Didn’t You Say I Was Just a Stand-In?

In the cafeteria, Kitahara Takashi carried his ordered pork cutlet rice bowl to his usual spot.

No sooner had he sat down than Ohtani Shota and Tanaka Kotaro arrived with their trays.

"Takashi, did you have a fight with Uekawa-san? Why isn't she clinging to you today?" Tanaka Kotaro set down his tray and glanced curiously at Uekawa Rie, who was sitting with others.

"We didn't fight," Kitahara Takashi replied, picking up a piece of pork cutlet with his chopsticks and taking a bite before continuing. "It's just that after she confessed her feelings to me and I turned her down, her best friend also came to confess to me at noon. I didn't reject her immediately, so Uekawa thought I liked her best friend. She's probably a bit embarrassed and angry now."

"What? Furumaki Ayami is Uekawa Rie's best friend? Wait, you actually turned down Uekawa's confession?"

Kitahara Takashi's brief statement shocked Ohtani Shota several times over.

"So you knew Uekawa-san liked you?"

Tanaka Kotaro was also surprised.

He wasn't surprised that Furumaki Ayami was Uekawa Rie's best friend, but rather that Kitahara Takashi knew Uekawa Rie had feelings for him.

Kitahara Takashi took a sip of miso soup and retorted, "If you sit by a stove, can you not feel the heat?"

He wasn't the kind of dense male protagonist you see in stories. How could he not notice Uekawa Rie's feelings for him?

He knew, but he had rejected her.

"Takashi, you're being foolish."

Ohtani Shota pounded his chest in frustration, as if Kitahara Takashi had just missed out on a fortune.

"She's beautiful, has a great figure, and her family is supposedly super rich. Do you know how many years of struggle you could avoid by being with her?"

"You can't just throw away your future and financial prospects for the sake of some petty pride."

Kitahara Takashi ignored him and continued to focus on his meal.

"Takashi, don't you like Uekawa-san?" Tanaka Kotaro also ignored Ohtani Shota's dramatic outburst and asked.

Kitahara Takashi thought for a moment, then looked up and shook his head. "It's not that."

To say he didn't like her at all would be a lie.

"I don't dislike her, but for me, love isn't everything."

"If I were to be with Uekawa Rie now, I'd have to give up some things."

"Compared to those things, love seems insignificant."

If he were to be with Uekawa Rie, would he still be able to continue his "substitute boyfriend" job?

If he stopped, he wouldn't be able to earn system points.

If he gave up now, wouldn't all his previous efforts be wasted?

Was it worth it for a woman?

Kitahara Takashi had a young body, but his soul was that of an adult.

Before doing anything, he would always weigh the pros and cons, asking himself, "Is it worth it?"

Clearly, love wasn't worth giving up the rewards the system offered.

Even if Uekawa Rie's family was wealthy, what did that have to do with him?

Yes.

Maybe, as Ohtani Shota said, being with Uekawa Rie could help him take a shortcut and avoid decades of struggle.

But all of that was based on the premise that she liked him.

What if one day she no longer did?

Love was the most unreliable thing.

In Kitahara Takashi's view, no one in this world would love someone else forever.

Placing all your hopes on love was like being a dog wagging its tail behind a woman, begging for affection. It was pitiful and laughable.

[You have received a dating invitation. Would you like to view it?]

Suddenly, a system task popped up.

Kitahara Takashi silently recited "check" in his mind.

[Date: Shijou Maki.]

[Activity: Her childhood best friend and the person she secretly loves are now together. She can't let go, she can't give up.]

[Time: Arrive at the destination by 4:00 PM on May 9th.]

[Location: Cafe Yolum (click to start navigation).]

[Secret Crush: Tanishima Tsubasa photo jpg. (click to view details).]

[Reward: 5,000 points.]

[Accept?]

Kitahara Takashi looked at his date and fell into deep thought.

He wasn't pondering whether to accept or not, but rather, who is Shijou Maki?

...

At 3:30 PM, Kashiwagi Nagisa, holding her school bag, walked up to Shijou Maki: "Maki, my driver has something to do today, can I ride back with you?"

Hearing this, Shijou Maki instinctively glanced towards Tanishima Tsubasa.

Tanishima Tsubasa clasped his hands together, his eyes pleading.

'What is this all about!'

Shijou Maki regretted agreeing at noon to create a chance for Tanishima Tsubasa and Kashiwagi Nagisa to be alone together.

The boy she likes is now with her best friend, and not only does she have to bless them, but she also has to help them along?

What kind of tragic heroine is she?

"Sorry, Nagisa, I have plans with someone today."

Shijou Maki really didn't want to give them a chance to be alone, but her upbringing since childhood wouldn't allow her to break her promise.

Besides, she wasn't exactly lying.

She did have plans with someone today.

"Who is it?"

Kashiwagi Nagisa was a bit disappointed, but more curious.

Both were born into wealthy families, grew up together, and their social circles overlapped significantly. If it were a tea party or a banquet, it was unlikely that only Shijou Maki would be invited and not her.

"Him..."

Shijou Maki was momentarily at a loss for words.

She really didn't know the name of the person she was meeting today?

"Him... his name is Takashi."

Shijou Maki racked her brains and could only think of the other person's ID, just a single [Takashi].

"Wow, Takashi, you're on a first-name basis already? Is he your boyfriend?" Kashiwagi Nagisa's eyes lit up like a gossip-loving weasel.

Usually, only people who are very close call each other by their first names.

[Takashi] definitely sounded like a guy's name.

"No, no, that's...""Has Shijou-san got a boyfriend?"

Just as Shijou Maki was about to deny, Tanishima Tsubasa, seeing that most of the classmates had left, walked over and couldn't help but interject upon hearing the conversation.

"...Yes, that's right." Shijou Maki suddenly wanted to see what Tanishima Tsubasa's reaction would be upon hearing she was in a relationship.

'Would he feel something for me?'

Shijou Maki's eyes were fixed on Tanishima Tsubasa's face, not wanting to miss any subtle changes.

To her disappointment, Tanishima Tsubasa showed no expression upon hearing this, not even looking at her.

From beginning to end, his gentle and shy gaze was only on Kashiwagi Nagisa.

Shijou Maki's eyes filled with sorrow, her heart and arm aching.

"Maki, you're really something. Keeping a boyfriend secret, are you afraid I'll steal him?" Kashiwagi Nagisa teased.

'Isn't that exactly what you did?' Shijou Maki felt a bit indignant.

But she also knew that it wasn't really Kashiwagi Nagisa's fault.

Because she didn't know that Shijou Maki liked Tanishima Tsubasa.

If anyone was to blame, it was the person who gave Tanishima Tsubasa that bad advice.

'You better hope I don't find you.' Shijou Maki thought darkly.