The amusement park was just ten minutes away from the café, so they decided to walk there.
As they walked, they kept chatting, and Chizuru didn't even notice when Kazuya took her hand.
"Hahaha, and then he said, 'watch out!' But the idiot still slipped on the puddle and landed right on his friend—kissing him. After that, they both spent two days brushing their teeth nonstop because, according to them, the feeling wouldn't go away. Hahaha."
Kazuya was telling Chizuru about a movie he had seen recently.
[Comedian Lv1 (890/1000)]
"Pfft, that's just…"
Chizuru had to cover her mouth with her hand for a solid ten seconds, trying not to burst out laughing.
Kazuya just smiled, noticing how hard she was trying to play the perfect girlfriend role.
"And what happened next?"
She asked as she wiped away a tear that had formed from laughing so much.
"Not much. They stayed friends and eventually married the girls they liked."
Kazuya replied with a small smile.
"Well, at least it has a happy ending. You're pretty funny, you know?"
"Really? Thanks, I guess. Anyway, looks like we're here."
Kazuya said as he looked at the entrance sign.
"Shiromori" Amusement Park.
Kazuya turned toward Chizuru, still holding her hand.
"So tell me, is this your first time at an amusement park?"
"Yeah. And you know what? I'm glad my first time is with you."
"You know, I don't mind if other people overhear you, but they might get the wrong idea from that."
Kazuya said with a shameless grin, clearly pointing out the double meaning in her words.
"I was talking about the park."
Chizuru replied, narrowing her eyes and sounding a bit annoyed.
Without realizing it, she had started to slip out of character.
"You're right. My bad. It's just... it feels nice to mimic you once in a while."
Upon hearing that, she simply pouted as the two of them entered the park.
Hand in hand, Kazuya led her through various parts of the park.
Ice cream stands, candy stalls, rides—Kazuya was full of energy, and after about an hour, it was starting to wear Chizuru out a bit.
They sat on a bench under the shade of a tree, taking a break while sipping on some drinks.
"Tell me, Mizuhara. Is there something you're passionate about? You strike me as someone very driven."
"Well, I want to become an actress."
She answered naturally and fluidly. She had forgotten all about the act and was just enjoying the date.
"Really? But doesn't that mean you should be attending film school?"
"Well… let's just say a lot happened. Still, I do take acting classes. The whole rental thing is just a way to pay for them and get some practice in."
"I see. That's pretty cool. It's not every day you meet someone chasing their dream despite the obstacles."
Kazuya said with a genuine smile. For some reason he couldn't explain, her words resonated with him.
"Thanks."
She gave him a small smile in return.
"If you ever need help with anything, don't hesitate to call me."
"There's no need. I can take care of my own dream."
"Ouch, Mizuhara, that hurts."
He said, pretending to clutch his chest in pain.
"That's not funny."
Chizuru replied, her expression flat and unamused as she stared at him.
At this, Kazuya just laughed. He didn't want to admit it after what had happened with Hitomi, but talking to a girl actually felt good.
"Can I hit you?"
"You can. But I'd give you a low rating and a bad review."
Kazuya said, taking a sip of his drink.
In that moment, Chizuru almost dropped her drink when she realized she had forgotten she was supposed to be working.
Kazuya noticed this.
"You just remembered this is a rental date, didn't you?"
"..."
"Now you're trying to come up with an excuse to justify your behavior."
He said, taking another sip of his drink.
"How did you—"
"You don't have to worry. I'll give you a five-star rating. Despite your failed act, I had a good time with you."
At Kazuya's words, Chizuru let out a resigned sigh. By this point, there was no point in continuing the act. She decided to just enjoy the date for real.
After an hour of going on different rides, they left the place and walked aimlessly while talking.
"Do you want to grab something to eat?"
Kazuya asked.
"Maybe later."
Chizuru replied.
"Alright. Changing the subject. How did you like the date?"
Chizuru looked at him, confused.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm talking about how you felt compared to other dates."
"To be honest... I won't deny that I was a little scared the first time I saw you. Your eyes when you looked at people were so cold, they almost seemed dead. But after we started talking, I completely forgot about that. You showed me that you're confident, charismatic, and a natural talker. The guys I usually go out with aren't even remotely like you. They..."
Chizuru was conflicted. She didn't want to badmouth her clients.
"Are they desperate, insecure, or have communication issues?"
"Yeah. So, you've got that going for you."
She answered, resigned.
"To be honest, I'm curious as to why you even booked a date in the first place. You don't seem like someone who needs this kind of thing."
"Would you believe me if I told you that I'm kind of bad at communicating with the opposite sex?"
Kazuya replied with some embarrassment as a bead of sweat ran down his cheek.
Chizuru looked at him dryly, thinking he was making fun of her.
"If you didn't want to answer, you could've just said so. Hmph..."
She said, puffing up, a bit annoyed.
At her words, Kazuya switched to a distant expression.
"I understand that you don't believe me. I wouldn't believe it myself. But it's the truth. This meeting happened thanks to the intervention of someone very important to me. They told me that maybe doing this could help me overcome my problem."
"But... how is that even possible? We've had a great day, and it's all thanks to you."
She asked, astonished.
"That's because I'm taking their request very seriously. I'm glad to know you enjoyed it."
He replied with a small smile.
"I see."
"As I told you before. I also had a good time. For some reason, with you, I don't get nervous or pretend to be someone I'm not. To be honest, I'd prefer to go on a real date with you."
This made Chizuru blush, but she quickly brushed it off when a bitter memory overtook her.
"I'm sorry, but I'm a professional. The terms set by the app state that I'm not supposed to have contact with any client outside of the established hours."
Kazuya noticed that she seemed to be hiding something. But since Chizuru didn't seem to want to talk about it, he changed the subject with a joke.
"Damn, she completely rejected me, huh? Well, I figured. You must have your own goals."
He said with a defeated expression, scratching the back of his neck.
"Thanks for understanding."
She said with a somewhat bitter expression.
They stopped in front of a Japanese restaurant.
"Shall we go in?"
"Yeah."
Taking a seat across from each other, they were quickly attended to by the waiter.
After ordering, they continued their conversation.
"You made it pretty hard for me to act like the perfect girlfriend, to be honest. I kept falling into your rhythm over and over. Got any advice?"
Kazuya put on a thoughtful expression at Chizuru's question.
"Well, your perfect girlfriend persona is incredible. I won't deny that for a few seconds, you fooled me. But, sometimes I won't deny, it looks a bit fake."
"Eh, really?"
This made her worry.
One of the things she prides herself on is her acting skills, and now the guy in front of her was telling her that he could see through them easily.