Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 347 The Dialogue Between the Cicada and the Butterfly
Yamami Maki looked at the girl standing in front of her, remained silent for a moment, and then patted the spot next to her.

"Let's sit down and talk," she said, her voice less gentle. "Standing will draw too much attention."

Mochizuki Haruka glanced at the two figures receding onto the lawn in the distance, then sat down beside the girl. They weren't facing each other, but rather each gazing at the lawn, like two complete strangers.

"I don't know what kind of liking Mochizuki-san has." Yami Maki's tone was not stern, but it certainly didn't make her seem weak.

“But my liking is definitely not the kind of 'liking that you see everywhere' that you’re talking about.”

"But to be honest, I don't think there's any difference in the quality of liking these kinds of things."

"It seems you've been through a lot with Matsueda-kun." Yami Maki turned her head and glanced at the girl beside her. "Did you fall in love with him because of these things?"

Mochizuki Haruka remained silent with a cold expression, offering no response.

Yamami Maki pursed her lips. "So, is liking someone after experiencing many things more noble than liking someone in a plain and ordinary way?"

"If possible, I hope that my relationship with Jun Matsueda will be free of setbacks and difficulties, and that we can just continue on peacefully like this."

Mochizuki Haruka's eyelashes trembled. She could understand the emotions contained in this "ordinary" wish, but she still chose to snort coldly.

"Your verbal skills are just as good as those of the younger generation you betrayed."

The girl was speechless for a moment, and this was the only point she couldn't refute. Yamami Maki watched the boy's back and adjusted her mindset for a while.

What I want to say is that you may have many stories with Songzhi, but that has nothing to do with me.

"We have our own story, and that's enough. No matter how much Mochizuki disdains me, Matsueda likes me."

"Perhaps it's precisely because your affection is not easy to express and not readily apparent that you can't get close to Matsueda-kun?"

When Yamami Maki said this, she unusually emphasized the word. Mochizuki Haruka, as if her sore spot had been hit, immediately turned her head and glared at her, her dark eyes seeming to be able to devour her.

As if to prove her resolve, Yamami Maki also looked at the girl without backing down. The two stared at each other until a little girl carrying a doll walked past them, breaking the tense atmosphere.

"Are you two already dating?" the girl in the black dress suddenly asked.

".not yet."

"Why?" Mochizuki Haruka looked at her as if she were an idiot.

"Because I'm graduating soon, and..."

Yamami Maki glanced at the girl sitting on the picnic mat in the distance.

"Are you afraid Tomatsu Tomika will go crazy?" Mochizuki Haruka laughed. "Are you planning to keep this from her forever? Until graduation?"

She sneered inwardly. If she didn't seize the opportunity now, she wouldn't be able to blame anyone but herself for regretting it later.

This is a common problem among people who are too happy: they are always looking for the perfect solution, which is why they hesitate to move forward.

“Matsueda-san also supports me.” Yami Maki responded to her mockery in the simplest way.

"Do you think you've got this in the bag?" Mochizuki Haruka brought her face close to Yami Maki's, staring at her fiercely. "The orphanage where he grew up was sponsored by my family, and the money for the medical treatment and education of the children he cares about was provided by me. When I took a leave of absence from school to travel, it was he who personally called me back over the phone."

“When I lost hope in life, it was Songzhi who stayed by my side to comfort and take care of me. He was the one who pushed me to change little by little.”

“Songzhi definitely has a place for me in his heart. I will continue to treat him unconditionally well and care about the people he cares about. Even if he really gets together with you, he will never abandon me. Even if we can't become lovers, we are already inseparable.”

The girl spoke with great certainty. She knew that unlike Tomatsu Yuka, she had not made any fundamental mistakes. The Mochizuki family, which had long been an integral part of Matsueda Jun's life, was her greatest support.

“Even if we’re not lovers, it’s fine.” Mochizuki Haruka said provocatively, “I can stay by his side forever, waiting for a chance to sleep with him. I can tolerate him not having me as his lover, but can you accept having someone like me in his life?”

The girl's words had a hint of bluffing—she certainly cared about her lover's position, but she didn't mind saying more harsh words just to scare off Yamami Maki.

“He is already half a member of the Wangyue family. If he wants, the Wangyue family will be his sooner or later. Can your large and prosperous family do that?”

Yamami Maki fell silent, avoiding Mochizuki Haruka's hostile gaze. She looked at the lawn in the distance, where a sudden gust of wind ruffled Matsueda Jun's hair, making the boy's back look somewhat comical.

The girl felt like a new recruit going to war again—both Mochizuki and Yuka were experienced, ruthless hunters, while she had only just learned how to use weapons.

For the pure and kind-hearted top student, the heavy world in which her junior classmates lived was simply too unfamiliar.

"Thank you, Mochizuki Haruka." Yami Maki finally spoke calmly. "I understand Matsueda-kun better now, and I will think carefully about the issue you raised."

"But that won't be a reason for me to give up." The girl's smile was as gentle as ever. "Because I'm having a great time being with Matsueda-kun right now."

"I think Matsueda feels the same way, which is why we chose each other."

"There may indeed be many tests and difficulties in the future, but those are things that we, as lovers, will need to face."

"Right now, I have only one goal: to steadily move towards a future where we become lovers."

"As for your questions, I'm not a very smart person. I'll tell you the answers after I've experienced it in the future."

"..." Mochizuki Haruka frowned as she looked at Yamami Maki. In some ways, this girl was even more annoying than Tomatsu Tomoka—

Like a cicada nymph buried in the soil, after a long and arduous journey of growth and metamorphosis, it finally emerges from the earth only to discover that the life under the sun that it longs for is something that the fluttering butterfly was born with.

The girl picked up her parasol and stood up. She didn't want to be under the same roof with this guy anymore, not even for a second.

"I won't tell Tomatsu about your affairs." Mochizuki Haruka turned around and looked at the girl sitting on the corridor. "So don't tell Matsue that I know about this either."

Maki Yami nodded. She really didn't want Yuka to find out, not only because of the guilt of betrayal, but also because of the fear of an unseen future.

She was already aware of the cunning side of her junior, and if Yuka found out, her peaceful life for the next semester or so might be ruined.

From this perspective, perhaps Yamami Maki is just as selfish as the other girls.

This was the only consensus they reached.

(End of this chapter)