Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 277 Hard-won Tacit Understanding

Mochizuki Haruka realized that she had underestimated Tomatsu Yuka's shamelessness.

After the afternoon classes ended, she and Jun Matsueda walked out of the classroom, and Yuka Tomatsu naturally followed beside them, as if she were there for extra lessons as well.

It seemed there was no point in changing positions. Jun Matsue glanced at the girl beside him. Haruka Mochizuki sighed and slowed down. Yuka Tomatsu also tacitly lagged behind by two steps, letting Jun Matsue walk in front.

The three of them formed an arrow, cutting through the crowded corridor and heading towards the library against the flow of people.

"Do you really have to bother me?" Mochizuki Haruka's voice was light and cold as it reached Tomatsu Yuka's ears.

"I just don't want to see anyone harassing Matsueda-san," Tomatsu Yuka said without changing her expression. "My grades are also good, so I can tutor Matsueda-san to fill in any gaps in her knowledge."

"No matter what, I did help you before," the girl said, bringing up the incident at the library.

The eldest daughter of the Mochizuki family would never submit to anyone other than Jun Matsueda, and the subtle air of superiority in her tone made Tomatsu Tomoka somewhat uncomfortable.

"If it weren't for Matsueda-kun, would you have chosen to help me? If you think you can keep manipulating me with this kind of thing, aren't you being a bit naive?"

Jun Matsueda glanced back to make sure the girls were following him and not running off to some life-or-death duel. They walked through the corridor and down the stairs. Tomatsu Yuka greeted her friends with a smile all the way, while Mochizuki Haruka nodded to her former classmates.

Judging from the girls' expressions alone, the two walking side by side looked like friends discussing where to go for fun that night.

"I will repay Mochizuki-san's help in my own way, but Matsueda-san is not something I can give to you."

Mochizuki Haruka was silent for a moment, then said, "That's settled then." The girl's bright smile flashed by, and she quickly returned to Matsueda Jun's side.

Tomatsu Yuka watched the girl's retreating figure. This girl wasn't one to be easily persuaded, and her easy submission made her somewhat uneasy.

But nothing happened. Today's tutoring session was peaceful. After Yamami Maki joined in, the four of them chatted about the drummer that Aya had gone to great lengths to find during their break. Afterwards, the girls from the brass band left early, while the two who were having extra lessons stayed until the end.

"Why does Yuka seem to be in a bad mood?" Yami Maki asked in confusion. Her senior was in a good mood today because the four of them continued in the same seats as yesterday, and she was sitting opposite Matsueda Jun again, secretly watching him while studying.

"It's nothing," Tomatsu Yuka smiled. "I just feel that it's pointless for Mochizuki Haruka to have Matsueda tutor her."

"If that's the case, then that's true." The girl recalled the exercise book she had glimpsed while secretly looking at Matsueda Jun, and there were basically no mistakes.

"But she didn't approach Matsueda just for the sake of her grades, did she?"

Tomatsu Yuka nodded, brushing aside the hair that had fallen to her temples. She hadn't cut it for several months, and her shoulder-length hair had now reached her shoulder blades, giving her a more gentle and sweet look.

"Everyone stayed to study because of Matsueda-san."

Hearing her junior's words, Yamami Maki suppressed the urge to nod instinctively and waved her hands in a panic, "I was called here by Yuka!"

"I forgot about my senior." The girl was still thinking about Mochizuki Haruka, and just smiled absentmindedly.

How will that guy retaliate?
Tomorrow is Saturday, and Jun Matsue will be working part-time at the library after school. It seems she won't know until next week.

At 2 p.m. on Saturday, Tomatsu Yuka sat behind the library counter, watching the boy next to her hand a fairy tale book to a kindergarten-aged girl, feeling comfortable and content.

After several months of operation, the counter has left many traces of her presence. Tomatsu Yuka comfortably picked up her water cup and took a sip of the sencha that Matsueda Jun had brought, a gift from the boy in return for the sakura mochi. The girl was very satisfied.

Of course, the most comforting thing is that Mochizuki Haruka is nowhere to be seen here. For a young girl, it is not an easy thing to keep an eye on her love rival at all times.

Savoring the delicate aroma of tea, Tomatsu Tomoka pondered. A new Chinese restaurant had opened nearby, and Matsueda seemed to really enjoy Chinese food. Would he refuse if she invited him to go? Footsteps sounded at the door. The girl looked up and saw her supervisor. She put down her teacup, tidied her slightly messy bangs, and prepared to greet her boss with a vibrant smile.

However, the girl following behind the supervisor quickly shattered Tomatsu Yuka's good mood. Mochizuki Haruka walked into the library expressionlessly, followed closely by several people carrying briefcases whose faces screamed "elite," making the relaxed atmosphere in the hall a bit more serious.

The manager walked to the counter, greeted the two people, and then introduced the visitors behind her, "This is Ms. Mochizuki, who is planning to invest in the Literature Museum. She is quite interested in the library, so she has come to inspect it."

The woman turned around and gave the girl, who was less than half her age, a fawning smile. "Miss Mochizuki, you can ask me or these two staff members if you have any questions."

"Miss Mochizuki" nodded demurely. "You can go back now. I'll just look around by myself."

After bowing, the manager turned around and gestured to the two people behind the counter to take good care of the big spender before leaving with a smile.

The maid, disguised as an elite team member, stood behind Mochizuki Haruka, greeted Matsueda Jun with her eyes, and walked behind the stacks of bookshelves.

"So, what brings you here, Miss Mochizuki?" Jun Matsue asked, looking at the girl behind the counter.

“You don’t need to call me that.” Mochizuki Haruka waved her hand. “I was just a little bored on the weekend, so I came to visit the place where Matsue works.”

She looked at Tomatsu Yuka next to the boy and said, "My subordinates might have some questions. Could you please help them out, Miss?"

The girl in the teller's apron gritted her teeth. She knew very well what Mochizuki Haruka meant. If she didn't go over, this guy would definitely find some excuse to criticize her for not doing her job well, and the supervisor would certainly fire her without hesitation.

“Absolutely no problem,” Tomatsu Yuka said with a smile, then reluctantly left the counter and headed towards the bookshelves.

Mochizuki Haruka walked behind the counter and unceremoniously took her place, while Tomatsu Yuka could only hear the two of them chatting behind her.

Half an hour later, the girl hid behind the bookshelf in humiliation, watching Mochizuki Haruka get up from the chair with "Tomatsu Yuka's Exclusive Seat" on the back and walk towards her.

"How does it feel?" Mochizuki Haruka observed the girl's expression with great interest. "You forced me to do this, didn't you?"

“Even if you don’t come here under the pretense of investment, there’s nothing I can do.” Tomatsu Yuka tried to maintain her last shred of dignity. “This is a public place, and I have no reason to refuse you. You can come every day if you want.”

"But are you planning to come over like this every day and kick me out from behind the counter? Or are you going to become a shareholder and fire me directly? Would Matsueda like you doing that?"

Mochizuki Haruka's expression didn't change; she remained leisurely. "If you're going to come and disturb my tutoring every day, I'll just have to come and watch when you're working."

"My tutoring will end eventually, but when will your part-time job end?"

Tomatsu Yuka looked at the bookshelf beside her in silence for a while before finally speaking with difficulty, "I won't go to tutoring, and you shouldn't come here like you did today."

"Your senior isn't allowed to come over either, okay? You'll have to tell her yourself." Mochizuki Haruka knew she didn't have any other way to deal with Miki.

".knew."

"You've bothered me for two days, so I'll come again tomorrow." The girl nodded in satisfaction.

"I'll be leaving soon. I'll have someone fix that broken cabinet next to your seat."

Tomatsu Yuka watched Mochizuki Haruka's departing figure. The cabinet that had been reported for repair many times but no one had paid attention was finally going to disappear, but she was not as happy as she had imagined.

The girls eventually reached a consensus: rather than a lose-lose situation, it was better to keep to themselves and avoid conflict.

(End of this chapter)