"Stomachache Coffee Shop."
"Shizuka-sensei, why does this café have such a weird name?"
"How should I know?"
Shizuka Hiratsuka shook her head. This was the only café nearby, so she didn't really have a choice.
"And I'm your teacher. Don't just call me Shizuka."
Haruno Yukinoshita smiled faintly as she took a sip of her coffee.
"I really didn't expect Soubu High School to merge with Shuchiin Academy, and for Toyonosaki High School to join as well."
"Same here. But at least my salary went up quite a bit."
Haruno sighed softly and looked out the window, her gaze deep.
"I don't know whether this will be a good thing or a bad thing. Yukino will probably have to work much harder from now on."
The Yukinoshita family might have some influence in Chiba, but after the merger with Shuchiin Academy, things were different.
In terms of academics or family background, Yukino Yukinoshita could only be considered unremarkable in comparison.
"Don't worry about it."
Hiratsuka Shizuka subconsciously reached for a cigarette, then immediately stopped herself.
Smoking in a café wasn't appropriate—especially when most of the customers were students.
"You're really insincere when it comes to your little sister. A large part of her personality probably comes from having such a dazzling, outstanding older sister like you."
As her teacher, Hiratsuka Shizuka knew very well what kind of person Haruno was.
The twisted personalities of the Yukinoshita sisters couldn't be explained in just a few words.
"By the way, Shizuka," Haruno said with a teasing smile, "I heard your blind date failed again?"
As if her sore spot had been stabbed, Hiratsuka Shizuka's smile instantly turned bitter.
"Don't even start! You have no idea how outrageous the people my family introduced me to were!"
Because of her carefree personality—loving ramen, alcohol, and cigarettes—her lifestyle was more like that of an old man than a beautiful woman.
Combined with her shockingly bad luck with men, this gorgeous woman in her late twenties had never once had a boyfriend.
Unbeknownst to them, Shin Chan was sitting not far behind and overheard the entire conversation.
An older single woman who's never had a boyfriend?
But when he had sat down earlier, he'd clearly seen that the two women at the table were both beautiful and well-figured.
At that moment—
"Ding. New system mission issued. Please check."
Mission Name: Hiratsuka Shizuka's Troubles
Mission Description: Hiratsuka Shizuka, 27 years old, has never had a boyfriend. What is blocking her romantic luck? Please begin with a charming pickup line and investigate the reason.
Mission Reward: 10% shares of Fushigawa Publishing
Shin Chan: …
A pickup line?
He hadn't used one in a long time.
Back in kindergarten or elementary school, flirting with older women had been harmless and even funny.
But after entering puberty, doing that would've crossed straight into harassment territory.
That said, his skill list did include a passive skill called Pickup Master.
As for Fushigawa Publishing, he'd heard of it before—a solid second-tier publishing house with good growth prospects.
Ten percent of its shares was no small reward, especially for a high school student.
Still, the mission description was frustratingly vague.
Just like Eriri's mission—what exactly counted as "solving" her troubles?
There were no clear completion conditions.
After a brief hesitation, Shin Chan decided to follow the system's instructions.
If he didn't even manage to strike up a conversation, completing the mission would be impossible anyway.
Just as Hiratsuka Shizuka began venting her blind-date horror stories again, Haruno Yukinoshita glanced at her phone and stood up.
"Shizuka, I still have things to deal with at the family company. I'll head out first."
"All right. Go on ahead."
Hiratsuka Shizuka drank her coffee like she was downing alcohol—clearly used to it.
Watching Haruno leave, Shin Chan's eyes lit up.
Perfect timing.
Hiratsuka Shizuka clearly still wanted to talk, and Haruno Yukinoshita was obviously a troublesome person to deal with. Her departure couldn't have been better.
Shin Chan finished his coffee in one gulp. The bitterness in his mouth couldn't compare to the bitterness in Hiratsuka Shizuka's heart.
She herself didn't understand why her luck with men was so terrible.
Each blind date was more outrageous than the last, and none of them even made it to the "dating" stage.
"Alone?"
The sudden voice interrupted her thoughts.
Hiratsuka Shizuka looked up and saw a bright, refreshing young man standing in front of her. He was smiling warmly, and his well-defined physique stood out immediately.
Normally, she would have chased off anyone trying to flirt with her without hesitation.
But today—perhaps because she'd just been venting to Haruno, or perhaps because this boy felt unusually approachable—she nodded almost unconsciously.
"Yes. Alone."
Is he a university student nearby?
Haruno didn't have classes this afternoon, so maybe he was from the same university?
Due to the world-setting changes, high school now started at eighteen, and the school mergers were tied to that policy.
If this boy were a university student, their ages wouldn't be too far apart.
Coupled with Shin Chan's consistent training—and his love for kendo and boxing—he looked far more mature than his actual age when he was serious.
Seeing her response, Shin Chan smoothly took the seat across from her.
"My name is Nohara Shin Chan. May I treat you to another cup of coffee?"
"…All right."
Hiratsuka Shizuka, who had zero romantic experience, clearly couldn't keep up with Shin Chan's pace. Ironically, Shin Chan himself wasn't any more experienced.
"I happened to overhear a little earlier. A beautiful woman like you is actually troubled by not being able to find a boyfriend?"
"Yes… I don't know what's wrong with me."
Once the topic was opened, Hiratsuka Shizuka couldn't help but sigh again.
From there, the two of them started chatting naturally, with Shin Chan listening as she complained about the absurd blind dates she'd been subjected to over the years.
Meanwhile—
Toru Kazama put down his phone and suddenly realized something was wrong.
"…Where did Shin go?"
Damn it—when did he disappear?!
Looking up, Toru saw Shin Chan sitting at a nearby booth, chatting happily with a mature, beautiful woman.
???
"Shin's been talking with her for quite a while now," A-Dai said calmly.
When Toru had been looking down at his phone, Shin Chan had already gone over to flirt. Apparently, even after all these years, Shin Chan was still exactly the same.
Toru, on the other hand, looked utterly devastated.
Seeing Shin Chan chatting so smoothly with a mature, elegant beauty was somehow… deeply unacceptable to him.
That guy's romantic luck is still terrifying.
...
Author's Note
Hello, readers! Welcome to my second Webnovel account.
My first Webnovel account is Shadow_demon_007, where I uploaded 20 fanfics. Due to Webnovel's upload limits and rules, I created this second account so I can continue uploading more fanfics for you all.
Please also check out my first account, where many of those 20 fanfics are available. Some of them are already fully completed, and I have uploaded those completed fanfics on my Patreon
👉 patreon.comShadow_demon_007
On Patreon, you can find
Fully completed fanfics
One free fanfic available for readers
Another free fanfic coming in a few days
I sincerely hope you enjoy my works, and I truly appreciate all your support.
Thank you for reading and supporting me!
— Shadow_demon_007