Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 257 Ideas of Change

"Do you like him?"

When she heard the question, Yamami Maki paused for a moment, and then a ship's horn sounded in the distance.

"Like? Who?" The girl's question seemed to be a way of stalling for time.

"Who else could it be? It's Jun Matsueda, the one who bought our tickets." Kokoro Kuroba curled her lip. "Did a question really make you stupid?"

“…” Yamami Maki stared blankly at the swaying treetops above her head. “Matsueda-san and I are just friends.”

"This is the first time I've ever seen you out with a guy." Kuroba Shin brought her face close to hers. "Just friends? Hmm?"

Yamami Maki pushed her face away, "We're just friends. Matsueda-kun is coming back, so don't say things like that in front of him!"

Jun Matsue quickly returned to the two with three boat tickets. He sat down on the bench and looked at the girls on the other side. "Why are you so quiet? Are you still not feeling well?"

Yamami Maki shook her head and covered Kuroba Kokoro's mouth, "It's just that Kokoro-chan talks too much, I was just trying to quiet her down~"

The girl, whose mouth was covered, struggled weakly for a moment, her resentful gaze shifting between the two of them.

If you really don't like her, why cover her mouth?

After sitting on a bench on the island and basking in the sun for ten minutes, the three boarded the dolphin-watching boat. This time, Kuroba Shin didn't play games anymore and seemed much more energetic, wandering around the deck by herself.

"We haven't seen any dolphins yet." Jun Matsue leaned against the railing, staring at the sea beside the ship. They were now in a bay between islands, with no trace of land in sight.

“Yes.” Yamami Maki leaned on the railing, watching the white spray created by the collision of the boat’s hull with the water’s surface. The girl seemed somewhat absent-minded.

Although Kuroha Shin's mouth was covered, the question still couldn't help but echo in her ears.

Does she like Matsue-kun?

The girl tilted her head and raised her eyes to peek at the boy standing next to her. His eyes sparkled like the shimmering waves of the sea, but they did not give off a deep sense of coldness.

If I had to say whether I like it or not, I'd lean towards liking it, Yamami Maki told herself.

She admitted that she did have romantic feelings for Matsueda, and that Matsueda probably felt the same way about her, which she sensed from their daily interactions.

However, this goodwill was not enough to turn into love, the girl believed that this was true for both of them, especially since he was the beloved of her junior.

Yamami Maki is an easily satisfied person. She feels that her current life is good and has no intention of ruining it.

With Songzhi accompanying her in her studies, she could go shopping with Yuka during her free time on weekends. When she felt tired at school, she could run into them on the balcony and chat together, or pass by the brass band's room after school to see the new members practicing.

To Matsue-kun, I'm probably a special person, isn't I? That's enough.

"Are you starting to worry about the final results, senior?" Yami Maki hadn't spoken until now, and Matsueda Jun looked at the silent girl.

"Well, I guess so?" She can't exactly say she's thinking about how much she likes you, can she?
“There’s nothing to worry about, senior.” Jun Matsue smiled. “You’re the hardest-working person I’ve ever met.”

"It's all thanks to Pine Branch's tutoring." The girl looked out at the sea, where, apart from the waves, she could see fish-like figures approaching the dolphin habitat.

"More importantly, it's because the senior student worked hard herself."

"If I beat Kokoro-chan this time too, I think Matsueda-san's tutoring was more important." She jokingly revealed her true feelings, "After all, I've tried so many times before, and I've never been able to beat her~"

Matsueda Jun pondered for a moment while looking at the sea, then looked into the girl's eyes, "I'm just a booster for you, providing you with a more efficient way to learn."

"Without your previous efforts, what use would it be if I tutored you 24 hours a day, even if you built up those foundations, habits, and attitudes little by little?" "Perhaps defeating Kuroba Shin requires a hundred steps, but you have already taken ninety-nine steps on your own. We have only taken the last step together."

Yamami Maki blinked, and behind Matsueda Jun, dolphins leaped out of the water, making joyful noises.

"So please don't deny the significance of your efforts, senior."

The girl's eyelashes trembled slightly. She nodded gently, avoiding Matsueda Jun's gaze, and looked at the dolphin swimming past the two of them.

The sea breeze blew through Yamami Maki's black hair, so she had to use one hand to gather her hair in front of her body and cover her flushed cheeks.

"Isn't it just that we can only be persuaded by Matsueda-kun?"

I've just made up my mind, please don't let me fall in love again so soon!
The triangular waves of the open sea surged and whitecaps approached, cut into gentle blue waves by the dolphin pods. Compared to the turbulent sea, these black, white and gray creatures were the gentlest little things. They appeared around the ship, and their calls reached the girl's ears, sounding even more cheerful.

On the third day of the biology competition, there was actually only the closing ceremony and awards ceremony in the morning. After attending the adults' formalistic ceremony, the two members of Yuqiu High School boarded the plane for their return trip.

Looking out the porthole at the sky, Yamami Maki hummed a cheerful tune as she unwrapped a matcha milk candy and popped it into her mouth.

"You seem to be in a good mood, senior," Jun Matsue said with a smile.

"Of course~" The girl took another candy out of her pocket and placed it on the boy's lap. "After all, Kokoro lost to me."

Kuroba Shin lost to her childhood friend by a narrow margin of one point. After the closing ceremony, the sullen girl ignored the two of them and got into a black car and left.

"It's a pity that the international competition spots are only for students below the second year of high school, otherwise my senior might have had a chance to participate in the international competition." Jun Matsueda touched the gold medal in his bag. There were only four spots in the international competition, and after removing the third-year students who participated in the finals, he was ranked seventh.

"International competitions are too difficult. Beating Kokoro is enough for me." The plane began to accelerate on the runway, and Yamami Maki gripped the handrail tightly.

"Anyway, I can finally relax when I get back. Two gold medals, I wonder if the principal will be grinning from ear to ear?" Jun Matsue picked up the candy and played with it in his hand.

"We third-year students won't have it easy. The common exams are much more important than the competitions," the girl said helplessly.

"Then you must keep working hard, senior!" Jun Matsue made a cheering gesture. "Looking forward to good news at next year's graduation ceremony."

The girl stared blankly out the window. She suddenly realized that after the competition ended, she no longer seemed to have any reason to maintain such close contact with the people around her.

"It doesn't really matter, does it?" Yamami Maki told herself. "Everyone's on the same floor now, so it's easy to meet up, isn't it?"

"."

The plane began to fly smoothly, and the girl turned around to look at the boy who was peeling a candy wrapper.

"What's wrong?" Jun Matsue asked, looking at the senior student who was staring at him.

"Matsueda-kun, how about we go see the cherry blossoms together after we get back to Tokyo?"

"To see cherry blossoms?" Jun Matsue was a little surprised. Why did she suddenly bring this up?

"Well, consider this a reward for my excellent performance this time!" the girl said with a smile.

Actually, Yuka and Matsueda might not end up together. If that's the case, it shouldn't be a problem for her to make some preparations in advance, right?

Such self-deceiving thoughts began to gradually sprout in Yamami Maki's mind.

(End of this chapter)