Weren’t You Only Using Me As A Stand-in? [43]

The Akihabara branch of Animate had a total of seven floors.

Seven entire stories, all dedicated to anime. Every IP imaginable—mainstream or obscure, new or old—was covered.

At the entrance stood a life-sized mascot wearing a cap labeled Manager and a leather apron: Animate’s iconic mascot character, who had even appeared in Lucky☆Star.

Of course, all this was information Eriri had explained to him.

Kitahara himself didn’t follow anime. He hadn’t even heard of Lucky☆Star before. It was probably some outdated or niche series. If it were a national-level IP, he figured he’d have at least seen it on a Shibuya screen or a Tokyo TV segment.

The first floor was filled with gacha machines and merchandise from series like Detective Conan and Dragon Ball.

The second floor was stacked with popular new manga: The Apothecary Diaries, Spy x Family, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Jujutsu Kaisen, Blue Lock, and even Mai Miyama’s new artbook.

Even Chiikawa had a section.

The third floor was also books—this time, female-targeted.

BG (boy-girl romance) and BL (boys’ love) novels and manga filled the shelves.

The fourth and fifth floors were all merch—“guzzu.” Collab items like Hatsune Miku × Haikyuu!! apparel. Plushies and figurines from Ensemble Stars, Uma Musume: Pretty Derby, and the upcoming New World Carnival.

One corner of the fifth floor was dedicated entirely to Genshin Impact.

The sixth floor was all CDs and games.

Which was exactly what Kitahara and Eriri had come here for.

“Damn normies!”

“Why don’t normies just drop dead?!”

“What the hell, why him?! Where did I lose?!”

From the moment Kitahara and Eriri entered Animate hand-in-hand, they were bombarded by murderous glares from all directions.

The sheer resentment pouring out of the otaku crowd could’ve fueled ten demon lords.

Bringing a girlfriend to Animate wasn’t unheard of.

But Eriri wasn’t just any girl—she was beautiful, blonde, blue-eyed, and wore twin-tails.

What red-blooded otaku could survive that?

Sure, Eriri had her personality quirks, but her looks were undeniable.

By contrast, Aki Tomoya’s face was usually sealed behind glasses.

With glasses on, he looked no different than any other dude here to buy games.

So, if everyone looked the same, why he got a bombshell girlfriend while the rest of them were stuck with their left and right hands?

“If looks could kill, I’d probably be diced into a thousand pieces by now,” Kitahara muttered to Eriri, glancing around at the death glares.

“Well, what do you expect? You’re holding hands with someone as gorgeous as me,” Eriri replied smugly, even puffing out her chest in pride.

To be fair, Kitahara still thought his chest might be bigger than hers.

“Count your blessings. A guy like you who’s unpopular with girls should be grateful for a lifetime that someone like me is even willing to hold your hand.”

Kitahara’s mouth twitched.

Is this girl trying to PUA me?

“Where’s the game you wanted?”

“Keep it down! What if someone hears you?” Eriri hissed, pinching his side hard from an angle others couldn’t see.

Eriri wasn’t just haughty—she cared deeply about how others perceived her.

At home, she could be messy. But out in public, she had to be the elegant, flawless princess.

Kitahara sucked in a sharp breath. “Tchh—ow!”

Why did all women instinctively know how to pinch the soft part of your waist? No one ever taught them that move, yet somehow they all mastered it.

Seeing the pained grimace on his face, Eriri realized maybe she’d overdone it.

Her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to apologize.

But could she lower her pride?

If she could, she wouldn’t be Sawamura Spencer Eriri.

So, instead of hearing “I’m sorry,” Kitahara heard the chime of a notification.

Ten thousand yen—transferred.

Money always spoke louder than apologies.

And suddenly… the pain didn’t hurt so much anymore.

Oh no. I’m starting to get attached to her, Kitahara thought, staring at Eriri with mock affection.

A woman willing to spend money on a man? That only existed in internet fantasy threads.

Let alone someone this generous.

Honestly, the thought of severing ties with Eriri made him a little reluctant.

What now?

Asking for a friend. Kinda urgent.

Why’s this idiot looking at me like that? Eriri blushed under Kitahara’s gaze. Her cheeks flushed pink as she snapped, “What are you staring at me for?! Hurry up and ask where the game is! Or do you want me to go ask myself?!”

“Yes ma’am, right away!”

After asking a clerk for the game, they headed straight to checkout without browsing further. It was getting late anyway.

Notably, Eriri paid for the game.

To the watching otaku, Kitahara was now officially a pretty-boy leech living off a woman.

Their glares turned even more bitter (and a bit envious).

Unfazed, Kitahara leaned dramatically against Eriri and declared loudly, “Baaabe~ You’re too good to me~”

Eriri turned in confusion. “What the hell are you doing?”

Holding the bag with their game, Kitahara raised his voice even more: “Wow! I can’t believe I finally got a game from my girlfriend!”

The entire store fell silent.

Otaku: “…”

You smug bastard. He’s doing it on purpose.

And don’t get us wrong—we could buy our own games. We have money!

“Oh, wait,” Kitahara added theatrically. “They wouldn’t know what that’s like, huh? Since they don’t have girlfriends.”

“YOU—” the otaku crowd collectively fumed.

You smug little troll. We’ll remember your face. Don’t let us catch you around here again.

Or you’ll learn the wrath of the otaku legion.

“Hahahaha!”

Only after dragging Eriri several blocks from the store did Kitahara finally stop and laugh out loud without restraint.

Eriri, panting from the run, looked at him—exasperated but amused.

It was her first time seeing this childish side of him.

“Aren’t you afraid they’ll beat you up?”

“If anyone’s getting beat up, it’s Aki Tomoya. What’s it got to do with me, Watanabe Takeru?”

Once the makeup’s off, no one will know who I was.

Eriri gave him a glare.

This guy was so punchable.

Cause trouble himself, then pin the consequences on the persona he was pretending to be.

Act cool? Let someone else take the hit? Yep, sounds about right.

The two of them chatted while heading toward the station.

The platform was packed, overflowing with people.

They barely squeezed into the train—and there were no seats left. So they stood, posted near the doors for an easier exit.

Kitahara subtly used his arm to shield Eriri, creating space for her in the crush.

Didn’t think he’d be so solid… Eriri, tucked safely under his arm, glanced at the defined muscles beneath his sleeve.

This… was different from Aki Tomoya.

Sure, Aki worked part-time, but building muscle just from that? Unlikely.

Is he one of those “slim in clothes, ripped underneath” types? Does he have abs too?

Eriri’s eyes drifted toward his stomach.

Maybe next time I could… feel for myself?

Her face burned. All the heat in her body seemed to rush to her cheeks.

No! No no no, what are you thinking, Eriri?! She shook her head violently, trying to clear her thoughts.

Kitahara watched her turn red, then start shaking her head like crazy.

He had no idea what was going on in her head.

The train rumbled along toward Chiba, carrying one flustered girl and one very confused boy.

[Transaction Complete. Calculating rewards...]
[Player earned: 5000 points.]
[Total Dates with: Sawamura Spencer Eriri – 8]

---

The next morning, for once, Kitahara didn’t wake up on time.

Running Tokyo ⇄ Chiba twice in one day had nearly killed him.

The second he got home, he passed out cold.

Exhaustion.

That was the only thing he felt after a full day of shopping with a girl.

His legs barely felt like his anymore.

He really didn’t want to get out of bed.

“Would the Earth explode if I became rich too?”

Lying there, Kitahara seriously considered messaging one of the rich older women in his contacts.

Auntie… I don’t want to work hard anymore.

But recalling that his scrawny body wasn’t yet ready for stainless-steel-level workloads, he decided to keep hustling for a bit longer.

After making breakfast, he took Tiny the border collie out and headed to meet Nakano Yotsuba.

Opening the door, he spotted a trash bag outside the neighbor’s unit—and couldn’t help bursting into laughter.

He took a picture and messaged Yotsuba.

[Kitahara Takeru]: Yotsuba, I found your true form.

Seconds later, Yotsuba replied with a string of question marks:

[Yotsuba]: ???

Staring at the photo, Yotsuba puffed up her cheeks indignantly.

But the longer she looked…

She started to laugh.

She wasn’t the type to get mad over a joke.

And honestly, that trash bag did kind of look like her.

Amused, she snapped a selfie and sent both pictures to the group chat with her sisters.

[Yotsuba]: Don’t you think it looks like me?

Then she switched back to her chat with Kitahara.

She knew her sisters well. None of them would be awake yet.

Even the most disciplined one—Itsuki—wouldn’t be up until after eight.

[Yotsuba]: Kitahara-kun, you’re not coming for the morning run today?

[Kitahara]: I’m on my way! Slept in a bit, but I’m coming now.

[Yotsuba]: This is the first time I beat you here, huh?

It had been a week since they started jogging together.

Kitahara was usually the one who arrived early and waited.

This was her first time arriving ahead of him.

[Kitahara]: Treasure this moment forever. You can brag about it for the rest of your life (￣^￣)

[Yotsuba]: Why?

[Kitahara]: Because standing before you is the future No.1-ranked student in Japan—the current No.3! The one and only Kitahara Takeru!

[Yotsuba]: (キ｀＾Д＾)!!

[Yotsuba]: Wait, your grades are that good?!

Nationwide rank 3.

Yotsuba had never even dreamed of such a thing.

[Kitahara]: That’s hard? I mean… you just need hands, right?

Kitahara was being ridiculously humble, but Yotsuba didn’t realize it.

She stared at her own hands and thought, Are mine fake or something...?

[Yotsuba]: Then can you teach me?

A pause.

Then she added:

[Yotsuba]: I’ll pay you!

[Kitahara]: Ahh… how could I accept that?

He followed up with a meme: a student rejecting a red envelope with one hand while opening his pocket with the other.

[Kitahara]: So, how much are we talking here?

[Yotsuba]: Uh… I’d have to ask my dad...

Then, behind her, a voice:

“How about you ask him now?”

Yotsuba turned to see Kitahara walking over, dog in tow.

“You’re late,” she said, pouting—but smiling.

Kitahara handed her a bag. “Breakfast.”

“Thanks.” Yotsuba took the dumplings and soy milk happily.

She used to politely decline, but after a week of being spoiled by Kitahara’s daily breakfast offerings, she’d gotten used to it.

Bit by bit, he’d silently worked his way into her life.

“Dumplings?”

“Guotie. But yeah, they’re basically dumplings. Just pan-fried.”

In Japan, dumplings were almost always pan-fried anyway.

“Eh, whatever. So, tell me—what’s your weakest subject? I’ll make sure to drill it hard.”

Kitahara popped a dumpling in his mouth using gloved hands, his voice a little muffled.

“Um… all of them…”

Yotsuba’s eyes darted around guiltily.

“…What?”

Kitahara froze, staring at her. “You’re kidding, right?”

Yotsuba looked away. “…I’m not.”

He paused. “Okay… What were your scores on your last exam?”

“…Forty-nine.”

“Which subject?”

“…Total score. Forty-nine.”

Kitahara: “…”

What the hell?

Even if you only guessed on the multiple choice, how do you still only get 49 total?

“…Do I still have hope?” Yotsuba asked timidly.

Kitahara gave a very serious shake of his head. “Nope. It’s hopeless. Just… prepare for the worst.”

Yotsuba: (；д；)

After their morning jog, Kitahara went home for a quick reset before heading out again—for a date with Shijō Maki.

Four girls in two days.

He was starting to feel it.

If I ever schedule this many dates again, I swear—I’m a dog.

He hadn’t slept well the night before, either.

Now, on the train, Kitahara was struggling to stay awake.

His head kept drooping lower and lower…

Stay awake. Just hold on—actually, maybe I’ll just close my eyes for a second...

Within five minutes, he was peacefully asleep.

Next to him, a quiet girl was curled in on herself, trying to avoid brushing up against anyone.

Then suddenly—thud.

Something heavy landed on her left shoulder.

And her entire body went stiff like a corpse.

---

T/N: ooooh i wonder who it is...

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!