Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 758 Fragility, Strength, Stubbornness, and Composure
"Trying to poach our employees again?"

Undisguised hostility emanated from her, and Kuroba Shin raised her head.

She opened her round eyes wide and put down the game console in her hand.

"Isn't this the eldest daughter of the Mochizuki family? What are you doing here?"

Yamami Maki gently tugged at her sleeve under the table, "I told you before..."

The girl wasn't a gossip. When she told Kokoro about her story before, she only mentioned Tomatsu Yuka, who was very involved, and glossed over the other people.

Kuroba Shin then revealed a look of sudden realization, "So you were also chasing after Matsue?"

"I'm pursuing him?" Mochizuki Haruka was speechless for a moment, then a mocking smile appeared on her face.

"Songzhi and I have been together for a long time."

She turned her head to the side, and the boy nodded naturally.

The girl gave a smug hum – if it weren't for the crowd, she wouldn't mind embracing Songzhi and giving him a long, wet kiss to show off their relationship.

"..." Kuroba Shin looked at her childhood friend beside her, "Why does it feel like Maki hasn't told me many things?"

Yamami Maki glared at her irritably, "Anyway, you don't care about these things!"

Sitting opposite her, Mochizuki Haruka chuckled again, "Trying to poach someone's talent, why bring an accomplice?"

"What, you think that just because you're the youngest daughter of the Yamami family and you have a grumpy kid from the Kuroba family, you can overpower me?"

"Hey!" Kuroba Shin glared at her with displeasure, but was blocked by the girl next to her.

“I think Mochizuki-san has some misunderstanding,” Yami Maki said with a polite smile.

"Haneoka High School's cultural festival welcomes anyone from outside the area. I was just there because Aya-chan invited me."

"Haneoka High School was originally the school that Kokoro wanted to apply to, so she wanted to take this opportunity to visit it with me."

"As for what you call poaching someone's boyfriend..." She glanced at the boy who was drinking milk with his head tilted back.

“When I met Songzhi, Yuhua was already by his side. From the time we entered the school gate until now, we have basically had no time to be alone.”

"And if I had to put it that way... I was the one who stole Yuka's man."

"Cough cough cough—" Matsueda Jun put down his cup. He didn't expect his senior to say such a thing.

The girl sitting next to him breathed a little heavier, her breathing rapid and annoyed.

Mochizuki Haruka straightened her back, first pinching the boy's waist under the table, and then looking at Yamami Maki in front of her.

"You really have the nerve to say that," the girl sneered. "It seems someone's skin has indeed thickened quite a bit since graduation."

"Back then, when you stole your beloved junior's man, you were trembling with fear and being very careful. Now you can say it so confidently."

Her tone was clearly sarcastic, and Yami Maki's originally bright face darkened as those images she didn't want to look back on but kept replaying in her mind came back to her once again.

"Where did Mochizuki go just now? I thought you were in the classroom providing accompaniment," Jun Matsue asked the girl beside him, trying to change the subject.

"..." Mochizuki Haruka glanced at the boy, but still went along with his wishes.

"It wasn't my turn to accompany in the afternoon. I just went to take pictures with Rion and the others."

The girl's voice was a little stiff, but at least she took over the conversation. Matsueda Jun gently rubbed against her shoe under the table, only to be kicked away by her with a haughty air.

"...Mochizuki is right."

But Yamami Maki had no intention of letting it go. She took a deep breath and looked at the couple in front of her, who were actually lovers.

"Compared to before, I have indeed become...more shameless."

"Maki!" Kokoro pushed her arm, but the girl ignored her.

“Someone advised me to be more selfish back then, but I didn’t understand what he meant at the time…” Yamami Maki clenched her knuckles and met the gaze of the boy in her eyes.

"I now understand that as an ordinary person, one does have to be a little selfish for the sake of one's own happiness."

"Or rather, be brave."

"If this is how you can achieve true happiness, then what does it matter if you sacrifice a little shame and decency?"

"..." Mochizuki Haruka stared into the girl's eyes, and this time she did not refute.

What Yamami Maki said makes sense. Both I and Tomatsu Tomoka decided to try living together precisely because of this mentality.

"Senior." Jun Matsueda's voice rose a little, trying to remind the girl of their current situation.

“…I’m sorry.” Yamami Maki smiled at him.

"Perhaps returning to Yuqiu High School has stirred up some memories for me, so it's not appropriate to talk about these things now."

Jun Matsueda nodded very lightly, and then looked back at the coffee shop that was gradually being cleared out.

"It's almost time for the shop to close. Are you and Kokoro going to have lunch at school?"

Kuroba Shin looked at the girl beside her, and Yamami Maki nodded.

“Let’s go to the cafeteria then.” Mochizuki Haruka stood up, leaning on the table. “The food stalls at the cultural festival are all packed with people at this time of year. Since you’re here as guests, I’ll treat you.”

Jun Matsueda stood up and turned to look at Tomoka Tomatsu, who had just returned to the classroom.

"Then I'll go and explain the lunch arrangements to Tomatsu first."

The girl nodded. Her arms, which were white and slender, were supporting her on the square table, yet they looked graceful and strong at that moment.

Yamami Maki's eyelashes trembled slightly as she looked at Tomatsu Tomoka, who was talking to a boy behind Mochizuki Haruka.

The possessive Mochizuki Haruka from the simulation, and the manipulative Tomatsu Yuka from the simulation, both seem to have changed now that they're with Matsueda Jun.

This is what Jun-kun wanted to see, isn't it?
Yamami Maki felt gratified, but the bittersweet feeling welling up inside her was also overwhelming and seemed difficult to suppress.

The seats that Mochizuki Haruka and Tomatsu Yuka are sitting in now are the ones she left behind.

The girl shook her head and said to herself.

"At least these changes are what I wanted to see..."

"Let's go." Jun Matsueda quickly returned to Haruka Mochizuki's side, who had stood up, and smiled at the girls across the table.

"Although the food at the cultural festival has a great atmosphere, it's definitely not as good as the food at Haneoka High School's cafeteria in terms of taste."

“…Okay.” Yamami Maki quickly adjusted her mindset, smiled, and stood up with Kuroba Shin.

"Isn't Yuka coming with us?"

She looked at the girl in the distance, and Tomatsu Yuka gave her a gentle smile.

“I’ll have to trouble her with the class affairs.” Jun Matsueda glanced back. “I also need to come back early later; I still have a carton of milk to move.”

Ten minutes later, when the boy with the fried pork cutlet rice bowl returned to his seat by the window in the cafeteria, the girls were already seated.

"..." Matsueda Jun sat down in the seat next to Mochizuki Haruka, and glanced at the girls' lunch.

"Do you all want cream stew?" He looked at the two steaming bowls of soup opposite him.

Maki Yami nodded. "I've been learning how to do this recently too."

"Now that the weather is cold, it's perfect to eat something warm and convenient like this."

Kuroba Shin, who was standing next to her, picked up a spoon and suddenly interjected, "Didn't you say you were thinking about learning how to serve guests?"

Jun Matsue paused for a moment. Besides Kokoro Kuroba, he was the only guest that his senior could entertain.

Yamami Maki's eyes were somewhat uneasy. She lowered her head, and her face revealed a girlish affection that she couldn't hide.

Seeing this, Mochizuki Haruka snorted loudly, interrupting the direct attack from the other side. She picked up the chopsticks for Matsueda Jun and gently tapped them on the boy's large bowl.

"Another fried pork cutlet rice bowl?"

Jun Matsue took the chopsticks and poked the runny egg next to the golden pork chop.

"If I can't think of anything to eat, I'll just have fried pork cutlet."

"Wait a minute." Kuroba Shin swallowed the stew in her mouth, looked at the crowd in the cafeteria hall, and then looked at the two people sitting opposite her.

"Isn't Tomatsu Yuka still Matsu's nominal girlfriend? Why can Mochizuki Haruka sit next to you so openly?"

On her way to the cafeteria, she had already gone over some of her studies with Maki.

"It's none of your business!" Mochizuki Haruka glared at her.

Although she is not Matsueda's official girlfriend yet, the students of Haneoka High School have long been used to Matsueda Jun's close relationship with the Mochizuki family.

"Eat it while it's hot." Jun Matsueda picked up a piece of pork chop and used it to block the view of the girl in front of him.

"Lunch time wasn't very long today, and the cream stew won't taste good when it's cold."

He wasn't the type to enjoy watching girls fight over a man—Mochizuki's hard-won softened heart shouldn't be provoked, and the senior who ran away from home shouldn't suffer any more blows.

This is also why he did not choose to stay in the classroom and distance himself from the situation.

After the boy reminded them again, the dining table by the window finally settled down.

While eating stew, Yamami Maki and Kuroha Kokoro compared the cafeterias at Haneoka High and Ochanomizu. As for Mochizuki Haruka, she shared a small portion of her unfinished hamburger patty with Matsueda Jun.

"It tastes much better than Ochanomizu." The girl who put down her game console commented, "No wonder I see no one likes going to the cafeteria. It's even worse than the high school cafeteria."

"What does the quality of the cafeteria have to do with high school or university?" Mochizuki Haruka retorted again.

“But Ochanomizu’s cafeteria is cheaper, and they have a lot of desserts too~” Yamami Maki tried to mediate. “Don’t you often eat at the cafeteria, Kokoro-chan?”

"Wasn't that to keep you company?" Kuroba Shin looked at her. "Wasn't it because Maki said that eating at the school cafeteria could save a lot of money?"

"Haha..." The girl wiped the soup from the corner of her lips, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Mochizuki Haruka's attention shifted away from the boy, and she was somewhat surprised.

Are you trying to save money right now?

"Hmm." Yamami Maki nodded and scooped up another spoonful of cream stew.

"After all, I have to support myself, and I always feel like the expenses will be a bit higher in winter—I can't help but want to turn on the kotatsu; I can't help it, it's just so cozy to be snuggled up in it..."

"Actually, kotatsu is one of the cheaper heating options in winter," Jun Matsue interjected while eating pork cutlet rice.

“Someone did a survey before, and the electricity cost for a kotatsu on low power is a little over three yen per hour, while an air conditioner costs at least twenty yen.”

“There is nothing cheaper than an electric blanket—but electric blankets are only suitable for beds, which is somewhat limiting.”

"Really?" The girl blinked in surprise. "No wonder Matsueda-san recommended the kotatsu to me—then I can use it a little longer!"

Mochizuki Haruka, who was standing to the side, did not continue to participate in the conversation. She chewed on her hamburger patty and fell into deep thought.

Matsueda had already mentioned that Yamami Maki had moved out of the Yamami family home, and she also knew that the girl was currently working part-time...

But she didn't expect that Yami Maki wasn't just acting out of spite, but was genuinely trying to break free from the Yami family.

Swallowing the juicy chunk of meat in her mouth, Mochizuki Haruka picked up Matsueda Jun's oolong tea, took a sip, and then looked at the girl opposite her.

"Are you still in contact with the Yamami family?"

The relaxed atmosphere that had been painstakingly created at the table was swept away once again. Jun Matsue patted the arm of the person next to her, but she ignored him.

Yamami Maki chewed slowly and carefully, swallowing the food in her mouth before speaking softly.

I'm keeping in touch with my sister and mother.

"As for finances? At least the Yami family paid for the tuition, right?"

The girl shook her head. "Scholarships will be awarded next semester, and I should be able to get my tuition waived."

Mochizuki Haruka pursed her lips. "You live alone now?"

Maki Yami nodded. "It's a nice little apartment. It is a bit small, but it's quite cozy to live in."

"I can't disclose the exact location."

"No one takes care of their daily life, and there are no servants to guarantee their food, clothing, and shelter?"

She smiled subtly and gently stirred the stew in her bowl with a spoon.

"My family doesn't really need maids."

"..." Mochizuki Haruka frowned, staring at the quiet and elegant girl.

"Are you really determined not to go back?"

Yamami Maki put down her chopsticks and raised her hand to tuck a strand of hair that had fallen beside her ear.

"...Of course I want to go back."

Her heart has always been soft. Her parents and elders, who had raised her, were all in the Yamami family. Of course, the young girl couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic.

Even her usually stern father had previously sent her a message through her mother's name:

"It's not too late to come back now."

but--

"But if I go home, I'll have to go back to being the Yamami Maki I used to be..."

"Then I'd rather not go back."

All eyes at the table turned to the resolute girl. Yamami Maki looked up at the boy who had put down his chopsticks and was staring at her.

She liked this feeling, the feeling of being able to look Tsunkun in the eye without any guilt or embarrassment.

This made the girl realize that what she was doing was the right thing.

After a brief silence, Mochizuki Haruka did not scoff dismissively or look away as she had done before.

She looked closely at Yamami Maki's gentle, considerate yet stubborn and determined eyes.

"I never thought that such a pedantic and boring Yami family could produce a rebellious person like you."

"..." Yami Maki smiled again, "Actually, I think deep down, I'm still that traditional and stubborn 'Yamami'."

“But I’m very lucky—” She met Matsueda Jun’s gaze, her smile becoming even brighter and warmer.

"I met some really, really good people."

"He guided Yamami Maki to become what she is now."

(End of this chapter)