Am I being simulated by their love affair?

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"Can we talk about it when we get home?" Yami Maki gently squeezed his sleeve.

"I want to give the gift to Jun-kun first, and then we can talk about the New Year."

"It won't take too much time."

Fifteen minutes later, the boy and girl walked out of Higashi-Nakano Station.

A gust of cold wind blew in her face, and Yamami Maki blinked.

Perhaps it was because of the knitted hat on her head, or perhaps it was because of the boy walking beside her—in any case, the girl didn't feel much cold.

As she passed the last intersection in front of the apartment, she paused in front of the supermarket.

"I'd like to go in and look at the fruit, would you mind, Matsueda-kun?"

The boy shook his head. "I'll wait for you at the door."

A few minutes later, Jun Matsue opened the door to the rented room for the girl and watched her carry a bag of fruits and vegetables toward the refrigerator.

"Weren't we just looking at the fruit?"

The senior student, who bent down to open the refrigerator, smiled at her and said, "Xin-chan is coming to visit me tomorrow, so we'll probably have dinner together."

The boy looked at the kotatsu placed against the wall and remembered the steaming cream stew from that day.

"Matsueda-kun, wait for me a minute~" Yami Maki walked towards the bedroom and quickly returned to the living room with the cockatiel in her arms.

She placed the yellow chick on the kotatsu and hung her hat behind the entryway door—when she turned around, the boy had already pulled out the kotatsu table and was sitting at it, teasing the parrot.

The girl smiled, first turning on the kettle on the stove, then washing some strawberries and sitting down by the kotatsu.

"Ha—" She squinted and leaned back in the tatami chair.

"So comfortable... Matsueda-kun has already turned on the kotatsu~"

"After all, it was a bit windy when we got off the train." Matsueda Jun looked at her carefree expression. "You're on holiday the day after tomorrow, right, senpai?"

"Yes, after Christmas." Yami Maki opened her eyes and started playing with the parrot on the table.

"Then we won't have to keep Xiaokui locked in a cage all day."

Watching the adorable, pale yellow parrot hopping around beside her, the girl looked up, a hint of melancholy in her smile.

"To be honest, I feel like I've let Xiaokui down a bit—"

“There used to be someone at home, so I could let it out of the cage and roam freely without worry.”

"I live alone now, and I always put it in a cage when I go out because I'm afraid it will chew on electrical wires or bump into something while I'm at home."

“That’s alright.” Jun Matsue winked at the parrot. “It seems pretty happy.”

Yamami Maki raised the corners of her lips. "That's true. Luckily, it has a carefree personality."

The area around the kotatsu was quiet for a while, with only the soft chirping of the parrot and the sound of water boiling on the stove remaining.

"Senior, you don't want to spend the New Year alone, do you?"

The girl stroking the parrot nodded with difficulty.

"If I can't see Tsun-kun, I still want to go home for the New Year."

"..." Matsueda Jun didn't expect his senior to admit it so frankly.

The smile on Yamami Maki's face was somewhat complicated.

“I don’t like the rules of the Yami family, but I will definitely still care about my family.”

"Time really flies..." She turned her head and glanced at the stove—

Steam rose from the kettle while it was working, drifting onto the stove window and swirling into a hazy mist.

"I was scolded by my father and forced to leave home, and it has been more than three months since then."

The boy nodded. "You can go back and show him—you can live well even without the Yami family."

"Really?" The girl laughed again. "My father probably doesn't think so. He probably just thinks I'm just wasting my time."

"But that's not important. If I go back, I'd definitely rather see my mom and sister."

“Then let’s go back and see them, and have a chat with them.” Jun Matsue picked up a strawberry from the table.

It tastes good, fresh and sweet, but it feels a bit cold when you first put it in your mouth.

"..." Yamami Maki reached out and grabbed the chick that was about to steal a strawberry.

"But I'm a little scared."

"I really like my life now, and I don't want to give in to my family."

She looked up and said, "Since I ran away from home, my father hasn't contacted me directly even once."

"That means you still care about him quite a bit..." the boy thought, chewing on a strawberry.

"I'm afraid that if I go home and hear what they say, my resolve will be shaken..."

The girl lowered her eyes, her gaze towards the parrot in her hand filled with pity.

"—Then you can call me."

She looked up.

"If my senior really wavers or wants to give up, she should call me."

Jun Matsuoka met her gaze and said casually.

“Actually, what I said on the way was incorrect,” he corrected.

"I respect all of my senior's decisions, but I will only support those decisions that align with my own beliefs."

"Although I don't think so myself, everyone seems to think I'm a very smooth talker..."

The boy chuckled self-deprecatingly and picked up another strawberry.

"In that case, just come to me when you waver, and I'll use sweet words to persuade you again."

“…Really?” Yamami Maki blinked, and Aoi chirped as she escaped from her loosened grip.

“Yes.” Jun Matsueda nodded without hesitation.

"I like the current senior more than the previous one. I don't want you to change back. It's that simple."

“Even so,” he added, “I still think it’s necessary for my senior to go back.”

"You're afraid that going back might make you waver, but you can't possibly never go back, right?"

"Mmm." The girl nodded obediently.

"So the later you go back, the bigger the conflict will be when you talk to your family—your father might be angrier, your mother might be more heartbroken, and you'll be more likely to waver when you face them."

"So choosing a suitable time to go back is indeed a good choice."

“Now that you’ve been away from home for three months, you’ve basically adapted to life away from home and know that your longing for home hasn’t been shattered. Your family must also hope that you can go back before the new year—that would be a great time.”

"Mmm!" Yamami Maki nodded vigorously, her obedient appearance making her seem more like a junior to a boy than a senior.

The girl gently reached out her finger and pressed down on the chick that was mimicking her nodding motion—that gentle and serene smile returned to her face.

"Then... can Jun-kun take me home later?"

"..." Jun Matsue thought for a while.

The cockatiel he was looking at chirped twice and nodded as its owner pressed its finger down on it.

"When are you planning to go back, senior?" he asked, looking up.

“Hmm…” Yamami Maki raised her eyes to think.

"You're planning to go back to the orphanage on the 27th, right? Or should I go home on the 28th?"

"Then I'll take my senior back."

"Okay!" She let go of the chick in her hand and smiled sweetly at the boy.

"Thank you, Jun-kun~"

“…It’s Matsueda-kun.” The boy avoided her gaze and turned to look around the living room.

"So what about the gift? We were planning to give the gift first and then talk business."

"Ah, I forgot~" The girl stood up and walked towards the cabinet above the stove.

She didn't actually care about the order of the gifts and conversation; she was just afraid that if she finished talking on the way home, Tsun-kun would just collect the gifts and run away.

"It's this one—"

Yamami Maki returned to the kotatsu with a flat, square box in her hands.

The box was quite large, and there was no gift wrapping. She opened the lid and showed the boy the delicate little green pouches inside.

"I found this at a beverage shop near Higashi-Nakano—their matcha tastes good, so I specifically bought a box of tea bags from the owner."

The girl pushed the box forward, shooing away the curious parrot that had come up to her.

"And Matsueda-kun's study intensity must be higher than before—"

"Matcha can refresh the mind, calm the mood, and improve memory and alertness..."

"In short, it's a perfect drink to have while studying!"

"...Thank you for your concern, senior." Jun Matsue took the box and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, his senior didn't give him a gift that was particularly sentimental, otherwise he would have been in a real predicament.

"Want to try it now?" Yami Maki tilted her head and smiled.

"Before heading out into the cold wind, how about a warm cup of matcha?"

"Then let's give it a try." The boy didn't hesitate much.

The girl smiled and stood up lightly. She tucked her soft black hair behind her shoulder and walked towards the kettle boiling on the stove.

Watching her graceful figure from behind, Jun Matsuoka blinked, then turned around and stared at the parrot with rosy cheeks on the table.

Perhaps it was with good intentions that she chose such a gift that people could accept without feeling guilty.

After all, my senior has always been the most considerate person.

Chapter 823 Matsueda Jun's Christmas Begins at the Mochizuki House

December 25th, Christmas Day.

At 6:30 a.m., Jun Matsue woke up in bed.

There was no soft, feminine body beside him, so the boy simply opened his eyes, got up, and turned off the alarm clock on the bedside table.

Last night was another rare night for him to sleep alone, for a simple reason—

To get to another girl's side, Jun Matsueda had to get up very early today, not wanting to wake up his idol, who was as clingy as a sloth in bed.

Besides, Kurusu has work to do today...

The boy walked out of his bedroom, first opening the door to the next room a crack to confirm the quiet and peaceful undulations on the bed before heading to the bathroom.

Five minutes later, Jun Matsue stood by the stove, yawning at the fragrant toast and looking up at the cupboard above him.

What should I drink for breakfast...?

The boy finally opened the cabinet in the corner.

This is his personal cabinet—girls often have things they buy for their boyfriends but don't want to share with others, and he usually puts them here.

For example... Jun Matsue looked at the matcha-colored box placed deep in the cupboard.

A few minutes later, he sat down at the table with his sandwich and took a sip of the hot matcha in his hand.

"..."

It has a scent somewhat similar to seaweed, with a slight astringency mixed with a refreshing aroma that evokes a sweet aftertaste on the tongue.

The sandwich tasted really good. The boy took a bite and recalled the smiling faces of his senior from yesterday.

He picked up his phone, thought for a moment, and then put it back.

I'll tell her the matcha is delicious when I take my senior home in a couple of days.

After finishing breakfast, Jun Matsueda put a sticky note on the refrigerator to remind Miss Idol that there were hot sandwiches in the kitchen. He then went back to his room to change and picked up a gift bag that was lying nearby.