Weren’t You Only Using Me As A Stand-in? [104]

After leaving the small animal section, Kitahara Takeru didn’t exit the exhibition hall—instead, he headed straight for the “Dog” area.

Sure, Miura Yumiko had completely ruined his mood for the day, but that didn’t mean he was ready to leave just yet.

He paid for this ticket. Spent actual money!

And besides—it wasn’t like he ghosted her for sex, or led her on emotionally, or even borrowed money. All he ever did was check in once in a while, chat a bit, make sure she was okay. How could that possibly make him a jerk?

If that counted as being scum, then all those self-proclaimed “nice guys” were just wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Actually, no—forget nice guys. Even bootlickers had no right to complain.

Also, it wasn’t even time for his date with Kasumigaoka Utaha yet. Leaving now would just mean killing time elsewhere.

In the dog section, Kitahara did a quick scan and realized something: the majority of the dogs on display were champion-level purebreds raised by professional breeders.

Almost all of them were popular small breeds—chihuahuas, mini dachshunds, mameshibas, corgis. Large breeds were rare, practically nonexistent.

Kitahara was mildly disappointed, though he understood the reason.

When a large dog goes berserk, it’s not easy to control unless you’ve got serious upper-body strength.

With big dogs, sometimes it’s not you walking them, it’s them walking you.

The well-groomed, pedigreed little dogs were cute, no doubt. But they didn’t inspire him to lift his camera.

He liked dogs—but big ones. Not toy breeds.

Especially poodles. Just seeing one annoyed him.

To him, toy poodles were like 55-year-old aunties with bad perms—yappy, hyper, and always picking fights. Every time he saw one, it was barking madly at some huge dog, like it had a death wish.

And worst of all? People who owned poodles rarely used a leash.

Kitahara had zero affection for poodles. Ugly and annoying? Pass.

After a few more laps, he finally found his target.

It was a sleek, well-proportioned American Doberman, tall, poised, and commanding.

“Hot damn.”

Kitahara’s eyes lit up like he’d just spotted a supermodel.

He approached the girl standing beside the dog—baseball cap pulled low, dressed in a varsity jacket and denim shorts—and politely asked, “Hi, do you mind if I take a photo of your dog?”

The girl lifted her head slightly.

Only then did Kitahara get a clear look at her face under the cap.

She was gorgeous. Her black hair was glossy and soft—not the straight, icy kind like Yukinoshita Yukino’s, but naturally wavy, flowing like water.

Unlike hair that was permed or chemically treated, her curls were gentle and natural, elegant yet mysterious.

Her eyes were a striking light blue, skin porcelain pale with a faint flush on her cheeks. Her lips were a perfect rose red—delicate and full, like a blooming flower.

And when those large, deep eyes stared at him without blinking—Kitahara’s heart skipped a beat.

[Target: Adagaki Aki]
[Age: 16]
[Intelligence: 8]
[Charisma: 9]
[Stamina: 5]
[Origin: Masamune-kun's Revenge]
[Crush: Masamune Makabe]
[Relationship status: Single, available to date.]

Ah. Another heroine.

Kitahara instantly regained composure.

What a magnificent face.

Adagaki Aki, meanwhile, was studying his with a strange realization.

Why… don’t I hate him?

She usually couldn’t stand men. Ever since childhood, she’d had a deep aversion to them.

The mere presence of a guy standing in front of her without making her uncomfortable—that alone was rare.

She adjusted her cap and nodded. “Sure.”

“Thanks.”

Kitahara stepped back a bit, raised his camera, and crouched. After testing one angle, he didn’t like it and began adjusting.

Squatting, standing, shifting—he went through several angles before settling in.

The Doberman, however, wasn’t looking at the camera. Its calm gaze was locked on a nearby poodle yapping provocatively, as if it were debating whether to bite its head off.

Aki frowned. She was about to turn the dog’s head toward the lens when Kitahara pursed his lips and went:

“Tch tch tch~”

The Doberman’s ears twitched. It turned its head immediately, looking straight at him.

Aki’s eyes widened in astonishment.

What the heck?

Did he cast some kind of spell?!

Her Doberman was notoriously aloof. It ignored literally everyone but her.

And yet… one sound from this guy, and it looked.

As the dog turned, Kitahara fired off several rapid shots.

When he was done, he walked back and showed her. “What do you think? Not bad, right?”

Aki glanced down.

He’d chosen the perfect angle—her Doberman looked powerful and dignified, and he’d even caught her in the frame. She looked cool. Poised. She… kind of loved it.

“You a photographer?” she asked.

Kitahara shook his head. “Nope.”

“Really? You’re pretty good, though.”

“That’s because you’re pretty. It’s hard to mess up a good subject.”

Aki lifted her eyes and stared at him. “You smooth talker. Is that what you say to every girl you photograph?”

Kitahara noted her lack of hostility and immediately adjusted his image accordingly.

With every potential patron, he adapted his tone and persona to match.

“I’m an honest guy. I always speak the truth.”

Aki gave a soft, scoffing hmph through her nose.

Men’s words were lies.

Better to believe in ghosts than to trust a man’s mouth.

“…How much for the photo?” she asked. She really liked it and wanted to keep it.

“No charge. Your beauty already paid for it.”

Aki froze for a beat. Then smiled—not kindly, but with contempt and challenge.

Honest, huh?

---

“Utaha, I’m telling you—there isn’t a single photographer who’s honest,” Machida Sonoko said, sipping her bubble tea, standing not far away and pointing subtly at Kitahara.

“Guys like him? Into photography, handsome, charming, sweet talkers—they’re at the top of the food chain.”

“Some girls? Will literally throw themselves at them.”

Kasumigaoka Utaha’s expression darkened slightly.

Because Watanabe Takeru… also did photography.

“Is the photography scene really that messy?”

“Photography, not necessarily. But the circles models run in—especially cosplay and boudoir stuff? Total chaos.”

Utaha felt a wave of relief.

Thankfully, Watanabe Takeru only shot flowers, animals, and skies.

I knew it. Takeru’s definitely the honest type. Completely different from Kitahara.

“…Wait,” Machida asked, raising an eyebrow. “Why are you even here? Don’t you hate dogs?”

Utaha ducked her head and began carefully inspecting the puppies in front of her. “A friend’s birthday is coming up. He likes dogs. I wasn’t sure what to get him, so I came to look.”

Machida grinned slyly. “Let me guess—your underclassman, right? You’re really into that kid, huh? Wait—hold on… ‘he’? You mean… Aki Tomoya?”

She froze mid-sentence, realization dawning.

Aki Tomoya, that shut-in otaku… likes dogs? No way.

Utaha didn’t answer.

She just kept pretending to study the dogs seriously.

Machida stared at her, pupils slowly widening in horror.

“…Utaha. Don’t tell me you’re still in contact with that stand-in?!”

---

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!