Weren’t You Only Using Me As A Stand-in? [120]

The moment their eyes met, Kitahara Takeru’s heart sank.

Why is she here?

Like a thief caught red-handed, Takeru instinctively turned to escape.

But before he could even move, Eriri’s once-bright eyes dulled the instant she realized it was him.

She turned away and silently returned to unpacking her table.

Right. I’m Kitahara Takeru now. Not Watanabe Takeru.

The panic had come from being caught off guard—he hadn’t expected to see her the moment he looked up.

Once he registered that, he quickly composed himself again.

As he focused back on Eriri, he noticed the redness in her eyes and the weariness in her face.

Her usually vibrant sea-blue irises were streaked with veins, her expression drawn and exhausted.

Strange… Where’s Aki Tomoya?

Takeru scanned the area around her—no sign of Tomoya.

Weird. Even if he wasn’t around, wouldn’t Tomoya usually be by her side?

“Takeru! What are you spacing out for?”

Before he could think more about it, Otani Shota and Tanaka Kota showed up.

Takeru turned away from Eriri and looked at the two of them, amused. “What are you guys doing here?”

“You said the cosplay scene was wild, so here we are.”

Shota’s eyes weren’t exactly focused as he answered—already flitting eagerly over the female cosplayers around them.

Tanaka wasn’t quite as bad, but he wasn’t exactly looking away either.

One was an obvious perv, the other a quiet one.

Takeru laughed. “What part of any fandom isn’t chaotic? And come on, if the cosplay scene wasn’t wild, you guys wouldn’t have come either.”

“Well, yeah. Why else would we be here?”

Shota fired back immediately.

Tanaka nodded solemnly in agreement.

These two are definitely going to be regulars in Kabukicho someday, Takeru thought, though he couldn’t really blame them.

They were both athletic scholarship kids, deep in puberty, probably producing more testosterone than the average teenage boy. A little extra sexual curiosity was normal.

Honestly, how many teenage boys weren’t horny?

“Oh right, Takeru,” Tanaka asked, eyeing a girl across the room, “you think if we ask some of these girls for their contact info… they’ll give it to us?”

“You can try.”

Takeru, if he went himself, would definitely get it.

That was the upside of being good-looking—very few girls turned him down.

But that didn’t mean his success translated to the average guy.

Shota, at least, was honest. “We don’t dare.”

Tanaka finally pulled his gaze off the cosplayers and looked at Takeru hopefully. “Takeru-nii how about you go first? Set an example for us?”

Takeru didn’t even hesitate. “Nope.”

“Why not?”

They both looked confused.

Takeru usually wasn’t hard to deal with, as long as they weren’t crossing any lines.

He simply glanced toward Doma Umaru. “I’m not comfortable leaving her alone.”

Umaru glanced at Takeru, her ears turning bright red beneath her golden hair. She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t protest either.

Both guys looked over to where she was standing.

Slender build, fair skin, long legs—and though her face was obscured, based on what they knew of Takeru’s standards, she had to be drop-dead gorgeous.

This guy’s taste was on another level entirely.

Every time they showed him girls they thought were stunning, his only response was ever two words: “She’s okay.”

He’s absolutely infuriating.

They exchanged a look and silently cursed Takeru for the ten-thousandth time.

Of course, they were only envious—not truly bitter.

“We’re heading off, then.”

“Good luck.”

Shota and Tanaka gave each other one last fist bump and scattered to chase cosplayers for their contact info.

Once they were gone, Takeru turned back and said casually, “Guys who’ve been single too long start thinking everyone’s pretty. Even someone middle-aged suddenly looks charming.”

“They’re not bad people.”

Umaru said with a small smile tugging at her lips.

She looked so beautiful when she smiled—like a delicate white flower in full bloom. Even Takeru was caught off guard for a moment.

Charm stat: 9. Not to be underestimated.

“I know.”

There was a short pause before Umaru hesitantly spoke again.

“Takeru-kun… you like me, don’t you?”

Takeru’s face turned red in an instant.

“…Yeah.”

“First of all… thank you for liking me. But… I’m sorry. I’m not really thinking about dating right now.”

Afraid her words would hurt, Umaru didn’t dare look at his face as she said it.

She kept her eyes fixed on the ground, as if something fascinating had appeared at her feet.

There was nothing there.

“I know.”

Takeru’s voice was calm—so calm, she couldn’t tell if there was any sadness behind it.

Umaru glanced up at him, surprised.

And in that moment, her gaze fell straight into the depth of his eyes—clear and vivid like a blue summer sky.

“It doesn’t matter if you like me or not. It’s enough that I like you.”

His gaze was unwavering and full of quiet intensity.

“Doma-san, ever since I was little, whenever there was something I really wanted, I’ve always made sure to get it.”

“First place nationwide, for example.”

“And now… you.”

“If the mountain won’t come to me, then I’ll go to the mountain.”

Umaru instantly understood the meaning behind those words.

If you won’t come closer to me, then I’ll just come closer to you.

“Doma-san, you don’t need to do anything. Just stay right where you are… and wait for me to come to you.”

His eyes were clear, burning with pure, sincere love.

Love, unhidden. Honest. Blazing like sunlight.

Just as he had openly told her “I like you” the first time they met, Kitahara Takeru loved like the sun—brilliant, impossible to look away from.

A short distance away, Eriri stared blankly at him.

Maybe it was because she hadn’t slept well, or maybe she was seeing things, but in that moment… Takeru’s figure seemed to blur and merge with the memory of Watanabe Takeru.

She suddenly remembered that boy who had stopped her that sunny afternoon.

Back then, Watanabe had looked just like this—warm, sincere, a spark in his eyes.

He’d smiled and said, “Sawamura-san, I like you.”

You knew it all along, didn’t you? They were never really the same person.

She had always thought Watanabe was just a stand-in for Aki Tomoya.

But the truth was… aside from their faces, they had nothing in common.

Watanabe had been unfailingly optimistic at his core.

He’d smiled with a light in his eyes.

When he saw her in a crowd, he’d run straight to her.

His feelings had always been simple and honest.

Maybe not perfect—but completely genuine.

Umaru glanced away, pouting faintly. “That’s not fair…”

Who does that—confesses, gets turned down, and still won’t give up, promising to make the other person fall for them?

Most people would’ve walked away.

The boys who had confessed to her before certainly hadn’t stuck around like this.

“I’m not like most people,” Takeru said, smiling confidently. “I’m not someone who gives up easily.”

“Because the world isn’t kind to people who compromise, Doma-san.”

He didn’t seem fazed at all—his smile stayed bright, self-assured.

“If there’s a problem, just overcome it.”

“You don’t like me yet? Then I’ll figure out a way to make you fall for me.”

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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!