Rent-A-Boyfriend in A Reverse World

At some point, Isami fell asleep under my care. And when she woke up, she bolted back to an upright sitting position.

The sight made me laugh aloud while Isami could only grumble in defeat. She couldn't argue the fact that she slept on my lap.

I would've kept going, but the rumbling of my stomach interrupted me. 

We blankly stared at each other for a couple breaths before breaking out in laughter. "Where do you wanna eat?"  Isami asks while wiping a tear from her eye.

"Anywhere is fine. I'm not the picky type, really."  I reply casually.

"Alright! Let's go get..."  Isami skimmed through her mental database. "Ramen!"  she declared with a wide smile.

I blinked twice, dumbfounded by her choice. 'Ramen? Such a heavy meal on the first date?' 

And just like that, Isami grabbed my hand and took me to a nearby ramen place.

Or, well, if you consider a street side stall a 'place.'

Without hesitation, Isami pushed aside the flaps and stepped inside the small world of ramen by this single street side stall.

"Boss! Two bowls of ramen please!"  Isami said aloud. Judging by her attitude, she's likely a regular at this shop.

Behind the counter is an older woman seemingly in her 50s or 60s. Her chestnut brown hair tied up and covered by a pure white chef's hat, exposing her sweat-ridden nape. Her face is weathered with a few wrinkles, but not enough to say she's a grandma, even though she probably is. Her uniform is pure white as well, with the sleeves short of her elbows. Underneath, I can spot what appears to be a black tank top. 

'Whoa... She's definitely not an average ramen chef.'  I thought to myself as I make out what seems to be a tattoo of a tiger's head peering out her right sleeve.

Hearing Isami's shameless voice, the ramen lady snapped to her. "Two?! Lass, if you can't finish my ramen, I swear I'll beat your-"  the words die in her throat as her eyes land on me. Slowly, her eyes drifted to our conjoined hands for a couple silent breaths. She then looked back up, her eyes moving between me and Isami.

Isami grinned. "What's the matter, boss?"  she asks, her voice dripping with arrogance.

The woman's gaze drifted back to me. Her eyes narrowed not with hostility, but more like suspicion and caution. Like I'm a potential threat instead of Isami's partner.

"... Alright. Sit down, you two. I'll whip up your bowls in a jiffy."  she finally opened her mouth again before shifting her focus to assembling our meals.

"Thanks, boss!"  Isami says as she guides me to a stool next to her.

The stool is firm with just enough cushioning to not be uncomfortable. Definitely shouldn't sit here for long, though.

I turn to Isami on my side. "Hey, Isami, do you come here often?"  I ask, starting a conversation while we wait for our food. Isami turned to face me and smiled. "Yep! I come here whenever my body tells me to eat real food!"  she says proudly like she's deserving of praise. But instead of praise, she gets a flick on the forehead from yours truly. "Dummy, you should eat real food more often. Don't rely on konbini food for every meal."  I lecture the unhealthy gremlin.

Isami's head recoiled slightly from the flick. "Ack- I can't help it! I can't cook for the life of me!"  she retorts while dramatically rubbing her forehead.

'Hm... Should I give her some of my cooking sometimes? I don't think mama will mind.'  I pondered on how I could fix this gremlin's eating habits.

"Want me to give you some of my cooking sometimes, Isami?"  I offered to the konbini-slave next to me. Isami's eyes widened and soon her lips parted into a wide smile. "Really?! I'd love that, Adam!"  she says with sparkling eyes. 'A boy's cooking?! I'd be insane not to say yes!'

Thunk

The sound of ceramic hitting wood caught our attention. We turn and see that the ramen lady has placed two bowls of ramen in front of us.

"Eat up, you two."  she said with casual indifference. As she retreated, I felt her gaze on me for a brief moment. Like she was studying me.

"Thanks for the meal!"  Isami says before grabbing a pair of chopsticks then pulling out a hefty serving of noodles. Her little nose twitched, smelling the rich aroma of her meal before slurping it all up in one go.

I couldn't help the small smile tugging at my lips from watching this gremlin eat. 'She really has no tact, does she?'  but the thought held no mockery nor anything negative. "Slow down, or else you're going to choke-"  and as if on cue, Isami began choking on her noodles.

"... What convenient comedic timing..."  I mutter. Shortly after, the sound of glass hitting wood caught my attention. "Here. Drink this, idiot."  the ramen lady sighs with disappointed annoyance after setting down a glass of water in front of Isami.

Which the gremlin quickly grabbed with both hands and chugged it messily. A few streams of water flowed from her lips, down her jaw, before finally disappearing into her non-existent bust.

The tactless, messy sight should have been funny at most, but instead my cheeks felt warm as I turned away, hand over my lips. 'There's nothing there, so why did I blush all of a sudden..?'  I questioned myself.

"Puhah! I feel alive again!"  Isami says aloud after separating the empty glass from her lips, using her forearm to wipe off the leftover water on her mouth.

I cough into my fist before turning back to Isami. "Take your time eating. Nobody is gonna take your ramen from you."  I say after regaining my composure.

Isami awkwardly scratched her cheek. "Heheh... Sorry you had to see that..."

I turn away and grab a pair of chopsticks. "Don't be. I find everything you do cute and funny."¹Yes. I did that on purpose muahahahha! I casually complimented the gremlin next to me.

Isami's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Ugh! I keep telling you I'm not cute!"  she retorts, unbeknownst to her I also find this cute. 

"Pfft..."  a quiet scoff escaped me, which didn't go by unnoticed to Isami. "Gahhh! You don't believe me!"  she fumed, taking it as an offense to her womanly pride.

This whole exchange was quietly observed by the ramen lady. Her eyes ascertained Andy's words and reactions.

"Thank you for the food."  I say before beginning to eat my ramen at a moderate pace. Taking out a decent portion of noodles and slurping them. The hot, rich broth clung to the noodles warming up my insides with every swallow. "This is pretty good."  the comment escapes me. 'Not that I have much to compare with. My past life didn't have any real ramen, while old Andy rarely ate ramen. Like twice or thrice?'

"...  Glad you like it, kid."  the ramen lady cautiously took my praise for her cooking. 'Is she like this for every new customer? I don't remember offending her...'  I wondered the reason behind the ramen lady's attitude towards me.

I turn to see how Isami is doing. "Sluurrpp! Mmmm!"  the little gremlin devoured the ramen with glee. 'Dummy... Even after she choked, she only slowed down a bit.'  yet before I realized it, the sight of her eating so eagerly made me soften. Releasing the small tension in me that was worried about the ramen lady's caution towards me.

"Hm? Wuvs dis?"  Isami spoke with her mouth full of noodles. The reason is because I was giving her my chashu²Japanese-style braised pork slices. The gremlin turned to me, confused as to why I'm doing this. I respond with a smug smile. "You need to eat lots of meat in order to grow big and strong."  I tease.

"Nghh...!!"  Isami grumbled, but she didn't reject the meat offerings. 'Ha! Jokes on him! More meat for me!'  a small grin formed on her lips with that thought. 

After that, we finally shifted our attention to our individual meals and finished them. With ramen being a heavy food, I definitely felt full afterwards.

"Thank you for the great ramen as always, boss!"  Isami says as she hops off her seat. Yeah, she had to hopoff  her seat. And it's as funny as you think it is.

"Thank you for the tasty meal, ma'am."  I give a brief bow to the ramen lady before turning my back and begin walking away with Isami who parted the flaps for us.

.

.

"....."  the ramen lady silently stared at where the two youngsters left from. 

"He was a rental boyfriend, wasn't he?"  a middle-aged salarywoman commented. Her black bob hair acted as curtains between her and Andy earlier. A small section of a dark gray cloud tattoo peeking from her unbuttoned collar.

"Definitely."  the ramen lady replied.

The salarywoman took a hefty sip of her canned beer. "Puhah! You've gotten better, huh? I still remember a few years ago you were glaring at any boy you thought was a rental boyfriend. Mannn I can never forget the sight of those random boys shivering in fear under your glare. A number of em even ran away! Hahah!"  

The ramen lady snapped to the salarywoman, shooting an intense glare. "Shut the fuck up, Watanabe."  her tone dripping with anger.

"Pfft- Yeah, yeah. Sorry, nee-chan~"  the salarywoman, Watanabe, took the threatening reprimand with relaxed casualness.

The ramen lady glanced one more time at where the pair had left. "... He was different. He wasn't faking anything; his words, his comments, his actions, his expressions..."  she muttered.

Watanabe took another sip of her beer, "What a lucky girl. She found a good one. Unlike your daught-"  but before she could finish, a hand darted out aiming for her neck. Watanabe swiftly grabbed the wrist before it could latch on. "Sorry, sorry. Seems like that's still a touchy subject, huh?"  she grinned, but it was strained. It was taking all her strength to stop the ramen lady's attack.

"Bring up my daughter again and I swear I'll kill you, Watanabe."  the ramen lady gave a full-on death glare, her eyes telling that she's serious. "... Alright. I get it."  with that, the ramen lady yanked her hand back. She glared at the salarywoman one more time before busying herself with something else, or just anything for the matter.

"... You still got that same fire in you, huh, nee-chan?"  nostalgia in Watanabe's tone, gazing at the ramen lady's back.

"... Just eat your damn ramen, Watanabe..."

.

.

After eating ramen, Isami escorted me back to our place. Now standing outside my door, it's time to end the date with my third ever client.

"I hope you had a great time, Isami."  I say to the girl before me. Her eyes hint to me that she's planning something. A familiar feeling I've experienced before. "Adam- No, Andy. I..."  she began, her eyes drifting downwards. "....."  I patiently waited, despite knowing what she's about to say.

Suddenly, Isami dropped to her knees and pressed her head to floor. Her hands, palm down, aligned with the crown of her head. "Please! Please let me rent you again!"  she pleaded. Her eyes shut tight in anticipation of his answer.

"... No."  

The rejection echoed in Isami's ears. Her eyes blew wide open, shaking as she starts to fight back tears. Her heart tightened as a wave of murky emotions washed over her. 'At least, I tried...'  she reasoned to herself.

"You don't need to rent me again. Let's just hang out in your place from time to time, Isami."  

Hearing that, Isami raised her head to look at me. Her teary eyes shaking in disbelief with me squatting down in the center. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you!"  relief colored her once pale face.

'I really enjoyed my time with Isami. I did too with Hina and Karina, but Isami is... How should I put it? She's cute and funny. Like, really funny. That's why I want to hang out with her even in the future. And who knows... I might actually fall in love with her.'  I couldn't deny the possibility of romance. 

'Hah... At this rate, I won't be able to cleanly separate from any of my future clients. I need to learn to reject future advances.'

"Alright. That's enough, Isami. Please get up."  and at my words, Isami bolted right up. A wide smile on her face as she looked at mine.

"Pfft- Excited are we?"  I tease before standing back up. Her eyes meeting mine with relief and... hope.

"If... there's nothing else. I'll see you later, Isami."  I turn around and gesture to my door. "! Y-Yeah! Thanks again, Andy!"  she waved, her lips curled into an awkward smile as her cheeks blushed a faint red.

One final small smile tugged at my lips. 'She really is adorable.'  with that final thought, I entered my apartment. Leaving Isami to herself.

"....."  Isami stared at the door Andy just entered, for several breaths.

"Yes... Yes, yes- yes- yessss!!!"  she cheered as she started jumping up and down frantically. She then realized she's making a disturbance, so she rushed inside her own apartment.

Now leaning against her closed door, Isami's beating heart filled her ears. "He wants to hang out with me... Andy enjoys my company. Me, a shut-in weeb who works as a doujin artist. Me who stupidly thought about blackmailing him to do whatever I want..."  the reality still hasn't fully set in for the little gremlin.

"Has anyone ever told you how cute you are, Isami?"

"I find everything you do cute and funny."

"You need to eat lots of meat in order to grow big and strong."

Isami's shoulders drooped "... I hated it when people made fun of me for my body..."  her hands finding her flat chest. "But Andy is different... The way he said it, it didn't feel mocking, or mean. He... didn't mind I looked this way. I think he even likes me..."  her lips slowly curled into a small, relieved smile.

"Andy likes me just the way I am..."

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