Chapter 50: The Beautiful Woman's Request
Part-time job, Thursday: Rent-a-Boyfriend.
The client this time was the same beautiful woman as before — she had lost her son early on, and more recently became a widow. Neighbors around her whispered that she was unlucky.
But Sakurai Saki didn't care much about that; he was simply working to earn his pay.
However, the relationship between the two of them was less like a standard business arrangement and more like an exchange of "familial affection."
Minamoto Mashiro — that was the woman's name.
Her son had died when he was little, so she placed Sakurai Saki in a similar position, pouring all her remaining love onto him.
And for certain reasons, Sakurai did not refuse that affection.
The two of them were mutually dependent.
For this job, Sakurai Saki felt that calling it "rent-a-boyfriend" was a bit of a stretch — calling it "rent-a-little-brother" or "rent-a-son" might have been more accurate.
"Saki-kun~ eat this~" Minamoto Mashiro picked up a piece of vegetable and placed it in Sakurai's bowl. "A growing boy needs to eat a lot."
(..◜ᴗ◝..)
Sakurai Saki smiled: "Thank you, Mashiro-san."
He gazed at the woman before him, momentarily dazed.
"What's wrong?" The beautiful woman gently stroked his cheek, asking with concern, "Did I not cook it well? I simmered it for a long time today, and even added lotus root just like you like."
"Didn't you say last time that lately you've been craving simmered dishes?"
Snapping out of it, Sakurai Saki gave her a soft smile.
He gently replied: "No, Mashiro-san, it's delicious."
It was just that, for a moment, he had been reminded of some long-ago memory.
"As long as you like it~" Minamoto Mashiro stood up and scooped more rice for him.
"A boy needs to eat plenty to grow strong. If Saki-kun stays this skinny, I'll be so worried~"
( ˊᵕˋ )♡.°⑅
Sakurai Saki didn't argue, quietly accepting the bowl she handed over.
"Actually, I'm not that skinny."
Though he looked slim on the outside, Sakurai Saki wasn't lacking in muscle — it just wasn't very visible.
The local punks who had been on the receiving end of his fists would probably know that best — after all, their bodies had experienced it firsthand.
"Even so, you should eat a little more." Minamoto Mashiro advised, "Every day I see online, they say pretty boys often get pinned to the wall by girls..."
Sakurai Saki: (,,¬﹏¬,,)
In his mind, the image immediately popped up of Ai-chan pinning him against the blackboard that morning.
Honestly, it was so embarrassing!
[You must already understand my feelings]
That was what she'd said then — Sakurai Saki remembered it very clearly.
"…A boy going outside needs to know how to protect himself, or he'll get seduced by bad women."
(｡•ˇ‸ˇ•｡)
The beautiful woman, with her hair tied loosely to the side in that famously nicknamed "Mommy death flag" style, continued lecturing.
Saki-kun was so handsome, surely there were plenty of girls who liked him.
And he was gentle, kind, a good-natured boy who didn't know how to refuse or hurt others.
Boys like that were easily deceived by girls when they went out.
Thinking this, Minamoto Mashiro's eyes were filled with visible worry.
"Saki-kun, do you have someone you like yet? Can you tell me about it?" Minamoto Mashiro set her chopsticks on her bowl — she had finished eating.
"Not yet." Sakurai Saki looked at her, answering.
Whether it was his feelings toward Fujiwara Chika or Hayasaka Ai, he still didn't feel it was strong enough to call "liking."
For Sakurai Saki, "liking" was a very complicated matter.
His supernatural ability [Self-Restraint] — Clause Two: Until he had complete control over his powers, he must not fall in love easily.
The supernatural ability was dangerous, and Saki understood that better than anyone, so he was always extremely serious when it came to matters of the heart.
If it was just a purely physical relationship, with no emotional involvement, Sakurai Saki wouldn't feel any psychological burden. But whether it was Fujiwara Chika or Hayasaka Ai — who today had practically confessed directly — both were serious people.
Sakurai Saki was a coward. Compared to Hayasaka Ai, he might even be more timid. He didn't dare take the initiative, didn't dare confess. He didn't want to be the one to take the first step; he only hoped someone else would make the decision for him.
In this so-called "confession battle," Sakurai Saki never actually intended to step onto the battlefield. He was just a flag planted in the middle of the war zone — or to be more precise: a block of wood.
And a block of wood cannot confess.
He was playing the role of that block of wood with utmost seriousness!
"That's a relief~" Minamoto Mashiro let out a soft sigh of relief after hearing his answer.
(◡ ‿ ◡ .)
"If you ever have someone you like, be sure to tell me, okay? I can help you think of a way."
Sakurai Saki picked up some food, took a bite, then replied:
"If that happens, I'll tell you, Mashiro-san."
Just as he finished speaking, Minamoto Mashiro seemed to suddenly remember something, and she quickly spoke up:
"Oh right, Saki-kun~ Tomorrow I have something I'd like to ask you to help with. I'll pay the contract cancellation fee."
"What is it?"
Sakurai Saki didn't immediately refuse.
Even among clients, there were levels. Besides, if he canceled a contract, he'd have to pay three times the deposit — even more than the client would — and usually, those clients, once refunded, wouldn't complain much anyway.
"Modeling for a magazine." Minamoto Mashiro said: "Tomorrow I'll take you to a studio in Shinjuku, it was personally requested by your Yoko-san."
The moment he heard the name Yoko, an image immediately popped into Sakurai Saki's mind — a sultry older woman with wine-colored curly hair.
"Mashiro-san, I'll come by an hour after school." He nodded, accepting the request.
Minamoto Mashiro let out a relieved breath.
"You really help me a lot by agreeing. The male model for the magazine suddenly couldn't make it, and if they have a female model dress up as a guy, it'll just look too weird~" Minamoto Mashiro explained.
After speaking, as if she remembered something, she clapped her hands twice, making a crisp "clap clap" sound.
"That's right, that's right!"
"The female model you'll be shooting with tomorrow is quite pretty too, Saki-kun, you can look forward to it a little."
(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧
Seeing her make such childish gestures that didn't quite match her age, Sakurai Saki smiled at her: "Since it's Mashiro-san saying so, I guess I'll look forward to it~"
As long as it's not someone I know.
...
By the time he left Minamoto Mashiro's luxury apartment, it was already past eight in the evening.
Sakurai Saki headed to the nearby optical shop to buy contact lenses, then stopped by a convenience store.
He dropped a coin into the vending machine, pressed the button for black coffee.
"Clank~"
The coffee can dropped down.
He picked it up, popped open the tab, and took a sip.
The cherry blossoms near the convenience store were still in full bloom. The night wind blew through, scattering a few petals onto his head.
"Nyan?" He softly opened his mouth, letting out a gentle little sound.
He had gotten pretty good at controlling his power today, able to "nyan" inside his head to dodge the reflexive habit of ending sentences out loud with it. Even earlier with Mashiro, he hadn't accidentally let out that cute "nyan" sound.
As he mimicked a cat's meow, a strange girl emerged from the convenience store, just in time to hear it.
She glanced at Sakurai Saki's face, then quietly pulled out her phone…
"Hello there~" Sakurai Saki turned to her, flashing a radiant, sunshine-like smile.
The girl: ( ˶o˶˶o˶) !!
The girl froze for a few seconds, then hurriedly bowed in apology, insisting she hadn't meant to take a sneaky photo.
Sakurai Saki shook his head, signaling it was fine, and the girl quickly left.
The spring night breeze was not warm at all.
The cold wind swept past Sakurai Saki's temple.
"Time to head home."
As he spoke, the coffee can traced a graceful arc through the air, landing perfectly into the trash bin.
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