Am I being simulated by their love affair?

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Mochizuki Haruka pursed her lips and looked at Tomatsu Yuka on the other side. The two exchanged a glance.

They all knew the real reason—Mitani was the girl who came to the class last week to campaign and give a speech with Yamami Maki.

Jun Matsueda turned to chat with Ken Sakamuro on the other side. Haruka Mochizuki was a little bored. She looked at the campaign bulletin on Tomatsu Yuka's lap, the paper of which the girl had crumpled into a cylinder.

Who are you planning to vote for?

Tomatsu Yuka gazed at the floating curtain on the stage. Behind the curtain were the backstage staff, and the leaders of the previous student council were also behind them.

"I want to vote for Honma."

As the last candidate's speech was about to end, Jun Matsueda left his seat and went backstage from a corner.

"Matsue's here?" Seshita Hiromi waved to him, and the three student council members stood behind the girl.

Yamami Maki picked up the microphone that was placed to the side and handed it to the boy, "Is it Matsueda-kun's turn to speak next?"

Tsushima Kou glanced at the girl. His colleague seemed to be a little more proactive in dealing with Matsue lately, which was somewhat unexpected.

He thought they would maintain their ambiguous and shy relationship until the end of high school... The boy yawned, feeling somewhat bored.

"Yes." Jun Matsue nodded. With the curtain blocking the view from the audience, he relaxed and said a few more words.

"Who do the seniors think has the best chance?"

Tsushima Kou glanced at the boy who spoke last on stage, "The president and Yamami-kun both have someone they support, right? I feel like these two are the ones."

"Doesn't Tsushima-senpai have a successor?" Seshita Hiromi asked her former club president curiously.

"It's too much trouble." The boy waved his hand. "I don't have the same amount of free time as them."

"I only agreed to recommend Honjo-kun." The president pushed up his glasses. "His attitude is very proper, but his actual ability is average. Mitani-kun is more likely to succeed."

“Mitani is quite good at self-promotion,” Yami Maki smiled. “She still has many shortcomings and needs to continue to work hard.”

Thank you all for your support!

The voice from the podium interrupted the conversation. They looked at Jun Matsueda, who picked up the microphone, cleared his throat, and walked toward the spotlight in the center of the stage.

Amidst the dazzling white light and countless gazes, Jun Matsueda calmly turned on the microphone.

"Hello everyone, I am Jun Matsue, the vice chairman of the election management committee. The final speeches of the seven candidates have all ended. Next is the voting process."

"Before the official voting begins, I will read out the voting instructions. Please make sure you know the number of the candidate you support, which is displayed on the screen behind me and on the campaign proclamation."

"Japan is a democratic country. After we turn eighteen, we all gain the right to vote. As a real election practice, I hope everyone will abide by and value the whole process and cast their precious and valid vote."

The boy's voice wasn't particularly serious, but it made people unconsciously straighten their posture, and the whispers from the audience gradually subsided.

"Once the voting begins, please stand up in order of your class, collect your ballot from the election committee member of your grade, write down the candidate you support at the voting station, fold it twice, and put it into the ballot box."

He gestured towards the counting station directly below the stage, saying, "After the voting ends, we will immediately begin counting the votes and announce the election results on the spot."

"Thank you for your understanding and support." Jun Matsueda bowed.

It was just a routine voting explanation, yet he received more applause than any of the previous candidates.

Yamami Maki was also clapping behind the curtain. The backstage staff had all gone down to guide the voting, leaving only the three student council members on stage, while the other two boys had tacitly walked away.

“Matsue-kun has a lot of presence when she stands on the stage, which reminds me of how my dad and grandpa used to give speeches.”

The boy smiled and said, "It's just an act. Speaking in front of so many eyes, even if everyone else is silent, you still feel the pressure."

"That's impressive too." The girl took the microphone and put it aside, looking at the crowd below the stage.

"Now we can rest assured and wait for the statistics."

For Jun Matsuoka, this was just an afternoon of observing from the sidelines, which was about to end. However, the news that his senior received shattered his spectator mentality.

While the audience was still recording the voting results, Yamami Maki on stage turned around, her hand unconsciously gripping the curtain as she looked at the boy behind her.

“Matsue, my dad just sent me a message.”

He said he wanted to see you...

The girl looked at him with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.

Chapter 400 Visit

After school on Tuesday, Jun Matsueda and Maki Yami went into a bookstore in Setagaya.

The temperature has dropped slightly these past few days, but the air conditioning is still on in the store. Among the bookshelves, you can see several young girls dressed in a way that is somewhere between mature and youthful; they are probably students from the nearby Women's University of Physical Education.

Jun Matsueda came to accompany his senior to buy textbooks. The bookstore was not far from the school, but it was not the first choice for students of Haneoka High School to buy books. It was just right for the two of them to have a secret rendezvous.

He watched as the girl raised her delicate chin, revealing her graceful neck, and scanned the spines of the books on the shelf, their red backgrounds and black lettering tightly packed together.

"Is there anything I should be careful about when meeting your senior's father?" The boy reached out and took the books from the girl before she could ask.

Yamami Maki took the book, but instead of opening it, she frowned and began to think.

"My father is a rather strict person who values ​​family traditions and rules very much, but he is quite gentle in front of strangers."

"As for Matsueda-kun, there shouldn't be anything that could make him angry. As long as we are careful with our words and actions, it should be fine, right?"

Jun Matsue nodded. "Should we bring him a gift?"

The girl waved her hand, holding the book, "No need, no need. In my father's eyes, he is an elder, it's more like he's giving you a gift."

Yamami Maki flipped through a few pages of "Past Questions about the Faculty of Letters at Ochanomizu University" in her hand, a satisfied expression on her face, and walked to the counter to pay.

As the two walked out of the bookstore, sunlight streamed through the distant buildings, stinging the girl's eyes and causing her to lower them.

Jun Matsue stood in front of her, blocking the glare of the sun. He turned around and said, "The sun hasn't set yet, it's still early. Would you like to take another walk, senior?"

The boys and girls walked along the iron fence by the roadside. On the other side of the fence was the playground of the Japan Women's Sports University. There were many girls on the track, and their athletic bodies shimmered in the sunlight.

"Dad's off tomorrow. Are you free after school tomorrow, Matsue-kun?" Yami Maki squeezed the boy's hand tighter.

“You have a part-time job tomorrow, but you can ask for leave.” Jun Matsueda squeezed the girl’s hand, responding to her nervousness.

"So where are we meeting, at your home?"

"Yes, Matsueda-kun, you can come home with me after school tomorrow."

"Does that mean I'll have a chance to see the senior's room?" The boy smiled. "I'm also quite interested in the parrot she keeps."

Maki Yami's face flushed slightly. "I don't know what Dad's attitude is yet. Let's talk about it later..."

Although there wasn't anything particularly dirty or messy in the bedroom, the girl decided in her heart that she should still clean it thoroughly tonight.

As they walked, the fence came to an end, and the two entered the university campus through a side gate. They sat on the lawn by the playground, watching the girls sweating profusely.

"Has the senior decided on her university major yet?"

"Huh?" Yami Maki paused for a moment, looking at the newly bought book "Questions of the Past" on the grass.

"Isn't it just imperial tea?"

"What about your major?"

A girl ran past them kicking a soccer ball, creating a whooshing sound.

“Professional…” The girl’s expression became complicated.

Her father once casually mentioned to her that it would be best if the family had more young people studying law or political science.

However, the school she was assigned to, Ochanomizu University, did not offer any related majors.

In the eyes of adults, perhaps as the youngest daughter in the family, she had long been detached from these expectations.

"They might choose social studies." This is closer to their expectations.

"Do you want to learn this?"

The boy pressed on, but the girl didn't answer.

Matsueda Jun had no choice but to cup Yamami Maki's face in his hands. She showed an expression of surprise, her blinking eyes were incredibly cute.

"Senior, you really need to think this through." He rubbed the girl's cheek.

"What do I want? What do I want to do in the future? What kind of knowledge do I like? What kind of job do I want to do?"

"After you've met with your father, let's have a proper talk, shall we?"

The girl nodded, looking up at the golden sky.

After school the next day, Jun Matsueda followed Maki Yami out of the school and onto the tram that led to Okuzawa.

After a forty-minute tram ride, Jun Matsue stepped out of the station, and drifting clouds appeared before him, passing over the low-rise buildings.

"Matsueda-kun, this way."

Following the girl's footsteps, the boy walked towards where the clouds had come from.

The atmosphere here is indeed different from the Tokyo that Jun Matsueda is familiar with; the streets are quieter, and the building layout is more relaxed. After passing through the shopping street, the residential buildings along the roadside are noticeably larger, and even the exterior walls and doors and windows have a sense of design.

The boy recalled the area map in the station. Denenchofu was not far from here—it was the place where he had witnessed a bloody forbidden love story when he was still in the escape house. It was also a well-known wealthy area in Tokyo.

"If you live here, it must take you a lot of time to get to school."

He casually started a conversation, trying to get the girl, who was gripping the straps of her backpack tightly, to relax.

"It's alright." Yamami Maki looked at the old-fashioned brick fountain by the roadside.

"It takes about forty minutes by subway. In the morning, the driver usually takes me to school so I can sleep a little longer."

"In the afternoon, school ends at 3:30 anyway, so it doesn't matter if it takes a little more time on the way..."

The trees along the roadside gradually increased, and the buildings on both sides became more sparse. Before he could see the temple that was faintly visible in the distance, Jun Matsue saw Maki Yamami's house first.

This was a detached house with a marble exterior, occupying a larger area than the surrounding houses. Jun Matsue watched as the girl took out her key, opened the door, and led him into the entrance hall.

"Please wait a moment, Matsueda-kun." Yami Maki bent down and took a pair of slippers from the shoe cabinet, placing them in front of Matsueda Jun.

"Don't you have any maids in your family?" the boy asked, somewhat surprised.

"Because my father doesn't like seeing outsiders at home, we don't have a resident maid, but someone comes to clean regularly."

The girl walked into the living room on the first floor, with Jun Matsue following behind her. The space was spacious and bright, giving people a very comfortable feeling.

“Mom probably hasn’t come home yet.” Yamami Maki looked around. “I’ll take Matsueda to the second floor first.”

The two went up to the second floor. Jun Matsueda's gaze passed over the girl's back and fell on the middle-aged man sitting on the sofa.

The man sat in the sunlight with his eyes closed, holding a cup of tea, looking completely at ease.

Before Yamami Maki could call out, he opened his eyes and saw the boy and girl standing in front of the stairs.

The man put down his teacup and walked straight up to the two of them, his steps steady and his stature tall.

Jun Matsue felt his gaze fixed on him, sweeping over him inch by inch from head to toe.

"Dad!" the girl called out reproachfully, and only then did the man look away.

His voice was somewhat low.

"Welcome to the Yamami family."

Chapter 401 On Jun Matsueda's Life Plan

“I am Kazuaki Yamami and Maki Yamami’s father.”

The middle-aged man sitting opposite Jun Matsueda said this.

Just as the boy was about to speak, the man waved his hand, "You don't need to introduce yourself to me. We've already investigated you thoroughly."

“…Hello.” Jun Matsueda had no choice but to greet him politely.

The two were currently sitting in the study on the second floor of the Yami family home, right by the floor-to-ceiling window. Matsueda Jun could see Yami Maki watering the lawn downstairs by looking down – it was obvious that her father didn't want her there.

The boy glanced at the bookshelf behind Kazuaki Yamami, where a birdcage hung, containing a pale yellow cockatiel with rosy cheeks, staring at him curiously.

"What would you like to call me?" the man asked again.

Jun Matsueda pondered for a moment, "Mr. Yamami?"

"You can call me uncle." The middle-aged man took another sip of tea. "You're someone Moji likes, and I don't want to seem too distant."

He poured the boy a cup of tea. "Do you like tea?"

"I like the taste and aroma of tea, but I don't know much about tea culture." Jun Matsue respectfully accepted the teacup.

“I understand.” The man nodded. “Compared to so-called cultural connotations, the most important thing is, of course, to enjoy the drink.”