Weren’t You Only Using Me As A Stand-in? [140]

At least it’s just my picture—not the one of Watanabe Takeru.

Kitahara Takeru dared not imagine what would happen if Kamikawa Rie ever found out what he’d done under his other identity.

That relief lasted all of three seconds. As the grip on his neck tightened, his brain started going foggy—he was gasping, tongue nearly hanging out.

“I’m dying—Rie, I’m gonna die! Ease up! Take it easy!”

Totally spineless, Kitahara immediately started begging for mercy.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t fight back—it was that he had no idea how she’d react if he did.

Despite the killing intent in Kamikawa Rie’s eyes, if she truly meant to kill him, she wouldn’t have waited for school. She wouldn’t be using such an inefficient method.

She hadn’t killed him yet—probably because she was waiting for an explanation. No—a justification.

She wanted to hear what kind of excuse he could offer, and whether it would satisfy her.

“Don’t worry. My family’s super rich.”

Rie’s beautiful features twisted ever so slightly as she tightened her grip, voice icy cold.

“When you die, I’ll have someone freeze your corpse so I can cuddle with you every night. And when I die, I’ll have them bury you with me.”

“Kitahara Takeru—let me tell you this. Don’t even think about leaving me. Not even in death.”

She wasn’t joking. He could tell.

His heart pounded like a drum.

“Come on, don’t say it like that. I never intended to leave you.”

Kitahara gently stroked her soft hand, eyes brimming with false affection, the kind you’d use to woo a dog.

“You didn’t want to leave me? Then explain these girls.”

Her grip remained firm, her gaze still cold—but she wasn’t squeezing harder.

“Miura Yumiko? I only met her during a tour of Sōbu High, before I transferred to Aoba. We barely even know each other.”

He hadn’t even held hands with her. Saying they weren’t close wasn’t a lie.

Rie gave him a look. “Barely know her and she’s still clinging to you?”

Kitahara shrugged casually. “Who knows? I just chatted with her a bit—maybe she thought I was into her or something.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

“Yeah. I mean, don’t girls sometimes reply politely to guys out of courtesy? And the guy—usually some idiot with a weird face—thinks she’s into him?”

Rie gave an unreadable snort. “And what about Yukinoshita Yukino?”

“I have zero interest in a woman who plays Six-A poker.”

“That photo? She was scared of a dog and ducked behind me. Besides, why would I fall for someone who mocks and insults me every time we meet? What am I, an insect?”

Size isn’t even the point here, Kitahara thought. Even if you cover her face, can you tell her front from her back?

“And Adagaki Aki? I heard you wanted to be her dog. Lick her filthy feet?”

Rie’s tone softened, and her grip loosened just a little.

“False charges!” Kitahara put on a pitiful face.

“I just thought her dog was cool, so I took a few photos of it. How’d that become me wanting to be her dog?”

“You’re a leg guy, aren’t you? You didn’t like her legs?”

“She’s not my type. I like your legs more.”

He stared directly at her smooth, pantyhose-wrapped legs—perfectly shaped and elegantly proportioned.

“You wanna touch them?”

Kitahara nodded. “More than that—I want to lick them.”

At this point, he was throwing all his dignity out the window to please her.

“Then do it. Lick them. Right now.”

Rie let go of his neck, hopped up onto his desk, slipped off her indoor shoes, and crossed her legs.

The black pantyhose was high-quality, revealing glimpses of pale, flawless skin beneath the sheer fabric—black and white contrasting in tantalizing harmony.

Her toes were long and slender, like piano keys—so delicate, so tempting. They practically looked… edible. No—beautiful.

Kitahara gulped, Adam’s apple visibly bobbing. He forced himself to look away.

“There’ll be time for that later. No rush.”

Rie’s face darkened instantly. She lunged forward and grabbed his neck again.

“So you were lying to me.”

But this time, her grip was weaker—her mood had clearly improved.

“It’s just…” Kitahara tried to wheeze out an excuse, “I always thought… my first kiss should be with your lips, not—mmph!”

Apparently tired of his babbling, Rie kissed him mid-sentence, hands still clutching his neck.

Even though she was the one initiating, it was clearly her first kiss. The result was far from tender—awkward, clumsy, rough.

Frankly? A terrible first kiss.

But Kitahara didn’t have time to care.

His mind had gone completely blank.

What the hell—THAT WAS MY FIRST KISS.

Kasumigaoka Utaha, Hiratsuka Shizuka, Eriri, Shijō Maki—they all spent so much trying to get a kiss and couldn’t.

And you got it for free?!

“—Tss!”

What finally brought him back was the sting.

He shoved her off and wiped his mouth. When he looked down, there was blood on the back of his hand.

She’d bitten him.

“What the hell?! Why’d you bite me?”

First she steals my kiss, then she bites me? Even now, Kitahara had no idea what just happened.

Watching the blood slowly spread across his lip, Rie smiled.

“A little reminder. A mark—so the other bitches don’t get any ideas.”

“What reminder?! I’m the most honest, faithful guy around! You think I confessed to Doma Umaru? I can explain! Hey—hey, where are you going?”

As if she’d lost all interest in continuing, Rie calmly slipped her legs back into her shoes and walked off without a word.

She opened the classroom door.

Outside, their math teacher—an old bald man in his forties—was waiting quietly with the rest of the class.

When he saw Rie, he actually smiled flatteringly.

“Sensei, I’ll be skipping this period.”

“No problem at all!”

“Thanks.”

Her mood seemingly lifted, Rie walked lightly across the courtyard, straight to the thick doors of the student council room.

She didn’t knock—just pushed the door open and went inside.

Inside, a silver-haired girl with a high ponytail was hunched over a mountain of documents, scribbling away.

Hearing the door open unannounced, her expression immediately soured. Her sharp gaze shot toward the intruder—but upon seeing who it was, her eyes softened.

“Sis!”

Rie beamed. “Hey, Yozakura Hitomi.”

“So—how’d you punish him?”

Hitomi twirled her pen in her long fingers, intrigued.

“Just scared him a little. Gave him a warning.”

As she spoke, Rie pulled a photo from her pocket and fed it into the shredder.

Right before it disappeared, Hitomi caught a glimpse—

It was Watanabe Takeru, cupping Eriri’s face in his hands, leaning in to kiss her.

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T/N: WHATTTT ARE THEY IN CAHOOTS?

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!