I Started a Lover-for-Hire Service, And For Some Reason, Only Beautiful Girls Are Requesting Me - Chapter 48: The Love Agency and the Goddess of Conquest

“Hmm… Can’t underestimate him. If he’s doing this, Hazuki-chan’s words gain more weight.”

That day, in the CEO’s office of the Farfalle Companion Agency, Chiaki rested her chin in her hand, murmuring in admiration.

“Did something happen, Chiaki-san? I heard you making a call on the company line.”

Another woman stood in the room—a slender figure in pristine attire. She wore red-framed glasses, exuding the air of someone highly competent. This was Takahashi, Chiaki’s secretary.

She was holding a clipboard filled with company documents, intending to submit them to her boss.

“A call from the new guy.”

“The newbie? Oh! You mean the one who got a request from the ‘Veteran Killer Queen’?”

“That’s right. Everyone’s watching him, huh?”

“Of course. You reported it personally, after all.”

A so-called Veteran Killer, the Queen had been single-handedly forcing multiple agents into retirement, causing continuous damage to the company.

From the company’s standpoint, Hazuki was a rogue agent who did whatever she pleased.

But now, a fresh recruit—Shiba Ryoma—had managed to stop her.

Not only that, but the notoriously strict Hazuki had given him a 4.8 rating.

With the CEO herself making the announcement, there was no way this wouldn’t become a hot topic.

“So, what did he do? You said he was ‘not to be underestimated’…”

Chiaki sighed dramatically, but a mischievous grin played on her lips.

“That newbie came charging right through the front gates—figuratively speaking, of course. He straight-up asked me, ‘Can I break the agency’s rules?’”

“Huh? We just sent him the rule confirmation email yesterday, didn’t we? And yet, he’s already asking that?”

“Exactly. That’s why I said he’s not to be underestimated. Saying this now, of all times? Takes guts. But it also means he’s seriously considering the client’s needs.”

“What kind of rule-breaking are we talking about?”

The agency’s guidelines were clear; anything beyond holding hands and linking arms was strictly prohibited to prevent any potential issues.

“Stuff like patting their head or kabedon. Obviously, no kissing or anything like that. Apparently, the client is in some creative industry. They want to experience these things firsthand as part of their work.”

“I see… And?”

“But y’know… This newbie’s kinda dense, or maybe just plain stupid… I’m a little worried.”

“Dense? I don’t think so. After all, he called the company about this, didn’t he? That seems rather thorough to me.”

Report. Communicate. Consult.

Those who couldn’t follow these basic principles—Ho-Ren-So—were never trusted by a company.

If something escalated into a problem, those who failed to report it were the first to be blamed.

But this newbie had reached out in advance.

That didn’t seem dense or stupid at all.

“Ah, sorry for the misunderstanding. I didn’t mean it like that—I was talking about myself.”

“Yourself?”

“You see, he was reporting it like it was someone else’s problem, so I gave him a warning. Like, ‘You’re the one who actually has to do this, you know? Can you really satisfy the client? Do you have any experience?'”

“That makes sense. He probably contacted us precisely because the client reached out to him first.”

“And when I asked him that, he responded in this flustered voice, ‘Ah, r-right!? I have to do it myself, don’t I!?'”

“Huh…? W-will he be alright? No offense to the newbie, but he seems a bit clueless…”

“Yeah, I was just thinking, what even is that reaction?”

A heavy silence settled over the CEO’s office.

Despite being young, the rookie was serious enough to properly report things to the company.

But this contrast between his diligence and his airheadedness… was striking, in both good and bad ways.

“Well, I mean, it’s only natural to be a little clueless. He was probably overthinking everything because of when we sent the email… But from here on out, the real struggle begins for Shiba Ryoma-kun.”

Chiaki made a remark to lighten the mood, trying to sweep away the tense atmosphere.

And with that, the rookie’s name was finally mentioned.

“Shiba… So that’s his surname…How nostalgic.”

“Oh? You remember, Takahashi? The Goddess of Conquest, Shiba Kaya.”

“I remember, but… um, Chiaki-san, could you do something about your naming sense? The meaning fits, but still…”

“Fufufu, it sounds cool, doesn’t it?”

“…Yes.”

Takahashi reluctantly agreed, unable to withstand Chiaki’s smug expression and sparkling eyes.

“Our company will never forget Kaya-chan. She was the one who helped us grow the most, the one who put us on the map as a real business.”

Chiaki’s voice carried nostalgia and gratitude as she narrowed her eyes slightly.

“She ended up leaving after nine months, saying she got a job at a big, stable company with good benefits, but… at 18, she had an 81% request rate. That’s a monster stat—like something out of a kaiju movie, where dozens of Godzillas merge into one super-creature. We literally begged her to stay. I even brought gifts!”

“Wait… You personally went to negotiate with her, Chiaki-san? That’s the first I’m hearing of this. She really lived up to her ‘conqueror’ title—she captured men’s hearts so strategically that her numbers were practically a cheat code, right?”

“Exactly. We even paid her to teach us, hoping the other agents could learn from her. But honestly, that was just… psychology at work.”

“Hearing all this, now I really want to know more…”

It was rare for the CEO herself to personally meet with an agent and negotiate for them to stay.

That alone showed how much Farfalle Companion Agency owed to Shiba Kaya.

“Hmm, how should I explain it…? Well, it sounds bad when I put it this way, but it was like… buying a cheap juice or little gifts here and there, subtly treating clients without making it obvious. That small investment would make them repeat customers, and in return, she’d earn back tens of times more money.”

“Hah… Just that alone wouldn’t be enough to justify those numbers, though…”

“Exactly. So before even getting to that stage, she must have been taking other calculated actions to raise the client’s affection toward her. Normally, you can’t just plan for things to go your way, but Kaya-chan made it look effortless.”

Kaya started working as a lover-for-hire around the time her father passed away—when the family’s breadwinner was gone.

It was also the time when she desperately needed money to send her younger brother, Ryoma, to school, so he could go to the university she never had the chance to attend.

That’s why Kaya threw herself into studying—not academics, but the craft of her job—with the same intensity as if she were giving up her own education. She kept it a secret, never letting anyone know, so as not to cause worry.

Rental girlfriend work was all about winning the client’s favor, turning them into repeat customers, and earning money that way.

Kaya, knowing from a young age that there was no easy way to make money, put in her own kind of effort to succeed.

“If I recall, by her sixth month, she was making over 300,000 yen a month.”

“300,000 yen…? That’s terrifying.”

“She probably gave her repeat clients a heads-up about her retirement in advance. In her last month, she was booked six days a week, and I bet she got a ton of extra money from clients as a ‘farewell gift’. Actually, she could’ve been booked every single day, but we adjusted her schedule to prevent her from overworking herself.”

“E-every single day!? That’s… unbelievable…”

Of course, the only person to ever accomplish such a feat was the Goddess of Conquest, Shiba Kaya.

“And she achieved all this without ever breaking the rules. That’s what makes it so damn incredible. Some clients were so grateful for meeting her that they even paid our company’s commission fee multiple times over.”

“This… this sounds like something out of a drama.”

“It really does. Even now, I think about it—if only I had spent every last yen we had back then to stop Kaya from retiring.”

Chiaki’s voice carried a seriousness that made it clear—she truly meant it.

A talent like Kaya’s would probably never come around again.

If it did, it would be about as likely as winning the grand prize in the lottery.

“Fate is a strange thing, isn’t it?”

“Fate…?”

“Our company owes its success to two agents with the surname Shiba. Shiba Kaya, who put us on the map, and now, the rookie Shiba Ryoma, who stopped the Veteran Killer Queen.”

“Now that you mention it, that’s true.”

Neither of them had any idea that Shiba Kaya and Shiba Ryoma were actually siblings by blood.

“Sigh… Talking about all this makes me want to see Kaya-chan again.”

“I’d love to meet her, too. And have her teach me how to win over men.”

“Oh? So Takahashi-chan has someone she likes?”

“Yes. An arrogant childhood friend who, even now, still hasn’t settled down.”

“Ooooh, tell me more!”

“As long as you promise not to tease me…”

“Promise! I won’t!”

And so, as they dove into Takahashi’s love life, the once-serious atmosphere in the CEO’s office quickly turned warm and lively.