Rent a Girlfriend: Trouble In Paradise...Sort of. (Short Story) Part 1

Characters:

Kazuya Kinoshita

Chizuru Mizuhara

Mami Nanami

Ruka Sarashina

Sumi Sakurasawa

Nagomi Kinoshita

Yoshiaki Kibe

Shun Kuribayashi

Sayuri Ichinose

A different Future due to a different past:

Flinching and wincing from Chizuru's sinister glare, Kazuya knew he was in some serious trouble. He had screwed up again and she had become extremely frustrated with him. "How many times do I have to remind you...Call me Chizuru and...NOT...Ichinose or Mizuhara. It is Chizuru!" She declared sternly and he paled slightly from her intense expression.

"Sorry...It is a hard habit to break." Kazuya said wondering if begging would get him out of the trouble he was in. For the past three months she had told him repeatedly to call her by her Given Name and not her Family Name. Then he had done it again today. She scowled at him menacingly.

"Well you need to stop doing that. Geez Kazuya... How hard is it for you to call me Chizuru...Hell I would not even mind if you..." Chizuru blushed slightly and her expression softened. "If you would call me...Sweetheart or Darling." She almost whispered those suggestions and then smiled warmly at him. Moving closer and placing her hands onto his shoulders staring into his eyes intently. "I am...I am those...Aren't I?" She asked him and he smiled at her.

"Of course you are and I am really sorry I called you...Ichinose." Kazuya said and then she smiled back at him.

"You do know I am not really Chizuru Ichinose or Chizuru Mizuhara anymore...Well not since last week. That is what is...Annoying me. After all this time and the fact that...We are married...You adorable idiot! You need to stop calling me Ichinose and either call me Chizuru, Sweetheart, Darling or..." She smiled coyly. "Wife would work better then anything. Though not in public." She told him thinking about the fact that they were secretly married. It was alright that everyone knew they were Boyfriend and Girlfriend. But it would be a disaster if anyone found out that they were Married. That was mostly so she could keep her job as a Rental Girlfriend until she got more Acting jobs. Then she could quit and then they would announce to everyone about them being Married. Last week in a spur of the moment kind of thing. They filled out the Marriage License Form, stamped it with both of their Seals, Signed it and then went to the Registration Office. After that they went to her Apartment and spent the next two nights and days conducting Marital Relations.

"I will try...I just..It is just...It is hard for me to fully accept that I am Married to the most incredibly beautiful and wonderful Girl in the entire world." Kazuya said earnestly and Chizuru smiled then reached up and plunked his forehead with her right index finger.

"That was for being sappy...and this is for...saying about the latter." Chizuru leaned closer and kissed him. Parting slightly Kazuya smiled at her.

"I love you Chizuru...my Darling Wife." Kazuya whispered to her and she kissed him again.

"Ditto...My Adorable Husband." Chizuru with her hands back on his shoulders guided him over to her Futon and he did not resist as she then pushed him onto the padded surface and joined him.

A Different Past: A Different Beginning

Being late sucked and Chizuru knew she was going to be late for her afternoon Class. "Why did I ever agree to a morning Booked Date when I knew I had a Class this early in the afternoon?" She asked herself as she finished braiding her hair. It actually was not entirely her fault. Usually this class was held in the morning at a normal time. But the Professor had changed it to early afternoon for personal reasons. Rushing out the door and out on the balcony, she almost collided with her neighbor. Someone she briefly and barely knew. Only knowing him from his Address Label on his door as K. Kinoshita.

"Sorry." Kazuya said unemotionally and this made Chizuru pause for a moment in her rush.

"Why are you apologizing...I am the one that almost ran into you? For that I am sorry." Chizuru asked really looking at the other and noticing that he seemed completely out of it. Like there was no real life left in him. "Hey are you alright?" He shrugged.

"Yeah...Well no...But it is fine. Have a nice day." Kazuya said and then went inside his Apartment. Leaving Chizuru at first curious and then realized that she had better get going otherwise she was going to be seriously late for her Class. The problem she had in Class was that she could not stop thinking about her neighbor. The look he had in his eyes and his overall appearance made her somewhat even more curious. She had seen him several times before and each time he seemed to be extremely happy. So seeing him look like that really made her concerned. In truth she kind of liked him as a neighbor. He was not like the ones she had in her Last Apartment. Where she was flanked by two Neighbors that made her skin crawl. They both had this belief that just because she did not openly show that she was dating or involved with someone. That she was more then willing to be with either of them. Though they mostly just wanted a fling and nothing more then that. So after Class she made the conscious decision to ask her friends Shinbo and Kawanaka since they knew all the major gossip on Campus about just about anyone.

"Oh him." Shinbo said with a bit of sympathy. "Kuribayashi is one of his friends and he told me that...Well his name is Kazuya...Kazuya Kinoshita and well his Girlfriend sort of dumped him."

"Yeah I heard the same thing from...I do not really know her name...But she is friends with the Girl and from what I heard was that this Mami Nanami did not dump him in a very nice way. Told him she found someone else and just broke the poor guys heart." Kawanaka added and Shinbo nodded. They both felt really sorry for Kazuya and now so did Chizuru.

"Thing is...From what I can tell...Kazuya is a really nice guy. A lot of those that know this Mami...They sort of do not like how she did that to him." Shinbo told her and Chizuru wondered why some Girls did that. She had met her fair share of Girls like that back in High School. They would lead some poor Guy along making him fall for them and then without any sympathy or concern. Dump the Guy in the worse possible way. Breaking the guys heart so badly that it took a lot of time for him to get over her. She never did that. Though she did not date any Guys back in High School. None of them really showed interest in her. "You know I think it is kind of interesting that you are so...so concerned about Kazuya." Her one friend said interrupting her musings. Chizuru blushed and shook her head.

"It is not what you think." Chizuru quickly said and both of her friends smiled broadly at her. "He is just my next door neighbor and...and I...He looked so...sad when I nearly bumped into him this afternoon and I was...Just curious on why he...Why am I defending myself to you two?" She asked and her two friends giggled at how flustered she had gotten. With that she left and made her way home. Passing his door she paused and could easily hear the sad song being played within his Apartment. Feeling bad for him and with a lot of hesitation knocked on his door.

First Date:

"What am I doing? I am actually on a date with Kazuya. This is against my personal rules and...this is not a Rental Date with someone...I am actually on a real date with someone." Chizuru thought to herself as she sat across from Kazuya at a Diner. Right after she knocked, formally introduced herself to him and after several hours of talking. She had agreed to go out with him on a date. It had surprised her that she had agreed to go out with him. But as she got to know him, she found herself really liking him. He was so different from any of her Clients and the fact that he seemed to really like her. Made it easy for her to agree to go out with him. Though briefly she believed that he was using her as a way to get over his EX-Girlfriend. That worry disappeared instantly as they sat there on their date.

"I...Thank you for going out with me Ichinose. I want you to know I am not using you as a rebound...I kind of...You are so nice that I...I hope you did not come out with me just because you feel sorry for me." Kazuya said nervously and with a lot of concern that she had. Chizuru shook her head and smiled.

"No...Not at all and it is nice to know that you are not using me as a rebound. Though I have to wonder why it isn't?" Chizuru asked and Kazuya exhaled with a deep sigh.

"I know it is my fault that...Mami broke up with me. She was way out of my league and it would be only natural for her to seek someone more suitable." Kazuya tried to smile and then looked at her. "It is the same with you...You are also way out of my league and I was sort of surprised when you said yes to me asking you out." This shocked Chizuru. Usually in her Ichinose persona guys generally barely talked to her or even looked at her like they did when she was in her Mizuhara persona. In that persona, guys threw themselves at her and would comment about how beautiful she was. To hear someone tell her that she was out of their league and she was in this persona really made her feel happy.

"Are you serious? Why do you think I am out of your league?" Chizuru asked and Kazuya gave a soft short chuckle.

"Are you kidding...I mean...You are so really cute and...you are so far out of my league it is pathetic. If you were not so nice...You would never had agreed to go out with me." Kazuya blushed heavily and lowered his gaze from looking at her as she blushed as well. Though she was also smiling. To her delight, their first date turned into another and then another and then another. Until they became a couple. Though she asked him to keep it a secret for awhile. Telling him that she needed to figure out something personal before letting anyone know.

Encounter:

"I rather be going out with Kazuya today. But I have cancelled my last three Bookings to go out with my...my Boyfriend." Chizuru whispered with a bit of frustration and could not help but also smile happily at the prospect that she had a boyfriend. A real one and she really liked him a lot. Glancing at her Cell Phone she checked the time. In another ten minutes a new Client was supposed to be arriving for their Booked Date. It was marked anonymous and the follow up information indicated that it was Booked by a Friend of the one that she was supposed to go out with. Sometimes friends would do that to get their friends to go out on a date with someone. Generally it was for a friend that like Kazuya had been dumped by some girl and this was a way to get the guy over their heartbreak. Then when the person arrived she gasped audibly when she saw who it was. He also gasped and stared at her just as shocked as she was. "KAZUYA...What are you doing here?" Though he had asked the same thing almost instantaneously. "I asked you first!" She declared sternly. Seeing that they were drawing unwanted attention, Kazuya clasped her hand and took her somewhere more private.

"Kibe set this up...He blackmailed me to...come. I was planning on just telling...Well the Rental Girlfriend that I am not interested and have her just charge Kibe the whole amount...After I left." Kazuya looked at his girlfriend sadly and his heart began to break. She noticed his expression and she quickly shook her head.

"No...Wait...I am not cheating on you Kazuya...I swear I am not. This is just my job. I told you that I want to become an Actress right...Well this is the only job that I can get that pays enough for me to pay for going to Acting Class and for me to pay a Manager." Chizuru said holding tight to his hand so he could not leave. "I swear I was going to tell you. When Yoshiaki Kibe set this up...Did you look over the rules? Well if you did then...You have to know all I am doing is going on a date with someone. That is it. Nothing else is happening. I am not kissing anyone and at most I just hold their hand and pretend that I am their Girlfriend." He exhaled with another sigh.

"I was a bit worried when I saw you...I was thinking that maybe you...Finally wised up and was looking for...That you were going to dump me." Kazuya said as he stopped smiling and Chizuru reached up left handed. Plunking him in the forehead with her index finger and he flinched.

"Not a chance you...Idiot. This is just a job and I am not looking for anyone else. I...I...You are my boyfriend and I...I lo...Like you a lot. Okay." Chizuru said and then made sure no one could see them. Then leaned closer lightly kissing him. He smiled and she smiled back at him.

"You know you look really...Incredible like this. I cannot hardly believe it is the same Ichinose that is my Girlfriend standing right in front of me." Kazuya commented relooking her over. "Though this is not who i...I fell in love with." Chizuru was about to plunk him again until he had said that. She stared at him wide eyed and then slowly smiled broadly.

"He said it...he finally said it." Chizuru whispered in delight and flung her arms around his neck. Kissing him more forcefully then she had done earlier. Parting she smiled again and stared into his eyes. "I...I love you too...Kazuya." She whispered to him and they stood there for several more minutes. Then with a deep sigh of regret, she slowly let him go. "Not that I do not like this...But we are pushing our luck...Well my luck. I cannot have someone see me...breaking the Agency Rules." She told him and he understood. Backing a little away from her.

"So what do we do now?" Kazuya asked completely confused on what they should do. Chizuru smiled and held up her Cellphone showing that Kibe had booked her for another three hours. Plus he had paid another 10,000 Yen for whatever they were to do on a Date.

"I say we go out on a Date. One fully paid by your friend Kibe." Chizuru suggested and Kazuya smiled.

"Good idea. It will give me a chance to understand more about...You doing your job as a Rental Girlfriend." Kazuya said and Chizuru slowly nodded. Then clasped his left hand in hers and led him out from their secluded spot. Once inside the Aquarium a place that Kibe had suggested that she take Kazuya to, she chuckled. This was not the first time that she had gone with Kazuya to the exact same Aquarium. They had gone before on a real date not more then three dates ago and she enjoyed it then just as she knew she would enjoy it now. Though they both were not expecting for him to get a Phone Call informing him that his Grandmother was in the Hospital.

Going with Kazuya might have been a colossal blunder on her part. But Chizuru could not just let Kazuya go by himself. She wanted to be there for him if it was as serious as he was acting. Then she made another colossal blunder when she responded to his Mother's inquiry upon who she was with that she was his Girlfriend. Goofing immensely for she had forgotten she was in her Chizuru Mizuhara persona. Not expecting his Grandmother Nagomi to be so overjoyed. So when the enthusiastic elder woman almost ran from the room to get her friends, it caused Chizuru to panic. "Oh no...She is here...She is here in the Hospital." She said which confused Kazuya.

"Who is here?" Kazuya asked and Chizuru paled.

"My Grandmother...She is here." Chizuru stated and then looked over at Kazuya. "I have not told her about you and I...She cannot know about my Job. I do not want her to think I am doing anything sorted and she will think that if she learned that for a job I am a Rental Girlfriend." She headed for the door and peered out it. Easily overhearing the approach of several others. Including her Grandmother. "I do not mind her finding out about you...But the other...I cannot let that happen."

"We should get out of here...Later we can...I can meet your Grandmother...Right now is...It would be bad...Right?" Kazuya said and Chizuru nodded, grabbing his hand and almost dragging him out into the Hallway. Then right into a vacant Room across the hallway. She then made a beeline right into the bathroom. Suspecting that it was unavoidable for her Grandmother to learn about Kazuya.

"Quick...Help me braid my hair." Chizuru ordered him, removing her glasses from inside one of her pockets. Of course Kazuya had no idea how to braid hair so she did most of it as quickly as she could. "If we are going to get caught...I cannot have my Grandmother see me like this." She explained finishing braiding and she then pulled her skirt down until it was well below her knees. Untucking her blouse and within a few more minutes was back into her Ichinose persona. He smiled approvingly at her and she looked at him oddly. "What?"

"I just like this look a lot better." Kazuya said and Chizuru blushed slightly, pouting at him.

"What is wrong with...Are you saying you do not think that I look good the other way?" Chizuru asked him sternly and he shook his head.

"No I am not saying that. I just...this is the Girl I fell for." Kazuya said and Chizuru blushed again, then smiled at him warmly and moved closer in front of him. As she was about to lean in to kiss him, the door opened to reveal his Grandmother and hers. At that point Chizuru had no choice but to tell her Grandmother that it was true, she was dating Kazuya and he was her Boyfriend.

On the way home from the debacle, Chizuru could not really be upset at what had happened. She looked over at Kazuya as they walked together holding hands with their fingers intertwined. She could easily tell what he was thinking. "Listen...At some point I was going to introduce you to my Grandmother...But in my defense you have not introduced me to your Family yet either. If that is what is making you...look upset." She said and Kazuya paled. Realizing that what he was being concerned about was not that big of a deal as he was originally thinking.

"I guess we both goofed on that one. Oh well...They all know now. Though the reason I didn't introduce you yet...I did not want my Grandmother to...She kept embarrassing me. With asking about why or have we...done it yet." Kazuya said blushing slightly at the thought of how his Grandmother and then Chizuru's kept asking about their sex life. They did not have gone there yet and he was in rush to. Not wanting what happened with Mami to happen with Chizuru. So he was willing to be patient.

"That was embarrassing. Uhm Kazuya...Why haven't...You have not...Do you...Is it because you are not...attracted to me that way?" Chizuru asked sheepishly, extremely worried that he wasn't. He paled and swallowed heavily.

"What are you talking about? You are the hottest and most gorgeously beautiful Woman I have ever met. Of course I am attracted to you that way." Kazuya blurted out and then looked away. "I just do not want to make the same mistakes I made with Mami Nanami...With you." He told her and Chizuru smiled wishing that they were not in public so she could kiss him.

"I would not worry about that Kazuya...Unlike that Bit...Girl. I am in love with you. So...Can you come over tonight?" Chizuru had determined from what she had learned that Mami did not truly love Kazuya. Otherwise she would not have broken up with such a wonderful guy like Kazuya.

"HUH?" Kazuya asked stumbling on his own feet and looked over at her in shock. She blushed heavily and shook her head vigorously.

"No...No...No I do not mean for us to...I thought it would be nice if we perhaps have dinner, watch a movie and...and I am not saying maybe...But...Not right now." Chizuru was near panic realizing about how it sounded when she invited him over. That they would be doing it tonight.

"Okay I understand...It is alright Chizuru...For a minute there you had me...I was about to...No that is fine...Diner and a Movie sounds perfect." Kazuya said exhaling with relief. But before they reached the end of the block, they had another encounter that they had hoped not to have. Kibe and Kuri had come upon them and noticed that they were holding hands. "Can we catch a...Break." Kazuya whispered as he tried to explain to his two moronic friends that Chizuru or rather Ichonise was his Girlfriend.

The Bar Party Room Confrontation:

Riding up the Elevator with just Kazuya. Chizuru felt nervous and anxious. "I do not think that Kibe recognized you as...from the APP and Kuri only knows you as Ichonise. So I think you are fine." Kazuya said hoping to elevate a lot of her nervousness an anxiety.

"Are you sure?" Chizuru asked fearing that someone would discover her secret. He smiled reassuringly over at her.

"Yeah...Both are idiots and if they had any inclining that you and Chizuru Mizuhara are the same person. They would have said something by now." Kazuya did not tell her that if either did figure it out from the picture from the Rental Girlfriend APP. Then he would ensure that they did not ever divulge her secret. He would swear both of them to silence. When the doors opened, he found he also had a dilemma to deal with. Mami Nanami was there and from the way his EX was looking at them. He suspected that at best he might not leave with his balls intact. Then he felt his hand that was being held by Chizuru began to really hurt. For she was squeezing his hand so tightly that he swore he could feel bones breaking. "I am so...Dead." He thought and was tempted to just take Chizuru and beat a hasty retreat. He glared over at Kibe and Kuri.

"Sorry dude...We had no idea she would be here." Kibe quickly whispered to him and Kazuya was tempted instead of retreating. Beating the crap out of his two moronic friends. He leaned closer to Chizuru.

"We could just leave." Kazuya suggested and Chizuru inhaled softly then smiled over at him.

"No it is alright...If nothing else...This might be a good time to make her stop being such a Bitc...No let's stay." Chizuru led him over to one side of the table and sat right up close to him. Making sure that everyone including Mami understood that Kazuya was hers. That he was her Boyfriend. Actually liking how Mami was glaring at them.

To be continued: