Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 286

The girl in the crowd didn't speak, but just smiled softly and subtly.

The laughter carried a touch of springtime gentleness, which sounded so familiar to Jun Matsuoka, so he didn't turn around, but instead looked up at the menu again.

The iced latte they used to drink together has now gone up by 20 yen.

Chapter 503 Meeting and Farewell Can Be Done on the Same Day

Jun Matsueda heard a saying from a girl—

The more you think about someone, the more likely she is to appear before your eyes.

"I shouldn't have been thinking like that..." The boy thought to himself as he listened to the chatter behind him getting closer.

He glanced at Tomatsu Yuka in front of him; the girl was taking orders from the clerk and hadn't noticed the noise behind her.

As for her senior, she shouldn't make any unnecessary movements. It would be great if Tomatsu didn't notice her... Matsueda Jun thought about the most ideal situation.

Although he did intend to make Yamami Maki regret and be heartbroken, today was a beautiful, sunny day, and he planned to visit a shrine with Tomatsu and then go back to the library to study together.

The senior student came with her friends, so there's no point in making a scene.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as he planned. Among the group of girls approaching the bar, the girl at the back had fallen silent, while Tomatsu Yuka had finished ordering and turned to smile at the boy.

The shop assistant said it would be ready in a few minutes—

She stopped halfway through her sentence and looked at the crowd behind the boy. Yamami Maki had her head down, and her bangs blocked the girl's view.

"Isn't that Yuka?" the girls exclaimed in surprise, then looked at the boy standing to the side.

Jun Matsue turned around and greeted them with a smile, "Hello, seniors~ I didn't expect to run into you here."

"Is Matsueda-kun on a date with Yuka?" the girl standing in front of them asked curiously.

"It's just studying together~" Tomatsu Yuka blinked sweetly, "Now I plan to relax for a while and go see the Matsuin Shrine."

"Even dating is different for top students~" someone teased. "You two started dating on graduation day, right? The video of you kissing has gone viral, but I, who was there, didn't see it!"

The girl lowered her head, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Jun Matsue moved closer to her, and their shoulders touched.

"Actually, we've had feelings for each other for a long time," the boy said with a smile, "but we only made up our minds at graduation."

"I know, I know! It was during the race at the sports meet, the one with the 'person I like'!"

Yamami Maki, standing at the back of the crowd, trembled slightly as she looked at the smiling young boy and girl in front of her.

In the race where they borrowed objects, she still remembered that day when the person she "liked" was snatched away by Yuka.

But now it's been returned... she thought bitterly to herself.

Seeing Tomatsu Tomoka and Matsueda Jun being so affectionate in front of her, Yamami Maki realized that her pain wasn't as intense as she had expected.

Perhaps it was because the kiss at the graduation ceremony had already caused her pain, or perhaps it was because she had already seen the loving relationship between the two in Yu-hua's social media posts.

In short, the girl felt that she could leave the meeting in a slightly more dignified manner this time.

Yamami Maki took two steps to the corner, but Tomatsu Tomoka, who was in the center of the crowd, walked towards her.

"Yamami-senpai is back too~ It's been so long!"

The lovely junior waved with a smile, the sunlight streaming through the glass door onto her face, making her smile look incredibly warm.

No, I'm extremely happy.

Then Yamami Maki smiled and said, "We just got back from our graduation trip."

"Long time no see, Yuka."

With her back to the sunlight, her smile lacked warmth, appearing weak and powerless.

The girls around quieted down a little—everyone thought that Maki and Yuka had completely broken up, but now it seems that's not the case.

After all, they didn't really know the relationship between the girls.

Before the atmosphere cooled down, Jun Matsueda walked up to the girls with two cups of coffee.

"Yuhua, the coffee is ready."

According to their original plan, they could continue their journey after getting the coffee. However, Tomatsu Tomohana clearly changed her mind. She took the boy's arm and pulled him to a seat by the window.

A few minutes later, the girls who had finished ordering at the bar also walked over. The girl stood up and waved to Yamami Maki in the crowd.

"Senior, over here~"

Yamami Maki glanced to both sides, but her friends didn't try to stop her. So she stared at the floor tiles in front of her feet, walked over and sat down in front of the two of them.

The other girls sat in the booths at the back, and unlike the cheerful and noisy atmosphere behind them, the three of them sat at a rather quiet table.

"Where did you go on your graduation trip, senior?" Tomatsu Yuka asked, holding a coffee and leaning her upper body softly against the boy's arm.

“The Izu Peninsula.” Yamami Maki’s smile was like a cherry blossom, white with a hint of pink, swaying precariously in the wind. “Springtime is the perfect time to go.”

"Have you seen the Kawazu cherry blossoms?" Jun Matsueda asked casually. "Wasn't it around the time the Kawazu cherry blossoms were in full bloom after the graduation ceremony?"

"I went to Kawazu-cho." The girl nodded and took out her phone.

She didn't open her own photo album, but instead showed the two of them some updates from her friends—she wasn't in the mood to take photos herself.

The waitress brought over a cup of coffee, a hot latte that Yamami Maki had ordered. The girl took a sip, and a warm blush rose to her cheeks, making her look much healthier.

Tomatsu Yuka also took a sip of her coffee, then showed a surprised expression.

"This cherry blossom matcha latte isn't bitter at all! The sweetness and matcha flavor are just right. Would you like to try some, Tsunkun?"

Jun Matsueda lowered his head, and the girl brought the cup to his lips. Their actions were natural and intimate. Sitting opposite him, Maki Yamami maintained her smile, but blinked a little faster.

The coffee was indeed good, the boy nodded, and looked up at the senior, but couldn't find her gaze.

"I haven't congratulated you yet on your senior's advancement to a higher degree."

Yamami Maki's gaze finally focused as she looked at Matsueda Jun, who was smiling at her—not with the sharp edges she had seen when they first met, but with a gentle and sincere expression.

"Congratulations on getting into Ochanomizu University! I hope everything goes smoothly for you in the next four years."

"...Thank you, and I hope that Matsueda-san's final year at Haneoka High School will be fulfilling."

Tomatsu Yuka looked at the boy next to her, "Matsueda-kun, have you decided where you want to apply to?"

"Tokyo University, I guess." Jun Matsueda had already made up his mind. "Although it's not absolutely necessary, it doesn't make sense to turn down the best option."

"Then I'll choose Tokyo University too." The girl nodded firmly.

The three of them fell silent, quietly sipping their coffee. Tomatsu Yuka put down her cup, took out lip balm from her bag, and applied it.

Jun Matsue glanced at her, and based on their current understanding, he knew the girl wanted to kiss him.

"Kissing in front of your senior, huh?" Tomatsu Yuka met his gaze and said it all with her eyes.

However, the boy shook his head almost imperceptibly, rejecting her suggestion.

"Not going to do it?" The girl's long eyelashes fluttered.

forget it.

Tomatsu Yuka sighed softly, then stood up and smiled at the girl in front of her with her eyes slightly lowered.

"We still need to go to Matsukage Shrine, so we'll say goodbye to our senior now~"

"Okay." Yamami Maki nodded with a sigh of relief. "Goodbye..."

"Goodbye, senior." Jun Matsue waved to her, then stood up with the girl.

Before leaving his seat, he was stopped by his senior, Yamami Maki, who asked him hesitantly.

"Matsueda-kun... how are you doing these days?"

The boy paused for a moment, then laughed.

This was the brightest smile he had shown since they met today.

"I don't know if I'm happy or not, but I think my life is getting better."

"That's good..." The girl's voice was as soft as a breeze, yet it didn't stir any of the flowers.

The young boy and girl walked out of the store with coffee in their hands, passing by the outside of the floor-to-ceiling windows.

“Tsun-kun isn’t ruthless enough,” Tomatsu Tomoka said regretfully.

“It’s not that I’m not ruthless,” Jun Matsueda said calmly. “It’s just that after seeing her, I felt there was no need for further revenge.”

Yamami Maki watched the two people walk past her as they left, but through the glass, the girl didn't hear what they said.

She simply took out a handkerchief from her bag and calmly wiped away the tears that had welled up in her eyes.

Before the new school year began, Jun Matsueda met Maki Yami at a café they used to frequent. The sun was shining brightly and the sky was clear; it was the perfect day for both their meeting and their farewell.

Before leaving, Jun Matsueda originally wanted to complain to his senior about the changes in coffee prices, but this mere twenty yen seemed insignificant.

Thus, the image of Yami Maki left in his heart became a damp trace, which disappeared without a trace under the bright sunshine and warm breeze.

Chapter 504 The Ups and Downs of the New Year

On April 3rd, the new school year officially began at Haneoka High School.

Jun Matsue stood on the balcony on the fourth floor of the teaching building, clinging to the railing with the girl beside him, looking down at the bustling crowd below.

From a bird's-eye view, the heads of the first-year students looked like clusters of black mushrooms, slowly moving around surrounded by sailor uniforms and white shirts.

"Another year of new students entering school..." The boy rested his chin on his arm, his tone somewhat wistful.

“We’re the bosses of the school now.” Mochizuki Haruka turned to face him and tugged at her navy blue bow tie.

The school uniforms of Haneoka High School have different decorative colors for each grade. The light blue that was once the first grader's color has now become a symbol of maturity for the third grader.

"The coming year will be a year in which we lord it over everyone."

The girl said this in a very serious tone, and Jun Matsueda couldn't help but laugh.

"Are you planning to become the leader of Yuqiu High School?"

"Doesn't that sound pretty cool?" Mochizuki Haruka straightened up, her left hand resting on her skirt, her right hand on her waist, and one foot lightly tapping forward.

She raised her delicate chin, her arrogant gaze fixed on the face of the person in front of her.

"He seems more like a model than a delinquent," the boy commented.

Then the girl's cold gaze softened, she smiled faintly, and leaned against the railing beside him again. A gentle breeze blew, and a few strands of her black hair fluttered in the wind.

"Anyway, there's nothing to be sad about. Your future will definitely be more exciting than it is now, won't it?"

Before the warmth in Matsueda Jun's heart could spread, she added another sentence.

"Of course, the premise is that I have to break up with Tomatsu Yuka as soon as possible."

The boy's relaxed expression stiffened slightly as he watched the freshmen walk toward the auditorium. The girl leaned close to his ear and said something relentlessly.

"You've taken your revenge on Yami Maki for the entire spring break, and you've had your fun, haven't you? I don't think you still have much lingering affection for her."

"The new semester is starting, it's the perfect opportunity to break up!"

"Slowly drift apart from each other, and when people ask, just say that there were already some disagreements during the holidays. After a while, wouldn't it be justifiable to announce the breakup?"

"As for the reason, we found that our personalities are not compatible after spending time together, so it's better to remain friends—what does Songzhi think?"

Mochizuki Haruka's soft voice brushed against the boy's ear. Just as Matsueda Jun was about to speak, another girl's gentle voice called out from behind them.

"Jun-kun, Kominato-sensei wants us to go get the notification slip together."

The two people on the balcony turned around, and Tomatsu Yuka, who was standing in the corridor, smiled and waved to them.

"Tch." Mochizuki Haruka curled her lip in disdain and muttered, "A guy who can't read the room."

"Coming right away."

With his arms propped up on the railing, Jun Matsue walked toward the shady stairwell, the girl beside him tugging at his sleeve.

"Don't forget what I said, and remember to hurry up."

The fourth floor of the teaching building only had two classes, Class 5 and Class 6 of Grade 3, making it particularly quiet. The boys and girls walked through the corridor and went down the stairs together.

"The new school year has begun," Tomatsu Yuka said gently. "How do you plan to spend your final year of high school, Tsunku?"

Jun Matsue kept walking, watching a group of figures in school uniforms run past outside the stairwell. "Leave no regrets, do what needs to be done, that's enough."

"Don't you have any particular goals?" The girl tilted her head in confusion. "In that case, wouldn't I be completely useless by Tsunkun's side?"