Weren’t You Only Using Me As A Stand-in? [13]

“The train is arriving. Please stand behind the yellow line.”

“Transferring passengers, please disembark in an orderly fashion.”

The train reached Yotsuya Station. Jostled by the crowd, Kitahara Takeru pushed his way off with no small effort.

He tapped out of the station, then walked five minutes through a busy boulevard. Near the base of a long upward slope, he began to see more students wearing the same uniform as him.

Under the blazing midsummer sun, lively JKs in their short-sleeved summer uniforms walked beneath the avenue’s parasol trees, their pale arms and snow-white thighs exposed beneath fluttering skirts.

Takeru blended into the crowd, heading toward school with the rest.

The moment he stepped through the school gates, a towering beech tree came into view.

It had been planted by the founding principal of Seijō Gakuen as a symbol — that the students who passed through Seijō would go on to great success and smooth lives.

The tree had grown alongside the school itself, now over a century old.

Past the beech tree, a path lined with cherry blossoms led into campus.

The sakura had long since shed their petals — blooming season was from March to May. During that time, the path would be transformed into a sea of soft pink and white.

“Seijō—!”

“Let’s go! Let’s go!”

“Seijō—!”

“Give it your all!”

Across the field, a group in matching gym uniforms was jogging in formation, calling out chants as they ran laps.

At the back of the line, Tanaka Kouta jogged along with them.

On the soccer field, a pass-and-move drill was underway.

Takeru paused where he stood, watching the figures chasing the ball across the green pitch. A faint envy stirred in him.

And no, he wasn’t jealous they actually had a field to play on.

What he envied was the environment and infrastructure Japan had for soccer.

He’d personally seen club members get up at 5 AM every day to practice, then train again after classes, rain or shine.

Unlike China, Japan didn’t have dedicated sports schools at the elementary or middle school level. But what they did have was a deeply ingrained club culture.

By the time students reached high school, there was a clear divide — some treated club activities as a casual hobby, while others took them as serious paths toward a future career.

Japan had a comprehensive national tournament system for high schoolers: certified referees, quality venues, dedicated websites, TV coverage from over 40 networks, exclusive columns in sports papers, and even interviews by special correspondents…

Perform well, and you could be directly recommended into a top university, signed to a pro club, or even scouted by international teams.

That was why students were so gung-ho about clubs.

Over 80% of Japanese high schoolers joined at least one club.

Takeru had considered joining a club himself. Might be nice to experience a little youthful passion too.

But he didn’t have the time.

Part-time jobs and "dates" already ate up most of it.

“Oi!”

Just as he zoned out, someone smacked him hard on the back.

The burning sting told him all he needed to know — he probably had a red handprint on his back now.

Takeru steadied himself, turning around with a scowl. “What the hell’s your problem?”

“Well, maybe answer when I call you? I’ve been yelling forever.” Kamikawa Rie turned her head away in a sulk, the annoyance practically written on her face.

“Couldn’t you have done it a little more gently?” Takeru said, exasperated, glaring at the girl in front of him.

Rie was undeniably striking. Her left eye was covered by an eyepatch, and her right ear bore the same style of earring as Takeru’s.

Her jet-black hair flowed past her waist, with a small side braid adding a playful touch.

Slim figure, narrow waist — her chest might not look like much, but Takeru knew the truth. There was something there… just not a lot.

But her most attractive feature? No contest — those legs.

Kamikawa Rie had perfect, plump, manga-tier legs.

The kind that looked impossibly long thanks to natural proportions — like someone had hit the “stretch” filter. Just enough softness to make them look healthy and athletic.

She’d been the first person to talk to Takeru on his very first day at Seijō — the first friend he made here.

“Fine, I’ll rub it for you, okay?” Rie said with forced generosity, giving his back a perfunctory massage.

“So, what’d you do over the weekend? I messaged you to game but you never logged on.”

“Part-time work. Or are you offering to pay my bills?”

“Sure! If I have meat, you can gnaw on the bones!”

“Am I a dog to you? Also — bones? Where’s my meat?”

“I’m eating the meat.”

Walking together, they were a certified head-turning duo.

“Look, it’s Kitahara-kun and Kamikawa-san.”

“They look so good together. Are they dating?”

“They have to be dating! Did you see their earrings? That’s a matching set — couple’s jewelry.”

“Ugh, I’m done liking Kitahara-kun. How dare he get a girlfriend?”

...

As whispers bubbled up around them, Rie’s lips curled into an involuntary smirk — a full centimeter.

She glanced at Takeru and saw he’d already put his earbuds back in. Her smile vanished.

She wanted to slam him with a “Laoda elbow!”

“Hey!” she jabbed him hard in the side with her index finger. Takeru twitched — he was ticklish.

He yanked out an earbud, visibly annoyed. “What?”

“Didn’t you hear them?”

“Hear what?”

“They were saying the two of us are dating. Isn’t that hilarious?” Rie let out a peal of laughter.

Takeru blinked. “?”

Was that… funny?

Probably realizing she was laughing alone, Rie coughed awkwardly. “Ahem. I mean, should we just roll with it? Pretend to be a couple so we can ditch those annoying pursuers?”

“I’ve got this guy chasing me lately and he’s relentless. Driving me insane.”

Takeru shut her down without hesitation. “No.”

“Fine.”

Rie’s smile froze for a split second. But within less than a second, her expression bounced back.

“Not like I was dying for you to be my boyfriend or anything.”

“Ha! What a joke.”

“If I really wanted a boyfriend, I could get one so easy, you know?”

“The line of guys chasing after me could stretch to France, you know that?”

Takeru stared at her, completely baffled. “Why’s that my problem?”

“...Grrgh!”

As soon as he said that, Rie’s hand started trembling, sweat gathered on her brow, and she bit down on her tongue so hard she nearly drew blood.

After several deep breaths, she glared him up and down in disgust. “Has no one ever told you you’re so full of it?”

“You don’t seriously think you’re hot, do you?”

“You don’t seriously think I need you, right?”

“You can’t be serious… You’re not one of those delusional average dudes, right?”

Thirty seconds of silence.

Rie hemmed and hawed, then tried to play it cool as she asked, “So… you really won’t give it a shot?”

“No.”

Rie turned away, lips moving rapidly in silent Morse code.

Heavy, heavy emotional damage.

---

T/N: uhhhh i think tghis is an OC heres the pic the author had

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!