I Started a Lover-for-Hire Service, And For Some Reason, Only Beautiful Girls Are Requesting Me - Chapter 87: Hazuki's Lover-For-Hire ⑤

The time was 9:40 PM.

Clang! Clink!

The sound echoed through the place. On Hazuki’s suggestion to relieve some stress, the two had stopped by a 24-hour batting center after their time at the beach.

It had been a while since Ryoma had felt this kind of unique atmosphere.

“Hehe, what do you think, Shiba-kun? Not bad, right?”

Having finished two rounds—40 pitches—Hazuki removed her helmet, looking slightly proud and pleased.

She hadn’t hit a home run, but about 30 out of 40 of her hits had been solid line drives—ones that could easily turn into hits. And that was while batting right-handed at 90 km/h. Her skills were more than enough to keep up even when playing alongside men.

Ryoma had played first, managing to hit around 20 line drives. He hadn’t done as well as Hazuki, but considering it had been years since he’d last played, it was still a decent result.

“Have you played baseball before, Hazuki-san?”

“Nope, I just copy what I see… Is it weird?”

“Oh, no, not at all. It actually looked really natural.”

“That’s good to hear. I come to the batting center about once a month, so maybe that’s why.”

“By yourself…?”

“Y-yeah, but… why do you look so surprised?”

A woman going to a batting center alone—Ryoma hadn’t heard of that often. And knowing Hazuki, who was often called a veteran killer queen in his industry, he had assumed—

“I just thought that maybe you went with some guy.”

“Oh, come on, Shiba-kun. You really misunderstand me sometimes. I don’t really have any male friends, you know?”

“Huh!? That’s a lie, right?”

“Why would I lie about that? Sure, I meet men in private sometimes, but it’s always for work-related discussions. And if I do hang out with someone, I just use a service, so there’s no need to exchange contact info.”

If anyone interested in Hazuki had overheard her saying I don’t have male friends, they would have been more than eager to make a move.

But she herself was unaware of it. She didn’t realize that because she was always in work mode, she gave off such a strong professional air that most men found it hard to casually ask for her contact information.

And even if they managed to, she would likely just store their number in her work phone.

Her serious nature acted as a kind of self-defense mechanism.

“Uh… don’t guys ever ask to exchange contact information with you?”

“You… you figured that out? At places like the batting center, or with other stand-in service agents besides you, they do ask sometimes… but I don’t get why. I mean, there’s no real point in exchanging numbers with me.”

“Um… well, you see, they probably mean it as a way to ask you out later.”

“H-huh? Really?”

“Yeah.”

How could she not realize she was being hit on?

For someone as sharp as Hazuki, it was a mystery how she remained oblivious to something like this.

“Hehe, I doubt going out with me would be all that fun.”

“Is that so? I enjoy spending time with you, Hazuki-san.”

“…!”

“I really do, Hazuki-san.”

“Y-you don’t have to say it twice… Geez, how can you say things like that so casually…?”

Little by little, Ryoma was beginning to understand Hazuki.
When something made her happy—especially when she was directly confronted about it—she would show a rare, flustered expression.

For Ryoma, who worked as a stand-in, knowing how to press those buttons was important. However, the more he did it, the more his own heart raced. In the end, it was a self-defeating act.

“I’m just speaking my mind. We had that conversation at the beach, after all. It wouldn’t be fair if I were the only one holding back.”

“…Somehow, it feels like you’re deliberately trying to throw me off balance, Shiba-kun, and it’s frustrating.”

“Haha, who knows?”

He wasn’t trying to frustrate her, but he wasn’t entirely innocent of the accusation either.

“…That smug look on your face is seriously irritating. I’ll wipe it off for you. Let’s have another batting match. The loser gets a penalty game.”

“Oh? Are you sure about that?”

“I have no doubt I’ll win. I hit more balls than you in the last 40-pitch round.”

“My body was just rusty. Next time, it won’t be that easy for you.”

“Oh, bold words. It’d be embarrassing if you lost now.”

“Same goes for you, Hazuki-san.”

A sudden battle of pride began. But because they were creating an atmosphere where they could enjoy themselves even more, there was no real tension—just friendly competition.

“So, what’s the penalty game?”

“Let’s decide after we win so we can enjoy the thrill… And, uh, just so you know, as a precaution, you’re not allowed to ask for those kinds of things… since you’re a guy and all…”

“Those kinds…?”

Ryoma had no intention of making any inappropriate requests. He was simply confused by her wording.

“H-honestly, men are such perverts… Making a woman say something like that just for fun…”

“Oh.”

Hearing those words and seeing Hazuki’s face flush slightly red, Ryoma inadvertently let out a small sound.

“…N-never mind that. Forget what I just said, Shiba-kun…”

Hazuki realized then—Ryoma hadn’t been trying to make her say that word on purpose.

“Uh, Hazuki-san… Am I really that lacking in common sense? I wouldn’t demand something like that as a penalty game. I know my place.”

“S-sorry… I just heard that guys tend to ask for things like that when it comes to penalty games…”

“Well… You’re not exactly wrong…”

It was true that some outgoing guys, especially those comfortable around women, might make such requests. That image wasn’t entirely baseless.

“…I don’t get what’s so fun about that anyway. Everyone’s just so… enthusiastic about it.”

“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never experienced it.”

“Same here.”

She shot back her response as quickly as flowing somen noodles.

“…”

“…”

“Eh?”

“Eh?”

A delayed exchange of question marks.

One might wonder what kind of conversation they were having in a batting center. Their heightened mood and excitement had caused them to slip up and self-destruct.

Unable to withstand the awkwardness, the two turned their faces away.

“…”

“…”

For the first time, they both realized—neither of them had experienced that before.

Yet, they had each assumed the other had.

“Alright! Let’s get to batting! I can’t afford to lose to you, Hazuki-san!”

“Y-yes, that’s right! I can’t afford to lose either!”

Their delivery was more robotic than any bad acting could ever be.

“…”

“…”

“Uh, who goes first?”

Feeling it was his duty as the stand-in, Ryoma took the initiative.

“You can go first… Virgin-kun.”

“Wh—!? What did you just say!?”

“Hehe, just a little mental warfare. Your batting average should take a hit now.”

It was a childish and unfair attack, unbefitting of someone older.

But she was only resorting to it because she really didn’t want to lose the penalty game.

“G-go ahead and try all you want… I’ll just pay you back twice as hard.”

“Oh my, can an innocent little thing like you really manage that?”

“…I-I’ll just focus on getting as many hits as possible and wipe that smug look off your face!”

“Do your best, Virgin-kun. Fufu.”

“Ugh… I will…!”

And so, the batting showdown with a penalty game on the line began.

The winner would be—