Didn’t You Say I Was Just a Stand-In?

At six in the morning, the alarm clock on the bedside table blared incessantly with its shrill beep-beep-beep.

Kitahara Takashi rubbed his eyes, silenced the alarm, threw off the covers, and got out of bed.

Human sleep operates in cycles, transitioning from light to deep and back to light, with each cycle lasting about 90 minutes. Scientific research suggests that the optimal amount of sleep for most people is around seven to eight hours. Sleeping significantly more or less than this can increase the risk of sudden death or illness.

However, out of those eight hours, only one or two are typically spent in deep sleep. Those lucky enough to get three or four hours of deep sleep can often feel energized all day. Of course, there's a small percentage of people with unique constitutions—individuals who thrive on just half the sleep most people need. These are often the high achievers at the top of their fields.

Kitahara Takashi wasn't one of them. For him, the best time to fall asleep was between 10 p.m. and midnight.

After rinsing his mouth and spitting out the mouthwash, Takashi slipped on his Xiaomi fitness band, changed into his workout clothes, and headed for the front door.

As he passed through the living room, a black-and-white Border Collie with a glossy, thick coat bounded over, jumping and circling around him excitedly.

"Morning, Xiao Ha," Takashi said with a smile, giving the dog's head a pat. He grabbed the leash from the entryway and clipped it onto Xiao Ha's collar.

In Japan, leashing your dog during walks isn't just a suggestion—it's a strict legal requirement. In fact, failing to do so can result in a 30-day jail sentence. Takashi was a big fan of this law. He loved dogs, but he couldn't stand people who walked their pets without a leash.

As he tried to put a muzzle on Xiao Ha, the dog shook its head back and forth, refusing to cooperate. After a moment's thought, Takashi decided not to force it.

After slipping on his sneakers, Takashi led Xiao Ha out the door, pausing to ask, "Did you already go to the bathroom?"

"Woof!" Xiao Ha nodded vigorously.

"Alright, let's go," Takashi said, giving the dog's head another pat before stepping outside.

The cool breeze of early summer greeted them as they left the apartment building, instantly lifting Takashi's mood. He glanced up at the sky—a clear, vivid blue.

Looks like it's going to be a nice day, he thought, leading Xiao Ha forward.

The dog trotted happily beside him, its head swiveling left and right as it took in the surroundings, though it was hard to tell what exactly had caught its attention.

When they reached the crosswalk, the light turned green just in time, and Takashi joined the crowd of commuters crossing the street.

After turning a corner, a sprawling, dense grove of trees came into view. This was the largest park near his home and his usual spot for morning runs.

Takashi stretched briefly, put on his headphones, and started his run for the day. Xiao Ha kept pace beside him, occasionally pulling slightly ahead.

The two ran along the path circling the artificial lake, the rising sun filtering through the trees and casting scattered patches of light on the ground. The cheerful chirping of wild birds filled the air, and the stone benches along the path were dotted with glistening dew.

As they ran past rows of ginkgo trees, the wind rustled the leaves and tugged at Takashi's clothes and hair.

Up ahead, a girl came into view. She had a slim, athletic figure, her toned legs accentuated by her fitted workout pants. A green ribbon tied in her hair bounced with each step, resembling a pair of playful bunny ears.

Huh, I've never seen her before, Takashi thought. He'd been running here for months and had never come across her. Not that he particularly cared.

Just as he was about to look away, a set of information about the girl suddenly appeared before his eyes:

[Target: Nakano Yotsuba]

[Age: 16]

[Intelligence: 2]

[Charm: 8]

[Stamina: 6]

[Source: The Quintessential Quintuplets]

[Crush: Uesugi Futaro]

[No Boyfriend, Available for Dating.]

What's going on lately? Potential dates keep popping up one after another.

In just two days, Kitahara Takashi had already met three girls.

Is the probability rate really this high now? Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket after school, Takashi thought to himself. He picked up his pace, intending to strike up a conversation with Nakano Yotsuba, but she suddenly accelerated as well.

With a swift whoosh, she shot ahead, leaving Takashi scrambling to catch up.

Throwing caution to the wind, Takashi pumped his arms and pushed himself to close the gap. Xiao Ha, his dog, didn't understand why Takashi had suddenly sped up, but that didn't stop him from happily sprinting alongside.

Despite his efforts, Takashi couldn't catch up to Yotsuba. At best, he managed to keep her from completely leaving him in the dust.

Is this the power of someone with a stamina level of six? Terrifying! Takashi had always thought his own stamina level of five made him unmatched among his peers. He never expected a girl to outpace him so effortlessly.

Don't misunderstand—Takashi's stamina level of five wasn't something to scoff at. In fact, it was on par with what most adults could achieve. The average high schooler typically had a stamina level of three, while someone like Yukinoshita Yukino, who was notoriously unfit, might barely scrape a one. Only athletes could reach levels of four or five.

If this were a fantasy novel, Takashi would undoubtedly be a prodigy on the level of a Yunlan Sect genius.

And so, the chase continued around the park's paths—she ran, he pursued.

Gradually, beads of sweat formed on Takashi's forehead, eventually trickling down his face and into his collar. In his line of sight, Yotsuba's figure grew smaller and smaller.

Just as Takashi was considering whether to let Xiao Ha loose to catch her, Yotsuba rounded a flower bed and began to slow down, transitioning from a run to a brisk walk.

Takashi steadied his breathing, clenched his teeth, and mustered every ounce of strength to push his leaden legs forward. As he passed Yotsuba, however, his foot caught on something, and he stumbled.

"Damn it!" Takashi cursed under his breath, bracing for impact.

But the expected pain never came. Instead, he felt an arm wrap around his waist from behind, steadying him.

"Are you okay?" Yotsuba asked, her voice filled with concern.

"Just let me die," Takashi muttered, his face burning with embarrassment.

This kind of scene—where someone twists their ankle and gets caught in a dramatic, waist-encircling rescue—was supposed to happen to a girl, not him. This wasn't some reverse-harem world where men were the damsels in distress. Takashi felt like he'd single-handedly disgraced all transmigrators everywhere.

At least no one else had seen it. Just him and Yotsuba. No big deal, right?

Or so he thought—

"Tsk tsk tsk, look at these young lovebirds."

"Oh, how sweet, already hugging so early in the morning."

"Ah, to be young again."

A group of elderly women, out for their morning stroll, happened to pass by at that exact moment. They whispered among themselves, their voices carrying far enough for Takashi to hear every word.

Takashi was mortified.

Are you NPCs programmed to spawn at the worst possible moment? Don't you have husbands to take care of? And if you're going to gossip, could you at least do it quietly?

Their "whispers" were loud enough to be heard from three meters away. What kind of whispering was that?