Weren’t You Only Using Me As A Stand-in? [132]

The moment Kitahara Takeru grabbed her, Nakano Nino instinctively frowned.

She’d never met this guy before. And he was acting all handsy from the start?

Given her temper, it was a miracle she hadn’t slapped him on the spot — a true show of restraint.

Still, from that alone, she’d already drawn an important conclusion.

Looks like Miku must be really close with him.

With Miku’s social anxiety, a guy wouldn’t even get within two meters without her freezing up — unless they were very familiar.

Which only made Nino more curious.

What exactly does this guy have that Miku likes?

Determined to investigate and protect her socially awkward little sister from a possible scam, Nino decided she’d go undercover — using herself as bait.

A personal intervention, then.

“Ahem.”

She coughed deliberately and mimicked Miku’s usual soft tone: “Just a little fever. I’m fine.”

“Anyway, what are you doing here?”

[Ding — Target detected.]
[Target: Nakano Nino]
[Age: 16]
[Intelligence: 4]
[Charm: 9]
[Stamina: 3]
[From: The Quintessential Quintuplets]
[Secret crush: Uesugi Fuutarou]
[No boyfriend. Available for dating.]

The system's delayed pop-up confirmed her identity.

Not that he needed it.

Even without the system, Takeru had already guessed who she was.

He’d met Ichika, Miku, and Yotsuba. That left only Nino and Itsuki.

And thanks to conversations with Yotsuba, he’d more or less pieced together the personalities of all five sisters.

Nakano Nino — assertive, stylish, takes pride in her appearance. A girl like that practically advertised her identity through her fashion sense alone.

And on top of that, she had classic “mother hen” tendencies.

The type who fussed over others, always tuned into their emotions, and couldn’t help but micromanage.

That’s why, even though he knew he’d mistaken her for Miku, Takeru leaned into the act — choosing to play it close and affectionate.

With someone like Nino, there was no way she wouldn’t be curious if her sister was getting close to a guy.

And once she got curious? Game over. The rest was his show.

“My little sister threw a tantrum yesterday and refused to eat. Her chronic gastritis flared up again, so I brought her to the hospital.”

He waved the clipboard in his hand and casually made up a backstory for Eriri.

Though in his eyes, this didn’t count as a lie.

When a guy says “my little sister,” it could mean a blood sister, a cousin, a step-sister... or even someone who just gives little sister energy.

Even a sugar baby counts, right?

“She’s always giving me trouble. Having a sister like her is honestly exhausting.”

He sighed, shaking his head with a look of resigned affection.

Nino’s gaze softened. A flicker of tenderness crossed her features.

With their father, Maruo, so often absent, she was usually the one who stepped up to care for her sisters. She understood that kind of burden better than anyone.

Tch. Hook, line, and sinker.

Takeru watched her closely.

Facial expressions — especially the small ones — could reveal more than people thought.

And women? Women were wired for empathy.

“How’s your sister doing now?”

“She’s okay. Actually, want to go see her?”

“Eh? Isn’t that… too soon?”

“Why not? She’d be thrilled. She’s always going on and on about wanting to meet her future sister-in-law.”

That last part was just smooth talking, of course.

There was no way he’d actually let Nakano Nino and Eriri meet — those two would tear each other apart.

Not that he wouldn’t enjoy watching that kind of catfight…

“F-Future sister-in-law?! What the hell are you talking about?!”

Nino’s cheeks flushed pink. She puffed up her face in mock irritation, perfectly imitating Miku’s trademark pouting expression.

Hah. Spot on.

Takeru had to admit — when Nino puffed her cheeks like that, she looked exactly like Miku. Practically a 1:1 replica.

If he hadn’t known better, he would’ve really thought he was talking to the headphone-wearing shut-in herself.

Whoever marries into this family is going to be the luckiest guy on Earth.

That thought brought back a memory — a question someone had thrown out during drinks with friends.

“If you marry one of a pair of identical twins, how do you tell her apart from her sister?”

Takeru’s answer had been simple:

“Why would I want to tell them apart?”

What’s wrong with a little ambiguity?

Isn’t ignorance sometimes the path to bliss?

“Hey, you made a promise. Don’t tell me you’re backing out now?”

Promise?

What promise?

Miku, you little brat, what are you hiding from us?!

Takeru’s subtle misinformation was already doing its work.

Nino felt like a cat with her tail on fire. Her mind spun with suspicion, dying to run home and shake the truth out of Miku.

“Achoo!”

Back in her room, playing a samurai gacha game on her phone, Nakano Miku suddenly sneezed.

“I’m warning you — it’s too late to back out now!”

Takeru took a step closer.

Nino instinctively stepped back — only to hit the cold surface of a nearby wall.

He raised a hand and thud — palm against the wall beside her head, trapping her with a classic kabe-don.

Nino swallowed hard.

Her snow-pale cheeks flushed a deep pink. Even her ears began to turn red.

This time, unlike before, the tension wasn’t for show. She was genuinely nervous — and a little flustered.

She’s into it. Bingo.

Takeru caught every flicker of her expression and let a slow smile curl his lips.

He’d studied these girls like SAT passages. Every quirk, every trigger.

If someone said he knew them best, he wouldn’t even deny it.

Especially Nino. He knew exactly her type.

Still smiling, he pinched both sides of her cheeks and leaned in.

His eyes gleamed — obsessive, wild, and intense.

“Nakano Miku… you’re mine. You’ll never escape me.”

Nino was completely caught off guard.

Who would’ve thought this scholarly, bespectacled boy — who looked all clean-cut and polite — would suddenly flip the script?

One word sprang to her mind:

Suave Bastard.

A normal girl might’ve reacted with alarm: “Yikes! What a creep. Better stay away.”

But Nakano Nino wasn’t normal.

Far from being scared, her face turned even redder. Her heartbeat pounded harder.

She’d already completely forgotten her original mission.

“HELP!!!”

Just as everything was unfolding exactly as Takeru intended, a piercing scream from a nearby girl shattered the moment.

Takeru turned to look.

A crowd had gathered nearby — a man was violently beating a doctor in a white coat.

A hospital assault? Great. Better steer clear before I get dragged into it.

Takeru’s first instinct was to pull Nino away.

After all, this had nothing to do with him. Why should he care?

It’s not like he knew the guy.

But as Nino caught sight of the victim, her expression twisted in horror.

“Dad!!”

…What?

That’s my future father-in-law?!

In that case — he had no choice.

Time to intervene.

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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!