Weren’t You Only Using Me As A Stand-in? [57]

The movie Kitahara Takeru picked was We Made a Beautiful Bouquet — directed by Doi Nobuhiro, written by Sakamoto Yūji, and starring Arimura Kasumi and Suda Masaki.

Set in modern Tokyo, the film tells the story of Yamane Mugi and Hachiya Kinu, two strangers who miss the last train and meet at a bar. They discover an uncanny overlap in hobbies and tastes, and what begins as a chance encounter turns into five years of companionship — until the day they finally part ways.

Takeru thought it was a pretty good film.

At the very least, he could tell from the way cheerful couples walked in... and left in tense silence.

One couple even broke up on the spot.

Takeru had noticed this pattern: a lot of couples that watched romance films together? Ended up splitting not long after.

He vaguely remembered back when Ex-Files 3 came out in China — his WeChat feed had been wild.

Those who weren’t sharing “Goodbye and Good Luck” were mourning exes or getting back with them.

“Kitahara-kun,” Megumi asked as they exited the theater, night quietly swallowing the last of the day, “why do you think two people who are so perfectly matched... still break up?”

Streetlamps flickered on across the city.

Multicolored neon lights danced along the skyline, outlining the charm of Tokyo’s night like scattered diamonds in a sea of velvet.

Walking on Takeru’s right, Katō Megumi turned to him with the question.

Mugi and Kinu had done nothing wrong. They were perfect for each other. So why didn’t they last?

“Their meeting was too idealized. Eventually, reality catches up.”

Takeru paused, then offered his thoughts.

“They were drawn to each other because of how similar they were. It felt magical — like meeting a soulmate. Everything aligned, like looking into a mirror and seeing another version of yourself.”

“When we meet someone who reflects us so closely, we feel this deep sense of belonging. It’s as if every part of us is being accepted. That’s why they fell in love.”

“But that mirror eventually shifts. And when it no longer reflects the person we knew — that familiarity fades, and what replaces it is discomfort.”

“People with the same personality often make better friends. It’s complementary traits that sustain a relationship long-term.”

“Love like a bouquet — beautiful, but fleeting.”

“The cruelest part is that it peaks at the very start. That overwhelming rush of wanting to be together, that burning sense of future — it all gets spent upfront. And everything after that… is downhill.”

Megumi nodded here and there, her face thoughtful.

“Kitahara-kun, if you were the male lead in the movie, would you have tried to win her back?”

Takeru didn’t hesitate. “No.”

“You wouldn’t even consider it? She was your girlfriend for five years,” Megumi asked, glancing at his profile beneath the dim streetlamps.

“A gambler always thinks he’ll win it back—right up until he loses everything. I prefer cutting my losses early.”

They kept chatting as they walked, eventually making their way into the underground parking garage.

Beside a sleek black Audi, Katō Kei waved at them. “Takeru, Megumi — over here!”

“Kei-nii.”

“Senpai.”

Kei pressed his hands together in mock apology. “Sorry, Megumi! My phone died, I only just got it fixed.”

Megumi stared at her cousin in silence.

Do I look like an idiot to you?

That was the laziest excuse she’d ever heard.

Kei quickly averted his eyes from hers and turned to Takeru instead, giving him a friendly punch to the chest. “You didn’t bully my cousin, right?”

Takeru thought for a moment. “I tricked her into eating ice cream with an obscene amount of matcha powder — does that count?”

“Wait—did you guys go to that one shop with all five-star reviews?” Kei’s expression turned odd.

“You know it?”

Kei facepalmed.

“Do you know why they dump so much matcha powder on it? To make you choke.”

That ice cream place? No one gets out clean on their first visit.

“There was even a variety show that covered it. They had people try it on camera. Everyone choked. You didn’t know?”

Takeru: “…”

Megumi: “…”

---

[Date Completed. Calculating Rewards.]
[You have received: 10,000 points, Piltus Training Plan, 50% discount coupon.]
[Katō Megumi · Date Count: 1]

Back home, the system reward came in right on time.

Takeru didn’t check it immediately.

Instead, he collapsed onto the couch.

Exhausted.

“Woof woof!”

No sooner had he hit the cushions than Tiny, his border collie, jumped up, tail wagging, face full of shameless flattery.

“At least you still like me. I’ll buy you some snacks tomorrow.”

He ruffled Tiny’s face thoroughly.

But the second Tiny got what he wanted, he ditched Takeru like yesterday’s leftovers.

Disgusting human. You smell like sweat. You don’t deserve me.

“You little traitor.”

If he weren’t so tired, Takeru would’ve grabbed a hanger and gone full disciplinary parent on the mutt.

Lying on the couch, he opened his phone to mentally review the day’s itinerary.

Saturday:

Morning — with Nakano Yotsuba: Check
Noon — with Shijō Maki: Check
Evening — with Kasumigaoka Utaha (crossed out), with Katō Megumi: Check

Everything accounted for.

Satisfied, he laid there a while longer before dragging himself to shower.

Ten minutes later, he was in bed, finally checking today’s rewards.

With the 10,000 points from today, he now had a total of 25,000.

He opened the system store:

[Currency: 100 yen / 1 point]
[INT +1: 100,000 points]
[CHA +1: 100,000 points]
[STA +1: 100,000 points]

Skills:
• Basic Photo Editing — 100 points
• Competent Cooking — 1,000 points
• Advanced Writing — 10,000 points
• Master Fishing — 100,000 points
• God-tier: Combat Meditation — 1,000,000 points

Passives:
• Sword Mastery — 10,000 points

Next Refresh: 10h 21m 43s

Takeru skimmed the list.

[Basic Photo Editing]? Not useful. He wasn’t planning on becoming a photographer.

[Competent Cooking] sounded decent, but honestly, his current skills were enough.

Of course, if “God-tier Cooking” ever showed up… he’d consider it.

[Advanced Writing]? He’d rather starve. He’d rather jump off Tokyo Tower. He’d rather spend his life playing understudy.

There was no way he was going to live a life where editors constantly chased him for deadlines.

[Master Fishing]? Out of budget—and besides, what’s the fun if you always catch something?

Where’s the joy in fishing without failure?

[God-tier: Combat Meditation] He was intrigued… but broke.

Which left him with just one realistic option:

[Sword Mastery].

Takeru rubbed his chin. “Come to think of it, I haven’t joined any clubs yet…”

Seijō had a kendo club, though they’d never won any noteworthy awards.

Actually, most of the sports clubs didn’t have great results.

Only the baseball team was worth bragging about.

They’d never won a championship, sure—but making it to Koshien every year still made them a powerhouse.

“Let’s go with this one, then.”

Back in his old life, the conditions hadn’t allowed for club activities.

Now, he wanted to properly experience high school life.

…

Definitely not because placing in club competitions might earn him a college recommendation.

---

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!