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

About an hour and thirty minutes had passed as they continued chatting.

Himeno was sitting on the bed with her legs tucked under her, while Ryoma sat on the carpet. It had become their fixed arrangement.

However, there was one thing that was different this time—

“Shiba.”

“What’s up?”

“Give me back my plushie.”

Himeno, her face completely expressionless, held out both hands.

The object of her attention was a massive 120-centimeter-long orca plushie.

Ryoma had taken possession of Himeno’s orca, resting it on his lap and hugging it. The reason was simple— it just felt really nice to touch.

“J-Just a little longer…”

“Does it feel that good?”

“Yeah… this thing is amazing. How much did it cost?”

Ryoma asked while running his hand over the plushie’s head and back. It was so nice that he was seriously tempted to buy one for himself.

“About 10,000 yen.”

“10,000, huh… Yeah, with this quality, that price makes sense.”

“Shiba should buy one too.”

“Yeah, I could, but… it’s expensive for a plushie, and even if I did buy it, my sister would totally steal it. It’d just disappear from my room before I knew it.”

It wasn’t a possibility—it was a certainty. His older sister, Kaya, had a weakness for cute things. If she saw it, she’d take it without hesitation.

“Shiba… you have a sister?”

“Did I never mention that? I live with my older sister. She’s already working.”

“You never told me.”

“What about you, Himeno?”

“I have two younger sisters. There are three of us.”

“W-Wait, really!?”

Their emotional reactions were different, but their level of surprise was the same.

“Mm. One is in her second year of middle school, the other is in her second year of high school.”

“Wow… Himeno’s little sisters, huh? Now I’m really curious…”

“Wanna see a picture?”

“Can I?”

“Mm. I have one from when we went out to eat together.”

Himeno opened her phone’s gallery and started scrolling.

Since she lived alone, she probably didn’t get to see her sisters very often. There was a faint hint of loneliness in her expression as she searched for the photo.

“Here it is.”

She tapped on the picture and showed it to Ryoma.

It seemed to have been taken at a family restaurant.

“Himeno… there are three of you…”

“We’re not three of me. We’re three people.”

Ryoma leaned in closer to get a better look at the screen.

Displayed on the LCD was an image of the three sisters gathered around a massive parfait.

Himeno, the one who had taken the photo, had her usual expressionless face. Beside her, one girl with a ponytail beamed with a bright, carefree smile. The other had short hair and wore round glasses, exuding an intellectual air.

Even though they all resembled Himeno, their personalities were clearly distinct just from the photo.

“The one smiling is my younger sister, Kayano. The one with the glasses is the youngest, Yumeno. My cute little sisters.”

Himeno explained this to Ryoma with a hint of pride.

It was obvious how much she cared about them and saw them as a source of pride.

And from the way they looked at the camera, it was just as clear that Kayano and Yumeno admired their older sister.

“Kayano and Yumeno, huh? You’re right, they’re adorable.”

“I’m not letting you meet them.”

“What!? I mean, if the opportunity ever comes up, I’d love to—”

“You’d sink your fangs into them.”

Himeno had a high opinion of Ryoma’s skills when he was in “on mode”—his ability to close distances with people and his communication skills.

It was precisely because she cherished her sisters that she was being so cautious.

“That’s a harsh way to put it… I have no such intentions, so don’t worry.”

“Why not?”

“Huh?”

“Kayano and Yumeno are so cute”

Ryoma had meant his words to reassure her, but to Himeno, it sounded like he had outright declared that he wasn’t interested in her sisters.

Her cheeks puffed out in displeasure.

“Well then, I guess I should eagerly go after them.”

“No.”

“Okay, then what’s the right answer here?”

If he said he was interested, that was bad. If he said he wasn’t, that was also bad.

Ryoma scratched his cheek with a wry smile.

Then, as if a light bulb had gone off in his head, he suddenly had an idea.

A scene straight out of a shoujo manga.

At the end of the request Himeno had made was the introduction of a kabedon.

“…Then, Himeno.”

“What?”

“What if I said I was aiming for you?”

“—!!”

A sudden shift.

Ryoma, who wasn’t mentally prepared for it himself, gave an awkward, tense smile.

But to Himeno, it looked like a mischievous smirk.

“Oh? You’re not saying no… Does that mean I can go for it?”

Ryoma slowly got to his feet, tilting his neck until it made a satisfying crack.

All of this—just mimicking a shoujo manga.

“W-what are you trying to do…?”

“It wouldn’t be fun if I told you, right? Just stay as you are, Himeno.”

“N-no way.”

Himeno, who had been sitting on the bed with her feet on the floor, suddenly pulled her legs up onto the bed as if she had realized something.

She was trying to put some distance between them.

“Sorry, but even if you say no… I’ve already flipped the switch.”

“…N-no. Shiba, stop…!”

“Why?”

“I… I’m not… ready… yet…”

“That works out perfectly.”

“It’s… different.”

Unlike Himeno, who was now kneeling on the bed, Ryoma was standing.

No matter how much she tried to back away, the distance between them was easily closed.

“Shiba… calm down.”

“I am calm.”

Himeno spread her hands in a desperate attempt to reason with him as he slowly advanced.

But to Ryoma, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

He couldn’t let it slip away.

She wasn’t rejecting him—she was just confused by the situation.

And that was exactly why he could push forward.

“Himeno, let’s finish this.”

“At least… let me get ready…”

“Nope.”

The further she backed away on the bed, the closer she got to the wall.

There was nowhere left to escape.

Wearing a self-assured grin, he moved deliberately.

His eyes never wavered, locked solely on Himeno.

Every movement was planned—studied.

And yet, it was his first time actually doing it.

The nerves were overwhelming.

He was putting on an act—overdoing it.

And because of that…

Ryoma’s awareness narrowed.

“Whoa—!!”

“Eh—?”

He misstepped.

Of all things, his foot got caught on the strap of the bag he had left on the floor.

Himeno’s round eyes reflected Ryoma lunging forward.

She had no time to react.

Ryoma’s hands reflexively grabbed her small shoulders for support—

But they weren’t nearly enough to stop the fall.

The bed shook violently from the impact.

Of course, there was no mistaking what had happened.

“Ugh… no way…”

As the mattress slowly stopped bouncing, Ryoma hesitantly opened his eyes.

And there, right in front of him—was someone who shouldn’t have been there.

“Uh… ah… ah…”

“Ah…”

Her silver hair, disheveled from being pushed down. Her clear, beautiful purple eyes. Her fine, snow-like white skin. Her small, well-shaped nose and her thin, pale pink lips. Her slender neck, so delicate it looked as if it could break easily.

Everything from Himeno’s neck up, in extreme close-up…

“…”

Both of them fully understood the situation.

Himeno’s lips trembled slightly, her entire face turning red, her eyes glistening with unshed tears that stirred a protective instinct. Meanwhile… Ryoma had turned completely pale.

His intention had been to push her against the wall at the back of the bed—nothing more.

But reality had taken a completely different turn.

Even though it wasn’t on purpose, he had done something far beyond what was asked of him.

Instead of just a simple wall slam, he had ended up combining it with something far more intense—what could only be called a “bed slam.”

And to make things worse, he had grabbed Himeno by the shoulders and pinned her down, making it look as if he had done it deliberately.

“…”

A deep silence filled the room, not a single word spoken.

All Ryoma could feel was the overwhelming realization that he had completely messed up.

It was such an unexpected situation that even the words “I’m sorry” wouldn’t come out.

How many minutes had they spent staring at each other like this?

The first to break out of the daze was Himeno, her face still bright red.

“You… you said you wouldn’t push me down…”