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

At that moment, Ikki’s older sister, Kanon, was absentmindedly staring at the photos in her smartphone album.

One of the pictures showed Kanon and Ryoma making peace signs against the backdrop of a sunset from a hilltop. Both of them looked happy yet shy—it was a photo taken on a date three years ago.

Though sadness lingered in her expression, Kanon gazed at the image with nostalgia, almost entranced, as she lay on the sofa and let out a dreamy sigh.

“Haa… I love you so much, Ryo-kun…”

She kicked her slender legs clad in white tights, causing her asymmetrical hair, which covered one eye, to sway along with her movements.

And yet, the place where this lovestruck Kanon was currently spending her time was none other than the family’s shared living room.

“…Please, sis. Don’t say stuff like that in the living room. I have no idea how to react. Do that in your own room.”

“If I say it alone, it just feels empty…”

“There you go with that reason again.”

Kanon, who was still actively practicing karate, wore a black belt. Even compared to Ikki, who was still growing, she possessed formidable strength. But despite that, she was incredibly lonely by nature.

“Sis, your abs are showing.”

“—!?”

At Ikki’s comment, Kanon quickly sat up. Since she regularly exercised, her waist was beautifully toned, and her stomach showed faint muscle definition.

If she ever wore a crop top, there was no doubt she would attract countless gazes.

“D-Don’t look too much… It’s embarrassing…”

“You’re the one lifting your shirt up, so that’s on you. And ‘don’t look too much’ doesn’t even make sense—you should be saying ‘don’t look’ in the first place.”

“My mind’s not working right now… because I’m looking at Ryo-kun’s picture…”

“You never get tired of this, huh? Every single day…”

“Yeah… Ikki, do you want to see too?”

Tilting her head, Kanon held her smartphone in both hands and looked at Ikki with her deep blue eyes.

“I’ve already seen it dozens, no, hundreds of times… It’s that sunset photo, right?”

“…Yeah.”

“I mean, sure, it looks good, but… If you’ve broken up, just delete it already. Keeping photos like that is exactly why you can’t move on.”

Whether or not to delete a photo was a personal choice. However, in Kanon’s case, she had been stuck on Ryoma for three years without making any progress.

The reasonable thing to do would be to let go of her lingering attachment and move on to another guy.

“It’s a photo full of memories, so I don’t want to… If I ever make up with Ryo-kun, I want to take the same picture again…”

“You’re way too optimistic, sis… Even if you met Ryoma-san again, he’d probably just avoid you. If anything, he’d be pissed and wonder how you have the nerve to show your face. Even someone as kind as Ryoma-san probably only remembers you as his two-timing ex.”

“But if I told him the reason…”

“No way he’d believe you were set up. He’d just think it’s an excuse. And even if he did listen, at best, he’d just be like ‘Oh, I see…’ and that’d be the end of it.”

Ikki was at an age where he could start thinking like an adult. As a fellow guy, he understood how Ryoma would probably react.

Kanon was hoping to reconcile with Ryoma, but if he already had a girlfriend, there wouldn’t even be a chance to make up in the first place.

“Ikki, you’re so cold…”

“I get how you feel, sis, but don’t you think you should have talked to him first? You know, when that guy asked you to go shopping with him because he ‘wanted a girl’s opinion’? If you were in Ryoma-san’s position, how would you feel?”

“…”

“If you’d just done that, then that shitty classmate who set you up wouldn’t have sent Ryoma-san that email.”

“…You’re right.”

Kanon was also at fault for acting in a way that could be misinterpreted as two-timing. However, the real villain was the classmate who had orchestrated the breakup just so he could date Kanon once she was single.

That classmate had secretly taken a photo of himself with Kanon and then sent it to Ryoma along with this taunting email:

“Oops, my bad! Right now, I’m out on a date with your super cute girlfriend, lol. But no worries—she’s mine now! Hurry up and dump her already, okay? (Lmao) She even told me she’s fine with it! Oh, and quit your part-time job too—things would get awkward, wouldn’t they? Haha. Don’t worry, though. Your super considerate pal here will fill the gap you leave behind!”

The email was pure provocation.

At the time, Kanon was attending the same high school as Ikki’s current one, while Ryoma went to a different place. They didn’t go to the same school, but Ryoma had met both Kanon and that classmate at the restaurant where he worked part-time.

After receiving the email, Ryoma quit his job at the restaurant immediately. He then texted Kanon: “Let’s break up.” And after that, he blocked her.

Since they weren’t attending the same school, and Ryoma had quit his part-time job, there was no longer any opportunity for them to see each other.

Once the breakup was confirmed, Kanon’s classmate took full advantage of the situation.

“Her ex? Yeah, he totally hates Kanon now.”
“Poor Kanon. She got backstabbed out of nowhere.”
“How could anyone trust a guy like that? If it were me, I’d never do something like that to her.”

Swayed by those words, Kanon never went to Ryoma’s school. The fear of suddenly being dumped kept her from seeking out the truth.

If the three of them had attended the same school, they would have had chances to talk things out. There’s no doubt that things would have turned out differently.

And it wasn’t until right after graduating high school that Kanon finally learned the truth.

A female classmate reached out to her and said:
“That bastard totally set you up! Kanon, you need to know this!”

If she had realized sooner, Kanon would have gone straight to Ryoma’s school. Even if she knew he would be furious, even if he hit her, she would have gone—just to clear up the misunderstanding.

“I’m… the worst… ahaha…”

Kanon laughed. But it wasn’t a happy laugh. Her lips trembled as if trying to hide the tears threatening to spill.

“…Not being able to ignore someone in trouble—that’s one of your good traits, sis. The one who took advantage of your kindness, that classmate, is the real villain here.”

“Sniff… ugh…”

“Hey, hey, don’t cry…”

The reason she was still clinging to the past was simple—because she had learned the truth too late.

Because one selfish guy had ruined everything.

But in the end, that classmate hadn’t gotten everything he wanted either. Love, like life itself, wasn’t so simple.

“I can’t forget about my ex. I’m sorry.”

Despite all his scheming, Kanon had rejected him. He was nothing more than a selfish manipulator who had torn Kanon and Ryoma apart for his own gain.

Since breaking up with Ryoma, Kanon hadn’t dated anyone. Her feelings for him were still too strong.

“Here, take this festival ticket. Stop crying already.”

“Sniff… thank you…”

“If that classmate shows up, make sure to knock him out, okay? I’ll go find you a guy who looks like Ryoma.”

“…Yeah…”