Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 534

"You look pretty good, don't you...?" Yamami Maki pursed her lips in front of the mirror.

Are your lips a little dry?

She took out her lip balm from her pocket, then remembered something.

The girl first pulled out a tissue, closed her eyes, faced under the table, and elegantly blew her nose. Then she carefully examined herself in the mirror to make sure there was no dirt on her face before carefully applying lipstick to her slightly pouting lips.

A few minutes later, Jun Matsue gently pushed open the door to the archives room, where a girl stood at the counter and greeted him.

"Good afternoon, Matsueda-kun~" Yami Maki said with a smile, her voice slightly nasal.

"Ah." She turned her head to look at the dark sky outside the window. "Should I say it's evening?"

"Good afternoon, senior." The boy walked up to her.

"Your cold is better? You're back to work already?"

The girl blinked shyly, then picked up the hot water and took a sip.

"I only have a cough and runny nose now, so it doesn't seem to affect my daily life much..."

Before the boy could speak, she nervously continued to ask.

"How did you know I was working here, Matsueda-san?"

The boy at the counter turned his head and looked at the empty archives room.

“I was just at Aya-chan’s place. She told me you were working at the Kita-Shinjuku Library today, so I just stopped by to drop by.”

“No wonder…” Yami Maki muttered softly—ever since she worked at Aya-chan’s coffee shop, the two of them had been in more contact.

"But, is it on the way?" She looked up at the boy in front of her. This wasn't the way Tsun-kun went home.

"Do you have any activities after school today? A classmate reunion?"

"I have no plans," Jun Matsue said as he walked away, circling the bookshelves in the archives.

"But after school, Mochizuki went to Shinjuku with her friends. She said she found a pretty good new restaurant and asked me to come over for dinner."

The boy reached out and touched the spines of the rows of books. It was because of a sentence from the young lady that he had gone out again, even though he was going home.

"I see, that's why Matsueda-san spent her time at Aya-chan's place, right?"

As Yamami Maki spoke, she lowered her head and blew her nose again. She threw the tissue into the trash can and frowned slightly at herself in the small round mirror.

Meeting your sweetheart when you're not looking your best is a happy kind of trouble for a young girl.

Jun Matsueda did not answer. He casually picked up a classic copy of "The Golden Demon" and returned to the counter.

"The aprons here are nicer than those at the Setagaya Literature Museum."

"Thank you, Pine Branch." The girl in the dark green apron smiled sweetly.

"But we can't offer book lending services right now."

The boy blinked, and Yamami Maki stood up from behind the counter and took off her apron.

"Because I've already finished get off work~"

Jun Matsue turned and leaned against the counter, watching his senior walk past rows of bookshelves, close the windows, and draw the curtains.

The desolate night disappeared into the room, leaving only the bright lights. The boy looked up.

"Is there no air conditioning in this archives room?"

"I turned it off an hour ago." The girl's soft voice, slightly hoarse, drifted from between the bookshelves.

"After all the readers have left, it feels a bit wasteful to turn on the air conditioning in such a big room just for me."

He picked up "The Golden Demon" from the counter and watched his senior walk towards him.

"Shouldn't this book be put back?"

“Matsueda-kun wanted to see it, didn’t she?” Yami Maki returned to the counter and wrote her name on the borrowing record.

"I'll borrow it for you, you can return it to me later~"

"...I just wanted to kill some time."

The girl looked up. "Shouldn't we go find Mochizuki Haruka?"

The boy glanced at his phone. "They've only been shopping for an hour. They won't be done until six o'clock at the earliest."

"Hmm..." Yamami Maki put her lipstick, small mirror, mask and skin cream that she had hidden under the table into her bag, and then slung the bag over her shoulder.

"If you'd like to kill some time, there's a cake shop downstairs. Would you like to stop by?"

Jun Matsue glanced at the night sky hidden by the curtains.

"can."

After leaving the archives, the girl first threw the trash bag in her hand into the large trash can in the corridor, then turned back and locked the archives.

"Should Matsueda wait for me or go downstairs first?" she asked the boy next to her. "I need to return the keys first."

Matsueda Jun looked at the gate not far away, "I'll wait for you at the top of the stairs."

"Good~"

Two minutes later, the boy leaned against the wall in the hallway, watching the female senior walk towards him.

Today, Yamami Maki wore an olive green sweater and a brown plaid skirt. She carried a beige handbag over her shoulder, exuding a fresh and natural beauty.

Perhaps taking into account someone's repeated instructions to keep warm, she wore a chestnut-colored cotton vest over her base layer and a sweater that wasn't too thin or too thick—even without air conditioning, the girl's face still had a warm blush, though it might be due to a cold.

As the senior student approached, Jun Matsuoka turned around and followed her downstairs.

What kind of jobs are typically available at the library here?

"Hmm...it depends on the situation~" The girl's off-white handbag swayed in front of him as her black hair approached.

"Generally, it involves organizing and returning books, processing library cards, and registering book borrowing and returning."

"Occasionally there will be other tasks, which are not very difficult, such as scanning old newspapers from the Showa era and doing digital proofreading."

The boy nodded. "What about the salary?"

"It also depends on the job content. Normally, the hourly wage is 1130 yen. For scanning and proofreading jobs like the one I just mentioned, the hourly wage is higher."

"That's alright, I can earn back my food expenses in just two hours a day."

“That’s not just about food expenses.” Yamami Maki walked into the lobby on the first floor, turned around and smiled at the boy.

"I've started learning to cook for myself now, which saves me a lot of money!"

The two entered a cake shop called "But". There were housewives with children choosing cakes in front of the glass counter. The boy and girl found a corner first.

"Matsueda-san, is there anything you'd like to eat?" Yami Maki put down her bag. "It's on me, okay?"

“I’ll just have a cup of yogurt.” Jun Matsueda opened the book “The Golden Demon” in his hand.

"Dinner will be served soon."

“…Okay~” The girl smiled and walked towards the counter, returning to her seat with a milk pudding and a cup of yogurt.

She used a small spoon to cut the pudding and put it in her mouth, watching the boy who was reading with his eyes down pick up the yogurt, his lips stained with a white "mustache".

Yamami Maki smiled gently as she secretly raised her phone, opened the camera app, and quietly took a screenshot.

"How long has the senior been working at the Kita-Shinjuku Library?" Jun Matsue turned a page without realizing it.

"It only started last week, I think. I've been here four or five times already."

The boy put down his book and looked at the woman pushing a stroller past the French windows.

"This place is not bad. The part-time job is not stressful and the environment is good."

"Right~" The girl felt that the milk pudding in her mouth was sweeter than usual.

"The library is frequented by students, seniors, and housewives, making it easy to chat with them."

“It’s only a five-minute walk home for me, and there are also LUUP shared bikes here, so it’s even faster to ride a bike.”

"Furthermore, there are large markets, pharmacies, temples, and parks nearby, making it convenient for shopping after get off work or taking a walk."

"..." Jun Matsue half-closed his book and looked at the girl in front of him.

"You seem to be living a very independent life now, senior."

He would come to the library to take a look, having heard the news from Cai Jiang, worried that the sick senior was just being stubborn.

Seeing her now, looking so relaxed and content with her life, the guy did feel a sense of relief.

Yamami Maki raised the corners of her lips, tilted her head slightly, and her smile became even brighter.

"After all, I have Matsueda-kun as my teacher~"

Jun Matsue lowered his head and pressed a tissue to cover the corners of his upturned lips.

"However, senior, you're still recovering from your cold, so you should avoid going for walks and getting chilled in the wind outside."

“I know.” The girl nodded, her mouth full of pudding. “That’s what my mother told me too.”

This must be the first time the senior has met her parents since moving out... The boy was a little curious, but didn't ask any questions.

He was going to meet Wangyue for dinner later, and he was worried that if they talked too deeply, the conversation would be difficult to end.

The two sat in silence for a moment, listening to the shop assistants behind the counter saying "Welcome" and "Thank you for your patronage" to the customers coming and going.

"that."

Yamami Maki leaned closer to the table, and the boy opposite her stopped turning the page.

"Would you like to come to my house once I've recovered from my cold?" she asked, mustering her courage.

"I've been learning to cook, and I wanted to try making it for others as a way of thanking Tsun-kun for taking care of me before..."

The girl's expectant words fell into his ears, but Jun Matsue's gaze did not move, and his eyelashes trembled slightly.

He remembered the image of his senior lying on the bed, weak and humble, saying "Don't go."

I should have just asked my senior to buy me a cake...

"Am I the only one here?" the boy asked as a final question.

“Kokoro-chan should be coming too,” Yami Maki quickly added.

"...Then let's wait until your cold is fully recovered." Matsueda Jun agreed.

"You don't need to put in too much effort. If it's your first time entertaining guests, just prepare simple dishes."

"Yes!" The girl nodded vigorously, a look of joy appearing in her eyes.

"Matsueda-kun, is there anything you'd like to eat?"

“Hmm… creamy stew?” Jun Matsueda quickly came up with an answer.

After all, his senior had mentioned it several times, so he was indeed a little curious.

"Okay~" the girl laughed again, "I feel like I'm pretty good at making stews now~"

"Then I'll wait and see."

Yamami Maki glanced at her delicate wristwatch. "Shall I be going now?"

"Hmm." The boy's eyes showed some surprise. "Senior, you can leave if you want. Don't worry about me."

The girl stood up and explained with a smile, "Because the supermarket near the entrance will be having its first batch of fruits and vegetables on sale later."

"If you go now, you should be able to buy the freshest ones."

"I feel like my cold will get better soon, so I need to take this time to practice my cooking skills~"

“It’s good.” Jun Matsueda looked up at her, and this time he didn’t hide his smile.

"Remember to make more soup; it's best to drink some warm soup when you have a cold."

“I’ll remember that~” Yamami Maki swallowed the last mouthful of milk pudding and slung her handbag over her shoulder.

"As for 'The Golden Demon,' Matsueda-kun, you don't need to rush to return it. Just bring it with you next time you come to my house."

"it is good."

Jun Matsue watched as the girl took out a warm-looking white scarf from her bag, wrapped it around her beautifully shaped, fair neck, and tied it into a fluffy, pretty knot.

"I'm going home now." Yami Maki took two steps from her seat and then turned around.

The girl was dressed in a fluffy outfit, like a clever and adorable squirrel.