"Is it really that hard to admit you like him?"
Would saying "I like you" kill you or something?
"What nonsense are you talking about? There's no way I like him. I just… have a tiny, tiny bit of interest in him, that's all."
Maki wiped her tears while denying it outright.
Even though there was no one else around, just her and Takashi, Maki was still deceiving herself.
"Happiness has always been a game for the brave. Cowards can only feel jealous, even when they have no right to."
Maki had almost stopped crying, but Takashi's final whisper shattered her defenses once again.
"Takashi, you're so cruel!"
It felt like being pierced by a thousand arrows.
Are you here just to stab me in the heart?
"Weren't you waiting for the day your crush falls for someone else?" Takashi handed her another tissue while delivering yet another stab.
"Didn't you hold back from confessing just for this moment?"
"You spent years secretly liking him, watching his social media, liking his posts, thinking you understood him that way."
"You liked what he liked, hated what he hated. You've loved him for two years and moved yourself to tears. And now that he has someone, you're heartbroken."
"In all these years of your crush, have you ever taken any action?"
Takashi had no sympathy for people .
Only daring to keep their love hidden, hoping the other person would magically notice—how could someone like that ever find happiness?
He's not a mind reader. How could he possibly know you like him?
"If you don't confess, you'll always just be a friend."
Takashi felt he had said enough.
If Maki wanted to keep acting so tsundere, she could wait.
Wait until the day Tanuma Tsubasa personally hands her a wedding invitation, inviting her to his wedding.
On that day, Takashi would be more than happy to take a picture of Maki staring at him while he stared at his bride—the ultimate defeat screen for her.
"I-I'll confess right now."
With her mind in a frenzy from Takashi's words, Maki actually picked up her phone and dialed.
"I'm going to the restroom."
Takashi tactfully got up and left.
He had no interest in listening to a confession.
Just as he stood up, someone sitting behind Maki, wearing a mask and a baseball cap, also stood up and followed him toward the restroom.
As Takashi walked out of the restroom, he noticed someone wearing a baseball cap and mask standing at the entrance.
Judging by their figure, they seemed to be a woman, as if waiting for someone.
Takashi thought it might be some Japanese celebrity and didn't pay much attention, simply washing his hands.
"Encouraging someone else to steal my boyfriend, Kitahara-kun, you're really awful, you know~"
Hearing those words, Takashi's head snapped up.
The person removed her mask, revealing a delicate and charming face.
It was none other than Tanuma Tsubasa's current, officially recognized girlfriend—Kashiwagi Nagisa.
"You—why are you here? No, how did you recognize me?"
Takashi swallowed hard.
After all this time playing a stand-in, this was the first time someone had seen through him.
"You really do look like Tanuma-kun."
Nagisa had no intention of answering his question.
She simply gazed at Takashi's face, which bore a striking resemblance to her boyfriend, with great interest.
"Incredible makeup skills."
After studying him for a while, she stepped forward and touched his face. Looking at the foundation powder on her fingers, she marveled.
"Is this how you deceive all those girls, playing them in the palm of your hand?"
He was the one slaving away for them, okay?
She made it sound like those girls actually liked him.
"How did you recognize me?" Takashi grabbed Nagisa's wrist and repeated his question.
"Was it so hard? Just hiring a private detective to follow you did the trick." Nagisa glanced at his hand gripping her wrist and smiled.
"You didn't really think you could spot a detective, did you?"
Takashi felt like he had been given a faulty system.
It didn't even warn him about being followed.
"Why were you investigating me?" Takashi asked irritably.
So far, he had only met Nagisa once.
He had never approached her on his own.
He hadn't provoked her, nor had he done anything to offend her. So why investigate him for no reason?
"When we first met, you called my name, but I was sure we'd never met before. So, I had a private detective look into you a little."
Takashi silently scolded himself.
And he had thought he'd hidden it well.
Turns out, Nagisa had been suspicious from the start.
As expected, rich kids are all cunning.
Can't they just be a little more simple-minded, like him?
"Just because of that?" Takashi felt like there was more to it than just that.
"Of course, that was just a minor reason. The main reason~"
Nagisa tilted her head playfully and stuck out her tongue.
"I'm interested in you."
You're interested in me, so you hired a private detective to investigate me?
What kind of suffocating love is this?
"Good thing I did. Tsk tsk, who would have thought? Aoyama's top student, secretly working as a substitute."
Nagisa suddenly stepped forward.
Takashi instinctively stepped back, his back pressing against the sink.
"Kitahara-kun, you wouldn't want the whole school to find out about this, would you?"
Sweat began to form on Takashi's forehead.
This wasn't a huge scandal, but it wasn't exactly small either.
It wasn't like he was working as a host or anything.
If word got out, he'd probably be laughed at for three years at most.
The school wouldn't really do anything to him over it.
That was the privilege of being an honor student.
He wasn't afraid of exposure. What he feared was—what if Maki, Utaha, Eriri… found out?
If Maki realized she had been deceived, and if she so much as had the slightest thought of sending him to sleep with the fishes in Tokyo Bay, someone would actually make it happen.
Takashi wasn't naïve enough to think that just because it was modern society, no one committed murder anymore.
Even if Maki didn't have such thoughts, if Nagisa told Utaha and Eriri…
With their tempers, cutting him off would be inevitable.
His system points came from dating. If this got out, who would still go out with him?
Takashi took a deep breath, trying to calm himself before asking, "What do you want?"
If she hadn't exposed it right away, she must have an agenda.
Could it be… she's after my looks?
Takashi thought about it carefully.
Aside from being a top student, being a little good-looking, having a good temper, and knowing how to make girls happy, he really didn't have many redeeming qualities.
"Before I answer that, Kitahara-kun, I want to ask you a question."
Nagisa suddenly dropped her playful cat-and-mouse attitude and stared at him seriously, as if trying to capture every little expression on his face.
Even though he found her annoying—hiring a private detective just because she was interested in him—Takashi still maintained basic courtesy.
"Why did you encourage Maki to pursue Tanuma-kun?"
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Check out the other translations too: [Mash-Up: Anything For Money]