My Rental Boyfriend Is My Boss?! - Chapter 40

Chapter 40. Because It’s Different

He was a little older than Michiru, maybe not much taller, with his hair brushed back with an overly applied gel and a large Latin-style open busted outfit that showed off his well-trained body.

“This guy’s name is Mukai, and he was here alone today. Since Oikawa is also alone, I thought it would be a good time for us to have a little chat.”

“Eh, no, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“That’s fine. Mukai, this is Oikawa. This is Oikawa, a friend of my husband’s, but she doesn’t have a partner today. May I ask you to be her partner?”

As if assessing Michiru, his strong-willed, dark-eyed eyes stared at her without hesitation.

After a strange pause that made Michiru feel fiercely uncomfortable, the man delayed a tempo and held out a thick hand, saying, “Nice to meet you.” Michiru grabbed his hand without hesitation.

‘You’re not like Minoru… at all, are you?’

It was obvious, but Michiru felt disappointed when she noticed the trivial differences in the thickness, temperature, size and grip of his hand. She knew that there was no point in comparing them, but she couldn’t stop herself from doing it unconsciously.

Nakamura clapped a small hand to his chest in satisfaction.

“Well, that’s nice. The height difference is perfect. You know, Mukai takes Latin and waltz classes at our school. Why don’t you dance to a song for us?”

“No way.”

Although Michiru had come to the party, she had no intention of dancing. She was just going to eat what she paid for and go home.

Michiru couldn’t even dance alone, but she also couldn’t dance with so many people. She’d never danced with people before.

Michiru was sure she’d embarrass the person she’s dancing with. Surely Michiru would annoy this man with her bad memory.

As Michiru panicked, Nakamura gently held her hand as if she was a child.

“It’s okay, don’t you think? Since you’ve come all this way, it would be a shame not to dance, wouldn’t it? Besides, this kind of thing is led by a man, so you should let him lead you.”

“I don’t want to cause you any trouble.”

“That’s not true. You know what? Come on, Mukai, don’t just stand there. Ask her to dance.”

As Michiru slowly retreated, Nakamura pushed Mukai away.

The man stroked his messy hair back, then bent at the waist somewhat exaggeratedly and held out one hand. He looked at Michiru theatrically.

“Would you like to dance to a song?”

As soon as he did, Michiru felt a strange sensation.

When she was a child, she had imagined this scene many times. A man at a dance party asking her to dance with him. It must be the most romantic moment of her life.

That’s what Michiru thought.

‘… Huh?’

Her heart was not shaken at all. Not even a bit. It’s the same scene Michiru had imagined so many times in her dreams, but she didn’t feel nervous or excited.

Michiru couldn’t help but look dubious at her own lack of emotion. She wondered if her mind hadn’t caught up with the suddenness of the event.

As she tilted her head, Nakamura cleared her throat. The look in his eyes told Michiru to accept the invitation quickly. Mukai, too, seemed to feel a little awkward at not being able to immediately grab the hand he offered.

“Oh, excuse me… uh…”

It’s not a big deal. All Michiru had to do was take the hand in front of her and dance with this man. She was a bit nervous, but Michiru was sure Nakamura knew she couldn’t dance, so she gave her a partner. Michiru was sure Nakamura knew that she wouldn’t be able to dance anyway. That’s all there was to it.

‘Why is that?’

Michiru couldn’t grab his hand. She knew the reason immediately.

‘Because it’s different.’

Kamijemori’s hands were more bony, thinner, but still strong. His fingers were so long that they could easily cover Michiru’s hand, but when they held hands, there was a small gap between their palms as if they were reserved.

After a date with Kamijemori, Michiru suddenly smelled a nice scent coming from her own hands, probably from his hand cream. The slight traces of his presence made Michiru secretly excited and she looked forward to the next date.

To Kamijemori, it would be nothing. He would hold hands with other women. He would go on dates. But for Michiru, it was different.

‘I only want to hold hands with Minoru…’

It was wrong for her to come here alone after all. Michiru never thought that she would have such a hard time comparing him to other men. She never thought that falling in love would be such a special feeling.

“Oikawa?”

Nakamura whispered impatiently into Michiru’s ear.

“It’s rude to say no.”

“… Oh, I mean…”

Nakamura knew Michiru because she’s an adult. It was probably clear that she didn’t want to, but if Michiru just danced quickly, it’s all right. Michiru understood it in her head, but she couldn’t do it.

“Huh?”

“It’s your first time, right? I’ll take the lead and you’ll be fine. I’m good at this song.”

“Wait… it hurts.”

He grabbed Michiru’s wrist and held it tightly. Michru was not sure if it’s because he wanted to dance quickly to a song that he was good at, or because he didn’t want to listen to Michiru’s resistance, but he pulled her along, and she couldn’t stop walking towards the center of the hall.

Just dance. If you could just dance with someone you didn’t like, why not?

Her calm self whispered in her head, but the man’s painful grip on her wrist made Michiru want to cry.

“Excuse me.”

At that moment, someone grabbed the man’s arm, pulling on Michiru’s thin wrist. A quiet voice echoed.

‘No way.’

Michiru opened her eyes and looked up at the person. Mukai, who had grabbed her arm, was also surprised and stopped walking.

‘Why? Is it a dream?’ 

The figure was not supposed to be here, and Michiru wondered if she had fallen in love so much that she had created a hallucination.

But for a hallucination, he was a bit ragged.

Although he was dressed in a party-appropriate suit, a dark three-piece with a shiny, deep ruby red tie, he was there, breathing hard with sweat on his forehead.