I Started a Lover-for-Hire Service, And For Some Reason, Only Beautiful Girls Are Requesting Me - Chapter 13: Night, Aira and the Request

“Good work today.”

It was past 10 PM. After saying goodbye to the store manager, Ryoma left the bookstore where he worked part-time.

That troublesome customer, Jingu Aira, had left immediately after getting Ryoma to buy her a manga. Or rather, she’d left because she was eager to start flipping through the pages as soon as possible.

“Phew, I’m exhausted…”

Ryoma’s house was a 15-minute walk south from the bookstore.

Until recently, he would have just headed straight home—but now, he had another errand to take care of.

Ryoma turned his steps in the opposite direction, heading north.

“So cold…”

Even with a thick coat and a scarf, the chill made his body tremble. The cold had set in earlier than usual today. Battling the harsh, biting wind, he made his way to check on something.

Lately, this had become part of his post-shift routine.

Five minutes later, Ryoma arrived at his destination.

A small park, enclosed by a white fence, featuring swings, a slide, a sandbox, and a wooden bench.

And there she was.

A blonde-haired girl, sitting alone on the wooden bench.

From Ryoma’s perspective, all he could see was her back, but he didn’t need to guess who it was.

After all, he had come here specifically to check on her.

“Haah…”

With a sigh, as if confirming his expectations, Ryoma stepped around the fence, entered the park through the gate, and called out to the girl.

“Aren’t you cold, Aira?”

“I am cold. Can I have your scarf, Senpai?”

“…Yeah, yeah.”

Aira didn’t seem surprised that Ryoma had come. No, it was more like she had expected him to come, as she immediately held out her hand, demanding his scarf.

She was still wearing the same high school uniform she had on at the bookstore. The problem was her lower half—her skirt, which barely covered her thighs, was completely useless against the cold.

Why go out of your way to wear something impractical just for the sake of fashion? As a guy, Ryoma just couldn’t understand it.

Ryoma took off his scarf, handed it to Aira, and sat down beside her.

“You want my jacket too?”

Leaving someone in the cold like this felt unnecessarily cruel. Anyone in his position would probably ask the same.

“You’re being kinda nice today, huh?”

“I’m always nice. I even bought you that manga today. So, do you want it or not?”

“You were just trying to cheer me up. And your jacket probably stinks, so I’ll pass.”

“Then give me back my scarf.”

“No. This isn’t a jacket, so it doesn’t count.”

Aira’s words were blunt, but Ryoma knew she meant well. This was her usual way of saying I appreciate it, but I don’t need anything else.

“Oh, Senpai, this was actually pretty good. I guess you shouldn’t rely on other people’s reviews.”

After wrapping the black scarf around her neck, she held up the manga he had bought her earlier—The Great Sage Big Brother and His Shut-In Little Sister.

“I see.”

“Wanna read it?”

“Nah, I’m good.”

Ryoma hadn’t come here to relax or have a long conversation with Aira. That wasn’t the reason he’d made his way over.

“When’s volume two coming out?”

“It should already be out.”

“It wasn’t on the shelf, though.”

“Then someone else must’ve bought it. I’ll ask the manager to restock it.”

“’Preciate it.”

“That’s way too short.”

Ari—a lazy, two-character abbreviation of arigatou. Cutting down a five-character word to just two… it felt like even the gratitude itself was being reduced.

And if it was shortened that much, some people might not even recognize it as thanks. Out of context, someone could easily mistake it for ari, as in “ant”.

“Anyway, I’m getting to the real reason I came here.”

“Nope. You’re just gonna tell me to go home again. You always say that.”

“If you weren’t a minor, I wouldn’t.”

Ryoma had stumbled upon this situation by chance.

He had been heading home after his shift when Yukiya had texted him, saying, Let’s grab a bite together. Changing his usual route, he had come across Aira sitting alone in the park.

He knew he was being nosy, but after seeing her like that, he couldn’t just walk away.

Aira was an annoying customer, but still a customer. More than that, she was something like a bad influence of a friend.

“If Dad or Mom were home, I would’ve gone back. But no one’s there.”

“They’re busy with work?”

“Yeah. They’re both CEOs. Lately, they’ve been swamped. To make up for it, they just leave me money. Probably out of guilt or something, but I don’t need it.”

“…”

Aira pouted as she stared up at the stars.

Just like Ryoma, whose parents had died when he was young, Aira also had her own complicated family background.

That’s probably why Aira wanted a big brother—to fill the loneliness she couldn’t escape from in her everyday life.

“…You’re the only one, Senpai. The only one who doesn’t change when I tell them my dad’s a CEO.”

“I hate to say it, but… it’s not like I don’t change at all.”

Eyes lighting up at the mention of wealth—it wasn’t something Ryoma could completely suppress.

He worked multiple part-time jobs just to earn enough money and avoid burdening Kaya. That instinct to hustle for cash was ingrained in him.

“Yeah, but that’s different. That’s why you’re not like the others.”

“Hm?”

“I mean, even I think this is kind of contradictory, but there’s no one who doesn’t react to hearing someone’s a CEO. We live in an era where low wages make life tough. Money’s essential to survive. So, reacting to wealth is just a form of self-preservation. If someone doesn’t care about money, they’re either rich themselves or not even human.”

“I’m sure there are exceptions. People like me—who want money but don’t let it control them.”

“But you’re a good person, Senpai. You’re the kind who reacts in the right way.”

“What’s that even supposed to mean…?”

Aira nudged him lightly with her elbow, her voice carrying a hint of amusement.

She must’ve been really cold. She had pulled the scarf up to cover half her face, making it hard to see her expression.

“See, Senpai, you don’t change how you act around me. You treat me like I’m annoying as hell, and when I mess up, you actually call me out on it… Well, I guess that kinda reminds me of those big brothers in manga. I like that about you.”

“D-Don’t just compliment me out of nowhere.”

“Aww, you’re blushing.”

“That’s enough. Give me back my scarf.”

“No waaay.”

Ryoma reached out to tug at the scarf, but before he could, Aira tightened her grip, holding it defensively. Her jade-green eyes narrowed as she let out a small, amused laugh.

“The ones who react the wrong way—they try to suck up to me. Even if I do something bad, they just laugh it off, hoping I’ll like them.”

“So, if I wanted you to hate me, I’d just have to start acting fake around you, huh?”

“If you ever did that, it’d just prove I was wrong about you.”

“…”

Aira spoke with a composed, almost indifferent tone, her eyes closing as if to say, Do whatever you want.

It wasn’t the kind of atmosphere a high school girl should be able to pull off—Ryoma found himself thinking that in this fleeting moment.

“…Sorry. That wasn’t something to joke about, was it?”

“See, that’s exactly why you always get stuck with troublesome people like me, Senpai. You’re an idiot.”

“Why do you sound so happy about that…?”

“…I just thought maybe I really can trust my judgment.”

“Haah. Good for you, figuring that out… Not that I should be the one saying that.”

Ryoma couldn’t bring himself to tease Aira, knowing how lonely she had been, growing up with parents too busy to give her the attention she longed for.

“Hmm, I feel a little better now. Talking with you outside like this helped.”

“Then hurry up and go home. Even if this area is relatively safe, that doesn’t mean nothing bad ever happens.”

“I’ll go home once I finish my business.”

“You still haven’t finished it…? Hurry up already.”

Ryoma took his phone out of his pocket and powered it on. The screen displayed 22:31. Aira was still a minor, and there were less than 30 minutes left before the curfew for underage loitering.

“So, about my main point…”

“Yeah?”

“I’m not joking about what I said earlier… I really want you to do it.”

Aira glanced at him for a brief moment before quickly turning away. The atmosphere between them grew tense, charged with nervous energy.

A cold breeze whistled through the air, followed by a moment of silence. After a brief pause, Aira slowly spoke.

“…Huh?”

“T-The thing about you being my big brother… I’ll pay you, so… be my brother, okay?”