Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 432

"..." Matsueda Jun took a sip of his milkshake; his impression of Mochizuki Hana didn't seem to be like that.

However, for the sake of her precious niece, the aunt certainly wouldn't mind reminding him of the patriarch who had shown both kindness and severity when they first met.

Is the only option to beg her to hand over her niece to me, like in the TV dramas?

Noticing the worried look in the girl's eyes, Jun Matsue snapped out of his reverie.

"There's no sign of Mochizuki changing her mind yet. We'll see about Auntie's attitude later."

"Does your senior still have dreams about simulations lately?"

Yamami Maki shook her head. "I haven't dreamed about the simulation since the system panel was displayed last time."

It seems it has given up again, and the boy started stirring the milkshake in front of him.

"What if it goes to find someone else?" the girl suddenly wondered.

"It shouldn't happen anytime soon." Jun Matsue looked at the glittering light that moved up and down along the handle of the spoon.

"Perhaps it also needs time to build up its strength and find users?" he guessed.

“I wish it could simulate it for me again.” Yami Maki smiled apologetically. “I don’t think there’s anything I can do to help you right now.”

The boy looked up and said, "You've already helped me a lot."

He lowered his eyes and remained silent for a while.

Since letting go of his resentment and obsession, Jun Matsue and the girl have met three times. Each time, Maki Yami is just as gentle and considerate, always thinking about his future.

"Why is my senior helping me so diligently?"

Even if they have a tacit understanding on this matter, it's still better to ask clearly at this point.

Yamami Maki's expression froze for a moment.

A glint of light flashed in her eyes. The girl took a breath and smiled at him.

"Of course I hope you can be happy." Her tone was gentle and relieved.

Whether it was the breakup back then or her reappearance in front of the boy now, her wish has never changed.

The girl back then was naive and inexperienced, but now Yamami Maki is much more mature.

Jun Matsue looked out the window at the slanting sunlight.

He didn't want to ask what kind of feelings were hidden behind the girl's words, as that would only hurt her.

Being a womanizer is not the same as being promiscuous.

He was grateful to Yami Maki, but this gratitude did not motivate him to rekindle his past love.

"What's your future like in the simulation, senior?" the boy changed the subject.

“…Me?” Yamami Maki smiled again.

"But you, the audience of each tragedy, don't even have the right to witness it firsthand."

"Although it was only a simulation for a few years, the final outcome in life would probably be just a weak little bird staying in the family's cage."

At this point, the girl leaned forward and placed her hands, which were folded on her lap, on the table.

"I don't know how Matsueda and Yuka view this system."

"But I am very grateful for it."

She stretched out her hands and gently and carefully placed them on the boy's free left hand.

"At least it really gave me real courage."

"I don't want to just watch Matsue-san find happiness."

"I hope that my share can also be a part of your happiness."

Looking into those eyes shimmering with soft light, Jun Matsue withdrew his left hand, which had been covered by warmth.

"Does my senior still like me?" He summarized the girl's words into the simplest sentence.

“Of course.” Yamami Maki nodded firmly.

"Tsun-kun has done so much for me, I can't find a reason not to continue liking you."

Even though we've discussed with each other more than once how to date other girls at the same time?

"I don't think this is solely Matsueda's fault." The girl's eyes held a hint of bitterness.

"If I had stood firmly with you back then, perhaps we wouldn't have had so many ups and downs now."

"..." Jun Matsue looked at the milkshake that was still half full.

There was little sweetness in his heart; instead, it was as messy as that melted ice cream.

The boy looked up.

"I'm sorry to say this, but the feelings I had for my senior back then have almost completely disappeared now."

Matsueda Jun pursed his lips, watching the girl in front of him lose his composure.

However, to his surprise, after her long eyelashes trembled a few times, Yamami Maki smiled again, though her upturned lips showed some sadness.

"I know." Her voice trembled slightly, but the determination in her eyes shone even brighter.

"But I think it's not too late to try again to make you like me."

Chapter 692 Compensation, Ex-Boyfriend and Splitting the Bill

"But I think it's not too late to try again to make you like me."

After the girl finished speaking, the small two-person booth fell silent.

The slanting sunlight bathed most of the intersection outside the window, casting a dim yellow hue that spread across the zebra crossing, traffic lights, and the surfaces of the surrounding buildings.

It was as if the noise of the city intersection and the natural hustle and bustle of summer had been drowned out, leaving only the lingering warmth of the sun, rising and licking the back of the hand of the person by the window.

Jun Matsue looked up at the glowing chandelier on the ceiling.

He had heard countless confessions of love before, but when faced with his senior's heartfelt words, he still didn't know how to respond.

Should we rekindle our initial resentment and mock her sudden realization, or should we express our sighs about the passage of time and the changes in circumstances?

We can't exactly encourage her to bravely pursue love, can we?

"..." It wasn't until the light dazzled his eyes that Jun Matsueda lowered his head and looked at the girl sitting opposite him.

"I'm not the type to dwell on regrets, and I rarely reminisce about the past or want to relive past loves—"

The boy initially thought it was impossible, but it seems someone has already done it.

He once had feelings for Tomomichi Tomatsu, which, while not quite romantic love, were close.

His feelings for Mochizuki Haruka evolved from initial gratitude and friendliness to disdain and annoyance, and finally to an inability to imagine life without her. If Matsueda Jun had told these things two years ago, he certainly wouldn't have believed him.

So Jun Matsuoka's lips froze for a moment, then changed again.

“I don’t expect this to happen.”

"It's just a waste of time for my senior to focus on me."

“It’s okay to waste time!” Yamami Maki, sitting opposite, breathed a sigh of relief.

She had been observing the boy's expression the whole time—what girls fear most is seeing disgust, annoyance, or "troublesome" emotions.

If someone wants to keep their distance from you, it will be difficult to even get closer to you, let alone pursue or be together.

Even if it's just wishful thinking on my part, that's fine too!

Even after the boy withdrew his hand, Yamami Maki maintained her forward-leaning posture with her arm outstretched, showing no sign of backing down.

"I don't want to end up like Yamami Maki in the simulation, drifting further and further away from Tsunku, only able to watch from the sidelines as your life becomes a complete mess..."

Yamami Maki gazed at the pupils in front of her, which were tinged with the color of the setting sun.

"I want to stay by your side and be the greatest guarantee of your happiness."

It's okay if the guy rejects her—even if she inevitably feels disappointed, she can just pick herself up and start again.

The only thing the girl can't stand right now is that she's standing still on the path of life.

After all, she had been wandering on this path to freedom and happiness for a very, very long time.

Matsueda Jun looked at the square table in front of him. His senior's hands, clasped together, were tightly clenched and trembled slightly with the fluctuations of her emotions.

He gently pushed the girl's fist back.

“If my senior wants to ‘atone’ or ‘make amends’ or something like that, I don’t need it.”

"I said this when we last met: there's no point in dwelling on the past, and I have no regrets."

“I know.” Yamami Maki nodded.

"I'm not trying to get back my previous relationship; I just want to start anew."

As Jun Matsue made his decision in reality, the girl no longer longed for a perfect world for two.

Having witnessed various scenarios in the simulations, Yamami Maki understood the abnormal romantic feelings of the girls. Only her own "ordinary" love, which they looked down upon, could truly guarantee Tsunkun's happiness.

So even if they can't become lovers, she will try her best to get closer to Matsueda Jun—unless she sees it with her own eyes, Yamami Maki will never feel at ease about the boy's future.

"And Matsueda-kun is wrong about one thing," the girl smiled. "I already had something to make it up to you—"

"I owed you two favors back then, and I still haven't paid back one of them."

Jun Matsue paused, watching her lower her head, put the straw in her mouth, and sip the milkshake in front of her, which was coated with a golden layer.

He once played the timpani for the band, and later tutored his senior in a biology competition. Feeling indebted, the girl couldn't find a way to express her gratitude, so she resorted to doing favors to make up for it.

Later, a favor was repaid by providing a practice room for the No. 2 band, which gradually warmed their relationship. However, the favor was never repaid by the time they broke up, and the matter was eventually left unresolved.

If Yamami Maki hadn't brought it up today, he might have truly forgotten these things buried deep in his memory.

In that sense, Jun Matsueda even owes the girl some compensation—

Tomatsu Yuka lied about the note at the sports meet, which made the senior who actually drew "the person she likes" feel wronged and demand compensation from him.

"I'm too happy now, so I'll leave this opportunity to make amends to my future self." That's what Yamami Maki said back then.

The boy watched the afterglow slowly spread across the table between them.

These memories, which had never even begun, were completely sealed away along with their abruptly ended romance.

“I have no obligation or intention to interfere with you,” Jun Matsue said once again.

"My life is busy enough right now. No matter what your intentions are or what you want to do, it's just an unnecessary disturbance to me. All I'll get in return is rejection."

“It’s okay, I can wait.” Yamami Maki put down the milkshake, her smile becoming even gentler.

"I know that Matsueda has a lot of problems to solve right now, so I won't cause you any trouble."

"..." Matsueda Jun looked at her serene, spring-like eyes and was speechless.

The senior student's appearance was truly flawless. Like the wind that blows across a passerby's face when cherry blossoms first bloom, gentle yet undeniably captivating.

However, the boy thought to himself, "She probably doesn't have that much time and energy to devote to herself."

After all, Ochanomizu and Haneoka High School are quite far apart, and even if the Yamami family doesn't value her, she's reached the age where she needs to get involved in family affairs.

Jun Matsue finished the last sip of his milkshake and wiped his lips with a tissue.

"up to you."

Ten minutes later, the two paid at the counter of the coffee shop, and the clerk standing behind the computer smiled at them.

"Are you two a couple?"

"If you often come to Shibuya for dates, you might consider getting a membership card so both of you can enjoy discounts?"

"Thank you." Before Matsueda Jun could deny it, Yamami Maki spoke up with a smile.

He is my ex-boyfriend.

After paying their bills under the surprised gaze of the shop assistant, the two, no longer a couple, walked out of the coffee shop together.

Chapter 693 Eel Rice to Calm Down

When Jun Matsue arrived at the Mitakadai housing complex on his bicycle, the orange-red sunset had just disappeared behind the not-so-dense, not-so-tall buildings.