Normally, Kenji didn't mind crowded trains. He was never one to complain about personal space or busy areas, since he was quite the social butterfly anyway. He didn't even care when a stranger bumped into him, because every once and a while, that stranger was an attractive girl. That was unlikely, given his bad luck, but he was all right with those odds.
However, he wasn't pleased with the busyness of the train today.
"If push comes to shove, I'm literally going to have to push and shove," he commented to his classmate and long-time friend standing beside him. The slightly taller boy laughed dryly.
"The train'll stop at the platform in five minutes. What time do you have to meet her again?"
"IN ONE MINUTE," Kenji retorted, his heart beginning to pound. He couldn't show up late to his first date with Amaya. There was no way.
"I'm sure she'll understand," Shota said with a shrug. Kenji, on the other hand, didn't find his words comforting.
"What are even the terms and conditions of renting a person? What happens if I show up late?" Kenji ranted as he pulled his phone out of his blazer pocket. Shota raised his eyebrows.
"Did you not read them?"
"NO!"
Kenji clenched his teeth and shoved his phone back into his pocket before he glanced around. Great, he was getting attention from the other passengers. Worse, Shota didn't seem to understand his friend's frustration.
"I mean..." Shota tilted his head. "How strict are the rules, you think? Are you allowed to touch her and all?"
"She— she's not a prostitute, for crying out loud!" Kenji blurted out, catching even more attention from doing so. "She's a rental girlfriend, tutor, and babysitter. She does it all. It's a professional thing!"
A slight smile tugged at the corners of Shota's mouth, but before he could utter a word, the train came to a halt. Immediately, Kenji spun around and began shouldering his way through the crowd.
"I'll text you later!"
Once Kenji had managed to get through the crowd of passengers stepping off the train, he picked up a jog across the platform. He weaved in and out of strangers, but he didn't pay any attention to them or the rude looks that were cast in his direction. All that mattered was meeting Amaya on time.
With his eyes set on his destination, Kenji picked up speed until he'd reached the café he was supposed to meet Amaya at. He slowed to a stop and shifted his gaze across the arrangement of tables outside of the building, where couples and small groups sat and chatted amongst themselves. However...
"Ashikaga-san?"
Kenji turned around upon hearing the female voice and found a neatly dressed girl around his age with short, raven black hair and a smooth complexion that went nicely with her brown eyes. His face flushed at the sight of her, even if she looked a little plain— she really seemed perfect in every aspect.
Finally, Kenji stopped gawking and stuck out his hand.
"Oh. Um, yeah, that's me. You c-can call me Kenji, though," he stuttered, his face growing red as she took his hand in hers and gently shook it.
"Oshiro Amaya. But please— call me by my first name. This shouldn't seem like a business ordeal, so don't worry about formalities," she told him. Then, as if to make him purposely blush even more, she reached for his hand.
"Would you like me to hold it?"
At first, Kenji's mind went black. Then, he gathered himself and carefully took her hand. After all, he didn't want to seem too passive, but at the same time, he didn't want to frighten her.
"S-Sure. Only if you're comfortable with it, that is."
Amaya laughed and started to guide him toward the café in a casual manner. It was as if they were actually dating...and had been for months. Everything came so naturally already.
Is this what it's like? Kenji couldn't help but wonder.
"You don't have to worry about me being uncomfortable with something as little as holding your hand," the girl reassured him. "I can be anything my client wants me to be. A tutor, a friend, a confidant...even something a little more. Of course, you can't go past the boundaries listed in my company's terms and conditions."
Kenji nodded. Yes. He'd totally read all of that beforehand.
"O-Okay," Kenji responded. He forced himself to take a deep breath and not think about how soft and dainty Amaya's hand was in his.
Without warning, Amaya stopped just before the pair had reached the front doors of the café. She turned her head and flashed him a friendly smile.
"This is where you wanted to go, right? Or is it just somewhere convenient to meet at? We can go anywhere you'd like."
"No." Kenji shook his head. He needed to be more certain. "We can eat here. Or...you know what, why don't we grab something to eat and go to the park?"
To his surprise, Amaya let go of him and clapped her hands.
"Awesome! I love going to the park. Especially on such a nice day like this," she beamed while she gestured to the cloudless sky and the warm sunshine. It really was a lovely day, and not too hot considering it was almost summer.
"Oh— all right. It's settled." Kenji dipped his head and grabbed the door, motioning for Amaya to go in.
"After you."
»»---------------------►
Amaya had been right: the weather couldn't have been any more perfect for a date at the park. She even looked to be enjoying herself from her place beneath the cherry blossom trees. The girl sipped lightly from her tea and kept her eyes on the key pond situated at the bottom of the ridge, but every now and then, she turned to smile at Kenji.
Her smile, her eyes...filled him with a feeling he'd never experienced before. Despite having a decently sized circle of friends and being a bit of an extrovert, Kenji had never once had an actual girlfriend. He supposed this didn't count either, since he was literally paying her to spend time with him, but he wanted to believe it was real.
"Oshiro-san."
Amaya raised her eyebrows and turned her head, pausing and placing her tea down so she could listen to what Kenji had to say. In turn, Kenji met her eyes before gazing off into the distance.
"All this time, you've been asking me questions about my life. Not that I mind, of course. But...you haven't once shared anything about yourself except a few basic interests here and there." He looked back toward her. "Amaya, what should I know about you?"
The girl froze for a moment, then blushed. She shrugged her shoulders, at a loss for words since Kenji had met her, but she eventually came up with an answer.
"Well...I like ballet," she replied. Her faint blush darkened. "My sister and I both took lessons when we were little. She eventually grew out of it, and so I did, too. But...I'd like to get back into it someday. Maybe when I'm not busy with school and work."
Kenji hadn't expected that answer, but it brought a hint of a smile to his face.
"You hadn't mentioned you have a sister. I have one, too."
Amaya tilted her head.
"Really?"
"Yep." Kenji reached for his drink and took a brief sip. "Her name is Satomi. She'll start teaching this year."
"Oh, so she's older? My sister is older too." Amaya smoothed out her pleated skirt and smiled softly. "Her name is Haia. I haven't seen her in years, though. She...she studies abroad."
Kenji stretched his arms over his head and laid back in the grass, letting the evening sunlight warm his face and blond hair.
"I'd like to do that. See new places."
Amaya reclined back as well, catching Kenji's attention when she did so. He felt uneasy for a split second, as Amaya's dark hair contrasted so beautifully with the fallen petals scattered across the grass.
"Me too, I think. I'm not sure where I want to go, though. I just...want to see where life takes me."
The statement almost made Kenji laugh. That was usually something he'd say, given his careless approach toward life. He was easygoing and not at all worrisome, and while Amaya seemed to be laid back as well, it shocked him that she had similar endeavors.
Without saying another word, Kenji closed his eyes and momentarily isolated himself from the rest of the world. In truth, he wanted to ask so much more about Amaya. She was personable, caring, gentle, and everything he'd ever needed in a partner. Plus, she had a pretty face as if her social qualities weren't enough to make Kenji spend endless hours with her.
Unfortunately, though, she had to go home at the end of the day. Home to a boyfriend, maybe, or perhaps to go meet another client. She wasn't his, and all his paychecks in the world couldn't make her be.
At least, if anything, she'd given him a taste of what a relationship could be like. He'd wanted to hire her so he could know how it felt to spend time with exclusively one person and not just a group of friends from school. In the end, this was what he wanted.
"Kenji-kun."
Kenji opened his eyes to find Amaya hovering over him slightly, her face grim and a few cherry blossom petals sticking to her hair.
The boy sat upright and turned to her, wondering if something was wrong. By the look on her face, there seemed to be something bothering her.
"I really hate to say this, but our time together has to end." Amaya paused and glanced worriedly at the setting sun. "I should get going. We're ten minutes over the time slot, anyway."
"Oh." Kenji frowned at first, but he suppressed his disappointment and grabbed his wallet. "Here, I can tip you for going over the allotted time. Unless there's a fee?"
"No need." She held up a hand. "Don't worry about the tip. Just the regular fee is fine."
Nodding, Kenji counted the yen from his wallet and handed it over. Amaya took it carefully, but she seemed a little hesitant in doing so. He didn't blame her, since it felt rather odd to be handing someone money just for spending time with them. Kenji had to remind himself that she was a working professional and likely had this job for a good reason.
"Thank you." Amaya put on one of her signature smiles, and just like that, all of Kenji's regret went away. "I hope you enjoyed our time together. You're a real gentleman, you know that?"
With that, she stood up, brushed off her skirt, picked the petals out of her hair, and waved goodbye. Kenji waved back and called out to her as she crossed the bridge over the stream, passing beneath the sakura trees.
"Thank you, Oshiro-san!"
Amaya stopped on the bridge and turned around so she could wave again, but this time, the world came to a halt as she looked to him with the most affectionate gaze he'd ever received. It only lasted a few seconds, though, and after that, she turned and was on her way to wherever she needed to go.
And that was the end of it.
Or so, it was supposed to be.