I Started a Lover-for-Hire Service, And For Some Reason, Only Beautiful Girls Are Requesting Me

“Thank you very much. We look forward to your next visit.”

As they heard bartender Toma’s calm voice, Ryoma and Hazuki left the bar, Shine.

“Are you feeling okay, Hazuki-san? No nausea or anything?”

“Thank you. But I’m fine. I’m strong with alcohol. I’m a heavy drinker.”

“You don’t need to brag about it… I mean, you were passed out in the bar, so it’s not that convincing, is it?”

“Oh, that wasn’t because of the alcohol.”

“Then… what was it?”

Ryoma pressed her on purpose, taking advantage of the fact that Hazuki was still a bit drunk.

Toma had said, “She fell asleep not because she was drunk, but because of Ryoma-san’s head pats.”

He thought Toma had simply tried to cover for him.

There was a reason he thought that.

“W-Well… that’s…”

“Hm?”

“Um…”

“Yes?”

“I was tired from work. It wasn’t because I felt good when you patted my head or anything.”

Hazuki turned her face away, as if trying to avoid being teased by her poor acting. Her true feelings were leaking out, but Ryoma just smiled wryly.

“Ahaha, I knew you’d figure it out, Hazuki-san. You can tell that I’m not used to patting someone’s head, right?”

In his mind, Ryoma concluded that the head pat was like ketchup on a hot dog or the shichimi pepper that comes with a beef bowl—something that accentuated the main experience but wasn’t the main thing itself. In other words, the alcohol was the major factor that made Hazuki fall asleep, and the head pat only helped to accelerate the sleepiness.

Had Ryoma been more perceptive, and had he had experience with a tsundere, his conclusion might have been completely different. Of course, Hazuki’s next statement would have also been different.

“Shiba-kun. You’re not thinking something really rude, are you?”

“Rude? What do you mean?”

“The way you said that, it sounded like you thought I let anyone touch my head. Honestly, I have to tell you, I’ve only ever let my dad touch my head, no one else.”

“Eh!? Is that so!? Ah, I’m sorry…”

“Wh-Why are you so surprised? That’s rude of you… geez…”

This time, Hazuki pouted as if she were sulking. Her face had been red for a while, and it was clear that her emotions were becoming more expressive—likely due to the effects of the alcohol making her more cheerful.

Her tone of voice before and after going to the bar hadn’t changed, but her expressions and attitude were completely different.

Even though the alcohol was diluted, it didn’t mean she wasn’t getting drunk. Especially since Hazuki, who usually limits herself to just two drinks, was weak with alcohol.

“Um… since you asked for a male lover, I thought a bit of an exaggerated reaction might be appropriate…”

“Isn’t that just an excuse? I can tell you were genuinely surprised. If you honestly admit it now, I’ll forgive you.”

“S-Sorry. I was genuinely surprised.”

“Hehe, you’re such an honest good boy. I’ll teach you something.”

In the cold sky, Hazuki moved closer and smiled seductively. Her amber-colored, beautiful eyes reflected Ryoma like a mirror… and he was enveloped in the unique atmosphere that older women carried.

“You know, it’s true that I’m used to playing around with men… but I’m not the kind of cheap woman who lets just anyone touch my skin, okay? You must have misunderstood because you’ve heard a lot about me from the agency.”

“Before we went to the bar, you were wary of me, weren’t you?”

With that preface, Hazuki looked up at the sky, and without swaying, stopped in her tracks.

As expected from the bartender Toma, the statement “You still have a strong sense of self” was spot on.

“I often use the agency, and since I want to keep using it in the future, let me tell you this, Shiba-kun. You don’t realize it, but you’ve made a huge mistake.”

“A huge… mistake? Sorry, I don’t have a clue.”

“Shall I give you a hint? You couldn’t possibly not know the rules of the agency.”

“Yes, of course… I…”

Ryoma nodded, almost affirming the statement, but then froze up entirely. His gaze moved from side to side… and his blinking became unnaturally frequent. He had realized it. The huge mistake she was talking about.

“You’re breaking the rules, Shiba-kun. The limit for agency workers is holding hands or linking arms, right? Where did you find a rulebook that says you can pat someone’s head?”

“…”

“The reason only my dad has ever patted my head is because I’ve never let anyone from the agency do such a thing. There was a man who tried to pat my head out of the blue, but when I said, ‘I’ll report you to the company’, he backed off immediately.”

“S-Sorry… I forgot…”

“Do you think ‘I forgot’ is a good enough excuse? If I had reported it to the agency, you’d be fired, you know?”

“Yes…”

He couldn’t say it. There was no way he could. To say that it was Toma who gave him the instructions.

In the first place, it was all Ryoma’s doing. Up until now, the rules of the agency had completely slipped his mind. At this point, all the responsibility lay with him.

“Any excuses?”

“No…”

“Hmph.”

Of course, there were no excuses. There was nothing more disgraceful than trying to make an excuse.

“There’s no way you don’t have an excuse, Shiba-kun. You said it yourself, didn’t you? Something like, ‘Right now, you’re here with me. So I won’t let you make such a sad face anymore.’”

“Wha…!? Eh?”

“Why do you remember that line word for word!?”

Ryoma opened his mouth, flustered, but before he could say anything, Hazuki beat him to it.

“After saying something like that, is today the only day Shiba-kun will hang out with me?”

Hazuki said it with a sad expression on her face.

“I’m… not blaming you at all for this. It’s not that, I’m just worried. I’m worried that Ryoma-kun might get fired… I know you were trying to comfort me by patting my head.”

“Eh…?”

She wasn’t blaming him. Those words were likely true. Hazuki didn’t seem angry at all. Instead, she showed a face full of concern.

“There are clients who take advantage of kind-hearted people like you, Shiba-kun. People with dirty hearts who intentionally make others break the rules. If there’s enough evidence, the worker gets fired. The client gets all their fees refunded as compensation. They aim for that system.”

“Y-Yes… I’ve heard that still happens, even now.”

“Well, let me say this here and now. The next time I need an agent… I’ll definitely choose you, Ryoma-kun. So I won’t let anyone make you break the rules and get you fired.”

“H-Hazuki-san…”

Ryoma finally understood.

Hazuki wasn’t confronting him to accuse him of breaking the rules. She was calling attention to it so that it wouldn’t jeopardize the next request. She was making sure this wouldn’t affect his future.

For Ryoma, this was something he was grateful for and, at the same time, a lesson he would remember.

“I understand. I’ll keep it in mind. Besides, if I lose this part-time job, it’d be tough for me too.”

“Hehe, I’ll be counting on you. Today, I’ll only give you the commission, but if you keep this promise next time, maybe I’ll give you a lot of pocket money.”

“Thank you very much.”

With that, the two finally returned to a lighter atmosphere. They exchanged a laugh, as if their hearts had connected.

Ryoma led the way, and Hazuki followed behind him.

“By the way, Shiba-kun, where are we heading now?”

“To your house, Hazuki-san. Please let me escort you properly. It’s dangerous for a woman to be out alone at this hour.”

Since he knew she lived in a tower mansion, he continued without needing to be told. But this would turn out to be his biggest mistake.

“Hehe, finally, the cracks are showing, Shiba-kun? You let your guard down because you thought you wouldn’t get fired, didn’t you? It’s always when that happens that people slip up.”

“Ah…”

One step, no, two or even three steps—Hazuki was completely ahead. Ryoma felt he had been outmaneuvered completely.

Hazuki had used the rule-breaking reminder to achieve multiple goals.

First, to instill a sense of crisis in Ryoma so he wouldn’t get fired.
Second, to ensure she could request his services again.
Third, to get him to confess about that time.

“How does Shina-kun know where I live? A stalker, perhaps? Or maybe because you were the one who helped me when I was drunk on Saturday?”

“…”

“If you’re a stalker, I’ll go to the police station now… so you’d better confess now, right?”

“…S-Sorry. I give up…”

That was the most powerful comeback. “I’ll take you to the police,” she said.

At that point, Ryoma had lost.

“It was me who called a taxi for you on Saturday, Hazuki-san…”

“Hehe, finally got you to confess.”

“Such an embarrassing end to this…”

“You’re still too naive, Ryoma-kun. From now on, I’ll make sure to train you properly.”

“Please take it easy on me…”

Hazuki wore a bright, satisfied smile. She was pleased with getting him to confess today and was in high spirits.

“Wow, we drank a lot, didn’t we, Kaya-yan! My stomach’s so full! These reunions are always fun!”

“I know, right… Tomorrow’s definitely going to be a hangover… There’s nothing we can do now, but I wish they’d have held this event on a day off instead.”

It was 11:50 PM.

Ryoma’s older sister, Kaya, was heading home with some of her friends from her year.

“Right? Manager Hazuki’s going to be the most upset if I get a hangover!”

“Well, it’s your own fault, so there’s no helping it, right? If we’re going to get scolded, let’s get scolded together. No betrayal!”

“Haha, got it!”

“It’s kind of reassuring, right? Having someone to get scolded with. But if Manager Hazuki hears this conversation, we’re definitely going to get a scolding.”

“Yikes! Speak of the devil and he shall appear!”

With that, the two of them cheerfully continue walking, playfully using a proverb, as they approach an intersection about 10 meters ahead. It was the usual road where they always turned right—

“Hey, Shiba-kun. Could you pat my head again?”

“W-What are you saying!? I’m not doing that anymore!”

“Hehe, well done.”

Without a glance in their direction, the two figures crossed the intersection.

“Eh…? Ryoma…?”

“Eh, Manager Hazuki…?”

The streetlights lighting up the night made their faces visible, and the unexpected scene and conversation were clearly visible for a few seconds.

The two of them were looking at the same people. There was no way they had mistaken them.

“No way…”

“Manager Hazuki was with a guy!?”

“No, that’s actually my younger brother…”

“Huh!?”