Weren’t You Only Using Me As A Stand-in? [146]

Japan is a nation that places significant emphasis on physical education. From kindergarten onwards, a highly developed system is in place.

Over 60% of kindergarten activities are dedicated to sports or outdoor play. Their first rule of education is: A healthy body is the foundation of all learning and life.

As a result, most kids grow up with at least one, if not several, sports they enjoy or excel at. You’d never hear of a PE teacher constantly calling in sick, or a school with a soccer field that doesn’t allow soccer.

What’s more, in high school, athletes tend to be more popular with girls than honor students.

At Aoba Academy, gym class was shared by three homerooms, and the curriculum changed monthly.

Last month it was volleyball and track; this month, tennis and soccer.

After a light warm-up, PE teacher Fujiki-sensei gave a rundown of tennis basics, then declared free play.

“Takeru, what are you spacing out for? Come on, let’s kick the ball.”

Tanaka Kōta bounced a soccer ball over to Kitahara Takeru.

Takeru sat dejectedly on the grass. “Not in the mood.”

“What happened?”

Tanaka nudged the ball lightly with his knee, causing it to pop into the air. As it came down, he tapped it up again with his other knee, keeping it at roughly the same height.

“I watched the match last night. We lost.”

“What match?”

“Soccer.”

Tanaka blinked. “What are you talking about? Didn’t our national team win? Crushed the other side 7–0, no?”

“I don’t even lose 0–7 in video games. How do you let seven in?!”

Takeru had mentally prepared himself for a loss before the game even started.

He just hadn’t expected that level of a beating—zero goals, only one shot on target the entire match.

If you can't outplay them, at least out-muscle them! They couldn’t even foul properly.

The opposing team had 20 tackles and didn’t draw a single card. Meanwhile, his team managed three yellows from just nine.

The last time he saw a 0–7, it was back in the Three Kingdoms era—when Zhuge Liang captured Meng Huo seven times.

Yesterday’s match had his heart skipping.

“Whose side are you even on?”

Tanaka shot him a look, then said as if it were obvious, “Come on, it’s normal. That wasn’t the same team from thirty years ago.”

“Alright, enough griping—come on, we need one more for a full team.”

“Ask someone else. I suck at soccer.”

Now, if it were ping pong or basketball, Takeru could hold his own.

But soccer? He’d barely touched a ball before.

In his hometown, they didn’t even have proper fields, let alone enough people for a game.

He’d played a couple of scrappy college matches at best—and was mostly a benchwarmer at that.

Tanaka stared at him, surprised. “You don’t know how to play?”

“What’s so shocking about that?”

“Well, it’s just… You always seem like you can do everything. Like Doraemon or something.”

“I’m a person, not a god. It’s totally normal to suck at stuff. Go find someone else.”

“That’s even more reason for you to come.”

Takeru raised an eyebrow. “You want to watch me screw up?”

“Exactly.”

Takeru patted the grass off his pants and stood up.

“Alright then.”

“Eh?”

“I might not know how to play soccer—but I sure as hell know how to kick people.”

Tanaka’s face turned pale.

As they walked onto the field, Takeru suddenly turned back and smiled ominously. “By the way, my idol is Ramos.”

“Ramos, as in the one who played with Pepe.”

Tanaka felt the world go dark.

This man’s a menace.

...

Three classes, over sixty students in total.

Plenty to form full teams.

Under the blazing midday sun, Tanaka strapped on his shin guards like it was a real match, ignoring the odd looks from his teammates.

Fujiki-sensei doubled as referee.

Tweet!

With the whistle blown, the game began.

Tanaka’s team kicked off.

From the get-go, their formation pressed high, aggressively pushing forward.

The midfield and forward players rotated constantly, generating a suffocating sense of pressure.

The ball moved quickly and fluidly, never stopping for long.

Whoa, they’re good.

Takeru looked up in surprise.

“Don’t stress it. The other team’s all from the soccer club.”

Ōtani Shōta jogged past Takeru and filled him in.

Takeru trailed behind him, asking, “And our team?”

“We’ve got five from Team A, two from Team B. Technically more starters, but a bunch of us are dead weight. Soccer’s a team sport, after all.”

“How do seven guys beat eleven?”

Takeru nodded inwardly.

He scanned the field. Though their side was clearly being pressured, they hadn’t conceded yet.

But how long can we hold out?

“Tanaka was talking trash earlier. Said he was gonna beat us 7–0.”

“What, he thinks we’re chickens or something?”

Ōtani bristled.

Sure, he wasn’t as good at soccer—but he was a heavy hitter in the baseball club. What, they thought they could just walk over him?

“I’m thinking we teach him a little lesson.”

“What’s the plan?”

“Like this… and this… and this.”

At the ten-minute mark, Tanaka received a pass on the wing and spun around, trying to lose his defender with a shoulder feint and a quick step…

But before he could move, Takeru barreled into him with a full-body tackle, his elbow “accidentally” coming up in the process.

Ōtani followed close behind, adding force to the hit.

Against a tag team of muscle-bound maniacs, Tanaka was flattened.

As he lay sprawled on the grass, he stared up in disbelief.

The two guys who’d decked him?

His best friends.

Other guys had bros that fought beside them. His… went for kill shots.

Takeru took the ball and passed it.

The pass wasn’t fast, but the trajectory was solid.

Dōura Yūki received it easily and gave Takeru a thumbs-up.

“You guys aren’t messing around, huh?”

Only then did Takeru look back at Tanaka.

Groaning, Tanaka rubbed his back with one hand and took Takeru’s outstretched arm with the other.

“Fine, tackle me—but what’s with the elbow?”

“Elbow? You ran your ribs into my arm, clearly.”

Takeru corrected him matter-of-factly.

“Where’d you learn that move?”

Tanaka was honestly impressed.

That was a textbook dirty play—discreet enough to hurt but not get carded.

“From the big house.”

“Oh? So you’re a Mamba disciple too.”

“Damn right. So you better watch yourself, or I’ll do it again.”

“Ever think about joining the soccer club?”

“I don’t even know how to play.”

“Doesn’t matter. Just take out their striker. I heard some guy named Shijō Tei transferred in. His school’s our top rival!”

Takeru muttered, “Shijō Tei?”

The name rang a bell.

But he couldn’t quite place it.

“You know him?”

“Not really. I do have a friend with the same last name though.”

Takeru didn’t think much of it.

There had to be a ton of people named Shijō.

Could just be a coincidence. Maybe even a distant relative of Shijō Maki’s.

“Go on.”

“Next match, take out Shijō Tei with an elbow to the face. If he’s out, we’re golden.”

“Actually, I don’t just know elbows. I’ve dabbled in stomping, slide tackles, diving, even fake injuries.”

Tanaka blinked. “You’re kidding.”

You didn’t know how to play, but your foul toolkit was maxed out?

“You built the wrong skill tree.”

“Soccer needs a little roughness. Keeps things spicy.”

They both laughed it off like nothing happened.

At that exact moment, Shijō Tei—sitting in class—shivered.

He had the eerie sense someone was plotting something.

---

Later that afternoon, after school let out.

The moment Shijō Tei walked through the door, he didn’t even have time to set down his bag before Shijō Maki dragged him into her room.

Inside, she pointed at the tatami mat in front of her. “Tei. Sit. Formal.”

“What’d I do this time?”

Tei knelt obediently, confused but wary.

He had no idea what he’d done to piss her off now.

“Nothing. I just need you to do me a favor.”

Her tone was casual, but it had Tei snorting.

“This how you ask for favors?”

He made to stand, but Maki shot him a glare. He sat back down immediately.

He was helpless before the bloodline pressure of a big sister.

Parents might give you a light slap.

But sisters? Sisters fought dirty.

What little brother hadn’t been beaten up by his sister growing up?

Even if he was heir to the Shijō family, in Maki’s eyes, he was just an annoying little brother.

“Quit whining and do it.”

Bossy, despite asking for help.

“How much allowance do you have left?”

Tei hedged. “Only fifty thousand this month.”

Maki twisted his ear sharply.

“OW—owowow! Sis!”

“Don’t try word games with me.”

She let out a low chuckle.

“I asked about your allowance. Did I say this month’s?”

“Spill it. How much do you actually have left?”

“…Just under a million.”

“Lend me five hundred thousand.”

Lend? More like extortion.

Tei grumbled silently but transferred the money anyway.

When the bank alert came through, Maki finally let go of his ear.

“Now that’s more like it.”

“What about your allowance?”

Tei rubbed his sore ear, grumbling.

He only got two hundred thousand a month.

But his sister?

She got a million.

Their family was loaded, and they didn’t believe in raising kids the hard way.

But Maki, being the eldest and a girl, got even more pampering.

“Of course I’ve used mine. Why else would I stoop to your paltry stash?”

Now that she had the money, Maki beamed.

Time to buy Takeru a gift.

Takeru’s birthday was coming up, and she planned to surprise him.

“You spent it? On what?”

Tei gasped.

“Shut up.”

She elbowed him in the ribs, doubling him over.

“It’s just a little money. No need to make a fuss.”

Maki turned to leave, but paused.

“Oh, right. What kind of stuff do guys like?”

“…Sis, don’t tell me you’re in love.”

Borrowing money, gift shopping, asking about guys… it all added up.

Tei’s head snapped up.

He knew his sister had a crush.

He even knew the guy—Tanuma Tsubasa. An average, mild-mannered type perfect for marriage.

But didn’t he already have a girlfriend?

Wasn’t she Maki’s best friend?

“Stop running your mouth. Just answer.”

Maki’s face suddenly flushed.

Tei didn’t press it.

In fact, the thought of finally getting a brother-in-law made him ecstatic.

At last—someone who could rein her in.

Next time she beat him up, he was going straight to the brother-in-law for backup.
(Your brother-in-law’s probably planning how to elbow you, buddy.)

“Black Myth: Wukong.”

“What’s that?”

“A game. Super hyped right now. Everyone’s playing it.”

Maki looked it up on her phone and frowned.

“Ugh. Too cheap.”

“Too cheap…?”

Tei felt a dagger to the heart.

His sister had never given him anything even that cheap.

So unfair.

“Maybe I’ll just buy him a computer. Not sure if five hundred thousand’s enough. Tei, just lend me the rest. I’ll pay you back next month.”

“…Sis, are you buying a PC or preparing a dowry?”

What kind of PC costs more than 500K yen?!

---

That evening, 6 p.m.

After finishing kendo practice, Kitahara Takeru left school with Kamikawa Rie.

“Takeru, is it just me, or is your voice a little hoarse today?” Rie asked, puzzled.

“You’ve got some nerve asking that.”

Takeru shot her a you-know-what-you-did look.

Yesterday was fine.

But when he woke up this morning, his throat felt like someone had tried to choke him out.

“Serves you right for misbehaving.”

“Misbehaving? I’m the very picture of virtue.”

“Then let me check your phone, Mr. Virtue?”

“Please respect my privacy.”

Swear to god? Sure. Check his phone? Not a chance.

Ever since he saw Rie’s hidden side yesterday, there was no way he’d let her near his messages.

“Your contacts aren’t all girls, are they?”

Rie gave him a look full of meaning.

“You don’t trust me?”

“Nope.”

As they chatted, they reached the school gates.

A black Bentley was waiting to pick Rie up.

She got in, lowered the window, and called out, “Takeru, what are you doing after this?”

“Going home, obviously. I’m exhausted.”

“Hmm. Hope I don’t see you elsewhere then.”

“Don’t worry. You won’t.”

The moment she drove off, Takeru pulled out his phone and called Shijō Maki.

“Maki, where are we meeting tonight?”

...

In Roppongi, Toranomon Station.

Takeru stepped off the train and immediately spotted Shijō Maki.

She wore a vintage pale-blue blouse and a high-waisted black skirt—stunning.

“You look so good today I almost didn’t recognize you.”

Takeru didn’t hesitate to compliment her, and it clearly pleased her.

“Oh, this? Just something I threw on.”

Truth was, she’d dressed up just for him.

“Well, if this is casual, I can’t imagine what ‘serious’ would be. I’m keeping you close tonight.”

Takeru’s sweet talk was effortless.

Maki blushed, lightly punching him. It didn’t hurt at all.

From behind a bush not far away, Shijō Tei was stunned.

Was this really his sister—the one who’d blacken his eye with a punch, or kick him under the table with a smile?

---

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!