Unfamiliar Territory (Chizuru Ichinose x Reader)

(9) Returning Comfort

Chizuru's POV:

The next day arrives and I spend a little time doing some yoga before I leave for yet another 'date'. I grab my phone and prepare to put it on silent when I see a new message from my rental friend. Oh no... another bad review. If this gets any worse, she may have to give up being a rental girlfriend, meaning she'll never be able to properly practise getting rid of her shyness.

I begin thinking of ways to tackle this problem while walking to the spot my client and I are to meet at. I still think the practise idea I suggested earlier is a good idea, we just need someone who can play the part of her 'boyfriend'. It can't be a complete stranger as dealing with Sumi requires patience and understanding. They need to be kind and flexible to other points of view.

Kind and flexible huh? Maybe Y/n? I ponder before I realised what I just said. My face goes red in seconds, causing me to stop to recollect myself. I can't have the client see me like beforehand. After a few minutes, I finally reach our meet-up point, identifying the client quickly:

Chizuru: "Hello! It's so nice to see you again!" I say cheerfully, approaching them with a lovestruck smile on my face.

Y/n's POV:

Once the vibrant rays of sunlight power through my curtains, I wake up, eat and exercise (the usual) before I look outside, a beautiful sunny day with only a couple of clouds in the sky. Great weather for going on a walk, so that's exactly what I do. I style my hair a little differently and put my glasses on - when I'm walking by myself, I'd rather do so in peace without fear of being recognised by my friends or classmates.

I leave my apartment and walk around the area, even going into the local park. I start jogging lightly, for around 45 minutes before getting little tired. Further ahead, I see the bookstore, hearing the owner inside inside... arguing?

Bookstore Owner: "Hey, it's not my fault they just cancelled out of the blue like that." 

"Where am I gonna find a famous author in such short notice!" Are the words I hear them shout at their phone.

Apparently there was a book signing that was going to happen tomorrow, but the author recently cancelled.

Taking this opportunity, I enter the bookstore and talk to the owner who is frowning, stress lines clearly visible on their face. They tell whoever they were talking to that they have to go, their attention solely on me.

Y/n: "Hi, I may have heard some of your conversation just now." I say with a straight face, before smiling shortly after.

I show them my ID card (under my 'writing name) and offer them an alternative:

"I am free tomorrow if that's fine by you?" I say, before their eyes practically pop out and I get fangirled over by an adult.

Bookstore Owner: "Wait, are you really him? The author behind some of our bestselling novels?" They say, almost squealing out of excitement. 

I try to brush it off, acting cool but deep down I'm also quite happy that even locally, people enjoy my writing.

We reach an agreement, one in which I get paid a substantial amount more than expected, since, in the words of the owner:

"Never-mind a backup, I just got an upgrade!"

I say my goodbyes, exiting the store. I check social media and only 5 minutes later, a new post for the bookstore appears, advertising it's new book signing, featuring... me! In less than a few minutes, it already accumulates over 200 likes.

I walk back to my apartment, entering and adjusting my schedule around. I easily have more than enough time, but I want to make sure I space things around properly. Trust me, there's nothing worse than having an open slot with nothing to do, because you end up lounging around the whole time, and when that time has passed, you can't be bothered to do whatever comes next.

An hour later, I hear a knock on my door. I open it to which I see Ichinose, now dressed in a red hoodie and plain skirt. Something far more casual than her rental outfit, somehow not taking away from her overall beauty whatsoever. If anything, it makes her look even cuter... Yeah, let's not get too carried away this time! I shout internally, quickly welcoming her inside.

We work on the presentation for a good 2 hours, almost finishing it. We briefly talk about life at short intervals in-between. All that's left is to decide who will speak for each slide and to change a few words around. Since it's not that late, instead of cooking, I offer her some fruit to which she takes, thanking me.

The whole time she's been her, her face showed signs of nervousness, as if she didn't want to be her, sometimes even opening her mouth to say something before promptly closing it before anything comes out Instead of wondering whether I've done something wrong like I usually do,  I just wait it out. If she has something to say, I trust she'll say it when she's ready.

And sure enough, she finally speaks up 10 minutes later:

"Hey, Y/n... are you free next week?" She asks shyly, the wording of the question shocking, almost to the point of a heart-attack.

D-dont tell me she's... I process internally before letting her know that I am, albeit very timidly.

She continues:

"A friend of mine, in the rental business is having some trouble. You see, she's quite shy and as a result, many people lose their patience with her rather quickly. She's at risk of losing her job as a rental girlfriend if it goes on any longer. Would you mind going on a 'practise date' with her, to help boost her confidence a little?"

I respond, a little curious:

Y/n: "Uh, sure, what time?" I respond, to which she gives me a specific time, down to the very hour.

Alright then, next week, I'll have to become somewhat of a rental boyfriend. I joke to myself before asking one more question:

"May I ask why you picked me of all people?"

A simple question, but one in which she turns a little red, before shouting back:

Chizuru: "Don't g-get any weird ideas! It's just 'cause you're the only person I knew." She exclaims angrily, causing me to move back a little - I didn't expect that for a response.

A few minutes later, we decide on calling it quits. We say goodbye to each other as she steps out of the apartment. However, before leaving my line of sight, she apologizes, her back turned to me:

"Sorry. That was unnecessary, you only asked a question after all. The reason I picked you is because you're quite understanding, considering you weren't too fazed that I was a rental to begin with..." She says quietly, her words causing me to smile a little. 

She notices this before finishing with:

"And because I know where you live, so I can kick your ass if you treat her badly." She says playfully, a dazzling grin of her face. 

She finally leaves and I lock my door. 

Well, that was eventful...

Ring, ring

Huh? Someone's calling me. I pick up my phone and check the ID of the caller:

...

Mum?!