Weren’t You Only Using Me As A Stand-in? [97]

For Shijō Maki, the movie was a delightful ride from beginning to end.

For Kitahara Takeru, it was pure stress.

He was terrified.

Terrified that Tanuma Tsubasa might look over and see something he shouldn’t.

Thankfully, Shijō Maki was on point.

During the entire second half, she kept Tanuma chatting non-stop, successfully keeping his attention away from their row. He didn’t even glance in their direction.

“I’m back~”

It wasn’t until the movie ended that Kashiwagi Nagisa finally strolled lazily back over to Tanuma and Shijō Maki.

Maki looked at her helplessly. “Where were you, Nagisa? The movie’s over already.”

“I had a stomachache. Must’ve eaten something bad,” Nagisa said, glancing unconsciously in Kitahara’s direction.

That subtle glance, paired with the sultry gleam in her eyes, left Tanuma momentarily dazed.

It was the look of a woman who’d been thoroughly satisfied.

My girlfriend’s so beautiful, Tanuma thought with a flash of pride.

Such a gorgeous girl... was his girlfriend!

Hehehe...

Who’s he texting now? Another vixen?

Nagisa frowned slightly when she noticed Kitahara typing away without even glancing at her, not sparing her a single look.

“I’m worried, Nagisa. Should we go to the hospital?” Shijō Maki asked, clearly concerned after hearing about her stomachache.

Nagisa shot a hidden glare at Kitahara, then brushed it off with a casual, “It’s nothing. Just a minor issue.”

“You should still get it checked, just to be safe,” Tanuma said gently.

“No need.”

“A lot of serious conditions start off as something minor. I think—”

“I said there’s no need! Can’t you understand plain Japanese?”

Nagisa’s tone had grown noticeably impatient.

Never mind that her stomachache was just an excuse — her family had a personal doctor, and they did weekly health checkups. She knew her own body well enough. If she was actually sick, she'd have taken care of it.

She knew Tanuma meant well. He was being considerate. But for someone you don’t have feelings for, that kind of concern just felt like a fly buzzing around your food — annoying, not touching.

“......” Tanuma’s face paled slightly.

Nagisa’s curt tone changed the mood in an instant.

“Nagisa, Tsubasa-kun’s just worried about you. There’s no need to be so harsh,” Maki said, frowning deeply. Her tone, too, grew sharp with irritation.

Shijō Maki had long told herself she would work hard to win Tanuma back. But it had always been just talk.

Even though she liked Tanuma deeply, her upbringing — strict, traditional, and moral — wouldn’t allow her to play the role of “the other woman.”

Even just now, sitting next to him, chatting endlessly, nothing had happened.

She was simply savoring every second spent by his side.

But in this moment — this very instant — Shijō Maki felt a real impulse to steal him away.

You took the boy I’ve longed for all this time — fine. But then you go and treat him like he’s disposable?

If that’s how you’re going to be, why did you even agree to date him in the first place?

Nagisa noticed Maki coming to Tanuma’s defense and couldn’t help the jealous edge in her voice.

“Whatever’s going on between me and Tanuma-kun is our business. I don’t see what it has to do with you, Maki.”

The moment the words left her mouth, Nagisa regretted it.

She wanted to apologize — but Maki beat her to the punch, stepping in with a sharp rebuke.

Which only made Nagisa even more pissed.

Anyone else could scold her — but not you, Shijō Maki.

When Nagisa first found out Maki liked Tanuma, she’d pulled away immediately. She'd even made sure to give them time alone. She’d gone out of her way to be considerate.

And now you’re scolding her?

“Or is it that you like Tanuma-kun?” Nagisa snapped.

Maki reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. Her face flushed scarlet, and she jumped to her feet.

“W-who would like that bland, boring guy?! Don’t be ridiculous!”

You would, thought Kitahara dryly, still replying to messages on his phone.

Didn’t you used to say you were head over heels for him?

Nagisa folded her arms. “Oh? Then why were you sitting next to him when I came back?”

Maki whipped out the excuse Kitahara had given her earlier. “That’s because you spilled your drink on my seat! I had nowhere else to sit. You think I wanted to?”

“Oh? So you just sat next to him all the way until the end of the movie? And chatted the whole time? You really think that’s appropriate?”

Nagisa's tone was increasingly aggressive.

Maki couldn’t think of a reply. Flustered, she looked at Kitahara, silently begging him to speak up for her.

Kitahara glanced up and was about to say something, when Nagisa suddenly stepped between them and stomped on his foot — hard.

“Maki, why are you answering? Why are you looking at Takeru? Don’t tell me you like him now?”

The hell?!

What’d I do?

Kitahara was getting fed up. Women were such baffling creatures.

Just then, Maki practically yelled in defeat, “Yeah! I do like Takeru! So what?!”

Kitahara: (Θ皿Θメ)

Excuse me, what?!

You trying to pass the buck like you’re LeBron?

Nagisa: “......”

Sis, what the hell... (shrimp-on-PC.jpg)
How could you just admit it?!

“Is that true, Maki?”

Kitahara and Nagisa both looked like they’d just swallowed a bug. Meanwhile, Tanuma’s gloom instantly lifted. He practically shoved his face in front of Maki’s, beaming.

He’d been secretly worried his girlfriend had fallen for Kitahara.

But now that Maki had confessed she liked Kitahara, he felt totally reassured.

After all, Kashiwagi Nagisa and Shijō Maki had been best friends since childhood.

If Maki publicly admitted her feelings for Kitahara, then surely Nagisa wouldn’t make a move. That would mean turning on her own best friend.

There was no way Nagisa would throw away a lifelong friendship over some guy.

Safe.

Faced with Tanuma’s sudden, zoomed-in face, Maki’s brain short-circuited. She couldn’t think at all. “Ah, um, yeah…”

Tanuma then turned to Kitahara. “Takeru-kun, do you like Maki?”

“I…”

Even Kitahara was stumped.

If he said yes, what if Maki thought he was confessing on purpose? That he’d been chasing her?

But if he said no, what if she felt embarrassed and cut ties with him?

This was impossible.

Why would you even ask that?!

Kitahara shot a glare at Nagisa.

Now look what you’ve done — no one can back out of this cleanly.

What the hell were you thinking?

Nagisa wasn’t exactly thrilled either. She pressed her lips together and stared silently at Kitahara, clearly waiting for his answer.

“Takeru, say something!”

Maki couldn’t hold it in anymore. She rushed forward and grabbed Kitahara’s wrist, squeezing tightly, her eyes full of pleading desperation.

With all three pairs of eyes on him, what else could Kitahara do?

He raised his head 45°, just like some tragic light novel protagonist, closed his eyes, and let out a quiet:

“…Mm.”

Goddamn it. Making money these days is getting harder and harder.

High schoolers these days are seriously out of control…

Off to the side, just stepping out of the restroom, Iino Miko caught the scene and blushed furiously. Her heart was thumping like a startled fawn.

---

T/N: its over

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!