The Heroines Want to Confess

"Eh? A new face~?" Hayasaka Ai covered her mouth dramatically.

"So handsome! Is this Eri-chan's boyfriend?"

She shot a quick glance at Sakurai.

What the hell is this guy up to?

How did he end up hanging out with a bunch of gyaru?

"Hello, I'm Eri's boyfriend, Yuu. This must be our first time meeting?"

"Yeah, first time."

Hayasaka took off the jacket tied around her waist. The room was a bit warm.

She glanced around for a seat and noticed that the only open spot was… next to Ryota.

Disgusting.

Maybe I should just kill this guy sometime?

He'd been pestering her for days now.

Clatter.

Something fell from her jacket pocket.

"Oh, oops. Sorry about that."

"..."

One of the gyaru sitting at the edge stared at the object, frozen.

Was that…

A gun?!!

What?!?!?!

"I'm really into guns, so I collect model firearms," Hayasaka said casually, picking up the weapon.

Hey! That sound when it hit the floor was way too loud!

Do model guns really sound like that?

"Look, it's fake."

Hayasaka expertly chambered the gun.

Click.

"..."

She pointed the muzzle directly at Ryota.

As the delinquent's face twisted in pure terror, Hayasaka ejected the bullet with a smooth, practiced motion.

"Model guns these days are so realistic! Just like the real thing," Eri said, trying to lighten the mood.

'That's because it IS a real gun,' Hayasaka thought to herself.

As Shinomiya Kaguya's personal maid, carrying a firearm for self-defense was perfectly normal.

Not that she ever intended to actually kill anyone—just for intimidation, really.

The others in the room noticed that Hayasaka clearly didn't want to sit next to Ryota. A thoughtful gyaru who'd been seated beside Sakurai stood up to make room for her.

And just like that, Hayasaka smoothly took the seat next to Sakurai.

"Hi~"

Sakurai's sunny smile hadn't wavered.

But internally, he was dying of secondhand embarrassment.

He'd mentally prepared himself for the possibility of running into someone he knew during work…

But this was… next-level awkward.

I could probably dig a hole with just my toes right now…

Hayasaka was smiling too.

But they didn't talk much.

Sakurai, as a professional rental boyfriend, kept his attention on his client. Ignoring your temporary girlfriend? That was a surefire way to tank your ratings.

Anything that might affect his income needed to be handled early.

The rest of the karaoke session was a blur of meaningless chatter and loud singing.

Sakurai, swept up in the group dynamic, even sang a few songs himself.

After they parted ways, Sakurai ended the work relationship with Eri on a street corner in Shibuya.

As she watched his figure disappear into the crowd, Eri felt a strange emptiness in her heart.

The sweetness and warmth from earlier had vanished, replaced with cold reality.

Of course, this was just professional detachment—it was a testament to his skill.

But still…

It would've been nice if he cared about me. Just a little…

Maybe I could rent him again tomorrow?

With that thought, she pulled out her smartphone, decorated with a pink case and stickers, and opened the rental boyfriend app.

'What the…?!'

Fully booked.

The next available slot was… a month from now.

…

Sakurai stood at the train station entrance, fixing his hair and straightening his clothes.

At a vending machine, he inserted some coins and waited for the drink to drop.

He was a coffee addict. If he went too long without caffeine, he'd get sluggish.

One bottle fell.

Sakurai bought a second.

Clunk!

As the coffee dropped into the tray, a slender, pale hand with delicate fingers snatched it away.

Hayasaka Ai.

She cracked open the bottle and took a sip.

"Black coffee… so bitter."

"Then don't drink it," Sakurai grumbled.

Freeloading and complaining. Great combo.

"I don't even like coffee. You always make me drink it," Hayasaka muttered, now wearing her jacket again.

It was 8 p.m., and the air was chilly.

"Don't tell Fujiwara about this," Sakurai warned after a few sips.

If Fujiwara found out about his side job… she'd probably book him solid for the next two years.

"Your job now is… being a rental boyfriend?"

"You knew?"

Sakurai glanced over, watching Hayasaka pull out her phone and casually open a wiki page about rental boyfriends.

"Using a wiki to find the answer? You're shameless, Ai-chan."

"Are you a grandpa from the Showa era or something? Your acceptance of new things is pathetic," Hayasaka teased.

"I'll kill you, Ai-chan," Sakurai muttered, taking another sip of coffee.

The comforting bitterness and caffeine hit made him squint contentedly.

"You don't have to do this kind of smile-for-hire work," Hayasaka said, watching him carefully.

She wondered if he thought host clubs were too sleazy, so he chose this as a compromise.

Honestly, though… wasn't rental dating about the same thing?

Maybe a bit more respectable.

"8000 yen an hour. You're not finding that anywhere else," Sakurai replied, exhaling into the cool Shibuya night.

Around them, young women in trendy outfits wandered past, while neon lights from distant clubs flickered in the background.

"I'll sponsor you," Hayasaka said suddenly.

"…What?"

Sakurai turned his head, genuinely surprised.

Her expression gave nothing away—same as always.

A joke?

"Just kidding," Hayasaka backed down immediately.

The conversation stalled, and silence settled between them.

"Never thought I'd end up with dirt in your hands," Sakurai said, half-laughing.

"Same, Sakura-chan. You wouldn't want the whole school to know your little secret, right?"

With a careless toss, Hayasaka threw her empty coffee can into a distant trash bin.

Clang!

Perfect shot.

"Let's just go to a love hotel," Sakurai said casually.

"Since you've discovered my secret, I guess I have no choice but to offer up my precious body to you."

"..."

Whatever flicker of interest Hayasaka had just vanished into thin air.

"I was just going to suggest you play support tonight while I carry."

"Games again?" Sakurai raised an eyebrow.

"Shouldn't we talk about something… more adult?"

He knew her weakness.

Hayasaka wasn't good with direct advances—high attack, paper-thin defense.

"I'll tell the whole school about your job tomorrow," Hayasaka threatened.

"Okay, fine. Let's talk about the game."

Sakurai immediately backed down.

If the entire school found out… he'd probably have to kill all the witnesses.

Of course, that was just a joke.

Probably.

Tomorrow's superpower would change anyway—without the Death Note ability, murder would be a lot more effort than it was worth.

Making money was more practical.

"You said you got a tutoring job too, right? And the family has… five kids?" Hayasaka said, suddenly yanking Sakurai's jacket off and wrapping it around herself.

Now cold, Sakurai replied, "Just Mondays through Wednesdays. Only one of them's willing to study right now—Nakano Miku from Class C. Her parents are school shareholders, and my teacher recommended me."

"Alone with a cute girl… lucky~" Hayasaka teased, her gaze sly.

"Sakurachan"

"You're so jealous, Ai-chan."

"Don't flatter yourself. We're just friends. No one's ever gonna like a guy like you~"

Tsundere much? Ai-chan…

How cute…