Weren’t You Only Using Me As A Stand-in? [45]

Kitahara Takeru: “……”

Komi Shouko: “……”

Their gazes locked. Both held their poses—frozen in place—neither speaking, as if the first to break the silence would lose.

The stillness stretched long and heavy.

Only when the announcement chimed, “Next stop: Higashi-Nakano,” did Kitahara casually take out his phone.

“Oh, I’m almost there—just around the corner. Why’re you rushing me again…” he murmured, pretending to be mid-call, and slipped off the train as though nothing had happened.

The moment his foot hit the platform, he bolted at full speed.

One second late, and he feared he’d be inside a jail cell.

With what just happened, any girl could accuse him of harassment and win in a heartbeat.

And that would be the end of his dreams of getting into Tōdai.

One train ride… ruined my Tōdai future.

How could he not run?

He sprinted until he was safely far from the station, then glanced behind him. No one following. He exhaled in relief.

“She’s probably not chasing me…”

Fan in hand, Kitahara turned—only to come face-to-face with Komi Shouko’s deep, dark, bean-shaped eyes, radiating pure frost.

Kitahara: “……”

What are you, Minato Namikaze?
Are you teleporting now?!

Goodbye, Maki. I’m afraid tonight I won’t be making it…

Taking a deep breath, Kitahara prepared to face the storm.

He stepped forward, pulled 10,000 yen from his wallet, bowed a perfect ninety degrees, and presented it with both hands.

“I’m deeply sorry. Please… can we settle this privately?”

Why is he giving me money?
Wait—is this supposed to cover laundry? That’s way too much! It’s not even a big deal…

Komi’s lips parted like a ripe summer cherry. But as the words reached her throat, they got stuck.

Her cheeks flushed red from the effort, but not a single syllable came out.

From Kitahara’s view, her silence only deepened. Her expression darkened.

His heart sank.

Shit.

Does she think I’m insulting her?!

She looked even angrier.

Was 10,000 not enough?!

Greedy woman!

Gritting his teeth, Kitahara yanked out another 10,000 yen and offered it, barely holding back tears.

A bone-deep stubbornness caught in Komi’s throat. After struggling for ages, she finally forced out a syllable:

“N-no…”

She wanted to say “no need,” but the surrounding stares robbed her of courage.

Her whole body began to tremble.

Still not enough?!

Kitahara’s eyes widened.

This was 20,000 yen! With that kind of money, he could go to Okubo Park and strike a billion-yen deal with a pretty girl!

And she still wasn’t satisfied?!

Should I keep adding more?

Weighing his future against money, Kitahara hesitated a long moment…

Then gave in.

Disaster-aversion through wallet sacrifice.

He pulled everything out of his wallet, hands trembling.

“This… I insist you accept it!” he growled through gritted teeth, holding out the bills like he was surrendering a life’s fortune.

All the hush money he’d earned from Eriri was gone in an instant.

Goddamn it. That shoulder nap cost me big time.

Tokyo women are terrifying.

Even as Kitahara’s expression contorted like a demon’s and blood vessels filled his eyes, Komi refused to take the money.

Her gaze was serious. Her aura ice-cold.

She looked like she’d drag him to the police station no matter what—no settlements.

Kitahara finally snapped.

What the hell does she want from me?!

Still not enough?!

That was 170,000 yen.

“Must we really go scorched earth over this?!” he hissed, a flicker of threat in his eyes.

It’s not like he did it on purpose.

Why push him into a corner?

If he ended up with a record, his life was over.

If he couldn’t live… he wasn’t letting her off easy either.

Did… did he misunderstand me?

Finally, on completely different wavelengths this entire time, one of them realized the crossed wires.

A lightbulb lit up beside Komi’s head: 💡

She paused, thought a moment, then pulled out her phone.

If I can’t say it, I’ll type it.

Genius! she silently congratulated herself.

Kitahara saw her take out her phone and sighed in relief.

Thank god. Negotiation’s still possible.

He assumed she wanted to negotiate a higher price.

Feeling clever, Kitahara grabbed her phone before she could type anything.

H-h-he grabbed my phone?!

Komi had never experienced anything like this in her life. Her eyes welled with injustice.

Oblivious to her distress, Kitahara input his number into her phone.

“If you need anything, let me know. If I can do it, I will. I’ve got somewhere to be—sorry!”

He shoved the phone back into her hand just as the next train rolled in, then dashed for the doors.

Komi looked down at the number saved in her phone. Then she looked up at his flustered, retreating back.

Then—

She jumped in place. ✨✨✨

Amazing! (≧∇≦)ノ

For the first time, she’d gotten someone’s contact info all on her own!

Only 98 more friends to go before she reached her goal of 100!

She was one step closer to her dream!

I’m awesome!

---

Ding-ling~

The door of the café swung open, triggering the soft chime of the wind bell hung above.

“Welcome.”

The barista, polishing a teacup, greeted the customer with a voice that was neither warm nor cold—just neutral and automatic.

Kitahara stepped inside and scanned the space.

He quickly spotted Shijō Maki seated at the long window-side table, her expression clearly saying: “You’re late and I’m not happy about it.”

He hurried over.

“Sorry I’m late.”

“To think I—Shijō Maki—the beating heart of this nation, the daughter of the Shijō family—had to wait for someone like—like…”

Maki’s sharp sarcasm was abruptly cut short.

Because in front of her…

Was a single, exquisite violet rose.

True purple roses don’t occur in nature. The violet variety was first developed through complex hybridization—Gallica × Damask × Centifolia.

Their meaning: melancholy, nobility, stillness, longing, quiet admiration. They carry a romantic aura—an intent to cherish and protect love forever.

People give purple roses to express rare and sincere affection, often on anniversaries or weddings to symbolize commitment and deep emotional bonds.

“I saw this on my way here, and it reminded me of you, Maki. I knew I had to get it—so I took a detour.”

He scratched his head sheepishly, cheeks slightly pink.

Shy. Boyish. Like someone experiencing love for the first time.

He looked just like Tanuma Tsubasa.

“Maki, would you… accept it?”

For a moment, the boy standing in front of her overlapped completely with Tanuma.

And Shijō Maki couldn’t tell—
was it Watanabe Takeru standing before her…
or Tanuma Tsubasa?

---

T/N: HEH anyway omggg the interaction between komi and takeru is great, it makes sense he wouldnt recognize her tells like tadano because he doesn't want to be open to girls umu

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!