Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 432 Deep Blue Sunset

“I told her that I have someone I like.”

"Huh?" Yami Maki exclaimed in surprise, gripping her phone tightly.

Given Matsueda Jun's usual style of doing things, he should be able to come up with a long list of excuses to reject a suitor's invitation. Why would he use this reason?
"This reason... isn't easy to refuse, is it?" The girl forced a smile.

Doesn't this increase the possibility that her relationship with Matsueda will be exposed?

"Indeed." The sound of footsteps crunching on fallen leaves came from the boy's direction; he was strolling through the woods.

"I ran into those girls at noon today, and they came over to ask me what happened."

The worries that had been temporarily forgotten surged back into her mind, and the girl asked anxiously, "Did Matsueda tell them?"

There was a deliberate silence on the other end of the phone, the girl's heart was in turmoil, and the boy continued.

"I told them that I do have someone I like, but I'll keep it a secret for now as to who it is."

Yamami Maki felt a little relieved, and the boy continued talking.

“I know you don’t want to make our relationship public at school yet—but things have already turned out this way, is there any need to keep it a secret?”

Tomatsu Tomohana and Mochizuki Haruka already know, and the Yamami family knows too, so what's the point of hiding it?

The girl fell silent.

At school today, she didn't allow herself a moment's respite, because even the slightest pause would allow the girls' questions to relentlessly creep into her mind—

"Is my senior so happy that she doesn't even want to hear about my pain?"

"You're so outstanding, you have everything, why do you still want to compete with me for this little bit of happiness?"

"He's done so much for you, what have you done in return?"

Even if Songzhi accepts everything and stays with you, is that a good outcome for him?

If we could turn back time to before Tomatsu Yuka and Mochizuki Haruka came knocking on her door, Yamami Maki might have agreed to Matsueda Jun's request after a brief hesitation. But now, she seems to have lost the courage to move forward.

Moreover, recently, a rather strange thought has been lingering in the most secret corner of the girl's heart.

Whether it's Yuka or Mochizuki Haruka, they both have unique and profound stories with Matsueda-kun, willing to give everything and use any means necessary to win his affections—they are special, and even the existence of the so-called system seems to confirm this.

But she had nothing: no awareness, no deep emotions, and no surreal assistance.

The "sense of ordinariness" that she once felt when facing Kuroba Shin resurfaced once again in Yamami Maki's heart.

She is not special.

Am I really good enough for Matsueda-kun? Even with the boy's voice right next to her ear, the girl couldn't help but think this.

"Is your senior still unwilling?" The boy on the other end of the phone sighed.

"I'm sorry," Yami Maki's voice was unusually weak.

"So you haven't been acting quite right lately, have you?" Jun Matsueda decided to be more direct. "Has something happened?"

"Nothing's wrong. I've just been looking into my family situation lately, and I'm wondering if I'm putting too much pressure on Matsue."

Jun Matsue raised his head, looking at the setting sun swaying precariously above the trees, and took a deep breath.

"Senior, I suddenly feel a lot of time pressure today."

"You're hesitating, and so am I. If this continues, our relationship will only stagnate and be worn down."

“I don’t want it to be like this. Like your grandfather said, there are only two paths, and we have to choose one to take, right?” “Someone has to take the first step to change things. I don’t want to force you, so I’ll lead you, senior.”

"I will leave the band after I return to Tokyo."

The girl on the other end of the phone instinctively stood up from the sofa, wanting to stop the boy's decision.

But she couldn't bring herself to say it; she didn't have the courage to choose between her family and her lover.

"Senior, please don't mention me to Uncle Yamami anymore and make him angry. There are less than three months until the common exam, so focus on your preparation. We can go and see the school together then, okay?"

“But—” The girl’s words were interrupted by Jun Matsue.

"Does the senior have a better method?"

Yamami Maki fell silent again.

"Then listen to me?" the boy asked softly.

".good."

Jun Matsue hung up the phone.

The sun had sunk even lower, as if it were about to fall into the woods. He lowered his head and stared at the fallen leaves bathed in the afterglow for two minutes before turning and leaving.

Tomatsu Tomohana stood guard at the entrance of the exhibition hall, watching the boy walk out of the woods. "Has Matsue finished making the call?"

Jun Matsue nodded. "What's the plan next?"

"It's time to get ready to gather." The girl pointed to the exit of the Forest of Literature, where a crowd was gathering. "Ms. Kominato said we'll go to the Automobile Museum first, and then it'll be tonight's campsite."

"OK."

The boy walked toward the exit path, with Tomatsu Yuka following obediently beside him. The two of them stepped on the fallen leaves, making a rustling sound.

"Where's Mochizuki?" Jun looked around but didn't see the girl, which was unusual.

“She came looking for you, and I told her to go make a phone call, so she got in the car first.”

Tomatsu Yuka took small steps, slightly behind Matsueda Jun. She looked up at the profile of the man she could never forget.

If she wasn't mistaken, Matsueda must have called Yami Maki.

Judging from the boy's reaction, regardless of whether things went smoothly or not, the feedback he received from the senior was not the result he wanted. Just as the girl had hoped, a rift had begun to form between them, and she nodded inwardly with satisfaction.

"Matsueda-kun, did you know? Kominato-sensei said that tonight's campsite is the closest to Mount Fuji, right on the hiking trail."

Like a criminal returning to the scene of their crime to admire the consequences, Tomatsu Yuka introduced the activity schedule to the boys in a lighthearted tone. The girl's gentle voice faded into the woods with the setting sun, as if nothing had happened.

After circling the Automobile Museum one last time, the bus left Yamanakako Village.

As the sun completely set, the sky turned a melancholy and heavy blue. The ever-growing Mount Fuji and the ethereal clouds outside the train window seemed like a dream, and the people in the carriage all raised their phones to take pictures.

"Such a rare sight, aren't you going to take a picture of it, Songzhi?"

Sitting next to Jun Matsueda, Haruka Mochizuki looked at him; the boy's eyes reflected a deep blue that filled the world.

"No, thank you." Jun Matsue neither shook his head nor waved his hand. "I'm not in the mood."

He doesn't want to turn on his phone for the time being.

(End of this chapter)