I Started a Lover-for-Hire Service, And For Some Reason, Only Beautiful Girls Are Requesting Me - Chapter 59: Ryoma and Kaya's Misunderstanding

“Hah, hah… I’m home, Kaya-nee.”

“Welcome back, Ryoma.”

After finishing the request with Himeno, Ryoma ran back home. He greeted her, out of breath.

Ryoma didn’t have time to reflect on today’s request. There was still household work left to do.

“I-I’m sorry, I’ll get dinner ready right away.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Since you contacted me, I ate outside.”

“R-Really? Sorry…”

To prepare for today’s request, Ryoma had been cooped up at home reading shoujo manga, so he hadn’t had time to cook.

Cooking, laundry, cleaning—those were Ryoma’s responsibilities.

Especially since Kaya, who must have been tired after work, couldn’t cook. Ryoma felt bad and couldn’t bring himself to tell Kaya the reason he couldn’t cook, so he could only apologize profusely.

“I’ll make your favorite tomorrow, Kaya-nee.”

“You don’t have to go that far. Actually, it works out better this way.”

“Hm? What do you mean, ‘works out better’?”

“Ryoma, I’ve got something to talk about. A very important talk.”

Kaya, leaning on her elbow, glared at Ryoma. No, it was more like she gave him a piercing look.

“W-What… all of a sudden?”

Ryoma flinched at the sudden change. It was like a frog being stared at by a snake.

“Let’s sit down for now. We’ll talk after that.”

“Okay.”

Kaya turned off the TV, radiating pressure as if to remind Ryoma she was the older one.

She pointed to a seat, and Ryoma, shrinking, sat down.

At this point, he still hadn’t guessed what the conversation would be about.

“So… what’s the important talk?”

“Ryoma, something’s been going on lately, hasn’t it? I’m not trying to blame you, but the housework has been slipping. Tell me honestly.”

“…Well, not really. I guess I’ve just been going out more. I’m really sorry I couldn’t keep up with the housework because of that…”

Kaya worked hard to earn money for living expenses. Ryoma also earned money as a stand-in boyfriend, but he couldn’t tell her about that. Kaya was firmly against any part-time job that might lead to trouble.

Lying about “going out” was painful, but there was no other way.

“So what kind of things have you been doing?”

“Shopping, playing games at a friend’s house—”

“—That’s a lie, isn’t it?”

“…!”

Kaya spoke in a sharp tone, her eyes narrowing. There was no room for doubt.

“You said you were just hanging out before, but I was suspicious. It’s not like you at all, Ryoma.”

“Not like me…”

“I know you better than anyone. So let me say this.”

She spoke confidently. And of course, she would. They had lived together as siblings for so long.

“Ryoma is the type of person who always follows through with his decisions. And he does it quickly. That’s why, when I saw Ryoma looking for a part-time job, I made a concession and said, ‘Don’t overdo it, I’ll make you quit if your grades drop.’ I knew that no matter what, you’d definitely get a part-time job.”

“…”

“At that point, you started going out more often. You couldn’t even do the housework you used to do every day. It’s clearly strange for someone like you. Did you get a girlfriend?”

“No, no, I don’t have a girlfriend. It’s really just going out.”

“No girlfriend… huh?”

“W-what?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

At that moment, Ryoma had completely made the wrong choice.

If he had said, “I got a girlfriend,” the conversation would’ve ended there. Kaya would have accepted it.

After all, Kaya had seen Ryoma’s work as a stand-in for Hazuki…

It would’ve been impossible for her not to ask, “Then what was that about?”

With this one lie, Ryoma had aroused even more doubts in Kaya’s mind and inadvertently given her a hint.

“Ryoma says it’s just ‘going out’, but really, haven’t you already started a part-time job? A part-time job you can’t tell me about. Something unfamiliar to me. That’s the natural conclusion, isn’t it?”

“W-Well, you can’t just easily find a good part-time job like that… And is there any part-time job I couldn’t tell you about, Kaya-nee?”

Ryoma assumed that Kaya didn’t know about his part-time job as a lover-for-hire. It was only natural for him to feel relaxed about that.

“It’s simple—something like being a host. But with Ryoma coming home so early, that wouldn’t be the case.”

Kaya was satisfied with her own reasoning, but she was right. If Ryoma worked at a host club, his return time would always be after midnight.

“There are other things like spiritual sales or being a decoy, but with Ryoma’s personality, you wouldn’t deceive people to make money.”

“…”

“I already know Ryoma is hiding something. So I’ll make an educated guess.”

“W-Well, if it’s just a guess, we can talk about it another day…”

“Listen.”

In the silent room, with no TV noise, Kaya’s cold voice echoed.

“—A part-time job in the stand-in business. That’s what I’m guessing.”

“…”

In that instant, cold blood rushed to Ryoma’s heart. It was a vague guess, but it was eerily accurate.

Still, Ryoma didn’t let it show on his face. He forced himself to suppress his emotions. He was determined to keep deceiving her.

“If it’s a stand-in job, the pay is high and it doesn’t run too late at night. It wouldn’t throw off your balance of life, so it wouldn’t affect your grades much. If it were Ryoma, you’d search for a part-time job based on those conditions. After all, I said I’d make you quit if your grades dropped.”

This was the strength of someone who knew you well. It was almost like a superpower how accurately she had guessed.

“Stand-in jobs…?”

“There are all kinds of them, both now and in the past. Stand-in services for weddings, writing love letters or apology letters, even listening to complaints and conversations.”

“Wow…”

“This isn’t the time to be impressed. I’m serious about this.”

Kaya was paying close attention to every expression and movement Ryoma made. She was looking for signs of distress, any unusual reactions, in order to get to the truth.

“But if it’s something like that, you should be able to tell me. You should have told me. If you can’t tell me… then this is the most likely possibility.”

After a pause, Kaya spoke.

“Stand-in boyfriend. A job where you pretend to be someone’s boyfriend.”

“…I’ve never heard of that before.”

Ryoma didn’t break. He maintained his composed attitude. Everything was to avoid reducing his earnings.

“The time you come home is random, and it matches up with the fact that you only know when you’re called for a job, doesn’t it?”

“It’s just a coincidence. I’m just going out, so it’s not surprising that my return time is random.”

“…”

Despite Kaya’s accurate deductions, the reason she couldn’t be certain, and why it remained speculation, was due to the respect she had for her superior, Hazuki.

Hazuki was a woman who, even to Kaya, seemed genuinely attractive. Beautiful, wealthy, caring, and kind. She was someone you’d want to follow. It made sense that Hazuki, who was never short of male attention, would never need a service like a stand-in boyfriend.

In other words, Kaya hadn’t reached the truth because of what she’d witnessed with Hazuki.

“Ryoma, I need to say this one thing.”

“What?”

“If you’re doing that kind of part-time job, quit immediately. Sure, it’s high-paying and you could balance it with a bookstore job, but you’re definitely going to experience unpleasant things, both mentally and physically.”

“You can’t really know that, can you? In the end, it’s up to the client, right? I think it depends on them.”

“People who use stand-in boyfriends are those whose desires aren’t being met. Do you like being touched by someone you don’t have feelings for? Is that fun? Sometimes, it’s disgusting people who harass you, or it could cause interpersonal troubles. I don’t want you to experience that, Ryoma.”

Kaya, who had worked as a lover-for-hire herself to support Ryoma’s university education and stabilize their life, shared her personal experience.

Of course, she never mentioned she had done it in the past. If that fact came out, she wouldn’t have any authority to tell him to quit. With a single rebuttal like “But you did it too”, her position would be shattered.

“I’ve already got a job and money isn’t an issue for me.”

“Even if you say that, I haven’t done it, and I’m not going to…”

“That’s why I’m telling you. It’s just a guess. So, if you are doing that kind of work, quit.”

“…”

Kaya’s serious tone made Ryoma forget that it was only a guess. He hadn’t missed a single word, and because of that, doubt began to rise in his mind.

“Kaya-nee… how do you know so much about stand-in jobs? It’s definitely not a common part-time job, right?”

“!! I heard about it from a friend. It’s like a message from them.”

“I see…”

Ryoma noticed Kaya’s odd behavior but, given the subject matter, didn’t press any further.

It was impossible to even consider… that Kaya had ever worked as a lover-for-hire.

“I know I’m overprotective. I know. But… my family consists of only you now. I don’t want you to get hurt just to make money. I’ve told you before, I’ve already got a job. I make enough to support you…”                

“Even though you keep saying it’s just a guess, you speak like you know everything… Look, relax, I really haven’t done anything like that.”

“Really…?”

“Yeah, really.”

Kaya’s heartfelt words hit Ryoma deeply. That’s why… it was a lie.

“Well, I guess the conversation’s over… I’ll go get the laundry.”

“I’ll help you.”

“Let me do it. I couldn’t cook today, so let me handle this.”

Ryoma stopped Kaya from helping and, as if nothing had happened, left the living room and headed toward the bathroom where the washing machine was.

Once the door to the laundry room was closed, Ryoma clenched both of his fists…

“I don’t have anyone else. Kaya-nee is my only family. I don’t want to burden her…”

The thoughts that Ryoma had kept hidden slipped from his mouth.

“If making money means I have to endure unpleasant things, then I’ll accept it… for now.”

Wishes were not always granted.

After his conversation with Kaya, Ryoma’s resolve to continue with the stand-in boyfriend job only grew stronger.

One day, he would come to regret it.
—He would wish he had simply accepted Kaya’s perspective.