Chapter 3: The Bearing of an Old Acquaintance

What’s going on? What’s going on? What’s going on?

Yuzuki Yamabuki heard his muttering and was still in a daze. To get a grip on the situation, she scrutinized the rented boyfriend in front of her from head to toe.

Because Ryuusei was wearing a mask, she couldn’t see his full face… That was true, but his eyebrows, eyes, and hair were clearly visible from the front.

He was tall and well-built, dressed stylishly, with jet-black hair and very fair skin. His eyebrows were thick and neat, his eye contours deep, and his bright black eyes sparkled with vitality.

“Sugawara? Sugawara Ryuichi?”

Though he wasn’t in a school uniform but casual clothes, the more Yuzuki looked, the more familiar he seemed, until a name suddenly popped into her mind.

Sugawara Ryuichi didn’t respond to her question but reached up with one hand to pull off the strap from his ear and removed the mask covering his face.

He couldn’t wear the mask forever; sooner or later he had to take it off—after all, today’s date was to attend a class reunion, where they would definitely eat.

[Yuzuki Yamabuki feels her heart flutter, Heartbeat +2]

The moment he took off his mask, Sugawara Ryuichi noticed a prompt flashing at the corner of his eye.

At the same time, Yuzuki caught sight of his true face and was struck as if by lightning, frozen on the spot.

No way. The rented boyfriend she casually found on Twitter turned out to be her own student. How could such a coincidence exist?

No, perhaps this result wasn’t just a coincidence.

Ever since Tuesday, when she heard the buzz among students about renting girlfriends and boyfriends, she had been browsing the dedicated rental boyfriend app and related websites for days, trying to find someone to pretend to be her boyfriend at the reunion but couldn’t make up her mind.

Although the rental boyfriends on the app were all professionals and each had their own charm and type, she always hesitated and felt uneasy when it came to private consultations after carefully narrowing down candidates.

Despite days of indecision, last night she came across Ryuusei recruiting clients under the hashtag #TokyoRentalBoyfriend on Twitter and made up her mind within a very short time.

Because the moment she saw Ryuusei’s profile picture, she found him exceptionally handsome—his looks, aura, hair color, eyes, and the vibe he gave off were all very comforting, completely different from the shallow rental boyfriends on the app.

That feeling didn’t change even after they moved to private consultation and decided to meet in person.

Looking back now, the reason she decided so quickly was entirely because Ryuusei’s profile picture bore the resemblance of an old acquaintance—Sugawara Ryuichi himself.

He was unlike other students when learning English, with no Japanese accent but a particularly pleasant tone. He was also very diligent in class and achieved excellent grades, her favorite student.

My life is over... Having my favorite student discover that his teacher is a pathetic adult who needs to rent a boyfriend to pretend to be her partner at a reunion.

After a mental storm, Yuzuki felt utterly ashamed and wished she could disappear into a hole.

“So, what now? Is this date still going to continue?”

Sugawara Ryuichi, noticing her long freeze and no response, obviously shocked beyond words, took the initiative to speak.

Although it was a pity to end the date just after meeting, he had already gained 3 points of heart flutter, equivalent to 300,000 yen. Even if he took the afternoon off for this, it was a worthwhile deal—actually, he felt he had made a great profit.

“What?”

Yuzuki was surprised by his casual attitude after coming back to her senses.

“You’re my teacher, right? If I pretend to be your boyfriend and accompany you to a reunion, won’t that be terrible? If people find out we have a teacher-student relationship, your life is over.”

Finding she hadn’t grasped the situation, Sugawara Ryuichi leaned down to her side to quietly help her sort things out, as there were people around.

To avoid misunderstandings, he positioned himself sideways, not face-to-face.

Suddenly, seeing him lean in so close, even from the side, made Yuzuki’s heart race.

[Yuzuki Yamabuki’s heartbeat quickens, Heartbeat +1]

Noticing the prompt, Sugawara Ryuichi was a bit surprised and quickly pulled back, glancing at the downcast teacher.

He couldn’t tell if the system’s standard for detecting heart flutters was too simple or if Yuzuki really was that easily moved.

In just a moment, he had already gained 4 points of heart flutter—equivalent to 400,000 yen. This rental boyfriend job suited him perfectly.

“You’re right.”

As the distance between them grew, Yuzuki’s chaotic mind tried hard to understand the situation and agreed with his judgment.

A student-teacher romance, though not illegal, was undoubtedly a taboo, a forbidden act not accepted by society.

If she entered into such a relationship with Sugawara Ryuichi, at best her teaching career would be over; at worst, she would be socially dead.

“You said last night we have two hours to prepare in advance. That means the reunion should start in about two hours, right? You can still find another rental boyfriend on the app to pretend to be your boyfriend. I’ll leave first then.”

Having helped her clear her thoughts and come up with a backup plan, Sugawara Ryuichi, feeling pleased with himself, decided to go home and find another client.

Being a rental boyfriend suited him too well; not only could he earn money from clients, but also gain heart flutter points from the system—a win-win!

Since Yuzuki was standing with her back to Shibuya Station, Sugawara Ryuichi passed right by her.

“We agreed on six hours, and it ends like this. You won’t blame me, will you?”

Just as they brushed past each other, Yuzuki, still flustered, suddenly grabbed his arm.

“No, I understand your difficulties, and I don’t like making things hard for others.”

Sugawara Ryuichi glanced back at her casually, unfazed.

Though they were ending their date right after meeting, unlike other rental boyfriends who might feel stood up or disappointed, he had no such worries.

First, he knew he wasn’t the type to be discarded upon exposure; second, he had already made a tidy sum.

“Oh.”

Realizing he bore no resentment or complaint but was so considerate, Yuzuki’s tension eased.

“Bye.”

With her worries cleared, Sugawara Ryuichi gently pulled his arm free and waved goodbye as he continued walking.

But before he could take a few steps, his arm was grabbed again.

“What now?”

Being pulled twice in a row, Ryuichi grew a little impatient and looked back.

“It’s just pretending to be a boyfriend once. That shouldn’t count as a student-teacher romance, right?”

Yuzuki held onto his arm with both hands, meeting his impatient gaze, hesitated briefly, then chose her words carefully.