Weren’t You Only Using Me As A Stand-in? [72]

Once most of the food had been cleared, Kitahara Takeru gave a quick nod to Hiratsuka Shizuka and got up to head to the restroom.

Seeing this, Umeno Kentarō quickly rose to his feet. “Watanabe-kun, shall we go together?”

Takeru glanced at him and smiled politely. “Sure.”

He deliberately waited for Umeno to reach his side before sliding open the paper door and stepping out.

The two walked out together.

The moment the door shut behind them, whispers began swirling inside the room.

“Didn’t expect Watanabe to be that tall.”

“He’s definitely over 180cm.”

“Kids these days—what are they even eating? They’re huge.”

Sitting down, you wouldn’t notice it, but now that Kitahara Takeru and Umeno Kentarō were standing side by side, it was obvious: Takeru had a solid half-head of height on him.

The chatter inside didn’t escape the ears of the two who had just left.

Umeno’s brows furrowed instantly. His face darkened.

In contrast, Takeru curved his lips into a smirk and shot a sidelong glance at him.

Height— a never-ending obsession for men.

From what Takeru had observed, there were very few men who didn’t care about their height.

Some guys, the moment they hit 180, it’s like they want it tattooed across their forehead—LOOK, I’M TALL.

Takeru had no patience for that kind of guy.

He’d grown a bit taller recently too. Hit 180. Not that he went around bragging about it.

Just one glance. That’s all it took. And Umeno Kentarō caught it.

Damn it. This little punk set me up.

He looked up at Takeru’s height—one he now had to tilt his chin up to meet—then back at the undisguised smirk on his face.

He understood immediately: this was planned.

No wonder the kid insisted they walk out together.

The bastard knew exactly what he was doing.

This kid had at least 800 little schemes hiding in his body.

“Senpai, are you okay?” Takeru asked, face full of innocent concern, as if completely unaware of Umeno’s grim expression.

“Don’t listen to them. I’m really not that tall. Just. Barely. 180.” The last few words were delivered with deliberate spacing, each syllable precisely enunciated.

“I didn’t ask your height,” Umeno snapped.

Seeing no one around, he dropped the act and stomped ahead, face like thunder.

Takeru trailed leisurely behind.

Umeno picked a urinal and stood in front of it. Takeru took the spot next to him.

Zipper down. Pants unfastened.

“How’s it going with Shizuka?”

“Not so great!”

“What happened?” Umeno perked up, turning toward him with interest.

And then—his pupils contracted.

He looked down at himself. Then at Takeru.

His stream cut off halfway.

He zipped up, stepped aside, and silently retreated to a corner urinal.

“Senpai?” Takeru turned to him with a puzzled look.

“N-Nothing,” Umeno stammered, clearly trying to hide something. He angled his body, even though Takeru couldn’t see anything.

“You were saying? What happened between you two?”

“Oh, right!” Takeru continued, totally unaffected. “It’s just... she keeps giving me gifts.”

“The time before last it was a Longines watch. Then she gave me an Armani suit. And just now, she sent me a Patek Philippe. My classmates are all saying I’ve been kept by my girlfriend.”

Listening to Takeru’s passive-flexing, Umeno could see through the act—but it still made his blood boil.

That damn woman! he cursed Hiratsuka Shizuka silently.

Back when she dated him, she never gave him anything like that.

Oh, but now? This younger boytoy shows up, and she’s tossing luxury goods at him left and right?

“That’s right! Hiratsuka Shizuka’s always been like that—throwing money around to humiliate people. That’s why I broke up with her!”

“We men have to keep our dignity!”

Come on, kid. You’re already complaining. Just dump her and let me take over.

“Senpai, what kind of nonsense is that? Since when does dignity mean giving up money?” Takeru shot him a “you idiot?” look.

We can joke around, sure. But money’s not something to mess with. OJBK?

Dignity? What’s that worth? A few yen?

Umeno: “???”

Are you seriously a college student?

Is this how shameless college students are these days?

“How old are you?”

“Almost twenty. Just one month to go.”

“You do realize Shizuka is seven years older than you?”

“Sure. Haven’t you heard the saying? ‘Three years older, a bar of gold!’ Since nee-san’s seven years older, that’s three bars of gold. I’m basically financially free.”

“You think her family’s going to accept you?”

“Her parents love me. Her dad even offered me a Cadillac. I turned it down.”

Don’t ask why.

The Emperor of the Bathtub once kneeled to a woman on 520 in a Cadillac. No way I’m driving that brand.

“You think she’s pretty now because she’s still young. But give it a couple years. When you walk down the street together—will you still think you match?”

“Of course we match! Why wouldn’t we?”

“Me and nee-san are a perfect match. The top-tier match. A celestial match!”

Umeno tried to reason with him like a concerned elder, doing his best to steer the boy back to the right path.

But Takeru? He was all in.

No matter what Umeno said, he had that I’m not listening~ face on, like a turtle ignoring a monk’s chant.

“You...!”

Umeno zipped up, turned, and glared—

And was promptly stunned.

Takeru was standing there, both hands on his phone, typing away.

He wasn’t even holding himself.

No. Freaking. Way.

It’s bad enough he’s big. But he doesn’t even need to use his hands?

Umeno Kentarō felt the last shred of his manly pride crumble into dust.

“What?” Takeru looked up from his phone, zipped up his pants, and tilted his head.

“You two aren’t compatible!” Umeno blurted after a long struggle.

“And who are you to decide that?”

Takeru took a step forward. No more politeness. He looked down on Umeno, contempt plain in his eyes.

“We’re not compatible, but you are?”

“What exactly do you think you have over me?”

“What would nee-san even want from you? Your age? Or your... thirty seconds?”

Umeno exploded, grabbed Takeru by the collar. “Kisama! Say that again!”

Takeru’s expression went ice-cold.

‘Kisama’—a word that in Japanese could mean beast or animal.

So this guy was calling him an animal to his face now?

Without hesitation, Takeru reversed their positions, slamming Umeno against the wall and pinning his neck in the crook of his arm.

“You filthy piece of trash. Is this how low your standards are?”

“I call you senpai out of courtesy. Without that courtesy, I’d have you in the ground.”

“When I treat you like a human, at least do me the favor of pretending like one, okay?”

Umeno’s face turned purple with pressure. He thrashed, tapping frantically on Takeru’s arm for air.

Back when he was young, maybe he had the edge in looks. But when it came to raw strength, especially now? He wasn’t in the same league.

Takeru released him before things went too far.

He wasn’t actually going to commit murder.

He was, after all, a law-abiding citizen.

“Huff... huff...”

Sliding down the wall, Umeno gasped for air, his face soaked in sweat and humiliation.

Takeru adjusted his clothes, not sparing him another glance, and walked out.

At the door, he paused as if remembering something. Then, with a soft, almost kind smile, he turned back.

“Senpai, there’s no need to feel insecure. Small can be cute too.”

Then, under Umeno’s hateful, humiliated stare, Takeru struck a casual grasping gesture—a Korean meme for “gotcha.”

Complete psychological destruction.

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T/N: OOFFFFFFF (basically ah ur small gesture) yknow what let me get that image

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!