Chapter 5: Tokyo Is Too Hot

When Hayami Rina saw that her coworker had misunderstood, she quickly explained:

"No, Sachiko-chan, don’t make wild guesses! I don’t mind, but Kitahara-kun is still an unmarried young man. Don’t affect his reputation."

After saying that, she opened the matcha cookie packaging and shared it with her coworker Sachiko.

Sachiko cheered, picked up a cookie, stuffed it into her mouth, and tasted it. But she didn’t quite agree with Hayami Rina’s words. While eating, she mumbled:

"What reputation? There are only the two of us here. No one else will hear. What kind of person is that Kitahara-kun? I think he just likes you, Rina-nee. Otherwise, why would he buy you food?"

"He’s my neighbor. I bought him a bento this morning. This is a return gift."

"I see!"

"What did you think it was? He’s a writer, a top graduate of the University of Tokyo. How could he take a fancy to a widow like me who has given birth?"

"Oh! He’s that writer neighbor you mentioned before. No wonder. He looks refined and cultured. And he graduated from the University of Tokyo. So impressive! Rina-nee, if you don’t want this Kitahara-kun, then I’ll go pursue him. Money is so hard to earn these days. As a writer, his income shouldn’t be affected, right?"

"I don’t know. He’s usually very low-key. I don’t know much about him. But Sachiko-chan, you really could take the initiative to pursue him. If you could marry him, at least you wouldn’t have to work two jobs so hard."

"Never mind. I was joking. I’m not good enough for him."

"Give it a try. Sachiko-chan is so cute, and your personality is good too. Maybe Kitahara-kun likes your type?"

"What’s the use of being cute? He and I are people from two different worlds..."

The atmosphere became somewhat silent for a while.

After a moment, Sachiko pushed the cookie box toward Hayami Rina:

"Rina-nee, I’m fine just tasting two pieces. You put it away and save it for little Aya!" She glanced at the upscale apartment building across from the convenience store, then continued:

"Speaking of which, I’m actually quite envious of you, Rina-nee. Being able to own property here is something I dream about!"

"Don’t be envious. I’m already considering selling this property and moving somewhere more remote. My savings have run out, and my income isn’t enough to support me and Aya."

Hayami Rina’s expression was very lonely as she slowly revealed this major life decision she was about to make.

Even though she was extremely reluctant.

This apartment property was bought after she and her husband, Mr. Watanabe, got married. They had only lived in it for a few years. It was no different from brand new.

This place carried countless beautiful moments of her life. It recorded every little detail of her daughter Aya from birth to now, as well as her beautiful memories with her late husband.

And it was also very convenient and comfortable to live in, with good neighbors.

But the selling price she had inquired about had already dropped by one-third compared to when she bought it!

But what could she do? She had no way to continue!

...

The joys and sorrows of humans are not interconnected.

While the two women in the convenience store were struggling even to breathe under the heavy pressure of life, Kitahara Chiki was leisurely strolling around.

He was in a very good mood. He had just used the system’s withdrawal function, and 1,970 yen had appeared out of thin air in his hand. Not a cent more, not a cent less. And they were all real bills, the kind that had been in circulation. It was simply magical.

Moreover, Hayami Rina’s favorability had risen by two points because of the return gift. It was now at 60 points, which meant triple cashback was available.

A double blessing!

The only thing Kitahara was struggling with now was what to buy for Hayami Rina—and it had to be something she would happily accept.

If he rashly bought clothes or accessories, she definitely wouldn’t take them. The two were only simple neighbors. In reality, she wasn’t truly his girlfriend yet.

Kitahara had just passed many gift shops and cosmetics stores. The items inside were all very suitable for giving to women, but he felt now was not the time to give those.

"I need to first increase the intimacy between her and me. At least go from neighbors to friends. Once we’re friends, things will be easier."

"From this angle, I can buy some ingredients and go to her place for a meal, thanking her again for her help this morning. She probably won’t refuse."

Kitahara thought it over, and his ideas gradually became clearer. He decided to start from this angle—first building up his presence and trust.

Presumably, favorability would rise quite a bit as a result.

Hmm, he could buy better ingredients. Triple cashback was too good. Even if the portion he ate himself didn’t earn cashback from the system, it didn’t matter. He’d still be eating and drinking for free. Worth it!

Having made up his mind, Kitahara stopped wandering aimlessly and headed toward a department store located at an intersection not far away.

To be honest, Tokyo really was hot. After walking for just a short while, he was already sweating!

Young girls everywhere were dressed fashionably, either in short skirts or shorts. Those fair white legs exposed to the air made his mouth dry.

A bottle of green tea had long since been finished.

Too hot!

The concept of department stores had begun to take shape in Tokyo at the beginning of the century. By now, it had reached its peak, spread across every bustling commercial district in Tokyo.

The store Kitahara came to was called [Mitsukoshi Department Store]. It was one of the earliest department stores in operation, known for high-end goods, with its main store located in Tokyo’s core area.

Entering the department store building, a cool breeze rushed over him, dispelling the heat from his body and making him feel extremely comfortable.

After asking a attendant, Kitahara strolled to the food ingredient section. The dazzling array of ingredients here was overwhelming.

He was first attracted by pieces of expensive wagyu with alluring color and distinct marbling. This should be the famous Kobe beef. Its appearance was indeed excellent.

But when he saw the price on the tag, Kitahara secretly gasped. Whoa, over twenty thousand yen per kilogram. Damn, that’s expensive!

That was more than a thousand yuan per kilogram. It would take an ordinary person several days of work. This really was something only rich people could afford.

But even though he wasn’t a rich person, he had a system!

"Attendant, give me two pieces of this!"

The service at high-end places was attentive. After asking how Kitahara planned to eat it and whether it needed to be prepared, the attendant thoughtfully cut it for him and placed it in a box packed with ice for freshness.

Carrying the box, Kitahara looked elsewhere.

Not far to his right was the seafood section, where all kinds of precious seafood were displayed.

There were fresh lobsters brandishing their claws, crabs waving enormous pincers, and all kinds of colorful fish swimming in tanks.

They also had hefty price tags.

After thinking for a moment, Kitahara chose not to buy seafood. He was afraid that buying too many precious ingredients at once would scare Rina-nee.

There would be plenty of time. He’d buy them next time!

He also picked out some side dishes. Thinking that there was still a small child in her home, Kitahara bought some candy as well, then paid and left.

It wasn’t a lot of stuff, but it cost nearly sixty thousand yen. Kitahara was very satisfied. This plain and unadorned feeling was nice.