I Started a Lover-for-Hire Service, And For Some Reason, Only Beautiful Girls Are Requesting Me - Chapter 36: Playful Hazuki

The bar, Shine, was about a 10-to-15-minute walk away.

During that time, they would be exposed to the winter chill.

“Hazuki-san, aren’t you cold? You look like you’re dressed pretty lightly.”

“If I said I was, would you lend me that warm-looking scarf of yours?”

“Of course.”

Ryoma was trying to be considerate, but with every response, Hazuki was one step ahead, as if she were playing with him.

If he were to ask, “Do you have a boyfriend?”

She would likely throw back a playful curveball like, “If I said I didn’t, would you properly try to woo me?”

For Ryoma, who wasn’t confident in his ability to respond smoothly, that would be a critical mistake.

In other words—he would fall completely into Hazuki’s hands.

That’s why he chose his words carefully.

All for the sake of landing at least one hit on the “Queen of Veteran Killers,” Hazuki.

“Still, I figured you wouldn’t want to wear a stranger’s scarf, so how about my coat instead?”

“I-I wouldn’t say that, but… are you sure? Won’t you get cold instead, Shiba-kun?”

“I’m wearing Heattech, so I’ll be fine. Please, don’t hesitate to use it.”

Ryoma slipped his arms out of the sleeves, grabbed the collar, and handed his long coat to Hazuki.

Ryoma himself was well-layered—a Heattech undershirt, a long-sleeve sweater, a long coat, and even a scarf.

On the other hand, Hazuki’s outfit was a sleek coordination of a navy-gray hat, a black sweater, a pink tight skirt, black tights.

She might have been wearing something warm underneath, but even so, she was definitely underdressed for this temperature.

“Thank you. I’ll gladly accept, then. To be honest, I was a little cold.”

“It’s probably a bit oversized… but please bear with it.”

“Fufu, you’re right. My hands barely stick out from the sleeves.”

“…!”

Hazuki chuckled softly, lifting her arms in a ghost-like pose to show how the sleeves completely covered her hands.

The sight of the elegant and refined Hazuki doing something as cute as “moe sleeves”—

It hit Ryoma hard, leaving him breathless as he stared, completely entranced.

“If I say, ‘Boo~! I’m a ghost!’ wouldn’t that make me seem a little more playful?”

“…”

It happened without any warning—but of course, it was inevitable.

With her brows slightly raised, Hazuki stuck out her pink tongue, mimicking a ghost.

Ryoma thought to himself.

Isn’t she a little airheaded?

And then, he realized—

This was exactly how she made the substitute boyfriends fall for her.

“O-oh… a ghost…”

Her voice trailed off as she lowered her arms. “Y-you could have reacted a little at least… I know this isn’t something a 26-year-old should be doing…”

“No, I thought it was really good…”

It sounded like an afterthought, but in truth, Ryoma had found it cute.

“Then… next time, react a little faster.”

“Y-yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Next time”—

That meant there would be a next time.

Ryoma braced himself even more.

“A-also, Shiba-kun… you looked away just now… Does this outfit… look weird on me?”

“Ah, no!. There was just a bug flying in front of me…”

He had almost stared too much. No, he had been staring.

That’s why he had looked away—because he had realized he was admiring her.

Even though he had come in determined not to be played, Ryoma wasn’t shameless enough to say what was really on his mind.

Instead, he picked a safer line.

“—Your outfit really suits you. Honestly, I feel like I don’t even deserve to be walking next to you.”

“I-if you compliment me that much, I guess I can feel more confident… though I don’t think that’s something to say after pretending to be a ghost…”

“Let’s just agree to forget about that, then.”

(That was a smooth one… Nice, me!)

Ryoma praised himself internally for lifting Hazuki’s mood.

Maybe—just maybe—he wasn’t losing to the “Queen of Veteran Killers” after all!

But just as he let his guard down—the counterattack came.

“You’re right. It’s better for me if I don’t think about it…”

“…So, let me say this again—self-deprecating compliments aren’t something an older woman like me can approve of.”

“Huh?”

“Shiba-kun, you’re more than attractive enough yourself. Though… I’m sure you’re used to being told that, right?”

“Used to it? No way… Ah, but… thank you…”

“You’re welcome.”

“…”

Used to being told that. That was a phrase Ryoma himself had used earlier.

Now, Hazuki threw it back at him—a counterpunch in the form of a compliment.

It was the moment Ryoma tasted defeat.

“Shiba-kun, you’re twenty years old, right?”

“Yeah, I am…”

“I’ll be blunt—but you must be quite the playboy, aren’t you?”

“Huh?”

“‘I don’t even deserve to be walking next to you’—that’s not something a guy just comes up with on the spot.”

“I was surprised I even managed to say it myself.”

“Fufu, what’s that?”

I prepared that line just for this moment. Like hell he could ever admit that.

But still, for Hazuki, it was a delightfully pleasant thing to hear.

“You really are impossible to figure out, Shiba-kun. I’ve never met anyone like you before. Including the way you keep giving credit to some imaginary person.”

Suddenly, her tone shifted completely—flat, pressing.

A voice so perfectly controlled, it was like a professional voice actor’s delivery.

“…Which is why I’ll make you confess no matter what.”

“There’s nothing to confess. I’m not some imaginary person.”

In that moment, his strong sense of responsibility showed.

Even though it was clear she had figured him out, Ryoma had no choice but to stick to his denial.

He had already said “It wasn’t me”.

Going back on that now would just make him look pathetic.

The only way to handle this was to feign ignorance until the end.

“I’ll ask you one more time—Shiba-kun, it was you who helped me, wasn’t it?”

“I wasn’t.”

And so, with this battle of wills still raging, they finally arrived at their destination—Shine.

In the time it took to get there, the distance between them had undeniably closed.