Chapter 3 - Regular contract
Ever since I was old enough to understand things, people around me would often tell me I was cute.
Back in kindergarten, I often heard comments from other kids' parents like, "Oh, Ayaka-chan is so cute."
When I entered elementary school, boys would frequently play pranks on me or bother me. Looking back now, I think it was a sign of their interest in me, though at the time, I didn’t see it that way.
As the years went by, the boys' teasing and pranks gradually decreased, and by the time I reached middle school, they had almost stopped. Instead, something else had started to happen: confessions.
During some months, I would receive confessions from boys multiple times. In the worst cases, I even received them daily for a week.
When a boy confessed his feelings to me for the first time, my initial reaction was confusion. I mean, the boy who had been teasing me suddenly said, "I like you." It was natural for me to be taken aback.
Back then, I avoided boys, thinking they were only there to bother me. I didn’t have any boys I played with or spoke to regularly. Naturally, I turned down every confession.
For me, dating someone I hardly knew made no sense, especially since my parents had raised me to value a person's character over appearance. I was taught that it’s what's on the inside that counts.
If there had been a natural progression from casual conversations, then to friendship, understanding each other, and finally, feelings developing, I might have accepted a confession. However, every boy who confessed to me said something like, "I fell in love with you at first sight!"
I don’t reject the idea of love at first sight, but I couldn’t understand it. So, I turned down each boy who came to me with these feelings.
Then, something happened. Out of the blue, a friend of mine accused me, tearfully, saying, “Don’t steal the person I like!” For a moment, I couldn’t understand what she was talking about. At the time, and even now, my friends were all girls. Since I avoided boys, I didn’t interact with any of them. So, how could I possibly steal her crush?
I thought my friend was mistaken. After coaxing her into talking, I found out that one of the boys who had confessed to me was someone she liked.
What was I supposed to do? He confessed to me on his own. I had no involvement with her crush, nor had I even spoken to him. In the end, my friendship with her remained strained until we graduated middle school.
This incident made me even more cautious about interacting with boys. By the latter part of middle school, I started keeping my distance from them for another reason— the way they looked at me.
Starting around my second year of middle school, my chest began to develop rapidly, and I started noticing more frequent glances from the boys. Most of the time, they would sneak glances, but some stared quite openly. Feeling their persistent gazes was unsettling, and by the time I reached high school, I had developed a mild distrust of men.
Even in high school, the confessions continued relentlessly. But, learning from the incident in middle school, I made it clear to my friends that “I have no interest whatsoever in boys or romance.” Thanks to that, I managed to maintain good relationships with my friends into my second year of high school.
Although, as a high school girl in the prime of my youth, having only female friends with no hint of romance might not be what most people would consider “going well.” Still, for me, boys were nothing but trouble.
The biggest incident occurred just before summer break. After the closing ceremony, I was chatting with friends about our summer plans when I was suddenly called over the school PA system. While I was left bewildered, the girls around me squealed with excitement.
Apparently, the person who called me was a senior in the third year. I think his name was Gotou… or was it Saitou? Anyway, because he used the PA system, I had no choice but to respond to the summons.
I suppose that was his intention. So, feeling extremely embarrassed, I walked out to the schoolyard in front of the many students still lingering after school, only to find the culprit, who I think was… Endou-senpai? Well, there he was.
Then, as if he’d lost his mind, he suddenly pulled out a ring and proposed to me. The students watching the confession from the surrounding school buildings erupted in cheers. But I was so embarrassed and stunned by Endou-senpai’s absurdity that I panicked a bit and just said, “I’m not interested,” before quickly leaving the scene.
My memory from there is a bit hazy. The next thing I knew, I was back home, diving onto my bed. I couldn’t get the bizarre behavior of Endou-senpai out of my head. This whole thing would definitely become a topic of gossip when school resumed after the summer break. Moreover, Endou-senpai, who confessed to me, was apparently quite popular among the girls.
I had no idea what he was famous for or why he was so popular, but there was one thing I knew for certain. When a popular boy confesses to you, a certain number of girls are bound to hold a grudge.
Even before the summer break officially started, I was already dreading the aftermath. Lying face-down on my bed, I pulled out my phone. I opened the messaging app, clicked on the chat labeled Aizawa Saki, and immediately hit the call button.
After a few rings, the call connected.
"Hello~ I figured you'd be calling."
"Saki~ I can’t take it anymore~ I don’t want to go to school!"
"Tomorrow’s the start of summer break, though."
"I wish summer break could last forever…"
I was whining to my best friend from elementary school.
“What is with that Endou-senpai!? Calling me out over the PA system—he’s totally insane!”
“Hahaha, yeah, using the PA system was a bit much. I really felt for you there.”
“If I see Endou-senpai at school again, I might glare at him out of pure spite…”
“If you did that, wouldn’t he just be happy about it? And by the way, it wasn’t Endou— it was Kaito-senpai who confessed over the PA.”
“Was it? I don’t even remember his name anymore… I was so embarrassed that nothing he said registered at all.”
My words were met with Saki’s laughter on the other end of the line.
“Pfft! Poor Kaito-senpai. He worked up the nerve to confess, and Ayaka didn’t even hear it. Haha.”
“I’m the one who should be pitied! That senpai’s super popular, right? I’m sure I’ll be hated by the other girls for this…”
“They’ll probably forget all about it over the summer break.”
"Do you think so? Wasn’t this one pretty impactful? I mean, it was a proposal! With a ring and everything!"
"Well... yeah, true."
We're still just high school students. Skipping over dating and jumping straight into engagement—it's honestly hard to understand.
"Ahh, maybe I should've gone to an all-girls school..."
"If you had, we'd be separated, though."
"I don't want that!"
The person I'm talking to on the phone, Aizawa Saki, has been my best friend since first grade. We've shared all our fun and tough times together.
Now, she's the one person I can talk to freely about things like this. I can't even imagine going to a different school from her.
"Hey, Saki, why don’t we transfer to an all-girls school together?"
"Don't be ridiculous."
She replied immediately, and I pouted in response.
Of course, I was joking, so if she actually took me seriously, that’d be a problem. But I still felt like protesting a bit.
"You're so stingy, Saki."
"I’ve told you before, Ayaka, you should just get a boyfriend too."
Her words reminded me of something she'd said to me before.
That was when I’d just entered high school and three boys confessed to me in quick succession, leaving me overwhelmed.
Saki suggested, "Why don’t you just get a fake boyfriend to keep the guys away?" But if getting a boyfriend was that easy, I wouldn’t be stressing so much over these confessions in the first place.
Back then, I completely dismissed her idea.
"That’s impossible. Plus, dating someone I don’t even like just to avoid confessions feels too insincere."
"Really? But doesn’t it sound a bit like a romance manga? Like, accidentally becoming pretend lovers with some guy, so he’ll ward off confessions? Isn’t that kind of thing right up your alley?"
"Well, I do like that sort of thing..."
As I gave a vague response to her words, my gaze drifted to my bookshelf, packed full of romance manga.
My inability to have a real-life romance has led to an overindulgence in these manga.
My stance of disinterest in boys and romance is simply a defense mechanism for maintaining good friendships. I'm still an ordinary high school girl, after all, and I do wish to experience romance someday.
"Come on, wouldn’t it be great? At first, it’s just a pretend relationship, but then you both start noticing each other, and eventually, you become a real couple… Eee! It’s the best!"
"Don’t get all excited by yourself!"
"So, I really think Ayaka should get a fake boyfriend!"
"That’s impossible. Besides, there isn’t anyone who’d even agree to play a fake boyfriend."
I don’t mean to sound full of myself, but I’m somewhat aware of the impact my actions have on the school, especially on the boys.
If I were to become a couple with someone, even if it were fake, it might end up causing them a lot of trouble.
"Hmm, personally, I think Ootsuki from our class would be a good match for you."
"Ootsuki? Isn’t he… oh, the guy who ranked first in the grade on the tests?"
I pulled the person Saki mentioned from the corners of my memory.
Even though I try to avoid boys, I do make an effort to remember the names of my classmates.
"Yes, that’s him! I think Ootsuki would be a good match for you, Ayaka."
"Eh? Why?"
"Well, compared to the other guys, doesn’t he have a calm vibe and isn’t overly pushy? Plus, he kind of has a gentlemanly feel, doesn’t he?"
"Is that… so?"
Since I mostly interact only with the girls at school, I hardly know what the boys in our class are like.
"And you know, if you have a boyfriend, strange guys might stop bothering you, and if anything happened, he’d protect you, right? That would be a little reassuring for me as your best friend."
I’ve had a few minor issues with stalkers before. It seems Saki’s worried about that.
"But isn’t that more of a bodyguard than a boyfriend?"
"Exactly."
"Oh, stop joking!"
Despite saying that, I couldn’t help but smile. Talking with Saki always lightens my mood, even when I’m feeling down.
"Hey, want to go to a café together tomorrow?"
"Oh? Sounds good! Which café should we go to? It’s summer break, so maybe we should try somewhere new?"
"Yeah, that sounds like a plan."
As we got excited about tomorrow’s café plans, I heard my mom’s voice calling from the stairs.
"Ayaka, could you come downstairs? I need to talk to you."
"Coming! Sorry, Saki, Mom’s calling me."
"Alright, I’ll text you later about tomorrow’s plans."
"Okay, talk to you later."
"Later."
After ending the call, I left my room and headed to the living room.
When I got there, Mom was bustling around, moving from place to place. Looking down, I saw a large suitcase open on the floor.
"Huh? Mom, are you going somewhere?"
"Yes, I am. An unexpected business trip came up," she said as she packed clothes into the suitcase.
My mom runs a company; she’s the CEO. So, from time to time, she has to go on business trips. Sometimes she even goes overseas, and in those cases, she’s usually gone for about a week.
"I see… Is it going to be a long one this time?"
I asked a bit gloomily.
When Mom’s away, it’s just me and my little brother, Ryota, in the house. He’s only five, too young to stay home alone. I’ll have to take care of him.
But that means I’ll have to cancel my café plans with Saki tomorrow.
"It’s scheduled for three days. I should be back on the same day as your dad."
"…Got it."
Incidentally, my dad is also a company owner, and he’s currently on a business trip too.
I truly respect both my parents for the incredibly busy and responsible jobs they have as business owners. But sometimes, I can’t help but feel a bit dissatisfied when they’re away like this for work.
Of course, I know that both Dad and Mom pour all their love into me and Ryota, and I understand they make an effort to prioritize family time. So, I don’t want to be selfish, but a bit of my frustration does show on my face.
Noticing my dissatisfaction, Mom gave me an apologetic look.
"I’m sorry, especially with summer break starting tomorrow."
"No, it’s work. It can’t be helped."
"I’ll bring you back a souvenir. Please take care of Ryota."
Ryota, my little brother, is probably napping right now. If he were awake, he’d definitely fuss to try and stop Mom from leaving. Honestly, I’d love to be clingy and rely on Mom too, but as a high schooler and an older sister, I can’t do that.
"Yeah, leave everything at home to me, and do your best at work."
I smiled brightly, trying not to let Mom see the frustration building inside me. Seeing me, Mom suddenly remembered something and held up a flyer from the table for me to see.
"If you get tired of handling things at home, feel free to use this."
"What’s this?"
Taking the flyer from her, I glanced over the contents.
"…A housekeeping service?"
"Yes, yes. They’ll do the cleaning, laundry, and even cook meals for you. Pretty convenient, right?"
"Huh."
Under the slogan "Housekeeping Services to Give You Quality Time," the flyer had various details about the services and course options.
"Oh, they even do grocery shopping."
"That’s right. Here, if you decide to call them, use this money." Mom handed me some money.
"Wait, it’s okay. If I need to call them, I’ll just use my allowance."
I don’t usually spend my allowance recklessly, so I’d be fine hiring the service once or twice.
But Mom shook her head and insisted on giving me the money.
"This is my way of apologizing for having you handle things at home right from the start of summer break."
"…Alright. I’ll take it, then."
Well, if I don’t end up using the housekeeping service, I can always return the money.
"Alright, the taxi’s here, so I’m off."
"Okay, take care."
Mom closed her suitcase, got into the taxi waiting by the entrance, and left for her business trip.
After seeing her off at the door, I sent Saki a message to cancel our plans for tomorrow. ──Sorry. My parents are both on business trips, so I won’t be able to go to the café tomorrow. I also sent a sticker of a bunny bawling its eyes out, with tears streaming like a fountain.
With each little *ping* sound of a sent message, my spirits sank further.
──Oh no, really? When do your parents get back?
──Three days from now, both Dad and Mom will be back together.
──Hmm... Should I come over to your place, Ayaka?
I almost reflexively typed "yes" to Saki’s offer, but I held myself back. Her house is pretty far from mine now. Until middle school, she used to live in an apartment right near my place. But just before we started high school, she moved to a new single-family house. Even though it was a happy occasion for her, I remember crying at the thought of her moving far away.
──No, it's okay. When my parents are back, let’s hang out then, okay?
──Are you sure, Ayaka?
──Yep! No problem at all.
I sent a sticker of a bunny confidently giving a thumbs-up. Saki replied with a sticker of a bear making a circle with its arms over its head.
"…Haah," I sighed without thinking. My summer break as a high school sophomore had begun on such a gloomy note. With Kaitou-senpai’s confession and the canceled plans with Saki, I’d taken quite a mental hit.
For these three days, I would need to look after Ryota, cook meals, play with him, and take care of things around the house. In between, I'd also be doing laundry and cleaning. Since my parents were away on business trips, I had to keep things together. I kept telling myself this as I endured the three days.
But on the final day, all the exhaustion caught up with me, and I fell sound asleep on the living room sofa. I had only meant to lie down for a quick break, but before I knew it, I had drifted into a deep sleep.
Worried about me, my little brother Ryota tried to make lunch by himself. But at just five years old, cooking alone was a challenge, and the kitchen ended up in a bit of a disaster. Disheartened by his failed attempt, Ryota repeatedly apologized, saying, “I’m sorry.”
Since it was my responsibility for making him worry in the first place, I couldn’t scold him too harshly. Seeing him looking so down, I patted his head gently and said, "It's still a bit dangerous for you to be in the kitchen alone, Ryota. Next time, just call me, okay?" "Okay… I'm sorry."
As I softly patted his head again, the doorbell chimed, "Ding-dong!"
"Ryota, your friend’s here. You said you were going to play together at the park today, right?"
"Yeah, but…"
Ryota trailed off, glancing toward the messy kitchen. He probably felt guilty about the mess he made, thinking he shouldn’t go play. I knelt down to look him in the eyes.
"I'll take care of the kitchen cleanup, so you go on and play," I said.
"...Really?" Ryota asked, still hesitant.
"Yep, go on. Don’t keep your friend waiting."
Ryota often plays at the park with his neighborhood friends, and their parents always keep an eye on him too, so I feel reassured. I saw him off at the door, greeted his friend and their parent, then returned to the kitchen and let out a sigh.
"Haah... This is rough."
I understood that Ryota didn’t mean any harm. If anything, it was my fault for making my little brother worry by looking so worn out. But even though I knew that, the exhaustion—both mental and physical— was undeniable.
"Haah..." Another sigh slipped out as my body refused to budge.
"Come on, you can do it, me! Mom and Dad are coming back tonight! Just a bit more, and I’m free!"
By tonight, my parents would be home, and I’d finally be released from housework and responsibilities.
"Yeah, maybe I can go out somewhere with Saki tomorrow."
Saying it out loud, I tried to motivate myself. But my body still wouldn’t cooperate.
"Ugh... Nope, I’m done…"
Resigned, I shuffled away from the kitchen and sat at the dining table. A flyer lying there caught my eye. It was the same one Mom had shown me the day she left for her business trip.
"…Housekeeping service, huh."
Picking up the flyer, I read through the details again.
"…Should I just call them?"
Right now, a housekeeping service sounded incredibly tempting.
"Mom did say it was okay…"
Murmuring as if to justify it to myself, I scanned the QR code printed on the flyer, opened the service’s website, and, almost without realizing it, ended up submitting a request for help.
"I-I actually did it…"
Staring at the confirmation email, a nervous excitement welled up inside me. Wait, did I really just call them? Is it okay for a high schooler to even make this kind of request?
With these anxious thoughts, I waited restlessly for the cleaning staff to arrive. Finally, around 3 p.m., the housekeeping service arrived. And in that moment, I was completely stunned.
Because the person who showed up was none other than my classmate, Otsuki-kun.
"Ehh? ...Why?"
Blurting out my surprise, I instinctively took a defensive stance, a hint of wariness in my gaze.
After all, after meeting someone like Kaitou-senpai, it was only natural to be on guard.
Sensing my guardedness, Otsuki-kun offered to have someone else take his place. His professionalism eased my nerves a bit; he treated me strictly as a customer, without any hint of ulterior motives. As I began to feel more comfortable, a memory of Saki’s voice popped into my mind.
"Hmm, I think Ayaka and Otsuki-kun would actually be a good match," she had once said.
Her words stirred a hint of curiosity in me, so I decided to go ahead and let Otsuki-kun handle the housekeeping. He seemed a little surprised, but my decision turned out to be a good one.
Otsuki-kun’s work ethic was impressive—he was entirely professional in his approach. At one point, there was a small incident where Ryota mistook him for a burglar when he returned from the park, but Otsuki-kun handled it smoothly, kindly reassuring Ryota without getting annoyed. By the time he left, Ryota, who’s normally shy around new people, even went up to him and said, "Bye-bye!" It was rare to see him warm up so quickly, and I couldn’t help but feel a bit touched.
I think I understood why Ryota took to him so fast. Just as Saki said, Otsuki-kun had a calm demeanor, and his gentle expressions made him seem approachable. Though it was part of his job, he spoke so politely that he came across as incredibly mature for our age. And he had impressive housekeeping skills too. The disaster zone that was our kitchen sparkled by the time he was done, and he even cleaned up the living room, which I hadn’t originally requested, leaving it spotless.
Watching him cook was mesmerizing; he looked like a professional chef, and I couldn’t take my eyes off him as he worked. Despite my usual distance from boys, I thought maybe, just maybe, I could get along with Otsuki-kun. Even though we only spent a short time together, I sensed he might be the type to see beyond appearances and understand who I truly am. After all, he even called me a "good big sister."
Thinking about it made me feel a bit disappointed that he only viewed me as a customer. I mean, I finally felt like I could make a guy friend, and here he was, treating me like any other client, which created this sense of distance between us.
After he left, I sat down with Ryota to eat the hamburg steaks Otsuki-kun had prepared, and they were the best I’d ever tasted. Ryota was so engrossed, stuffing his mouth so fast that I worried he’d choke; he sat wide-eyed, devouring the food as if he’d forgotten to blink—a sight that was almost comically eerie.
Otsuki-kun’s cooking had totally won Ryota over. What a force to be reckoned with!