I Started a Lover-for-Hire Service, And For Some Reason, Only Beautiful Girls Are Requesting Me - Chapter 90: Hazuki's Lover-For-Hire ⑧

“I’m… alright now.”

“Are you satisfied?”

“Mm…”

How many minutes had he continued stroking her? After hearing her voice in the quieted space, Ryoma slowly raised himself up and withdrew from Hazuki’s driver’s seat.

Both Ryoma and Hazuki had suffered similar psychological damage, but the one with the advantage was Ryoma, the lover-for-hire. Hazuki possessed the skill of not showing fatigue, but on the other hand, Ryoma had developed the ability to hide his embarrassment from having maintained composure multiple times during client requests. In this situation, Ryoma was the one who could adapt better.

There was one more thing. If Ryoma showed his true feelings now, an awkward silence would fall between them, creating the worst possible atmosphere. It was better for one person to remain calm and act as if nothing had happened for things to proceed smoothly. Only his reddened face was left to fix.

“Then excuse me, I’ll turn on the car’s dial.”

And true to his word, Ryoma turned on the music in the car, put on his sneakers, and sat on the backrest of the passenger seat.

“…”

“…”

Ryoma’s timing in filling the car with music was perfect. They were able to escape the silence that would have dominated after the head-patting incident.

Nearly a minute passed.

“Shiba-kun… You can’t do that…”

Still not raising the backrest, Hazuki remained lying down with her arms covering her face, speaking in a trembling voice.

“I can’t show this face to anyone…”

“When you say that, it makes me even more determined to see it.”

“If you force something like that, I’ll sue you. I’ll make you quit this job…”

She continued to keep her face turned away. Even so, Hazuki was speaking in a serious tone. Just as she didn’t want her tearful face to be seen, she probably didn’t want her reddened face to be seen either.

“Please spare me that… I don’t want Hazuki-san to be comforted by someone else.”

“You sa-say things like that, but I bet you do the same thing with other clients…”

Ryoma didn’t notice that Hazuki’s voice carried a hint of jealousy and sulking. He was maintaining his usual demeanor to keep the conversation flowing. There was no room for anything other than composure.

“No, Hazuki-san is truly the first.”

Ryoma wasn’t lying. Although he had done the bed-bang with Himeno, he had never… patted her head after that. While it might sound like a technicality, giving the impression that he did this with everyone wouldn’t look good.

“That’s a lie… Someone doing this for the first time couldn’t possibly…”

“Then, would you like to see my face right now? My face feels so hot…”

“No way… Th-then you’d see my face too…”

“Haha, that’s true.”

“Idiot… You’re always on guard.”

Though Hazuki was insulting Ryoma, he didn’t feel bad at all. It seemed more like she was hiding her embarrassment.

“…Hazuki-san, what shall we do now? We still have time left.”

The time was 10:31 PM. Ryoma could continue the substitute service until midnight. That meant they had about an hour and a half left.

“Do you… still want to go out with me, Shiba-kun?”

“Of course. Being with Hazuki-san is enjoyable.”

“…!”

To earn money, Ryoma wanted the substitution to last as long as possible. With that feeling, he also genuinely enjoyed being with Hazuki. If possible, he wanted to spend time with her until the very end.

“Pl-please don’t say things like that… It won’t help me recover…”

“I’m sorry about that. But since it’s the truth, I won’t take it back. If it’s alright with you, I’d like to stay together until midnight.”

“Well then, let’s go to a family restaurant… I think you must be hungry after all that physical activity.”

“Yes, thank you.”

It was an unspoken rule that substitutes should not request or demand extensions from clients. If such information reached the substitute company, it would result in a severe warning. The decision ultimately rested with the client.

“Shiba-kun. Before we go to the family restaurant, can I… stay like this a little longer? After a bit more time passes, I’ll be able to face you.”

“Yes, that’s completely fine. In the meantime, I’ll go buy some drinks. Thanks to the batting activity, my throat is dry…”

The drink he’d bought before the substitution was already empty. Although he could get drinks at the family restaurant, it wouldn’t hurt to buy some now. He also wanted to feel the cold air outside to calm his heart.

Though the two were conversing without any awkwardness, the atmosphere floating between them was somehow both sweet and heavy.

“What would you like, Hazuki-san?”

“Cold tea, please… I’ll pay you back later.”

“No, don’t worry about it. I’ll be back then.”

Ryoma went outside with his wallet in hand. At this moment, he had a thought. Despite what he said earlier—he was relieved not to have seen Hazuki’s face.

Because he would surely have been captivated by it. And with that alone, his composed facade would have easily crumbled, bringing their conversation to a halt…

“…This feeling is just my imagination. I’m merely happy, that’s why I feel this way…”

Alone in the car, Hazuki placed a hand on her chest and muttered in a small voice. Nevertheless, deep down, she knew…