Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 707 Admonitions and Touching Moments

Instead of helping the girl carry her shopping bags, Jun Matsueda simply walked with her into the alley and back onto the path in front of the apartment.

They were the only two on the narrow road. The boy looked up at the lamplight, which swayed with his steps.
"Hmm... the surrounding lighting is fine too."

The lights in the alleys of Tokyo are always soft and dim, as if seen through a layer of mist. Yamami Maki blinked and walked with the boy past a ski shop that was about to close.

She carried two full shopping bags, the taut plastic film making a crisp rubbing sound with each step, like crumpled fallen leaves.

"Didn't you buy a bit too much?" Jun Matsue turned to look at her.

"...Is it a lot?" The girl tilted her head, released one hand, and took out the receipt from the bag.

"Toilet paper, towels, toothbrushes, bottled water, small toiletries kits, air freshener, slippers..."

These are indeed all necessities for moving... The boy glanced at the sign of the pet grooming shop on the roadside.

"I also bought a rice ball for tomorrow's breakfast!"

Yamami Maki looked up and said, "I didn't expect to be able to buy so much stuff... I don't think I have much money on my Suica card."

“There should be discounted items.” Jun Matsue glanced at the plastic bag. “The bunch of bananas you bought has a discount tag on it.”

"There's a discount!" The girl blinked in surprise. "My rice ball seems to be on sale too."

"Most supermarkets and convenience stores have discounted items after 8 or 9 pm. I'm not sure about 'My Basket' which is open 24 hours, but fast food like rice balls and bento boxes will definitely be discounted."

“I see…” Yamami Maki nodded humbly. She took out her phone, opened the memo app, and started taking notes as if she were listening to a lecture in class.

The outline of the apartment building came into view in the night. Before turning the corner, the boy glanced at the laundry room that was still lit up across the street.

"There are also self-service laundromats. If you don't have a washing machine in your room but have bought laundry detergent, you'll find it quite troublesome to carry the detergent downstairs every time."

"Luckily, I bought laundry detergent pods." The girl continued writing on her phone, "There's space for a washing machine on my balcony, but I haven't bought one yet..."

As the two walked down to the apartment building, Yamami Maki, who had her head down, didn't notice the steps leading into the building and stumbled forward.

Before the girl could cry out in surprise, Jun Matsueda, who had been waiting nearby, steadied her.

"When living alone, you must pay attention to your surroundings." The boy looked at her face with a serious expression.

"A minor bump or fall is nothing compared to an accident or a criminal. That's the real danger."

“…I’ll remember.” Yami Maki was still a little shaken as she looked at the plastic bag she was clutching tightly in her hand.

Luckily, the things I bought weren't broken...

Once the girl had recovered, Jun Matsue let her go upstairs first.

“You should be especially careful with older apartments like yours – there’s no access control for the building, so theoretically anyone can just walk up to your door.”

“Like I am now.”

He looked at the senior student walking in front of him and shrank back, not knowing whether he was scared or wanted to laugh.

"However, things are a bit better here. There's a LUUP bike rental point right outside on the first floor—places where people often come and go are generally not within the activity range of suspicious individuals."

"That's good..." Yami Maki breathed a sigh of relief and stepped into the corridor on the fourth floor.

The boy followed behind her. "You live on the fourth floor, in the very outermost room. Just lock the door and you'll be fine."

"If someone knocks on the door, grab the kitchen knife first."

"Take out the knife..." The girl took out her keys from her pocket and waved them twice in the air in front of her.

The sturdy metal door opened quickly, and Yamami Maki let Matsueda Jun into the room first, while she peered through the peephole in the door.

"The peephole is working properly." She felt relieved.

After hearing what the boy said, the girl became much more wary.

Jun Matsue stood in the small living room, watching the girl put the shopping bags on the dining table and sort her spoils.

As Yamami Maki opened the refrigerator to put the bananas and rice balls inside, the boy walked up to her.

"Is there a problem?" The girl turned her head and blinked.

"It's fine." After confirming that the refrigerator had been cleaned and had no odor, Jun Matsue took two steps back.

Have you received a certificate confirming the current condition of the property?

“The landlady mentioned it to me.” Yamami Maki turned around and placed the air freshener on the stove. “But she hasn’t given it to me yet—I originally said I would officially move in a little later.”

“Then we’ll ask her for it tomorrow,” the boy said decisively. “This is very important, so you won’t be sued for it when you move out.”

"...The landlady is a really nice person." The senior student turned to look at him. "It shouldn't be like that, right?"

“Well, we should just be on the safe side.” Jun Matsue walked to the dining table and pushed it, the wobbling table legs making a slight creaking sound.

"For example, this table, do you really think the landlord will remember that it's wobbly? What if she finds out when you move out and blames it on you?"

“…Matsueda-san is right!” Yami Maki obediently took out her phone. “I’ll message her now to ask for the confirmation.”

"Once we get the confirmation letter, we need to carefully check the room according to the items on it." Jun Matsue watched as a strand of her bangs fell onto the corner of her slightly tired eyes.

"Remember to take a video for record-keeping; make sure to document the situation when you check in."

"..." The girl gently exhaled into the plastic bag in front of her.

She looked up, revealing a smile brimming with enthusiasm.

"no problem!"

Looking at her smiling face, Jun Matsuoka pursed his lips.

It was only the first night since the senior student "ran away from home," and she was already facing quite a few problems.

He went to open the refrigerator, took out a banana, and handed it to the girl.

"Have a banana to replenish your energy."

"Thank you~" Yami Maki sat down and smiled gratefully.

The boy rolled his eyes at her. "What's there to thank me for? You bought it yourself."

The girl didn't say anything, but simply peeled the banana and took a bite with a smile.

This was the first time, apart from their several meetings at the coffee shop, that Matsueda had taken the initiative to get close to her.

"Give me your phone," said Jun Matsueda, who was standing on the other side of the table. "Didn't you just jot down some notes on your phone?"

"It's too much trouble for me to explain, so I'll just write it down for you."

Yamami Maki paused for a moment, then said, "Okay, wait for me."

She first held her phone up with her back to the boy, quickly opened the photo album, hid the collection of photos that were all related to Jun Matsueda, and then handed the phone over.

It was a bit of a pity, she thought, as she had hoped that Matsue could stay a little longer.

Jun Matsue took the phone and typed, while the girl got up to continue tidying up her things.

A few minutes later, he gently placed the phone on the table.

"That's all I can think of for now."

"Matsueda-san, have you finished writing?" Yamami Maki poked her head out from the bathroom.

That's all for the house inspection.

The girl walked up to him, picked up her phone, and looked at it, her eyes widening in surprise. "Check the maximum electricity usage stipulated in the electricity contract, confirm the age and ownership of the air conditioner, check the operation of the exhaust fan and range hood, and ensure the doors and cabinets open and close smoothly..."

The boy wrote a long, densely packed numbered list, and Yamami Maki blinked, feeling a little touched.

"Matsueda-kun is amazing." She looked up with a smile, her eyes sparkling.

"I never imagined there were so many things to be aware of."

Jun Matsueda turned his head to look at the doorway. "After all, I've already rented a room twice."

"The rent here is quite cheap. Besides what we mentioned tonight, there might be other hidden dangers. You should be careful."

"...Actually, compared to these life problems, your interpersonal relationship troubles are more troublesome."

He turned to look at the girl and asked, "If the Yamami family doesn't agree with your decision, are you prepared to sever all ties and live alone forever?"

"..." Yamami Maki smiled gently, "But I don't think I did anything wrong."

Even if my father and grandfather disagree with my decision, does that mean they are right?

"Are they disagreeing with my idea because they care about me and want what's best for me?"

"Didn't Matsueda also say that she hates my family?"

The boy was speechless. Unlike other girls, the senior was not someone without her own opinions.

He was initially attracted to Maki Yami's contradictory qualities—a mature maturity intertwined with the awkwardness of adolescence.

In a sense, they are similar people.

"Matsueda-kun, I feel like a bird that has just flown out of its cage."

The girl continued speaking, spreading her arms to resemble wings and waving them cutely in the air.

"I haven't even had a chance to appreciate the boundless beauty of the sky yet. No matter how much you tell me how safe and comfortable it is in the cage, I definitely won't listen."

“…I’m not trying to persuade you to go back.” Jun Matsueda pursed his lips. “I just want you to be mentally prepared.”

"Family ties are something that is generally very difficult to sever completely, except for people like me who grew up in an orphanage."

“I know.” Yamami Maki smiled again. “But if they insist on making me the youngest daughter of the Yamami family, then I don’t want to go back.”

"..." The boy's tightly pursed lips moved slightly, and the girl looked at him.

"It's nothing." Jun Matsue waved his hand and stood up from his seat.

"I'm going back now. You should go to bed early tonight."

"Are you leaving already?" Yami Maki followed him toward the door. "Let me see you downstairs."

"No need." The boy pushed open the security door.

He stepped into the corridor, quickly closed the door, and kept the girl inside.

"Remember to lock the door." Jun Matsue looked at the gentle features of the girl behind the door.

"If you encounter any problems, talk to your sister. Don't feel like you're giving up or anything. Safety is the most important thing."

He turned the doorknob.

"If the problem isn't that serious, you can message me."

The boy said he was going to close the door, but his movement was blocked.

"Wait a minute!" Yamami Maki pushed open the door so that she could look the boy in the eye.

She took a deep breath.

"Of course I don't want to live like this all the time."

"As I said before, I left the family not only for myself, but also for you."

"If possible, I would certainly like to live with Tsunkun, whom I love."

After the girl finished speaking, she didn't pay attention to her sweetheart's response, but instead smiled and waved.

"I am very grateful to Songzhi for helping me so much today. Thank you so much."

"Hopefully we can meet again soon!"

“…Goodbye.” Jun Matsueda waved and turned to walk towards the stairs.

"Remember to lock the door," he said without turning around.

"Ok!"

As he walked out of the unfamiliar apartment once again, the boy looked back one last time before leaving.

The fourth-floor corridor was quiet and well-lit, giving no indication that a mature yet somewhat impulsive young woman had just moved in that night.

Matsueda Jun took out his phone. It was already past 9:10. There was a message from Kurusu Yosei asking why he hadn't come home yet.

I'll be home before 10 o'clock. I brought you some snacks on the way.

A cute chibi-style nodding emoticon popped up in the chat box. The boy smiled and put his phone back in his pocket.

He had to hurry on his way, so he walked quickly toward the station.

I had to drive half an hour from the Middle Eastern Wildflower Park back to Luhua Park, where my bicycle was still parked.

Riding a bike home, it only takes a little over ten minutes if you're fast... Jun Matsue calculated the time.

That means there are still a few minutes to buy snacks. There are plenty of shops in both stations, so you can pick one along the way.

If that doesn't work, I'll just buy some oden when I get to the apartment building—if I get delayed on the way, I can use that as an excuse to buy some more time...

Back on the main road in front of Higashi-Nakano Station, the boy bought a discounted lemon cheese tart from a dessert shop that was about to close. He successfully used his sunny smile to get the yawning shop assistant to speed up the packing process.

Carrying the packaged desserts, he hurried into the station. At 9:16, he strode onto the platform, where he saw the open-air, cold-colored tracks.

The darkness between the buildings across the street wasn't deep; a cool breeze gently stirred it, causing Matsueda Jun's pocket to tremble as he took out his phone.

It was a message from Ikuka Yamami:

"My dad has been keeping an eye on me these past few days, so I haven't been able to visit Moji. Please take good care of her for me."

"No matter what, her sudden desire to leave the family must be partly your fault."

Miss Yuxiang didn't mention her indulgence of her younger sister at all, and the boy sighed helplessly.

He looked up and saw that the screen on the platform showed the train would arrive in one minute. He didn't reply to Ikuka Yamami, but put his phone away first.

As he watched the night outside the eaves illuminated by the city lights, changing in shades of darkness, he recalled the girl who had walked with him in the night not long ago.

Her naivety, her ignorance of the ways of the world.

Her rationality, her simple and innocent joy.

The bewilderment on her face, the unwavering determination in her eyes.

When the blinding glow of the tram's engine appeared far beyond the platform, Jun Matsueda withdrew his gaze.

He turned his head to look at the rapidly approaching light on the tracks and uttered the words he hadn't spoken in the rented room.

"If only you had always looked like this."

(End of this chapter)