Am I being simulated by their love affair?

There was a pleading tone in her voice.

Tomatsu Miyuki could only sigh, "Do you really understand him?" "No one knows him better than me," the girl said firmly.

"Mom asked her friend's daughter, and she said Matsueda-san is very famous in school. Famous in every sense of the word, right?"

"Some people say he's a playboy, money-grubber, and a bully, did you know that?"

"...Those are all false. They were fabricated by someone with bad intentions."

Tomatsu Tomoka felt her hands trembling. The evil consequences she had sown in the past finally blossomed in her mother's mouth.

"What about him serving drinks? There are even photos of him."

"Technology is so advanced nowadays, anything can be forged, and the school has also refuted the rumor."

"So I asked my friend who works at Yugaoka, and she said that a girl with a strong background asked the school to suppress it."

"..."

The woman's voice softened. "Even if these are all fake, we can't deny that Matsueda-san is a very eye-catching person, right?"

"There's probably nothing wrong with him, he's just been forced into this vortex. Even the most outstanding tree in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. If you were around him, you'd probably have to endure a lot of criticism and questioning."

"And you'll have to face many opponents. Like that girl, with such a powerful background, no one would dare to spread rumors about her, right? Then she must be related to Matsueda-san. Are you confident you can defeat her?"

Tomatsu Miyuki leaned forward. At this moment, she really wished she could reach out and hold her daughter's hand.

But the girl's hands were not on the dining table, but clenched tightly under the table, her nails almost scratching her skin.

"Mom is just worried about you. Matsueda-san is too complicated. You're just a simple girl. Mom is afraid that you'll get close to him without thinking and end up breaking your heart."

Tomatsu Tomoka finally placed her hands on the table to support herself. She looked up at her mother, tears streaming down her face, darkening the solid color of her skirt.

"Mom, I'm not some innocent and kind girl—I was the one who dragged Jun Matsueda into this whirlpool. I almost destroyed him."

The girl's voice was hoarse, and she was almost unable to speak. Tomatsu Miyuki looked at the girl crying on the table in surprise, not knowing how to understand her daughter's words.

She could only walk over and gently stroke the girl's trembling back. A wave of regret suddenly welled up in the mother's heart. This action seemed too late. It wasn't a day, a week, or a month late, but a year, a junior high school, or even an entire childhood late.

She should have done this a long time ago.

Tired of crying, Tomatsu Tomoka finished telling the story from the beginning of school to the present in a self-loathing tone.

"give up."

Tomatsu Tomoka raised her head and stared blankly at the woman with a stern face.

The mother wanted to support her daughter very much, but after hearing the girl's explanation of the whole story after omitting the system, she felt only horrified.

Miyuki Tomatsu couldn't understand why Jun Matsueda could make his outstanding daughter obsessed with him to such an extent, even to the point of being pathological.

"Didn't you say that you were slowly changing? Why not take this opportunity to learn to control your emotions and become friends with Matsueda again?" The woman was more dedicated than when she was persuading a client.

"Do you think Matsueda-san will forgive you? Even if he does, will he fall in love with you again? Do you have to wait forever for him to change his mind? How long will that take?"

The woman knew very well how short youth was, and she didn't want to see her daughter waste her time on hopes that were almost impossible to come true, and suffer and torture herself for it.

"Mom... I don't want much anymore. Please don't tell me to give up, okay?" Tomatsu Tomoka did not get the support she had imagined, and her tears began to flow again.

Tomatsu Miyuki just looked at his daughter calmly, "I won't watch you destroy yourself, Tomoka. Giving up is not that difficult. Just think of it as doing it for our family, okay?"

"Mom gave up at first, too."

Before the girl could express her surprise, the woman continued speaking.

"When you were in the third year of junior high school, Mom had an opportunity to transfer out of town. If I had accepted the transfer, my position would have been directly raised by one or two levels when I returned to headquarters."

"But mom gave up. We had just settled down at that time, and you were in a critical period of learning. I couldn't hand you over to anyone else. This was my responsibility."

"I know it's presumptuous of me to ask you to think about Mom, but I don't want you to get any deeper into trouble. Once Dad pays off his debts, we can live together again. Mom really doesn't want to see any more trouble in our family."

Looking at his daughter, Tomatsu Miyuki's eyes turned red and tears flashed in his eyes.

"Promise mom that you'll learn to give up, okay?"

Tomatsu Tomoka was silent. What else could she say?

The girl could only throw herself into her mother's arms to release her sadness.

Tomatsu Miyuki patted his daughter's back, and after a long time, the crying stopped.

She walked Tomatsu Tomoka into the room and said, "Don't set the alarm tomorrow. Just sleep until you wake up naturally. It's nothing important anyway."

The girl hid in the quilt and didn't say anything.

The next morning, Tomatsu Miyuki, who had just gotten up for work, looked at the girl sitting at the dining table and asked in surprise, "Why are you up so early? Didn't you say you should sleep until you wake up naturally?"

Seeing the golden instrument on the table, she remembered, "We have wind band practice today, right? Don't tire yourself out. Do you need mom to take you there?"

Tomatsu Tomoka shook her head, and the woman changed into her uniform and went out.

The girl looked at the closed black door quietly and talked to herself.

"I've told my mom several times, but she still hasn't remembered."

Today is the day of the Tokyo Metropolitan Wind Music Festival.

"He will always remember Junjun's words, no matter how small the matter is."

"Whether it's love or hate, as long as you give it, it will remain in his heart and never fade."

"I'm sorry, I can't listen to my mother anymore."

Tomatsu Tomoka recalled what she said in front of the girls in the wind band on the day she resumed training.

"Let's all work towards the national gold!"

"After I win the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament, I will confess my love to Matsueda-san!"

Chapter 62: A Girl's Prayer

The school bus from Haneda was heading towards the Edogawa Ward Comprehensive Cultural Center, the venue for the Tokyo Wind Music Competition.

No one was talking loudly in the car. The girls were talking quietly with their neighbors, sharing their nervousness and excitement.

From time to time, someone would pop their head out of their seat and look at Tomatsu Tomoka who was sitting in the front row, with a gossipy girlish look in their eyes.

After Tomatsu Tomoka made her love declaration in Hakone, the girls in the wind band performed more lively during practice. In addition to their longing for the national gold honor, they also had a blessing for the girls in love.

"Is Tomoka really going to confess her feelings right after the Tokyo Metropolitan Meeting?" Yamami Maki asked the girl sitting next to her worriedly.

Tomatsu Tomoka nodded, her expression unwavering.

"I know what the Minister is worried about. My relationship with Jun-kun isn't that close yet, so the chances of my confession being successful aren't great, right?"

Yamami Maki nodded embarrassedly. She once accompanied her friend to confess her love to Matsueda Jun from a distance, and knew how difficult it was to win over this boy.

Tomatsu Tomoka leaned out of her seat and glanced back at Matsueda Jun, who was sitting in the last row. The girls noticed her gaze and made all sorts of cute little gestures to encourage her.

The girl smiled, leaned back in her chair, and looked at her senior who had a worried look on her face.

"Junjun and I almost became lovers." The first sentence scared the minister.

"But I made an unforgivable mistake and caused great harm to Jun-kun, so I've been trying hard to find a way for him to forgive me."

Yamami Maki covered her mouth in surprise. Usually her friends would talk to her about love affairs, but they were usually simple stories like falling in love or breaking up. This was the first time she heard of such a complicated relationship.

"After that, I have been trying to change and prove my feelings to Jun-kun, but I discovered something more important."

"I thought I couldn't impress Jun no matter how close I got to him, so I made a mistake."

"No, it's not like that. It's just that his love and hate are too reserved and impassive, making it difficult for people to detect. He was like this before when he had a crush on me, and he's still like this now that he has no feelings for me."

"Yamami-senpai, this is the situation I fear the most."

Yamamiya Moki looked at her in confusion.

"Chun Jun must have a mixture of love and hate for me, because he is not a cold person at heart."

"When he truly hates you, he'll quietly digest all the emotions he has for you. If you don't notice, by the time he's completely digested his love and hate for you, you'll be nothing more than a stranger in his eyes."

Yamami Moki recalled the boy's polite attitude when she first met him, and recalled the red train that carried her and Matsueda Jun through the forest.

If the process were reversed, it would be unbearable.

"So I have to confess to him after the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, before he's completely absorbed in me, to shake his emotions and leave a deep impression."

As long as she can achieve this, it will be a victory for Tomatsu Tomoka.

"For me, pursuing Jun Matsueda is like swimming in a long river."

"No matter how fast the current is, you must keep your eyes on him and never let go."

When sailing against the current, if you don't move forward, you will move backward. Shan Jian Moji understands this principle.

The bus drove along Keiyo Road and onto the bridge. The two looked out the window at the Komatsu River. They didn't know how many ruggedness and obstacles were hidden beneath the wide and quiet river surface.

Yamami Maki patted her cheeks with both hands, "Okay! We will definitely win the championship and let Matsueda-san see the most shining Tomatsu Tomoka, the ace of the Hanaoka High School wind band!"

Tomatsu Tomoka smiled gratefully. The bus passed the Edogawa Ward Office and began to slow down. The girls sitting in the front row could already see the arched glass roof of the Edogawa Ward Comprehensive Cultural Center.

"We're getting ready to get off the bus, everyone pack up your things~"

The train car began to bustle. Jun Matsueda sat in the back seat, motionless. He had nothing to pack. He had already put on his suit, shirt, and trousers; he only needed to put on his jacket and tie before going on stage.

The school bus stopped at the entrance of the Edogawa Comprehensive Cultural Center. There were school buses from other schools next to it, and many people were going in and out of the entrance with musical instruments.

Today is the day, the girls thought in unison.

Winning the national gold medal is certainly very difficult, but for them, the most important thing is whether they can get a ticket to the national conference.

The All Japan Wind Music Competition, known as the "Koshien" of wind music, has the highest popularity and attention for the high school group, which is sometimes even evaluated as "performances beyond professional level."

Among four thousand schools, only twenty-nine can step onto the most glorious stage.

When they first entered school, the cherry blossoms filled the campus, the air filled with the scent of spring. As the girls entered the wind band classroom, they had no idea what lay ahead, what joys and hardships lay ahead. Here, they would devote their unforgettable youth to realizing their dreams.

The girls stepped out of the school bus, bathed in the dazzling sunlight reflected from the glass roof of the venue, their bodies filled with anticipation and anxiety about the future.

"Hurry up and take your musical instruments and personal belongings into the preparation room!" Hironchi Aya directed the girls to act.

After half a month, seeing the sexy older sister change back into her teacher's uniform, Matsueda Jun felt a little uncomfortable.

"Matsueda, can you help move the musical instruments later? Some girls are not strong enough." Yamami Moki came to him.

"No problem." He could carry things slowly with everyone during training, but now he has to hurry up in the face of the competition. He can understand that.

Tomatsu Tomoka stood in front of the venue's gate, bowed her head and prayed.

Any deity will do, please hear my prayer.

Ever since I met Junjun and fell in love with him, my life has taken another turn.

However, good things never came my way. Not only did I encounter troublesome opponents and disgusting villains, but even my caring mother did not support me.

I know I deserved it for doing something I shouldn't have done.

But I still want to pray that you will be kind enough to protect me, never change your mind, and give me a chance to reconcile with him.

Please forgive my greed. We are tiny human beings, and when it comes to love, we are always as greedy as the devil.

If my dream comes true, I will confess my sins to you as I did to him.

"Why haven't you gone in yet? Everyone is waiting for you."

The girl raised her head and saw a young man with his shirt sleeves rolled up, revealing half of his arms.

"I've been thinking about something for a while. Could you please take me to the preparation room, Jun-kun?"

Tomatsu Tomoka took her saxophone and followed Matsueda Jun into the darkness inside the gate.

Give me his kiss, as mercy to a sinner.

Chapter 63: The Girl’s Playing (Please Read!)

After moving their instruments to the preparation room, the girls went to the dressing room to change into their performance costumes. They gathered around Tomatsu Yuka, while a few seniors hid away in a corner.

"Come on, Tomoka-chan!"

"Capture Matsueda-san!"

"We all support you! Don't give him the chance to run to the light music club next door!"

Tomatsu Tomoka responded with a smile, changed into a white shirt, a plaid long skirt, a black blazer, and tied a bow tie.

“So elegant!!”

"Quiet beauty!"