My Rental Boyfriend Is My Boss?! - Chapter 28

Chapter 28. Okay

“One room?”

“I’m sorry… This time of year is crowded with tourists, so I thought it would be nice for us girls to be together… I forgot to tell you.”

The ryokan* they had booked was a popular place to stay for tourists because of its convenient transportation. It was difficult to make changes on the day. Besides, Michiru was so focused on her first interview that she didn’t have time to even think about the inn.

When the disappointed Michiru returned from the lobby with one of the room keys, Kamijemori greeted her with a dumbfounded and annoyed expression.

“All right. It’s my fault for forgetting to check, and you can use this room. I’ll look for a business hotel nearby.”

“No, but…”

“You’ll have another interview tomorrow. As I said this morning, you’re the main one this time, so get some rest.”

Kamijemori interrupted Michiru’s words, picked up his luggage and started to leave.

At the sight of him, Michiru quickly reached out and grabbed his bag.

“Oh! Please wait a minute.”

“Huh?”

Although she was momentarily frightened by Kamijemori’s dumbfounded stare, Michiru’s hand gripped the bag firmly.

“I’ve been looking into it when I was deciding on a hotel, and it seems that there’s a famous idol concert nearby today and tomorrow, and all the hotels are booked up. That’s probably why all the hotels around here are…”

After some hesitation, Kamijemori finally turned to Michiru. Even so, his gaze drifted with a grim expression as if he still could not make up his mind.

Michiru was sure he’s not comfortable with the idea of sharing a room with a subordinate of the opposite sex, even if it was force majeure**. To be precise, this was the second time, but this time Kamijemori was straight-faced, which made his resistance all the more intense.

Of course, Michiru had mixed feelings about this, but it was because she regretted not taking two rooms when she made the reservation in advance, and felt bad for him.

If possible, Michiru would like to look around for a business hotel, since Kamijemori was her respected boss. But that would be a waste of time if the information she had researched beforehand was correct. Michiru didn’t have the planning skills, but she did have the research skills.

When Kamijemori couldn’t make up his mind, Michiru held up her hands.

“Sir! I swear I’m not going to do anything weird, so can we share the room?”

Perhaps it was Michiru’s energy that overwhelmed him, but Kamijemori was unusually blindsided and immediately coughed to hide it.

“You shouldn’t talk like that outside…”

Michiru looked around at Kamijemori’s words and saw that other guests in the lobby were also looking at her, wondering what was going on.

Michiru’s ears reddened and she quickly put her hand down.

“I’m sorry… but I-”

“I understand.”

“What?”

Kamijemori raised his hands in the same small way as Michiru. He turned away, looking somewhat embarrassed.

“I swear I won’t do anything weird either. I’m unwilling to do so, but it’s the way things are.”

“Yes, yes!”

Despite the unexpected turn of events, Michiru was a little happy.

For one thing, Kamijemori didn’t have to look around for a hotel. For another thing, she could see Kamijemori shyly raising his hands in approval.

If this had been an office, Michiru was sure Kamijemori would not have done this. Not in front of the other employees. Was it egotistical to think so?

“Wow, this room is much nicer than it looks in the pictures!”

The smell of rushes*** filled Michiru’s lungs as she entered the room she had reserved. The room was simply furnished with a stately table and two chairs, but Michiru was excited to see that the space was larger than she had expected.

She quickly ran up and put her luggage in a corner, then looked through the sink, toilet, and closet. When she finally opened the closet, she saw two yukatas piled up in a neat row underneath.

“Oh, Chief Editor, yukatas! Oh, by the way, this place has a large bathhouse, the lion’s…”

When Michiru turned around, she found Kamijemori closer than she expected, and her words trailed off.

He was about to stretch out his arm and pick up an empty hanger at the back of Michiru.

A soft whiff of familiar perfume hit Michiru’s nose, and she had a flashback.

“Come on, don’t be like that.”

The sweet sound of his voice, his gaze, his body heat, and the comfort in his chest.

“The lion?”

Michiru’s eyes met with Kamijemori’s, who seemed to have wondered at her abruptly broken words.

“Oh… they are famous for their lion figurines.”

“Heh.”

He tilted his head slightly, put on the jacket he had brought with him, and quickly left.

He took out his laptop from his luggage and immediately started typing something on the table. There was no time to catch her breath.

Michiru looked at him and unconsciously held her chest.

She took a deep breath and was a little disappointed to find that the scent she had smelled earlier had disappeared from the air. Michiru wondered if the strange feeling she felt in her chest was a remnant of that. Michiru felt as if she was expecting something for a moment… but what?

Unsure of her own feelings, Michiru gave the easiest answer she could.

‘I must be tired.’

Michiru quietly got ready and headed for the large bath so as not to disturb Kamijemori, who was concentrating on his work.

* Ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn with tatami rooms, communal baths and rental yukatas.

** Force majeure is a legal term referring to unforeseen circumstances that may prevent a party from fulfilling a contract.

*** Rushes is a type of lush grass used to make tatami mats.