Mash-Up: I'm Not A Substitute

In the luxury suite bathroom reserved for VIP guests, steam swirled in the air.

Kotonoha untied her robe, and the fabric slid off her body.

Drip.

Her delicate toes disturbed the water's surface, sending ripples across the bath.

First went the slender calves, then her thighs, then all the way until her shoulders were submerged in hot water.

Wrapped in the warmth, Kotonoha closed her eyes, her entire body relaxing.

Her soft, alluring lips parted slightly as she let out a satisfied sigh.

She hadn't always had a habit of morning baths.

But after watching a skincare blogger who said bathing in the morning helps cleanse excess oils and replenish moisture, making the skin look more hydrated and smooth, she started doing it every day.

Her reason was simple.

She just wanted to be at her best whenever she saw Takashi.

She didn't want to waste a single opportunity to date him.

Even now, even if he agreed to meet, she'd still only see him a handful of times a month.

What could she do? That ocean king of a guy had way too many girls around him.

Sure, there are 30 days in a month, but Takashi had more than 30 girls.

And over 10 of them were even paying for dates.

Divided evenly, each girl would get less than three dates per month.

Back in the day, travel was slow and letters took weeks—one could only love one person in a lifetime.

But now? 5G is fast, bullet trains are faster, and Takashi could meet a different girl every single day.

Because every date was so rare, Kotonoha cherished every one of them.

What's more, the girls around Takashi were all stunning—each one more amazing than the last. It gave Kotonoha a lot of pressure.

From Narii to Hitomi to even that subway girl (Komi Shouko: ?), every one of them had their own unique beauty.

Kotonoha felt that if she didn't do something, Takashi might soon lose interest in her just like Ito Makoto did—ignoring her completely.

Just thinking about not being able to spend money on Takashi made her sad.

So Kotonoha decided to learn skincare, makeup, and fashion.

She wanted to become a woman who could support Takashi for a lifetime.

She had it all planned out: if they really got together, she'd turn Takashi into a guy who did nothing but ask her for money, completely helpless, unable to live without her—essentially, a useless house-husband who never left the house.

That way, Takashi would be hers and hers alone.

No one would ever be able to take him away.

Kotonoha didn't know what kind of scenario she had imagined, but her face broke into a smile and her skin turned a soft cherry pink.

"Yume naraba dore hodo yokatta deshou…"

Suddenly, her phone on the sink started playing music.

It was Kenshi Yonezu's Lemon—but it wasn't him singing it.

Kotonoha immediately recognized the personalized ringtone she had set for Takashi.

With a splash, she leapt out of the tub and rushed to the sink.

Just as she was about to answer, she remembered her hands were wet.

She quickly grabbed a towel, wiped herself down haphazardly, and answered the call.

"Hello!"

"What were you doing? Why so slow?"

Takashi's voice came through with a slightly annoyed tone.

Actually, it had only been about eight seconds from the phone ringing to being answered.

Clearly, Takashi was just picking a fight for no reason.

Normally, a girl would've gotten annoyed by now—but Kotonoha didn't mind. She softly explained, "I was taking a bath."

"A bath?" Takashi sounded skeptical.

"If you're bathing, why are you still answering your phone?"

"Because you were the one who called…"

As she said this, her cheeks turned rosy red.

Clearly, she wasn't very good at flirting.

Takashi paused, then chuckled with a trace of affection in his voice. "You dummy."

"Bringing your phone into the bath with you…"

See? When someone truly likes you, even if they're bathing with wet hands, they'll still answer your call.

Kotonoha didn't reply. She just lowered her head to look at her feet—well, tried to.

Too big.

"Did you miss me?" Takashi asked, lowering his voice.

"Mhm… I did."

Kotonoha nodded as she spoke.

"Just today? Or do you miss me every day?"

"E-every day."

Kotonoha stammered as her face grew redder and redder.

She felt like Takashi was teasing her.

"And you? What are you doing?"

What she really wanted to ask was:

"Do you miss me too?"

But she didn't dare say it.

Just because she didn't say it didn't mean this scumbag of a man didn't understand.

"I'm thinking of you!"

"And not just a little bit."

Adagaki Aki, sitting nearby, rolled her eyes in disdain.

You're on a date with me, and yet you're telling Katsura Kotonoha "I'm thinking of you!"

Typical playboy trash!

She might scoff, but Kotonoha's heart melted at his words.

He said he's thinking of me!

"Then… Can we meet today?"

Kotonoha couldn't wait to see Takashi in person.

"Today might be a little… hmm…"

Takashi's tone turned hesitant.

Thinking of you is one thing—but whether we meet or not is another.

He liked to keep things separate.

"It's okay. If you're busy, never mind."

Kotonoha tried to sound understanding, though a trace of disappointment leaked into her voice.

But she was the type who could tolerate a lot—until she finally snapped.

Something like this? Barely a bump.

She wasn't just not disappointed—she even started finding excuses for him in her heart.

"Takashi-kun has a match tomorrow. He must be training hard now. I shouldn't get in his way. I need to be considerate."

Takashi figured the emotional setup was done. So, slowly and calmly, he said:

"How about this—I'll find time tonight to have a late-night snack with you."

"Really?"

Kotonoha's voice overflowed with joy.

She hadn't expected anything at all.

Yet now, they would get to meet.

Just as planned!

Takashi could hardly hold back a smirk.

An average guy would've said yes the moment Kotonoha asked.

But Takashi wasn't average.

He was a high-tier player. Of course, he wouldn't agree right away. Instead, he'd first act conflicted:

"I want to see you too, but it's hard right now…"

Any halfway thoughtful girl would immediately think they wouldn't meet, and feel a twinge of sadness.

Then!

When Takashi suddenly said, "I'll find time," her emotions would spike to the top—she'd feel like he was making time just for her.

That kind of gesture? She might remember it for the rest of her life.

Had he agreed right away, sure, Kotonoha would've been happy—but not this deeply moved.

Emotions are internal—unpredictable, shifting.

A woman's feelings might stir for you now, but over time, she'll forget how intense it once felt.

That's why Takashi played it this way.

Same event. Different execution. Totally different outcome.

That's the difference between a scumbag and a normal guy.

A scumbag makes big moves with small costs—leveraging small daily things to stir up massive emotional reactions.

They don't actually do much for the girl, but they create the illusion that they've done so much, that they really love her.

Normal guys? They spend big for minimal returns—and sometimes, they can't even pull that off, ending up like clowns.

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This… might be true… I think..

Because most of the time girls want to see our efforts and how we treat them as someone special.

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