Weren’t You Only Using Me As A Stand-in? [86]

The wind stirred the fallen leaves, and thunder rolled ominously in the sky.

Inside a high-rise tower in Chūō Ward, a purebred border collie stood silently on the balcony, its gaze fixed on the distant Tokyo Tower.

The wind tousled its fur, making its figure appear noble and majestic.

This was its second week living with the Nakano family.

Since Nakano Yotsuba had picked it up from Kitahara Takeru, she’d told her sisters that Tiny would be staying for a few days.

None of the others objected.

Border collies were naturally appealing to girls.

If Yotsuba had brought home a Tibetan mastiff or a pit bull, they’d sooner die in protest.

But Tiny wasn’t just good-looking—he was smart, too.

Entrusted with the covert mission of infiltrating the Nakano household, he suppressed his usual temperament, remained quiet and well-behaved, even tidied up messes around the house, and acted as an impromptu bodyguard whenever someone went out.

In just a few days, the five sisters had all grown fond of him.

Even Nakano Miku, who’d been terrified of him at first, could now pet his head.

Each of the five treated him well.

Nakano Ichika gave him a gourmet can of food every day.

Nakano Nino prepared elaborate raw meals: duck breast, tuna, lamb kidney, olives, carrots, blueberries, goat’s milk jelly, fish oil...

Nakano Miku helped brush his coat.

Nakano Yotsuba took him on walks.

Nakano Itsuki gave him baths.

Thinking back to his old life, Tiny could only shake his head. What kind of miserable existence was that?

Thank goodness those days were behind him. The Tiny standing here now wasn’t just any mutt—he was Niohuru·Wang Keke·Tiny.

Respected Takeru-san, please don’t contact me anymore. I’m afraid my new owners might misunderstand.

From the living room came Miku’s quiet voice. “Tiny, dinner time.”

The moment he heard the magic words, Tiny snapped out of his musings, tail wagging furiously as he trotted off in high spirits.

“Eat up.”

Miku placed the bowl by her feet and gave his head a pat.

Carrying her own plate out of the kitchen, Itsuki reminded her, “Don’t forget to wash your hands.”

“Mm.”

Miku nodded quietly.

By the time she returned, Ichika, Nino, Yotsuba, and Itsuki were already in their seats.

As Miku approached, she noticed Tiny hadn’t touched his food. He sat, eyes fixed on her, as if waiting for her to return before eating.

A soft warmth spread in her chest.

If she hadn’t just washed her hands, she would’ve reached out to pet him again.

“You don’t need to wait for me.”

But Tiny shook his head firmly.

Wait for you? Are you kidding?

He wasn’t just some dumb mutt.

He’d spent plenty of time with his former master, and picked up a thing or two—especially when it came to winning women over, offering emotional support, and playing the long game.

How else had he charmed all five of these girls in just days?

Forget humans—he had the neighborhood dogs swooning.

Even the Akita’s wife next door was smitten and threatening to divorce her husband.

Nino snickered, “This dog’s way too clever. Good thing he’s not human—who knows how many girls he’d be fooling.”

Miku pulled out her chair and sat down.

Once she was seated, all five girls said in perfect unison, “Itadakimasu.”

Tiny barked once, happily joining in.

Dinner was simple.

The four eldest sisters each had a bowl of rice, a plate of beef with mixed vegetables, a grilled crucian carp, a salad, and a must-have bowl of miso tofu soup.

Only Itsuki had one extra dish: fried chicken.

As for why... well, if you know, you know.

Ichika took a sip of miso soup, then casually asked, “By the way, Yotsuba, Tiny’s been here a while. Won’t his owner mind?”

Yotsuba picked up a bit of fish. “Nope. I walk Tiny every morning—we see him then.”

“No wonder you’ve been going for runs no matter the weather,” Ichika said slyly. “So those morning jogs were dates, huh?”

She’d caught it—Yotsuba had said he instead of she.

Clearly, the person jogging with her was male.

“You brought his dog into our house—what are we? Part of your harem now?” Ichika’s teasing made Yotsuba’s ears turn bright red.

“Stop talking nonsense, Ichika!”

Whenever girls talk about boys, one question is inevitable—Nino asked it:

“Is he hot?”

Miku didn’t care for this kind of talk.

She just kept eating, occasionally glancing at Tiny.

As for Itsuki... food was clearly her only concern.

She’d been eating nonstop since she sat down.

Yotsuba didn’t want to answer, but she knew that if she didn’t, they’d never let it go.

Especially Nino.

“Not really. Not ugly, just... normal.”

But her gaze drifted away as she lied, avoiding their eyes.

She couldn’t say Kitahara Takeru was handsome.

If she did, Nino would demand to come on the next jog.

And Takeru was the kind of guy girls found impossible to ignore.

Nino was already beautiful, stylish, and charismatic. If Takeru liked her...

Would he stop jogging with me?

Would he stop needing me?

She didn’t want that.

Just picturing someone else—Nino—running beside him while she trailed behind from afar made her lose her appetite.

Yotsuba wasn’t greedy. She wasn’t the kind of person who had to hoard everything for herself.

But... she wanted at least one thing that didn’t need to be shared.

Something that was hers alone.

“Oh.” Nino’s interest deflated.

She was a looks-first kind of girl.

If the guy wasn’t hot, she couldn’t care less.

Forget “personality over looks”—she couldn’t forget looks.

So... he’s definitely hot, huh?

Ichika had caught Yotsuba’s wandering gaze and instantly knew she was lying.

No one knew her better than family.

One look, one expression—that was all it took for Ichika to read her.

And now... she was curious.

Just what kind of guy was this, that Yotsuba would lie to hide him?

The morning sun rose in the east, bathing the streets in gentle light.

A crisp breeze swept through Tokyo.

Yotsuba woke early as always, washed up, dressed, and clipped on Tiny’s leash.

“Shh. Quiet.”

Afraid he’d bark and wake the others, she made a hush gesture.

Tiny nodded obediently.

Together, they slipped out the front door like a pair of little thieves.

But just as the door clicked shut, another door opened.

“Finally.”

Ichika stepped out into the hallway.

She hadn’t slept all night.

She wanted—needed—to see what that boy looked like.

The more someone tries to hide something from you... the more you want to know.

She headed for the elevator and was lucky—this early, it arrived quickly.

By the time she reached the ground floor, Yotsuba had already left the building.

Ichika jogged to catch up.

When she got within ten meters, Tiny turned and looked at her.

Panicking, Ichika put a finger to her lips.

She didn’t know—Tiny was Kitahara’s plant.

He pretended not to notice and slowed his pace just enough.

At their usual meeting spot, the boy was already seated, reading quietly with a book in hand.

Next to him, two breakfast boxes sat waiting.

It was an ordinary scene—but to Yotsuba, it felt sweet and warm.

“Kitahara-kun~!”

She waved energetically from afar.

Upon seeing Takeru, even Tiny—who yesterday was ready to cut ties—sprinted toward him like a traitor.

Takeru closed his book and looked up.

When they reached him, he scooped Tiny into his arms.

“You’ve gotten heavier, haven’t you?”

Tiny shook his head desperately.

He must never find out how well I’ve been eating. He’ll try to steal my food!

In terms of mooching... I can’t beat him!

“What’s for breakfast today? Smells amazing~”

“Savory pancakes.”

Just as they were about to eat, a voice cut in:

“Um, I haven’t had breakfast yet. Is there an extra portion?”

The sudden voice stunned Yotsuba—she forgot to breathe.

But even so, she knew who it was.

As a child, this girl had stolen her only friend.

And now she’d returned like a lingering nightmare.

Yotsuba saw it all happening again.

Why? Why do you always take everything from me?

She lowered her head, letting her bangs hide her expression.

She didn’t dare look up.

Afraid Ichika would see the anger on her face.

Yotsuba stayed silent.

Takeru, however, looked up and studied the girl standing before them—a near-perfect copy of Yotsuba.

The short, boyish haircut made her look sharper, more mature.

Her face and figure were identical, yet somehow... she stood out more.

Is it the aura? Takeru wondered.

Aura was invisible, intangible—but real.

Two equally beautiful girls—one with aura, one without—and the difference was undeniable.

[Target: Nakano Ichika]
[Age: 16]
[Intelligence: 3]
[Charm: 8]
[Stamina: 5]
[From: The Quintessential Quintuplets]
[Crush: Uesugi Fuutarou]
[Single, available for dating]

Just as I thought.

Takeru confirmed his theory—all five sisters were potential routes.

Wow... he’s handsome.

While Takeru was studying Ichika, she was also looking him over.

She’d guessed he was good-looking, but not this good.

No wonder Yotsuba had lied.

Good thing it was me who came. If it were Nino, she’d be making moves already.

“Hi! I’m Nakano Ichika—Yotsuba’s sister.” She offered her hand.

“Nice to meet you. Kitahara Takeru.”

They shook hands lightly.

“I’d heard from Yotsuba that the five of you look alike. Didn’t expect it to be... this exact.”

It really was like Kyoto Animation had copy-pasted the same character model.

“Right? People say that a lot.”

Ichika plopped down beside Yotsuba, threw an arm around her shoulders, and leaned in cheek to cheek.

“What do you think? Can you even tell us apart?”

Ichika was too focused on teasing to notice Yotsuba’s discomfort.

“Hmm?”

She didn’t catch it—but Takeru did.

Yotsuba’s trembling hands, her bowed head, the absence of her usual sunny smile...

She’s not okay.

Takeru hesitated, then said, “Yeah, you really do look alike.”

Another predictable answer.

But for Yotsuba, hearing it was like a punch to the gut.

Sometimes, she wished they didn’t look the same.

So people wouldn’t confuse them.

“But I can still tell you apart.”

Yotsuba’s head snapped up, blue eyes wide in shock.

She stared at Takeru, stunned.

She hadn’t expected him to say that.

“There’s no such thing as two identical leaves in the world.”

Takeru didn’t know exactly what was going on.

But somehow, he felt like this was what Yotsuba wanted to hear.

“People are the same.”

“No matter how similar, if you look closely—you can always tell.”

Yotsuba’s eyes trembled.

At that moment, Takeru looked straight at her.

Their eyes met—and in his gaze, she saw her own reflection.

Clear. Steady. Undeniably seen.

The gentle morning breeze couldn’t cool her rising temperature.

He smiled.

That same slow, intoxicating smile—like fine aged wine.

“At the very least... I’d never mistake you for someone else.”

---

T/N: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

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!