Weren’t You Only Using Me As A Stand-in? [107]

“Please come again.”

Walking out of the restaurant, Kitahara Takeru patted his now much flatter wallet and winced inwardly.

This gluttonous little gremlin can really eat…

He honestly never imagined he’d one day blow over 9,000 yen at a family diner.

The worst part?

He didn’t even get a single bite.

Every morsel had gone into Adagaki Aki’s stomach.

That said, it wasn’t a complete loss. At least he now knew: sharing a meal with Adagaki Aki did count as a date. That meant 5,000 points just got credited to his account.

Still… why didn’t his daily morning jogs with Nakano Yotsuba count as dates too?

These are necessary early investments. Sooner or later, I’ll stuff you full, you little tease—so full you won’t be able to hold anything else, Kitahara consoled his poor wallet with lofty dreams.

Adagaki Aki slid into the backseat of her private car and glanced out the window.

She caught sight of Kitahara’s pained expression and broke into a delighted smile.

Crossing her legs with elegance, she gave the order to the driver: “Let’s go.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The black Toyota Century pulled away smoothly.

Sitting beside her, Koiwai Yoshino looked expressionless as she asked, “Miss Aki, who was that?”

Adagaki Aki replied breezily, “Some shallow flirt who thought he could impress me just because I’m pretty.”

She had no shortage of suitors.

Every month there were plenty of Kitaharas throwing themselves at her. She was used to it by now.

He’ll probably be bored in two weeks, tops, she thought listlessly, resting her elbow on the center console.

---

Hidden deep in a quiet alley sat an old café, rock music from decades past playing softly inside.

By the long table near the window sat a stunningly elegant woman with flowing black hair.

She wore a plain white tee, a ruffled ankle-length skirt, and sandals that revealed small, delicate toes—each one as fresh and alive as shoots after spring rain.

As she slowly stirred her coffee with a spoon, her gaze was fixed out the window, staring absently at the lush green tree heavy with fruit. She seemed deep in thought.

“Beautiful lady, may I sit next to you?”

The sudden voice snapped her out of her reverie.

Kasumigaoka Utaha glanced sideways at the middle-aged man grinning at her—a guy who looked almost old enough to be her father. Her expression soured with polite disdain.

Her rosy lips parted, just about to form a crisp rejection—when a figure suddenly stepped in between them.

Kitahara Takeru stood there with his hands in his pockets. “Old man, what do you want with my girlfriend?”

The aging creep looked at Kitahara’s completely unremarkable face, then at the breathtaking Kasumigaoka, and said skeptically, “She’s your girlfriend?”

This pretty girl… yours? Seriously?

“You don’t believe me?”

Kitahara raised a brow and smoothly took Kasumigaoka’s hand, holding it up in front of the man.

Even though Utaha didn’t like being touched—even by him—she knew how to pick her battles. In a situation like this, Kitahara knew she wouldn’t protest.

The creep looked again—Utaha’s expression was calm. She didn’t pull away, didn’t react. It was like she was completely used to being held by him.

Grumbling under his breath, the man turned to leave.

As he walked off, he muttered to himself: What the hell… since when do girls like Kappas?

“Senpai, are you alright?”

Kitahara turned back just in time to see Utaha staring fixedly at their joined hands. He let go immediately.

“I—”

“You don’t need to explain. I understand,” Utaha interrupted calmly before he could finish.

“You’re late.”

Kitahara didn’t hesitate. “I’m sorry.”

No excuses.

He knew there was no point explaining things to this woman.

She was harder to deal with than Eriri ever was.

Utaha heard the apology—delivered so smoothly it almost sounded practiced—and her gaze grew complicated.

She wasn’t blaming him.

It was just… their dynamic had always been a dominant woman, passive man. Especially in their early dating days—she’d picked on him relentlessly. So even a simple statement like “You’re late” probably sounded like a rebuke in Kitahara’s ears.

Her lips parted slightly. She offered an explanation: “I didn’t mean to accuse you.”

Did someone take over her body or something?

Kitahara stared at her in alarm.

Seriously, was she being possessed by some transmigrator?

This wasn’t the Kasumigaoka Utaha he knew.

Wait… is this her way of saying goodbye? Like one last date before breaking up?

If so, he wished she wouldn’t bother sugarcoating it.

If she really felt bad, she could just transfer him some money.

“I…”

Meeting Kitahara’s what-did-I-just-witness expression, Utaha gave a slightly bitter smile. She hadn’t expected him to react that strongly.

“This is for you.”

Utaha placed a smartphone on the table—the one she was supposed to give him last week—and pushed it toward him.

Kitahara glanced at the brand. “Sharp?”

“Didn’t you say your iPhone always loses signal?” Utaha took a dainty sip of her coffee.

Kitahara: “……”

Lose signal, my ass.

I just didn’t want to reply.

If someone wants to message you back, they’ll do it even mid-shower.

If they don’t, it doesn’t matter if you’ve sent 99+ messages—they won’t even open one.

“Senpai, I think you should take this back.”

Kitahara pushed the phone back.

It was way too hot to handle.

If he accepted it, what excuse could he use next time he didn’t reply?

Besides—he already had one phone he barely kept up with. Now she wanted to give him another?

Utaha’s brows furrowed slightly. “Why won’t you take it?”

Kitahara lowered his gaze and stared hard at the phone. His voice came out rough and low, like he was struggling to keep something down.

“Senpai… you know very well this isn’t what I want.”

Was it the phone he wanted?

Hell no.

He wanted money.

Points.

If she had that much cash to burn, she might as well give him cash. That’d be more useful than any phone.

Do you really like me that much?

Utaha clearly misunderstood.

She thought Kitahara meant he wanted her, not things. A soft blush spread across her pale, almost translucent ears.

Hidden behind dark hair, Kitahara didn’t notice.

“I know you’re not the type to be after money… but I still hope you’ll accept it.” Her slender fingers slid the phone toward him once more.

Are you serious right now?

Kitahara was getting a little annoyed.

His hand, resting on his thigh, clenched hard as he pinched himself. He slowly lifted his head.

When he finally looked up, Utaha saw his eyes slightly red, his expression shattered. Then he gave her a self-mocking smile.

“So this is another thing Aki-kun didn’t want, right?”

---

T/N: YES GIVE ME ANGST

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!