"So good..."
Besides their photo together, Nifuji also took many of her photos with her smartphone, which made Chizuru an amazing sight, thinking that he was amazing.
Every woman wants to be beautiful.
To be beautiful, they would do anything, so when she saw how beautiful she was in the photo taken by him—
"If I pay you, will you take my photos again?"
"..." Nifuji.
He wanted to see whether Chizuru was joking, but he could tell that she was serious.
"Shouldn't you go to your next appointment?"
Yup, four hours had passed, and instead of leaving him, letting him realize that he was a Cinderella, who should return to his reality, she stayed with him in the coffee shop near the aquarium.
"It's fine. I don't have an appointment after this."
"...." Nifuji.
What a liar, he thought, as he could tell that she had just canceled her appointment, making him quite helpless, as it made him unable to go back.
Then again, instead of going back to Eri and Mayuri, he felt that he should go back as he needed to take care of his laundry.
As a single man, whether he wanted to or not, he had to take care of everything on his own.
If he had a wife, they could support each other, but he didn't have one, or rather, should he bring the two together to live?
Living together.
This was the next step for a relationship, especially in this country.
While it was weird, he thought, shouldn't they just marry directly if they wanted to live together?
Yes, he didn't really agree with this living together relationship since, frankly, it was too harmful for women.
He might not care about other women, but for his future daughters, thinking about how they would live together with men, who might not even take responsibility despite having to enjoy their bodies and being taken care of, made him feel a little uncomfortable.
Some people might not agree since this relationship gave a buffer time, and if one wasn't suitable with the other, especially in that "area," they could stop before dating, but considering the nature of relationships in this country—
He might as well stop thinking.
Every place was different, and their culture was different, but even so, as a man, more or less, they were expected to be the same, as he needed to protect, to procreate, and to provide.
"But, what about you? Are you going to work?" Chizuru asked curiously.
"No, I am quite free."
"Then..." Chizuru hesitated for a while, then asked, "Is your girlfriend waiting for you?"
"....." Nifuji.
"As expected, you have a girlfriend!"
Her face was filled with blame as she looked at him.
"To be fair, let me explain."
"Go on."
Before Chizuru looked at him as if he were a scumbag, Nifuji decided to be honest with her. "Truth be told, I booked this rental girlfriend service appointment first before I got a girlfriend."
"...what do you mean?"
"Well... there was this woman that I was interested in, so I wanted to give her a good time, but as I wasn't sure whether I could give her a good time, I decided to train first by this rental girlfriend service."
While he decided to be honest, he also decided to add a lie, as it was impossible for him to tell about the existence of the system.
"But... somehow, you got a girlfriend first?"
"Yes." Nifuji nodded with a gentle smile on his face, thinking of how Eri had confessed to him. "She confessed to me first, so... then, we are dating."
"..."
"Congratulations..."
After a moment of silence, Chizuru congratulated him with a sweet, gentle smile.
"Thank you."
"Then, you shouldn't use this rental service again, you know? It isn't good for you to cheat."
"You are right."
Only, as he gave an answer, Chizuru looked at him weirdly. "What's wrong?"
"No, I just thought that you didn't think of this activity as cheating."
Yes, in many cases, the majority of men in this country thought that having a prostitute wasn't cheating.
"Of course, it is cheating, okay?"
"Then, even so, despite knowing it, you still held my hand?"
"..." Nifuji.
"Scumbag~!"
"....." Nifuji.
Yet, facing his helpless expression, Chizuru giggled, feeling comfortable.
Still, Nifuji looked at Chizuru and asked, "I know that I shouldn't have asked this..."
"It's fine. You can ask."
"Well... what if your boyfriend finds out that you have this job?"
If Chizuru's boyfriend knew that she worked as a rental girlfriend, what would he do?
Chiziru and he might only hold each other's hands, but while it was a bit arrogant of him to think in this way, as it might be because it was due to her professionalism, he felt like their hearts were connected as they enjoyed their moment together, especially on the top of the Skytree Tower. She held him tightly as she thought of him being afraid of heights.
Only—
"It's okay."
"Really?"
"Yup." Chizuru nodded. "I don't plan to get a boyfriend, after all."
"...you want a girlfriend?"
Chizuru bumped his side with her shoulder and lightly scolded him. "I am normal!"
"Good, then."
"...is there someone who swings that way on your side?"
"No comment."
"..." Chizuru.
Yup, let's not continue.
Still, as he sipped his cold brew coffee, Chizuru, who looked at her smartphone, stared at their picture together, noticing how well they fit each other. He might be a little older, but she felt that it was a good point as he was reliable, and frankly, with how she was, it was better to have someone she could rely on, protect her, but it was just one side wish, as she knew well that even if they had dated together, they were just in the end a stranger.
'I wonder what kind of person his girlfriend is...'
Yet, without a doubt, she was sure that Nifuji's girlfriend must be a sweet, reliable, and mature person, unlike her, who was still a university student.
'Let's go back after this.'
She felt that taking his time any longer was just too selfish, and because of that, she should go back, but when she thought so, she got a call from her grandmother, to which she immediately accepted.
"Hello, Grandma?"
'She's a grandma's girl.'
Nifuji thought that Chizuru was a sweet girl who was good at her family, which was good since in most cases, those old people, the grandparents, were quite miserable and lonely as they only got the companionship of their grandchildren when they needed money.
Only, as he thought of the sweet and filial conversation between Chizuru and her grandmother, she suddenly dropped her smartphone with a face that was completely drained of blood.
With a trembling, scared voice, her voice was filled with anxiety as she said, "My grandmother fell... and was hospitalized..."
"...." Nifuji.
---
Before I talk about my condition, let me apologize.
I am sorry!
However, I must admit that I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything around me, particularly with the numerous assignments, studies, and the seminar I will be attending from 15 to 18 October.
So, I might not upload much this week.
Just this week, okay?
Next week, especially on the 19th or 20th, it will return to normal.
Wait, let's make it 20 or 21 since I want to lie down for a bit, staring at nothing, thinking of nothing, without being overwhelmed by anything.
Thank you!