Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 553 Too Soft-Hearted

The next morning, before the last class, Jun Matsue stood in the corridor of the classroom next door, Class 5.

The next class was physical education. The girls from Class 5 and Class 6 were changing into their gym clothes in the classroom in front of him. The curtains, which were not slit at all, swayed slightly, but could not block out the coquettish laughter and giggles inside.

Natsumi Imokawa was the first to change her clothes. She walked out of the classroom with her head down, turned around and closed the door, and then noticed the boy standing in the corridor.

"Why are the pine branches here?"

She opened her eyes wide in surprise—although there was no explicit rule, boys generally wouldn't approach the classroom when the girls were changing clothes.

“I need to speak with Mochizuki.” Jun Matsueda glanced at the girl.

As the weather got warmer, everyone wore short-sleeved sportswear. The simple white short-sleeved shirt and black shorts made Natsumi Imokawa's curves stand out, making her particularly eye-catching.

"How come Imokawa changed clothes so quickly?"

"Uh," she said somewhat awkwardly, "because people often stare at me when I'm changing clothes, and they ask me all sorts of questions..."

"So I usually change quickly in a corner and come out as soon as possible."

“…I see.” Jun Matsue could imagine herself being surrounded by envious girls while changing clothes. “It must be quite tiring.”

"It's alright." Natsumi Imokawa glanced at the boy's calves and arms, then suddenly remembered something.

"Um, would you like me to go in and call Mochizuki-san for you?"

"No need." Jun Matsueda shook his head; it always felt strange to urge someone to change their clothes.

"Then I'll leave first?"

"see you later."

Imokawa Natsumi left with small, quick steps. Matsueda Jun waited for two minutes before Mochizuki Haruka and several other girls walked out of the classroom together.

The boy standing at the edge of the corridor waved to her, and the girl quickly noticed him. She said a few words to the girls around her, and then quickened her pace to walk towards him.

"Songzhi is looking for me?"

Jun Matsue turned around. "Let's talk on the way."

The two walked into the stairwell together. The girl had just tied her hair into a high ponytail, and her neat black hair swayed with her steps.

"I can't walk home with you after school today."

"Why?" Mochizuki Haruka looked at him. "Do you have to work again?"

The boy shook his head. "It's because of Tomatsu."

"What is it?" The girl turned to look at him.

"It's her parents' relationship problem, and she can't handle it on her own, so she asked me to go with her."

He didn't go on to say the specific details. Mochizuki Haruka turned around, stared at the wall in front of the stairs, and blinked.

The air around them fell silent, while the laughter of girls and the sound of footsteps huddled together came from upstairs.

Looking at the girl's expressionless face, Jun Matsue sighed inwardly.

She was indeed emotional.

Although he knew it would make Mochizuki Haruka angry, the boy did not regret it; this was the result of his thinking before going to bed yesterday.

There was no particular reason; he had already kept the matter of Tomatsu a secret from Mochizuki once before, so he didn't want to hide it again this time.

As the two stepped out of the teaching building, and the sunlight hit them in the face, Mochizuki Haruka finally spoke.

"Will your breakup plans also be affected?"

“…I’m not sure,” Jun Matsue said cautiously, “but Tomatsu’s matter shouldn’t drag on for too long.”

"We said back then that we would announce our breakup no later than this month."

The girl pursed her lips into a thin line. "I thought you two would break up after the Golden Week holiday."

"Should we wait until the end of this month?" she asked quietly. "After May ends, Songzhi can't possibly announce that she's in a relationship again in early June, can she? That would be a seamless transition, wouldn't it?"

"So by the time our relationship is announced, will summer vacation be over?"

Jun Matsue couldn't answer; he felt the sunlight was a bit too bright today.

“…Soft-hearted guy.” Mochizuki Haruka lightly punched the boy next to her in the arm, her tone not particularly harsh.

"It's all your fault for always being soft-hearted; that's why they have so many problems with you."

The two were still walking towards the playground when Matsueda Jun could only honestly nod, admitting his mistake, which wasn't really a mistake.

"But if you weren't so soft-hearted, I wouldn't have fallen for you."

The boy turned his head, but the girl's lips were still tightly pursed. Her words just now were like the reflection of a raven's feather in the clear sky, fleeting and gone.

"So hurry up and get this over with." The girl punched him again angrily. "My patience really won't last forever."

Aside from her own aunt, only he, who is right beside her, can inspire this level of patience in Mochizuki Haruka.

Moreover, she herself relied on family ties to make a living, so this time the girl felt a rare bit more sympathy for Tomatsu Yuka.

"Thank you, Miss." Jun Matsue bowed respectfully.

The girl in the gym uniform glared at him one last time.

"I wish you really treated me like a rich girl."

At 3:40 p.m., Jun Matsue and Yuka Tomatsu walked out of the school gate together.

The girl with the schoolbag looked behind her but didn't see another familiar figure.

"Don't you need to explain to Mochizuki-san today?" she asked understandingly.

The boy sighed, "I've already explained it."

"Thank you for your hard work, Tsun-kun." Tomatsu Yuka's smile was tinged with worry. "I always seem to be causing you trouble."

"Don't say such self-deprecating things." Jun Matsueda waved his hand. "If you were only a burden to me, I would have abandoned you long ago."

A sweet feeling welled up in the girl's heavy heart. She secretly walked closer to the boy, letting him occupy more of her peripheral vision.

The two walked toward the station, and an hour later, they sat in a café near Kayabacho, looking at the menu in their hands.

"Mr. Tomatsu, you'll be off work in less than an hour, right?" Jun Matsueda glanced at the clock on the wall.

"Okay." Tomatsu Yuka looked at the message on her phone. "Dad said he'll be off work on time today."

She looked up, took the menu, and called to a passing waiter, "Excuse me, a caramel macchiato, with extra caramel sauce."

"What would you like to drink, Chun-kun?" she asked the boy next to her.

“…The original latte, please.” Jun Matsueda glanced at the girl. “If yours is too sweet, you can have a sip of mine.”

"Okay~" Tomatsu Yuka's smile wasn't very obvious.

As the time drew closer, the girl became increasingly anxious, and she needed extra sugar to calm her unease.

Fortunately, she had Jun Matsueda by her side, and the boy became more talkative. He talked about everything from recent exams to gossip in the grade, using this method to prevent the negative emotions in the girl's heart from spreading in silence.

Of course, what reassured Tomatsu Yuka the most was that the two of them had somehow started holding hands—even though her palms were sweating, she still held on tightly and had no intention of letting go.

When the clock on the wall struck 5:20, Jun Matsue licked his slightly dry lips and took a sip of coffee.

"Your father should be getting off work soon, right?" He looked at the girl beside him. "Should I avoid any appearance of impropriety? Like, sit in the seat behind you or something?"

“No need.” Tomatsu Yuka held the boy’s hand and shook her head firmly.

"I want Jun-kun to stay by my side."

"You have no need to avoid any matters related to me."

(End of this chapter)