Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 412

“Matsueda-kun, you’re still you…that’s wonderful…”

The boy didn't know what to say, so he just smiled at her.

"Can I have a hug?" The girl took a step closer and opened her arms. "I really want to hug you."

She needed a hug to ease the regret of watching her beloved walk into a swamp of decadence in her dream.

"..." Jun Matsue blinked, his senior's initiative caught him somewhat off guard.

"Give me a hug." Yami Maki repeated, "Give me a hug, and then I'll tell you everything about the system."

Her words were both a threat and a plea. The boy remained silent for a moment before standing up.

The girl quickly threw herself into his arms, her breathing rising and falling vividly, like a drowning person surfacing—perhaps because of her departure of more than half a year, or perhaps because she was only now waking up from a dream.

The boy stood straight, his embrace firm and strong, without any smell of tobacco or drugs, warm and reassuring... Yamami Maki confirmed once again that none of the things in her dream had happened yet.

Once her breathing had calmed down, Jun Matsue released the girl's embrace and sat down.

“…I’m sorry.” Yamami Maki’s voice was choked with emotion.

The boy shook his head, watching her sit down opposite him and wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"Would you like something to drink?" Jun Matsueda picked up the menu, trying to restore the atmosphere to normal.

"Just like you would be fine," the girl said without hesitation.

"...Then two mochas it is."

After the drinks were served and the waiter had walked away, Jun Matsueda stirred his coffee and pushed it towards the girl.

"So... Yamami-senpai was really simulated by the system?"

Yamami Maki nodded. "Ever since I met you that day, whether it's day or night, as soon as I fall asleep, I enter a dream simulated by the system..."

"Seeing the future of Matsueda-san."

"My future?" The boy frowned slightly. "Not your future?"

"Of course I was there too, but the things I dreamed about were all centered around you."

Although it's true that it's from her own perspective, Yamami Maki can certainly tell who the main character is in everything in the dream.

Jun Matsueda thought for a moment, "Is that the future where we continue our relationship?"

"...No." The girl's expression clearly darkened, like a dark cloud drifting in from the horizon.

She looked at the liquid mixed with chocolate sauce and coffee, "In the simulation, we are just like in reality. We have broken up and never got back together."

"..." Jun Matsue took a sip of coffee; this was rather strange.

Whether it's Mochizuki's or Tomatsu's simulation, it should all be about the future where I'm with them.

"So what is your simulation like?"

Yamami Maki looked at him, the girl blinked nervously, and then took a deep breath.

"After this summer vacation ends, Jun and Matsueda will break up with Tomoka."

"..." Unexpected yet reasonable, the boy was somewhat unwilling.

How did you break up?

"It's probably because you confessed to Mochizuki Haruka that you wanted to have your cake and eat it too, and she refused to accept it—I only found out the reason after you went to university and met Yuka."

Jun Matsueda raised an eyebrow. "How long did you simulate it?"

"Three or four years, I guess." The girl's eyes seemed lost in memories. "But it's not continuous, it's like a stage play, scene by scene."

"And it wasn't me who experienced these things, but Yamami Maki from my dream."

Otherwise, just receiving information and organizing the situation would be enough to leave Yamami Maki stunned for a long time every time the "plot" jumps.

Jun Matsue glanced at his phone; it was 2 PM, plenty of time.

"Please continue, senior."

He broke up with Tomatsu Yuka at the end of August and officially announced his relationship with Mochizuki Haruka.

In May of the following year, he secretly reconciled with Tomatsu Yuka, fell into a cold war with Mochizuki Haruka, and at the same time, Kurusu Yosei announced his relationship and left the agency, getting into a contract dispute.

Upon hearing this, Jun Matsueda's hand holding the coffee trembled slightly.

At the end of the following year, Yosei Kurusu drove away from Tokyo with Jun Matsueda, and the two disappeared for two whole months.

"Did I come with Laiqi on my own initiative?"

Yamami Maki nodded. "Later you told me that it was because Tomatsu Tomoka and Mochizuki Haruka made you feel too tired."

The boy took another sip of coffee.

Two months later, Jun Matsue brought Yosei Kurusu back to Tokyo because Haruka Mochizuki had gone to see a psychologist, and Tomohana Tomatsu was skipping classes to find him, putting her academic credits in jeopardy.

"And then?" Jun Matsueda couldn't help but ask, looking at the girl who had stopped talking.

“After that, things spiraled out of control.” Yami Maki’s eyes looked like she was exploring a haunted house. “All three of them wanted to have you all to themselves, and none of them were willing to give in—or rather, if they did, they would be kicked out by the others.”

"The last time I saw you was at the psychological counseling center in Setagaya. The Matsueda I saw then was a completely different person from the one in front of me."

"Did Jun Matsue in the simulation not do anything?" the boy asked, frowning.

“Matsueda tried her best at first, but you couldn’t bear to abandon them.” The girl’s eyes were filled with sympathy and affection.

"Your bottom line is in the hands of Mochizuki and the others, which is why they can use any means necessary with confidence..."

Jun Matsue silently sipped his coffee; he was now beginning to taste the flavor.

“So Jun-kun can’t go on like this!” Yamami Maki slammed her hands on the table.

None of this has happened yet, and she is not the simulated version of herself—the current her has the ability to prevent her beloved from going astray.

The boy put down his coffee. "...These things might not even happen."

"But if I don't tell you these things, will it really not happen?" The girl leaned forward, closing the distance between them.

"The future in the simulation isn't just a pipe dream—aren't you already dating both of them at the same time?"

At this point, Yamami Maki's feelings were even more bitter and complicated than the coffee in front of her.

The girl named Matsueda who flatly rejected her request for a secret relationship back then is now two-timing her...

"Didn't Mochizuki Haruka already tell you to make a decision before summer vacation?"

Jun Matsueda clenched his fist on the table—this was the only thing his senior could not possibly know through any means outside the system.

“If Matsueda-san doesn’t believe me…” Yami Maki began searching for sufficiently compelling evidence.

"Looking at houses!" she remembered. "Wang Yueyao will take you to look at houses during the summer vacation."

"Although she said it was just to take a look at the house before going to university, she had already bought it when she took you to see it."

"Are you going to act first and ask questions later?" The boy stared at the porcelain cup in front of him.

The coffee is almost gone.

"Then let's wait a while." He looked up.

"Thank you, Yamami-senpai. I need some time to think about it."

"..." Yamami Maki looked into the boy's eyes, her expression somewhat uneasy.

"I understand. If you have any questions, Matsueda-san, you can come to me anytime."

Even though the girl has seen the future, she is still Jun Matsueda's ex-girlfriend with whom she has a rift.

The door to the coffee shop was pushed open, and the hanging bell rang with a clear and melodious sound. A few minutes later, the doorbell rang again.

Yamami Maki watched the boy walk away; his back didn't seem firm—the girl hoped it would eventually lean towards her side.

The time on her phone was 3 p.m. She opened her parasol; she still had things to do.

"I'll go buy an album for my sister first," Yamami Maki thought, looking towards the record store not far away.

As for Denny's studio in Shibuya... the girl paused in her steps.

She doesn't plan to go to her home studio anymore.

In the simulation, she could only watch Tsunku fall into the abyss because she had always been a member of the Yami family. Therefore, she could not see Matsueda Jun, nor help him, and could only watch from the sidelines time and time again.

And someone like that naturally wouldn't have a happy future.

Yamami Maki opened her parasol and walked against the sunlight, passing by a bustling crowd. She looked at the spire in the distance, shimmering and undulating in the summer air.

"As long as I'm still a child of the Yami family... I can't do anything."

Her tone was one of resolute relief.

After meeting Jun Matsueda, Maki Yami felt that she was much stronger than she had imagined.

For Jun-kun, and for myself.

She wants to change the future.

Chapter 675 Planning Ahead

When Jun Matsueda returned to his apartment, he was greeted not only by the blast of cold air but also by the clattering sound of a girl's slippers.

"Matsue's back?" Yosei Kurusu walked up to him carrying a large tub of ice cream, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Why are you sweating so much? Your clothes are soaked."

Before the boy could answer, Mochizuki Haruka, who had heard the door open, emerged from next door and walked behind him.

"...a strong smell of sweat." The eldest daughter of the Mochizuki family wrinkled her nose in disgust.

While saying this, she actually enjoyed licking the sweat off a man's neck and shoulders in bed.

Jun Matsue clutched his shirt and looked down at his sweaty vest, tugging at his chest.

"Didn't he go play ball with Ken Sakamuro?"

He really did go play basketball with Ken Sakamuro—he finished meeting his senior a little after 3 p.m., and the basketball court Sakamuro frequented was right next to Shibuya, so joining him wouldn't be a problem at all.

Exercise is the best way to clear your mind when it's confused. Jun Matsue played for an hour and a half with all his might and felt much better.

"I'm going to take a shower first." He walked towards the bathroom, and the girl followed him into the living room.

"What are you doing in here?" Kurusu Yosei scooped up a spoonful of ice cream and put it in his mouth. "Didn't we agree to keep to ourselves?"

"Who said that to you?" Mochizuki Haruka sat down at the dining table, her tone not as assertive as usual.

After all, that's what she's been doing lately; she just hadn't seen Matsueda Jun all afternoon, so the girl rushed over to check on him.

As the bathroom sliding door closed, the girls' voices in the living room became muffled, like the rough glass on the door. Jun Matsue turned on the tap, and cold water rushed onto the insteps of his feet, the cool temperature spreading upwards along his calves.

"..." The water temperature wasn't as cool as he had imagined. The highest temperature in Mitsubishi today was 39 degrees Celsius, and even the tap water was a bit hot.

With his eyes closed, the sound of the water falling to the ground drowned out the noise from the outside world, and the heat emanating from his body gradually subsided. The boy recalled the conversation he had in the coffee shop not long ago.

He had considered that he would be torn between the feelings of the girls, but he never expected that Matsueda Jun in the senior's simulation would be so miserable and pathetic.

So, is it really impossible for them to coexist...?

There wasn't much time to think. As the cold water washed away the sweat, two discordant footsteps approached the door.

"Does Matsue want to cook dinner tonight?" Kurusu Yosei gently knocked on the bathroom door. "I'm not really hungry."

The boy opened his eyes, wiping away the tears around his eyes. "What other food is in the fridge?"

"There's only cabbage and eggs left." Taking advantage of her size, Mochizuki Haruka squeezed in front of the girl and pushed her out a bit.

"Let's order takeout tonight." Jun Matsueda turned off the water and squeezed some shampoo onto his hands.

"I'll have some after I shower," he added.

If either Kurusu or Mochizuki were to come, one of them would most likely skip dinner.

"OK~" Kurusu Yosei whistled, and Mochizuki Haruka pushed her out of the bathroom.

A few minutes later, the boy, who had changed into dry clothes, returned to the living room while drying his hair. "What do you want to eat?"

"Pasta~" The girl on the sofa waved the remote control.

“Pizza.” The girl sitting at the table looked at him.

"Then let's have some pasta and a pizza," Jun Matsueda said, picking up his phone. "Kurusu, let's see what flavors you'd like, and drinks too..."