Didn’t You Say I Was Just a Stand-In?

"She… she's your girlfriend?" The balding man glanced between Watanabe Hoshi and Kitahara Takashi, suspicion creeping into his voice. He couldn't shake the feeling that Kitahara didn't even know her.

Kitahara shot him a sidelong glance. "If she's not my girlfriend, is she yours, old man?"

"You disrespectful little brat! Do you want me to teach you a lesson?" The balding man didn't fully understand what Kitahara meant by "old man," but he was sure it wasn't a compliment. Already tipsy from drinking, his anger flared at being insulted by some kid. He was ready to challenge Kitahara to a duel, like a samurai of old.

"You?" Kitahara's gaze involuntarily dropped to the man's beer belly, so large he couldn't see his own feet. He couldn't help but laugh. "I don't think so."

The balding man was furious. He was really angry now. Today, he was determined to teach this brat a lesson and show him the power of an adult.

As he rolled up his sleeves, ready to throw down, Kitahara calmly pulled out his phone and waved it in front of the man's face. "Hey, old man, should I call the police and tell them you harassed my girlfriend?" If you want a samurai duel, don't blame me for playing dirty.

"You—you…" The man's drunkenness evaporated in an instant. He stared at Kitahara, dumbfounded. He had been ready for a fight, but not this kind of fight.

"In Japan, if you're accused of sexual harassment, the consequences range from losing your job to spending years in prison," Kitahara explained slowly, his tone almost elegant. To the balding man, however, he sounded like a devil.

"Old man, you're not exactly young anymore. You wouldn't want to lose your job, would you?" Kitahara spread his hands and smiled. "So, what'll it be? Pay up to make this go away, or shall we head to the police station?"

Oh no, I've been set up! That was the balding man's first thought. But having weathered life's challenges, he quickly composed himself. "How can you prove I harassed her? Do you have any evidence?"

"Can you prove you didn't?" Kitahara countered. One of the first things he'd done after coming to Japan was study the law. After all, you had to know the rules to break them. In Japan, if a man couldn't provide evidence of his innocence, he couldn't clear his name.

"…" The balding man was speechless. He really couldn't prove anything.

"Besides, how do you know I didn't record it?" Kitahara waved his phone again.

The man felt a flicker of confidence. "Impossible. If you'd recorded anything, there would've been a flash or a shutter sound." Japanese phones were designed to prevent covert recording, with mandatory shutter sounds and flashes.

Kitahara gave him a look as if he were an idiot. "I could've recorded a video, you know."

The balding man: "…"

Damn it! He really wanted to punch this kid.

"Of course, if you still want to settle this like a samurai, I won't fight back. But afterward, I'll post the whole thing online. Oh, and just so you know, I'm still a minor. Assaulting a minor would add another charge to your list."

Gritting his teeth, the man swallowed his pride and pulled out his wallet. "How much do you want?" He decided it was better to pay up and avoid escalating the situation.

"You decide," Kitahara replied. This was his first time doing something like this, so he wasn't sure how much to ask for.

The man pulled out four ¥10,000 bills featuring Shibusawa Eiichi and glanced at Kitahara's face for a reaction. But he couldn't read anything—Kitahara was wearing a mask, and his eyes were as calm as still water.

After a moment's hesitation, the man reluctantly added three more bills. "Delete the video."

Kitahara remained silent and didn't take the money.

The balding man gritted his teeth and pulled out two more bills. "This is my final offer."

"Thank you, kind sir," Kitahara said with a smile.

Kitahara Takashi swiftly pocketed the money, then turned to Watanabe Hoshi with a grin. "Come on, babe, let's grab some late-night snacks."

Watanabe Hoshi, who hadn't said a word the entire time, obediently followed Kitahara.

"Wait a second—delete the recording," the balding man demanded, grabbing Kitahara's shoulder as he tried to leave after taking the money.

"Recording? What recording? I have no idea what you're talking about," Kitahara replied, turning his head and blinking innocently with wide, clear eyes.

"You—you're messing with me!" The man was furious, feeling like a clown in a circus.

"You wanna hit me?" Kitahara's eyes lit up, almost as if he were looking forward to it. If you throw a punch, I'll make sure to milk this for all it's worth.

He quickly called out to Watanabe, "Babe, when you start recording later, make sure to turn on the beauty filter for me."

Watanabe shot him a look that was equal parts exasperated and amused.

"I…" The balding man, seething with anger, reluctantly released his grip on Kitahara's shoulder. "What school do you go to?"

Even though he knew Kitahara wouldn't give him a straight answer, he asked anyway.

"Let me introduce myself—Watanabe Toru from Shuchiin Academy. Feel free to come find me anytime," Kitahara said, his tone dripping with arrogance. He might as well have added, If you're man enough, come to Shuchiin.

"…Really?" Surprisingly, the man was momentarily taken aback by Kitahara's confident bluff.

"Can't you just check Shuchiin yourself? I've already given you the name," Kitahara retorted, glancing at him sideways with a haughty expression before strutting off with an air of nonchalance. His retreating figure was the picture of cool confidence.

"Is he really a student at Shuchiin?"

"No way, he's definitely lying."

"Wait, but what if he's telling the truth? That kid's demeanor doesn't seem ordinary."

The balding man stood there, lost in a whirlwind of thoughts.

After they had walked a good distance, Watanabe glanced back to make sure the man wasn't following them. She giggled and playfully punched Kitahara's chest. "How do you lie so effortlessly like that?"

Kitahara shrugged. "Remember, when you're out in the world, your identity is whatever you make it."

Watanabe raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you afraid he'll come after you?"

"Let him. It's not like my name's actually Watanabe Toru." If there's any trouble, it's Watanabe Toru's problem, not mine.

"You're so bad!" Watanabe laughed again, clearly amused by his antics. She leaned her head on Kitahara's shoulder. "So, where are we going next?"

"Home, obviously. It's late—where else would we go?" Kitahara casually pulled his hand away from Watanabe's embrace.

Noticing this, Watanabe frowned slightly and stopped walking. "Do you really hate me that much?"

"Huh?" Kitahara was baffled, struggling to keep up with her sudden shift in tone.

"You'd rather go out of your way to take Umi home than spend a single train ride with me. Isn't that because you can't stand me?" Watanabe's eyes glistened with unshed tears, her expression teetering on the edge of crying.

Kitahara felt a pang of guilt. "It's not that. I just thought it wasn't safe for Umi to go home alone."

"And what about me? I'm a girl too! Are you saying it's safe for me to go home by myself?" Watanabe took two steps forward, tilting her head up to stare directly at him.

"Bunkyo Ward is the safest area in the city," Kitahara replied, though his voice lacked its usual confidence.

Watanabe wasn't having it. "What if something happens? What if I run into someone like that creep back there?"

"Can't you just call the police?"

Kitahara didn't have much faith in what he considered "tax-funded slackers."

"Oh, so you'll personally walk Umi home, but I should just rely on the 'useless police'? You're so biased!"

"Wow, that's harsh. Careful, or they might arrest you for slander."

"Stop changing the subject! Just admit it, Kitahara—you hate me."

"Hate's a strong word. I just don't feel like we have much to talk about."

"And you do with Umi?"

Kitahara, ever the blunt and clueless straight guy, nodded honestly. "Yeah, I do."

"You…" Watanabe was fuming. She glared at him, then stormed off ahead.

Kitahara continued walking at his usual pace. With his long legs, each of his strides nearly matched two of Watanabe's, so the distance between them didn't grow too much.

When they reached the subway station, Watanabe suddenly stopped and turned around, shouting, "Can you stop following me? You've been tailing me this whole time!"

The station was crowded, and her outburst drew curious and suspicious glances toward Kitahara. Several women eyed him warily and stepped away, putting distance between themselves and him.

I shouldn't have saved her, Kitahara thought, his expression darkening. He knew Watanabe was just getting back at him.