Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 316

After asking a series of questions, the girl leaned back in her chair as if relieved, her body tilting towards the boy and resting on his arm.

Tomatsu Akira let out a long sigh, like a man returning home from get off work, closing the door to his house, finally able to take off his tight suit jacket.

"Actually, there's no particularly complicated reason. It's just that my relationship with your mother has cooled down."

Jun Matsue watched as the girl beside him trembled slightly with her eyelashes.

"Yuka is a sensible adult now, so you should understand what I'm telling you."

The man picked up his coffee again; adults need this the more they feel when they're in a bad state.

"Your mother and I have been separated for too long and have contacted each other too infrequently, so our relationship has faded a lot."

“That’s how it is with couples,” the man sighed again. “Many marriages are maintained by inertia.”

“And that inertia no longer exists between your mother and me.”

As Jun Matsue listened to him speak, he gripped the soft object in his hand tightly.

Tomatsu Yuka seemed to have prepared herself mentally; her trembling hands had calmed down.

"...After all, it's been six years." The girl smiled.

“Yes.” Tomatsu Akira nodded. “Your mother’s career has recently entered a period of growth. She means that if you get back together, there will be too many variables in your life.”

Looking at the calm brown surface of the ceramic cup, Jun Matsue could think from such a perspective, which suggested that Tomatsu's mother truly didn't have much affection for him anymore.

"Yuhua, don't blame your mother, she wasn't actually wrong." The man chuckled self-deprecatingly. "I have been considering starting a new relationship lately."

Tomatsu Yuka looked up.

"If you've done any secret investigation, you should have seen my colleagues as well."

The boy remembered the woman who was always described as "a bit annoying" by the girl.

“She used to be my subordinate, and now she works at the same company as me. She was the one who supported me through those days when I hadn’t paid off my debts.”

Tomatsu Akira patted his shirt up and down. "The reason I look pretty good right now is all thanks to her."

“I didn’t have those feelings for her at first, but we’re not young anymore, and I couldn’t just ignore her feelings.”

"..." He didn't continue, and there was no need to go into the specifics. It was enough for his daughter to understand the current situation.

"I see." The girl's smile was somewhat forced. "I understand."

"Since Yuka's here, how about we have dinner together tonight?" the man changed the subject. "Matsue-kun, you should come too, it's on me."

"No need," Tomatsu Yuka shook her head. "Tsunku and I had planned to spend some time alone together tonight."

"And there are people waiting for Dad outside."

She waved to the window with a smile. Tomatsu Akira turned around and realized that the woman he had just mentioned was standing at the crossroads, watching them.

Matsueda Jun guessed that he probably followed Mr. Itomatsu out because he seemed to be in a hurry today.

He looked at the woman standing on the sidewalk. She looked a few years younger than the man, with a gentle and refined demeanor, perfectly fitting the image of a virtuous wife in people's eyes.

“That’s enough for today,” Tomatsu Yuka said to her father. “Don’t keep her waiting too long.”

The girl experienced all sorts of waiting, from the dilapidated second floor of the villa to the upscale apartment with its cold lights, and the empty seats in the classroom.

She knew that waiting was unpleasant.

The man hesitated for a moment in front of his coffee, then looked back at the woman outside the window, as if he could see her unease.

He stood up before the woman turned around.

"You can come to me anytime you want—you're an adult now, no one can restrict your freedom."

"Mm!" Tomatsu Yuka nodded with a smile, but couldn't even bring herself to say "let's keep in touch."

Tomatsu Akira picked up his suit jacket, left the booth, glanced at the young men and women sitting there, and then walked out of the cafe.

The departing figure was blocked by the billboard outside the window. Jun Matsueda looked at the girl beside him, whose face still held a smile—the kind of polite smile he knew all too well.

He pulled Tomatsu Yuka into his arms and whispered.

"Cry if you want to."

Tears instantly soaked his shoulder.

Chapter 555 Begging

A well-dressed waiter carrying an empty tray walked down the aisle of the café and quickly noticed two customers sitting by the window—a girl was leaning on a boy's shoulder, seemingly crying.

The waiter quietly walked up to the two of them, cast an inquiring glance at the guests, and after the boy gently shook his head, he bowed slightly and quietly left.

After seeing the waiter off, Jun Matsue looked down at the girl in his arms. She seemed to have cried herself to sleep, and her trembling body had temporarily calmed down.

He gently patted the girl's thin back, as if soothing a baby to sleep.

"Would you like something to drink to catch your breath?"

Tomatsu Yuka lifted her head from the boy's arms. Her face was wet. Luckily, the girl wasn't wearing makeup today, otherwise she would be in a terrible mess.

Jun Matsue wiped away the girl's tears with a tissue. Her eyes were closed, and her wet eyelashes were stuck together, reminding him of newborn animals in animal documentaries—those frail creatures still covered in amniotic fluid.

A damp tissue gently touched her face, the corners of her eyes and eyelashes, from her chin to the tip of her nose. Tomatsu Yuka opened her eyes, her expression somewhat bewildered.

"What time is it now?"

The boy glanced at the clock. "It's just past 6:30."

"...So Daddy has only been gone for about twenty minutes?" Tears welled up in the girl's eyes again. "I feel like I've been crying in Chunjun's arms for ages."

Jun Matsue placed the macchiato that the girl hadn't finished in front of her, saying, "If you're too sad, it's easy to lose your sense of time."

Tomatsu Yuka took the coffee cup and slowly sipped it. "Aside from Tsunuk's matter, this is the first time I've been this heartbroken..."

Her tears fell into the glass, softening the overly sweet taste of the cooled caramel macchiato.

The boy sighed softly and looked out the window. Mr. Tomatsu and the lady had long since disappeared—after today, their relationship should soon see a resolution.

The girl put down her coffee cup and silently lowered her head.

"It feels like I've been abandoned by my parents..."

“That’s not quite right.” Jun Matsue took her hand and squeezed the tip of her slender index finger. “They still love you. Ms. Tomatsu has provided you with a comfortable life, and he wasn’t angry at all when you investigated Uncle Akira’s affairs.”

"However... they also have their own lives to live now."

"But I don't want this kind of love," the girl said weakly, her eyes filled with disappointment.

"I don't want to live in a spacious, cold apartment where I walk in and find myself all alone."

“I don’t want to hear ‘You’re an adult now,’ and I don’t want any unrestricted freedom.”

"I just want to make up for the six years we missed together with my mom and dad..."

Tomatsu Tomoka's tears began to flow freely again.

"So, that home we used to live in can never be returned to, right?"

Jun Matsue stretched out his arms and hugged her tightly once again, the girl's chin resting on his shoulder.

"Chunjun, do you think Dad might have blamed us too?" Her tone was somewhat self-reproachful.

“We should have been a family sharing weal and woe, but we abandoned him and chose a stable life.”

“During those six years when we were at our lowest point, none of us were by Dad’s side. He must have had some resentment in his heart, right?”

"That has nothing to do with you." The boy's gentle voice rang in her ear.

"How old were you back then? Your parents made this decision. Since they were able to divorce so smoothly, they must have already discussed it beforehand."

"Perhaps they regretted it later, but the choice they made back then cannot be changed."

"The first thing we have to learn as adults is to take responsibility for the choices we make."

Jun Matsue stroked the girl's back repeatedly, trying to soothe her wounded heart.

"So don't feel like you did something wrong."

“Is that so…” Tomatsu Yuka murmured to herself on his shoulder.

“Of course you’re not wrong,” the boy said again. “Back then, you didn’t even have the right to choose.”

"I see..."

The girl reached out to wipe away her tears. Just as Jun Matsue was about to hand her a tissue, his phone, which was next to him, suddenly rang.

The image of a black cat was enlarged on his phone screen; it was a call from Mochizuki Haruka.

Jun Matsue glanced at the girl beside him, then lowered his head. His fingers hesitated for a moment before pressing the hang-up button.

Before Mochizuki sent his inquiry, he replied, "It's not convenient for me to answer the phone right now."

"What are you doing??" Mochizuki Haruka asked, adding an extra question mark.

The boy looked up, and Tomatsu Yuka gazed at the warm yellow light shining from the ceiling, taking small sips of her coffee.

He held his phone to the side and casually snapped a picture of the coffee shop. "Don't overthink it in the coffee shop."

"So you're not coming home for dinner tonight? It's almost seven o'clock."

"I'm not sure, you eat first."

After quickly sending the last message, Jun Matsueda placed his phone face down on the table, and the girl who had finished her coffee turned her head in tacit agreement.

"I'm feeling a bit tired right now. Could you please take me home, Jun-kun?"

"Now?" The boy blinked in surprise. "How about we grab a bite to eat outside, or rest for a bit before going back?"

"No, thank you." Tomatsu Yuka gently shook her head. "Mom isn't working overtime today. She just messaged me and she's home now."

"...Are you going back?" Jun Matsue asked.

He knew that the girl had mixed feelings about her current home.

“…Mmm.” The girl wiped away her tears with a tissue. “Mom is waiting for me to come home for dinner.”

"And I also want to have a good talk with her tonight."

The boy secretly breathed a sigh of relief—if Tomatsu had said he didn't want to go home today, he couldn't seem to find a reason to refuse.

“Then I’ll call you a taxi.” Jun Matsueda picked up his phone. “It’s getting late, and taking the subway is too much trouble.”

"Okay." The girl nodded obediently.

Half an hour later, the two stood at the foot of the luxury apartment building in Zenpukuji River.

As the sound of a car driving away echoed behind her, Tomatsu Yuka reluctantly let go of the boy's hand.

Before heading towards the apartment door, she looked into her beloved's eyes and spoke as if pleading.

"Chun-kun, can we break up a little later?"

Jun Matsue pursed his lips and looked at the ornate door behind the girl.

"Have I been a decent girlfriend for the past two months?" Tomatsu Yuka asked pitifully.

"I never asked you for any reward. I'm already very happy to be Jun-kun's girlfriend."

"But at least, at least wait until I can accept what my parents are doing before we break up, okay?"

"Now, you're the only one who can stay by my side..."

Faced with the girl's hopeful yet uneasy gaze, Jun Matsueda could only nod.

Tomatsu Yuka's face finally showed a hint of genuine joy. She hugged the boy again before slowly letting go and turning to walk towards the apartment.

"Remember to message me if anything comes up," he said as a final remark.

Watching the girl wave as she disappeared behind the automatic door, Jun Matsueda lowered his head and took out his phone to send a message.

"Go home now."

Mochizuki Haruka replied quickly, "I thought you weren't planning to come back tonight."

The boy looked up. Night had fallen, and the streets were covered with shadows of varying shades of gray-blue, creating a somber and gloomy scene.

He put down his phone and sighed, feeling a headache coming on.

How am I supposed to explain this to Mochizuki...?