Weren’t You Only Using Me As A Stand-in? [113]

When Eriri found Shijō Maki in the garden gazebo, she was in the middle of a phone call, her lips moving rapidly.

The sight made Eriri’s heart clench.

Her own calls to Watanabe Takeru hadn’t gone through, and now Maki was on the phone with someone? Could it really be him?

Her instincts kicked in—Eriri rushed forward, snatched the phone out of Maki’s hand, and pressed it to her ear, trying to identify the voice on the other end.

Maki just stood there in stunned silence, staring at Eriri like she was insane.

She honestly hadn’t expected anyone—anyone—to have the guts to snatch something out of her hands.

Eriri held the phone for several seconds, listening hard.

But there was no sound. Nothing.

She slowly pulled the phone away and turned to Maki with a confused, irritated look.

Wait, what the hell?

No one was even on the line!

You’re not talking to anyone—what the hell were you rambling on about just now?

“Hey! What are you doing?! Give that back!”

Once Maki recovered, she snatched her phone back, her expression turning frosty.

“So this is how the Sawamura family treats their guests? How impressive.”

No one had ever dared to lay hands on Shijō Maki’s things.

Eriri was officially the first.

I’ll remember this, woman.

“I’m sorry, Miss Shijō!”

Now that she’d confirmed Takeru wasn’t the one on the other end, Eriri calmed down a bit.

She bowed in apology, then asked:

“Miss Shijō, may I ask… do you know someone named Watanabe Takeru?”

“Takeru?”

Maki blinked at her, visibly surprised—but also a little intrigued.

“What, you know him too?”

You’re calling him ‘Takeru’ too?

That casual familiarity made Eriri bristle.

As far as she was concerned, Takeru was her exclusive nickname for him.

What right did she have to call him that?

Why couldn’t she just say his full name?

And what are you looking at me like that for?

What, being from a big-name family makes you all high and mighty?

“Yes.”

Eriri took a deep breath, forcing down the bitterness in her chest.

“I heard from Miss Kashiwagi… that you and Takeru are dating?”

You’re calling him Takeru too?

Now Maki was annoyed.

Sure, their relationship was fake, but that didn’t mean some other girl had the right to call him that so casually.

What, you’re his girlfriend too?

“That’s right.”

Maki flicked her ponytail with one hand and rested the other on her chest.

“I, Shijō Maki, am Watanabe Takeru’s girlfriend.”

The words hit Eriri like a dagger to the heart.

The pain was so sharp it made it hard to breathe.

Every beat of her heart throbbed with a dull ache, like countless needles stabbing into something already broken.

All her memories with Takeru suddenly felt hollow—stupid, even.

He has a girlfriend.

Takeru… he already had a girlfriend all along.

Then why did you come after me?

Was it fun? Playing with me like that?

A tide of grief surged through her chest, rising like floodwaters, impossible to contain.

Every memory with him—every smile, every little touch—felt like another cut, another flaying blade against her skin.

Tears welled up in Eriri’s eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

She wouldn’t cry—not in front of Shijō Maki.

That was the last pride she could cling to.

“…Why are you crying?”

Maki, who was usually only good at acting tough, was thrown completely off.

Seeing Eriri on the verge of tears, she actually started to wonder if maybe she had gone too far.

“Don’t cry, okay?”

Maki reached into her pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, offering it to her.

But the moment Eriri saw it—she froze.

That handkerchief…

Wasn’t that the one she gave to Takeru?

Why was it in her hands?

Did he not even treasure the things she gave him?

“This handkerchief…”

Eriri grabbed Maki’s arm, voice trembling with rage and disbelief.

“Did Watanabe Takeru give this to you?”

“Uh…”

Maki looked down at the handkerchief, only now remembering that Takeru had never returned it to her.

“N–”

“Answer me!!”

Eriri’s voice cracked into a near scream, sharp and shaking.

Maki’s mood soured immediately.

She was trying to comfort her, and this was the thanks she got?

So she just said it.

“Yeah. He gave it to me. What about it?”

At those words, Eriri’s shoulders slumped.

As if every last ounce of strength had been sucked out of her.

She couldn’t even stand up straight.

“…Are you okay?”

Maki instinctively reached out to support her.

“Don’t touch me!”

Eriri slapped her hand away, holding back tears with a cold, brittle voice.

I was trying to pity you… like a fool.

Maki's temper flared.

What, did Eriri think she had no pride?

Just because she didn’t cry, didn’t mean she had no feelings.

The garden around them was quiet.

Without either of them speaking, the only sound was the wind rustling the leaves.

Until—

“From the start, from your previous, previous life, I’ve been searching for you…”
“For that clumsy little smile I’ve finally found again…”

…

Eriri’s phone began playing the theme song from Your Name — “Zenzenzense.”

It shattered the tense silence between them like a pebble dropped in a still pond.

She didn’t even need to look at the caller ID.

She already knew who it was.

That was the exclusive ringtone she’d set for Watanabe Takeru.

Even the song… wasn’t the original version. It was his cover. He’d sung it just for her.

Back then, it sounded sweet.

Now, it felt like mockery. A clown’s melody.

The last thing she wanted right now was to hear his voice.

And yet, she still picked up the phone.

“…Hello.”

The moment she spoke, she realized how hoarse her voice was.

It sounded rough. Not even like her own.

“Sorry—I was on the phone with a friend earlier, so I missed your calls.”

Takeru’s tone was as light and breezy as ever, as if nothing had happened.

“Watanabe Takeru, can you stop pretending to care? Is it fun, lying to me like this?”

Eriri tilted her head toward the sky, hoping it might stop the tears from falling.

But just hearing his voice—she couldn’t hold them back.

The first tear slipped past her lashes, rolling silently down her cheek and dripping onto the hem of her elaborate gown.

She hadn’t cried when she found out Shijō Maki was his girlfriend.

She hadn’t cried when she saw the handkerchief she gave him in her hands.

But just hearing his voice…

That undid her.

Because she couldn’t stay unmoved when it came to Watanabe Takeru.

The boy who always remembered to check in on her, no matter what.

The boy who knew her cycle better than her own mother, who told her not to eat cold things, who made her brown sugar ginger tea.

The boy who would drive from Tokyo to Chiba in the middle of the night—just because she was sad.

The boy who belonged to her.

So how could she possibly act like none of it mattered?

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T/N: AGHH IT PAINS ME SINCE EVERYTOHNE IS TO BLAME, BUT NAGISA IS THE MOST TO BLAME SO ILL JUST POUR ALL MY NEGATIVE FEELIGNS TOWARDS HER

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!