Mash-Up: I'm Not A Substitute

"I already figured it out."

Narii knelt in front of him and pressed his hand to her cheek.

"Liar."

You figured it out… and you're still jealous?

Narii lifted her delicate face and stared straight into Takashi's eyes. "I know you're only using them. Maybe you feel a little guilty—but not much."

"I understand exactly what you're thinking."

"But I still get jealous."

"Because I love you."

Her voice was unwavering. In her eyes, there was only one reflection: Takashi.

Her eyes, burning with sincerity and warmth, pierced right through him.

Takashi's eyes flickered. "I honestly don't understand why you're so fixated on me."

"Feelings like this don't follow logic."

"The moment I saw you, I just wanted to be with you."

The flutter of Narii's heart was simple—like the faint sound of a flower blooming, or the moment a leaf drifted down and cast a shadow on the boy's face.

In Takashi's world, there was no love—only profit and loss.

But Narii's feelings for him carried no strings, no calculations.

"Other than you, Takashi, I don't want anyone else."

Takashi lowered his eyes slightly, looked at Narii, and gently stroked her face. "I'm poor right now. Not totally broke, but close enough."

"I can't afford a house, can't afford a car. Even if you gave me a luxury car to drive, I couldn't afford the maintenance or gas."

"I can't cover your expenses."

"One of your shopping trips costs more than I can save in weeks."

"But I—"

"Shh, just let me finish."

Before Narii could say more, Takashi lightly pressed his slender index finger to her lips.

"I know you don't mind going through hard times with me—but I don't want the girl with me to suffer."

"If being with me means lowering your quality of life, I'd rather we never got together at all."

A girl can afford to be naive—but a man cannot.

Narii's heart sank slightly, but her eyes stayed firm, as if to say: I'm not giving up.

That's just the kind of girl she was.

If she wanted something, she'd find a way to get it.

"You think I'm going to reject you again?"

Takashi knew exactly what she was thinking. He lightly flicked her nose with his finger. 

"If—and I mean if—you still like me on the day we graduate from high school, then let's get married."

"You'll have options before then. If you fall for someone else, just let me know. I promise I won't cling."

Takashi never believed love would ever come to him.

In his so-called clear-headed view, anyone who believed in it was a fool.

But if the person was Narii—he didn't mind being a fool just this once.

Takashi liked Yozakura Hitomi. He also liked Kamikawa Narii.

If this were a shounen anime, he'd have to pick just one.

But Takashi was different.

He wanted them all.

Of course, he would never say that out loud.

"Okay. I'll wait for you."

They looked at each other, both feeling the heat of the other's breath.

Narii slowly closed her eyes, her cherry blossom–pink lips becoming more and more enticing.

In the locked locker room, Takashi embraced her and leaned in to kiss her.

…

In Tokyo, inside a towering skyscraper—

Watching the entire scene on a tablet, Yozakura Hitomi set it down with a satisfied smile.

As expected of the man she favored—he never let her down.

"It's time to begin."

She gave the order to her subordinates.

If Takashi handled the battlefield head-on, then the underhanded games of the business world would be her domain.

That very afternoon, before the Koshien tournament was even over, an article titled "Greatness Begins with a Brave First Step" surged to the top of the trending searches and was pushed to the phones of millions of users.

…

Elsewhere, Hoshino Ai had snuck off with Kamiki Hikaru to secretly watch the Koshien match live at Hanshin Stadium. 

Quietly returning to her hotel, she opened the door to find Saito Ichigo already inside, staring at her expressionlessly.

"Ai, where did you go today?"

Hoshino Ai scratched her head awkwardly. "Just went out to play."

"Out to play, huh? Looked more like you went to see Takashi's match."

Saito Ichigo lifted a photo of her at the stadium, looking stern.

"I'm sorry, Manager, I didn't mean to—"

It was the first time Ai had seen him so serious, and she was a little scared. 

She worried he might cause trouble for Takashi, so she decided to be honest.

But to her surprise, in the very next second, Saito Ichigo grinned like a blooming chrysanthemum and gave her a heavy pat on the shoulder. "You did amazing."

"Huh?"

"This kind of sudden popularity? We just hit the jackpot."

Saito was practically grinning ear to ear.

Takashi was a traffic goldmine right now.

Didn't you see how even over in Chiba, the Yukinoshita family had secured the second seat in the prefectural council, just because of one photo of Yukino having dinner with Takashi?

Saito had seen it all—and he was anxious to ride the wave.

This kind of fame and fortune doesn't come easy—and now, with that photo in hand, there were countless ways to spin a story.

"Be honest with me—do you know Takashi?"

"Sort of."

"Good. Get ready. Tomorrow, we're doing an exclusive interview with him."

"Eh? Don't we have something else on the schedule tomorrow?"

"It's been canceled."

You're going to see him again?

Hoshino Ai thought of that wicked guy who made her call him "Daddy," and her lips curled ever so slightly.

…

At the same time, Ichika also received a call from her manager.

"You want me to interview Takashi?"

Standing on the balcony, Ichika sounded surprised.

"Yes, Ichika, this is a big opportunity for you."

Ichika looked over at Yotsuba with a troubled expression. "But…"

Wouldn't this mean she was once again taking something important away from Yotsuba?

Just like when they were kids. Once again.

Ichika felt a bit guilty.

But just as she was about to refuse, one sentence from her manager made her hesitate.

"Ichika, you don't want to be stuck playing extras your whole life, do you?"

Ichika paused. "...I understand."

Yotsuba, I'm sorry.

This is the last time!

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Ichika: Brother-in-law… today, Yotsuba won't be here…

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