Am I being simulated by their love affair?

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"Tomatsu Tomoka's scheming can't control you, my temptations can't attract you, and the girl you like, Yamami Maki, has liked you for a long time."

"You have everything without changing anything, and you've taken our hearts."

"Why would someone like you give in to the Yamami family?"

"You gave up on what you liked and what you persisted in."

"It's not even because of the person you like, but because of her family."

Is it really worth it?

She looked into his eyes.

Chapter 412 His Wavering

The two remained silent in the room for a long time, so quiet that they could almost hear the faint noise coming from the other end of the corridor.

Jun Matsue walked past the girl to the drum kit and picked up the cymbals that had fallen to the ground.

"What Mochizuki said makes a lot of sense."

He placed the cymbals on a cabinet to the side and wiped the dust off the surface with a cleaning cloth. There was no deformation from the impact, and fortunately, the cymbals were sturdy enough to be used again.

"But you're wrong about one thing."

He picked up the face oil that was lying to the side, and the silent girl walked up to him. "She just told me this when I was chatting with my grandma on the lawn."

"I have changed a lot."

After wiping and cleaning, Jun Matsue continued to install the drum kit.

“When Tomatsu spread rumors about me, I didn’t retaliate or attack her, because she changed me.”

"Later, when you controlled me and depended on me, I didn't abandon you either, because you changed me."

"So it's only natural that I changed after meeting my senior."

"Humans are just that kind of creature; the deeper the connection they form with their companions, the more they will be changed. Isn't that unavoidable?"

Compared to his peers, Jun Matsueda was brave; he was willing to be the one to give first and make changes first, which is why he won the hearts of young girls.

"Sophistry," Mochizuki Haruka said mercilessly, watching the boy tighten the screws.

"If the reason why you, me, and Tomomi Tomaka have become who we are today is because of the changes we brought about by each other, then is your current change really necessary for you and Yamami Maki?"

"If you don't do this, will you and her not be able to get together?"

"Isn't this an unnecessary request from her family?"

She watched as the boy stopped what he was doing.

Neither your aunt nor I asked you to do anything.

"I don't know what Tomatsu Yuka is thinking, but the relationship between her and her mother isn't very harmonious. Even so, she has never mentioned these things to you, and only shows you her best side."

“Laiqi Youshi is now a well-known idol, but she doesn’t put on any airs. She still lives with you despite the risk of being followed by gossip reporters, and she even accompanies you to the orphanage to perform for the children.”

"What has Yamami Maki done for you? Besides those material benefits, what else has her family given you?"

Have they ever smiled at you? Have they ever cared about you? Have they ever made you feel warm?

“But I haven’t given anything to my senior either.” Jun Matsue stood up.

"That's just your own opinion." Mochizuki Haruka suddenly stood on tiptoe and placed her hands on the boy's cheeks.

"You make her feel safe, happy, and connected with all the beautiful things in the world, which is why she likes you."

Jun Matsue could clearly see the changes in the girl's pupils, and their gazes seemed to connect.

"Of course, you might have sensed those things from her as well." Out of displeasure with Yami Maki, she added the word "maybe."

"So if you ask each other to change, that's fair of you."

“But the Yamami family is not worthy,” Mochizuki Haruka said decisively.

"Mingming Jianmoji is the one who has given the least, so why should you listen to her family? Just because she wants more?"

Jun Matsue was speechless.

He had been trying to reason with the girl, but it was clear that her questions were not logically sound.

The noise outside the door grew louder, and footsteps, some hurried and some slow, came from the other end of the corridor, as if the performance had finally come to an end.

Hearing the calls for Matsueda Jun from down the hallway, Mochizuki Haruka glanced at the boy; there was no time to continue the conversation.

"Songzhi, I'll ask you one last, very simple question."

"Like you said, you changed for us before, do you regret it now?"

Jun Matsueda did not answer, but both of them knew the answer.

"Will you regret making these changes now?"

"That's the biggest difference."

As the girl spoke, she cupped the boy's face in her hands, then stood on tiptoe and left a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Whenever you want to turn back, I will always be by your side."

Mochizuki Haruka left the room.

Jun Matsue didn't know what his mindset was when he left the orphanage, but that didn't matter.

That evening, he received a call from the Yamami family.

"Matsueda-kun, did you go to the Mitaka City Welfare Home today?" A middle-aged man's voice came through the phone.

"...Yes, may I ask what's the matter?"

Jun Matsueda stood on the balcony of his apartment, his expression not looking good in the night.

"That's right. The Mitaka City Welfare Home is basically an institution controlled by the Mochizuki family, and Miss Mochizuki often goes there as well."

"So if anyone tries to stir up trouble in this area in the future, you'll be in a lot of trouble within the family."

“Of course, it’s not that I don’t allow you to go to the orphanage.” Yamami Kazuaki’s tone remained calm. “It’s just that you should tell me before you go, so it will be easier to handle.”

Jun Matsue paused for a second, then said in a warm tone, "I'm sorry to have troubled you, Uncle."

“I will try to make this a habit.” He didn’t fully agree with what the man said.

"It would be best if you could understand." Yamami Kazuaki's tone remained unchanged as he hung up the phone.

The boy placed his phone in front of him, stared at the call log for a while, and then put the phone back in his pocket.

Taking a deep breath, the cool evening breeze seeped into his lungs. Before Jun Matsue was the gloomy night, and behind him were warm yellow lights, the static of the television, and the humming of a young girl.

After receiving the call, he truly felt that he was starting to waver.

Inside the Wangyue family's manor, Wangyue Hua put down her phone and looked at the girl sitting opposite her.

"What did you just say you did wrong?"

"We were exposed too early..." Mochizuki Haruka said, somewhat aggrieved, as she changed into her pajamas.

"We should take advantage of the information gap to further improve Songzhi's favorability."

The woman smiled and shook her head. "Xiaoyao did a great job."

"To win someone's heart, scheming and tactics are just techniques; what truly matters is sincerity."

So she didn't tell her niece much about the specific details of how to win over a boy, because Matsueda Jun definitely liked that clumsy but sincere girl, and there was no need to add any unnecessary embellishment.

"And the Yamami family just called me again." Aunt waved her phone. "He can't just call me; he must also be keeping an eye on his future son-in-law."

"So?" Mochizuki Haruka frowned, dissatisfied with her aunt's choice of words.

"So Songzhi must be under more and more pressure." The woman raised her eyebrows smugly.

"Let's wait and see how the young couple reacts."

Wang Yuehua put her index finger and thumb together and made a "little bit" gesture.

"Then we'll give it a little push."

"Disagreements will naturally arise."

Chapter 413: Prelude to Subo Training

In early October, Tokyo truly entered autumn.

The second-year students at Haneoka High School began discussing their lodging training program at the foot of Mount Fuji, while the third-year students enthusiastically talked about the spectacular autumn foliage in Nagano.

Only the first-year students are still eagerly anticipating their winter school trip.

"Why is it that only our first-year activities are delayed by a month or two?" Miyamura Aya complained to the boy in front of her.

“Winter travel is also very nice,” Jun Matsue said, taking the sheet music from the girl.

"Wouldn't it have been nice to go to Hokkaido like we did last year? I even wrote to you and Grandma."

It was the end of the third period in the morning, and the two were chatting outside the classroom of Class 2-6. The girl had come to deliver a new sheet music to Jun Matsueda.

“Hokkaido is really nice…” The girl glanced at the classroom out of the corner of her eye, “but it’s a bit too late—it’s almost the end of the first year of high school and it’s only just arrived.”

"Good things take time," Matsueda Jun patted her head reassuringly. "Is there anything else?"

Miyamura Aya shook her head. "Izumi-senpai said to try to familiarize myself with the revised score before today's practice. Anyway, Jun-nii will definitely be fine."

Despite saying this, the girl didn't leave. She glanced at the seats in the classroom and moved a little closer to the boy.

"Is Chun-ge suffering a lot sitting in the classroom right now? Tomatsu-nee is right next to you..." she asked in a low voice.

"...It's alright." Jun Matsueda's expression didn't change. "It was just normal interaction."

"And it wasn't just Tomatsu; Mochizuki knew about it a long time ago too."

"You already knew?!" Cai Jiang raised her voice in fright, startling the boy walking behind her.

Jun Matsue nodded helplessly.

Looking back, agreeing to hide the relationship with my senior was a complete mistake, since we didn't hide anything at all...

"Then Brother Chun is surrounded from both sides?"

The girl glanced at the window behind the boy. Tomatsu Yuka was chatting with Mizushima Miya at the table in front of her, while Mochizuki Haruka was listening to the gyaru Rion standing next to her. Both of them acted as if nothing was wrong, but their gazes would occasionally drift unintentionally towards the two people outside the window.

Women in love are terrifying... This thought flashed through Aya Miyamura's mind.

"Anyway, you don't need to worry about me." The boy waved his hand, indicating that he was fine.

"I'll handle it."

As the fourth period ended and the bell rang, Mochizuki Haruka watched as the students in the front row stood up and rushed out of the classroom.

She closed her textbook, turned to look at the boy on her right, and asked, "Is Songzhi not going to the cafeteria for lunch again today?"

The girl's tone was sarcastic and barbed—when Matsueda Jun first said she had no appetite, Mochizuki Haruka understood what was going on. However, back then, she had to pretend to be stupid to win the boys' favor, unlike now, when she could openly be sarcastic.

Tomatsu Yuka's gaze also turned towards them from the other side.

“…Yes.” Jun Matsueda nodded.

He couldn't possibly tell the girls that he was going to have dinner with his senior; such a hurtful statement would be too dangerous.

Mochizuki Haruka snorted in dissatisfaction, "Then I'll just have Rion bring me bread too."

Tomatsu Tomoka silently took out a bento box from the drawer. Inside, the food was still beautifully presented. On the other side, Mochizuki Haruka watched her actions and felt an unnamed flame rise in her heart.

Is it really necessary to put so much effort into preparing lunch?

"No matter how exquisite or delicious it is, no one will eat it with you."

Rather than a mockery of the young girl, it was more of a sorrowful lament born of shared suffering. Jun Matsue could only pretend not to know or hear who Haruka Mochizuki was referring to.

Although the boy seemed completely at ease in front of Miyamura Aya, he could only try his best to maintain the usual calm when surrounded by girls.

In fact, Jun Matsuoka already had a premonition that this fragile stability would be broken sooner or later.

However, he can only prepare himself mentally and wait for that moment to arrive, because a better solution seems impossible under the current circumstances.

The atmosphere in the back of the classroom was shrouded in a low-pressure atmosphere until a girl pushed open the back door of the classroom.

“Matsueda-kun.”