Mash-Up: I'm Not A Substitute

Every Friday, students start acting like cats about to go into heat, becoming unusually excited.

As long as they get through the day, they can sleep in tomorrow, no need to wake up early.

You could also stay in a room with the air conditioner on, drink iced beverages, and play games all day without anyone saying anything.

Everyone was thrilled and restless—everyone except Takashi.

Because he realized his system seemed to have a bug.

He couldn't take any new requests.

His current date was still stuck with Katsura Kotonoha.

This was making Takashi incredibly frustrated.

It felt like he had been progressing through a major world quest, only to accidentally trigger a ridiculously long and tedious side quest, which prevented him from continuing the main quest until it was completed.

Wasn't this just plain annoying?

If Takashi had enough points, he could have spent 10,000 points to unilaterally end the date.

Unfortunately, he had used up all his points purchasing intelligence stats.

He was completely broke.

In other words, if he didn't finish this date with Katsura Kotonoha, he would never be able to earn points again.

Everything else could be dealt with, but this was a serious issue.

Every time he thought about it, his temples throbbed.

"My whole plan is messed up."

He had originally planned everything for this week.

After school today, he was supposed to head to Chiba for a date with Eriri, then take the train home to rest.

On Saturday morning, he would go jogging with Yotsuba to strengthen their bond.

At noon, he would meet Maki to listen to her vent and strategize her so-called "Take Back Tanuma Tsubasa Plan."

In the evening, he would take the train back to Chiba to watch a romance movie with Utaha as research for her novel.

On Sunday morning, he would meet Yotsuba again.

In the afternoon, he had to make time to buy a car and go shopping for clothes with Narii.

At night, he had another date.

It was a gathering organized by Hiratsuka Shizuka, arranged a week in advance.

He had planned to earn a huge amount of points this week, but because of this situation with Kotonoha, everything had fallen apart.

He was now considering canceling all his plans except for the one with Narii.

'Where exactly is the problem?'

In class, Takashi twirled his 0.5mm mechanical pencil, pretending to listen attentively, but in reality, he was lost in thought about his situation with the girls.

This act of "thoughtful contemplation" pleased the literature teacher, who felt gratified and even became more enthusiastic in her lecture.

Of course, her enthusiasm wasn't entirely because she loved teaching—it also had something to do with Takashi placing third in the national mock exam last year, earning her a hefty bonus from the principal.

"Excuse me!"

Midway through the class, a soft, feminine voice rang out from the classroom door, making Takashi jolt in surprise.

The mechanical pencil in his hand slipped and fell onto his textbook with a sharp "clack!"

But no one was paying attention to him right now. At that moment, all eyes in the classroom turned toward the doorway.

"Look!"

"She's stunning! Could she be even prettier than Narii?"

"Are you blind? Narii is way more beautiful!"

"Forget about who's prettier—just look at that figure! That size! That shape! Is that even something a high school girl can have?"

"Do you guys ever think about anything other than boobs?"

"Wait, she's wearing Sakaki Academy's uniform… Is she a transfer student?"

When they saw the girl standing at the door—a long-legged beauty with an A4 waist, 34D curves, a swan-like neck, and flawless porcelain skin—the entire class erupted in excitement.

Especially the boys.

A girl who was young, beautiful, and well-endowed had an irresistible appeal to teenage boys brimming with hormones.

No, scratch that.

Men of all ages seemed to like this type.

"May I help you?"

The literature teacher glanced at the girl at the door, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

She hadn't received any notice about a transfer student joining their class.

"Excuse me, is... um, Takashi here?" Kotonoha hesitated, her voice soft with shyness, using a name far too intimate for a mere acquaintance.

She had no choice—she didn't know Takashi's full name.

All she knew was that he was called "Takashi" and that he was a student at Aoba Private Academy.

Kotonoha's voice was too quiet for the literature teacher to catch, but a girl sitting near the door immediately exclaimed, "Takashi?! She just called Kitahara by 'Takashi'!"

The class, which had been enjoying the spectacle, suddenly tensed up.

Narii's expression sharpened instantly upon hearing that name.

Takashi—only she was allowed to call Takashi that.

Who did this b*tch think she was, using that nickname?

"No way… Is she Takashi's official girlfriend?"

"Kitahara, you absolute bastard!"

"Curse you, Kitahara! Go to hell!"

"Kitahara, are Aoba girls not good enough for you? Why are you dating a girl from another school?"

"Guys like Kitahara should just be neutered!"

As the angry murmurs spread, Takashi's face visibly darkened.

Gradually, the classroom grew quieter.

For the first time, they saw anger and frustration on Takashi's normally friendly face.

Suppressing his urge to use the "inch punch" to split Kotonoha's skull open, Takashi raised his hand. 

"Teacher, she's here to see me. I'll step out for a moment."

"Go ahead," the literature teacher said without making things difficult for him.

"Thank you, Sensei."

Takashi stood up and walked toward Kotonoha.

As he approached, Kotonoha's lips curled into a small smile, but upon seeing the dark expression on his face, her smile vanished, and she instinctively lowered her head.

"Takashi, who is she?"

As he passed her, Narii grabbed his wrist and questioned him.

"I'll explain later."

Takashi gently freed his wrist from Narii's grip and quickly reached Kotonoha. Ignoring her possible fear of men, he grabbed her arm and pulled her aside.

"Sensei, I need to use the restroom."

Not long after Takashi left, Narii stood up. Her long, slender legs kicked the chair back, creating a sharp, grating noise.

Without waiting for the teacher's approval, she strode out of the classroom.

She had to find out what was going on between that b*tch and Takashi.

…

Takashi dragged Kotonoha to the far end of the hallway, near the restroom, and pushed her against the wall. 

His expression was as dark as a storm cloud.

"Why are you here?"

He never expected Kotonoha to come to his school in person.

He should have known better than to meet his dates using his real identity.

"The reporters who interviewed us that day got fired."

"They thought we were a couple, and now they keep bothering me, asking me to plead for them."

Pausing for a moment, Kotonoha cautiously glanced at Takashi's face and whispered, "They've been harassing me for days, and it's started affecting my life."

Takashi's expression softened. "So you came today to plead on their behalf?"

"Partly, yes."

Biting her lip, Kotonoha hesitated before adding, "My little sister heard about what happened and wants to invite you to our house for dinner."

"I'm not interested in—"

Takashi started to refuse, but then he remembered his task was still stuck on Kotonoha.

Changing his tone, he asked, "When?"

Before Kotonoha could answer, a chilling voice interrupted from the side.

"What are you two doing?"

___

20 Advanced Chapters available on p@ tr eon (.) com/HalflingFics

Also, please point out my mistakes in the comment, thank you!

Don't forget to leave a review too~ [5 bonus chapter if we reach 10 reviews]

Check out the other translations too: [Mash-Up: Anything For Money]

___