I Started a Lover-for-Hire Service, And For Some Reason, Only Beautiful Girls Are Requesting Me - Chapter 70: Aira and the School Festival ②

“S-Say something… Staring at me like that is seriously awkward…”

“I just… didn’t expect you to show up dressed like that…”

A few minutes after meeting up with Aira, Ryoma was struggling—struggling not to stare.

The girl in front of him wasn’t in her usual high school uniform.

She was dressed as a devil.

The first thing that stood out was her twin-tailed blonde hair, tied up with a large red ribbon. She wore a black frilled dress lined with red, resembling something out of a noble’s wardrobe. Small black wings adorned her back.

Her legs were wrapped in sheer black tights, paired with red heels, and silver cross earrings dangled from her ears.

Her makeup was perfectly matched to the theme, making her festival cosplay nothing short of stunning.

“…It really suits you, though.”

“Praise me more.”

“Y-You look… cute?”

“You saying that like a question is the worst!”

“…I mean, it’s just… it’s so good I don’t even know what to say. At least, that’s how I feel.”

Ryoma averted his gaze and looked up at the clear blue sky.

The reason he was so awkward, so unable to look at her properly, was simple:

He wasn’t prepared for this.

Aira’s impact completely surpassed the experience he’d gained as a rental boyfriend.

“If Ryoma-senpai keeps acting like this, it’s just gonna make me even more embarrassed…”

“Wait, so… you didn’t dress up like that by choice?”

“O-Of course not! We played rock-paper-scissors to decide a festival penalty game, and I lost! Ever since that pill bug incident, everyone’s been having way too much fun teasing me! And… this is what I ended up with.”

“…Well, at least it’ll be a good memory later. Plus, the fact that you’re actually following through with the punishment is pretty admirable.”

To Aira, it was a penalty game.

To Ryoma—or rather, to any guy here—it was a blessing.

The way every male student’s gaze was drawn to her was proof enough.

“I didn’t have zero input, okay? But just because there’s no school dress code today doesn’t mean this is okay! At least it’s only until noon… My legs are kinda cold, though.”

“Maybe you should’ve worn thicker tights?”

“Ryoma-senpai, be real. Guys prefer the thinner ones, don’t they? That’s why I went with these… What do you think?”

“…That’s a tough question to answer.”

Ryoma subtly glanced at Aira’s legs, wrapped in sheer black tights.

His gaze trailed upward—

—and then, he very deliberately looked away.

“See? You totally like them!”

“…I just thought they suited your outfit, that’s all.”

“Well, it’s better than you saying you hate them, so I’ll take it…”

Aira fiddled with her twin-tailed blonde hair, looking just the slightest bit embarrassed.

“By the way… Mind if I change the subject for a sec?”

“You don’t need to preface it like that. What is it?”

“Your outfit is supposed to be devil-themed, right? Doesn’t wearing shiny things kinda ruin the concept?”

Devils were known to have multiple weaknesses—holy water, sacred spells, and, supposedly, shiny objects.

If she was going for accuracy, wouldn’t it make more sense to avoid those?

“I did that on purpose. There’s silver in it too.”

“Huh?”

“It’s my way of saying I won’t lose to the devil. Silver is supposed to be one of their biggest weaknesses, right?”

Aira had designed her outfit as a challenge to a certain well-known gothic lolita manga artist.

By incorporating silver—the devil’s greatest weakness—she was making a statement:

‘I won’t lose to Devil-chan!’

That was the hidden meaning behind her silver cross earrings.

Of course, it was an obscure reference. If someone didn’t already see her in a romantic light, they probably wouldn’t get it.

“Hmm… ‘I won’t give in to temptation’, huh? That’s actually a solid mindset for exam season.”

“W-Well… I guess that meaning’s in there too…”

“Still, I’ve noticed some students wearing cat ears and stuff. Is that also part of the punishment game?”

Ryoma glanced around, subtly scanning the festival crowd.

It wasn’t a huge number, but there were definitely a few students dressed in cute outfits.

“Some of them are my friends who thought it looked fun and joined in. Others went all out like me, which is honestly a relief, but—”

“—But?”

“Getting called the Final Boss is seriously pissing me off!”

Her frustration was almost immediately validated.

“Yo, Final Boss! Lookin’ good!”

“Whoa, she’s trying to recruit more minions!”

“Shut up, dumbass!”

Whether it was fate or sheer dumb luck, it was undeniably true.

Two male students in uniforms snickered as they teased Aira.

And, as always, she fired back with zero hesitation.

Judging from the way they talked, they seemed to be good friends. The boys, concerned about Ryoma, exchanged a few words with Aira before leaving.

“…You’ve basically got a first-class certification in flag-triggering, Aira. That happened literally right after you said it.”

“I don’t want that kind of certification, though.”

Still, the exchange had helped Ryoma relax a little. His tension eased just enough to let him act like his usual self.

“By the way, I’ve got a bone to pick with you too, Ryoma-senpai. Why the hell are you so dressed up today?! You look way too stylish. You’re totally giving off ‘mature and sophisticated’ vibes, and honestly? You kinda stand out.”

“W-Wait, seriously? Is it that bad?”

“I mean… it is eye-catching, but… it’s like you’re here to hit on high school girls. I’ve got mixed feelings about that.”

Aira had a strong possessive streak.

She didn’t want to let anyone else have Ryoma.

The thought of him dressing up just to impress some other JKs? Unacceptable.

“I swear, that’s not what I’m doing…”

“Yeah, sure, that’s totally believable.”

“It’s the truth! I just wanted to match you, Aira. I wanted to put in the effort so I wouldn’t look out of place next to you. Today, I’m here to have fun with you.”

“Y-you didn’t have to say that…”

That was the exact same thing she’d overheard him say earlier. Hearing it directly this time made her grin uncontrollably…

“Uh… you’re fidgeting an awful lot there.”

“O-Of course I am…”

“Oh, so you did want me to impress the JKs, huh?”

“I’ll kill you now.”

“Hahaha! That was a fast mood switch.”

Aira’s face had turned bright red, only for her expression to instantly snap into a glare.

With her devil costume looking suspiciously natural on her, the shift in attitude should’ve been intimidating.

But Ryoma wasn’t scared at all.

“Alright, let’s go check out the food stalls. I’m craving yakisoba.”

“Of all the stalls here, you go for yakisoba first? Really? W-Well… my class is running the yakisoba stall…”

“So? What’s the big deal?”

“Ugh… The girl who was hitting on you earlier—she’s my classmate. And my friend, too.”

“That girl with the accent? Wait… you saw that?”

“From a distance…”

That was a lie.

In reality, Aira had been close enough to hear every word.

And yet, even after the flirting ended, she hadn’t gone up to Ryoma right away.

“Sorry, but to me, that’s more important. Honestly, I’d rather meet up as soon as possible and start having fun.”

Aira had taken a moment to calm herself after hearing the sincerity in Ryoma’s tone.

She was smart. If she admitted to watching, there would be a time discrepancy. To make things align, saying “from a distance” was the right move.

“Well, it’s not like she was hitting on me. She just asked for directions.”

“Ryoma-senpai, you’re terrible at making things up. No way a student would ask for directions from a guy clearly dressed in casual clothes.”

“Well, that’s just what happened.”

“Fine, I’ll believe you… just this once.”

Ryoma had lied, knowing that if he admitted to being hit on, it would upset Aira. He was being subtly considerate, but since Aira had seen everything, it was obvious to her.

“By the way, don’t you need to help with your class’s food stall? I thought everyone had to take turns.”

“I already did my shift yesterday, so I’m free today.”

“This festival lasts two days, right?”

“You know your stuff. The first day is just for students, so since I didn’t have plans with you then, I took my shift yesterday.”

“Thanks for doing that.”

“I’m the one who invited you. Of course, I’d make sure I had time… don’t underestimate me.”

Aira had been looking forward to spending the festival with Ryoma the most. She had finished her work yesterday so she wouldn’t have to waste any time today.

“So, you know… since I went through all that trouble, stay with me today, okay?”

With other students around, Aira grabbed Ryoma’s sleeve and leaned in slightly, as if they were a couple keeping their relationship low-key.

“You’re the one that better not disappears on me, Aira. I’m not even a graduate of this school. Being here alone would suck.”

“I’m not going anywhere. Besides, I’d be pissed if someone tried to take you away.”

“That’s a very ‘final boss’ thing to say.”

“Shut up! Come on, let’s go get some yakisoba.”

Pulling Ryoma along by the arm, Aira led him toward her class’s food stall—partly because she wanted to show him off just a little.