Mash-Up: I'm Not A Substitute

Two minutes ago, Obuchi Minami and the others were discussing going out after club activities ended. She wasn't deaf—of course, she could hear them.

But her shy and gentle nature, combined with her weak-willed personality, made her incapable of resisting when faced with pressure.

Seeing her remain silent, Obuchi Minami's tone grew impatient. "Well? Can you or not?"

"Katsura-san, we're all classmates. Helping each other is normal, right?"

"You're not that stingy, are you?"

Noticing the situation, Koizumi Natsumi and Mori Kumi walked over to join in, further pressuring her with guilt.

Kotonoha didn't speak. She simply lowered her head even more, sinking deeper into silence.

Some classmates noticed what was happening, but none had any intention of standing up for her.

Kotonoha knew this too. No one would speak up for her. So, she could only drop her head, letting her long hair cover her fragile expression, and whispered, ".....Alright."

"I knew it. Katsura-san wouldn't refuse us."

"Arigato, Katsura-san."

"Katsura-san, you're such a nice person."

Though they sounded like they were thanking her, in reality, the three of them were laughing at how submissive and gullible she was.

They weren't even afraid of the teacher finding out.

Because they knew that with Kotonoha's meek personality, she would never refuse.

Kotonoha asked softly, "Is there anything else? If not, I'm going to eat."

"Nope, go ahead, Katsura-san. Don't go hungry." With the matter settled, Obuchi Minami had no interest in seeing her any longer and waved her hand to dismiss her.

Just as Kotonoha was about to turn around, Kato Otome suddenly said, "Katsura-san, I heard you've been getting close to that first-year student, Ito."

"...Mm, he's my boyfr—"

"I'll be direct. I don't want you getting too close to him."

Kotonoha was just about to say that Ito Makoto was her boyfriend, but before she could even finish the word "boyfriend," Kato Otome cut her off forcefully.

Kotonoha lifted her head and, in a rare moment, asked, "Why?"

Kato Otome's expression froze instantly, as if she had just been bitten by her own pet dog.

Seeing Kotonoha, who had never defied her before, suddenly talk back, her gaze sharpened.

"Why so many questions?"

"There's no why!"

Kato Otome's domineering attitude forced Kotonoha back into silence.

"Alright, Otome! Let's go eat!"

"Besides, it's not like Ito even likes her."

"Come on, let's go. The cafeteria seats will fill up soon."

Koizumi Natsumi and the others quickly tried to smooth things over, pushing Kato Otome toward the cafeteria.

They weren't helping Kotonoha out of kindness—they just didn't want to waste their precious lunch break on her.

Half-dragged, Kato Otome finally walked away.

Perhaps to vent her frustration on Kotonoha's behalf, Koizumi Natsumi "accidentally" bumped into her shoulder as she passed by.

Kotonoha didn't react much. She simply lowered her head and silently walked out of the classroom, heading all the way up to the Astronomy Club's rooftop.

As she opened the rooftop door, Saionji Sekai complained, "Kotonoha, you're so slow!"

"Sorry, something came up in class."

By the time she reached the rooftop, Kotonoha had already composed herself.

She was someone who bottled up her emotions.

She never let her own negative feelings affect others.

Of course, people like her were terrifying once they finally snapped.

There's a reason why they say you shouldn't push a quiet person too far.

"Alright, let's hurry up and eat. Lunchtime isn't long." Ito Makoto didn't ask what had happened.

"..."

Kotonoha's mood sank even further.

She felt like her boyfriend, Ito Makoto, had changed.

Before, he would always ask about even the smallest things concerning her.

Their conversations were always engaging and back-and-forth.

But at some point, she noticed his replies were getting slower and more perfunctory.

He wasn't as attentive to her as he used to be.

'Does he not like me anymore?'

As soon as the thought arose, her first instinct was to fix things.

"Makoto, do you want to try the bento I made?"

She didn't know how to salvage their relationship, so she resorted to the most traditional method—expressing love by cooking for him.

That morning, she had woken up at five, politely declined her mother's help, and prepared a lavish bento all by herself.

She was just about to hand him the bento when she saw Saionji Sekai reach out with her chopsticks and take an egg from Ito Makoto's bowl.

"Let me try your omelet."

Ito Makoto complained, "Hey, you have your own, don't you? Why steal mine?"

Though he was grumbling, Kotonoha could tell he didn't actually mind.

"I need to test your cooking skills on Kotonoha's behalf," Saionji Sekai declared confidently.

Ito Makoto said nothing and, without hesitation, reached his chopsticks into her bento, taking a piece of tonkatsu.

"Give it back!"

Ito Makoto popped it into his mouth before she could stop him.

Fuming, Saionji Sekai punched him in the arm.

Watching the two of them bicker flirtatiously right in front of her, Kotonoha suddenly felt like they were the real couple and she was the outsider.

Her outstretched hand, holding the bento, slowly withdrew.

Saionji Sekai noticed this small movement, and her mind instantly screamed, "Not good!"

She reacted within a second.

"Kotonoha, since your boyfriend stole my tonkatsu, I'll take one from yours!"

With a huff, Saionji Sekai grabbed a piece from Kotonoha's bento, popped it into her mouth, and, without even chewing, exaggeratedly praised, "Wow, this is delicious!"

"Makoto, your girlfriend is an amazing cook."

"You're one lucky guy."

She deliberately said this so Ito Makoto would say a few words to praise Kotonoha, letting the matter slide.

Unfortunately, Ito Makoto failed to catch her hint.

Instead, he said, "Of course! Do you think Kotonoha is like you—flat-chested and hot-tempered?"

Kotonoha's nearly-formed smile vanished instantly.

Her grip on the bento box tightened.

'Makoto, you idiot.'

Saionji Sekai was utterly speechless at Ito Makoto's lack of emotional intelligence.

He completely missed her point.

Are you trying to expose our affair on purpose?

Are all guys this dense?

…

"I swear, do all guys have zero emotional intelligence?"

At that same moment, in Aoba Cafeteria, Narii was saying the exact same thing.

"Can't he tell I'm mad?"

"Why won't he just comfort me?"

"If I ignore him, is he planning to never talk to me again?"

Narii kept grumbling like a machine gun, venting nonstop to her girl friends about Takashi.

"I curse that guy—may he forever get the worst possible luck in every gacha pull!"

She unleashed her most vicious curse.

"Narii, you still haven't given up on Kitahara?"

"Just how much do you like him?"

"You're hopeless."

Her friends teased her with laughter.

"Give up? What are you talking about?"

Narii planted one foot on her chair and declared arrogantly, 

"Mark my words! One day, I'll unbuckle his belt, run my hands over his abs, whisper in his ear, spend his money, eat his cooking, and make him tell me he loves me every single day!"

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

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