My Rental Boyfriend Is My Boss?! - Chapter 34

Chapter 34. Inoue

“Apparently, Inoue liked Kamijemori. She confessed to him, but he rejected her, and it was too hard for her to continue working with him, so she resigned.”

“What? Oh, really?”

Michiru hadn’t heard from Kamijemori that Inoue had confessed to him.

He would not talk about it even if he had, but still, he was completely unaware that such a thing had happened so close to him.

Michiru was stunned, and Morishita raised an eyebrow in disbelief at her reaction.

“Before she left, she was terrible, you know. She was so absent-minded that she couldn’t do her work, and during planning meetings she would suddenly start crying.”

“Yeah…”

It must have been only a few months ago, but Michiru didn’t remember it at all. What was she even doing?

‘Oh, at that time, I was researching various websites to make a fake boyfriend, reading… rules and regulations, and attending etiquette classes for the wedding.’

“I’m so self-conscious. I had no idea that such dramatic things were happening around me, and I dived into the storm myself.”

“But it’s not just Inoue. There have been a few girls who have quit after being rejected like that. If you look at it, you can see that Kamijemori is not the type to go out with people, but he looks like that and he can do the job.”

“I see.”

When Michiru heard that he wasn’t the type to go out with people, she felt disappointed.

But she was one of them right now. And he was the type to not get along with people.

‘Not the type to go out with, huh?’

Michiru couldn’t judge. But she understood that feeling right now was just business for him. His kind words and consideration were nothing more than fulfilling his job as a rental boyfriend, Michiru was not so dreamy as to think that he was serious, either.

“I’m sure you’ll find it hard to work in a workplace with someone you love.”

“Well, yes. It’s not a place where a lot of people come and go, especially since it’s all women here… For those who don’t like to see the person they love talking to other women, it might be unbearable.”

“Haha.”

She let out an indifferent sigh.

It’s not only that they are talking to other women, but Michiru witnessed them heading to the hotel district, so she understood how they felt.

“Well, for example, what would you do if you fell in love with someone you thought was impossible?”

Morishita frowned at Michiru’s words, as if thinking for a moment.

“Oh, just for example…”

Morishita nodded to Michiru. She was sure it was obvious, but Michiru had only a bit of pride.

“Yes, for example. Um… it depends on the position and the relationship, but if we work in the same place, I think I’ll keep as much distance as possible.”

“Distance?”

“It’s hard to change jobs, isn’t it? It’s rather hard to get in here, and there are a lot of people who come here with a dream, right? It’s a shame to quit because of that.”

“That’s true…”

“So before things get awkward, I think you should stop seeing each other in private until you feel more comfortable, or give yourself some time to think.”

“… I see.”

Michiru almost took note of it, but then she realized something. Michiru looked up slowly and Morishita added, “For example.”

Michiru nodded quietly and gently removed her hand from her notepad.

‘Ugh…’

After Morishita left the desk, Michiru sat still in front of the computer. What was going through her mind was the conversation they had just had.

‘… Inoue, you liked Minoru.’

Michiru didn’t know that at all. It’s not like they were close to begin with, and it’s impossible for Michiru, who was not familiar with such things, to notice it from the outside, but the fact left no small amount of shock in her heart. She felt as if it was her future.

‘The party is this weekend. We were talking about maybe two before then, but for… Minoru, I’m just one of his guests.’

Michiru wondered how many dates he had with that girl she saw on the street. The image of them walking side by side flickered in her mind.

She wondered if Kamijemori was smiling at that time. She wondered if he smiled as softly as he does at Michiru, and when he’s drunk, does he stretch out his arms to her with a hefty grin?

“Come here.”

The memory rewrote itself. He stretched out his arm, and the skinny woman responded. The two of them entwine and overlap.

‘No!’

Michiru opened her eyes. On the display, she saw her own face, looking worried. Michiru blinked, and for a moment, that face looked like Inoue’s.

‘I don’t want to quit.’

Michiru has a very clear dream. She knew which she should cherish more, the dream she wanted to fulfill or the thought that would never come true. She was just so shocked that she couldn’t move.

Michiru felt the light return to her eyes. It had only been a day, but at this moment, it felt like the whole world had opened up to her.

She didn’t want to quit no matter what. Michiru didn’t want to confess to Kamijemori and make things awkward. There’s only one thing to do then.

‘… Okay.’

Michiru made up her mind.

She picked up her phone and opened a website that she had already accessed many times. It was a rental boyfriend site.

‘’The party should be fine. Please let me cancel the booking… Okay.’

Michiru hit the send button.

A week earlier than she had planned, Michiru finished her contract with the rental boyfriend.

‘Well, next is…’

After ending the relationship with her rental boyfriend, Michiru knew what she had to do next. Work.

In front of her eyes, there was a proposal that was tattered in the meeting earlier. Michiru needed to get this into shape first.

“There are people who will gladly lend a hand if you ask them to.”

Even at a time like this, Michiru couldn’t help but think of Kamijemori’s words and his expression.

However, Kamijemori was the first person to say such things to her. It was also the first time he told her head-on about trusting people.

‘… Umm… The advice is innocent and…’

Normally, Michiru wouldn’t talk to anyone else about this. But Michiru hesitated, and cautiously called out to Morishita, who was sitting behind her.

“Can you have a look at…?”

“Hmm? Of course. Let me have a look.”

Morishita looked over the proposal she was offered.

“You rewrote the previous one, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I did. I just couldn’t get rid of it, and I was wondering if I could use it if I changed my point of view somehow.”

It was something that had been rejected a long time ago. It was based on a proposal where a drunken Kamijemori drew character relationships on the back.

Michiru hadn’t looked at it in a while, and the enthusiasm she felt back then came back to her, and she really wanted to use it as a project, but the results were disastrous.

Morishita nodded as she finished looking at the three or so pages of proposals that were full of flaws.