Weren’t You Only Using Me As A Stand-in? [149]

Wherever there’s a shopping district, there’s bound to be an arcade.

“This is... an arcade?”

The moment she stepped inside, Shijō Maki was hit by a wave of sounds—chimes, blasts, jingles from a dozen games all around her.

Machines of all kinds were on display, from old-school cabinets to the latest high-end game setups.

While Takeru was off buying tokens, Maki looked around like a country grandma entering a palace—curious, wide-eyed, slightly overwhelmed.

“Yup,” Takeru replied.

Game tokens clattered into the plastic cup.

Leaning against the machine, Takeru grinned. “I’m guessing this is your first time here, Lady Shijō.”

If you want to make it in life, there's one surefire method: find a rich girl.

To that end, Takeru had once spent a small fortune on books like How to Woo an Heiress and Make Her Fall for You, 100 Tricks to Win Over a Sugar Mama, and The College Grad’s Guide to Job Hunting.

After reading through them all, he’d come to one conclusion about chasing rich girls:

If she’s naive to the world, show her its splendor. If she’s jaded, take her on a carousel.

Chasing girls wasn’t just about flattery or throwing money around—it was about creating moments.

Take Maki, for instance.

When he took her out, he never brought her to some upscale golf club or exclusive ski resort.

Even when she suggested going to an art exhibition, Takeru would decline.

Because he knew she’d already been to all those places—probably more than once.

Going again wouldn’t excite her. Unless she truly loved it, the experience wouldn’t land.

It’s like replaying a game after clearing it—you already know where the enemies will spawn. The thrill just isn’t there.

Worse yet, she’d probably been dragged to those places so often that they’d become routine.

Bringing her to places like that wouldn’t stir her emotions at all.

But that’s the key—stirring emotion.

For girls Maki’s age, liking a guy doesn’t come down to looks or wealth—it’s about feel.

And feel is a combination of emotional and physical response—something that can be created, manipulated, even amplified.

Everyone knows the suspension bridge effect, right?

And Takeru? He was here to amplify.

This was why he chose the arcade.

For Maki, it was unfamiliar territory. A place outside her well-guarded world.

Her very first time.

“Mhm.”

“Well then,” Takeru said, handing her a full cup of tokens, “I’ll be the one to take your first time.”

He poured himself another cup. Total cost: 3,000 yen.

“So, where are we starting?”

Her voice dropped instinctively, tinged with excitement.

There was no way her family would’ve ever allowed her into a place like this. It wasn’t just frowned upon—it was forbidden territory.

Breaking the rules, sneaking into a “banned zone”—that thrill of rebellion made her feel uneasy… but also exhilarated.

Even Tanuma Tsubasa had never given her this kind of rush.

“This way.”

The arcade was surprisingly crowded.

Takeru, afraid she might get lost, reached out and took her hand as they weaved through the crowd.

H-He’s holding my hand?! We’re not even dating yet! Isn’t this too forward?

Maki’s heart leapt as she stared at the large hand grasping hers. Even her twin tails practically jolted upward.

Her face turned red as expected.

B-But... he’s probably just worried I’ll get lost. It’s purely for safety. Right. Makes sense.

Even though her mind called him shameless, she didn’t pull her hand away.

In fact, she came up with an excuse just to let herself keep holding it.

While they walked off hand in hand, Shijō Tei had also arrived and stood before the machine they’d just used.

“She’s gone insane. She’s actually in a place like this?!”

Tei looked like he’d seen a ghost.

If their family found out Maki had been to an arcade—the forbidden zone—she’d probably be forced to copy the family rules a hundred times.

To think she’d go this far for him…

What kind of spell had this Takeru guy cast?

Or was his sister just a hopeless romantic?

At this rate, if Takeru asked her to go dig up wild herbs, she’d probably skip over with a shovel and a smile.

“Now that I’m here... should I play a little too?”

Truth be told, Tei had never been to an arcade either.

He looked around.

Flashing lights, enticing sounds—each machine felt like it was beckoning him over.

Such seductive little machines.

“Oh well. I came all this way—it’d be a waste not to. Might as well give it a try.”

Unable to resist, Tei gave in and bought some tokens.

...

Takeru led Maki to one of the machines. “This was my favorite when I was a kid. I used to sneak out to play it.”

Back before net cafés were everywhere, arcades had been the spot.

His parents had been strict, so he always went in secret—and paid the price with plenty of scoldings (and a few beatings).

Maki read the screen out loud. “Knights of Valour?”

Takeru dropped in a token, grinning. “Yep. Back then, arcades didn’t have nearly this much variety. The environment was worse, too.”

There were no rhythm games, no Taiko no Tatsujin, no claw machines—just classics like King of Fighters, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, Metal Slug, and Street Fighter.

But of them all, Knights of Valour, The Journey to the West, and Dynasty Warriors 2 were his go-tos.

Especially Dynasty Warriors 2—a money-eater, a true nightmare for arcade owners.

“Walking into that place felt like stepping into a fantasy world. Everyone was playing King of Fighters. You had to wait in line for a cabinet. Sometimes, the buttons were broken.”

As he spoke, Takeru casually selected Zhuge Liang.

“What should I pick?” Maki asked.

“Anything you like.”

She stared at the screen for a while, finally choosing Diao Chan as the countdown neared zero.

The game began. Stage 1: Rescue A Dou at the River.

“I’ve never played before.”

“No worries. I got you. Just sit back and enjoy watching a master at work—one token clear, coming right up.”

Takeru puffed out his chest, proud as could be.

One minute later, he died.

“….”

Maki stared at him.

Takeru coughed. “Ahem. That was just a fluke. Won’t happen again.”

Three minutes later, he died again.

“Wait, how do you combo here? Did they change the controls?”

“Why can’t I summon a storm? Hang on, I’m checking the move list.”

“Oh, you need to burst gauge… how do I do that again?”

“Damn it, why is Xiahou Yuan so hard?! And why do his goons keep respawning? Let me pull up a guide—”

“Yesss, got the Ice Sword! Let’s goooo!”

“Wait, why does Cao Cao heal halfway through the fight? That’s cheating!”

...

Forty-five minutes later, the two finally took down the final boss, Cao Cao. Takeru wiped his brow.

“We crushed it.”

Maki gave him a sideways glance. “What happened to that ‘one-token clear’ you promised?”

Takeru’s Zhuge Liang had died twenty-two times in the final stage alone.

He’d bulldozed the whole game with sheer coin brute force.

“That kind of game? One-token clear? Come on, be realistic.”

He gave her a what are you even talking about look.

Maki rolled her eyes.

“What’s with that face? Come on, let’s settle it in King of Fighters. Loser has to obey the winner for the rest of the day.”

“So bold, challenging a Shijō woman. I have to admit—Takeru, you’ve got guts.”

She tossed her ponytail back with flair and gave him a disdainful smirk.

Takeru raised an eyebrow. “You scared?”

“Scared?”

Maki laughed like she’d heard the world’s funniest joke.

“Takeru, it's time you learned what despair feels like.”

“How many bags of rice can you carry up the stairs?”

“...What?”

Clearly, she didn’t get the Naruto reference.

“Never mind. Let’s go.”

“Prepare to lose, Takeru.”

“That’s my line.”

They sat down at the King of Fighters ‘97 machine, pulling up combo guides on their phones.

One minute later, chaos erupted:

“Eat my Raikoken!”

“Flower Fan Dance!”

“Eight Wine Cups!”

“Orochi!”

“Bask in the sunshine of my righteousness!”

“…That’s a solar flare.”

“Nope! It’s sunshine. Even if the heavens descend, it’s still sunshine!”

...

After a ferocious (yet undeniably noob) battle, Takeru emerged victorious with a sliver of HP.

“Well? Admit it. I win.”

Takeru grinned like a kid with a new toy, nose practically in the clouds.

“Shameless! Despicable!”

Maki turned away in a huff.

She hadn’t expected him to play dirty—stabbing her in the side mid-match to make her flinch and miss a combo. Her ticklishness betrayed her.

“That’s not despicable—it’s called improvising. And a win’s a win.”

He was shameless about it, proud even.

Hey—he wasn’t so bad. At least he didn’t bribe the janitor to cut Facebook’s power every two hours, right?

“I’m getting water.”

“I’m not done! Let’s go again!”

“What’s this? The Shijō heir backing out of her word? No way, right?”

Maki snapped. She slammed her palm on the machine. “Fine, I’ll go buy it!”

Storming off, she shouted, “I want Xiaoxue brand Sticky Rice Lemon Tea!”

“Got it!” Takeru called after her.

“Whew. That was close. Almost lost that one.”

He hadn’t expected her to be that good—her first time playing and she was nearly better than him.

He couldn’t risk another round.

Time to pick a different game.

As he scanned the arcade, deciding what to try next, his gaze suddenly froze.

Wait—why is she here?

Without another word, Takeru stood up and walked toward the figure.

---

“Drink, drink, drink till you drop!”

Carrying his tea, Maki reentered the arcade, only to spot her stupid brother at a machine—frenzied, stick in one hand, hammering buttons with the other.

That brat!

Already annoyed, Maki’s mood plummeted further.

She stalked toward him with a thunderous expression.

Shijō Tei was completely unaware of the incoming danger. His eyes were glued to the screen, trying to secure a 19-win streak.

Just as he was about to claim it—

WHAP!

A hand slapped the back of his head.

He flinched, missed a combo, and his opponent immediately seized the moment, ending his streak.

“Who the hell—!”

He jumped up, furious.

Then froze when he saw who it was.

“...Neesan”

“You got a death wish?”

Maki crossed her arms, smirking coldly.

“You planning to hit me back or something?”

“Wha—no! I’d never do that!” Tei chuckled nervously.

Maki snorted through her nose, clearly not buying it. “Why are you here?”

“I—uh…”

“You weren’t following me, were you?”

Tei hadn’t even spoken yet before her eyes narrowed.

“N-No! Absolutely not!” he shook his head like a rattle drum.

Too late.

She grabbed his ear and twisted.

“OW! Neesan, ow ow—easy!”

“Tell me the truth!”

“I just—just wanted to see what my future brother-in-law looked like, okay?! I didn’t want you getting tricked!”

Brother-in-law...

The words made Maki a little shy.

“He’s not your brother-in-law.”

Here we go again.

Tei rolled his eyes internally. His sister’s tsundere tendencies were flaring up again.

Still, for the sake of his poor ears, he decided to play along.

“Fine, he’s not.”

“…But,” Maki added after a pause, “it’s not like he couldn’t be in the future.”

“If you want to start calling him brother-in-law now, I won’t stop you.”

Tei stared at her, deadpan. “So should I call him that or not? Can you pick one?”

Maki glared. “Don’t you have a mind of your own? Your mouth is attached to your body, not mine. It’s not like I can control it.”

Understood.

Call him brother-in-law.

---

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!