Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 226

"However, if I'm going to live with the Yamami family in the future, I need to understand this aspect."

"It's not out of any frivolous spiritual pursuit; it's just that, both within and outside the family, the tea room is a very important place for communication."

A very pragmatic person with a strong desire for control, he has already started to dictate his own future, Jun Matsue sighed inwardly.

Or perhaps, this is what the upper class should look like? He thought of his aunt from the Mochizuki family, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

It was both bitter and strong, and not really tasty.

After Jun Matsue finished his tea, the man continued, "I talked to Maki yesterday, and it's clear that you two are quite serious about each other."

"So I'd like to know, what exactly is your relationship with the Mochizuki family?"

Although Jun Matsueda had already thought about how to answer, he remained silent for a moment.

The bird in the cage hopped twice and chirped melodiously. The boy looked out the window; the girl on the lawn was nowhere to be seen.

"The orphanage I used to live in was sponsored by the Mochizuki family."

"From elementary school to junior high school to high school, I was able to live a life no different from most of my peers, which was inseparable from the help of the Mochizuki family."

The man nodded. "Judging from your past experiences, you are outstanding in both ability and character."

"The only regret is that you've become too entangled with the Mochizuki family." He sighed.

Jun Matsue waited quietly for the next part to be told.

“Matsueda-kun, I’ll call you that for now.” Yamami Kazuaki lifted his hands off the table and placed them on the back of his chair, shifting into a more relaxed posture.

"Although the Mochizuki family is dwindling in number, it must be admitted that they are exceptionally talented in business. Compared to our conservative families, their ideas may be more representative of the future."

"But we also have our own way of surviving—we value loyalty more than ability."

Jun Matsue felt the man's gaze fixed on his face again. "So, I don't really care about how you young people date, or why you haven't started dating yet."

"What I care about is whether you can truly become a member of the Yami family, whether we can trust you, accept you, and employ you."

“Our family has seen many geniuses, but the wealth we have today is not due to their geniuses.”

“What we need are the cogs, to ensure that each one doesn’t slip off the massive family structure. That is my duty as a parent.”

"Otherwise, with so many people in the family, the divorce case and property division alone would be enough to give us a headache."

"So you have to marry into the family and follow the rules, is that understandable?"

The boy nodded; from the other person's perspective, he could understand the idea.

The business model of the Mochizuki family is actually closer to that of modern Western companies, while the long-established Yami family is the one that truly represents the Japanese family business.

"For the same reason, if you want to be with Maki, you have to keep your distance from the Mochizuki family. If you get too close, it will arouse suspicion later."

"Besides, doesn't Mochizuki Haruka have a good impression of you?" The man's gaze sharpened.

“I understand.” Jun Matsue picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup of water.

Kazuaki Yamami placed his hand back on the table; for him, this was just the beginning.

"Since Matsueda-kun is still a high school student, I will naturally have more requirements for entrusting Maki to you."

"My advice is to stop playing in the band you're in at school until the end of your second year of high school. The Yamagami family doesn't need people who like to show off or be attention-seeking."

"Yes." Jun Matsuoka took a sip of tea, but the bitterness showed no signs of being diluted.

"Moreover, in this way, you can use your senior year of high school to learn social etiquette and business management, etc. I have seen your academic assessment, and these should be a piece of cake for you."

"Depending on your interests and how well you've learned the relevant material, you can be given an internship after graduating from high school to lay the foundation for taking on a job later."

"As for universities, I'll choose between the University of Tokyo, Waseda University, and Keio University. I'll see how other people choose, which will make it easier to build connections."

"Choose political science as your major. It's a waste for someone with your looks not to be a politician. I'll ask the old man for his opinion later..."

Jun Matsuoka sipped his tea, and even after finishing the second cup, Kazuaki Yamami's plans were still far from over.

These plans are mandatory and stringent, but the sincerity behind them is undeniable—these are resources that ordinary people dream of.

So even though he already felt the urge to resist, he patiently waited for the man to finish speaking.

"My wife will be back soon, let's stop here for now." The man picked up his teacup and moistened his throat.

"You don't need to work part-time anymore when you're in your senior year of high school. We'll cover your living expenses and tuition. You can just focus on studying what the family has arranged."

"If you find it too boring, you can have Maki teach you about social etiquette."

"It's a bit inappropriate to share an apartment with a girl. You should move out. Your family can arrange accommodation for you."

“Uncle Yamami.” The boy finally couldn’t help but speak, looking out the window at the neatly trimmed lawn.

"Did you go through the same thing, senior?"

“Of course, but what she needs to learn is different from what you learn.” The middle-aged man shook his head.

"Because she's not as capable as you."

Jun Matsue didn't know what to say; perhaps his senior was stronger than he thought.

“I know these demands are a bit harsh, but everyone in the Yami family has gone through this.”

As Yamami Kazuaki stood up, the contours of his face hardened in the absence of sunlight.

"I hope you can adapt soon."

Just as the man was about to leave the study, there was a knock on the door.

"what's up?"

Maki Yamami's voice rang out from outside the door, "Grandpa is here. He asked me to tell you."

Kazuaki Yamagami looked out the window and saw a figure on the lawn. The old man was facing away from the study window, basking in the sunlight.

Following the man's gaze, Jun Matsue put down his teacup and blinked in surprise.

He suddenly realized that the figure in the black linen kimono seemed somewhat familiar.

Chapter 402 Fate and Law

An elderly man dressed in a black linen kimono sat in the study, replacing Jun Matsuoka's previous seat.

Why did Father come today?

Kazuaki Yamami spoke with great respect, and the old man who had seen many storms and was still alive was the true head of the Yamami family.

"Since Moji has someone she likes, of course I had to come and see her."

"what do you think?"

"He's a very promising kid, but it's hard to say whether he'll be obedient," the man said bluntly.

"..." The old man took a sip of tea, then sighed helplessly.

"After all these years, your taste in tea is still so poor."

"Compared to Moji, she is far inferior."

Jun Matsue sat on the sofa in the living room, watching the cockatiel that had just been released from its cage hop around on the legs of the girl beside him.

"Matsueda-kun, you must be having a tough time."

Yamami Maki reached out and grasped the hopping bird, gently stroking its head with her index finger. The clever little creature let out a soft, joyful chirp.

"It's alright, the uncle's attitude was quite gentle." The boy smiled.

"He stole such a great senior, I thought he would want to eat me alive."

"You're lying." The girl rolled her eyes at him. "I was eavesdropping on your conversation outside the door."

No wonder I couldn't see any senior students on the lawn.

"I think it's because my senior has been like this since she was a child that she's truly had a tough life."

"It's alright." Yami Maki had a faint smile on her face. "Actually, I'm used to it. And for an ordinary person with no ambitions, this kind of life isn't so bad."

"I'm just an ordinary person too," the girl said, teasing the wriggling parrot in her hand.

"Are you really used to it?" the boy asked softly.

Yamami Maki opened her arms and watched the little thing jump onto the floor and thrash around, but she didn't say anything.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Are you bored staying at home?" An elderly voice came from the corridor.

"We're just watching the parrots," the girl said, looking up at the old man with a sweet smile.

"What's the point of that?" The old man shook his head. "Why don't you two come with me to the temple to relax?"

"Is Matsueda-kun coming too?" Yami Maki asked in surprise, feeling that her grandfather's attitude towards Matsueda Jun was too kind.

The old man nodded. "Meeting is fate."

Kyuhin Buddha Jōjinji Temple is located in Okuzawa 7-chome. The trees with their slender branches lean against the road in front of the temple, casting dappled sunlight.

"So, Matsueda-san already met Grandpa?" The girl's surprised voice startled a bird away.

"Otherwise, how can you say it's fate?" the old man said with a smile, and the boy next to him nodded.

"When I met you by the Kamo River, I really didn't expect you to be my senior's grandfather."

Jun Matsuoka spoke sincerely, not wanting the old man to think that their chance encounter was for some purpose.

"Could it be such a coincidence?" Yami Maki asked, somewhat incredulous.

"That's why I wanted to come to Jingzhen Temple with the young man." The old man patted Matsueda Jun on the shoulder. "If you see the cause and effect, you will see the Buddha's teachings."

"This place is rather remote and doesn't have many guests, but the autumn leaves are a unique sight in Tokyo."

After walking around the outside of the hall, the old man suddenly spoke to the still green maple leaves.

"The first time I met Keiko was on an autumn afternoon when the red leaves seemed to be burning."

The old man's tone was no longer as cheerful as before, and sounded somewhat weathered.

The boy and girl exchanged a glance; they were about to tell a story.

However, they did not hear anything further. The old man simply strolled along silently, greeting the monks sweeping the path in the courtyard.

"Grandpa, is the Keiko you're talking about the Keiko Grandma from Kyoto?" Yami Maki finally couldn't contain her curiosity and asked cautiously.

The old woman nodded. "Back then, she radiated the most beautiful and vibrant energy in everything from her smile to her movements. I never imagined that she would become an old woman now, and even pass away before me."

As he strolled along, Junya Matsueda couldn't help but look up. He recalled the girl's two trips to Kyoto—he hadn't expected that Grandpa Yamami's old friend was a woman.

She was my first love.

The girl couldn't help but grasp the wrist of the boy next to her; she had never known that her grandfather had such a story.

"Actually, there's not much to say." The old man's gaze swept over the boy and girl, then looked towards the green-tinged sky in the distance.

“Back then, there were plenty of young people who fell in love at first sight, but very few of them actually ended up together.”

The old man's story is very simple.

He fell in love at first sight with a girl from another country, and they exchanged letters and made phone calls, secretly promising to spend their lives together.

However, marriages in prestigious families are not free. When they meet again after they have reached adulthood, they can only exchange pleasantries and lament the passing of spring flowers and autumn leaves, and never mention the vows they once made.

Matsueda Jun stared at the branches swaying by the roadside. No wonder the old man had drunk himself into oblivion by the Kamo River; it turned out there was some heartbreak involved.

Whether from physical or mental exhaustion, the old man stopped and sat on the stone steps. The young girl asked the monk for a fan and sat down to fan him.

"Matsueda-kun." He waved to the boy standing in the shade of the tree. "What's your impression of the Yamami family?"

"..." Matsueda Jun hesitated for a moment.

The safest approach would be to be as cautious and patient as he was when facing Yamami Kazuaki, but he still didn't understand what the old man meant by what he said today.

“It’s alright if you don’t tell me.” The old man smiled. “I know the situation in the family—the more energetic the young people are, the more they hate this old and decrepit place.”

“But I didn’t think that way when I was young. I was the heir of the family, and while enjoying all the family’s heritage, I also had to fulfill the responsibilities I should bear.”

“Xiao Moji knows.” He looked at the girl holding a palm-leaf fan beside him, gesturing for her to rest.

"Even ten years ago, I was much more old-fashioned than Ichizaki is now."

"But recently, Keiko passed away." The old man sighed deeply.

"When she returned to Kyoto, her laughter and commotion, the good and the bad, all those things that had long been blurred suddenly became incredibly clear again."

"I remembered the gray heron you mentioned back then, young man."