Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 513

Her heart has always been soft. Her parents and elders, who had raised her, were all in the Yamami family. Of course, the young girl couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic.

Even her usually stern father had previously sent her a message through her mother's name:

"It's not too late to come back now."

but--

"But if I go home, I'll have to go back to being the Yamami Maki I used to be..."

"Then I'd rather not go back."

All eyes at the table turned to the resolute girl. Yamami Maki looked up at the boy who had put down his chopsticks and was staring at her.

She liked this feeling, the feeling of being able to look Tsunkun in the eye without any guilt or embarrassment.

This made the girl realize that what she was doing was the right thing.

After a brief silence, Mochizuki Haruka did not scoff dismissively or look away as she had done before.

She looked closely at Yamami Maki's gentle, considerate yet stubborn and determined eyes.

"I never thought that such a pedantic and boring Yami family could produce a rebellious person like you."

"..." Yami Maki smiled again, "Actually, I think deep down, I'm still that traditional and stubborn 'Yamami'."

“But I’m very lucky—” She met Matsueda Jun’s gaze, her smile becoming even brighter and warmer.

"I met some really, really good people."

"He guided Yamami Maki to become what she is now."

Chapter 760 Before Aunt's Arrival

At 12:20 pm, Jun Matsue walked out of the cafeteria ahead of schedule, carrying a full box of milk.

Although he had just finished eating a hot pork chop rice, the wind on the main road was still noticeably cold. The boy hunched his shoulders and walked towards the shade of a tree, clutching the plastic box.

The treetops before him stretched out in a continuous expanse, swaying with the yellow-green hues of autumn in the distance. His senior's candid confession at the dinner table seemed to still linger in his ears—

"I met some really, really good people."

"He guided Yamami Maki to become what she is now."

This is how Mochizuki Haruka commented at the dinner table—

"You've been talking about pine branches in almost every other sentence, haven't you?"

Jun Matsue smiled as he walked down the street, unsure whether it was because of Mochizuki, who was standing next to him with a tantrum, or because of the smiling senior sitting opposite him.

Carrying the milk back to the classroom, the boy helped the students on afternoon shift tidy up the bar area, and then sat back down next to his vice class monitor.

"I didn't expect Jun-kun to come back so quickly~" Tomatsu Yuka said with a smile as she watched him sit down.

"Didn't I tell you I'd be back early?" Jun Matsue reached out and smoothed out the tablecloth that had been crumpled by the guests.

"It feels a bit strange having Yuka all alone here."

"How could Wangyue let you go?" the girl asked with a smile.

"I told them in advance that I would come back to help," the boy said, pointing to the milk crates behind the bar.

"And those three young ladies should also have their own topics to talk about."

“Young lady~” Tomatsu Yuka deliberately added a bit more intonation to her tone, “You can tell from her voice that she doesn’t get along with commoners like us.”

"Is Yuka considered a commoner?" Jun Matsue glanced at her.

The girl tilted her head and winked her right eye with a grin.

"Being with Tsunkun makes me a happy ordinary citizen~"

After resting for twenty minutes in the warmly scented classroom with Tomomichi Kazuka, Mochizuki Haruka just happened to push open the classroom door as Matsueda Jun got up from his seat.

The young lady brought a bit of the cold air with her as she entered. The boy looked behind her—it was empty; no one had followed.

"Didn't your senior and Kokoro come back with you?"

Mochizuki Haruka's tense but pretty face finally relaxed. "They went downstairs and said they wanted to see Aya-chan's class."

Of course, she didn't think so—it must be that the cunning Yami Maki knew that someone was "changing shifts" to guard Matsueda Jun, and that she had no chance, so she temporarily gave up the attack!

"Should we go over and take a look?" Tomatsu Yuka peeked out from behind the boy.

"Forget it." Jun Matsueda shook his head. "Senpai isn't a real guest; she doesn't need us to stay with her all the time."

The girls then fell silent. Tomatsu Yuka got up to check the preparations for the afternoon at the bar, while Mochizuki Haruka turned to walk out of the classroom, only to be stopped by the boys.

Where is Wangyue going?

"Let's find a quiet place to sleep." The girl turned to the side, covering her mouth as she yawned.

"Don't worry about me, Songzhi. Just do your thing."

"When is Auntie coming?" Jun Matsuoka was more concerned about this.

Mochizuki Haruka turned her head and glanced at him again.

"Is Songzhi getting nervous?"

"A little." The boy nodded honestly.

"Then you can continue to be nervous for now." The girl's smile was both sweet and mischievous.

"Auntie also needs to take a nap. I'll tell you when she arrives."

The haughty young lady turned around, pushed open the classroom door and walked away. Matsueda Jun stood there for a while, then walked to the bar and ordered a cup of coffee.

A few minutes later, the shop's break ended, and the boy watched as Tomatsu Yuka opened the front door of the classroom to welcome the afternoon customers.

He put down his coffee, walked to the back of the classroom, and pushed open another door.

The cold air from the corridor rushed past his cheeks, and Jun Matsueda took a deep breath.

He feels even more nervous now than when he participated in the competition.

—Even when I face the entrance exam for the University of Tokyo in the future, I probably won't be more nervous than I am now.

After all, his aunt's attitude when she appears in the afternoon is more important to him than getting into the University of Tokyo.

"...Let's go find Sakamuro and have some fun."

After greeting Tomatsu Yuka at the other end of the classroom, Matsueda Jun stepped into the corridor alone.

Twenty minutes later, the boy and Ken Sakamuro walked out of the "casino" on the third floor together. He licked the orange chocolate ice cream in his hand.

"I told you not to go all in, you'll definitely lose money if you do."

“But going all in is so cool!” Ken Sakamuro mimicked the action of pushing chips onto the table.

"Isn't it handsome?"

Jun Matsueda glanced at him, “...You must never play gambling games that cost money in the future.”

"I originally wanted Matsueda to play, but if you don't play, I'll have to go on stage myself!"

The boy walked forward while complaining, and the two of them moved forward with the crowd in the corridor, with "tourists" from other classes joining them from time to time.

As he approached the door of the next classroom, Jun Matsueda's gaze paused—Maki Yami and Shin Kuroba were walking out of the door and heading towards him.

"Isn't this Maki-senpai?" Ken Sakamuro exclaimed in surprise. "She's back for the school festival too?"

"She came back this morning."

Hearing the knowing tone of the person next to him, he turned his head and blinked in surprise.

"You've already seen it?"

Jun Matsue nodded.

Ken Sakamuro glanced at the boy's calm expression, then looked at Maki-senpai, who was staring at him as he walked towards him from a distance.

Should I excuse myself?

“Actually, you don’t need to.” Jun Matsue took the last bite of his ice cream and handed him the bare popsicle stick.

"But could you help me take out the trash?"

When the girls arrived, Jun Matsueda was already gone. Maki Yami stopped and looked at the figure not far away.

"Didn't Matsueda play with Yuka and the others?"

"Even couples don't stay together all the time." The boy glanced at Kuroba Shin, who was looking down and taking out her game console.

How was your shopping experience?

"I'm quite happy." The senior smiled at him. "Xin-chan is tired, and we're just about to leave."

"...They're leaving already?" Jun Matsuoka was somewhat surprised.

"We've been wandering around for quite a while now." Yami Maki grabbed the arm of the girl next to her to prevent her from sneaking off while playing games.

"After all, the original purpose was to see the brass band, see Aya-chan, and then take Kokoro-chan for a stroll—all the goals have been achieved."

Of course, she didn't say what her biggest goal was.

“That’s true.” The boy nodded. “Then I’ll see you out of the school gate.”

Once again on the campus avenue, Kuroba, engrossed in his game console, quickened his pace without looking up, leaving the two behind.

"Don't worry about me, you two can talk."

"..." Yami Maki watched her walk away, somewhat amused and exasperated. "Sorry, that's just Kokoro's personality."

Jun Matsue watched the falling leaves drift past them. "It's quite interesting."

Having finally found some space to be alone, the girl walking down the street fell silent.

She had so much to say and so many questions to ask, but the distance from the teaching building to the school gate was only a few hundred meters.

Taking the time to clear her chaotic thoughts, Yamami Maki decided to first ask herself the question she was most curious about.

"Um, have Mochizuki Haruka and Yuuka decided to coexist peacefully now?"

Jun Matsuoka paused in his steps.

"It's just a trial run to see how we get along." The boy looked somewhat helpless. "I have to see my aunt this afternoon."

“…No wonder.” The girl turned her head and looked at his eyebrows and eyes carefully. “Matsueda-kun seems a little nervous, doesn’t he?”

"Yes, a little."

“After all, you’re a good kid.” Yamami Maki smiled. “After doing something like this, you’ll definitely feel guilty in front of Miss Hua.”

"But we still have to persevere." She suddenly reached out and gently punched the boy's arm.

"Even Mochizuki Haruka herself has given in, so what's the use of her aunt's opposition?"

Jun Matsue nodded slightly—they had reached the school gate and could see Kokoro Kuroha leaning against the wall.

"Good luck, Jun-kun~" Yamami Maki turned around.

The girl waved her hand, her woolen pleated skirt swaying playfully.

"I will come back in a few days to give a lecture on college entrance exam preparation to second-year students at the school's invitation."

"Hopefully, we'll hear good news from Tsunku then~"

The boy smiled naturally, "See you next time."

Yamami Maki's smiling eyes curved into a beautiful arc, like the edges of golden ginkgo leaves.

This is a line she would say every time she said goodbye to Tsun-kun.

See you next time~

Watching the petite girl with the hoodie on her arm walk away with her senior, Jun Matsue waited at the school gate for a while before turning around and walking towards the teaching building.

Thanks to Tosaka and his senior, he was indeed in a much better mood, so when his phone vibrated in his pocket, he didn't hesitate to take it out.

"Is Songzhi free right now? I need to talk to you about something."

Unfortunately, it wasn't news from Mochizuki or her aunt. Songzhi blinked regretfully.

His mindset is now similar to that of a regular exam—he hopes to finish the exam in one go so he can relax sooner.

Clicking on the penguin avatar with a camera icon, the boy avoided the crowd leaving campus and replied to the message with his head down.