Am I being simulated by their love affair?

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The pale yellow cockatiel jumped off the small swing and stood on the edge of the railing, staring at him curiously.

"Long time no see..." the boy said softly.

The only time he saw the girl's pet parrot in person was when he had a meeting with the girl's father.

"Does Matsueda-kun need to wash the dishes?" Yami Maki hurried over to his side.

"No need to trouble you, I can handle it myself from now on!"

"I'm just putting the bowl away for you." The boy made room for her, bent down, and stood in front of the birdcage to look at the parrot.

"Xiao Kui... she's quite cute."

“Right?” The girl approached without hesitation, opened the cage, and took out the parrot.

"My sister even said that the name I gave it was too ordinary."

"I think Xiaokui is so cute~"

A slender figure wrapped in a pure white sweater came into view. After glancing at the little thing standing obediently nodding in the senior's hand, Matsueda Jun straightened up, trying to get away from the girl's elegant fragrance.

"Is your cold completely gone now, senior?" He turned and walked towards the kotatsu.

"Hmm." Yamami Maki turned around, and the bird in her hand flew to the kotatsu table on its own, proudly blocking the boy's way.

"My throat was a little itchy a couple of days ago, but it got better after I took the loquat syrup my mom gave me. It feels better than my throat lozenges!"

"Auntie brought you a lot of things."

Jun Matsue sat down and gently poked the parrot's head. Aoi didn't seem to mind; she even squinted her eyes and rubbed against his finger.

"Yes!" The girl smiled happily as she looked at her pet's affectionate expression.

"Mom brought a lot of everyday medicines, as well as the pillow I'm used to sleeping on at home, and Xiao Kui and its cage."

"She even gave me a proper tour of the apartment, made me some delicious porridge, and chatted with me for ages—if I hadn't had class, she might have stayed overnight!"

The boy chuckled, watching the parrot land on the senior's index finger and flap its wings.

"...Actually, I have a question for you, senior."

"Hmm?" Yamami Maki blinked.

Jun Matsuoka stared at the free-flying bird in her hand.

Actually, this question had been on his mind ever since he learned that his senior's mother was coming to visit.

"Didn't your aunt say anything about you running away from home?"

Chapter 782 Her Ignorance, His Omnipotence

"Didn't your aunt say anything about you running away from home?"

Upon hearing this question, the gentle smile in Yamami Maki's eyes trembled slightly.

The girl lowered her head, and the bird perched on her hand seemed to sense the change in its owner's mood, emitting a lovely chirp.

“Mom must have told me.” Her voice was a little soft.

"Is it something you don't want to hear?" Jun Matsueda's tone softened slightly.

"Hmm... it's not that I don't want to hear it." Yami Maki placed her hand on the kotatsu, and the parrot hopped to the side on its own.

"Does Matsue want to hear it?" she asked, turning her head.

The boy nodded, and the girl stood up and walked towards the stove.

"I'll wash the dishes first. Songzhi, you can sit here and listen to me while you play with Xiaokui."

"..." Matsueda Jun moved to a different spot at the table so he could better observe the senior washing the dishes, and Aoi followed suit, bouncing over to his side.

Yamami Maki turned on the tap and put on cleaning gloves.

"When my mother first came to visit me, she was a little disgusted with this apartment."

“‘How can it be so small? How can the toilet and bathroom be in the same place?!’” She mimicked her mother’s surprised tone and smiled at the dirty bowl being rinsed by the water.

"Also, why isn't there a partition between the stove and the living room? And why isn't there even a decent table?!"

The boy sat cross-legged by the kotatsu, watching the "chicks" chasing his fingers on the table.

"Putting aside the bathroom and table issues, the lack of a separate area for the stove is indeed a problem."

"Even if the range hood works well, there will still be some cooking fumes coming out—over time, there will be greasy marks on the edges of your cabinets and on your refrigerator."

"Is that so?" The senior student, who was washing the dishes, turned her head in surprise. "I really hadn't thought of that."

Jun Matsue waved his hand, and the parrot in front of him swayed its body in response.

"These are things that only come to light after living there for a long time; they can be fixed with more cleaning."

"Hmm!" The girl turned around. "Besides, I probably can't cook dishes that produce a lot of oil and smoke."

"Go on, what happened next?"

"After that, I told my mom about my time living here," she said, her tone still gentle.

"How I gradually transformed the originally empty apartment into what it is today."

"My simple vase, the little rug I put in the entryway, the kotatsu I bought, my pretty little bowl for eating..."

Jun Matsue gently held the parrot pecking at the back of his hand and glanced at his senior standing by the sink.

The girl put on her apron again, the bow tie behind her swaying gently, indicating that she was indeed in a good mood.

“And my life now.” Yamami Maki turned around to meet his gaze and smiled gently.

"When I have classes, I get up early in the morning to heat up some bread and make a simple sandwich to eat with fruit."

"If I oversleep, I'll just head out the door, buy breakfast at a convenience store on the way, and then grab a coffee when I get to school—it's nice to sit by the classroom window and eat breakfast in the sunlight before class starts!"

"I'd like to try it too," the boy interjected.

The girl turned back and smiled at him, "There will be a chance~"

She put the washed dishes into the cupboard one by one. "In short, I shared a lot with my mother about our current life."

"For example, when I'm doing laundry at a laundromat, there's that particularly beautiful vending machine at the entrance—it looks even better on rainy days."

"For example, when I wake up from my afternoon nap and draw back the curtains, the clear, transparent autumn sunlight fills the entire bedroom."

"And there were mornings spent with the kotatsu on, lying on it and watching Kokoro play games; evenings on my way home from work, passing by various shops; and afternoons when I didn't have classes, going to the nearby mall to try on clothes after dinner..."

"There's only one thing I want to tell my mom—I love my life now, it's much happier and freer than being at home."

And... she turned to look at the boy sitting behind her.

If I were still at home, I would never have had the chance to be in the same room with Tsun-kun like this, let alone cook for him.

Jun Matsueda turned on the kotatsu switch beside him. "What was Auntie's reaction?"

Yamami Maki picked up a rag and wiped the stovetop clean—she made a point of wiping the edges of the cabinets and the sides of the refrigerator.

"My mom was actually quite pleased to hear me say that."

"I've really grown up. I've become so mature without even realizing it. As long as I'm happy, that's all that matters..."

"...But?" the boy asked tentatively.

“But—” The girl took off her gloves and walked toward the refrigerator in the corner.

"She still hopes I can come home."

Jun Matsueda wasn't surprised. "Parents always want their children to stay where they can see them."

“I understand my mother.”

Yamami Maki returned to the kotatsu table with a basket of bright yellow tangerines and sat down next to the boy.

Jun Matsue glanced at her—his senior had sat opposite him during lunch, but now she had naturally moved to the side.

However, he didn't say much, but simply nudged the parrot on the table, making it run towards its real owner.

The girl continued to remove her shoes with ladylike grace, then slipped her legs under the kotatsu. She blinked quickly—she had touched Tsunkun's leg.

"Sorry." The boy held onto the table and crossed his legs again. "The kotatsu is really comfortable, and I just unconsciously stretched my legs out."

"It's okay~" Yamami Maki smiled and took out an orange. "When Kokoro and I sit, we always cross our legs."

"Go on, senior," Matsueda Jun said, reaching for the fruit basket. "You understand Auntie, so what?"

The girl blocked his hand. "I'll peel an orange for Songzhi-kun. You're a guest."

"..." The boy withdrew his hand and watched as the senior's fair and smooth fingers gently peeled open the bright orange tangerine.

A faint citrus fragrance immediately filled the space between the two of them.

“I can understand my mother,” Yami Maki continued. “She’s always been someone who likes to take care of people.”

"After my older brother and sister got married, most of her care naturally fell on me."

"I've told Songzhi before that my mom doesn't let me eat spicy food because she wants me to be mindful of my image, but otherwise, she'll make whatever I want to eat."

"Mm." Jun Matsue nodded, watching as her delicate pink fingertips peeled away the white pith from the orange segments.

"So of course my mom is worried about me living alone outside and hopes I'll come back..."

As the girl spoke, she watched her parrot pick up the peeled orange pith from the table.

"But what about Dad? Is it because he's worried about me that he wants me to come back?"

The boy looked up and asked, "What did Auntie say?"

"She only said she was worried about me and hoped I would come home soon." Yamami Maki raised the hand holding the orange to prevent Aoi from stealing it.

"As for Dad... she only said that Dad also hopes I will come back."

She pursed her lips, and Jun Matsue couldn't help but laugh.

"Matsueda-kun just laughed?" The girl looked up, her expression surprised.

"Sorry." The boy suppressed a laugh, cupped his cheek with one hand, and mimicked her pouting expression.

"It's rare to see you make such an 'ungentle' expression..."

It was as if he saw the willful shadow of Mochizuki or Kurusu in his senior, which is why he couldn't help but laugh.

Yamami Maki puffed out her cheeks slightly, gave him a reproachful look, and handed him the cleanly peeled whole segment of orange.

Even I can't always be gentle.

"I understand." Jun Matsue cut the orange in half. "Let's each have half."

"Okay~" the girl obediently accepted it.

Their fingers touched briefly before separating.

“I know Dad doesn’t really care about me,” she continued, chewing on an orange.

"Or rather, even if he does care, he doesn't care much. He cares more about his own and his family's reputation—now when people ask why they haven't seen me for a while, he can't answer."

“And every time he couldn’t answer, he would go home and yell at me when I wasn’t there, saying things like I was useless and worthless—that’s what my sister told me.”

It seems that Miss Yuka still supports her senior's departure... Matsueda Jun nodded.

The oranges were sweet and juicy, sliding down my throat coolly, making me enjoy the warmth of the kotatsu even more—the two of us, our arms resting on the table, naturally moved a little closer together.

"So even though I'm sorry, Mom, I still don't want to go home!"

Yamami Maki swallowed the last segment of orange and said resolutely.

“…I also think it’s better not to go back.” Jun Matsue watched as his senior teased the parrot while peeling the next orange.

"However, if you have the chance, I think you could go home and visit your family."

The girl stopped what she was doing.

“I don’t mean to say I don’t support my senior,” the boy continued, “but November is almost over.”

"Once next month is over, it will be the New Year..."

Even if the senior student is rebellious, it's hard to be happy alone during the New Year, a time for family reunion—that's what Jun Matsuoka thought.

"..." Yamami Maki was silent for a while, then raised her head and smiled as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Anyway, I'm definitely not going back now."