Mash-Up: I'm Not A Substitute

"Mm, mmf, mmm…"

Listening to the muffled, unclear sounds from Hitomi over the phone, Narii tilted her head in confusion.

"Sis?"

"Mmm…"

In Chiyoda Ward, inside a room on the second floor of the Konoe main residence, unfamiliar tides gradually flooded Hitomi's consciousness. 

In a haze, she vaguely heard the voice of her cousin Narii.

"Sis, are you listening?"

"Big sis?"

After who knows how many times Narii called out, Night Sakura's mind gradually cleared.

She stopped exchanging salivary amylase with Takashi, wrapped her arms around his neck, and rested her chin on his shoulder.

While panting slightly, Hitomi lazily responded, "Yeah, I'm listening."

"What were you doing just now? I've been calling your name forever."

On the other end of the call, Narii grumbled.

"I was just eating something."

"Eating what?"

"Eating zui zi."

"Zui zi? What's that?"

Having grown up eating all kinds of delicious food, Narii really had no idea what kind of dish was called "zui zi."

"Why did you call?"

Hitomi's tone was starting to sound impatient.

Narii immediately noticed the shift in her sister's tone and hurriedly got to the point: 

"Oh, right! Sis, you didn't give Takashi a hard time, did you? Where is he now? Let me talk to him."

"He can't answer the phone right now."

Hitomi turned her face slightly, her fingers gently caressing Takashi's prominent Adam's apple.

"Sis, what did you do to him?"

"Just gave him a little punishment."

"Didn't you say you wouldn't make things hard for him?"

Narii thought her sister had done something to Takashi, and her tone inevitably became more anxious.

Her sister was different from her.

If someone upset her, she really would kill them.

"Did I give you a hard time, Takashi?"

Hitomi tilted her face upward, smiling as she looked at Takashi, who didn't even dare breathe loudly, holding his breath.

"No."

Takashi knew Hitomi was doing it on purpose.

With her smiling gaze fixed on him, he finally exhaled the breath he'd been holding and spoke in a resigned tone.

"Takashi, are you really okay? Did my sister—" Click.

Narii didn't even finish her sentence before Hitomi hung up, then casually powered off Takashi's phone.

Just in case that annoying little sister called again.

"Come on, let's continue."

She tossed the phone onto the table and ordered Takashi.

"Yes, my lady."

Takashi had completely given up resistance at this point.

Everyone dies eventually, so why worry whether it's being drawn and quartered or minced into stew? — By Takashi.

No one knows whether tomorrow or the unexpected will arrive first. For now, Takashi just wanted to enjoy the moment.

He lowered his head and began his third kiss with Hitomi.

Sweetness sank into Hitomi's heart. This was an experience she'd never had before.

She couldn't think anymore—was this happiness, or fulfillment? 

All she knew was, when she regained awareness, her hands had unknowingly gripped Takashi's back.

…

At 6 PM, the lavish dining table was set, and Takashi and Hitomi were eating dinner together.

At this moment, Hitomi had changed into a simple yet exquisitely made white dress, highlighting her outstanding figure—ample bust, perfectly slender waist, and legs with the kind of beautiful curves every woman dreamed of.

Her beauty was such that even women would be tempted.

While eating, Hitomi was also watching a tablet. After quite a while, she finally remembered to take a bite.

Eventually, Takashi couldn't stand it anymore and took the initiative to feed her.

Halfway through the meal, Hitomi's expression suddenly turned cold. She turned and stared at Takashi.

"W-what's wrong?"

Takashi jumped, not knowing how he had upset the young lady this time.

"What do you think?"

Hitomi tapped the tablet with her finger. Takashi took it and looked down.

The homepage displayed: "Sobu High's beautiful manager caught meeting secretly with Koshien's rising star—rumored couple?"

Attached to the page was a photo.

It was a photo of Takashi and Yukino standing face-to-face.

Due to the use of perspective, the photo looked like a couple's shot.

"My lady, I swear—there's nothing between me and that woman who's flat both front and back."

Takashi quickly raised three fingers to swear.

"If you don't believe me, you can check the security footage—it should show that there was no intimate contact between us."

Seeing that Takashi didn't seem to be lying, Hitomi's expression softened slightly, and she calmed down. 

After thinking for a moment, she said, "There are two solutions. One, suppress the trending topic—I'll have someone contact the magazine to pull the article."

"Two, leave it alone and let it spread."

Hitomi stopped speaking there and looked at Takashi, waiting for him to choose.

Though she was forceful, she rarely interfered with Takashi's decisions.

Takashi thought for a moment. "I choose the second option."

Hitomi nodded approvingly. "I also recommend the second option. This incident won't negatively impact you—if anything, it might even enhance your reputation."

After a short pause, Hitomi continued, "Actually, I've had a plan all along."

"What kind of plan?"

"I plan to turn you into a school idol."

Hitomi slowly revealed her idea.

Takashi paused mid-bite of beef. "A school idol? Like the ones from Otonokizaka Academy?"

"Something like that. But you're solo, and you won't have to hop around on stage like a monkey."

"Is Aoba's student recruitment that hard right now?"

He remembered that getting into Aoba was quite competitive—the entry requirements were just very strict.

Every year, countless parents spent money and called in favors trying to get their children in.

"This has nothing to do with Aoba—it's just my own idea."

Hitomi rested her chin elegantly on her hands.

"Why would you come up with that?"

Takashi was curious about her thoughts.

"Because since I was little, everything I have must be the best—no exceptions."

Hitomi's goal was simple.

Whether it was objects or men—she only wanted the best.

Just like her relatives back in Jiangxi—when they look for wives, they don't care about quality, only about price.

So what if the bride price is high?

Girls from Jiangxi are loved by Jiangxi men—Takashi declared this in Japan on behalf of Jiangxi.

"But if other girls like me, won't that make you mad?"

Takashi thought all yandere types were supposed to lock up the person they loved in a basement, hiding them from the world so only they could see their worth.

Why was Hitomi different?

"If other people like you, I won't be angry."

The more popular Takashi became, the happier Hitomi felt.

It validated her taste in men.

In fact, the more popular he was, the more delighted she became.

Because all those girls who liked him would only ever be able to watch from the shadows like rats in the gutter, helplessly envying her happiness with him.

Just imagining girls like Sawamura Spencer Eriri, Hiratsuka Shizuka, Shijo Maki, Kashiwagi Nagisa… all twisted with jealousy made her feel immensely satisfied.

That kind of emotional joy was something money couldn't buy.

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