Weren’t You Only Using Me As A Stand-in? [125]

“Do you even realize what you’re saying?”

Kitahara Takeru’s pupils dilated dramatically, his expression a perfect ‘this shocked my mom for a whole year’ meme.

Did I transmigrate into a doujin? What is this, the Bull series?

If this was really the world he was in now, maybe he should follow the French—date freely, marry never.

“I do.”

Kitagawa Marin’s porcelain face was tinged with pink, like a ripe apple begging to be bitten.

She was still a little shy when it came to guys and these kinds of things.

“It’s all for the sake of the cosplay!”

“Shizuku Kuroe is a star idol, after all.”

“She gets turned on by the male lead's humiliat—”

“Stop. Just—stop.”

Takeru held up a hand, cutting her off.

“I don’t need to know your kink. Seriously. Keep that to yourself.”

What she got off to was none of his business.

“I just want to know—why me? Why can’t Gojo-kun do it?”

“Because Gojo-kun’s too nice. And he’s super shy. If he knew what that remote was for, he wouldn’t even be able to hold it. He’d probably try to talk me out of it.”

Marin’s tone was full of helplessness.

Poor honest guys, Takeru thought, sparing a glance at Gojo Wakana, who was still chatting with Shota and Kota a short distance away.

Even though he hadn’t interacted much with Gojo, Takeru had a good enough sense to figure out the type—quiet, gentle, a little too soft for this world.

Then the realization hit him, and his expression darkened.

“Wait. Are you saying I’m not honest?”

“W-Wait! Takeru, let me explain—”

“You’re not even denying it?!”

“Well, you do have that face—like someone who never has to beg for a girlfriend. You’re smooth, charming, always surrounded by cute girls… if I said you were honest, would you even believe it?”

“I would!”

As they continued their private back-and-forth, Kota finally shouted, “Hey! Are you two done chatting? Are we shooting or not?!”

Marin shoved the remote into Takeru’s hand, fingers pressed together in a pleading gesture. “Please, Takeru! Just this once—it’s the one and only favor I’ll ever ask you.”

“Then your life must be real short.”

Takeru muttered the jab under his breath but sighed as he looked at the remote.

“Fine. But just so we’re clear—I’m not responsible for whatever happens.”

After all, Marin wasn’t his girlfriend, and he wasn’t the one stuck with the aftermath. Looked like Gojo was the one who’d be picking up the mess.

Honestly, Takeru didn’t have much faith in Gojo and Marin’s relationship.

Sure, a gentle guy might seem appealing at first. Calm, accommodating, emotionally intuitive—those qualities had their draw.

But liking someone’s personality meant accepting the flaws that came with it.

The calm ones? Boring.

The gentle ones? Spineless.

The emotionally intuitive ones? Overthinkers who bottle everything up.

Maybe those traits were still endearing right now, maybe Marin hadn’t gotten tired of them yet. But that was for now.

People change. Time wears on intentions.

Takeru had seen best friends grow apart, lovers who once vowed forever turn into bitter strangers.

Seven years. That’s how long it takes for every cell in the body to be replaced.

He didn’t believe they’d last.

But whatever. That wasn’t his problem.

Seeing him agree, Marin lit up and grabbed his hand. “Takeru, thank you!”

Takeru smiled faintly. “Stop wasting time. Get ready.”

“Okay.”

Because the earbud needed to be inserted, Marin headed to the restroom.

When she came back, her steps were tiny.

She moved cautiously—partly out of fear the device might start suddenly, but mostly from the strange sensation of it rubbing with every step.

And that was before it was even turned on.

She shuffled up to the shoot area. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Everyone turned to look at her.

It was a completely normal moment. But with the earbud in, Marin’s blush returned, flooding her face like a second sunrise.

“Kitagawa-san, you okay? Your face is really red.”

Gojo asked with concern.

“I—I’m fine, I just—ah!”

Before she could finish, a sudden jolt of vibration struck her lower half.

Her voice caught in her throat, legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the floor.

“Kitagawa-san?!”

Gojo moved to help, but Takeru was closer. He offered a hand.

Marin clamped her thighs together tightly, eyes glistening with tears as she glared up at him.

“Takeru, you jerk! That was so low!”

Who turns it on while she’s mid-sentence?

What is this, a boss fight?!

She’d been completely defenseless.

“Sorry, sorry—accident,” Takeru whispered, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

He hadn’t realized the earbud would activate the moment he pressed the button.

Sure, he knew a lot in theory—and he’d experimented a little—but this was his first time using one of these remotes.

“You call that an accident?”

Marin wasn’t buying it.

There was no way someone this smooth didn’t know exactly what he was doing.

He had to have done it on purpose.

On purpose. In public. Just to humiliate her.

She didn’t hate the feeling… but ten seconds at full power?! That was insane!

This was her first time using one. At least let her ease into it!

“Fine, I was wrong, okay? Can we not sit on the floor the whole time?”

Takeru tried coaxing her up.

“No!”

Marin curled up on the ground, stubborn as ever. “That scream just now—Gojo-kun definitely heard it!”

“I’m mortified! Completely humiliated!”

“This is all your fault, Takeru!”

My fault? he thought.

You agreed to the earbud.

You went and put it in.

Now I’m to blame? What’s next—your pants fell off on their own?

Takeru sighed and tried reasoning. “Relax. There’s no way they could’ve heard.”

“Modern earbuds are extremely discreet. Smart vibration sync, thermal control, anti-bacterial drying—all nearly silent.”

“They average under 50 decibels. As long as you don’t scream, no one will notice.”

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T/N: i cant say antyhign

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!