Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Yosuke Kurusu snorted, raised his chin, and shook the boy's hand.

"You're already lovers, is rubbing your head and holding hands considered affection? It's not like you're touching any weird places!"

Her first words were exactly what Mochizuki Haruka had said when she was being fed by pine branches—the girl who was scolded back then is still holding a grudge.

"..." Mochizuki Haruka pursed her thin, moist lips.

She couldn't go back on what she had said, so the girl chose to take the boy's other hand.

Jun Matsue lowered his head, looking helplessly at the two hands, one big and one small, that were holding his.

"Um, I still have to cook..."

With this seemingly legitimate excuse, the boy finally broke free from the two's grasp and headed to the kitchen.

He closed the kitchen glass door and glanced back—the TV screen had switched to a game screen, and the girls seemed to be preparing for a battle.

The situation has been stabilized... Jun Matsueda neatly arranged the ingredients in his hands on the stove.

Compared to not making them angry, sad, or upset, cooking a delicious lunch after a long day and a couple of busy events is just a piece of cake!

He picked up a bunch of tender green scallions and put them in the sink to wash, when his phone, which was lying on the cutting board, suddenly lit up—

The boy turned off the tap, wiped his hands, and looked at the message on the screen.

"Our holiday starts today!"

Unsurprisingly, it was a pale yellow parrot head. Yamami Maki sent a photo showing half of her head. Although the angle was strange, the senior still looked gentle and cute. Matsueda Jun could see her pajama collar, the stove behind her, and Kuroha Shin's little feet next to the stove.

"Did Kokoro spend the night at your place last night?"

"Yes! We chatted until very late~ She said she would go back after having lunch today."

Looks like you're having a pretty good time... Jun Matsue turns on the tap, and the green onions tremble as they're washed.

"Matsueda-kun is going back to the orphanage tomorrow, right? Are you packing your things now?"

The boy threw the rest of the vegetables into the sink and replied on his phone.

"I plan to start packing this afternoon."

"Where's the senior? Are you mentally prepared to go home?"

Although the question was somewhat blunt, he felt it was necessary to ask—a young girl's mind is always fickle, and he didn't want any unexpected events to occur.

Also, what situations might arise after I take my senior home? What should I do if she asks me for help?

Jun Matsue felt he needed to prepare himself mentally.

The senior student sent a message a few minutes later.

"If I'm going to travel with Tsun-kun, I think I'll be ready!"

"..." The boy turned off the tap and shook his head at his phone screen.

Should we say she's become braver, or has she gone astray?

"See you the day after tomorrow then."

Okay, see you the day after tomorrow!

Jun Matsue put his phone aside and started shredding the vegetables and chopping the scallions.

For lunch, we decided on scallion oil noodles with a fried egg, a vegetable salad, and miso soup—simple yet delicious.

But before that...

He looked up at the phone that had lit up again on the cutting board—

The screen first displays a gentle rabbit icon, followed by a simple penguin with a camera attached.

Looks like I'll have to find some time to reply to the message.

Chapter 833 Prelude to the New Year

On December 27th, at 2 PM, Jun Matsue chose the warmest time of day to return to the orphanage.

Carrying his suitcase and the gifts he had bought earlier, he walked out of the bedroom and looked at the girls in the living room.

"Is it about time we set off?"

“Okay—” the three people and the cat on the sofa responded.

Aya Miyamura was the first to put down the controller in her hand, stand up, and pull the suitcase next to the sofa, looking ready to leave at any moment.

Grandma must miss us!

Caijiang arrived in the morning. She was going back to the orphanage with Chun-ge and also stopped by to have lunch and play with the older girls for a while.

Mochizuki stood up, holding her cat. "The car is already downstairs."

"Thank you for your help, Mochizuki." The boy nodded.

They weren't taking the bus today, but rather Wangyue's car—it was a bit inconvenient for several people to squeeze onto the bus with their suitcases and bags.

"Kurasu is coming back with us too, right?"

"Of course!" After saving her game, Miss Idol turned off the TV. "You've all run off, and I'm bored staying home alone."

"..." The young lady who owned the orphanage glanced at her sideways. "You want to spend the New Year at the orphanage?"

"Who said that?" Kurusu Yosei snorted. "Look how nervous you are~"

"I'm only going to the orphanage for two days. I still have to go back to see my mom afterward."

Only then did Mochizuki Haruka feel at ease as she carried the cat to the boy's side. Matsue Jun scratched Kinji's cheek—the little female cat purred softly, sounding extremely comfortable.

"Let's check the doors and windows one last time." He turned to look at the balcony. "Does Wangyue need anything?"

The girl walked towards the door first, saying, "I don't need to bring my own luggage."

The idol stood up and stretched, "Damn capitalists..."

The eldest daughter of the Mochizuki family stepped outside, her voice drifting from afar—

"Right now, it's me, the capitalist, who's supporting you."

Sitting in the black sedan that exuded capitalist vibes, Aya Miyamura adjusted the passenger seat and comfortably leaned back to enjoy the sunlight streaming in from the front of the car.

"The weather is great today—perfect for outdoor activities or returning home from a trip!"

Jun Matsue sat in the middle of the back row and glanced at the girl on his left.

Bathed in the sunlight streaming through the car window, Mochizuki Haruka rested one hand on the car door armrest and glanced at him lazily.

"Why are you looking at me? Did you forget something, Pine Branch?"

"Are you worried about the clothes drying on the balcony?" asked Yosei Kurusu, clinging to the boy's shoulder.

"It's okay, I'll come back to collect it later."

Mochizuki Haruka glared at her—even if the girl wasn't directly involved, she knew perfectly well why the clothes on the balcony needed to be washed.

"It's nothing." Jun Matsue smiled and looked ahead at the front of the car.

—The last time they took the car back to the orphanage, Mochizuki had cleverly arranged for him to sit in the passenger seat, but now he can sit next to Kurusu naturally.

Let's go.

Twenty minutes later, the black sedan stopped outside the wall of the Mitaka City Welfare Home. The teenagers carrying large and small bags walked through the gate of the welfare home—they were greeted by the joyful shouts of the children.

Responding to the children's innocent enthusiasm with a bright smile, Jun Matsue distributed some of the prepared gifts to the girls. He stretched and watched as the children, tall and short, carried their gifts and ran towards the childcare worker holding a soccer ball in the yard.

"Hasn't the director come down yet?" Mochizuki Haruka, who had been hiding far away, finally came over—she didn't like dealing with children.

"He's probably busy in the office, right?" Yosuke Kurusu said with a grin, carrying a gift bag.

"Everyone must have a ton of things to take care of at the end of the year~"

The boy nodded. "Let's go upstairs to find her. Does Wangyue want to come with us?"

"I'll go find her myself later." The girl yawned and stretched out her fair and delicate hand.

"Songzhi, give me your room key. I need to catch up on my sleep."

Matsue stayed overnight at her place yesterday, and the two of them stayed up half the night. In addition, she had to play with Aya-chan who came over in the morning, so Mochizuki Haruka was naturally a little sleep-deprived.

He handed her the keys, watching her turn and walk away with a languid, cat-like gait. The boy's gaze returned to his own side.

"Kurasu is with us now?"

“Of course~” Kurusu Yosei took his hand, “After all, I’m Matsueda’s girlfriend~”

Matsueda Jun glanced at his younger sister, who was beaming with a blissful smile, shook his head, and led the idol into the welfare home building.

I should probably think about how to explain having more and more girlfriends to my grandma.

After knocking on the door of the dean's office, the boy and his younger sister entered the room, where they found an elderly man with silver hair and glasses sitting at his desk.

"Xiao Chun and Cai Jiang are back?" The dean took off his reading glasses and smiled at the two of them.

"Come and sit down."

"Hello, Grandma~~" Aya Miyamura rushed around the desk and into the old woman's arms. "We're back for the New Year~"

The dean smiled and straightened up to hug her, watching as the boy sitting opposite her placed his handbag on the table.

"What is this? A gift for me?"

"These are gifts for you." Jun Matsue took them out one by one.

"Ayaka's matcha latte bag, my moisturizing hand cream, Kurusu's silk scarf..."

After the presentation, he put the items back into a bag and placed it on the table.

"She gave Mochizuki her own gift later, so it's not in here."

"Thank you~" the old man blinked.

"Did Ms. Kurusu also send a gift?"

Jun Matsue turned around and glanced back.

Kurusu did not enter the room—the girl has a lively personality, but she also has a delicate sense of propriety, which is why she is loved by those around her and even by her fans.

"I'll tell you about her later."

The kind-faced old man narrowed his eyes meaningfully, smiled, and nodded.

"You seem to have grown a lot taller, Aya-chan." She looked at the girl beside her who was half-embracing her. "I can barely hold you anymore."

"How could that be!" Miyamura Aya pouted. "I've only grown one centimeter taller, it's not like my waist got thicker or I gained five pounds!"

Grandma Dean chuckled, "Cai-chan is already a second-year student, time flies so fast."

"I made a lot of money this year!" the girl said, letting go of his hand. "And I had a very fulfilling time at school too—"

A few minutes later, Miyamura Aya walked out of the dean's office humming a song, and saw a slender figure leaning against the end of the corridor.

"What is Yang Shi doing?"

She skipped and hopped over to Miss Idol, then leaned on the railing and looked down.

The children in the yard were playing football—the sunlight shimmered on the withered grass, spreading across their running figures like an oil painting.

"Watching a football match~ My team is going to win!" Lai Qiyang said with great interest, waving to the girl "guarding the goal" standing at the edge of the grass.

"Go, Sawa!!"

Cai Jiang laughed, "Yang Shi-jie really likes her?"

"Hmm." Miss Idol turned her head and blinked.

"When she was handing out gifts, she said I was as pretty as the older girls on TV!"

Miyamura Aya laughed out loud, while Kurusu Yosei's eyes crinkled as he looked down into the corridor behind the two of them.

"Has the pine branch not come out yet?"

"Yes, I was just telling Grandma about myself," the girl said with a smile. "Now it's Chun-ge's turn~"

"I see~" Miss Idol looked at the nameplate on the dean's office door.

What will Songzhi say to Grandma Dean?

“I know!” Miyamura Aya mimicked the way the person next to her raised their hand.