Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 355 Maki Yami's Management Philosophy

The day after visiting the film set, Jun Matsueda returned to the Setagaya Library.

The girl named Yamami Maki was still sitting by the window, as if she had never left.

The girl was reviewing her Japanese history textbook, and the boy sat next to her. He leaned on the table and carefully observed his senior's fair arms, which were so perfect that he couldn't find a single flaw.

Today, Yamami Maki is wearing a spaghetti strap dress, revealing her upper arms and shoulders that are not usually seen. When she's with Matsueda Jun, the girl dresses a little more revealing than usual; she likes to let her crush's gaze linger on her, a little trick she's recently developed.

"How did your schedule go yesterday, senior?" Jun Matsue asked softly.

His breath brushed against the fine hairs on the girl's arm, and Yamami Maki's heart skipped a beat.

"It was quite pleasant." She put the book she was holding on the table. "It was just going home to have tea and dinner together."

"What's your home like, senior?"

The boy, who was lying on the table, tilted his head slightly to meet the girl's gaze. Yamami Maki felt like she had a big dog to raise, and had an urge to pet his head.

"..." The girl hesitated for a moment, "Let me think, how should I tell Matsueda-san?"

"How about we start with yesterday's itinerary?" Jun Matsue sat up.

"I thought my senior wasn't in Tokyo yesterday, but it turns out we're still under the same sky."

To change his senior's college application, he could only start by understanding her family situation. If there was any room for negotiation, he still wanted to attend the same university as her.

Yamami Maki picked up her coffee and took a sip. "I told Matsueda-san that we went back to our family home yesterday, which is in Bunkyo Ward."

"Now only my grandfather and a few of my aunts live there permanently; my father and the others only go back to say hello every now and then."

“I spent a lot of time there when I was little. My mother’s health was a bit weak. After giving birth to me, she recuperated at my grandfather’s place. I am the third child and the youngest sister in the family.”

The girl's tone was gentle, and the memories she recounted were like a gentle breeze, swirling around the two people sitting together.

Jun Matsue listened very carefully. Her senior kept talking about the pond and trees outside, and then she got stuck.

"Senior, you should rest if you're tired." The boy patted his thigh. "I'll give you a lap pillow."

The girl rolled her eyes at him. "I was just thinking about chatting with my sister in the yard yesterday."

Matsueda Jun recalled his older sister's sly smile. "You told her about us?"

Yamami Maki nodded in surprise. "How did Matsueda-san know?"

"This is what they call tacit understanding, isn't it?" The boy smiled, his left hand resting on the girl's right hand, which was resting on the seat. The warm and soft touch made him reluctant to let go.

The first time the two held hands like this was three days ago in the afternoon. The sun was shining brightly that day, and Matsueda Jun was also lying on the table looking at the girl's profile. As he looked, someone took the initiative, and their hands touched.

Jun Matsue still remembers Maki Yami's expression back then. The startled upperclassman's eyes widened and her mouth slightly agape, she was incredibly cute. Although the girl was surprised, she didn't let go of the boy's hand, and this unspoken intimacy became their daily routine.

At this moment, Yamami Maki only glanced at Matsueda Jun, then pinched the boy's little finger as if in a prank, and continued to speak.

“I told my sister how we met—I told her about the training camp, the wind instrument competition, and the competition coaching.”

"Isn't that what Jun Matsueda was thinking too?" the senior student continued. "But I didn't mention Yuka."

A brief silence fell over the library, broken only by the sound of the librarian's footsteps in the distance.

"It's already evening," the girl said with a smile, changing the subject. "Time flies."

“In the past, classmates would always come to me and talk about love, and they would talk for an entire class period. Now I think I can understand the fun they have in their endless chatter.”

"Will my older sister get annoyed like my senior did back then?" Jun Matsueda pondered. In her older sister's eyes, they must be the kind of couple who drag things out, right?

Yamami Maki covered her mouth, suppressing her laughter, but their hands remained clasped together. "Anyway, I had a lot of fun talking about it."

The two left the library when the clock on the wall struck the hour. They did not share the night with each other. Jun Matsueda and Maki Yami walked to the station together.

The setting sun was melting the entire city, and people hurried along the streets. Young men and women let go of each other's hands and tried to slow their pace.

"By the way, has senior forgotten something?"

"Really?" Yami Maki blinked in confusion, her eyelashes turning a crimson gold in the afterglow of the sunset. "I can't remember."

"Could you please remind me, Matsue-kun, who has an exceptionally good memory?"

"Didn't we agree to change the way you asked for compensation before?" Jun Matsue walked to the girl's right, shielding her from the dust kicked up by the traffic on the road.

"Ah!" Yamami Maki suddenly remembered this, and she lightly touched her cheek with her finger, trying to think.

"Maybe we should just keep it for now," she said with a smile. "There's nothing I really want."

"I'm too happy right now, so I'll leave this opportunity to make amends to my future self."

"That's how my senior is always. She's not in a hurry to have anything or to ask for anything," Jun Matsue shook his head helplessly.

"Doesn't my senior still owe me a favor?" Jun Matsue suddenly had a flash of inspiration. "How about we offset it with this compensation?"

“No way!” Yamami Maki shook her head decisively in rejection. “It’s not like we owe each other a debt, how can we offset it?”

“Matsueda-kun, you’ve been teaching me all this time. Now, Maki-sensei is going to teach you a lesson too.”

The girl reached out and adjusted glasses that weren't actually there. Matsueda Jun tilted his head in her direction, pretending to listen attentively.

"The purpose of indebtedness is to create memories—to use my favor to offset your compensation. Neither Songzhi nor I actually gained anything."

“A favor and a compensation can actually leave two memories in our hearts, such as going skiing together or cooking a meal at the other person’s request.”

“We may forget why we did these things, but these memories will last a very long time, and our connection with each other will become deeper and deeper.”

"Only by carefully cultivating relationships little by little can we gain the strength to accompany each other."

"Does Matsueda understand?"

Jun Matsue nodded respectfully, "I will try my best to learn from my senior."

"Well then, I'll leave you here, Matsueda-kun." Yamami Maki looked at the station in front of her. "See you tomorrow~"

As he watched the girl walk up the steps of the station, Jun Matsueda suddenly called out.

"Senior."

Yamami Maki turned around, tilting her head in confusion, as the boy walked up to her.

"Was it the senior who initiated that first hand-holding in the library?"

The girl didn't say anything, but glared at him with embarrassment and annoyance before turning and walking away into the sunset.

"Absolutely impossible!"

(End of this chapter)