Am I being simulated by their love affair?

"I'll be there in half an hour."

"Good~"

The reply was unusually simple, and there was no follow-up. Jun Matsue blinked.

It seems her mood isn't as calm as it appears in the chat box...

Turning around, the boy walked towards Kugayama Station, watching the bulky bus disappear around the corner before putting his phone back in his pocket.

We're just one step away from solving the senior's problem.

Forty minutes later, when the door to room 404 was opened, Jun Matsue first felt a warm breeze on his cheek, and then the gentle face of the girl behind the door appeared before him.

"Welcome, Matsueda-kun~" Yami Maki smiled at him, wearing a fluffy pink and white striped loungewear.

"Good afternoon, senior." Jun Matsue stood in the entryway without changing his shoes.

He glanced at the room, which was dark and only had natural light—"Xiao Kui" was gone; she must have gone back to her cage.

"Are they getting ready to leave?"

"Mm." The girl smiled and nodded. "I was just about to change my clothes."

"Then I won't change my shoes?" The boy closed the door. "We'll leave after you change your clothes?"

"Okay." Yami Maki shuffled towards the bedroom in her slippers. "Then wait for me, Matsueda-kun."

Jun Matsue watched her walk into the bedroom and close the door—a few dozen seconds later, a soft "thud" of a slipper hitting the ground and the chirping of birds suddenly came from behind the door.

"..." The boy blinked. "Senior, don't rush, just take your time changing your clothes."

"Okay—" came the girl's somewhat shy reply from behind the door.

Two minutes later, Jun Matsue, standing in the entryway, watched as the bedroom door reopened—his familiar matcha-colored coat and simple beige turtleneck sweater were there.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Yamami Maki brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. "Shall we set off now?"

The boy looked at the backpack in her hand, which wasn't too big or too small, and said, "It seems like you don't have much stuff with you, senior?"

The girl nodded and walked closer to him. "I only have a computer and a few clothes—my family definitely has more things at home than I do here."

“That’s true.” Jun Matsue looked at the closed bedroom door behind her.

"But aren't you bringing Xiao Kui along? How will you feed her?"

Yamami Maki lowered her head to change her shoes in front of the boy—the turtleneck sweater covered the cleavage of her chest, only revealing its full contours.

"Let's leave Xiaokui with Kokoro for now. She'll come and take her away tonight."

The girl tugged at her little leather boots, looked up, and smiled shyly at her beloved.

"I was thinking that if I brought less stuff back, it would give me the feeling that I'd be back soon..."

“So it was just psychological suggestion.” Jun Matsueda looked at her.

"I also believe that my senior will be back soon."

As the boy opened the door and returned to the hallway, he saw the senior student standing in the entryway take off a pure white knitted hat from behind the door and put it on her head—it was a Christmas present he had given her.

Fully prepared, Yamami Maki stepped out of the apartment, closed the door, and took a deep breath while placing a hand on her chest.

"……it is good!"

She revealed a soft, bright smile, like a cypress tree covered in snow under the sunlight.

"Thank you for your help, Jun-kun. Let's set off now."

Two distinct yet surprisingly harmonious footsteps left the apartment. The girl looked up at the thin, clear sky and pinched the collar of her undershirt.

"Although the sun is shining brightly today, it's still a bit chilly outside."

“After all, the lowest temperature is only two degrees Celsius—that’s already snowy weather.” Jun Matsueda glanced at the white breath she exhaled.

"How are you going to get home, senior? By tram?"

"Hmm." Yami Maki slung her backpack over her shoulder and took out her phone from her coat pocket to look at it.

"My sister originally said she would pick me up in her car, but I still prefer to take the car home by myself."

"Ah, it's not because Matsueda-kun is here that I chose this." She waved her hand at the boy.

"Well... having no one to pick me up or drop me off, and having to choose my own way home, makes me feel more relaxed."

“I understand.” Jun Matsue and she turned at the intersection together, looking at the station located at the end of the road.

"It's like going back to school with unfinished holiday homework—if I'm in my parents' car, I always feel uneasy, but if I walk or ride a bike by myself, even if I get scolded by the teacher, I feel more at ease."

"That does feel similar," the girl laughed. "But does Tsunkun ever have homework he hasn't finished?"

"...It was just an analogy." The boy concealed his memories of his past life.

"But ultimately, it's probably because going home put psychological pressure on her that she thought that way, right?"

Yamami Maki nodded without speaking. She lowered her eyes and tucked her delicate, rounded chin into her beige turtleneck.

Seeing her frail appearance, Jun Matsue blinked and turned his gaze to the train station that was gradually enlarging in front of them.

He seemed like some kind of guard escorting prisoners...

"I've been drinking the matcha that my senior gave me these past few days," the boy said, changing the subject. The girl looked up.

"The taste is quite good. Although it may just be a placebo effect, I do feel more focused when studying. Thank you for the gift."

"You're welcome~" Yamami Maki smiled contentedly, appearing even sweeter and gentler than usual.

“I really like the gift Tsunku gave me.” She touched the knitted hat on her head.

"But I didn't look in the mirror before going out, so I don't know if I wore it crookedly."

"It's not crooked, it looks quite nice."

Jun Matsue didn't look at the girl's hat for long. He stepped onto the steps in front of the station, and the girl followed in his footsteps, disappearing into the crowd in front of the station.

The boy found an empty seat facing the sun and sat down. He watched as the senior girl held her backpack in front of her, looking exceptionally well-behaved.

"We'll be home in half an hour. Have you thought about what it will be like when you get back, senior?"

"I know you'll have concerns, but thinking about it in advance might actually help alleviate them."

“Hmm…” Yamami Maki’s previously stiff face twitched.

She met the gaze of the person next to her, and for a moment, she and the boy locked eyes in the gentle tremors of the train starting to move, their gazes naturally calming down.

Being gazed at like that by Tsun-kun seems to give one the courage to face anything.

"Let me think about it—" The girl hugged her backpack and looked at the cool sunlight streaming onto the seat opposite her.

"The first person I'll see should be Mom, she prefers to stay in the living room..."

"If we meet, she'll probably hug me with delight." Her eyes unconsciously twitched upwards.

“‘Has Moji lost weight?’ she would probably ask, and then gently pinch my waist and arms with concern.”

“She always thinks I’m suffering alone outside every day,” Yamami Maki smiled.

"Then it should be my older sister—she'll come out of her room, give me a cool hug, and then keep her distance."

“‘Welcome back.’” she mimicked her older sister’s tone.

"However, my sister probably won't tell me too much. She'll just talk about our daily lives. She's not the kind of person who easily reveals her inner feelings."

Jun Matsue nodded. Miss Yuka was indeed a "hypocritical" yet mature adult.

However, he felt that his aunt's ability to "wear her emotions on her sleeve" was actually a bit higher than hers...

“Finally, it’s my father—” The girl’s eyelashes trembled.

"He'll probably wait until we've finished talking before leaving the study... What will his first words be?"

"'You still know how to come back?'"

She instinctively reached for the hand of the person next to her on the chair—Matsueda Jun blinked but didn't move.

Yamami Maki nodded in self-assurance, "Even if it wasn't the first sentence, Father would definitely have said that."

"And the way he was talking wasn't really angry, but that actually made me angrier—"

"That feeling of unwaveringly believing that you are right, and that your daughter has simply come to her senses..."

The girl unconsciously tensed her shoulders.

"Mom will probably join in at this point—she'll definitely say a few words to Dad first, to prevent us from arguing again."

"But she'll definitely try to persuade me on behalf of my father..."

“After all, my mother, who married into the Yami family when she was young, certainly wouldn’t think that my life of working outside and supporting myself is so happy.”

The boy's fingers twitched, and Yamami Maki realized her movement. She raised her hand in a fluster.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention—"

"It's nothing," Jun Matsueda shook his head.

"I think the actual situation is pretty much the same as what my senior thought—"

"After all, you are a thoughtful person, so you must know your parents very well."

"Moreover, it is very difficult to change their minds—after all, the elders have insisted on their way of thinking for decades. No matter how much they understand us, the most they can do is respect them."

Besides, that's the Yamami family... he added to himself.

“That’s right!” The girl nodded in agreement.

"That's precisely why I don't want them to think that I'm coming back to 'admit defeat'."

The boy smiled and asked, "So, what does the senior want to do?"

"..." Yamami Maki frowned, looking somewhat troubled.

"Let's try to communicate with them calmly first."

She sighed, "Venting my emotions won't solve anything. This way, they might know that I've indeed grown since I left the family for half a year."

“I think your idea is good.” Jun Matsueda nodded.

"The important thing is to truly convey your thoughts to each other. I hope everything goes well for you."

"..." The girl let go of the backpack in her arms and laughed.

“I remember what Jun-kun said—if things don’t go well, I’ll call you.”

The half-hour journey was actually quite short, and it only took a few minutes to get from Jiyugaoka Station to Yamami Maki's house—the thin sun hanging in the sky had not yet shown any signs of weakness before the boy and girl were already standing in front of a detached house.

"I'll leave you here." Jun Matsueda looked at the girl beside him.

"Go for it, senior!"

"Mm." Yamami Maki nodded, took off the backpack from her back, and straightened her coat.

She took a silent breath, turned her head to look at the boy, and smiled sincerely and gently.

"I will come back as soon as possible for Tsun-kun and Aoi!"

The girl walked to the familiar door, took out her key, pushed the door open, and waved goodbye from behind it one last time.

Even though he knew his senior couldn't see him, Jun Matsueda still raised his hand in response.

The heavy gate slowly closed, but the boy did not leave immediately. Instead, he faced the mansion, gazing at its conservative shadows cast by the sunlight, and slowly retreated step by step.

I still can't bring myself to like it...

He turned and left.

However, after walking a few steps without looking back in the chilly winter wind, a girl's loud shout suddenly came from behind—

"Wait a moment--"

Jun Matsue turned around—

The senior student pushed open the door and ran towards him quickly, carrying her bag. The girl was still wearing her slippers from home, and her steps were a little unsteady.

Yamami Maki ran breathlessly toward the boy, her face flushed with a color that was hard to tell whether it was anger or excitement.

"I'll go with Jun-kun!"

Chapter 835 When You Run Towards Me