Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 444

"Which account released the news first?" Jun Matsue tapped the blue bird icon on his phone.

"First it was my own official account, then it was the agency's account."

Yosei Kurusu's profile picture is still a girl's bright smiling face. Her update frequency has decreased a lot since the activity was suspended, but her latest post has received many replies.

That was her post from yesterday, just a short sentence—

"Everyone! I have some incredibly exciting news to announce tomorrow!"

The time on the top of the phone reached the hour, and the girl rested her chin on the boy's shoulder, looking at the newly popped-up timed message on her account.

"Come to the world of the living, and be resurrected in glory!"

This was the caption she chose herself, accompanied by an image of herself dressed in white and gold, lying on an ivory-white ground. Brilliant light fell on the girl's face, and her half-open eyes radiated a long-accumulated starlight of vitality.

"It feels really good," Jun Matsue whispered in her ear.

"Let's take a look at the agency's announcements, promotional videos, and official photos!"

Yosei Kurusu took out her phone; her account had already shared the latest update from "H&M Agency".

"I am pleased to announce that starting September 11th, Yosei Kurusu will be joining H&M agency to continue his activities as a singer."

"Please look forward to a brand new Kurusu Yosei!"

Along with the announcement came a two-minute video and official photos. Before the boy could even open them on his phone, Natsumi Imokawa's message popped up at the top of the screen.

"Songzhi! Songzhi! Tokyo University of the Arts has accepted my application!!"

Matsueda Jun looked at the girl's joyful news, then picked up the melon soda that belonged to Kurusu Yosei on the table and took a big gulp with a smile.

"Today is a double celebration!"

Chapter 703 Strike While the Iron Is Hot and the Invitation

The next morning, Jun Matsue and Natsumi Imokawa stood on the balcony on the fourth floor of the teaching building, with the noisy corridor behind them during the break between classes.

"Congratulations." He handed the ice cream in his hand to the girl next to him.

"I didn't expect the news of my successful application to come so quickly."

"Is it fast?" Natsumi Imokawa turned her head, looking at the lawn of the playground. Her eyes lit up with uncontrollable joy.

“When we went to mail the letter, it was already the last day of registration—the results didn’t come out for another five days, and I thought it was too slow.”

"No wonder you chose the express service in the first place..."

Jun Matsue watched as she unwrapped the packaging, took out the pure white milk ice cream, and licked it little by little with her small, bright red tongue.

"So, the next step is to prepare the materials as you suggested?"

"Mmm!" The girl nodded with an ice cream in her mouth. "I'll go ask my homeroom teacher for my report card later."

"I'll go see the principal again at noon to write the evaluation, and I'll try to get the materials ready by tomorrow at the latest!"

"Tomorrow," the boy said, taking a bite of the same ice cream he was holding. "I have to work, so I don't have much time."

“Then I’ll mail the letter myself.” Natsumi Imokawa placed her right hand on her protruding chest.

"I have experience now, so I can go alone without any problem!"

Jun Matsueda nodded. "Give me a call if you need any help."

"Mmm~" The girl hurriedly licked the melted ice cream and turned to look at the corridor behind her.

"I'm going to see the homeroom teacher now, and I'll talk to Songzhi later."

She took a step, but then suddenly paused and turned back to look at the boy.

"I saw on the trending topics last night, is Ms. Kurusu making a comeback?"

"Yes, that's right," the boy replied with a smile. "Then the singers will come to Qiyang World."

"So, does that mean she could ask you to collaborate on videos or something in the future?"

"I'm not that good at it..." the girl said, blushing as she waved her hand. "I'm actually quite happy that she's back on stage."

“Then tell her yourself,” Jun Matsue said with a smile. “You have her contact information, after all.”

“…Okay!” Natsumi Imokawa picked up the ice cream and turned around, her shoulder-length, fluffy black hair swaying lightly.

"I'm going now~"

Watching the girl's energetic figure walk away, Jun Matsue took the last big bite of ice cream, chewing on the cool, sweet, milky flavor as he returned to the classroom.

Tomatsu was doing his homework at the desk in front of Mizushima, while Mochizuki's seat was surrounded by chatting girls. The boy returned to his seat and listened to the girls talking about today's entertainment news.

"Yoshi-chan has actually made a comeback as a singer!"

"So surprising~~ She changed agencies, is it true that she was targeted by SG before?"

"I saw it trending on social media too! I was really saddened when she announced she was taking a break from activities!"

“I understand, I understand!” said Rion, a gyaru who was on good terms with Mochizuki Haruka.

"After all, Yoshi-chan is so beautiful. Wouldn't it be a huge loss if we couldn't see her face?"

Something must have tickled their funny bone, because the girls laughed with even more gusto than the boys, and Tomatsu Yuka, who was sitting on the other side, turned her head to look at them.

"She looks as beautiful as ever in this video—her eyes are absolutely gorgeous! I want to buy the same eyeliner as her!"

"Even if you buy the same eyeliner, it won't make your eyes bigger..."

The topic naturally veered off course. Jun Matsue peeked through the gaps in the crowd at Haruka Mochizuki sitting by the window. The girl, with a poised expression, pursed her lips, her eyes showing a hint of impatience.

"Class is about to start~" Jun Matsueda said to the chattering girls, "Next class is Kominato-sensei's English class, you know?"

The girls, not wanting to be nagged by their homeroom teacher, quickly dispersed, like a gust of wind blowing across a lawn. The girl by the window was like a delicate flower peeking out, finally revealing her full form to the boys.

Mochizuki Haruka quickly met his gaze. She moved her lips but didn't speak, nor did she turn her face away.

She simply tilted her head back demurely, letting the boy's gaze fall on her fair cheeks.

So Jun Matsue continued to stare at her, letting the weight of his gaze accumulate—only when the girl blinked and was about to put on her cold mask again did he wisely turn his gaze away.

There seemed to be signs of softening... The boy heard the school bell ringing in his ears and took out his textbook from his drawer.

Perhaps it's time to strike while the iron is hot?

After school in the afternoon, in the wind instrument section on the third floor of the activity building, Tomomika Tomatsu stood in front of the saxophone section, smiling as she gave her suggestions for adjustments.

It was time for post-practice debriefing and rest, and the room was a bit noisy with everyone talking at once. The girl who had raised her voice pursed her lips; she had already said quite a bit, and her lips were a little dry.

"The water is here~"

The boy in the white shirt walked up to her and, with just the gesture of handing her a water bottle, stole the attention of all the girls in front of him.

"Thank you, Jun-kun~" Tomatsu Yuka smiled sweetly, took the mineral water and took two sips.

“An indirect kiss, huh?” said a girl standing in the back row. She had just been peeking at the boy’s Adam’s apple bobbing as he drank water.

"Silly Maki! They're a couple, it's okay for them to kiss!"

A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd. Tomatsu Yuka didn't say anything, but simply handed the water bottle back to the boy and affectionately nuzzled his shoulder.

Jun Matsue smiled as he joined the crowd, then leaned close to his lover's ear and whispered something.

"I'm going to the hallway to get some fresh air. I'll come back after you finish your next practice session."

The girl nodded. "We should be done after one more practice."

So the boy waved his hand and walked out of the room amidst the girls' laughter. He walked to the end of the corridor, held onto the railing, and looked down.

The two self-study periods after school had just ended, and the third-year students walked out of the school building with their schoolbags. Jun Matsue waited for a while and soon saw Haruka Mochizuki walking into the school avenue, sandwiched among a group of girls.

As the girl was about to pass the activity building, the boy took out his phone and sent a message.

"Look up quickly."

The girl on the main road took out her phone from her pocket, looked up, and her casual steps quickly came to a stop.

Jun Matsue smiled and waved his hand vigorously, but the girl downstairs did not react or take a step forward.

The girls quickly noticed her standing alone, and then they spotted the boy waving from upstairs. Laughter erupted on the main street like splashes of water. After Mochizuki Haruka said something, they turned around and walked away, laughing and joking.

The melodious strains of the brass band drifted out of the corridor behind him once more, and Jun Matsueda tapped the call button on his phone.

After a brief wait, the girl's clear, cool voice came through the receiver.

"Are they showing off their love again with Tomatsu Yuka?"

The boy lowered his head, looked up at Yueyao, took two steps towards the bottom of the building, and then looked up at him.

The distance of three floors made the girl appear even smaller. Jun Matsue had excellent eyesight and could see clearly the melting ice on the sea surface in her black pupils.

"There's nothing I can do about it," he said in a gentle voice, looking downstairs.

"I don't have to work today, and I can't go home with you now. What else can I do besides stay with Tomatsu?"

Displeased with the boy's tone, Mochizuki Haruka downstairs frowned slightly.

"Those people who just walked away were asking about our relationship. Do you know that if you flaunt it like this a few more times, your image as a good student and devoted boyfriend will be ruined?"

Although she was somewhat aggressive, Matsueda Jun was actually even happier—after all, the girl was still concerned about his reputation, which was good news.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said without hesitation. “If I can get Mochizuki back, I’d be willing to be hated by everyone.”

"Then we'll agree on a consistent story: you and Tomatsu only agreed to date me at the same time because of my intimidation, how about that?"

"...What do you mean, 'what'?!" The girl's tone rose, her anger mixed with helplessness.

"Don't joke like that!"

"I'm not kidding." The boy looked up at the sky, which was tinged with the colors of the sunset.

"Life can't be perfect, right? If I'm lucky enough to be with you guys, so what if I'm a notorious scumbag?"

"After all, compared to the happiness I felt when I was with you, the convenience that fame and image bring is just a penny—I wouldn't even care if it fell into a vending machine."

Two years ago, in June, he had just been released from suspension and was willing to accept his classmates' feigned concern in the classroom, and to pretend to be friendly with the girl who had stepped into his sensitive area.

But now, Jun Matsuoka wants to take off the mask he wore for the sake of "a convenient life".

"..." The girl on the other end of the line didn't speak; only the rustling of grass could be heard.

Matsueda Jun looked down and saw that Mochizuki hadn't quietly left. She had her head down, and the boy could only see her bangs and delicate nose.

"I've been taking good care of your bicycle while Mochizuki was away from the apartment."

Wang Yueyao raised her head and met his gaze from the third floor, her eyes clear and transparent.

"Then get off now, and I'll ride your bicycle back to the apartment."

"Starting tomorrow, I will continue to go to and from school with you."

The boy thought for a moment, "Wait while I tell Tomatsu."

“No,” the girl replied immediately.

"Don't tell her, just come with me like this."

Jun Matsue was silent for two seconds, then leaned out and slowly but firmly shook his head at her downstairs.

"If I just leave without saying a word, Tomatsu will definitely be heartbroken."

He absolutely cannot give up the base he has temporarily conquered.

The lake-like water in Mochizuki Haruka's eyes froze again. "So, when you reject me, you don't even consider that I'll be hurt too?"

"...Mochizuki is so cunning yet adorable now," the boy said softly, looking into her eyes.

"You forced me to do this multiple choice question first. Tomatsu would never have made me choose like this."

They stared at each other in silence for a minute. The girl downstairs hung up the phone first and turned to walk towards the school gate.

Jun Matsue leaned his upper body over the railing and called out to the slender figure as she walked away.

"Be careful on the road—"

Come back soon!

She did not respond.

As expected, it wasn't so easy to succeed, and the boy sighed silently.

He turned around and leaned against the railing, looking at the empty corridor outside the orchestra room, waiting for the music to end.