Weren’t You Only Using Me As A Stand-in? [42]

It wasn’t until he walked up to the register that Kitahara Takeru noticed Katsura Kotonoha and her family of four.

He didn’t go over to say anything.

After paying, he simply followed Eriri out. He didn’t even greet Ichinose Chizuru.

She was working, after all—not a good time to disturb her.

…Definitely not because he was afraid of making Eriri mad again and having to coax her for the next three hours.

Compared to his date—who, in this case, was a blonde, blue-eyed tsundere beauty—Chizuru’s situation looked bleak.

Today, her client was a stereotypical otaku.

Appearance-wise? Ehhh... Let’s just say he qualified as a person.

Kitahara took a moment of silence for her in his heart.

People always said judging by looks was wrong, but how many in the world could really ignore appearances?

Even novelists knew better—you couldn’t write an ugly, overweight shut-in as the protagonist and expect the story to sell, no matter how brilliant your prose was.

Once, Kitahara had thought of himself as a money-driven man.

Back when he’d just graduated college, his dad introduced him to a girl whose family was rolling in wealth. As in: actual private mines, assets in the billions. Her parents liked him. The girl? Well... two hundred pounds and hard to look at.

His father spent days trying to convince him.

Kitahara thought it over—really gave it some thought.

And then... he blocked his dad.

He never imagined he still had that little bit of dignity left—some kind of deep-rooted pride money couldn’t shake.

Sure, good looks couldn’t be eaten—but bad looks? Could make you lose your appetite.

Spare him the “looks don’t matter” talk. Sorry. They do.

(T ^ T)

Some kinds of wealth just weren’t meant for him.

No wonder male escorts made so much.

Akihabara—nicknamed Akiba—was located in Chiyoda, Tokyo.

Fans back home called it a paradise for anime lovers, a mecca for otaku… but in truth, it was fine. Overhyped.

Crowded? Yes.

Atmosphere? Good.

Merchandise? Plenty of figurines and goods.

But nothing that truly blew your mind.

The crowd was big, but most people looked normal. No cosplayers in sight.

“Whoa, Genshin?”

The moment Kitahara stepped out of Akihabara Station, a massive digital billboard caught his eye. It featured an ad for Arlecchino, one of the Fatui Harbingers from Genshin Impact.

Of course, it wasn’t just Genshin.

Directly across, a neighboring building sported a towering ad for Wuthering Waves—like they were staging a head-to-head marketing battle.

Turn slightly, and you’d see Girls’ Frontline and the not-yet-released Zenless Zone Zero plastered over another high-rise.

Mihoyo (MiHoYo) definitely wasn’t stingy about ad spend.

Even the trucks on the street, the poles in the median—all dominated by anime girls from Genshin, Honkai: Star Rail, and the like.

What puzzled Kitahara most was that nearly every one of the Mihoyo girls had been... censored.

Chests. Thighs. Even armpits and belly buttons—covered in heavy mosaic blurs.

What the hell?

Is Japan enforcing some kind of Vision Hunt Decree now too?

“Since when did Japan get this conservative?” Kitahara muttered.

Was this even the same Japan he thought he knew?

Japan’s otaku culture was legendarily unhinged.

“What’s wrong?” Eriri asked.

It wasn’t her first time in Akihabara. She’d been here a few times on her own.

“Why are all the posters censored?” Kitahara pointed at a heavily ‘sanitized’ image of Fireworks-chan, with light rays covering her legs like divine judgment.

Eriri replied casually, “To stop people from licking them.”

“Wait—what? Licking?”

Kitahara wasn’t sure he’d heard her right.

“You mean they were licking... the posters?”

“Yeah. Why are you acting so surprised?” Eriri looked completely unfazed.

Kitahara exhaled deeply. “I take back everything I said about humanity.”

People shouldn’t—at the very least, they shouldn’t—

“We’re here.”

Snapped out of his spiral, Kitahara looked up and slowly read the store name. “Animate?”

“This is—”

“No need to explain,” Kitahara cut her off. “I know. It’s the largest company in the anime industry. Stores in all 46 prefectures of Japan. Sells character goods, magazines, CDs, DVDs, games, art supplies, etc.”

Eriri blinked at him in surprise. “Wait, how do you know that?”

She’d known Kitahara long enough to know he wasn’t exactly a hardcore otaku.

Sure, he listened when she talked and always remembered what she said.

But for him to go out of his way to learn anime trivia? That wasn’t like him at all.

Because Kasumigaoka Utaha brought me here once.

That’s what Kitahara wanted to say. But could he?

If he so much as mentioned Kasumigaoka Utaha, Eriri would fly into a full-blown tantrum on the spot.

Honestly, he didn’t even get it sometimes.

She didn’t like him, and he was just a stand-in. So why did she always lose her temper whenever he mentioned or looked at another girl?

Every time Kitahara had even the slightest suspicion Eriri might actually be falling for him, he’d check her status in the system—see who her secret crush was.

So far, it had never changed to his name.

His guess?

Eriri was just getting used to having him around.

If you spend enough time talking to someone—sharing daily life, chatting every day—even if you aren’t a couple, it becomes addictive. You develop a dependence. You grow used to their presence. And no amount of self-discipline can fight it.

Because habit is dangerous.

It creeps in quietly, burrowing into you until you can’t live without that person.

Even if your rational mind says don’t, your heart will start to act against your will.

At that point, it’s no longer about self-control.

Once dependence forms, leaving feels like withdrawal.

Plenty of guys had been there: the girl was just bored, wanted someone to talk to, and happened to pick you. She chats with you for a while, shares her day, and suddenly—bam. You think she’s The One and fall headfirst.

That’s why Kitahara never initiated messages.

If someone didn’t want to talk, he wouldn’t pry.

Even if they got a call or a text from their real crush during a date, he’d act like he didn’t see it.

He never wished to be part of anyone’s life.

He had zero expectations of anyone.

Kitahara believed: Keep your expectations low, and you’ll never be disappointed.

Which was exactly why he wouldn’t let anyone disrupt the balance he’d carefully maintained.

Looks like it’s almost time to pull back, Kitahara thought, already mentally drafting his exit strategy.

All he wanted was to make a little money—not mess with anyone’s feelings.

The only headache was figuring out who could fill Eriri’s place once he cut ties.

Finding a wealthy, generous patron wasn’t easy.

Kitahara had a lot going on in his head, but he never wore any of it on his face.

Smiling, he nudged Eriri toward the store.

“Heard someone talk about it before. Alright, let’s go.”

Eriri didn’t question it further.

Together, the two stepped into the world’s largest anime merchandise store.

---

T/N: hmmmmm she is rich... how about uhhh ktonoaroara

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!