Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 554 Ordinary Scene
Just past 5:30, the first wave of people surged out from the foot of the building at the intersection.

Jun Matsue watched as the middle-aged man in a suit and shirt crossed the zebra crossing and pushed open the door of the coffee shop.

The girl sitting next to him gently squeezed his hand, then stood up from the booth.

"Dad~"

Tomatsu Yuka smiled and waved to the man, who looked surprised and walked over.

However, the man's surprise quickly turned into shock, because the boy sitting next to the girl appeared in front of him.

Jun Matsue stood up and bowed slightly to the girl's father. "Hello, Uncle. I am Jun Matsue, Yuka's classmate and class president."

As he greeted the man, a thought suddenly popped into his head—

Besides wanting to rely on himself, could Tomatsu also be hoping that the two of them will meet each other's parents first?

"Uh... hello?" The man was caught off guard. "I am Yuka's father, Akira Tomatsu."

“You can call me—” He paused, looking at his smiling daughter, “just call me Uncle Ming.”

Tomatsu Akira sat down in front of the two of them. The girl pushed the coffee she had ordered in advance in front of him, and the man picked it up and took a sip, as naturally as if he were drinking water.

"So, what brings Yuka to see me today?"

Tomatsu Yuka glanced at the boy next to her before looking at her father. "I have some serious questions I want to discuss with you, Dad."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell Dad, Jun-kun came with me too." She took Matsueda Jun's hand and shook it.

"He is the person I love, the person I want to spend my life with."

Jun Matsue silently picked up his coffee and took a sip. For some reason, the iced latte seemed a little sweeter than before.

“…I see.” The man was silent for a moment before speaking. He looked at the boy sitting diagonally opposite him and gave Matsueda Jun a very gentle and friendly smile.

"This young man is quite good-looking; he looks like he's destined for greatness."

Akira Tomatsu seemed somewhat sentimental as he looked up at the cumulus clouds outside the window.

"Back then, Yuka was just a little girl who kept asking to play with her parents, but now she's so brave to pursue the person she likes."

Men who have been through thick and thin can tell who is taking the initiative and who is being passive between young men and women.

Upon hearing her father's words, Tomatsu Yuka did not feel the joy and shyness she had expected; instead, a sense of melancholy gradually rose in her heart.

Her father no longer understands her; six years have passed, and they have missed too much of each other's time.

The unspoken understanding left by their family bond caused the two to fall silent for a moment. Jun Matsue reached out from under the table and placed his hand on the girl's right hand, which was resting on her lap.

The warm touch brought Tomatsu Yuka back to her senses, and she smiled at her father.

"Dad must be tired after work. I'm sorry to disturb your rest."

“How can Yuka’s visit be considered a disturbance?” Tomatsu Akira waved his hand. “I’m practically part of the leadership now, and my work is much easier than before.”

Tomatsu Yuka breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good."

"So, is there something you want to say?" The man's tone became more friendly. "Is it about your relationship? Does your mother disapprove?"

The girl hesitated for a moment, then shook her head.

"I want to ask Dad, why did you lie to me with Mom when you clearly don't have anyone you like?"

The man's expression froze. Jun Matsue glanced at the girl beside him; the soft back of his hand beneath his palm was trembling slightly.

Tomatsu Yuka lowered her head, waiting for her father's answer.

"...Did your mother tell you?" Tomatsu Akira picked up his coffee, using the act of drinking water to mask his sigh.

"No," the girl said honestly. "It was Tsun-kun and I who secretly investigated my father. I'm sorry."

The man looked up in surprise, and Jun Matsue smiled somewhat awkwardly.

"That's why I can be sure that Dad hasn't fallen for someone else." Tomatsu Yuka lowered her head and took a sip of coffee, letting the excessive sweetness overwhelm the worry on her tongue.

So what exactly happened?

Why do Mom and Dad lie?

"Why is it that now that Dad has paid off his debts, he doesn't live with us anymore, but instead lives alone outside?"

After asking a series of questions, the girl leaned back in her chair as if relieved, her body tilting towards the boy and resting on his arm.

Tomatsu Akira sighed deeply, like a man returning home from get off work, closing the door to his house, finally able to take off his tight suit jacket. "Actually, there's no particularly complicated reason, it's just that my relationship with your mother has cooled down."

Jun Matsue watched as the girl beside him trembled slightly with her eyelashes.

"Yuka is a sensible adult now, so you should understand what I'm telling you."

The man picked up his coffee again; adults need this the more they feel when they're in a bad state.

"Your mother and I have been separated for too long and have contacted each other too infrequently, so our relationship has faded a lot."

“That’s how it is with couples,” the man sighed again. “Many marriages are maintained by inertia.”

“And that inertia no longer exists between your mother and me.”

As Jun Matsue listened to him speak, he gripped the soft object in his hand tightly.

Tomatsu Yuka seemed to have prepared herself mentally; her trembling hands had calmed down.

"...After all, it's been six years." The girl smiled.

“Yes.” Tomatsu Akira nodded. “Your mother’s career has recently entered a period of growth. She means that if you get back together, there will be too many variables in your life.”

Looking at the calm brown surface of the ceramic cup, Jun Matsue could think from such a perspective, which suggested that Tomatsu's mother truly didn't have much affection for him anymore.

"Yuhua, don't blame your mother, she wasn't actually wrong." The man chuckled self-deprecatingly. "I have been considering starting a new relationship lately."

Tomatsu Tomoka raised her head.

"If you've done any secret investigation, you should have seen my colleagues as well."

The boy remembered the woman who was always described as "a bit annoying" by the girl.

“She used to be my subordinate, and now she works at the same company as me. She was the one who supported me through those days when I hadn’t paid off my debts.”

Tomatsu Akira patted his shirt up and down. "The reason I look pretty good right now is all thanks to her."

“I didn’t have those feelings for her at first, but we’re not young anymore, and I couldn’t just ignore her feelings.”

"..." He didn't continue, and there was no need to go into the specifics. It was enough for his daughter to understand the current situation.

"I see." The girl's smile was somewhat forced. "I understand."

"Since Yuka's here, how about we have dinner together tonight?" the man changed the subject. "Matsue-kun, you should come too, it's on me."

"No need," Tomatsu Yuka shook her head. "Tsunku and I had planned to spend some time alone together tonight."

"And there are people waiting for Dad outside."

She waved to the window with a smile. Tomatsu Akira turned around and realized that the woman he had just mentioned was standing at the crossroads, watching them.

Matsueda Jun guessed that he probably followed Mr. Itomatsu out because he seemed to be in a hurry today.

He looked at the woman standing on the sidewalk. She looked a few years younger than the man, with a gentle and refined demeanor, perfectly fitting the image of a virtuous wife in people's eyes.

“That’s enough for today,” Tomatsu Yuka said to her father. “Don’t keep her waiting too long.”

The girl experienced all sorts of waiting, from the dilapidated second floor of the villa to the upscale apartment with its cold lights, and the empty seats in the classroom.

She knew that waiting was unpleasant.

The man hesitated for a moment in front of his coffee, then looked back at the woman outside the window, as if he could see her unease.

He stood up before the woman turned around.

"You can come to me anytime you want—you're an adult now, no one can restrict your freedom."

"Mm!" Tomatsu Yuka nodded with a smile, but couldn't even bring herself to say "let's keep in touch."

Tomatsu Akira picked up his suit jacket, left the booth, glanced at the young men and women sitting there, and then walked out of the cafe.

The departing figure was blocked by the billboard outside the window. Jun Matsueda looked at the girl beside him, whose face still held a smile—the kind of polite smile he knew all too well.

He pulled Tomatsu Yuka into his arms and whispered.

"Cry if you want to."

Tears instantly soaked his shoulder.

(End of this chapter)