Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 569

"Is it supposed to be the most popular romance film in theaters right now?"

"Right?" the girl said, holding his hand. "Anyway, I know a lot of girls in our class went to see it."

"Does Yu-Hana want to see it too?" The boy hooked his pinky finger. "Shall we go to the cinema to see it after the holidays?"

As long as it's not Monday... he added in his mind.

"Actually, I'm not that interested~" Tomatsu Yuka shook her head with a smile.

"Because I heard them say that the movie was quite tear-jerking and that it was a rather sad story."

I still prefer stories with happy endings.

"Then I won't watch it." Jun Matsueda squeezed her little hand.

"Hmm~" The girl turned to look in the direction of the platform. "Then I'll go home first?"

"Take care on the road." The boy hugged her. "See you tomorrow."

"Good luck on your exam tomorrow, Jun-kun!"

The two waved goodbye, only to be pulled away by the crowd in the passageway.

Only after Tomatsu's figure disappeared into the light outside the passageway did Jun Matsueda turn around and walk out of the station.

Back in the dry, cold air outside, he glanced at the time on his phone.

It's 4:22, almost time for our agreed meeting.

The boy put away his phone, picked up his backpack, and walked towards a coffee shop near the station.

A few minutes later, when Ikuka Yamami pushed open the door of the cafe, the boy in the school uniform was already sitting in the inner corner watching her.

The woman straightened her coat collar and quickly sat down opposite him.

"I'll order a coffee first." She smiled, looking at the empty table next to the boy.

"Matsueda-kun, wouldn't you like something to drink? It's on me."

"No need." Jun Matsue glanced at the dark red sky outside the window.

"I need to go back for dinner later."

Ikuka Yamami nodded and picked up the menu in her hand.

They really are a family... The boy couldn't help but think this as he looked at her somewhat familiar features as she pondered the menu.

So no matter how much you want to escape, that blood relationship will remain unchanged.

"A hot cocoa, please," the woman said to the approaching clerk, then turned to explain to him.

"Outside of work hours, I don't really feel like drinking coffee."

Matsueda Jun looked noncommittal. "So, Miss Yuka, what is it about my senior that you wanted to talk to me about today?"

With the heating on indoors, Ikuka Yamami took off her coat.

"I sent a message to Matsueda-kun, but I didn't expect to meet him the next day—I hope it won't interfere with your school affairs?"

The boy shook his head. "We'll have a holiday after the two days of exams tomorrow—I'm taking the entrance exam for Tokyo University, so I don't need to put too much effort into the final exams."

"Amazing..." the woman exclaimed, leaning back in her sofa chair and crossing her legs on the table.

“You don’t need to be so wary of me,” she suddenly said.

“If I didn’t support Moji, I wouldn’t have asked you to look after her in the first place.”

“…I know.” Even though he said that, Jun Matsue’s pursed lips relaxed a little.

"That's why I'm thinking of meeting with Ms. Yuxiang as soon as possible—if there are any questions about my senior, it's better to resolve them quickly."

"Hmm." Yami Ikuka took the hot cocoa from the waiter.

She took a small sip, a look of satisfaction typical of someone who has consumed sweets appearing on her face.

“We have to get Moji home.”

The woman's sudden remark made the man feel less at ease.

Sure enough... He looked at the ceiling texture reflected on the smooth tabletop.

My aunt was right—although she was a bit of a theorist when it came to matters of the heart, she certainly knew these large families inside and out.

Jun Matsue raised an eyebrow. "Miss Yuuka just said she supported her senior, how come she's saying something like this so soon?"

"..." Yamami Ikuka put down the steaming cup in her hand and sighed softly.

"There's nothing we can do."

“Matsueda-kun knows the Yamami family is quite large, right?” She looked up. “Various brothers and sisters, relatives, and so on.”

"When you were dating Moji, she probably mentioned that we should get together regularly—"

"Elders and elders, juniors and juniors, those in charge and those in charge, family members and family members..."

"It serves both to foster relationships and to regularly exchange information about family affairs, thus maintaining cohesion and allowing the Yami family tree to grow healthily."

"Although the Yami family is a somewhat conservative family, these customs are very common in Japan. It's just that our family does these things on a larger scale than the average family."

Jun Matsuoka nodded slightly.

"Therefore, if Moji did not return home and was absent from all the New Year's activities, the message sent to the family is self-evident."

"—Her plan to leave the family will be known to everyone in the Yami family."

"...That was what you were planning to do too, right, senior?" Jun Matsue said, looking at the woman's face.

"When she ran away from home, wasn't she mentally prepared to leave her family?"

“But the life she’s living now can hardly be described as ‘detached from the family,’” Ikuka Yamami added.

"It's just living alone away from my parents."

"Leaving the family is not just about supporting yourself."

Whether it was simply thirst or a memory of her past stubborn resistance, the woman interrupted herself, picked up her hot cocoa, and took another sip.

"For example, this year we will go back to our old house to visit my grandfather for the New Year, we will gather together to worship our ancestors during the Ghost Festival, and there are various other kinds of festival gatherings on ordinary days..."

“All of this has nothing to do with Moji anymore; she can only spend it all alone.”

"Even whether she can have dinner with us when she comes home is a problem—"

"The Yami family is indeed very exclusive. The family matters we discuss at the dinner table are also about personnel changes and internal information within the group."

"So if Moji really wants to leave the family, how can we trust her, an outsider, to hear this?"

"..." Jun Matsueda clenched his hands on the table. "Does Ms. Ikuka think that Senpai would be the kind of person who leaks secrets?"

"Of course I believe Moji." The woman smiled, holding her cup.

"The problem is, how can I get the rest of the family to believe in her as much as I do?"

"If the Yami family's businesses encounter internal problems in the future, will the other members of the family think that it was Maki, an 'outsider,' who leaked the information?"

The corner of the café was quiet for a while, as the elongated slanting sunlight climbed onto their table from the window.

"So if Moji really wants to break away from the family, then her relationship with us relatives will basically be completely severed."

“At that time, she will not even be allowed to go home without reporting to her father in advance, and she will not be allowed to have her own house key.”

“Those elders and relatives who were originally kind and gentle to her will become as distant as possible—even if they meet outside the family, they have to be careful what they say to her besides exchanging pleasantries.”

"Now that I've said this, Matsueda-kun should understand what I mean, right?" The woman put down her coffee cup and tapped her fingers lightly on the table.

"The Yamami family cannot tolerate the existence of outsiders."

“My father was angry with Maki not just because of his own pride—after my grandfather passes away, as the eldest son, he will have to take over the family completely, and sitting in that position, he should set an example for the rules of the Yami family.”

“If Maki really intends to leave the family, then she shouldn’t have any wishful thinking or vague ideas.”

"She has to be prepared to be abandoned by her family as well."

Jun Matsue lowered his head, looking at the fading sunlight on the table, which was shifting and dimming little by little.

The image that came to mind for the boy was that of Yamami Maki, who had a fever in her rented room on a rainy night and could only whisper to him on the phone that she was scared.

"Matsueda-kun, do you think Maki is really ready?"

“I don’t know.” The boy looked up. “But I can tell that she really likes her life right now.”

After all, the sky and sunsets that his senior shared with him every day, the novelty and joy about the stove, supermarket and streets, and those ordinary yet interesting photos were all genuine.

“I know, and I’m in contact with her too.” Yami Ikuka’s expression didn’t change much.

"But has she really thought through how much she has to give up to get the life she has now?"

"Does she really want to...spend the New Year alone?"

"I've also tried to say those things to Moji, but she always changes the subject and avoids the topic."

"If she wants to take control of her future, simply running away won't work; she must have the courage to truly face it."

Jun Matsue let out a sigh of relief. "I agree with that statement."

"So, what does Miss Yuxiang want me to do?"

Ikuka Yamami smiled faintly, "I told you from the beginning."

“We have to get Moji home.”

"Of course, you may not agree with this 'we,' but I do support Moji."

"However, compared to Maki's 'growth' and Matsueda's 'maturity,' I prefer the adult's 'compromise'."

“If Maki doesn’t go home for the New Year this year, her attempt to break away from the family will soon spread throughout the Yami family.”

“If she goes back, she can get away with it by deceiving her family, and then she can take her time to ‘fight’ however she wants.”

"...Should we take it slow?" Jun Matsueda blinked.

"Miss Yuxiang just mentioned that your family has a lot of activities, big and small. Will everything end after the New Year?"

"Are we just going to let the senior student 'get away with it' every time?"

If she continues to stall like this, will she still be determined to break away from the family?

"This suggestion to get away with it was something my mother asked me to pass on to Moji," the woman replied with a smile.

The boy remained silent for a while.

Compared to her senior's father, her mother was a moderate—but no matter how moderate she was, she certainly wouldn't want her daughter to keep running away from home.

"What I want Matsueda-kun to do is actually very simple."

The hot cocoa had cooled down, and Ikuka Yamami picked up her cup, drinking with a more relaxed motion.

"I know you have a good memory, so please just tell Moji what I said today."

“If I talk to my mother about it, it will have a negative effect, which is probably why she always avoids me.”

"Regardless of your current relationship, she would be more likely to listen to what Matsueda-kun says."

Jun Matsue looked up at her.

"Of course, Mr. Matsuoka doesn't have to say it." The woman put down her cup and smiled.

"The choice is yours."

"That's all I have to say." She let out a long breath. "Is there anything you want to say to me, Matsueda-kun?"

The boy shook his head.

"I'll be going now?" The woman picked up her coat hanging on the back of the chair. "I have to rush back to deal with my parents."

"I'll see you out." Jun Matsue stood up with her.

Ikuka Yamami's car was parked not far from the station. As the two walked through the shopping street in front of the station, the melody of "Happy End" came from one of the shops.

"Speaking of which, Father only felt that Matsueda-kun had the potential to go into politics, but he didn't see your musical talent." The woman smiled as she looked at her car.

"To be honest, I wish the family could be more tolerant of geniuses, then I might be able to relax a lot now."

She got into her car, gripped the steering wheel, and waved to the boy.

"Hopefully, when we contact Matsueda-kun again, it will be with good news~"

The silver sedan drove away in the opposite direction from Mitaka City, and Jun Matsue watched its light disappear into the unreachable horizon of the setting sun.