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Disclaimer: I don't own Rent a Girlfriend, or any of its characters...

7:12 AM

"Twenty-two…! Twenty-three…! Twenty-four…!"

Kazuya Kinoshita stood beside his bed, shirtless and clenching his teeth tightly as he was halfway through a set of thirty reps in carrying the dumbbells in his hands that both weighed 15 lbs.

They were a little gift from Kaji after his first week at the PRIDE Gym, saying that they would be helpful in his training and they were, big-time. The only catch was that they were hell to carry all the way home, so he spent the early part of everyday to do a set of daily reps and improve his arm strength by a large margin.

After spending a month of using these daily, Kazuya was now strong enough to do thirty reps on both hands, although it wasn't enough for him and he was currently aiming for fifty. Once he accomplishes that, he'll buy a heavier set of dumbbells before doing the same thing again.

"Twenty-five…! Twenty-six…! Twenty-seven…! Twenty-eight…!"

*Ring! Ring! Ring!*

Hearing the doorbell ring three times, Kazuya quickly stopped in his workout and set his dumbbells down so he can see who was visiting him this early in the morning. He grabbed a nearby towel and wiped the sweat off his face before walking over towards the door.

"Wait a moment, I'm coming!"

Kazuya called out as he let the towel rest around his shoulders before opening the door. He blinked a few times at the sight of the beautiful girl whom he met the previous night, standing there while she was holding a pot using cat-themed mittens.

"Chizuru-san? Is there something you need from me?" he asked, surprised to see his newfound neighbor ringing on his door.

Chizuru's eyes widened when Kazuya appeared before her, completely topless as she was treated to the sight of his upper body without anything else hindering her. She almost dropped the pot that she was holding but she was able to keep a tight hold on it before anything bad happens.

Her eyes went down and locked her gaze towards Kazuya's chest and abdominal area. His pecs were so defined that she could see the lines that kept each part separated from the other. Moving further down, she was then treated to his forming six-pack, which caused a blush to erupt on her face. Despite not being that visible compared to bodybuilders and weightlifters, Chizuru could still see the outline of his muscles nonetheless.

"O-Oh my~" she felt herself gaining a dopey smile as a bit of drool started to drip from the side of her mouth. The most surprising part about this was that Chizuru didn't seem to mind drooling over him at all!

"Uh, Chizuru-san? Are you okay?" he asked, noticing the weird look on her face.

All of a sudden, Chizuru seemed to have snapped out of her little trance as she realized what she was doing. The blush on her face exploded and caused her face turn redder, before she finally turned her eyes away from the very thing that caused her to start drooling in the first place.

"W-W-Would you mind putting on a shirt…?! You can't just strip in front of a girl!" she cried out in embarrassment, doing her best to resist the urge to continue looking at his muscles again.

Kazuya blinked in confusion before he looked down and noticed his lack of clothing. While he didn't look embarrassed since he had already grown used to being shirtless while working out, he did understand why Chizuru looked like she was about to run away out of embarrassment.

"Oh, sorry about that. I'll be right back," he chuckled nervously before running back into his room to get a shirt, leaving Chizuru standing there while taking deep breaths.

"What the hell was I doing?! I can't believe I was looking at Kazuya-san like that! It's like I was molesting him with my eyes!" she berated herself while wiping her mouth of any sign of drool, thinking that she had done something horrible and that she wouldn't be able to sleep at night because of it.

If possible, she could just throw away the pot she was holding, lock herself in her room, and dive under her blanket to hide her shame. This was the second time she embarrassed herself in front of the same guy and it confused her how she messed up in front of a boy once again.

Why was this happening to her? She was perfectly capable of being a composed and professional rental girlfriend who can hide her feelings and put up an act as a smiling beautiful girl but she couldn't do such a thing against one guy?

A guy who happened to be the same one whom she had been thinking about since last night…

It didn't take long for Kazuya to return, now wearing an orange shirt to cover his upper body.

"I'm wearing a shirt now, Chizuru-san," he told the blushing girl with his face also slightly red. Despite being used to working out without a shirt, a girl still saw his half-naked state and he felt a bit embarrassed about such a thing happening.

"T-Thank you," she said, releasing a deep sigh while feeling conflicted inside. She didn't know whether to be relieved that Kazuya was now wearing a shirt or disappointed that she couldn't see his toned body anymore.

Ugh, forget about that!

Focus on what she came here for! She could already feel her arms aching from carrying a pot full of soup, dang it!

"So… did you need something from me?" he asked, shaking off his own blush as he noticed how the girl was quiet until now.

"Uhm… I wanted to thank you for what you did last night, so I… made some miso soup for you," she muttered through her flustered look, holding out the pot she was holding for him to take.

Kazuya looked genuinely surprised but instead of just staring like a stork, he quickly took the pot from Chizuru since she might be feeling tired from carrying it. He stared at the steaming pot in his hands before sending her an unsure expression.

"Uh… Chizuru-san, you didn't have to. I told you last night—"

"I know, I know. You were just doing your job, so you don't think it's a big deal. But it's a big deal for me, okay?" He was quickly cut off by Chizuru, who was rubbing her arm up and down nervously before she looked at him with pleading eyes. "Just… accept it, please? You can consider it my apology for thinking about you in the wrong way too…"

The young man stared at her for a few moments, particularly the expression on her face before he sighed in defeat.

"Alright, I will…" he said, causing a smile of relief to show on Chizuru's face. However, she wasn't prepared for his next words that he spoke with a smug look. "But only if you eat it with me."

Chizuru blinked, surprised at his words that she couldn't say anything for a few moments.

"That's…" she tried to find the right words to say, before she simply smiled at him. She didn't see anything wrong in eating with Kazuya and she might even get to acquire his contact number like what she wanted! "Okay, why not? Honestly, I haven't eaten yet because I wanted to make that first."

"Well, come on in, then. You're just in time, because I haven't eaten either and this soup you made smells good!"

Kazuya invited the girl into his home with a smile, setting the pot of soup on the table before he quickly brought out two bowls for him and his neighbor.

Chizuru giggled for a bit before she walked inside and took a seat at the table. Kazuya then poured a serving for the two of them before taking his seat as well.

"Itadakimasu!" The two of them sang together before they dug into their food.

Having gone through a continuous hour of training, Kazuya couldn't deny that he felt really hungry and he would be an idiot to say no to free food! He didn't waste time and gulped down a spoonful of miso soup.

"Wow! This tastes really good, Chizuru-san! You must be skilled in the kitchen!" he exclaimed, sending a grateful smile towards his kindhearted neighbor.

"I'm glad you liked it," Chizuru smiled back, a small blush dusting her cheeks as she ate a bit of her own. When she saw him enjoying the food she made, the girl took a deep breath and prepared herself for her next words.

The main reason why she cooked miso soup for Kazuya was indeed a way for her to thank him for what he did last night, but it was also a peace offering of sorts to make up for her embarrassing mistake that she didn't want to remember for her own sake. However, she still needed to apologize to him directly for what happened and this was her chance.

Better to speak up now before she misses her opportunity!

"Look, you may be sick of hearing it from me by now, but I'm sorry for accusing you last night. I didn't think of you possibly living here and I just thought you were following me," she began, bowing her head in shame while looking deeply regretful for her actions.

Kazuya had stopped eating for a moment to listen to her words and after she was done, he only chuckled before shaking his head in amusement.

Seriously, this girl was persistent!

"Trust me, it's okay. After what happened to you at the nightclub, it's understandable why you thought of me that way. I don't blame you one bit," he said, making it clear that his answer hasn't changed at all.

Fortunately, Chizuru kind of expected an answer like that from Kazuya and she could only laugh in return. He was just that kind and humble, huh?

Well, at least she said what she needed to say, right? And she can't exactly say that she didn't like how he was like this…

"That makes me feel better, at least," she smiled cutely, feeling a lot better now as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

He flashed her a grin, before an important question that he forgot to ask last night suddenly came to mind.

"Oh, by the way, would you mind telling me what you were doing in a nightclub last night?" he asked while raising an eyebrow.

As quick as her worries were laid to rest, her eyes started to grow wide when she realized what he just asked her.

"W-What…?"

"I was wondering what you were doing in a nightclub because like I said, I had a hunch that you were feeling uncomfortable while you were there the whole time. Why would you go to a nightclub if you didn't like being there in the first place?"

Her eyes widened even more, realizing that she was about to be driven into a corner here. Did Kazuya figure out who she really was?!

"I… I didn't want to, but… Motohiro-san wanted to go there," Chizuru muttered as straightened her position before pursing her lips together to make it seem like that was all there is to it.

"And why did you go along with what he wanted? Are you two a couple who broke up or something?"

Her face then contorted into one that showed disgust, feeling somehow offended that Kazuya would think of such a thing.

"We aren't a couple! As if I can be with someone like him!" she denied his claim almost immediately.

Kazuya tilted his head in confusion. "Then why were you with him last night? I can't think of any other reason why, unless…"

A growing pit of nervousness from inside Chizuru caused her to take a deep gulp and at the same time, she wanted to hear if Kazuya had something else to say… especially if it had something to do with, uhm… rental girlfriend business…

"Unless what…?"

All of a sudden, a smirk formed on his face which actually sent a tingle down her spine and nearly caused her to yelp in response. It was completely different to his smile and for the first time, it didn't feel like he had good intentions.

"You're a rental girlfriend, aren't you?" he asked as his smirk turned into a grin, then pausing for a few moments before uttering his next words. "Chizuru Mizuhara?"

Chizuru's eyes were as wide as saucers in shock, and she felt like her whole world came crashing down.

"Y-You know…?! How?!" she cried.

Kazuya simply smiled at her reaction, which only confirmed his suspicions. He then shrugged and started eating the remainder of his soup.

"I saw your profile in a rental girlfriend ad that was sent to me about a month ago. I recognized who you were when we saw each other yesterday, and when you showed up at the club, I was confused what a rental girlfriend was doing there since I didn't think it was a place fitting for a date."

"A month ago…?" she asked cluelessly, until a sudden memory dating back several weeks ago resurfaced in her mind which involved a certain young man with orange hair.

One Month Ago

Fresh out of her apartment and putting on the kind smile that she always had whenever she was working, Chizuru Mizuhara was ready to meet her first client of the day.

Her schedule today wasn't full and only three clients made a reservation for her during the afternoon, meaning that if she can get back home earlier than usual, then she may be able to pay a visit to her grandmother in the hospital!

Her first client was waiting at the department store in town, so she began to walk. It wasn't that far and there's no need for her to spend money carelessly.

While she was walking in peace, a boisterous voice had caught her attention and it was coming from the opposite side of the road.

"Ugh… I thought everything would be fine after I took a rest, but I was wrong! My legs still hurt like hell! To think that I'll go through this tomorrow and the day after that…"

The voice came from a young man with orange hair, looking tired and disheveled for some reason. He appeared to be limping too, from the way he was grabbing his leg with every step he took.

Chizuru only stared at him the whole time and she even felt the strange urge to help him but in the end, she decided to just let him be and continue on her way. He doesn't seem to having too much problem on his own, anyway.

"I wonder what happened to him… did he get beat up or something?" she thought, thinking of how he came to look like that in the first place…

End of Flashback

Her eyes widened as she compared the boy from her memory to the person across the table and she let out a gasp at realizing that there was no difference. She had seen him way before the incident last night and it must be the reason why she thought she had met him before.

"That's why he looked familiar! I saw him outside the gate when I was about to meet a client about a month ago!"

She said to herself in realization, although that didn't help her current situation one bit. Across the table, Kazuya folded his arms across his chest before he gave the girl a knowing smile.

"There's no use hiding who you are, Chizuru-san. You look exactly the same as your profile in that rental girlfriend ad that I quickly realized who you were. Having the same hairstyle doesn't help your case, either."

Chizuru released a deep sigh and raised her head to look at Kazuya, but she didn't glare at him or looked upset in any way. Compared to her fiery personality last night, Chizuru felt defeated, like she had nothing else to hide nor that she had anything to use in order to fight back.

She felt helpless.

It wasn't like last night. It wasn't like how she felt uncomfortable in a certain place and caused her to not feel like herself.

No, it was a feeling that she hasn't experienced ever since she was a kid and because of it, she couldn't say a word nor do something. It was a particular feeling that only came to her whenever she felt that there was no way out.

Here, she didn't think that there was any way for her to save herself. Kazuya perfectly caught her in the act without threatening her somewhat or even invading her private life. He simply put the pieces together and made a right guess.

Chizuru couldn't deny what he said when she knew that it was futile.

"What are you going to do?" she asked quietly, accepting her fate that whatever Kazuya does with this information, she'll have to roll along with it, even if it means that her time as a rental girlfriend would be over.

She didn't feel like she can do anything against him, anyway.

Kazuya merely smiled, before opening his mouth to speak…

Welp, Chizuru's act is up! She can't hide herself from Kazuya now, but what exactly is he planning? Is he gonna tell someone? He doesn't seem to be that kind of person, but we'll find out! Oh, and yes, Chizuru is a pervert, shamelessly ogling him! Kazuya, watch out. Ecchizuru has awakened! XD.

MINASAN, YONDE KURETE ARIGATŌ! AISHITEMAAAAASUUUUU! *starts playing air guitar*

-Lance