I Started a Lover-for-Hire Service, And For Some Reason, Only Beautiful Girls Are Requesting Me - Chapter 69: Aira and the School Festival ①

“The same high school as that guy…”

Kosei High School—the same school his ex-girlfriend had attended.

Ryoma had the front gate in his sights. Despite the melancholic feeling creeping up on him, Kosei High was bursting with color and energy.

Today was the school festival. A large sign stood by the gate, elegantly inscribed with “School Festival”.

As a prestigious academic institution with a strong focus on sports, the school had an expansive campus. Two large buildings stood tall, likely separated by department, and their pristine exteriors exuded an air of superiority.

“10 o’clock… Almost time.”

That was the time he had promised to meet Aira.

“Sorry, I told you to come at 10, but I might be a little late.”

“Take your time. Just don’t rush and trip or anything.”

“I’m not that clumsy! But thanks.”

That was their exchange while Ryoma was on his way to Kosei High. She was running a bit late, but it was always better to arrive early.

Ryoma had taken extra care with his appearance today—waxed hair, contacts, and an outfit he’d normally wear for work or a night out. Since it was a school festival, he had spent even more time styling his hair and picking out his clothes with the help of online fashion guides.

Aira had 2,500 Twitter followers. She was undoubtedly popular at this school.

Wanting to close the gap between them, even just a little, he accessorized with a necklace and wristwatch. His khaki-colored Chester coat gave him a more mature look.

“Excuse me, I’d like to enter.”

Hiding a hint of nervousness, Ryoma approached a male staff member stationed at the gate.

“May I see your invitation ticket?”

“Of course.”

He had kept the ticket Aira had given him easily accessible in his pocket. Taking out the folded slip, he unfolded it and handed it over.

“Thank you. Here is your stub. Please keep it safe—if you lose it, you won’t be able to re-enter.”

“Understood.”

With the stub in hand, Ryoma finally stepped through the front gate.

He had attended this school’s festival once before, back when he was dating his ex. This was his second visit, but it was still an unfamiliar place.

A sense of adventure stirred inside him.

The urge to explore the food stalls and booths was strong, but he held back. That could wait until he met up with Aira.

Ryoma waited in front of the First School Building, the designated meeting spot with Aira.

A little ahead of him, various student-run festival stalls were lined up.

Bread, yakisoba, pork miso soup, grilled chicken skewers, and frankfurters. For café-style treats, there were pancakes, French toast, donuts, and hot sandwiches.

Since the festival took place during the colder months, most of the stalls naturally served warm food.

There were likely many couples enjoying the festival together, but even at a glance, the lineup of stalls was more than enough to satisfy anyone. A perfect setup for a fun date.

(What should we start with…?)

The delicious aroma of festival food filled the air. Having eaten only a light breakfast, Ryoma’s attention was, of course, drawn to the food. He was just considering what route to take with Aira when—

“Oh? Are you lonely right now, onii-san?”

A voice suddenly called out from behind him, using the somewhat outdated slang “nau” (now).

“Come on, ‘nau’ is old school.”

The teasing tone and the way he was called “onii-san” made Ryoma assume it was Aira, so he responded casually as he turned around—only to find himself face-to-face with a complete stranger.

“Yo!”

“Huh?”

The moment their eyes met, the girl saluted him.

She was about the same height as Aira, with scarlet-red eyes and black hair streaked with a thick, golden highlight.

Three sleek black lines were painted across each of her cheeks. Her eyeliner was sharply drawn, and atop her head sat a cat-ear headband. Her makeup was feline-inspired, but her uniform was crisp and neatly pressed.

On her back, she carried a guitar case—an eccentric mix of elements that begged for an explanation.

“Who are you?”

This situation didn’t call for polite speech—Ryoma’s confusion was too overwhelming.

“Whoa, straight to casual speech? You get friendly fast, huh? Must be ’cause of that face of yours, onii-san.”

“Te… ‘tege’?”

“You don’t get it?”

“Wait, give me a second.”

The odd phrase “tege” and the girl’s thick dialect completely threw him off.

Rather than ask her directly—partly out of politeness but mostly because he suspected she’d mess with him—Ryoma quickly pulled out his phone and typed: “tege meaning”.

The search results for “tege” revealed two possible meanings: “very, extremely” or “roughly, casually.” Given the context, it was likely the former—meaning “You get friendly really fast, huh?”

“…Sorry, I’m just not used to speaking formally.”

“No worries, no worries! That way of talking suits you… I think!”

“That pause was suspicious, but I’ll let it slide for now.”

Realizing he had mistaken her for someone else was a little embarrassing, so Ryoma decided to play it cool. Since the girl was also speaking casually, there was no need to be overly formal.

“So, so, onii-san, are you alone right now?”

“This is definitely some kind of festival pick-up attempt, isn’t it?”

“Nope! You just looked lonely, so I thought I’d say hi! Gotta have fun at a festival, right?”

“I see… Well, yeah, I am alone right now.”

“Then how about we check out the food stalls together? There’s still time before the stage event, and I’m kinda bored!”

“That’s… a bold move. Normally, people would call this hitting on someone.”

If this had happened before he started working as a stand-in boyfriend, Ryoma would’ve been flustered just from being approached like this.

The reason he could stay so composed now was simple—he had gotten used to interacting with the opposite sex.

“I appreciate the invite, but I already have plans.”

“Oh, so you’re waiting for someone? Right now?”

“Yeah, exactly.”

“Not even a little wiggle room?”

“Sorry, but this takes priority for me. To be honest, I want to meet up as soon as possible and start enjoying the festival together.”

No matter how persistent she was, Ryoma wasn’t going to waver.

It wasn’t about money or a contract—he genuinely wanted to spend time with Aira today. Because she was likely the person closest to him, this plan had personal significance. That made his resolve unshakable.

“Alright, I’ll give up then…”

“Thanks for coming over to talk to me, though.”

“Yep, that’s exactly right!”

“Huh?”

With a thick regional accent, the girl gave a final remark before dashing off, guitar case bouncing on her back.

“W-What was that all about…?”

Ryoma, having dealt with an unexpected situation right from the start, checked his phone and idly passed the time until Aira arrived.

Meanwhile, he remained completely unaware that Aira—dressed up with special festival makeup—had overheard his heartfelt words:

“Sorry, but this takes priority for me. To be honest, I want to meet up as soon as possible and start enjoying the festival together.”

“First hottie spotted! Location: In front of the First Building entrance! Wearing a khaki-colored coat! Super high rating!”

“Found another one~! Location: West Gym entrance. Blond hair, white hoodie! Looks super tough! My type, but too scary to approach!”

“I spotted one too! At the donut stand—a stunning red-haired beauty with one eye covered!”

“I’m heading to the First Building entrance to check out the hot guy there!”

This was an impromptu “Hottie Spotting Report” group chat on L○NE, hastily formed for the festival. The total number of members: 41.

As expected of high school students, this group was buzzing with updates—and Ryoma had been marked almost instantly.

Unfortunately, this would also become the spark that ignited Aira’s jealousy.