Am I being simulated by their love affair?

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Even the air felt suffocating. The girl stood rooted to the spot, unable to move, only feeling the overwhelming, surging sorrow engulfing her.

Following the noisy crowd through the corridor, Jun Matsue stood in front of his classroom door, glancing at the corridor out of the corner of his eye before finally stepping inside.

Yamami Maki turned around on the spot, and the suddenly deserted corridor was now only filled with the girl's shadow. Her gaze was like that of a pet dog that had done something wrong, cautiously following behind the boy.

The door slammed shut without hesitation, separating the two of them from their own world.

The afternoon classes left no trace in the girl's mind. After school, Yamami Maki went straight to her bedroom, sat by the window, and looked down at the increasingly withered lawn.

The cheerful chirping of a cockatiel came from the birdcage next to her, but she seemed not to hear it at all. She just sat blankly by the window, replaying the scene of the boy brushing past her in her mind over and over again.

"You chose this yourself... Yamami Maki." The girl's voice was tinged with a faint sob.

She lowered her head and buried her face in the table, not to cry, but because she didn't want to see anything and could only bury herself in the darkness.

It wasn't until dinner time that Yamami Maki appeared at the table, and as expected, she was scolded by her father.

"I met Wangyue's daughter today. She's much more mature than before. How come you're becoming more and more immature? You don't even come out to greet your parents when they come home?"

Her father criticized her in this way, and Yamami Maki did not refute it, but simply bowed her head and apologized, then ate her meal in silence.

The man put down his chopsticks. "I will attend this parent-teacher conference."

The girl looked up. "Didn't Mom always participate before?"

The woman sitting opposite smiled but didn't say anything.

“You’re about to take the common exam, but you still haven’t decided on your preferred school and major, so I have to attend the parent-teacher meeting in person.”

"I'll also meet with Matsue-kun to find out what's going on."

Yamami Maki lowered her head.

She hasn't told her father about the breakup yet.

Chapter 451 Parent-Teacher Meeting

The parent-teacher conference at Haneoka High School is being held this Friday afternoon.

It happened to be the last day of October, and the weather was gloomy, which matched the black outfits of the parents coming and going, creating a solemn atmosphere.

"It's as if everyone's life will truly enter a new phase after this parent-teacher conference."

The girl walking next to Jun Matsueda suddenly uttered this sentence.

"What? Suddenly becoming rebellious?" The boy glanced at her.

"I'm just feeling bored." Mochizuki Haruka looked at the crowd at the school gate. "It's a bit of a waste of time to stay at school without going to class."

“I don’t have to stay at school,” Jun Matsueda added, and the girl rolled her eyes.

That's why I brought you here.

The parent-teacher conference for second-year students is about to begin. Students like Matsueda Jun, who don't have parents, can leave early, but Mochizuki Haruka certainly won't let him off the hook. That's why the two of them are standing by the school road, waiting for their aunt to appear.

They didn't have to wait long before they spotted Wang Yuehua in the raven-like crowd—the same style of clothing, which would have made others look old-fashioned and sluggish, displayed just the right amount of composure and calmness on her.

However, when Wang Yuehua walked up to the two of them and blinked her right eye, that aura disappeared.

"I haven't worn this suit dress in a long time. I bought it before I was hospitalized last year, and it seems a bit too big now." The woman twirled in front of them as if she were wearing a long dress.

"Is it because my figure has improved, hmm? Pine Branch?" Aunt blinked again.

Before Jun Matsue could speak, Haruka Mochizuki stood in front of him.

"It's because you were hospitalized for too long and lost weight," the girl said bluntly. "I told you to eat more, but you wouldn't listen."

"It's already possessive of its food before it's even been obtained?" the woman muttered.

"The parent-teacher meeting is about to start, shouldn't Auntie hurry up and go?" The boy stepped forward; the three of them were a bit too conspicuous at the school gate.

"To be honest, I feel like the parents' meeting is a bit boring." On the way to the auditorium, the aunt said the same thing as her niece.

"Driving is not allowed, so I had to park my car so far away and walk over. Normally, teachers forbid contacting parents unless there's a specific reason, but now they're saying a lot. The Japanese are really strange."

This woman seemed completely unaware that she was Japanese.

“It’s said to be to ensure that every child is treated equally,” Jun Matsue continued.

"Ignore her, she's just annoyed that she's been sitting there for too long at the parent-teacher conference," Mochizuki Haruka, who was walking in the middle, interjected.

"Xiaoyao has reached her rebellious phase..." the woman sighed, feigning sadness.

"Speaking of which, Songzhi still lives in the Mitakadai housing complex, right?" Mochizuki suddenly changed the subject.

“…That’s right.” Jun Matsue didn’t know why his aunt was saying such nonsense, but he had a bad feeling.

“I’m planning to have Xiaoyao move next door to you—after leaving the hospital, I felt I had spoiled her a bit too much.”

“This isn’t good for her development. It’s time to let her try living independently, right, Songzhi?”

Wang Yuehua smiled and glanced at the girl beside her. Wang Yueyao, who had been arguing the whole way, did not refute this time.

“I didn’t buy the apartment next door, so there’s no point in my aunt telling me all this,” Junya Matsueda chuckled.

"Please take good care of us then, Songzhi, since we're neighbors, right?"

The woman's smile became even more radiant because the boy hadn't mentioned anything about moving house in their senior year of high school.

"We'll see when the time comes..."

Jun Matsue argued with his aunt for a few minutes before finally letting her into the hall.

"You talked so much before, why are you silent now?" He looked at the girl standing under the tree, head down, playing with fallen leaves.

“I think Auntie is right,” Mochizuki Haruka said earnestly.

"Let's go back to the classroom." She turned around and brushed away the falling leaves that were attacking her. "We still have to stay at school for another two hours."

As they entered the teaching building and approached the third floor, the girl walking in front of Matsueda Jun suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?" The boy looked up.

Mochizuki Haruka didn't answer him. Instead, she quickly walked up the last few steps, then turned and entered the corridor, allowing Matsueda Jun to see the girl standing at the entrance of the stairwell.

Yamami Maki's face showed surprise. The girl's eyes were somewhat vacant, and her downcast gaze didn't quite match the sunlight in the corridor.

Jun Matsue didn't say a word. He climbed the last few steps as usual and passed by the girl.

Yamami Maki stood still, and as the two brushed past each other, the girl's lips trembled, but she didn't say anything.

"Say something..." This thought flashed through Jun Matsue's mind as he left her behind, his face expressionless.

Mochizuki Haruka stood in the corridor, and after the boy returned to her side, the two continued walking towards the classroom.

Before Matsueda Jun is completely disheartened, don't tell him anything about Yami Maki—that's the next step her aunt told her.

The more you say, the more mistakes you make. Young girls aren't good at playing mind games. Jun Matsueda's relationship has entered its final stage. Just wait patiently for the outcome.

They entered the classroom through the back door, and Tomatsu Yuka, who was sitting in her seat, immediately looked up. "Matsueda-kun is back~ I thought you left school early."

The thoughtful girl didn't want others to know about the boy's special condition, so she spoke very softly.

Matsueda Jun returned to his seat. "There's still cleaning after the parent-teacher meeting. I'm the class monitor, so how could I be the first one to leave?"

There weren't many people in the class. It was free time, and most students were outdoors or in their clubs. Those who remained in the classroom were mostly students from the home-school program. Everyone was well-behaved, with only a few whispers emanating from the corners.

So when a knock came from the back of the classroom, it attracted a lot of attention. Jun Matsueda looked up at the girl who opened the door.

Yamami Maki lowered her head, looking somewhat nervous. She looked at the boy, her voice trembling slightly.

"Could you come out for a moment, Matsueda-kun?"

Tomatsu Yuka and Mochizuki Haruka's hearts sank to the bottom, but neither of them said a word, only silently watching the boy out of the corner of their eyes.

After finishing writing the answer to the fill-in-the-blank question in front of him, Matsueda Jun looked at Yami Maki and asked, "Did you need something, Senpai?"

The girl outside the door nodded. He remained silent for a moment before getting up from his seat.

The door closed, and the two footsteps faded into the distance. The girls left in the classroom looked up, their gazes lingering on the wooden door, unwilling to look away.

Chapter 452 Showdown

Few people lingered in the corridor, and the footsteps of the young men and women echoed in the narrow space.

"So what did you want to talk to me about, senior?"

Yamami Maki looked down at the floor tiles she had slid across, "Dad wants to see you."

Jun Matsue turned to look at her, the girl's tone like that of a child who had made a mistake.

"I haven't found a chance to tell him about us yet..."

The boy looked up, his gaze passing over the girl. The person reflected in the windowpane had an uncontrollable rage in their eyes.

"If your father doesn't want to see me, will you never take the initiative to contact me again?"

His tone became even calmer, causing the girl to look up in alarm. The two stopped in their tracks simultaneously, and a parent passing by in the corridor glanced at them.

They once had many unspoken words, which could have been conveyed to each other with a single glance. Now, however, they could only look into each other's unfathomable eyes, waiting for the other to speak.

Whether it's anger or sadness, it all becomes unpleasant.

"Because... Matsueda-san doesn't hate me anymore, does she?"

Yamami Maki's mood was extremely low. Every time she saw Matsueda Jun's eyes, she wanted to run away and hide in the place furthest away from the boys.

If she can't see it, she can pretend that look doesn't exist.

Jun Matsue's smile was a little cold. "I actually wish I could hate you, so I wouldn't be so angry right now."

The girl looked up in surprise. "So you don't hate me?"

“I liked her yesterday, but I’m tired of her today. I don’t want to become that kind of person.” The boy’s tone was very restrained. “I was just expressing my dissatisfaction with my senior.”

Since being "bewitched" by Tomatsu Yuka last Saturday, he has distanced himself from his senior for a whole week—regardless of whether this is a good method, it is undeniable that while he felt sorry for the girl's disappointed expression, he also felt a great deal of pleasure.

Those emotions that had been building up inside began to be released during this opportunity.

"Didn't you want to break up? If this is what happens when we really break up, are you satisfied?"

"You haven't told anyone about the breakup, not even your father—senior, do you really want to break up?"

Yamami Maki stood frozen in place, and the girl spoke after a while.

"Dad has other things to do later, let's go see him first..."

Jun Matsue took a deep breath, turned around and walked away from the girl, not saying another word along the way.

A few minutes later, he met Yamami Maki's father in the administration building's lounge. The man still had that stern and unsmiling look.

"Hello, Uncle." Jun Matsue greeted him with a smile.

The fact that the senior didn't mention the breakup to her family suggests that there's still room for negotiation, and she wants to continue to maintain basic respect for the man in front of her.

"Sit." Kazuaki Yamami gestured for the boy and girl to sit down on the sofa in front of him.

"The parents' meeting for the third-year students just ended. I checked on Maki's progress, and she should have no problem getting into most schools." The man went straight to the point. "So, I wanted to ask Matsueda-kun, are you planning to go to the same university in the future?"

Yamami Maki, who was standing next to him, did not speak. Matsueda Jun smiled and nodded, "Yes, it would be best if we could attend the same university."

“You’re all humanities majors, so logically speaking, Tokyo University would be the best choice, as it would be easier to expand your network and social circle.” The man tapped his fingers on the armrest of his chair. “However, Maki’s grades aren’t good enough, so Tokyo University would require some maneuvering. Let’s consider it as the best option for now.”

"If we're going to make an alternative, then Qingda University is fine. Private schools offer more flexibility. As for the major, if Moji wants to study literature, then that's fine with her. As for you, choose from law, politics, and economics—don't waste your talent..."

Jun Matsue turned his head slightly to look at the senior sitting next to him. The girl's black hair fell down, and her hands, which were placed on her legs, were clenched tightly, but then she helplessly let go.

Even though the girl's request to choose a major was fulfilled, it was only because her family didn't have high expectations for her. He could understand Yami Maki's disappointment. Rather than just agreeing, what she really wanted was an exchange of opinions and to be listened to.

So he couldn't understand even more why you would still want to stay in such a family?

"The specific choice will depend on the results of the joint exam with Moji." The man raised his teacup, taking a short break.

"Speaking of which, is Matsueda-kun still in the band?" he suddenly asked.

The girl, who had been sitting like a doll, raised her head, and Yamami Maki had a bad feeling.

“I withdrew some time ago.” Jun Matsue held the girl’s hand, indicating that she didn’t need to worry.

“But I can still find your performance videos online; you’re quite popular.” The man’s tone was flat and indifferent.

"...That was his last performance before retiring, and it seems to have been surprisingly well-received." The smile that had been on Jun Matsueda's face began to fade.

"Delete it," Kazuaki Yamami said calmly. "It's already over 500,000 views; the exposure is too great."