if there were any such talents among his classmates at school...

Maybe he could ask Hachiya Uchida? After all, he was the only acquaintance this body's previous owner had..

After spending a long time showing the excited mother and daughter around the shop, their smooth progress finally hit a problem—Akiyama's eldest daughter, Tsuki Akiyama, was on her way.

The reason she hadn't accompanied her mother was that she had been busy with English tutoring at a private school. Upon receiving the news just before noon, she hurried over.

By the time Tsuki Akiyama arrived at the shop, Shuichi Chiba had already gone to Yoshinoya for lunch. She found her way to the shop, rushed inside, and grabbed her mother's shoulders, her face filled with concern.

"What's going on? Why didn't you tell me you were renting the shop without informing me first?"

"Tsuki-chan, don't be so anxious," Akiyama's mother said calmly. "This shop is such a great deal. If we didn't rent it quickly, someone else might have snatched it up."

"How cheap is it?" Tsuki Akiyama frowned as she surveyed the first floor of the shop, mentally evaluating it based on the neighborhood's location.

If it's a thirty-square-meter shop in this area, the rent should typically be around 120,000 yen.

"It's only 60,000 yen." Akiyama's mother said with a look that seemed to invite praise.

"How could it be so cheap? For thirty square meters, this price is almost half of what it should be around here?" Tsuki Akiyama became alert, her mind racing and her speech quickening.

"Is there something wrong with this place? I see several other shops nearby that are also vacant."

"No, it's not like that." Akiyama's mother missed her daughter's train of thought and only focused on the first part.

"It's not just for thirty square meters; the price includes the upstairs as well. The second floor can be used for living, which is very convenient. This way, Tsuki-chan won't have to make the tiring commute back and forth anymore."

"What? Such favorable conditions?!" Tsuki Akiyama was shocked. This price was even more absurd, and it definitely had issues.

"Not only that, but there's no key money or deposit required, and the management fee is included in the rent. Isn't it amazing that I found such a good place?" Akiyama's mother said proudly.

"It was clearly me who found it. Mom always steals my credit," An Akiyama pouted in dissatisfaction.

"Do you two think I'm here to praise you?" Tsuki Akiyama was on the verge of losing it. She grabbed her mother and sister's faces in a frenzy, "Don't you think this price is absurd? You're definitely being scammed."

Akiyama's mother and An Akiyama struggled to explain.

"No, Chiba-kun said it's not a scam. It's so cheap because this street belongs to him."

"Yes, Chiba-kun is such a nice person. He definitely wouldn't lie."

"Chiba?" Tsuki Akiyama suddenly grasped the key point and turned to her sister. "Isn't that the same name you mentioned a couple of days ago? The one who mistook you for making a confession on the rooftop and expressed regret?"

"Yes, yes, that's him." An Akiyama nodded vigorously.

Tsuki Akiyama released her grip, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath to calm her anger. Idiot mom, she doesn't even realize she's sold out her clueless daughter.

Just one moment of I was away and it all turned out like this...

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