I Started a Lover-for-Hire Service, And For Some Reason, Only Beautiful Girls Are Requesting Me - Chapter 45: Ryoma and Himeno's Secret Meeting

Once again, it was an empty classroom after school.

“Eat up. I brought a lot.”

“Thank you.”

Himeno spread the cookies from the pouch that contained sweets on the desk. Today, there were two kinds of cookies: butter cookies and chocolate chip cookies.

Last time, her pouch had candies and caramel inside.

From the fact that she changed the snacks like this, it seemed she has quite a variety of them.

“You really like sweets, huh?”

“Sweet things are delicious.”

“Then… here, go ahead.”

“Mm.”

Ryoma handed the small packets of cookies to Himeno. She received them with both hands and thanked him. She looked somewhat happy.

“Wait, is it weird for me to say this when they’re your snacks?”

“Hm? It’s fine since Shiba gave them to me.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Himeno’s slightly offbeat response was typical of her.

“Then one more. Here.”

“Mm, thank you.”

It might be rude to think this way, but Ryoma felt like he was feeding small animals at a zoo. This was partly because Himeno was small and cute.

In her right hand, Himeno held a butter cookie, and in her left hand, a chocolate chip cookie.

Her gaze shifted back and forth, and she looked slightly troubled. It seemed she couldn’t decide which one to eat.

“I’ve been getting sweets from you all the time, so next time I’ll bring something sweet. Is there anything you want?”

“Cake.”

“Well, I can’t exactly bring fresh stuff like that…”

Himeno was honest about what she wanted, but considering Ryoma’s character in university, bringing cake would be a huge challenge. It would totally stand out.

“Is there anything else?”

“I also want white chocolate.”

“Got it, white chocolate. I wonder if I can find some individually wrapped ones.”

“Bitter chocolate is no good.”

“What if I accidentally bring that?”

“I’ll make you eat all of it.”

“You wouldn’t be mad?”

“I would be mad.”

“Haha, I’ll have to be careful then.”

Even if Himeno were to get mad, it would only add to her cuteness. It might even be that no one would notice if she was actually upset.

“…Shiba, you’re being yourself. Completely.”

“I knew you’d notice… I changed it just like in the email, but is this really okay? I made some changes when I was filling in for others, so it might feel kind of off.”

“Mm, I prefer it this way.”

“Really?”

Ryoma watched Himeno nod, her large amethyst-colored eyes reflecting him as if showing that she wasn’t lying.

On the other hand, Ryoma was struggling to understand why she would choose his raw side, with its more casual tone and attitude, rather than the polite version.

“Shiba, do you always act like someone else when you’re filling in as someone’s lover?”

“Well… yeah. It’s a special part-time job, but it still involves customer service.”

“Is Himeno the only one Shiba acts like himself with?”

“Ah, I guess so.”

He treated Aira, a high school girl, naturally, but that was an exception. For the lover-for-hire job, he acted, just like he did before with Himeno.

“Himeno only…”

Himeno muttered this as she opened the package of butter cookies and started eating.

It was hard to tell from her expression if she liked the cookies or not, but since she liked sweet things, there was no doubt she was satisfied.

While chewing, she occasionally glanced at Ryoma with an upward look.

“Is something wrong?”

“Mm, nothing…”

In truth, Himeno was happy. It felt like she was the only special one.

She almost let her emotions show on her face, so at that moment, she decided to focus on the cookies.

Ryoma also took a cookie and began eating after Himeno. The buttery flavor stimulated his appetite. The delicious sweetness of the cookie filled his mouth.

“So… what’s today’s topic?”

After finishing their cookies, Ryoma moved on to the main subject.

Since it was already the evening after school, staying too long wouldn’t be ideal.

“I think it’s probably about the job…”

“Mm, Shiba, I want you to be a bad person.”

“…Huh?”

“A bad person.”

“Uhh…?”

What came out of Himeno’s mouth was something Ryoma couldn’t quite understand, even though he had a calm mind. Himeno’s lack of explanation also added to the confusion.

“There are rules for being a substitute boyfriend.”

“Yeah, I know. If it’s for a lover-for-hire request, holding hands or linking arms is okay. I got an email yesterday from the company telling all the people to follow the rules strictly. Apparently, there’s been a lot of trouble recently.”

“…But, I want you to break those rules.”

“No, even if you say you want me to break them… Huh? So, did you call me today to have a direct conversation about this?”

Himeno nodded. 

She nodded again while starting to eat a chocolate chip cookie at the perfect timing.

“To get straight to the point, I can’t do that. No. It’s not that I can’t.”

“Himeno will keep it a secret. I won’t tell anyone.”

“Even if you say that… you know… I have my own position, and I just got a warning email from the company…”

“If I do, you can tell everyone about the fact that I draw manga…”

Himeno was serious. The condition she just set clearly stated everything.

“Huh, huh… I draw… uh, adult stuff too, so I don’t want anyone to find out either…”

She said it in a small voice, her face turning red.

Himeno had never shared her work account with her friends. She kept her comic-drawing secret.

“So why do you want me to break the rules? Wanting me to break the rules means doing things beyond hand-holding or arm-linking… But that kind of thing should be done by a real boyfriend, and my sense of values—”

What Ryoma’s mind conjured up was the kind of adult behavior that would bring storks.

“I wouldn’t do that.”

“S-Sorry… Is that not it?”

“No, it’s not it… I don’t need… something that big, like a monster…”

“…”

Ryoma thought he was muttering to himself, and assumed that Himeno hadn’t heard.

However, in the empty classroom with no noise, his words were clearly audible, and Himeno’s reaction, or lack thereof, showed how she was struggling to respond.

“…So what does Himeno want to ask for?”

“…A kabedon.”

However, Himeno quickly shifted gears. It seemed like she had already decided what she wanted to say. She extended her index finger as if counting, making sure she wouldn’t forget anything.

“Push me down.”

“Huh?”

Then she extended her middle finger as well, forming a “peace” sign.

“Head pat, hug, princess carry.”

Tap, tap, tap. Finally, her hand formed an open “palm” shape. Himeno’s requests totaled five.

“Well, if it’s just a wall slam, I don’t think it would break the rules of the lover service because I wouldn’t be touching you, but… the rest is all impossible.”

“No.”

“Not that I don’t’ want to.”

This was the second time Himeno had refused. It seemed like she had a strong will to not give in. Himeno was the type to know when to stand firm and when to compromise. She had a very straightforward personality.

“Is something wrong?”

Because Himeno was shy, the best approach was to offer support from the other side. Ryoma was certain that something was bothering her.

“Yeah, something’s wrong.”

“I want to know if it’s something you can tell me… Maybe I’ll change my mind.”

“Okay, I’ll tell you… Himeno’s been hearing it from everyone. They say the heroine’s emotions are shallow, because she hasn’t experienced it.”

“So, It’s because of the manga…? I guess it’s true that experiencing something makes all the difference, huh?”

“It’s like looking at a recipe book versus actually cooking.”

“Wow…”

The expression of emotions—this was something that only experience could make feel real, and it was something that resonated with people.

“H-Himeno wants to level up her manga-skills.”

“…”

Even though Himeno was already active as a manga artist, her determination to aim higher made her shine with a certain sparkling glow.

—Himeno had never said anything like this before.

The one weakness Ryoma had, the phrase “Because we’re friends, please do it,” would have been enough to take a strong stand. Yet, Himeno hadn’t said it.

This was because she truly thought of Ryoma as a real friend and didn’t want to cause him any trouble.

“Has Himeno already contacted the agency?”

“I’ll call them today.”

“Eh? You don’t know whether I’ll accept that request or not, right?”

“It would be rude to Shiba. He’s taking time for me.”

“No, no, you have to value money.”

“…I’d be fine even with a date…”

“Why are you saying that when leveling up your manga skills should take priority…”

It was something that could have led to a profit, but Ryoma stopped it.

Because Ryoma valued money, he couldn’t overlook any unnecessary spending.

And if they were truly friends, Ryoma would act this way. He was returning the sincerity that Himeno had shown him.

“Himeno, could you wait until tomorrow to contact the agency?”

“Why?”

“I’m thinking about making a call to negotiate with the company.”

“…!”

Just yesterday, an email about the agency’s rules had been sent out. The timing could not have been worse, and it was a negotiation Ryoma knew would be difficult.

Breaking the rules and getting caught would lead to a red card. Making this call alone might only result in a yellow card, but it wouldn’t lead to termination.

“That’s not necessary. It will leave a bad impression of Shiba…”

“That might be true, but… If I can help Devil-chan, I have to do this. It’s a special relationship where I get paid, but… we’re friends, right?”

At this moment, Ryoma put on the same confident front he used in his role as a boyfriend substitute.

He was about to make a call to the company asking, “Can I break the rules?” He was not without fear.

“…Idiot, Shiba.”

“I get told that a lot.”

“Enough. Here, take this…”

“Thanks.”

Himeno scooped a large amount of cookies from the table and handed them to Ryoma.

It was a sign of support and gratitude.

“Sorry, Shiba. Himeno is selfish…”

“I think that’s one of your good points, Himeno. And since I’m the senior, there’s no need to hold back.”

“…Idiot.”

“What’s that idiot supposed to mean?”

“Hehe.”

At that teasing response, Himeno squinted her eyes and smiled.

It was an “idiot” said to hide her embarrassment.