Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 666 Yamami Maki, Present and Future

The corridor leading to the conference room was empty, with only the faint sound of the central air conditioning blowing out. Jun Matsuoka took a few more steps, and the sounds of the conference conversations behind the door completely disappeared behind him.

The boy opened the window, and the stuffy, sweltering air rose up along his face, slightly ruffling his bangs.

There wasn't much vegetation in the neighborhood, and the familiar sound of cicadas was absent. The boy felt somewhat lost and could only stare blankly at the traffic lights in front of the station not far away.

Jun Matsueda didn't know why he walked out of the meeting room.

"It certainly couldn't be because the negotiations with Kurusu went smoothly," he thought, looking at the television station building across the street.

So it's still because of my senior.

Even though the initial excitement had long since faded, just as a person might stop walking on the street because of a lost girl's helpless cries, Jun Matsueda did not want to face Maki Yami's pitiful expression in the meeting room.

Ultimately, what's the point of her putting on that expression now...?

The boy felt a bit annoyed by the hot air outside the window.

However, these pent-up emotions didn't surface for long, because soon another door opened behind him.

Looking back, Yamami Maki was holding onto the door with some difficulty. As if noticing the gaze directed at her, she turned her head away.

Jun Matsue was finally able to look directly into those eyes that held a mixture of joy and sorrow.

Not long ago, when he bumped into his senior at Kasuga Station, he couldn't see the girl's face clearly. Now, with Yamami Maki right in front of him, the boy clearly noticed that her gentle, spring-like eyes were much deeper than before—the emotions they contained were so obvious.

"..." The girl's lips moved.

She didn't say anything, but gave the boy an awkward smile. Then she held the door with both hands, quietly closed it, and carefully walked towards him.

Jun Matsue watched as the girl walked up to him, then cautiously stopped.

The senior student wore minimal makeup, simply concealing the faint dark circles under her eyes from a lack of sleep the previous night. Her long hair was tied in a ponytail in the middle and casually draped over her left shoulder, exuding a gentle and graceful charm with an inexplicable sense of melancholy.

The distance between them was like an open window, a distance that felt even greater than when they first met.

"Why is Senior Yamami out here?" The boy's smile was ordinary.

"..." Yamami Maki blinked, thinking that Matsueda would wait for her to speak first.

"Um, it's a bit stuffy in here, I came out for some fresh air."

She looked at the boy's side and asked, "Why did you open the window, Matsue-kun?"

"The air conditioning is set a bit too low," Jun Matsue said, pointing to the air conditioning vents on the ceiling not far away.

"It is a bit cold." The girl nodded.

"Besides, even if you're in great health, you shouldn't be sitting near the windy spot wearing only a shirt."

As soon as she finished speaking, both of them were stunned. Her caring tone, as always, bypassed the plain and awkward dialogue and abruptly broke the window that stood between them.

Jun Matsue was the first to come to his senses. "Thank you, I don't feel uncomfortable at all."

“…That’s good, I’m sorry.” Yamami Maki smiled again.

She didn't know why she was apologizing.

The two remained silent for a few seconds, and then the boy reached out and closed the window.

Matsueda Jun looked at the closed door behind the girl. "I haven't thanked Yamami-senpai for what happened this time."

"No need to thank me." Yami Maki waved her hand hastily. "I didn't do anything, I just passed on a message to my sister."

"..." The boy's eyelashes trembled; he was very familiar with this answer.

"Really!" The girl subconsciously took a step forward. "Ms. Kurusu is an excellent person, and signing a contract with her would be a good thing for my sister's business!"

"Business is business, and we'll handle things officially. My sister did exactly what Songzhi wanted."

In order not to let the Yami family down, the boy specifically asked her to convey this message to his older sister.

"Hmm." Jun Matsue looked into her brighter eyes. "But it's all thanks to you that they were able to make contact so smoothly."

"I'm glad I could help." Yami Maki smiled.

Seeing the boy look away, she quickly looked for another topic.

"Um, are you thirsty, Matsueda-kun? The lounge is right next door, would you like to sit down and have something to drink?"

"No need." Jun Matsue leaned against the windowsill. "I just need some fresh air. It would be troublesome if Kurusu came out and didn't see me."

The girl's lips opened and closed, but in the end she didn't say anything more.

“...I see.” Her tone was light and airy.

Seeing that she had no intention of leaving, the boy sighed inwardly.

"Is Yamami-senpai on summer vacation?" He adjusted his expression to make the girl's eyes look gentler.

As long as the senior doesn't bring up their past relationship, Jun Matsue doesn't mind chatting with her for a while.

"Not yet." Yami Maki lowered her head, looking at the tiles in front of the boy's shoes. "We start our holiday at the beginning of August, so it will be two more days."

So it's still exam week?

"Ah."

"Speaking of which," Matsueda Jun suddenly remembered something he had forgotten, "what's your major now, senior?"

“...Education,” the girl answered softly.

"Education?" The boy was a little surprised, but also a little relieved.

He knew that his senior had initially favored literature and education, so it seemed that, at least in terms of choosing a major, she had not followed her family's wishes.

“Yes.” Yamami Maki nodded. “Compared to literature, I feel that education is a more meaningful major for me.”

She chose education because she couldn't let go of her experiences from childhood and wanted to understand what "correct" education should be like.

Of course, choosing it might also be because of those fantasies that occasionally flash through my mind—how would I raise my children if I had them...?

The girl raised her head again and looked at the boy in front of her.

From the moment the boy mentioned Yosei Kurusu, Maki Yamami became somewhat distracted.

Matsueda came to see me because of Kurusu-san, and even accompanied her to the meeting—what is their relationship now?

When I called them earlier, they seemed to be soaking in a hot spring.

Just a few days ago, Yuka posted a photo of herself and Matsue on her social media...

Maki Yami had many questions on her mind, but she didn't want to ask them.

She didn't want to hear Jun Matsueda talk about his relationships with other girls.

The girl in front of him looked hesitant to speak. Jun Matsue took out his phone, and a message came from the profile picture of "Kirakira," asking him what he was doing outside.

"So, did you need something from me, senior?" He put down his phone and asked directly. "..." Yami Maki seemed to wake up from a dream, her eyes flashing as she traced the boy in front of her.

His face no longer held the tenderness and gentleness that the young girl was familiar with; all that remained was politeness and aloofness.

Yamami Maki suddenly remembered her senior from when she was still in the brass band, Asai-senpai, who had fallen in love with Matsueda at first sight and bothered her for a while.

Is the way he looks at me now no different from how he looked at Asai-senpai back then?

The girl's voice trembled slightly as she swallowed the bitter, salty air.

"I...I just want to know, how are you doing now?"

happy?

Was it fulfilling?
Is your academic progress going well?
Is there any progress?
...Do you feel happy in your relationship?
The question was too simple, and Jun Matsue originally intended to give a standard answer without thinking.

But when faced with Yamami Maki's emotionally charged gaze, he remained silent for a moment.

What emerges are lemon black tea that always appears on time in the apartment refrigerator, ceramic cups with "drink more water" stickers in the library, and colorful candy wrappers wrapped around lemon-flavored candies.

Then came the sound of Auntie tapping her folding fan on the way, Mochizuki Haruka's stiff hands covering his lips, Tomatsu Yuka's daily to-do list on her phone, and Kurusu Yosei's speech in the conference room.

"Being a singer means you can freely date, right?"

Are you happy?
It is certainly a happy occasion, but it doesn't seem to be as wonderful as expected, and the pressure that comes with it is more than imagined.

However, he was unwilling to reveal these things to Yamami Maki, so Matsueda Jun simply smiled at the girl's question.

"pretty good."

Yamami Maki was stunned; the boy's answer was more nonchalant than she had imagined.

Before the girl could speak again, Jun Matsue strode past her and headed towards the conference room.

"I'm going in first. Don't stay outside too long, or your sister will worry."

Yamami Maki turned around and watched him push open the door and walk into the conference room. The heavy wooden door swayed slightly before closing and remaining still.

The girl turned around and stared blankly at the window that the boy had opened earlier.

The hot, fresh air disappeared, and she was once again enveloped by the stuffy, cold airflow.

When Yamami Maki returned to the conference room, she was met with her older sister's concerned gaze. She gently shook her head to indicate that she was alright.

The girl sat down in her usual spot in the corner, placed the folder on her lap, and looked at the boy sitting opposite her again.

This time, Jun Matsueda did not deliberately avoid her gaze. The boy simply stared calmly at the idol girl sitting in front of him. His profile, which combined youthful energy with maturity, stood out among a row of older faces.

Yamami Maki lowered her head, looking at her hand that was pressing on the folder.

She actually struggled for a long time last night about whether or not to attend the meeting.

Her sister's advice to her was "no".

“You’ve been holding back for so long. Once you find an outlet, you might find it hard to stop,” said Ikuka Yamami, who had been through it all.

“Since you’re planning to stay home, don’t give yourself any more chances—Matsueda Jun isn’t some naive young boy his age. Even if you regret it later, you won’t be able to easily change his mind.”

Yamami Maki thought her sister was right.

But after tossing and turning all night, she still put on makeup in front of the mirror the next morning after waking up.

Just to see how Matsueda is doing now... the girl said to herself.

Even if she was treated coldly, she was willing to accept it.

But when she actually met Matsueda Jun and saw him smiling and exchanging pleasantries with her so casually, as if they had never known each other, Yami Maki felt even more distressed.

Isn't it enough to just see him doing well...?

The girl inhaled silently, lowering her head as far as possible, trying to hide the bitter tears welling up in her eyes.

"That concludes today's meeting."

As her sister's voice reached her ears, the staff around her stood up one after another. Yami Maki was a beat slower. She looked up at the ceiling and carefully suppressed her tears.

"Ms. Mochizuki, please give us your consideration regarding the name of the new firm." The conversation at the conference table continued.

"These are all minor matters." Wang Yuehua smiled and stood up. "It's good that the cooperation went smoothly."

Yamami Maki watched as the two powerful women in suits shook hands. Kurusu Yosei, who was sitting to the side, couldn't wait to pull out a chair and walk over to the boy behind her, chattering away unrestrainedly beside him.

...Could it be that meeting him after so long was just to hear him say "you're doing well"?

As the girl took her first step, a figure blocked her way.

"Moji, it's time to go back."

Without saying a word, Yamami Ikuka took her sister's hand and led her out of the meeting room.

The rest of the team followed behind the two sisters, slowing their pace so that the closing elevator doors would obscure their silhouettes.

The cold-colored metal cage descended into the underground parking garage. Ikuka Yamami let out a soft breath—conducting business negotiations with the head of the Mochizuki family was no easy task for a former rock 'n' roll girl like her.

She released the girl's wrist and turned to look at her younger sister.

"What was Moji thinking of just now?"

“…It’s nothing.” Yamami Maki looked up and smiled at her. “I just wanted to congratulate Ms. Kurusu.”

"Is it really a congratulatory message?" the woman stared into her eyes. "Just don't let it be a celebration of Matsueda Jun's love."

The girl silently curled the corners of her lips, which was her answer.

"Don't even think about rekindling your old flame." Yami Ikuka snorted. "I think that guy's life is pretty messy right now, and his relationship with that Kurusu Yosei is also unclear."

Maki Yami did not refute. The elevator doors opened in front of her, and the Yami family's car was parked at the door. The air around them was even more oppressive than inside the building.

As she sat in the car, the girl's mind was still filled with Jun Matsueda's calm profile and the superficial smile he wore when he spoke.

It's fine...

Yamami Maki doesn't know how she spent the night. She sat at the dining table as usual, listened to her sister report to their father about the company as usual, sat at her desk to read and do exercises as usual, and went into the bathroom to wash up as usual.

Finally, lying in bed, staring at the pitch-black ceiling, the girl felt as if she had suddenly come back to life.

Will I ever have the chance to see him again?

Yamami Maki felt a sharp pain coming from under the covers.

It was another long night before she finally closed her eyes, but this time, she wasn't greeted by the usual fleeting, elusive dream.

The girl saw the future.

　Yes, Maki Yami is starting the simulation. I need to take a day off tomorrow; the system hasn't been online for a while, so I'll see how best to interweave the simulation storyline with reality.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)