Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 592

“But…” The boy walked toward the small, open locker door on the side.

"Does the senior still want to go home and see her family?"

The girl's eyelashes trembled. "...So this is what Tsunkun wanted to tell me?"

"To be precise, I wanted to ask what you think." Jun Matsue took out a handbag from the cabinet and slammed the cabinet door shut.

"—But before that, I'll give this to my senior first."

He handed over the white paper bag, and the senior student in front of him blinked.

"what is this?"

"The hat that my senior saw at Tokyu Department Store that day was inconvenient to carry around, so I stored it away when I got off the train."

Yamami Maki's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Is Jun-kun going to see me off?"

"...Isn't it Matsueda-kun?" The boy glanced at her and corrected her on how he addressed her.

"Aya-chan also bought a gift for her senior, right? Tomorrow is Christmas, and what we're going to talk about later might make you unhappy, so I thought it would be better to give her a gift."

Yamami Maki smiled, her eyes like the lake water where birdsong ripples in spring.

"That's a gift too."

She reached out and took the bag from the boy's hand, and Matsueda Jun quickly put his hand back into his pocket.

"But that hat... I've never tried it on before, so I don't know if it will fit. I'm just a little tempted by it."

"If it's not a good fit, then it's just a pity," he said casually.

"Refund is definitely not possible. Why don't you try it on now, senior? If the size is wrong, you can still exchange it."

This situation is actually unlikely to occur, because men have good memories and are unlikely to make mistakes when choosing sizes.

“Okay~” Yamami Maki nodded with a smile.

She put down the paper bag, took out the flat gift box inside, held it to her chest, and opened it with one hand.

A fluffy, pure white knitted hat lay softly on a dark purple mat; it was the same one the girl had seen in the mall before.

"So this is what it feels like..." She gently squeezed it.

"The fabric is finer than I expected, so it should be more comfortable to wear."

Jun Matsueda remained expressionless. "You'll know once you put it on."

Yamami Maki looked up, smiled, and handed over the box.

The boy naturally reached out and took it, watching her gently open the hat with both hands and put it on his head.

"How are you feeling, Chun-kun?" The girl smiled.

“It’s Matsueda-kun.” Matsueda Jun took two steps back and looked her up and down, noticing she was wearing a hat.

The pure white knitted hat on the smiling senior's head made her gentle temperament appear even more fresh and refined.

The hat has a layer of fine fur on its surface, which becomes a hazy halo under the light, like some kind of filter, adding a touch of wintery cuteness to her.

"The size is just right." That was the only practical comment the boy could make.

"But it doesn't look very sturdy, it feels like it might fall down easily."

"Because it's a decorative soft hat~" the girl smiled and touched the top of her head, "That's why I didn't plan to buy it at the time."

"But since Jun-kun likes it, there's no problem."

Yamami Maki, adjusting her hat, carefully picked up the paper bag on the ground and stuffed the gift box from the boy's hand back into his hands.

"Just throw away the packaging bags." She looked for the trash cans at the entrance of the station.

I really like the hat, so I'll keep wearing it.

But I never said I liked hats... Jun Matsue thought to himself.

“Let’s throw it outside.” He turned around. “There’s a coffee shop right in front of the station.”

"Wait a minute!" Yamami Maki grabbed the boy's clothes.

"I've suddenly changed my mind." She smiled apologetically.

"Matsueda-kun wants to talk to me about New Year's matters, right?"

“I don’t think it’s necessary to say it in a coffee shop—actually, I also prepared a gift with Tsunku, but we’ll do it at home.”

"Would you mind coming home with me?" the girl asked, her eyes filled with hope.

"If you want to talk about my family matters, we can talk on the way."

The boy who turned around didn't answer, but instead looked like he was deep in thought.

Yamami Maki leaned a little closer to him. "Isn't Christmas presents meant to be exchanged?"

"..." Matsueda Jun blinked, seemingly remembering something.

"Let's talk as we walk."

Chapter 822 Sending You Home

As she boarded the Marunouchi Line train bound for Ikebukuro, Maki Yami first adjusted her hat in front of her reflection in the train window.

She nodded with satisfaction at her new hat, placed her hands gracefully on her lap, and turned to look at the boy beside her.

“Matsueda-kun, didn’t you have something to say? It’s okay to say it on the way.”

"..." Matsueda Jun, who had been gazing at the reflection in the car window, looked away and glanced inside the carriage.

The passengers, neither too many nor too few, chatted amongst themselves, the cacophony mingling with the noise of the train, echoing against the dark tunnel walls outside the windows—the kind of conversation you'd see in a movie.

The boy cleared his throat and turned his head away.

"So, it's time for a serious conversation?"

"Mm!" Yamami Maki nodded, the fluffy halo on her hat swaying slightly.

"I will listen carefully!"

Jun Matsue glanced at the empty handrail hanging slightly on the carriage.

"Actually, your sister contacted me a while ago..."

Five minutes later, the red tram stopped in front of the platform at Ikebukuro Station—after the crowd that had been crammed in front of the door got off the tram all at once, the young man and woman calmly stepped out of the tram.

They walked toward the transfer passage not far away, and Yamami Maki looked up at the white light on the ceiling.

"So... does my sister mean for Jun-kun to persuade me to go back?"

"Actually, I am already aware of all the family information she told you."

Although the girl always avoided these topics when she contacted her sister, she had indeed lived in the Yami family for eighteen years, so how could she not know?

"That's why Miss Yuxiang gave me the choice."

The boy's words made her raise her head.

“She didn’t want me to persuade my senior to go back,” Jun Matsue said, stepping onto the transfer platform.

"I just wanted to get to know my senior better and understand the weight behind your choices."

"..." Yamami Maki nodded gently.

After "running away from home," because she didn't want to add psychological burden to Tsun-kun, even though she often sent messages to boys, she basically only reported good news and not bad news.

"Let's get going." The boy looked towards the exit of the passageway. "The tram is almost here."

The two men's footsteps quickened, rushing through the passage like wind shattered by a tram—they managed to slip into the tram just before the warning lights went off.

"It's so crowded." Jun Matsueda looked troubled at the overcrowded carriage.

“After all, it’s the Yamanote Line…” Yami Maki smiled awkwardly beside him.

The girl was actually quite happy. When they finally boarded the bus, they were squeezed together at the door, their bodies pressed close together—this was perhaps the closest they had ever been since their breakup.

"Tsun-kun, would you like to move over a bit?" She moved towards the car door. "Just stand in the corner for a bit, maybe you'll get a seat after one stop?"

“…Okay.” The boy moved closer to her. “Senior, are you used to it already?”

Yamami Maki nodded. "After all, this is the route I take home after school."

"As long as I can get on the Yamanote Line, I'll get home pretty quickly."

"..." Jun Matsue smiled.

This is probably what Miss Yuxiang wanted him to know.

The noise on the Yamanote Line was louder than in Marunouchi, but the conversations of the boys and girls were quieter—they could hear each other clearly even when they were talking right next to each other.

"So... what does Matsueda-kun think?"

"Actually, senior, you don't need to care about my thoughts." The boy turned his head to look at her.

“I support whatever decision you make, senior.” Jun Matsueda said gently. “You don’t need to worry about disappointing me.”

"..." Yamami Maki nodded.

"So what's on your mind, senior?" the boy continued.

Do you really want to spend the New Year alone?

The small corner by the car door was quiet for a while.

The train stopped at Mejiro Station—there were no empty seats, but the carriage was briefly empty. Yamami Maki, adjusting her hat, walked to a corner deep inside the carriage, with the boy following behind her.

Soon more passengers poured into the tram, and the lazy crowd lingered at the door, not disturbing the tranquility in the corner of the carriage.

Jun Matsue blinked.

The senior student leaning against the carriage wall didn't say anything, but simply took off her hat and hugged it to her chest, looking up at him with bright, sparkling eyes.

"...I know what answer you're hoping for, but I can't give it to you."

The tram started moving again with a slight sway, and the bright platform outside the window turned into a sliding dark gray tunnel, and the light on the girl's face seemed to dim as well.

Jun Matsue felt a sharp pain in his chest.

“That’s true…” Yamami Maki forced a smile. “Tsun-kun will be very busy this New Year, won’t he?”

"No, not at all." The boy looked at the hat she was holding in her arms. "I also went back to the orphanage with Cai Jiang this year."

"Ah, she mentioned it when we were shopping in Kichijoji." The girl's expression softened considerably.

"Hmm." Jun Matsueda nodded. "The real busy period will begin after the New Year."

"After the New Year?" Yamami Maki pulled her hat back up. "Besides studying, Yuka and the others will come to see you, right?"

"...That's why I'm busy." The boy's gaze, which had been fixed on the circuit diagram on the wall, returned to what he was looking at.

Did the senior deliberately ask him these questions because she didn't want to talk about her own New Year?

"So, how are you doing, Matsueda-kun?" The girl didn't give him a chance to change the subject. "Are Tomohana and Mochizuki getting along well?"

“It’s obviously unlikely.” Jun Matsueda glanced at the reopened car door. “As long as they don’t argue…”

Yamami Maki looked around, moved a little closer to him, and whispered.

"And what about Miss Yangshi?"

"...in a relationship."

"Looks like it went smoothly~" The girl winked mischievously.

“I said before that as long as Tsunkun doesn’t soften his heart, he can definitely do it.”

"Speaking of which," the boy said, drawing a frame in front of her.

"Has there been any change in your 'that' lately, senior?"

Jun Matsue stared blankly at his senior for a moment.

"Nothing has changed, except that the color of the text seems to be getting lighter and lighter..."

"That's good." He took out his phone, glanced at it, and then put it back in his pocket.

"so--"