Weren’t You Only Using Me As A Stand-in? [46]

Shijō Maki stared at Kitahara Takeru for a long time.

Eventually, she looked away with a faint huff. “D-Don’t think just because you gave me flowers, I’ll forgive you.”

The moment Kitahara heard that, he knew—her anger had mostly passed.

All the better he’d gone out of his way to stop by the florist beforehand.

He understood tsunderes.

No one. Understood. Tsunderes. Better than him.

Years of dating experience had taught him well.

And here, he owed a heartfelt thank you to Eriri for being his most loyal sparring partner.

Sure, a purple rose might’ve come off a little too suggestive, but he honestly couldn’t think of a better option on such short notice.

He barely knew Shijō Maki, after all. No idea what she liked.

Gift-giving was a whole art form.

If you gave a girl something random without knowing her tastes, you'd waste money and probably miss the mark—a classic lose-lose.

He’d chosen purple roses only after scrolling through her entire social media feed and realizing they were the most frequently featured flower in her posts.

Maybe she didn’t love them, but at least he knew she didn’t hate them.

Whenever Kitahara dated someone, he always did his homework.

He studied their social posts—learned their habits, moods, interests. After all, girls rarely said what they liked outright. They expected you to figure it out.

Every time they changed their profile picture, Kitahara wondered: What’s the meaning behind this? Mood shift? Impulse?

He knew their triggers. Avoided every landmine.

He memorized all their birthdays. Sent birthday wishes at exactly midnight—always with a present ready.

He kept track of their time of the month, preparing brown sugar water, heating pads, and painkillers before each date.

Every day, he offered warm messages and stayed in touch, ensuring he was always providing emotional value.

Every little thing—Kitahara remembered it all.

If all he had was a decent face, there’s no way he could’ve stayed in the good graces of Kasumigaoka Utaha and Sawamura Spencer Eriri this long.

Neither of them were easy to deal with.

One was a venom-tongued perfectionist, the other a tsundere brat. These traits might be cute in fiction, but in real life, they were a nightmare.

“I promise today’s date will satisfy the Shijō family’s heiress,” Kitahara said, snapping into a salute like a soldier reporting to duty.

“Wh-Who’s going on a date with you?!” Shijō Maki snapped, bristling like a startled cat. “You’re just… just some lackey carrying my bags! This isn’t a date!”

The longer she spoke, the quieter she got. Like she was trying to convince herself more than him.

People are always good at finding excuses.

Kitahara didn’t argue. “As your humble bag-boy, am I getting fed? Any rewards for excellent service?”

“Hmph. If you do a good job pleasing this lady, your reward won’t be small,” Maki sniffed.

“Well, then—I won’t hold back.”

Been waiting for that line.

He grabbed the tablet hanging off the table and ordered a cappuccino—nothing else.

“You don’t have to save money on my account.”

Scooping into her molten chocolate frappé, Maki sounded completely relaxed—her tone oozing contempt for wealth.

Kitahara really wished he could one day treat money like dirt too.

“It’s not about saving money. I just want to save space for something better later.”

“Oh. That works too.”

Maki didn’t care.

She was here to have fun, not count yen.

She had more allowance than she could spend in ten lifetimes.

“So, Maki, what’s going on with you and Tanuma-kun? Any progress?” Kitahara asked casually as his cappuccino arrived.

“Ugh.”

The moment she heard that name, Maki wilted like a disappointed housewife. Even her frappé lost its flavor.

“Something wrong?”

“Not exactly…” Maki hesitated, her expression tangled with frustration. After a pause, she finally opened up.

...

It all started a few days ago—

In the girls’ locker room, Shijō Maki was changing into her gym clothes when Kashiwagi Nagisa casually brought it up.

“Maki, I heard you were in the same class as Tanuma-kun back in middle school?”

Maki blinked. “Was I? I don’t even remember someone like that.”

Truth was, she’d been watching him since middle school.

Nagisa smiled lightly, as if just making small talk. “He told me himself.”

Wait, does that mean… he noticed me back then?

Maki’s heart fluttered, cheering inside like a schoolgirl in a shoujo manga.

Then Nagisa dropped a bomb.

“He said he used to have a crush on you. But since you were too amazing—too out of reach—he never dared to say anything.”

“R-Really?!”

Knowing her secret crush also liked her—only for both of them to keep hesitating until it was too late—sent Maki’s voice shooting up an octave.

“Maki?” Nagisa placed a hand on her locker and glanced over. “Don’t tell me… you like him too?”

Her gaze sparkled like morning dew, clear and sharp enough to pierce through hearts.

Maki laughed loudly, hand to her mouth, avoiding Nagisa’s gaze.

“Pfft!”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

“Why would I like a guy like him?”

“I’m the heiress of the Shijō family, practically the heart of the nation, you know?”

“You think a tiger would fall for a rat?”

“A fool like him is more your type, Nagisa.”

...

“And somehow… he found out about that,” Maki murmured, face buried in her arms.

“He probably hates me now.”

Kitahara wordlessly handed her a tissue.

“Thanks…”

She wiped her tears—and blew her nose, too.

So you couldn’t say “I like you” and now you regret it? Kitahara sighed. All tsunderes are the same.

They’re always one sentence away from winning. But instead, they bite their tongues and push happiness further away.

“Is it really so hard to admit you like him?”

Would saying “I like you” actually kill you?

“Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t like him. I just… kind of… feel a tiny bit fond of him, maybe.”

Even when it was just the two of them, Maki still clung to her pride.

“Happiness is for the brave. If you’re a coward, all you get is jealousy.”

Maki had just stopped crying, but Kitahara’s quiet jab cracked her again.

“Respectfully… you’re so mean, Takeru (;´Д`)!”

Ouch. Right to the heart.

You’re not just twisting the knife—you’re forging it inside her.

“You’re just waiting for the day your crush likes someone else, aren’t you?” Kitahara handed her another tissue—and another verbal dagger.

“You won’t confess, and you think that’s fine?”

“You’ve been silently stalking his feed for years—liking posts, learning what he loves, hating what he hates.”

“You’re so moved by your own feelings. But the moment he gets a girlfriend, you’re devastated.”

“You liked him for years. What exactly have you done?”

Kitahara had no sympathy for people like this.

If you hide your feelings and expect someone to magically realize, you’ll never find happiness.

He’s not a mind reader. He doesn’t know you like him.

“If you don’t confess, you’ll always be just a friend.”

Kitahara had said enough.

If Maki still wanted to tsun her way through this, she was free to wait.

Wait for the day Tanuma handed her a wedding invite… with another girl.

And on that day, Kitahara would be happy to snap a picture of her face—like the defeated MVP screen after a loss.

“I—I’ll confess right now!”

Spurred by adrenaline and guilt, Maki grabbed her phone and dialed.

“I’m going to the restroom.”

Kitahara excused himself without a second glance.

He had zero interest in listening to someone else’s confession.

Just as Kitahara stood, a woman seated behind Maki, wearing a mask and a cap, also rose—and followed him.

As Kitahara left the bathroom, he spotted her leaning against the wall.

Judging by the silhouette, probably a woman.

A celebrity? he thought, and walked to the sink to wash his hands.

“You really had the nerve to tell someone to steal my boyfriend? That’s low, Kitahara-kun~”

His head snapped around.

She pulled off the mask, revealing a pretty face.

Kashiwagi Nagisa.

Tanuma’s actual girlfriend.

“You—what are you doing here?! No—how did you even recognize me?!”

Kitahara swallowed hard.

In all his time as a stand-in, this was the first time someone had ever seen through him.

“You really do look like Tsubasa,” Nagisa said, staring at him intently. “It’s kind of amazing.”

She reached out, touched his face. Her fingers came away with foundation powder.

“Incredible makeup skills.”

She tilted her head, voice curious.

“So… this is how you’ve been playing girls? Tricking them one after another with this face?”

Tricking?!

He was practically their servant!

“You’re saying they like me? Please.”

“How did you recognize me?” Kitahara grabbed her wrist, asking again.

“Wasn’t hard. I hired a private investigator to tail you,” Nagisa said sweetly.

Kitahara stiffened.

“You didn’t think I’d notice, did you?”

Damn it.

His system hadn’t even warned him.

“So you’ve been tracking me?”

He’d only met Nagisa once.

He never approached her. Never provoked her.

“What for?”

“You called me by name the first time we met. But I knew we’d never met before. So I had someone look into it.”

Kitahara mentally cursed himself.

He thought he’d gotten away with it.

Didn’t know she’d suspected him from the start.

Rich girls. Always playing dirty.

“Just for that?”

“That was part of it,” Nagisa said, tilting her head with a mischievous smile.

“But mostly…”

She stuck out her tongue playfully.

“I think I’ve fallen for you.”

Kitahara: “……”

You fell for me… and your first move was hiring a private investigator?

What kind of yandere love is this?!

“Good thing I did,” Nagisa continued, stepping closer.

“To think… the top student at Seijō High is secretly moonlighting as someone else’s stand-in.”

She stepped in again.

Kitahara instinctively backed up—until he hit the sink behind him.

“Kitahara-kun, you wouldn’t want your secret getting out, would you?”

A cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

It wasn’t that big a deal—but it wasn’t small either.

He wasn’t a host or a gigolo or anything.

Still, if word got out at school, people would laugh behind his back for years.

The school itself wouldn’t do much.

That was the privilege of being a top student.

But what scared him wasn’t the gossip.

It was Shijō Maki, Kasumigaoka Utaha, Eriri…

If Maki found out he’d been deceiving her? She might have him dumped into Tokyo Bay.

Kitahara wasn’t naive enough to think murder doesn’t happen in the modern age.

Even if Maki didn’t go that far, if Nagisa leaked the news to Utaha or Eriri?

Those two would definitely block him on every platform.

And if no one booked him for dates again, the system would stop rewarding him.

Kitahara inhaled sharply, calming his nerves.

“What do you want?”

She hadn’t exposed him yet. That meant she wanted something.

Was it… my body?

He searched himself. Other than good grades, a handsome face, a nice temper, and excellent girl-coaxing skills, he really didn’t have much else going for him.

“Before I answer that…” Nagisa’s tone shifted.

She was no longer teasing, no longer smug.

Her eyes locked on his, searching every detail of his expression.

“I want to ask you one thing.”

“Go ahead.”

Even though he found her intrusive and annoying, Kitahara remained polite.

“…Why did you encourage Maki to go after Tanuma-kun?”

---

T/N: uh oh

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!