The Nerdy Young Lady’s Rental Boyfriend

5 – Our Yeongae-nim Has Changed (4)

Sometimes, there are words that, even though you know they don’t carry that meaning, lead to misunderstandings. For example, no matter how politely you say, “Have some candy,” the other person’s forehead inevitably wrinkles as if in disapproval.

Because of that, it’s better to use such expressions appropriately in a situation, softening their intensity. If someone who has had their interruptions cut off very politely tells you to have some candy, no one would misunderstand or anything.

However, the words uttered by the woman in my head at the moment were not only perfect for misunderstanding but the situation wasn’t great either.

Sweaty palms. Quickening breaths. The only two in the space. In this situation where they were stuck to each other, with the faint scent of old books rising through the nauseating dust, the words “put it in” were more than enough to stimulate the vivid imagination of a boy in the prime of his vitality. And in the midst of that, the pure and innocent lady continued to pour out words that could easily be misunderstood.

“Kyah! Oh… um… wait. What’s coming in… What is this?”

“Calm down first.”

“It’s hard and cold… I’ve never felt this before…”

“Well… um…”

I laughed with a bitter smile, savoring the scent of corruption emanating from innocence. Well, even pure white milk sometimes gives off a foul smell that doesn’t quite match its purity. It’s unlikely that God accidentally made the color of a man’s bodily fluids and milk the same.

Well, setting aside such strange stories, it seemed that this peculiar form of support was definitely coming when Yuna touched her body. There could be other conditions, but for now, physical contact seemed to be the most obvious method.

Now, the question is, who is sending this support? If we think simply, it would be Yuna herself, but seeing her making such a fuss, it didn’t seem likely. And if she wanted physical contact, she could have used a more direct approach. Was there a reason to go this far?

Question. Question. Question. The mysterious support was still full of questions. Meanwhile, Yuna continued to struggle, twitching her hand. I pondered how to resolve this complicated situation of questions and confusion and suddenly had a good idea. I raised my hand.

And I reached into my pocket.

“Ehehehe…!!!”

As soon as I firmly grabbed her sweaty hand, her palm instantly became damp, and a strange scream echoed. I worried that she might slap me, but the moment I held her hand, she straightened her waist and stiffened perfectly. I felt like I was committing a crime as I rummaged through my pocket with her hand.

“Uh… Ugh… Uh-ha… There… This is a bit…”

“Yuna Richmond.”

To calm Yuna down, I deliberately uttered her full name. Whether it worked or not, I wasn’t sure, but she closed her mouth and looked at me. I met her gaze head-on and, along with a coin from my pocket, raised Yuna’s hand.

“Oh, look…?”

As the shining coin slipped between our gazes, Yuna widened her eyes and stared at it. And then, with a slightly more composed voice, she spoke.

“There was nothing like this before…”

“Yuna.”

I finally let go of the hand I was holding and put the coin back in my pocket. Then, wiping the sweat on my palm onto my thigh, I opened my mouth again.

“I think we need to talk.”

“…So, you’re saying that when you held my hand, a voice echoed in your head and a coin appeared in your pocket?”

“Yeah. That’s right.”

“And you want me to believe that?”

Yuna suddenly switched to a noble tone and continued speaking casually. Maybe she was starting to feel more comfortable. I answered, assuming that was the case.

“But it’s true.”

“…I can’t believe it.”

But she stepped back slightly, as if trying to cover her chest, and held the thick book she had been holding tightly in her arms. Then, she looked at me with a guarded look through her large glasses.

“You could just be making it up. Trying to play tricks on me.”

“Why would I do that? And even if I wanted to, it’s beyond my abilities. To suddenly make a coin appear in my pocket. Does that make sense?”

“You could be using some kind of magic trick.”

“Magic? Trick? What’s that? Is it similar to magic?”

“Ah… Yeah. That’s right. Magic. It’s spatial magic.”

“But not everyone can use spatial magic.”

“That’s true, but…”

“And besides, I don’t have the money to pull off such strange tricks.”

Even as I said it myself, a bitter taste filled my mouth. Yuna mumbled, seemingly unable to come up with a counterargument, then turned her head abruptly and spoke.

“…But even if that’s the case, the things happening right now might have nothing to do with me, you know? What am I…What…not even that…”

“That?”

“That…that thing, you know…that…”

“…If you’re talking about prostitutes, I want to say it’s a bit different. Because I’m the one getting paid.”

“Anyway!”

Yuna yelled again. Then, clutching the book tightly to her chest, she spoke.

“Anyway, it might have nothing to do with me. You could just touch any woman and money might come out…”

“Oh, I’ve already experimented with that.”

“What…what did you say? To whom?”

“Do I have to answer that too?”

“Well… I don’t really have to, but…”

Yuna hesitated, her words trailing off. But she still looked at me with a piercing gaze.

“…So?”

“Huh?”

“So what’s the conclusion?”

“Conclusion…?”

“What do you want to say?”

Suddenly, Yuna’s gaze changed. The sharp look that had been hidden behind her round glasses suddenly flashed, accompanied by the sound of clicking heels, and she moved closer to me.

“So you’re saying you’ll touch me regularly?”

“Huh?”

“If you touch me, money comes out. Did you think you could freely toy with my body? Is that what you wanted to say?”

“That’s not it…”

“Then what kind of suspicious proposal did you want to make? Instead of touching and receiving money, you wanted to give it to me? You didn’t think of making such a lowly proposal to Yuna Richmond, did you?”

“Ahahahaha…”

Of course, that’s not the case. How could you make a financial proposal to Yuna Richmond?

When I couldn’t say anything, Yuna looked at me with a frown. Then, in a very cold tone, she said,

“Whether you touch my body and money comes out, or food comes out, I’m sorry, but it has nothing to do with me. If you’re so desperate for money, I hope you earn it by working. Or at least ask to borrow it.”

“Well, that’s…”

“Or should I give it to you right now? I don’t know how much you need, but I hope you won’t come to me again using money as an excuse. I didn’t say that earlier because of your pride, but honestly, it didn’t feel pleasant at all, especially after hearing such impure intentions.”

Once again, with a click of her tongue, her eyes, sharp as a knife, grazed my chin. Yuna approached me with a confident demeanor and spoke in a very clear voice.

“So, I hope you never approach me with money as your goal. Got it? Ellen.”

As if a symbol of confidence, the authority of a noblewoman suddenly attached itself to the end of her words. It was a momentary glimpse of her villainess nature, which I had forgotten for a while. Even through her round glasses, her sharp gaze was clearly conveyed. I met her returning gaze and swallowed hard.

Certainly. Yuna is a villainess.

…

If she had been a little taller, I might have been really scared.

I slowly lowered my head and looked at Yuna. Unfortunately, her stature was too small to emit any sense of intimidation. Glancing down, I noticed that she herself was aware of that fact, as she slightly lifted her pigeon-toed feet to try to increase her height.

In that moment, the carefully crafted image of the villainess crumbled, and only the appearance of an adorable girl remained. Seeing that image, I couldn’t possibly act scared, so I let out a burst of laughter and kept it on my lips. Then, I slowly opened my mouth.

“Well… I’m sorry, but I’ve never said that money was my goal.”

“What?”

“Sponsorship doesn’t come with the intention of having a goal like that.”

“What are you talking about?”

Yuna furrowed her brow and pressed her heels back onto the ground. As a result, the distance between us naturally grew again. However, instead of approaching her, I pulled a chair from behind and sat down. I wrapped my arms around the backrest and adjusted my eye level to match Yuna’s.

“If I simply wanted to touch your body, wouldn’t I have demanded something more direct? Especially when we’re alone in this empty library. Although it may not sound like it, there would have been something more intense and explicit.”

Leaning my chin on the backrest, I tilted my head slightly. The smooth touch of the wood brushed against my chin, and a cold sensation lingered around my lips.

“But the fact that I didn’t do that makes me think that it’s not just about that. I waited until we had the chance to hold hands by chance, and then I sent support. I waited again until we could hold hands again, and I guided you to hold hands closer. It feels like I’m leading you through stages.”

“Leading through stages?”

“Yeah. Actually, I haven’t heard that much about it yet, but that’s the feeling I get. Don’t you think so?”

“Well…”

Yuna mumbled the end of her sentence and held the book tightly to her chest again. But she couldn’t find the words to refute me and only bit her lip. Then suddenly, she looked at me with narrowed eyes.

“…So?”

“Huh?”

“So, what do you think the purpose is?”

“Well…”

This time, I trailed off. I had spoken as if I knew everything, but the truth was that I still lacked information.

But one thing was certain. The support of someone unknown had given this adorable villainess a chance to approach me. I still didn’t know what their purpose was, but it was undoubtedly a favor I couldn’t dismiss.

…And on top of that, they even paid me.

As that thought crossed my mind, a warm feeling spread through my chest. Like a pleasant spring day, the gentle spring breeze that tickled my skin brought a smile to my lips. I didn’t hide that smile and spoke to Yuna.

“How about we find out from now on?”

…”

Yuna didn’t respond. She just looked at me with what seemed like anger. She bit her lip and lowered her head. Then, in a brief moment, she threw out a short remark.

“I’m not interested in that.”

“Really?”

Yuna didn’t answer my question. Instead, she avoided eye contact and brought up a different topic.

“Lunchtime will be over soon.”

“Huh?”

“…I should go.”

With those words, she turned her back and quickly left the decadent library. The urgent sound of her footsteps that I heard earlier resonated once again. As I followed the sound with my ears, I let out a deep sigh as soon as I heard the sound of the door closing with a thud.

“Haah…”

…

Should I consider this a good outcome?

The energy that had filled my body dissipated in an instant, leaving me feeling drained. I didn’t realize it, but maybe I was tense. Anyway, she is a noble and I am a commoner, so perhaps I was a little on edge.

“Phew…”

I took another deep breath and instinctively put my hand in my pocket. Naturally, a silver coin slipped between my fingers. Unlike before, the coins that Yuna’s touch had come into contact with were not only cold, but even warm.

I cautiously took one of them out and brought it in front of me. This coin, with no clear purpose or meaning, came to me at some point and left countless questions. And at its center was the cute villainess, who had changed a little in an instant.

As I stared at the coin absentmindedly, the image of her, who had looked quite different, came to mind. I quietly replayed the events that had happened earlier and slowly opened my mouth. And for some reason, I felt a vague uneasiness and blurted out unnecessary words.

“The restaurant. It’s probably still open…”

Lately, the condition of the extra next to me is strange.