Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 480 The Owl Strategist
On the afternoon of graduation day, Mochizuki Haruka stormed back to her family's manor.

The aunt, who was typing on the computer keyboard, stopped. Her unusually hurried footsteps came from the hallway to the study door. She picked up her coffee, turned around, and leisurely watched her niece walk towards her.

The corridor was carpeted, and the heavy footsteps that Mochizuki Haruka stomped out were not crisp, but rather dull and sluggish, clearly reflecting the frustration of its owner who had nowhere to vent her anger.

The girl strode into the study, her school uniform skirt swaying violently. She stopped next to her aunt and tossed her schoolbag onto a chair by the window.

The flexible backpack bumped against the soft cushion of the chair and fell straight to the ground, startling the golden cat huddled in the corner, which let out a meow.

"What's wrong?" Wang Yuehua didn't get up, but curiously looked at her niece who was pursing her lips. "Why are you so angry today? Did Songzhi and Xiao Moji get back together?"

"No." Mochizuki Haruka said in a muffled voice, throwing her phone onto the table in front of the woman.

"See for yourself."

So Auntie picked up her phone, and on the screen was a video—in the brightly lit auditorium, a boy and a girl, surrounded by the burning gazes of the crowd, were kissing as if no one else was around.

“Five seconds.” Mochizuki Haruka’s words were laced with gritted teeth. “They kissed for a full five seconds. If it weren’t for the fact that they were in a public place, I think Tomatsu Yuka would have already stuck her tongue in.”

"..." Wang Yuehua looked up at her niece, "How long did you kiss Songzhi back then?"

The girl's anger suddenly subsided, and she looked at the lawn outside the study and began to reminisce.

"I don't remember, but we kissed for a long time, I have to keep track of it in minutes."

Mochizuki Haruka seemed lost in thought as she spoke, and the faint taste of blood from that day seemed to rise on her tongue again.

"And I stuck out my tongue."

"So Xiaoyao won!" Auntie raised her arm as if she were the victor, her tightly gripped phone still playing a video of a boy and girl kissing on repeat.

"Why compare this?" The girl pulled a chair over to sit next to the woman. "I'm clearly angry that Songzhi is in a relationship again!"

Her aunt leaned closer to her cheek. "So, Matsue and this Tomatsu-kun are dating?"

"Why? He doesn't seem like the type to seamlessly transition between roles."

The girl explained the whole story in a few simple words, then picked up the coffee on the table and took a big gulp, her chubby cheeks looking especially adorable.

"The pine branches weren't like this before!"

However, Mochizuki Hana showed no surprise. She rested her chin on her right hand and smiled as she looked at the resentful girl.

"That's normal, isn't it? Haruka probably doesn't know as much about Matsugi as she thinks she does, right?"

This time, her aunt did not speak up for her, which surprised Mochizuki. She looked at the woman beside her stretching out her body after sitting for so long, revealing her slender curves.

"You've never actually seen Songzhi when she's really angry, have you?" Auntie continued, standing up as she spoke.

She slowly walked to the corner, picked up the cat curled up in a ball, and stroked its fluffy body.

"The time when Songzhi hated you the most was probably the first time I met him here?" the woman recalled, sitting by the window. "Back then, Songzhi, how should I put it, gave off a tense feeling."

"But even back then, he was only thinking about retaliating against you, not hurting you, right?"

The girl nodded.

“So Songzhi’s temper is already considered very good. He’s not a saint, of course he gets angry and sometimes wants to hurt others.” Wang Yuehua returned to her niece’s side and put the cat in her arms on her lap. Jinzhi cried out, seemingly complaining that the new place to rest was not soft enough.

"If you think he's changed, then isn't there any change between the Matsueda Jun you first met and the Matsueda Jun you fell in love with?"

"It's not like I said I don't like him anymore," Mochizuki Haruka said, sounding a little aggrieved, as she squirmed the cat on her lap, making it meow.

"I'm afraid you'll be disappointed in him because of this," the woman smiled gently, finishing the rest of her coffee.

"You're my aunt!" the girl exclaimed, raising her head in dissatisfaction. "Why have you been taking Songzhi's side all day?"

"Because Xiaoyao is almost an adult now." Wang Yuehua smiled and hugged her niece. The cat on the girl's lap slipped away before it could be trapped.

"As a real adult, I can no longer just say things to make you happy like before."

"Does 'making me happy' mean losing to me in a game and then cheating?" Mochizuki Haruka's gaze held a hint of harshness typical of adults.

The aunt innocently turned her face to look out the window, pretending not to have heard the girl's words.

She looked at the pond on the lawn, where the stone tablet still stood, now naturally blended into the landscape of Wangyue's house.

"Auntie, I'm not being biased. Songzhi is practically my savior, so it's perfectly normal for me to speak up for him, isn't it?"

Mochizuki Haruka could only let out a dissatisfied snort.

"Sly sir."

Because the young lady was not in a good mood today, there were several desserts on the Mochizuki family's dining table—all of which were specially made into the shape of cats by the maids.

After dinner, Mochizuki Haruka took a walk with her aunt on the lawn of the manor. The two walked around the pond. The girl looked at the tombstone that was stained with bird droppings and then looked up at the deep blue sky after sunset. Her mood improved a little.

"So what should I do now?" she asked her relationship coach again.

"On the offensive end, just ignore Tomatsu-kun's existence," Mochizuki said confidently. "Since Matsueda Jun said they are just a couple in name only, then don't worry about them so much and just focus on the offensive."

"In terms of defense, we need to keep a close eye on these two and prevent them from taking their act seriously."

"Make sure you prioritize your efforts! Take the initiative first. In the end, you have to rely on yourself when it comes to love. Trying to slow down others won't help!"

However, to the aunt's surprise, this time her niece did not nod obediently as before, but instead looked doubtful.

"Don't you believe me, Xiaoyao?"

"I feel like my aunt isn't as reliable in love as I thought." The girl splashed water from the pool onto the stone tablet. "She said such nice things before, but she still got snatched away by Tomatsu."

"Didn't you just leak the information to her yourself?!" The woman stamped her foot. "She's just reaping the benefits without lifting a finger, stealing the fruits of my victory!"

"When Songzhi and Xiaomoji broke up, wasn't my foresight a factor in that?"

"Besides, her rise to power was illegitimate, which poses a huge threat! I want you and Songzhi to have a healthy relationship."

Amidst her aunt's rambling self-justifications, Mochizuki Haruka decided to trust her one more time.

(End of this chapter)