Weren’t You Only Using Me As A Stand-in? [41]

“Uh… what else was I supposed to do?”

Kitahara Takeru looked confused.

He couldn’t see what he’d done wrong.

What, was he just supposed to use them as-is?

“You think I’m gross?” Eriri narrowed her eyes. The cool AC in the room suddenly felt heavy and oppressive.

“It’s not about that…” Kitahara paused, took off his glasses, and rubbed the acupoint between his brows. “If I didn’t wipe them, wouldn’t it be the same as an indirect kiss?”

Eriri blinked.

Her soft lips parted slightly, like she was about to say something. But Kitahara had already closed his eyes.

“I’m just trying to avoid giving Aki Tomoya the wrong idea. And besides—you said it yourself. I’m just a stand-in.”

Wearing glasses for so long had strained his eyes. No doubt about it—he really wasn’t used to them.

“Holding hands is one thing, but an indirect kiss? That’s crossing the line.”

Holding hands was part of the job. But anything more intimate—Kitahara figured it was best avoided if possible.

Eriri: “……”

Her lips were already parted, but now—nothing came out.

Because what Kitahara said… she couldn’t argue with it.

He was right.

What am I even mad about?

Kitahara had only been thinking of her, from beginning to end. But when she saw him wiping the chopsticks, something in her chest just twisted. It felt uncomfortable—like something was stuck there.

“So what? You want an indirect kiss?” Kitahara teased, seeing her go quiet. He leaned in, grinning mischievously.

“Actually, indirect kisses are kinda boring. Why not just give me a real one?”

As he spoke, he puckered his lips dramatically.

“Scram!”

Eriri couldn’t help it. Watching him stick his lips out like a ridiculous little fish, all her messy thoughts disappeared. She just wanted to laugh.

She knew he was doing it on purpose, but she still found it funny.

That was just how things were with Kitahara.

He could get on your nerves—but he always knew how to win you back.

And most of the time, when she was with him, Eriri was genuinely happy.

From her seat across the room, Ichinose Chizuru raised a thumb discreetly on her thigh. Not bad, kid.

As expected from a man aiming to be every rich lady’s favorite companion.

“Alright then~”

Kitahara plopped back into his seat.

That whole flirtation? Just mouth service.

Even if Eriri had wanted a kiss, he wouldn’t have agreed.

Kissing was a separate charge.

That costs extra.

Now that he didn’t need to tend to Eriri, Kitahara finally dug in for real.

Beef. Rice. Pure bliss.

Sure, pairing rice with yakiniku might seem weird back home.

But this was Japan.

In Japan, everything could be paired with rice—char siu, yakisoba, ramen, gyoza… you name it, they’d found a way to eat it with rice.

Kitahara was a rice loyalist.

If he didn’t eat at least a bit of rice with his meal, he felt like something was missing.

He still remembered his first time at a Western restaurant. Sitting there chewing on steak, all he could think about was how good it’d taste with a bowl of rice.

Now that he’d transmigrated to Japan, he could finally eat that way without drawing weird looks.

Eat, eat, eat.

Is it really that good? Eriri rested her cheek in her palm, elbow on the table, watching him with fascination. Why does he look like he’s enjoying it so much?

She could practically see happy bubbles floating off him.

And suddenly, she wanted another bite.

Weird.

Eriri pressed a hand to her stomach.

She’d just eaten. Kitahara had fed her until she was full.

Why was she hungry again so soon?

When she ate alone, or even with her parents, her appetite was never like this.

I shouldn’t keep watching. If I do, I’ll want to eat again...

She tried to look away—but then what?

Play on her phone? That wasn’t nearly as interesting as watching Kitahara eat.

Eventually, the temptation won out. She picked up her chopsticks again.

“…?”

Kitahara looked up, stunned.

Hadn’t she just eaten?

Did I not feed her enough?

“Still hungry?”

Reluctantly, Kitahara put his bowl down.

For him, eating was one of life’s purest joys.

He loved food, and it genuinely satisfied him.

Being forced to stop halfway felt like… trying to poop and having to clench mid-process.

“Stop!”

Seeing him reach to feed her again, Eriri held up a hand.

“Eat your own food. Don’t worry about me.”

It wasn’t that she didn’t like being fed by him. But right now, she just wanted to watch him eat.

When he fed her, the fun vanished.

“You sure? No feeding?” Kitahara asked, unsure.

From observation, he’d gathered that Eriri liked being pampered like a spoiled little princess.

“I’m not a kid! Why would I need feeding?!”

“But weren’t you pretty happy when I was?”

Eriri’s cheeks flushed. Caught red-handed, she snapped in embarrassment, “Just shut up and eat already! Can’t even keep your mouth full with food?”

“Alright.”

Seeing her all worked up, Kitahara dropped it and returned to his meal.

He really does look like he’s enjoying himself. Eriri snuck glances at him as she nibbled on her food.

Kitahara was the kind of person who made eating look delicious.

Watching him devour anything made it look ten times better. He even boosted the appetite of those around him.

Something as simple as sharing a meal with him made everything feel warm. Happy.

---

Across the room, sitting at an angle from Eriri, a tall woman with sleek black hair, heavy lip gloss, and a gold necklace glanced toward Kitahara and covered her mouth to giggle.

“That kid eats like it’s the best thing in the world. So lovable.”

Katsura Kotonoha and her younger sister, Katsura Kokoro, both turned to look.

“It’s him?”

Even her husband looked over. Sure enough, it was the boy from the restroom earlier—the one who’d given him a tiny emotional shock.

He set his chopsticks down.

“Honey, do you know him? Want to go say hi?” Katsura Manami had noticed him too. Curiosity danced in her eyes.

Was he the son of some company bigshot?

“I bumped into him by accident in the restroom. Don’t know him.” Her husband shook his head.

“I just saw that big brother feeding that big sister. It looked so sweet,” Kokoro said, hands pressed to her cheeks. In her mind, she was already fantasizing about Kitahara feeding her.

She might be young, but Japanese kids matured early.

Kotonoha gave Kitahara a brief glance and quickly lost interest. She turned her attention back to her food.

“Doesn’t necessarily mean it’s sweet.”

Her father gave Kitahara a discreet glance, then looked over at Eriri’s slim figure.

Then, for some inexplicable reason, he muttered under his breath:

“She probably couldn’t handle it.”

If he goes in… it’ll definitely stick out.

---

T/N: LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO its okay i can take it I MEAN ERIRI CAN

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!