Weren’t You Only Using Me As A Stand-in? [51]

“Se–Senpai, are you… dating someone?!”

The moment Aki Tomoya heard that Kasumigaoka Utaha had gone out with another guy last weekend, even his smile began to falter.

“Wait, who was that guy who looked like Aki?” Before Utaha could answer, Eriri’s expression darkened as she grabbed Utaha’s wrist.

Utaha had originally intended to respond to Tomoya’s question, but when she saw the expression on the little blonde’s face, she smiled.

It was a smile filled with delight.

“Eriri, what kind of face is that? You look like your husband just cheated on you.”

Tomoya and Katō Megumi both turned to stare at Eriri.

She stood there, face clouded over as though a storm was brewing above her head. The hand gripping Utaha’s arm was clenched so tightly that veins bulged beneath the skin.

Her eyes burned with a furious, gloomy intensity—as though she wanted to incinerate Utaha on the spot.

“Eriri, what—”

“Cut the crap.”

Eriri’s voice spiked in volume.

“Tell me—who was that guy who looked like Aki?”

Right now, she didn’t care about anything else.

She just wanted to know whether that person was Watanabe Takeru.

And at the same time, she was praying it wasn’t him.

Utaha quickly realized something was off about Eriri.

It was as if she was afraid—afraid of hearing a particular answer come from Utaha’s mouth.

Wait… don’t tell me she knows Takeru?

The thought sent a jolt through Utaha.

But she quickly dismissed it.

No way.

Takeru was attending school in Tokyo.

Even by the fastest route, it took over an hour to get from Tokyo to Chiba.

He only came to Chiba when she called him.

There was no way he’d run into Eriri—not even a chance they’d met.

Utaha tried to calm herself with that logic.

She steadied her breathing and spoke in that slightly low, composed voice of hers. “Katō, the guy you saw that day was just a fan of mine. He recognized me at the bookstore, so we chatted briefly.”

As she said it, the image of Watanabe Takeru came unbidden to her mind—head slightly lowered, shoulders trembling like someone abandoned by the world.

An unexplained pain pierced her chest—like her heart was rebuking her for the lie.

Don’t I know how he feels?

Are we really “just” what I said we are?

“I don’t even know his name.”

Under the desk, her palm was clenched so tightly it was slick with sweat. Her nails dug deep into her skin, leaving pale crescent moon marks.

She hadn’t wanted to say any of that—but with Tomoya right there, there was no way she could admit her relationship with Takeru.

It’s fine, she told herself, Takeru’s not here anyway—he won’t know I said this.

Like a child who had secretly used their parents’ credit card to buy game skins and could only pray they wouldn’t get caught, Utaha kept comforting herself.

Eriri slowly calmed down after hearing that. She released Utaha’s wrist.

She still didn’t know for sure whether the guy was Watanabe Takeru.

But hearing that the two weren’t involved helped her finally relax a little.

Wait—why do I even care so much about that guy?

Now that she’d cooled off, Eriri found her overreaction strange.

The one I like is Aki. He’s just a substitute.

She told herself she should cut down on meeting Takeru.

If this kept up, she was afraid her eyes would start drifting toward Kitahara Takeru.

Kasumigaoka Utaha and Sawamura Spencer Eriri, each lost in their own thoughts—but both thinking of the same person.

Tomoya, meanwhile, didn’t feel any sense of relief after Utaha’s explanation.

In fact, the sense of threat grew stronger.

Maybe Utaha hadn’t noticed it herself, but her attitude toward that fan had clearly been… different.

Usually, she would sign a name and that was that. She never chatted with strangers.

He’d had to pester her relentlessly before she even gave him the time of day.

And now there was someone else retracing his steps—someone slowly replacing him in Utaha’s heart.

Of course he was panicking.

The solution was simple: confess to her. Once they became a couple, everything would fall into place.

But he couldn’t do it.

If he could’ve, he would’ve done it years ago. Why wait until now?

He could sense it—the subtle, silent shift in his relationship with Utaha.

And he realized: if he didn’t do something now, he’d lose her.

Tomoya took a deep breath and said, “Senpai, I’m free today. Why don’t I go with you to find inspiration?”

Utaha frowned. “Didn’t I say? I already made plans with someone.”

“Then let me tag along. I know all your friends anyway, and I can help carry your stuff.” Tomoya adjusted his glasses.

“Count me in too!” Eriri chimed in.

She wanted to see if that person really was Watanabe Takeru.

“Um…”

Utaha hesitated.

Good thing it was Tomoya who asked.

If it had been anyone else, she wouldn’t have even considered it.

Being the one who’s loved… came with privileges.

“I’ll give him a call and ask.”

With that, Utaha stepped out of the clubroom.

Tomoya watched her go, emotions churning.

He hadn’t expected that guy to have such sway over Utaha.

Would she really cancel on him if the other guy said no?

---

Chiba. Near the Kaihin-Makuhari Station shopping mall.

Kitahara Takeru sat on a bench, sipping a brown sugar milk tea from The Alley while replying to the pile of unread texts from various girls.

He’d spent the afternoon with Shijō Maki, and messages had piled up.

The most persistent, by far, was Kamikawa Rie.

Just her messages alone numbered 99+.

[Kamikawa Rie]: Takeru, I’m so bored. What are you doing now?

[Kamikawa Rie]: Are you ignoring me?

[Kamikawa Rie]: Don’t love me anymore?

[Kamikawa Rie]: Which chick has their head on your hand, stopping you from texting?

[Kamikawa Rie]: Onii-chan, if you’re going to ghost me, at least let me know! I’m starving out here!

[Kamikawa Rie]: Forget it. I won’t bother you anymore. Wouldn’t dare, actually.

...

[Kamikawa Rie]: Kitahara Takeru, if I ever text you again, I’m a dog!!!

Takeru skimmed through and replied:

[Kitahara Takeru]: I was busy just now. Looking for something.

[Kamikawa Rie]: Woof woof!

[Kamikawa Rie]: What were you looking for?

[Kitahara Takeru]: An excuse.

[Kamikawa Rie]: Haha, very funny!

[Kamikawa Rie]: Don’t reply if you don’t want to. I can’t even hold on to my hair—how can I expect to hold on to you?

[Kitahara Takeru]: 6

[Kamikawa Rie]: 6 = liu = like you?

[Kamikawa Rie]: 6 = 5 + 2 + 0 - 1 + 3 + 1 - 4

[Kamikawa Rie]: Which means 520 1314 ❤️

[Kamikawa Rie]: So you like me too! You want to be with me forever!

[Kamikawa Rie]: Aiya, you’re so tricky, always playing hard to get~

[Kamikawa Rie]: I understand your feelings now. I accept! I’ll be your girlfriend!

[Kitahara Takeru]: ?!

[Kamikawa Rie]: ?

[Kamikawa Rie]: When are we getting our marriage license?

As he stared at the screen, Takeru thought to himself: Liu Cixin was too conservative when he wrote The Three-Body Problem.

Just as he was wondering how to respond, his phone rang—Utaha was calling.

He picked up and instantly switched into doting mode. “Senpai, are you almost here? Wait for me—I’ll come meet you!”

Utaha bit her lip, hesitating. “I haven’t left yet… Takeru, about today’s date—can we cancel?”

She felt bad, but there was no way she could let Tomoya and Takeru meet.

“C–Cancel?”

Takeru’s hand curled into a fist.

Why not earlier? Why not later? I came all the way from Tokyo, even did my makeup, and now you cancel?

Do you want me to hit you?

“But Senpai, I only get to see you once a week…” Takeru’s voice sounded heartbreakingly pitiful—like a puppy abandoned by its owner. Just hearing it made one feel sorry for him.

“Can I ask why? Did I do something wrong?”

Utaha felt a twinge of guilt.

She even began to wonder if she was a terrible person.

“It’s not that. It’s… Aki asked me out.”

Figures, you traitor.

Takeru had already guessed.

Utaha wasn’t the kind to go back on her word—unless Tomoya was involved.

“I see. Well then, Senpai, have fun. Really—enjoy yourself.”

Before she could respond, he hung up.

Staring at the screen, Takeru silently counted: Three… two… one…

On “one,” his phone dinged—an instant deposit notification.

Perhaps feeling guilty, Utaha had wired him a full 200,000 yen.

Well… suddenly he wasn’t so angry anymore.

Humming a cheerful tune, Takeru headed to the restroom to wash off his makeup. As he went, he texted her:

[Kitahara Takeru]: You know it’s not about the money, right, Senpai?

The message showed as read almost instantly.

That was the annoying thing about Line—it showed when people read your messages.

Which meant if he accidentally opened someone’s chat, he had to reply.

But now that he’d seen Utaha had read it, Takeru put the phone away.

He knew her well—until her outing with Tomoya was over, she wouldn’t respond.

If Eriri’s “Aki” was someone she wanted unconditional love and attention from…

Then Utaha’s “Aki” had to be someone who perfectly mimicked the original’s personality, speech, and mannerisms—but also loved her with depth and intensity.

That was why Takeru had to play the simp so convincingly.

After removing his makeup and returning to his usual fresh-faced look, Takeru picked a random family restaurant to eat at.

Honestly, Utaha canceling was perfect. Now he could rest early.

Yesterday had totally worn him out.

---

Back in the classroom, Utaha stared at Takeru’s message, feeling even more conflicted.

Should I end this…?

She’d originally sought him out just to ease her longing for Tomoya.

But somewhere along the way, her heart began to shift.

Before, even the slightest deviation from Tomoya’s behavior would make her angry.

As if it was her time of the month, she’d lash out.

But now, she realized she no longer cared whether Takeru acted like Tomoya.

Takeru is Takeru.

He wasn’t anyone else.

That steadiness in his eyes, the gentleness in his actions, the way he held her in his thoughts—

Those were things Tomoya had never given her.

If this kept going…

Utaha wasn’t sure she could stay loyal to her feelings for Tomoya.

Her mind told her it was time to end things with Takeru.

But her heart didn’t want to let go.

I’m such a terrible person, Utaha thought. Still clinging to Tomoya, while craving Takeru’s warmth.

“Ugh…”

She exhaled heavily, patted her cheeks, and stepped into the classroom.

“He had something come up. He’s not coming. Let’s go, Aki-kun. I’ll leave it to you today.”

Her tone was flat, seemingly no different from usual.

But anyone paying attention could hear that her mood had taken a hit.

“Got it.”

Tomoya wasn’t feeling great either.

He’d won—but it felt like he was just one step away from losing.

“Katō, you come too.”

Since both Utaha and Eriri were going, it didn’t feel right to leave Katō Megumi alone, so he invited her as well.

“Tch.”

Utaha clicked her tongue softly.

She was already regretting ditching Takeru for Tomoya.

If it were Takeru, he wouldn’t even look at other girls, much less invite them along.

“Hmph.”

Eriri scoffed too, her blonde ponytail whipping like a lash.

If Takeru were here, he wouldn’t just ignore other girls—he’d reject them outright.

“Sorry, Aki. My uncle’s family is visiting today, so I can’t come,” Katō declined politely.

“All right then.”

The four of them exited the campus together. At the gate, Katō waved and split off from the group.

“Senpai, where are we headed?” Tomoya asked, watching her disappear from sight.

“You’re asking me where we’re going?” Utaha’s voice grew sharper.

“Tomoya, you didn’t plan anything?”

Eriri sounded dissatisfied too.

When they were with Takeru, he took care of everything.

Weather, directions, budget, restaurants…

They just had to follow him.

“There wasn’t time! How could I plan anything in such a rush?”

Tomoya really felt wronged.

It was totally spur-of-the-moment. How was he supposed to be ready?

Takeru could do it. x2

Both Utaha and Eriri thought the same thing at once.

Of course, neither of them knew how much behind-the-scenes prep Takeru had done for their “spontaneous” dates.

All that could be said was—

Opportunity favors the prepared.

---

At the Famile family restaurant, Kitahara Takeru sampled his food once it arrived.

Satisfied, he gave a small nod.

Not bad.

He could bring Utaha here next time.

It suited her taste.

Takeru made a mental note to remember the place.

Just then, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

“Takeru!”

---

T/N: heh why is Rie me

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!