Weren’t You Only Using Me As A Stand-in? [52]

“Takeru?”

Hearing someone call his name, Kitahara Takeru turned around.

Standing beside him was a well-dressed, strikingly handsome young man.

The sight of the newcomer brought a smile to Takeru’s face.

“Kato-senpai? What brings you here?”

“Family gathering,” Kato Kei replied with a grin as he sat down across from Takeru. “Thought I was seeing things. Didn’t expect it to really be you.”

“How have you been?”

Takeru put down his chopsticks. “Surviving—barely. As long as Tokyo doesn’t starve me to death, I call it a win.”

“You make it sound like Tokyo’s a cannibalistic dungeon,” Kei laughed.

“With prices like that? Might as well be.”

To be fair, Tokyo’s cost of living was about on par with Shanghai—but transportation was genuinely expensive.

Forget taxis. Even the basic train fare started at 150 yen.

Add a couple of transfers, and a single trip could easily hit 300 to 500 yen.

Honestly, these train companies might as well just be robbing people.

Kei chuckled, then shifted the topic. “So, what brings you to Chiba?”

“Made plans to see a movie with someone.”

“A date? Are you finally dating someone?” Kei’s gossip antenna went up immediately.

He knew just how popular Takeru was at school.

Now he was genuinely curious—what kind of girl could land a guy like him?

“Senpai, don’t joke. A broke guy like me—date? Seriously?”

When he was on his own, instant noodles were fine.

But if he had a girlfriend, could he really make her eat instant noodles with him?

Gone were the days of holding hands, wandering the streets, or strolling through a park.

Love doesn’t need money, but everything that keeps it alive does.

He’d never seen a relationship that didn’t cost a dime.

And this was Seijō Gakuen, after all.

The girls here—especially the ones from wealthy families—lived in another world entirely.

Dating a rich girl? He’d be lucky if his wallet lasted a month.

If things were unequal from the start, no matter how much she was willing to lower her standards, both sides would end up exhausted.

If you're poor, don’t date rich girls. That much, Takeru understood.

“So what—you’re waiting to be perfect before you let yourself fall in love?” Kei asked. One was in college, the other still in high school, so they rarely met in person—but they chatted often enough.

Kei knew his underclassman pretty well.

“Something like that.”

Takeru nodded.

Kei leaned in, his tone earnest. “But isn’t a real relationship just two imperfect people choosing to be together?”

“You don’t need to be perfect to be loved. What matters is someone who accepts you as you are, right now.”

Takeru gave a soft laugh.

It was light, almost mocking—toward himself. “Senpai, no one falls in love with someone who's sensitive, insecure, and constantly second-guessing everything.”

He didn’t believe a girl would just randomly fall for an average-looking, skinny, broke, introverted guy.

“You always win these arguments,” Kei said with a sigh, then let the topic drop. “Anyway, where’s the girl you were supposed to meet?”

Takeru sipped his ice water, clearing his throat. “She went on a date… with her first love.”

“You got stood up?”

Kei looked genuinely shocked—like someone just told him Daniel Craig got cheated on.

What? This guy? Stood up?

“Yeah. Already bought the movie tickets, too.”

Takeru didn’t seem too bothered. Like he’d told Kashiwagi Nagisa before, he wasn’t here to compete with anyone.

He was just a little bummed about wasting the extra ticket.

Kei opened his mouth, as if he had a lot to say, but in the end, all that came out was a sigh.

This kouhai of mine—he’s good-looking, smart, funny, charming when needed, goofy when he wants to be. He gets along with teachers, classmates, even upperclassmen. He’s the kind of guy teachers love and classmates always invite along. A walking favorite.

Kei really couldn’t imagine what kind of guy had managed to edge Takeru out.

“Kei-onii.”

At some point, a girl in a Toyosaki Private School uniform had appeared behind Kei.

Short bob haircut, neatly symmetrical features, average height, smooth complexion, curves in all the right places—

All in all, a very cute girl.

“Megumi? When did you get here?”

Kei jumped slightly.

He was used to his cousin's ghost-like entrances, but it startled him every time.

“I—” Katō Megumi had just started to speak when Takeru cut in smoothly, “She just got here.”

Megumi glanced at the boy across from her—the one who looked like he’d stepped right out of a manga panel.

She hadn’t expected him to notice her arrival.

Takeru glanced back at her too—well, more accurately, at the system window that had just popped up in front of him.

[Target: Katō Megumi]
[Age: 16]
[Intelligence: 5]
[Charm: 9]
[Stamina: 5]
[From: Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata]
[Crush: Aki Tomoya]
[Single. Available for dating.]

She’s got a charm stat of 9? Takeru blinked in surprise.

He’d admit Megumi was cute—but better looking than Kasumigaoka Utaha or Sawamura Spencer Eriri? No way.

Even those two only scored an 8.

What kind of metric is this system using?

[Charm Score = Overall rating of looks, figure, personality, and popularity.]

The system, which usually stayed silent, suddenly offered an explanation.

So… she’s really popular? Takeru raised an eyebrow.

If it wasn’t her looks or figure, maybe it was her personality?

Or… did “lack of presence” somehow count as a vibe?

[Extremely popular.]

How popular? Takeru was intrigued.

[Approximately... three to four stories tall.]
[In a lineup with Kasumigaoka Utaha and Sawamura Spencer Eriri, the majority of boys would still pick her as their ideal girlfriend.]

Tch. That Aki Tomoya guy sure hit the jackpot.

A black-haired ice queen, a blonde tsundere childhood friend, and now the quiet ideal waifu.

What window did fate not open for this guy?

“Sorry, sorry. Didn’t even notice you,” Kei said, pressing his hands together apologetically.

Megumi shook her head—It’s fine.

She was used to being ignored.

In fact, she was more surprised that Kitahara Takeru had noticed her at all.

“Oh, right. Megumi—this is the Kitahara Takeru I’ve told you about,” Kei introduced. “Takeru, this is my cousin, Katō Megumi. Same year as you—first year of high school.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Takeru already knew from the system, of course—but best not to show it.

He didn’t want a repeat of the whole Kashiwagi Nagisa fiasco.

“Nice to meet you, Kitahara-kun.”

They exchanged polite greetings and shook hands briefly.

The moment their fingers touched, the system pinged again:

[Date reassignment triggered. View details?]

Date reassignment?

Takeru blinked. This had never happened before.

He mentally selected View.

[New Date Partner: Katō Megumi]
[Activity: “Wherever the page turns, that’s what I’ll read. If you won’t keep me company, someone else will. Whoever accompanies me—I’ll love them.”]
[Time: May 15, 6:00 PM]
[Location: Roppongi Shopping Plaza]
[Rewards: 10,000 points, Piltus Training Plan, 50% Off Coupon]
[Accept Date?]

Piltus…? Wasn’t that a wellness thing?

Takeru stared at the system window.

This… just got interesting.

---

T/N: “Wherever the page turns, that’s what I’ll read. If you won’t keep me company, someone else will. Whoever accompanies me—I’ll love them.”
AHJHHHH SHES PERFECT SHES ME IM PERFECT

This is a fan translation of 不是说只拿我当替身的吗？by 雪碧加冰. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!