Weren’t You Only Using Me As A Stand-in? [79]

One night and you want 5.78 million from me?

Between the two of us, which one’s the actual gangster here?

This racket moved faster than robbery.

“Ryūtō-san, I can write you an IOU.”

To be honest, even Takeru himself found this ridiculous.

But with 500,000 system points on the line, he wasn’t about to give up so easily.

Ryūtō Momo tilted her head, arms folded. “You in debt or something?”

If he was truly strapped for cash, she wouldn’t mind lending him some.

She had more than enough to spare.

And besides, no one in Japan had ever dared stiff her on a loan.

Takeru couldn’t exactly explain the existence of the system, so he just replied, “Let’s say that I am.”

Momo didn’t press. Instead, she went quiet, thinking.

She could tell he was lying. But if he didn’t want to talk, she wasn’t the type to force him.

She wasn’t the meddling kind.

Maybe it was ten minutes. Maybe just one.

To Takeru, it felt like an eternity of anxious silence before Momo finally said, “Come with me.”

And with that, she turned, arms still crossed, and headed toward a private room.

“Haruno-san, Oyamada-san—I’ll be going for a bit.”

Takeru politely nodded to Yukinoshita Haruno and Oyamada Kazumi before following Momo at a scuttling pace.

Once they were out of sight, Kazumi finally exhaled.

Haruno’s eyes followed them as she asked casually, “So you were the one hosting Ryūtō-san tonight?”

“Yeah.”

Kazumi plopped down on the sofa, pulled out a slim pack of women’s cigarettes, and lit one.

“This block’s under Ryūtō-gumi jurisdiction.”

She exhaled a soft ring of smoke, crossing one leg over the other.

“If you want to run a business here, you will deal with them.”

“In Kabukichō’s Ichiban Street, there’s nothing the Ryūtō group can’t solve.”

“They’re more effective than those tax-thieving police officers.”

Haruno gave a soft laugh, offering no opinion.

She’d heard about the Tokyo police’s reputation.

Unless someone was dead—and even then, barely—they were famous for shirking responsibility and sweeping things under the rug.

No wonder they were nicknamed “tax thieves.”

“Still, how’d you get Ryūtō-san to show up in person? No offense, but your opening night doesn’t really seem like her scene.”

“My mom met her mother at a banquet a while ago—lucky stroke, really.” Kazumi looked rather proud of it.

There were plenty who wanted an in with the Ryūtōs but never even got a foot in the door.

“Speaking of which, what’s the deal with that Watanabe Takeru kid?” Kazumi asked suddenly.

First he’s Hiratsuka Shizuka’s boyfriend, now he’s tight with Ryūtō Momo?

No way that guy’s just some ordinary college pretty boy.

Even if he was a sugar baby, he was a damn top-tier one.

“I just met him tonight myself,” Haruno admitted, clearly regretting not accepting Takeru’s earlier request for help.

Had she known he had ties to Momo, she would’ve agreed in a heartbeat.

Still, since he was dating Shizuka, she figured there’d be future chances to connect.

Inside a quiet, private VIP room, Takeru neatly finished writing out his IOU and handed it over.

Ryūtō Momo didn’t even glance at it—just stuffed it into her pocket.

“Cash or transfer?”

“Transfer.”

Moments later, a notification pinged: 5,380,000 yen had landed in her account.

The money was in.

But… the system reward hadn’t come.

Guess it really doesn’t work after all... Takeru sighed, disappointed.

Of course. Like the system would really let him cheese the mission that easily.

[Tokyo Host Night completed. Calculating reward...]
[Reward: 500,000 points, 1 random stat point, elbow bump]

He’d just been about to return the money when the system finally responded—leisurely, as if nothing happened.

Wait—it actually worked?!

Takeru was thrilled.

But his joy was short-lived.

[Exploit detected. Additional temporary mission triggered.]
[Tokyo Host Night → Bodyguard of the Mafia Heiress]
[Target: Ryūtō Momo]
[Objective: Protect Ryūtō Momo for the entire three years of high school.
Provide full emotional value.]

Three years... do you know how long three years really is?!

[Time Limit: Three years from tonight]
[Location: ?]
[Reward: 3,000,000 points]
[Penalty: You’re so pretty. Wouldn’t you be even prettier as a girl?]

Holy hell.

You’re not even gonna ask before assigning this?!

What happened to human rights?

And that punishment—what the hell kind of threat is that?

Is he going to be forcibly gender-swapped?

Takeru wants no part of that.

Okay, fine, he did exploit the system. He had cheesed it.

But still—wasn’t that their fault for leaving the exploit open?

He used his skills. So why was he being punished?

In the end, the real villain here… was the system itself!

Takeru nearly snapped.

Cue the “unravel” soundtrack. The descent into madness begins now.

“What’s with that face? Are you okay?”

Momo raised an eyebrow. Watching his expressions change from panic to glee to existential dread in under thirty seconds… yeah, he was probably broken.

Takeru looked at her and tried to smile.

But the result was worse than crying.

“Ryūtō-san… you remember what you said before? That if anything happened, you’d at least leave me a whole body?”

With the Shijōs, Kashiwagis, Shinomiyas—and now the Ryūtō Group—all in play…

Takeru couldn’t even imagine how brutal his end might be.

Probably diced and dumped at sea.

He’d be remembered in history: the pretty boy who pissed off four power families at once.

A one-of-a-kind record.

“What’s wrong with you?” Momo asked, watching him like he was some broken action figure.

Takeru didn’t answer.

He was too busy trying to accept his fate.

The system might be partly to blame—but he’d brought this on himself.

If he’d just walked away from the host mission, he wouldn’t be in this mess.

Now, his only chance was to get Momo to accept him being around.

Which wouldn’t be easy.

In all her life, no one had ever stayed by Ryūtō Momo’s side.

Even Shinomiya Kaguya had Fujiwara Chika.

But Momo?

Always alone.

She’d come up from Shuchiin’s middle school, just like everyone else—but she’d stayed a solitary figure the whole time.

If that didn’t say everything, what did?

This time, Takeru wouldn’t try to approach her as someone else.

That would only speed up his death.

Kashiwagi Nagisa had already warned him—normal tricks didn’t work on people at the top of the pyramid.

They had countless ways to investigate him.

Shijō Maki and Eriri probably hadn’t dug into him yet only because they trusted him.

But not everyone was like them.

Ryūtō Momo’s upbringing meant she trusted no one.

Pretending would just get him exposed faster.

Best to use his real self.

At least Momo didn’t dislike him.

With that thought, Takeru smiled. “Thanks, Ryūtō-san.”

“No need. It’s a loan—you’re paying it back.”

Momo assumed he was thanking her for the money and waved it off casually.

“If there’s nothing else, I’m heading out.”

Takeru knew this wasn’t going to be quick.

He’d need a long-term plan.

“Let me walk you out. I’ll have my driver take you,” Momo offered after a moment.

She’d only come here tonight to send a message:

This host club was under Ryūtō protection.

Anyone planning to cause trouble could think twice.

Now that that was done, there was no point in staying.

“Sounds good. I’ll hitch a ride, then.”

“How’s Seijo treating you?”

“Great. Made a lot of friends. I’ll introduce you sometime.”

“No thanks. Not interested.”

…

The two of them chatted idly as they left Angel’s Stairway.

Takeru was already scheming how to win Momo over.

What he forgot… was the woman who came with him.

Yukinoshita Haruno had waited the entire night just to exchange contact info.

By the time she realized Takeru had left—it was 3 a.m.

Her mom gave her hell for it.

The next morning.

The train headed toward school was crammed full.

Takeru was almost airborne from the crowd.

But this was just classic Tokyo—a daily commute, always packed.

He had a car, but no license yet.

If he got caught riding it, the traffic cops would fine him—and maybe even impound the thing.

Originally, he’d planned to take his driving test before buying a car.

But now? His schedule was screwed.

So he owed a favor—and asked Kamikawa Rie to handle it for him.

The train rocked back and forth.

Takeru grabbed the overhead strap with one hand to keep from bumping into the girl next to him.

With his looks, even if he did, the girl probably wouldn’t say much.

Still, better to avoid unnecessary trouble.

He had more than enough romantic chaos in his life.

These past few days of nonstop dating made him realize—

Dating that many girls is exhausting.

Lesson learned: pace yourself.

No matter how tempting the points, don’t throw away your life for them.

Last night, he’d been this close to selling his soul and going full host mode.

“T-Takeru-kun… good morning.”

He turned to the voice.

When had Katsura Kotonoha gotten this close?

Takeru gave a polite nod. “Morning.”

He didn’t plan to get too involved with her, but basic manners were still manners.

Kotonoha’s face turned red as she lowered her gaze, a shy smile curling on her lips.

Why are you blushing from a ‘good morning’?

Takeru didn’t get her at all.

“Your haircut really suits you,” she added.

Haircut?

It was just a buzzcut…

“Thanks,” Takeru said blandly.

He was ready to put his earphones in.

“Takeru-kun, I heard your singing yesterday. You were amazing.”

Takeru froze.

“You heard it too?”

Wait… what the hell?!

Was that a damn concert?!

Why were so many people talking about his singing?

Yesterday, Shijō Maki messaged him to complain about how terrible he sounded.

This morning, Kashiwagi Nagisa texted him too.

Then Watanabe Akari. Then Kitagawa Marin. Then classmates.

Even that girl—who never spoke and always just glared at him when they made accidental contact—posted “Lemon” on her social media.

Clearly, she’d been there too.

So how many people were at that venue that night?!

Kotonoha beamed and nodded.

I want to die...

Takeru felt like curling into a ball and rolling out the nearest window.

He wasn’t a shy person—but now he could imagine the teasing waiting for him at school.

He barely said a word to Kotonoha the rest of the ride.

He was even considering calling in sick.

As the train pulled in, Takeru prepared to exit with the crowd.

“Takeru-kun, please take this!”

Kotonoha handed him a bottle of homemade lemonade.

“…Thanks.”

He took it numbly and walked off.

Seeing him accept it, Kotonoha’s smile brightened just a little.

But as she turned in the opposite direction, she found herself being stared down—

By a wide-eyed, gorgeous girl with expressionless intensity.

It was the kind of glare that screamed, homewrecker.

Kotonoha quickly lowered her head and fled.

Is she one of his friends? thought Komi Shōko.

As Takeru walked uphill among uniformed students laughing and chatting, he finally felt like he was back in the normal world.

This must be what Su Xiao feels like every time he finishes a mission.

Speaking of Zhan Mei Su—he remembered that certain mosquito hadn’t updated again.

He might actually die before the series ended.

Hopefully his friend would burn him a copy in the afterlife.

Stepping into school, Takeru swapped to indoor shoes, rounded the big beech tree, and approached his classroom—

Only to hear howls and wailing.

Someone inside was singing “Lemon.”

Badly.

He stood at the door, frozen.

For a moment, he didn’t know if he should even go in.

---

T/N: yikes...

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!