Mash-Up: I'm Not A Substitute

"But if you have intimate contact with other girls, I get really mad."

One second Hitomi was smiling sweetly, and the next, her face darkened.

She didn't mind Takashi becoming better or more admired—what she hated was him running around dating girls.

"Ahem."

Takashi tactically cleared his throat.

"Speaking of which, if you knew I was dating other girls, why didn't you stop me?"

This question had always puzzled him.

Given Hitomi's personality, she should've stopped him.

"How should I put it…"

Hitomi thought for a moment and delicately tapped her fingers like she was playing piano. 

"I once had a ruby I really liked. Before I got it, I thought about it every day."

"But once I finally got it, I lost interest after just a few days. Now it's sitting with all my other jewelry, gathering dust. Do you understand what I mean?"

Takashi suddenly understood. "Got it. Once you get it, you stop cherishing it. Tch, typical heartless girl."

Hitomi kicked at him, annoyed.

Takashi easily caught her foot as if he'd expected it, placing her leg on his thigh. One hand rested gently on her calf, stroking it softly.

The smooth texture of her high-end stockings could be felt immediately.

"What if I said I'll love you for a lifetime—would you believe me?"

Hitomi rolled her eyes at him, but didn't stop him from touching her leg. Instead, she tossed him another question.

"No."

Making a firm promise when you can't be sure you'll keep it is likely just a lie.

A lifetime is too long.

Long enough to break apart couples who once swore they'd love each other forever.

All that "I'll love you forever," "for a lifetime," kind of talk—

Do you even know how long a lifetime is, to say something like that so easily?

Takashi never believed in those empty words.

When people make promises, they genuinely think they can keep them. But when they break them, they wonder why anyone believed that crap in the first place.

"I really love you right now. That's the truth. I do want to marry you. That's also the truth. But I can't guarantee I'll still love you in the future."

Sixteen-year-old Hitomi loved Takashi. She wanted to marry him. That was sincere.

But who could guarantee that twenty-six-year-old Hitomi would still love Takashi this much?

It's a simple question: is the girl standing beside you now still the same one who stood there in the beginning?

Why do novels and manga always end when the male and female leads fall in love?

Because that's the moment they love each other the most.

"I hope you become someone outstanding. I hope you turn into a dazzling, radiant gem—not a stone I forget and leave gathering dust in a display case."

With Hitomi's power and influence, keeping Takashi by her side forever would be a piece of cake.

But what kind of person would Takashi become then?

Was the imprisoned Takashi really still the confident and flamboyant Takashi she once liked?

Rather than keeping him caged in her palm, letting go and allowing him to grow was the only way he could become a gem that radiated with noble brilliance.

Takashi listened quietly, not sad or upset—instead, he smiled.

"Seems like, Ojou-sama, you love me even more than I imagined."

He said that because Hitomi had truly considered him as part of her future.

Were her words earlier meant to say she didn't love him?

No. It was precisely because she loved Takashi so deeply that she was already thinking about their future together.

Just like how, if a guy only wanted to fool around with a girl and had no intention of marrying her, he'd never think about a future with her.

"That's right. You really have no idea how much I like you,"

Hitomi softly pressed her forehead against Takashi's chest and whispered.

"There were so many times I wanted to just grab you and lock you away. But I held back every time."

"Takashi, do you know? It was really painful to hold myself back."

"I wanted to make you mine, but I was afraid of hurting you."

"I was afraid I'd get tired of you, afraid I wouldn't love you anymore."

"I've been in so much pain."

Hitomi's love was mad and yet restrained.

Contradictory, isn't it?

But human beings are inherently contradictory.

"You've worked hard, Ojou-sama."

Takashi looked at the petite girl snuggling against him like a kitten and suddenly felt sorry for her. 

He gently pulled her into his arms.

"Takashi, let me keep loving you. Let me stay obsessed with you, okay?"

Hitomi had never experienced love growing up.

Her mother died early, and her father had only married in for status. 

He never loved her, kept over a dozen mistresses outside, had kids with them, and never once cared for her.

Someone who's never felt love—how could she possibly know how to love someone else?

So when she finally met a boy she liked, she didn't know what to do.

"Okay. Leave everything to me."

The two of them gazed into each other's eyes under the soft lighting—and before they knew it, they were kissing again, for who knows how many times.

…

The next day.

On the second day of the Koshien tournament, Takashi opened his eyes to the sight of a girl's peacefully sleeping face.

Pure silver hair, delicate features, fair arms—and then he looked down at his own naked body. No matter how you looked at it, this was definitely after the fact.

Unfortunately—

It really was after the fact. 

No twist, no take-backs.

He hadn't been able to resist her beauty.

Don't ask where the thousands of omitted words went—he could write them, but no one would let him publish them anyway.

As for how things got to this point—well, they were kissing and it just got… steamy.

Come to think of it, yesterday he'd even told Nagisa, "During the tournament, I'm absolutely not touching any women."

Heh. Men.

Their words really are nothing but hot air.

Takashi gently moved Hitomi's hand off him, lifted the covers, and got out of bed.

Their clothes were scattered all over the floor.

Takashi picked up his torn clothes and suddenly remembered last night's heated battle. Damn it—the dragon had risen.

He instinctively looked over at Hitomi, and right at that moment, she groggily opened her eyes—just in time to meet Takashi's eager gaze.

She instantly woke up, eyes full of alertness as she warned him, "Don't even think about it. It's swollen."

No one had told her Takashi had such terrifying core strength.

And how was he even that big—a single, uninterrupted thrust from beginning to end.

"I didn't even say anything yet."

Takashi looked a bit awkward.

He felt like he was turning into some kind of pervert.

"I just meant I don't have anything to wear."

He waved the shredded remains of his clothes in his hand.

"There are clothes in the dressing room next door."

"Oh."

Takashi walked to the changing room door, then turned back a little unwillingly and asked, "Is it really swollen?"

Hitomi rolled her eyes, then stuck her long, elegant, and powerful legs—like sculpted jade pillars—out from under the blanket: "You can only use this!"

"What kind of man do you take Takashi for?"

What if he got a fungal infection?

Did she really think he was some degenerate?

Takashi scoffed coldly and opened the changing room door to walk in.

Not even three seconds later, the door opened again.

"Heh~"

Hitomi looked at the oh-so-dashing-for-three-seconds Takashi with utter disdain.

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That… was unexpected..

MC finally lost his V card.

Also for those who forgot what Hitomi looks like, since in here its said Hitomi possess ample bust and silver (or white?) hair, let's just picture looking like Kiana from HI3.

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