Didn’t You Say I Was Just a Stand-In?

"Koharu, I'm off to school. Stay home and behave. Don't chew on anything, and if you get hot, turn on the air conditioner yourself."

Standing in front of the mirror, Kitahara Takashi adjusted his tie, threw on his blazer, and gave his hair a quick fix. After giving Koharu a few instructions, he headed out.

"Woof!"

Koharu was sprawled on the sofa, eyes glued to the TV.

At the moment, the TV was playing Pokémon—or rather, in Japan, it's called Pocket Monsters.

Slinging his backpack over his shoulder, Kitahara was about to leave when he suddenly remembered it was "garbage day." He turned back to grab the trash.

In Japan, taking out the trash is a real hassle.

Not only do you have to sort it meticulously, but you can only throw it out twice a week.

If you miss Monday and Thursday, you're stuck waiting until next week.

And for kitchen waste, you need to use specially designated garbage bags and drop it off in the garbage room before 12 PM on Wednesdays and Fridays.

In one word: Annoying!

After tossing the trash into the bin, Kitahara swiped his card to enter the station and boarded the 7:30 train.

The train rattled along as Kitahara held onto the handrail, headphones on, listening to an English audio drama to practice his listening skills.

Although it had been a while since he graduated from high school and much of what he learned had been "returned to the teachers," he wasn't worried about picking it back up, even if it might be a bit challenging.

Because he knew how to grind.

After all, his "previous life" started in the notoriously competitive Jiangsu Province (often humorously referred to as the "Disassembled Province" due to its fiercely independent cities).

While parents in other provinces worried about whether their kids could get into university, parents in Jiangsu worried about whether their kids could even get into high school.

Here's a fun fact: Jiangsu's high school entrance exam eliminates 50% of students.

With a total score of over 700, even a 610 might not be enough to get into high school.

And let's not even talk about the difficulty of Jiangsu's exams. The questions start with "1+1" and end with "build a plane."

But looking on the bright side:

Although Jiangsu's high school entrance exam is tough, and the college entrance exam is even tougher, the admission scores are also sky-high.

"Beep beep—"

The train doors opened, and a group of chattering girls immediately flooded in, packing the already crowded car to the brim.

Even though Tokyo has a sprawling web of above-ground and underground transportation, it still can't alleviate the morning rush hour congestion.

'Damn it!'

Kitahara cursed inwardly and quickly followed the example of the men around him, gripping the handrail with both hands to prove he wasn't trying to grope anyone in the chaos.

He did this to avoid being falsely accused of being a train pervert.

Sexual harassment has always been a prominent issue in Japanese society.

In Japan, if a woman accuses you of sexual harassment, you can be arrested without evidence. It's almost equivalent to social ruin.

Even if you eventually prove your innocence, your reputation is already tarnished.

In any country, spreading rumors only takes a mouth, but clearing your name takes a lifetime.

The film Even So, It's Not What I Did, directed by Masayuki Suo, addresses the social issue of "false accusations of groping."

The movie is based on a real incident from late 2002.

This incident exposed the shockingly low acquittal rate in Japanese courts.

Nowadays, men on trains are more fearful than women, doing everything they can to keep their distance.

'I should really consider buying a car.'

Kitahara was now sixteen, old enough to get a regular motorcycle license.

He had also thought about riding a bicycle, but bicycles in Japan are expensive.

There's no such thing as a bicycle under 20,000 yen in Japan.

Kitahara would rather buy a motorcycle.

He was a motorcycle enthusiast himself, and used motorcycles in Japan are quite affordable.

As Kitahara's mind wandered, he suddenly felt something soft bump into him.

He looked down and saw a girl in a sailor uniform, with a delicate, pretty face and a devilish figure that could be described as "D-cup perfection."

Her fair skin looked so tender it seemed like you could squeeze water out of it.

Her warm purple hair shimmered faintly in the sunlight.

'Oh no!'

Kitahara immediately went on high alert. Before the girl could say anything, he preemptively spoke up: "Do you also wish to engage in a duel of honor, like true warriors?"

Fist of Fury, grant me strength.

Kitahara's right hand slowly clenched into a fist, his eyes hardening with the determination of Cristiano Ronaldo.

There was even a hint of murderous intent in his gaze.

The girl, already trembling, noticed the ferocity in Kitahara's eyes and shook even more.

Anyone watching might have thought Kitahara was holding a remote control that adjusted the frequency of the "little demons" inside her.

Just as Kitahara was about to unleash his蓄意轰拳 (premeditated punch), a system panel popped up.

[Target: Kotonoha Katsura]

[Age: 16]

[Intelligence: 8]

[Charm: 9]

[Stamina: 4]

[From: School Days]

[Partner: Makoto Itou]

[Has a boyfriend, but available for dates.]

Kitahara's tightly clenched fist immediately went limp, like a deflated balloon.

'Wait a minute!'

Kitahara noticed something odd.

Has a boyfriend?

But available for dates???

Well, well, well. I thought you were a stand-in system, but turns out you're a cuckolding system.

And he didn't even dye his hair blond.

'Forget it, I'll pass on this one.'

Kitahara wasn't into the whole "cuckolding" thing.

He had no interest in other people's girlfriends.

That wasn't his style.

Kitahara leaned back, his right foot taking a half-step backward. But the train was so crowded that he accidentally stepped on someone's foot.

"Sorry—"

Kitahara turned to apologize, but when he saw the girl behind him, her eyes narrowed and her face dark with anger, he suddenly felt a wave of pressure.

At that moment, the system popped up again.

[Target: Shoko Komi]

[Age: 16]

[Intelligence: 9]

[Charm: 9]

[Stamina: 6]

[From: Komi Can't Communicate]

[Partner: Tadano Hitohito]

[Not currently dating, available for dates.]

Date her?

Kitahara took a closer look at the girl named Shoko Komi.

She wore a white shirt under a beige cardigan, with a neatly tied bow at the collar.

Her iconic oval face was adorned with delicate features, and her dark purple hair cascaded past her shoulders.

The impossibly long legs under her pleated skirt could rival those of Shiina Mashiro, and the black tights she wore made her look like she had a "long legs" filter on.

The pair of black loafers she wore were polished to a shine.

She was an undeniable super beauty.

But her aura of "stay away" made Kitahara hesitant to approach.

"Hey, how's it going?"

Kitahara Takashi was still willing to give it a shot, all for the sake of money.

After all, the other person exuded an air of wealth.

For money, even if she wanted him to play the role of a gigolo for a wealthy woman, he might have considered it... but no, that was really too much.

That would be way too intense.

At least not now.

Maybe he'd try that after the system granted him skills like "Golden Bell Shield" or "Iron Cloth Shirt" (martial arts techniques for invulnerability).

But then again, would the system even have such things?

"..."

Hearing Kitahara Takashi speak to her, Komi Shoko's expression darkened even further.

Kitahara Takashi felt a bit intimidated.

'Forget it, forget it. Let's just drop this one too.'

Kitahara decided it was better to focus all his attention on Nakano Yotsuba instead.

Yotsuba, the little angel, was much better.

She looked so easy to fool.

As Kitahara Takashi was thinking about Nakano Yotsuba, he failed to notice Komi Shoko's lips slightly moving, as if she were muttering something.