Weren’t You Only Using Me As A Stand-in? [65]

Watanabe Akari poked Kitahara Takeru with her index finger when he ignored her.

“You can’t even sing—why are you up here?”

She remembered clearly: Takeru had once said himself that he couldn’t sing.

She actually remembers that?

Takeru was a little surprised. He hadn’t expected her to remember an offhand comment he made.

If the system hadn’t shown her heart belonged to someone else, he might’ve suspected she liked him.

“Can’t I come up just to make a fool of myself?”

At that, Hoshino Ai burst out laughing. “Pffft—!”

Watanabe Akari glanced at her, then turned back to Takeru with a deadpan look. “You serious?”

Takeru replied calmly, “If someone’s gotta get humiliated, why not me?”

“A-hahaha!” Hoshino Ai clutched her stomach, laughing hard.

This guy’s hilarious.

He looked all cool and aloof, but what he said was completely lame.

And he said it so seriously, too.

“Yes, yes, exactly like that.” The producer nodded with satisfaction.

This is the kind of material we need. Push harder.

“You know this might end up online, right? If you can’t sing, better back out while you still can.” Akari gestured to the guy nearby holding a massive camcorder.

Takeru gave it some thought. “Actually, I can sing a little. After that group mixer, I went home and practiced. Turns out, I’ve got talent.”

“Oh yeah? How’d you practice?” Akari asked, curious despite herself.

“Shower. Music on. Belt it out.”

Who hasn’t imagined themselves giving a concert in the shower?

“Not to brag, but Shower Me is next-level. T0 tier.”

In the bathroom, he sang like a god—his voice full, ethereal, powerful. Practically a modern-day singing legend.

Even that bubble tea-loving guy who only ranks second in the Mandopop world? Please.

Watanabe Akari slapped a hand to her face. “…You’re hopeless.”

Takeru was about to shoot back when he suddenly felt a sharp gaze pierce through him.

Like a dagger made of pure killing intent.

He promptly shut his mouth.

Down below, Kamikawa Rie’s fists were clenched so tightly her knuckles cracked.

She’d let him go on stage to sing, not to flirt.

...

“Whoa, this contestant is amazing! They actually got an 87!”

When signups ended, there were only seven participants in total—including Takeru.

Of those seven, four were underground idols.

One was a real idol.

With that few contestants, there was no need for eliminations—highest score wins.

The scoring machine must’ve been calibrated tough. So far, not a single person had cracked 90.

Even Watanabe Akari had only managed 87—the current top score.

“Let’s welcome our next performer!”

“I’m up first!” Hoshino Ai gave Takeru a wink and confidently stepped up onto the stage.

Her vocal ability wasn’t at professional singer level, but she didn’t need to be.

Compared to this bunch—none of whom had ever had proper vocal training—she was practically in a different league.

Underground idols still had a long way to go before becoming real idols.

“You’re wrapped up so tight—are you a celebrity, trying to stay incognito?” The host clearly recognized Hoshino Ai but played dumb, joking around.

“That’s right~” Ai replied playfully.

“Woooow~”

A well-timed wave of gasps came from the audience.

Takeru was almost certain they were planted by the organizers.

But now the real audience was curious too. Whispers filled the crowd as people began guessing her identity.

“So, can you tell us your name?”

“Dame~!” Ai crossed her arms in an X.

“If I lose and this goes viral, I won’t be able to show my face again!”

She said that, but honestly, Ai didn’t think there was a single person here who could out-sing her.

She was a professional. Not even in the same league.

This was like dragon-rider versus foot soldier—she didn’t even know how to lose here.

A guaranteed win.

“If you win, then?” the host asked.

“Then I’ll tell you~!”

“Well, we’ll be watching closely. What song will you be performing?”

“『アイドル』(Idol)!”

Even though she was confident in winning, Ai chose her strongest number—just to be safe.

That decision had been made by her manager.

“Alright, the stage is yours.”

As the intro began, Takeru felt a flicker of recognition.

It sounded… oddly familiar.

He hadn’t placed it yet, but some audience members definitely had. Their DNA was already responding.

They thought of that girl—blazing under the spotlight, commanding attention, impossible to look away from.

As the opening ended, Hoshino Ai parted her lips:

“笑顔で　荒らすメディア
(Crushing the media with an invincible smile)

知りたいその秘密ミステリアス
(A mystery to others, harboring hidden secrets)

ドジってるとこさえ彼女のエリア
(Even clumsy moments are part of her domain)

完璧で嘘つきな君は
(You—perfect and full of lies—are)

天才的なアイドル！
(A genius-level idol!)”

Her voice wove into the melody as effortlessly as breathing, as natural as reflex.

She didn’t have flawless vocals—her breath control had flaws—but she had an undeniable charisma.

【Ding! High-quality target detected. First date bonus: Double Points, 70% Off Coupon x1, Skill: Heavy Palm Cannon!】

[Target: Hoshino Ai]
[Age: 15]
[Intelligence: 4]
[Charm: 9]
[Stamina: 4]
[Origin: Oshi no Ko]
[Crush: Kamiki Hikaru]
[No boyfriend. Dateable.]

Too slow.

Takeru inwardly sighed.

Truth be told, he’d already figured it out the moment she sang her first line.

He wasn’t a huge anime fan, but even he had heard of her.

His first exposure to her had been during her massive viral phase—back when TikTok kept shoving her clips into his feed.

He kept scrolling past, but eventually grew familiar.

Didn’t pay her much mind.

Until he saw the story: pregnant at sixteen, dead at twenty.

It was insane, no matter how you looked at it.

At twenty, Takeru hadn’t even graduated college. She’d already been reincarnated.

“AI!”

“AI!!”

“AI!!!”

As soon as she started singing, it wasn’t just Takeru who recognized her—the whole audience did.

Hoshino Ai’s voice was just too iconic.

Like Eason Chan or Xu Song—you only needed one note.

Fueled by the cheers, Ai found her groove. Her performance grew stronger with each verse.

The score never dipped below 90.

“My true savior"
"My saving grace…”

As the final note faded, the crowd exploded in thunderous applause—this time with no need for planted reactions.

The host came back on stage. “Wow, I think I might know who you are now…”

“Ehh? Really?” Ai replied with mock surprise.

Maybe she was acting—but it sounded very natural.

The host chatted with her a bit longer, then finally turned back to the mic.

“And now, please welcome our final contestant!”

Kitahara Takeru walked calmly up to the stage.

He already knew what song he was going to sing.

Ai had performed ‘Idol’…

So it was only fitting he sang:

“The Hoshino Ai Execution Song.”

---

T/N: i hope Ai gets a different fate :(

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!