Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 303

"Then, I'll head back now..." Natsumi Imokawa felt it wasn't appropriate for her to stay any longer, so she turned around, walked to her backpack, and stuffed her camera inside.

"Wait a minute." Jun Matsue called out to her, "Imagawa's backpack must be heavy, let me take you to the station."

"Would you like to rest here, or come with me?" he asked the girl beside him.

Tomatsu Yuka breathed a sigh of relief. She gripped the boy's hand tightly, as if entrusting all her weight to it.

"I want to stay by Matsueda's side."

Standing in front of the station entrance, Jun Matsue helped the girl put on her backpack, saying, "Remember to send me a message when you get home."

“Okay.” Natsumi Imokawa turned around. “Um, Tomatsu-kun, you don’t need to worry too much about the filming.”

Watching the large backpack climb the steps and obscure the girl's back, Tomatsu Yuka smiled bitterly.

"I'm sorry to have caused you trouble."

The boy released her hand, and Tomatsu Yuka looked up dejectedly—what came first was a chop to the head, neither too hard nor too soft, striking her squarely.

"If you can't even take care of your own feelings, don't even think about whether you'll cause trouble for others."

The girl smiled again, this time her smile was much more reassuring, "Because you're the one in trouble."

"Although my own feelings are also important, Tsunkun's matter must be put first."

Jun Matsueda shook his head helplessly. "We should find a place to have a proper talk. How about a coffee shop or somewhere else? You pick."

“Hmm…” Tomatsu Yuka blinked. “I want to stay outdoors. An open environment makes me feel better.”

The two walked around the streets and eventually found a green park.

They sat down on a bench, facing a vast lawn. Unlike Ueno Park, the green park on the outskirts of Tokyo was not crowded. The sparse figures, like wildflowers in the grass, made those sitting here feel less alone.

A flat frisbee spun across the lawn, followed by a collared sheepdog, leaving a playful black and white shadow in its wake.

"So what's going on today?" Jun Matsue looked at the girl sitting next to him. Her skirt spread out in a beautiful shape on the chair, bright and beautiful like a flower.

Is it because you're planning to break up?

He has never liked to avoid talking about problems. Since a problem has arisen, even if the process is difficult, it is better to resolve it as soon as possible.

Tomatsu Yuka was silent for a moment, then said, "It's a family matter."

"At home?" This answer surprised Jun Matsueda.

"Weren't we just saying good news before, that your father has paid off his debts and we can see each other freely?"

"Yes." The girl's happy tone from the karaoke room had vanished. "I thought we'd be back to the days when the three of us lived together."

The boy had a bad feeling; Tomatsu's situation might be even more complicated than the breakup—in his experience, anything related to family was never easy to handle.

"Dad and Mom... don't seem to have any plans to get back together."

Looking at the elderly people on the lawn who were smiling warmly at their pets, Tomatsu Yuka said in a bewildered tone.

Jun Matsue was momentarily at a loss for words—the relationship between Tomatsu's parents was not something he could comment on.

"So it's not that there's been another problem with the debt, right? At least it's better than before when even meeting up was a problem." That was all he could say to comfort her.

"But back then, I could still think that our family would be reunited someday..."

The girl's tone grew increasingly somber. She wiped her eyes, and the tears on the back of her hand glistened in the sunlight.

"Now you're telling me we can't be a family anymore..."

“I’m already eighteen years old, and my parents don’t even need to fight for custody of me.”

"Dad won't come back, Mom is busy with work. We used to be so happy living together, how did it turn out like this..."

Tomatsu Yuka kept wiping away her tears, which flowed down her arms to her elbows and dripped onto the wooden chair.

Jun Matsue's lips moved, but he didn't speak.

This is an unsolvable problem, and perhaps the girl understood this, which is why she appeared so heartbroken.

"Tsun-kun," Tomatsu Tomoka looked up, "can you hug me?"

"I don't want to do anything right now, and I don't need you to say anything. Just hug me, that's all..."

The boy opened his arms, and the girl, like a bird exhausted from flying, fell into his embrace.

Jun Matsue held her like that for an hour.

The couple who were taking a walk left, the kite on the lawn fell to the ground, and the elderly man walking his dog also left.

Before leaving, the sheepdog sniffed curiously in front of the two of them. The boy wrinkled his nose as he watched it—it seemed to smell only salty and bitter odors.

After an unknown amount of time, the body in his arms trembled and uttered words that sounded like a dream.

"It's a bit cold..."

"The sun is blocked," Jun Matsue said gently. "It's getting late, we should go home."

“But I can’t go back to my home anymore.” Tomatsu Yuka looked up at him, her eyes blurry with tears.

Even if it's just for today, that's fine.

"May I go to Jun-kun's house?"

Chapter 534 Talking about the present, and reminiscing about the past.

As he took out the key to unlock the door and pushed open the door to room 507, Jun Matsueda seemed somewhat dazed.

Tomatsu Tomoka was standing quietly behind him.

The last time the girl stood at his door was when she was suspended from school—at that time, Jun Matsuoka was standing inside the room, and when he opened the door and saw her, he was still full of vigilance.

More than 600 days have passed in the blink of an eye. Where did that wary man go?

"Tsun-kun?" Tomatsu Yuka asked in confusion as she saw the boy in front of her stop what he was doing.

“…It’s nothing.” Jun Matsue came to his senses and pushed open the door in front of him.

As we entered the foyer, Jun Matsue bent down to open the shoe cabinet. "Wait a moment, I'll find you a pair of slippers."

Tomatsu Yuka stood obediently beside him, curiously looking around the living room and kitchen, before glancing at the boy who was bending over.

“There are so many slippers on the shelf…” Her gaze stopped.

Jun Matsue paused in his rummaging. He glanced at the row of slippers placed beside him, belonging to Haruka Mochizuki, his aunt, Aya Miyamura, and Yosei Kurusu.

"Cai-chan and the others," he said without looking up, seemingly not intending to explain who they were.

“I know.” The girl nodded behind him. “Is Mochizuki-san next door right now?”

"...Mochizuki lives in 506, but she's staying at her own home tonight, not in the apartment."

Jun Matsue found a pair of pure white cloth slippers and placed them next to the girl's feet. "You should be able to wear these. See if they fit."

"Thank you~" Tomatsu Yuka turned her head to look behind her, bent down and took off the heel of her uniform shoes.

"They fit perfectly." She changed into slippers and lightly stomped her feet on the floor.

"That's good." Jun Matsue walked into the living room. "Go wash your face first, your tears haven't even dried yet."

The girl smiled shyly at his retreating figure. "Where's the restroom?"

"Across from the bedroom," the boy pointed to the corner of the wall opposite the kitchen, "I'll heat up a glass of milk for you."

Following the soft footsteps towards the corridor, Jun Matsuoka took a large carton of milk from the refrigerator, went into the kitchen, lit the stove, and poured the white liquid into the pot.

When he returned to the living room with the hot milk, Tomatsu Yuka was already sitting on the sofa, lost in thought.

"Here you go." The boy placed the cup on the coffee table. "Didn't you say you were cold? Drink more milk."

The girl picked up the cup, held it in both hands for a few seconds as if to feel the warmth of the milk, and then brought the rim to her lips and began to drink it in small sips.

"It's so warm..." she sighed.

Jun Matsue sat next to the girl, their hands a little distance apart—a distance that could be immediately bridged by either of them if they were to fall in love.

"Eating more hot and sweet foods will make you feel better."

“I see.” Tomatsu Tomohana nodded. “That’s why I don’t like drinking bitter things.”

The two were silent for a while. The girl held the unfinished milk and looked around the living room.

"It's so different from what I remembered."

Jun Matsue blinked; he didn't understand what Tomatsu was saying.

"It's just these furnishings and the atmosphere," the girl smiled. "In my memory, it's simple and quiet."

The boy understood, "After all, so much time has passed."

Tomatsu Yuka last came here two years ago in the summer. He had only been living here for a short time. At that time, Matsueda Jun didn't have a roommate, let alone a rich young lady living next door to him.

The once simple living room now bears many traces of other people's presence, and the girl's expression turned sad again.

"I feel like I've missed out on so much..."

"Would you like to watch TV or listen to some music?" Jun Matsueda changed the subject.

"I don't want any of that." Tomatsu Yuka shook her head. "I just want someone to talk to me."

“…Alright then.” The boy sighed. “Tell me about your troubles.”

The girl picked up a cat paw pillow that someone had left behind, put it in her arms, and moved a little closer to the person next to her.

"Didn't I tell Jun-kun before that Dad has paid off his debts?"

"Hmm." Jun Matsue looked at his right hand, which was half-covered by the hem of his skirt, which was close to his body.

"After that, I met with my father a few times with my mother."

"At first, I was quite happy. We ate together, went shopping, and watched movies together, which reminded me of the old days."

"But then I found out... Mom didn't seem as happy as I thought, and Dad never mentioned moving in with us."

Tomatsu Yuka leaned back on the sofa and rested her head on the boy's shoulder.

"It seems like I'm the only one still dreaming about the future that the three of us share, that belongs to this family..."

"What do your parents think?" Jun Matsuoka asked softly.

"Mom said that Dad has found someone new he likes."

"..." Matsueda Jun thought for a moment. Tomatsu's parents divorced when she was in the first year of junior high school, which was almost six years ago. It was not surprising that she fell in love with someone else.

"Are you sure?" As a former deputy director of the news department, he still asked cautiously.

"I don't know." The girl shook her head, and the boy's body swayed slightly.

"Mom just told me today, I haven't had a chance to ask Dad yet."

"It would be better to ask him."

"Hmm... but I don't want to ask anymore today, let's talk about it tomorrow." Tomatsu Yuka leaned wearily into the boy's arms.

Even if the affair was fake, the adults' attitudes still speak for themselves.

“Maybe they’re just having trouble adjusting because they haven’t lived together for so long?” Jun Matsueda’s tone was like that of someone comforting children in an orphanage.

“Look, your mother hasn’t been in a relationship for so many years. When she talks about your father, she uses the term ‘someone she likes,’ not ‘a lover’ or ‘a wife.’”

"Mmm..." The girl closed her eyes and made a soft nasal sound.

Tomatsu Yuka was really tired. She had been keeping these things to herself for a while, and if Tsunku hadn't brought them up, she probably would have continued to keep them bottled up.

Just like how the girl never told Jun Matsueda about her family before her father brought good news—she didn't want the boy to have any unnecessary trouble because of her.

"So you're still not planning to go home today?" Jun Matsue asked, stroking her soft, long hair. It was already getting dark outside on the balcony.

"What's the point of going back?" Tomatsu Yuka opened her eyes.

“My mother has been sleeping in a hotel near the company for the past few days. She said that the project is in a critical period.”

"As for my father, I still don't know where he lives."

Jun Matsue could only sigh; it seemed there was really no need to go back to such a home.

"Let's talk about it after dinner." He patted the girl's shoulder, gesturing for her to stand up. "What do you want to eat tonight?"

“Anything Jun-kun makes is fine.” Tomatsu Tomoka sat up straight reluctantly.

The girl knew that all the warmth she needed could be found in Jun Matsueda.