Mash-Up: I'm Not A Substitute

Kei tilted her head. "Investment?"

She hadn't started any projects. What investment?

"You're really poor right now and in desperate need of money, aren't you?"

Kei nodded.

"I'm helping you now. When you become successful, you'll repay me, right?" Takashi spoke with confidence, as if he knew her very well.

Kei nodded seriously.

"So all I need to do is give you a little boost before you rise, and I'll get a huge return in the future. This is an investment with guaranteed profit. Why wouldn't I do it?"

"You may look poor now, but who knows? You might take off in the future."

"In this day and age, it's hard to buy stocks that hit the daily limit. Of course, you have to get in at the initial stage."

"With that in mind, I, Kitahara Takashi, am making this investment."

Takashi didn't have the ability to foresee the future. He had no idea what would happen to Kei.

But based on her looks, her demeanor, her perseverance, and her sharp mind—frankly speaking, even if she ended up working in a hostess club, she'd be at the very top.

She wasn't just a pretty face.

Takashi saw her as a high-potential stock.

Who knew? She might even become his client in the future.

And even if she failed, it didn't matter. He wasn't really losing anything. He could just consider it a good deed, accumulating some karma.

"....."

Kei's soft pink lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, her expression turned determined.

She clutched the two books Takashi handed her tightly against her chest. "Senpai, don't worry."

"I'll definitely make a lot of money for you in the future."

Takashi chuckled. "A money tree, huh? Then you'd better work hard."

They talked while walking, soon arriving at a run-down apartment building.

Two delinquents squatting by the entrance, smoking, noticed them. The one with a pompadour grinned. "Kei, is this your boyfriend? He doesn't seem all that impressive."

Kei's smile instantly disappeared, her face returning to an emotionless mask as she walked straight toward the building entrance without even glancing at them.

These two were local thugs who had dropped out of school long ago due to constant fights.

Now, they spent their days idling around.

Seeing that Kei ignored them, they didn't mind. They just kept smoking and laughing among themselves.

Takashi, however, was surprised.

He had expected them to keep provoking her, but they only made one casual remark.

As they entered the building, Kei noticed the curiosity in Takashi's eyes and took the initiative to explain. "They're afraid of my brother, so they just run their mouths."

"Your brother… is he involved in the underworld?"

Takashi was curious about Kei's brother.

He knew her brother's name was Shirogane Miyuki, but they had never interacted.

All he knew was that Shirogane Miyuki had excellent grades. As for what he was like in private, he had no idea.

"No, he just has trouble sleeping, so his eyes look scary."

"They assumed my brother was part of a gang and even wanted to pledge allegiance to him."

Talking about her brother, Kei looked annoyed, but a subtle, almost imperceptible smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

It was clear that she was quite fond of her brother.

"I'm jealous."

For a brief moment, Takashi genuinely envied Shirogane Miyuki.

Unlike him—he was too handsome. Even when he tried to look intimidating, girls just thought he was some kind of sadistic prince. Instead of being scared, they might even get excited.

"What's there to be jealous of? He's so strict, talks too much, and has the emotional sensitivity of a teenage girl. He's so annoying."

Kei started venting to Takashi, listing all the things she disliked about her brother.

But to Takashi, this was just proof of a strong sibling bond.

"We're here."

"Thank you for walking me home, Senpai."

Kei politely bowed to him.

"I'll make sure to finish these books quickly and return them to you."

Takashi didn't mind. "No rush. I've already memorized every word in them."

With his intelligence boost, the most noticeable improvement was his memory—it had been supercharged.

At this point, his memory was practically photographic.

"I'll be going then."

As Takashi turned to leave, the door to the apartment suddenly opened.

He glanced over.

A young man, with sharp eyes that gave off an intimidating aura, peeked out. He seemed to be around Takashi's age. This must be Shirogane Miyuki.

Takashi didn't greet him and simply continued downstairs.

"Kei, who was that? Why did you come home with a guy? Are you dating?"

Shirogane Miyuki stared at Takashi's back, finding him strangely familiar.

It felt like he had seen this person somewhere before.

"He's just a senpai I ran into on the way back. Also, you're so annoying. Can you stop asking so many questions?"

Kei pushed past Shirogane Miyuki, hugging her books tightly as she stepped inside.

"You're still too young. It's not time for you to be thinking about relationships yet—"

…

"I'm sorry."

"Mm…."

After school, the setting sun cast long shadows through the art classroom, stretching all the way into the hallway.

Inside, a boy and a girl stood facing each other.

The boy bowed at a perfect 90-degree angle, holding out a pink envelope.

Judging by the scene, he was confessing to the blonde twin-tailed girl in front of him.

The blonde girl seemed troubled, or maybe hesitant. She turned her head to the side.

As she moved, her signature golden twintails swayed like finely crafted ornaments.

"I understand your feelings, Senpai. I'm really happy, truly."

Petite in stature, with skin as fair as porcelain and deep blue eyes as clear as a fairy tale princess, she was undeniably beautiful.

And right now, this princess was troubled.

"But at the moment, all my focus is on the upcoming exhibition, so…"

As for the boy standing across from her, his appearance—well, let's just say it wasn't remarkable.

"Ahaha, yeah, that makes sense! After all, winning two years in a row is a big deal. Sorry for confessing at such an important time. I must have made things difficult for you."

"No, Senpai, please don't say that… I really do feel bad about this."

"Then… how about you hold off on giving me an answer for now?"

"Huh?"

The blonde girl was taken aback.

"After the exhibition, I hope you'll consider my feelings again. What do you think?"

Her senpai looked at her, eyes full of anticipation.

"...."

The girl didn't respond.

If this were a game, her "anger meter" would be visibly rising.

"Is that okay, Sawamura?"

"No, it's not!"

The person who answered wasn't Eriri.

It was a black-haired boy wearing glasses.

"She belongs to me."

Takashi stepped beside Eriri, taking her hand possessively as he looked down at the other boy with an air of dominance.

"A-Aki?"

The senpai narrowed his eyes.

Aki Tomoya was a well-known figure at school, so of course, he recognized him.

"W-What are you doing?! Who—who belongs to you?"

Though flustered, Eriri couldn't help but feel a little happy inside. However, she still acted as tsundere as ever.

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Check out the other translations too: [Mash-Up: Anything For Money]

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