Mash-Up: I'm Not A Substitute

"Kuro, I'm heading to school. Stay at home and be good. Don't chew on anything, and if it gets hot, turn on the air conditioner yourself."

Standing in front of the mirror, Takashi adjusted his tie, threw on his school blazer, and straightened his hair a little before giving Kuro a few last instructions and heading out.

"Woof!"

Kuro was lying on the couch, eyes fixed on the TV.

At the moment, it was playing Pokémon—or rather, in Japan, it was called Pocket Monsters.

Just as Takashi was about to leave with his bag slung over his shoulder, he suddenly remembered today was a "garbage day." He turned back, grabbed the trash, and sighed.

Throwing out garbage in Japan was an absolute pain.

Not only did it have to be carefully sorted, but it could only be disposed of twice a week.

If you missed Monday and Thursday, you'd have to wait until next week.

And kitchen waste? That required a designated garbage bag and had to be placed in the trash room before 12 PM on Wednesdays and Fridays.

In one word—annoying.

After tossing the garbage into the bin, Takashi swiped his card to enter the station and caught the 7:30 train.

The train swayed gently as it moved, and Takashi grabbed a handrail, put on his earphones, and listened to an English audio drama to practice his listening skills.

Although he'd been out of high school for quite some time and had forgotten most of what he'd learned, he wasn't worried.

Because he knew how to grind.

In his past life, he had grown up in one of the most competitive regions for education.

While other provinces worried about their kids getting into college, his home province worried about kids even making it into high school.

A fun fact: in his province, the high school entrance exam had a 50% elimination rate.

Out of a total score of 700+, getting a 610 wouldn't even guarantee you a spot in high school.

And the difficulty of the exam? It started with 1+1 and ended with building an airplane.

On the bright side, while the exams were hard, the universities in his province also had the highest admission scores.

Ding-ding—

The train doors opened, and immediately, a crowd of chatty girls flooded in, making the already packed train feel even tighter.

Despite Tokyo's dense network of trains and subways, rush hour was still unbearable.

Damn it!

Takashi cursed internally and quickly imitated the other men around him—gripping both hands firmly on the overhead rail to make it absolutely clear he had no intention of touching anyone.

This was a precaution.

In Japan, accusations of groping on trains were a major issue.

If a woman accused you of sexual harassment, no evidence was needed—you'd be arrested on the spot. Your life would be ruined.

Even if you proved your innocence in the end, your reputation would still be destroyed.

In every country, making false accusations was easy, but clearing your name took endless effort.

The movie I Just Didn't Do It by Masayuki Suo was about this exact social issue—the false accusations of train groping.

And it was based on a real case from late 2002.

This issue exposed Japan's shockingly low rate of "not guilty" verdicts in court.

These days, men were more afraid of riding trains than women—most wanted to stay as far away as possible.

'I really need to put "buying a vehicle" on my to-do list.'

Takashi was already sixteen, meaning he was eligible to get a standard motorcycle license.

He had considered getting a bicycle, but bicycles in Japan were ridiculously expensive.

You wouldn't find a decent one for under 20,000 yen.

If he had to spend money, he'd rather buy a motorcycle.

He was a motorcycle enthusiast anyway, and second-hand motorbikes in Japan were quite cheap.

Just as these thoughts filled his mind, Takashi suddenly felt something soft press into his chest.

He looked down.

A girl in a sailor uniform had fallen into his arms.

Her face was stunning, with an impressive D-cup figure.

Her fair skin was so delicate it looked like it could be squeezed to produce water.

Her long, warm purple hair shimmered slightly under the sunlight.

Oh no!

Takashi instantly went on high alert and quickly spoke before she could:

"Are you also seeking a duel between samurai?"

Jinfu, grant me strength!

Takashi clenched his right fist slowly, his gaze turning as resolute as Cristiano Ronaldo's—sharp and unwavering.

But also carrying a hint of killing intent.

The already trembling girl shook even more violently.

From an outsider's perspective, it looked like Takashi was holding the remote control to a device that could trigger the "inner demons" in her body.

Just as Takashi was about to unleash his "charged-up punch," a system panel suddenly popped up in front of him.

[Target: Katsura Kotonoha]

[Age: 16]

[Intelligence: 8]

[Charm: 9]

[Stamina: 4]

[From: School Days]

[Boyfriend: Itou Makoto]

[Boyfriend present, but still available for a date.]

The fist that Takashi had clenched so tightly immediately deflated, like a balloon losing air.

Wait a second!

Something seemed off.

Boyfriend present?

But still available for a date???

Good lord, he thought this was some "stand-user" system, but it turned out to be a cuckold system?

And it wasn't even like he had dyed his hair blond!

Forget it, I'll pass on this one.

Takashi wasn't into stealing girlfriends.

He had no interest in dating someone else's girl.

That wasn't his thing.

Takashi leaned backward, stepping slightly to the side, but due to the train's cramped space, he accidentally stepped on someone's foot.

"Sorr—...y."

Takashi turned around to apologize, but when he saw the girl behind him—with her sharp, upturned eyes and darkened expression—he suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of pressure.

At that moment, another system panel popped up.

[Target: Komi Shouko]

[Age: 16]

[Intelligence: 9]

[Charm: 9]

[Stamina: 6]

[From: Komi Can't Communicate]

[Male Lead: Tadano Hitohito]

[Not dating yet, available for a date.]

Date her?

Takashi examined the girl named Komi Shouko.

She wore a white shirt under a beige knit vest, her ribbon perfectly tied.

Her delicate, oval face featured refined facial features, and her long, blackish-purple hair cascaded past her shoulders.

Her long legs—comparable to Utaha—looked almost surreal, especially when wrapped in black stockings, making it seem like she had activated some kind of long-leg cheat code.

Her black leather shoes gleamed as if they had just been polished.

She was a gorgeous girl.

But her intimidating aura made Takashi hesitant to approach.

"Hey, uh… hi?"

For the sake of potential wealth, Takashi decided to at least give it a shot.

She looked like someone from a rich family.

For money, he was willing to play the "rich lady's entertainment ball" if need be—

Wait, no. That was a bit too extreme.

At least for now.

Maybe once his system unlocked Iron Shirt Kung Fu and Golden Bell Armor, he'd reconsider.

Though… would his system even have those skills?

"..."

Komi Shouko's expression darkened further at his attempt to start a conversation.

Takashi hesitated.

Forget it. Forget it. This one's a pass too.

He decided to focus all his energy on Yotsuba instead.

At least she seemed easy to fool.

As Takashi thought about Yotsuba, he failed to notice Komi Shouko's lips part slightly, as if she were trying to say something.

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

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