Rent A Girlfriend: The Past Hurts

Part Four: A Year of Lies...

Even though he had promised to tell his grandma that they weren't really together, the smiles on both of their grandmothers made it hard on him to do so. Even Mizuhara, who at first was desperate, had trouble breaking the news to them. So they kept pretending to date until they could find the right opportunity.
A lot has happened since that fateful meeting. When they went to the beach, Mizuhara had grown ill and lost her balance on a ferry, causing her to fall in the water. Kazuya almost drowned from saving her but she returned the favor by giving him CPR. When they sleep in a room together in a hotel, Kazuya had asked her if he could continue to rent her to help shape himself into a good boyfriend, and she agreed to it.
They continued on their 'dates' until they ran into a problem when Kazuya's friend asked them to go on a double date with him. There, they had met a 18-year girl with short balck hair, which was usually tied up with a blue ribbon... Ruka Sarashina. She had revealed herself to be a rental girlfriend who knew that Mizuhara was one as well. Worried that her identity would be exposed to her grandmother and the school, Kazuya ran after her and had gotten on his knees, begging her that she wouldn't say a thing. He was surprised the following week to find her outside his house as she promised to not say a thing unless he went out with her. At first he didn't want to, but after seeing her cry, plus Mizuhara telling him that he should, he reluctantly agreed. While they started to date, Ruka wouldn't like him spending time with Mizuhara as much due to her never-ending claims that she had feelings for him, even though Kazuya had kept reminding her that she did not. As he continued to be with Ruka, he despised how she was so controlling, but he kept at it knowing that Mizuhara's secret could come out if he were to end things.  
On Christmas day, Kazuya learned that Mizuhara was an actress, or at least attempting to become one. She had told him that it was her dream to have her grandma see her play in a movie on the big screen, showing that she started to trust him a little to tell her that. Without her knowing, he had gone to see one of her plays after, and was amazed to see how great she was. When she had told him that she still had a long way to go, he had promised to her that he would do anything he could to help her reach her goal, despite her telling him that he didn't have to. He would rent her as much as he could, hoping that she would use the dates as both practice and a relief from acting sometimes.
Mizuhara seemed to grow less and less reserved around him ever since the ferry, and she had trusted him enough to not only go into his room twice, but also to go on a practice date with her friend, Sumi Sakurasawa. She had told him that Sumi was extremely shy and to be patient with her, and he was. He was considerate with his words, and he gave her the right amount of space needed.  In the middle of the date, Kazuya had left her alone for a bit to get some drinks, and when he returned he saw a group of guys surrounding her. He saw that she was uncomfortable, so he had hesitantly pulled her away from them. For the rest of the date, Sumi seemed to be a bit more relaxed with him but still couldn't meet his gaze. In the end, she had given him a wave and a smile before leaving him, and her innocence had melted his heart.  
While all of this was happening, Kazuya's feeling for Mizuhara only grew stronger. Underneath all her stubbornness, he would see the real her: She was kind, smart, and caring. Although she would sometimes have to smack some sense into him, she only did it due to wanting him to learn from his mistakes. He fell in love with her, but in all the time he's known her, he never had the confidence to express how he felt. So in his mind he thought that if he could simply just be there as a friend whenever she needed him, then that would be good enough...
After hearing that Mizuhara's grandma was falling terribly ill, he felt lost. Even though she had told him that she was fine, he knew that she couldn't possibly be. Unsure on what he should do, he had agreed to go on another date with Sumi, and at the end she had given him a birthday present. Although he was still feeling down about Mizuhara, he tried his best to put on a smile but Sumi had read him like a book, and she asked him what was bothering him. Even though he didn't want to talk about it, she had told him that he could trust her just like how she trusted him. Her innocent smile broke him, and he started to tell her everything. In the end, she had given him a helpful bit of advice, and as he was walking home, an idea had come to him: He would produce his own movie starring Mizuraha, that way her grandma would have the chance to see it sooner.
When he had shared his idea with Mizuhara, he could see that she was fighting back tears as she slightly begged him to make the movie, and he passionately told her that he would do anything in his power to do so. With the help of Ruka, Sumi, Yaemori ( the young girl who had recently moved in), and others, the idea soon became reality, and the movie was made. However, on the day of the screening, grandma Sayuri had collapsed due to pushing herself too hard, and was immediately taken to the hospital. When it seemed that she would not get the chance to watch the movie, Kazuya had received a message that the movie was finished editing, and he rushed off to get the CD and a projector, and thirty minutes later had played the film in the room Sayori was being kept in. When Mizuhara finally walked out, Kazuya had asked her if she was alright, and she had told him that he was fine, but he saw through her smile easily.
They didn't talk for a few days after the funeral, as he tried to give her some space, for he knew what it felt to lose a loved one. Since she had no other family left, he knew that she was hurting considering how she was now basically alone in the world, and that made his heart ache...

Present:

Kazuya stood in the front of the bathroom mirror as he inspected himself. He was wearing a black collar shirt with worn-out blue jeans with black shoes. A few days ago, Mizuhara had invited him to a party which was being hosted by one of her friends. He knew which friend it was, and he instantly started to feel his face grow hot from envy as he continued to stare at the mirror. Umi-kun was the total opposite of him: He was attractive, an actor, rich, and was pretty well known. He was always wearing fancy looking clothing, and he was the ultimate ladies man. Kazuya didn't really have a problem with any of that, but that didn't stop him from feeling insecure whenever Mizuhara hung out with him.
Making sure he had everything with him, Kazuya locked the door behind him as he walked down the steps. He glanced back at the room next to his, wondering about the individual that resided in it.
'... This is the first time we're going to hang out since the funeral. I hope that she's doing better. I wonder if she's okay with bringing me along to such a party .... but I'm going to make sure that I won't be a bother.'
Putting the directions that Mizuhara had sent to him on his phone, he started to head off to where they had arranged to meet.

//////////////////

Chizuru looked at herself in the mirror, making sure that the dress was well to bring to the party until she heard a notification coming from her phone. It was a message from Kazuya, alerting her that he had arrived at the spot.
'Early as always, eh Kazuya-kun?' Putting the phone down, she went back to continue inspecting herself. 'I was surprised he had accepted my invitation just like that... especially since I've been avoiding him for a while since... since..' she stopped herself as she saw that a tear had escaped from her eye, wiping it off to keep her make-up from being ruined. ' No.. she's gone. There's nothing else I can do about it... I have to keep working hard to achieve my goal of being an actress .'
She stepped away from her mirror, and as she was grabbing her purse a photo fell from within onto the floor. She picked it up and stared at it. In the photo, it was her and Kazuya standing in front of a ferris wheel. Her mind brought her back to the day, and a smile grew on her face as she focused her eyes on Kazuya, who could be seen sweating as he held her hand.
' You goofball... there was no reason to be so nervous.' As she kept on thinking about him, she started to reminisce about the past year. ' Ever since I met you, my life's been one wild rollercoaster. I had to fake being your girlfriend in front of everyone you knew, and it never stopped because you couldn't tell the truth. I almost drowned, had to deal with your evil ex and Ruka, and just had to face all your insecurities. But then again...I would be lying if I didn't say that my life has gotten more interesting since I met you.' She continued to smile as her thoughts led her to remember the times that he had rented her. ' You were different from the others who rented me out. You always tried to ensure that I was having fun, and you never treated me as though I was an object for you to push around. You even asked me to act like my true self, claiming that you preferred it over my ' perfect girlfriend' role, and I was relieved that I didn't have to worry every time that I would not meet the expectations of the role, because you said that I was already perfect just as I was.'
She remembered when he had told her that, and how she giggled when he had realized what he had said, which caused him to grow red with embarrassment. Then she started to think about the times that she had brought him to see her grandma, how she was so pleased with the fact that she had finally found the one for her. ' Well, I guess you now know the truth, grandma. We were never even a couple to begin with... '
After putting the photo back into her purse, she pulled it over her shoulder and exited her room, locking the door behind her. She started to head towards the spot she had arranged for them to meet up at, all while she kept thinking about Kazuya.
' I know that you never meant for this to go for so long, but the truth is that... I'm glad you were by my side all this time. You always listened to what was going on in my life, and you always tried to find any way to help.... Just like with the movie. And I'll always be thankful for that. I know you're worried about me since.. since the funeral, but please... you can't do anything... I need to just move on. You probably know me more than anyone else does; how I lost my family, how I dreamed of being an actor, and all in all the 'real me'. Yet, there is so little that I know about you...'
She had never learned much about his past, nor if he had any other family members beside his grandmother. 'But considering how optimistic and caring you are, you must've had a good life..., unlike me...'
Reaching the spot, Chizuru spotted Kazuya by a lightpost. She stopped for a moment to fix herself, and with a deep breath, walked up to him with a smile on her face.
" Hey, Kazuya-kun. Are you ready?"

To be continued...