Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 398

That's Ms. Kurusu's voice, isn't it? Did they go to the hot springs together?

Are there only two people? Or is Yuka also there?

"..." The girl threw herself onto the bed and sighed at the bright light on the ceiling.

Maki Yami originally had no intention of having a voice call with Jun Matsueda, but Kokoro Kuroha had been annoyed by the girl's frequent phone checks these past few days and gave her this suggestion.

"Since you're not planning to let go of Matsueda Jun, you might as well call him and hear his voice, instead of staring at your phone all day, feeling happy one minute and disappointed the next!"

Encouraged by her childhood friend, she finally mustered the courage to make the call today.

However, the girl did not find much comfort; instead, the conversation she overheard made her even more unsettled.

It's all Kokoro's fault; she shouldn't have made that call.

Yamami Maki wanted to say that, but the complaint stuck in her throat and she couldn't bring herself to say it.

At least she could hear his voice again... The girl looked at the phone placed to the side.

I was so busy explaining the precautions for artists transferring their registration to Songzhi that I didn't listen to him properly.

Perhaps she should record it, she thought, trying hard to recall.

Will there be another chance to make a phone call?

Even if not, when Ms. Kurusu meets her sister, Ms. Matsueda will probably come too, right?

The thought of meeting Jun Matsueda made Maki Yami a little nervous. She turned off the light, closed her eyes, and imagined the possible scenarios.

What should I say then?

If they actually met in person, would she still be able to speak as rationally as she did on the phone?

Ultimately, would Matsueda really want to see her...?

The girl was unaware that the boy had already seen her near Ochanomizu University.

After rolling around on the large bed a few times, Yamami Maki finally buried her head in the blankets, her shoulders trembling slightly.

"Sorry……"

Yosei Kurusu stood by the vending machine and took the iced milk that Aya-chan handed him.

"Who is Songzhi calling?"

"It's the private school's phone number. I have a mock exam for Tokyo University in a couple of days." Jun Matsueda put away his phone and placed the empty bottle in his hand into the recycling bin next to the machine.

He planned to talk to Kurusu about these things on the way back, since he was out having fun and shouldn't think too much.

"The mock exam for Tokyo University..." Miss Idol repeated, tearing open the milk carton and suddenly bringing her head close to the boy's face.

"You'd better prepare those pine branches carefully, it wouldn't be good if you only had me on your mind~"

The loose neckline of the girl's yukata was slightly open due to her posture. Matsueda Jun didn't say anything, but pressed the girl's shoulders and pushed her away.

Yosuke Kurusu slyly observed his expression, then opened the lid of the milk and, in unison with Aya-chan beside him, tilted his head back and drank it down.

"Ha—" she made a drinking sound, "Iced milk after a hot spring bath is the best!"

“As expected, milk in glass bottles is the most authentic!” Miyamura Aya held the bottle high with both hands, like a believer gazing upon a sacred object.

"I heard they're going to get rid of glass bottles in the future, how can that be!"

"Remember to wrap your yukata tightly after you finish drinking the milk." Jun Matsueda looked at the girls' flushed cheeks. "Don't catch a cold."

"No way!" Yosei Kurusu waved his hand. "We still need to exercise—isn't table tennis after the hot springs a must-do activity?"

The boy raised an eyebrow. "Won't that make you sweat again?"

"So what if I sweat?" the girl said nonchalantly. "It's still early. I can just go back to my room and soak in the hot spring again."

"However, that bathtub isn't big enough, so mixed-gender bathing might be a bit difficult~"

She stuck out her tongue to wipe away the milk stains from the corner of her lips, her deliberately slowed movements exuding a seductive charm.

Jun Matsue ignored her temptation and walked toward the front desk at the end of the corridor.

"Then I'll go reserve the pool table first, so you don't rush over excitedly only to find it's already in use."

"I'll go with you!" Lai Xi You Shi finished the rest of her milk in a few gulps, grabbed the boy's yukata sleeve, and followed behind him.

Miyamura Aya stood there, slowly drinking her milk. Only after the two had walked away did she return the glass bottle and begin her leisurely stroll.

Ten minutes later, Jun Matsue stood by the ping-pong table, watching the small white plastic ball bounce back and forth among the girls dressed in brightly colored yukatas.

The ping-pong ball flew off the table quickly, the boy picked it up, and it was taken by the smug idol.

It must be said that, putting aside their skill level, the girls' clumsy yet adorable movements as they wielded their rackets in their yukatas were truly a sight to behold.

Back at the pool table, as he turned to a page of the scoreboard, Jun Matsuoka's cell phone rang again in his pocket.

It wasn't a message from Yamami Maki, but rather a profile picture of a haughty black cat.

"I'm coming back a day early."

Returning to Tokyo a day earlier, on the same day as me... Matsueda Jun remembered what Mochizuki had said before, that she wanted to see me when she came back.

The boy pursed his lips slightly and quickly replied to the message.

"receive."

The girl's patience was indeed limited.

Chapter 661 A Lemon-Flavored Kiss

At four o'clock the next afternoon, Jun Matsue sat on a recliner at the perfect angle, holding a smooth milk shaved ice in his hands, and looked at the little snack running towards him in the distance.

Before the boy lay a vast, gently undulating plain, with low, continuous green grass stretching out like a frozen, calm sea. In the distance were neatly arranged trees, and beyond that, there were fences, a sky filled with floating clouds, and leisurely horses.

This is a ranch located in Otawara City, Tochigi Prefecture, where the three-person team spent an entire afternoon—horse riding, sunbathing, playing with sheepdogs, and enjoying cheese, ice cream, and lattes made with milk directly from the ranch.

The small brown dots that were jumping in the distance gradually took shape. Jun Matsue put down the shaved ice in his hand and looked at the girls sitting on horseback.

Yosei Kurusu's long pink hair danced wildly, dazzling in the sunlight. The girl held the reins, skillfully maneuvering the horse beneath her. Aya Miyamura, as a passenger, sat in her lap, smiling happily.

The two people and the horse quickly arrived in front of him with a clattering sound. The idol leaned back slightly, her legs gently gripping the horse's belly to tighten the reins, and the glossy brown horse came to a steady stop on the grass in front of the recliner.

Jun Matsue stood up, took a carrot from the table next to him and put it in the horse's mouth. Then he walked over to the horse, first helping Aya off the horse, and then holding Yosei Kurusu's slender arm.

"Jun-ge! Yang-shi-jie is so good at riding horses!" Miyamura Aya said excitedly from behind him.

"Am I better than you?" The boy looked at the girl in front of him as she used his hand to dismount. "I won the previous competition."

"Isn't it because I studied for less time than you?" Yosei Kurusu said, standing steadily on the grass, unconvinced.

The girl was busy playing frisbee with several sheepdogs, wasting a lot of time.

"Miss Kurusu is indeed quite talented." The equestrian coach who was following behind the two walked over and patted the horse's broad back with a smile.

“If you hadn’t told me, I would never have imagined that she knew absolutely nothing about horseback riding before today.”

“Of course, the same goes for Matsueda-kun.” The woman’s smile widened.

"Thank you." Jun Matsue smiled calmly.

It has to be said that whether it's driving or riding a horse, Lai Qiyang learns exceptionally quickly—perhaps she really has a talent for driving vehicles.

"Matsushige, what time is it now?" The idol girl picked up the half-eaten milk shaved ice next to the boy's seat and scooped up a big mouthful without hesitation.

Jun Matsue raised his arm, but he couldn't keep up with the girl's movements. The shaved ice had already gone into her mouth, and the boy had no choice but to give up resisting.

“…4:30.” He glanced at his phone.

"Time flies so fast~" Kurusu Yosei put down his spoon and stretched to loosen up his body—being jostled around on horseback wasn't exactly a comfortable experience.

"It's time to go." She hugged the girl beside her. "We need to find somewhere to have dinner—"

Since no one could hold Jun Matsue, he could only link arms with the large horse next to him that was munching on a carrot and stroke its mane. The horse responded with an affectionate snort. The girls seemed to have been tickled, and they hugged each other, their shoulders shaking.

As they left the ranch, the pink Toyota gleamed in the sunlight. The boy opened the car door for his younger sister before getting into the passenger seat, the rolled-up window blocking the instructor's reluctant gaze.

“Matsushige, I think she’s quite interested in you~” Miss Idol raised an eyebrow.

Jun Matsue glanced at her. "Why didn't you stop her when she was flirting with me?"

"Why are you stopping me?" The girl haughtily raised her chin, inserted the key, and started the car.

"With me here, how could you possibly fall for her?"

"..." The boy was speechless.

The car left the ranch amidst applause from the girls in the back seat and headed towards the city.

The three of them had a fried Wagyu beef set meal for dinner. The vegetables and beef came from a nearby ranch. Compared to the steak, the small pieces of milk coated in fried batter were less greasy.

However, a small mishap occurred while enjoying the delicious ribeye.

"...You mean you're going back tonight?" Jun Matsue looked up, his eyes showing a hint of surprise.

"Didn't we say we'd leave tomorrow?"

"Didn't you say this afternoon that Mochizuki would be back tomorrow?" Kurusu Yosei swallowed the rice in his mouth and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"That girl must be getting impatient. She might even get up early to go back to Tokyo—if we're still not back by then, she'll definitely throw a tantrum!"

"That's certainly very possible..." Jun Matsue nodded, his chopsticks reaching for the last piece of fried beef tongue.

However, Kurusu's chopsticks also reached out, and the two chopsticks wrestled for a few seconds before finally splitting the beef tongue in two in perfect unison.

"So when we were riding horses just now, Caijiang and I discussed it..." the girl mumbled, chewing on her meat.

"Let's just go back after dinner."

“If we stay, we can just soak in the hot spring for another night,” said Aya Miyamura, who was sitting next to her. “We already soaked in the hot spring twice last night anyway.”

The girls played ping-pong enthusiastically for an hour last night, and then soaked in the hot spring in the suite's bathtub. Thanks to this, all three of them slept very well.

"...So it's decided then?" Jun Matsue put down his chopsticks and took out his phone to find directions.

"It's decided!" Lai Xiyang nodded vigorously.

"After this meal, we'll head back to Tokyo!"

Half an hour later, Jun Matsue sat back in the passenger seat and watched the girl next to him turn on her phone for navigation while she gripped the steering wheel.

"It takes three hours to drive back to Tokyo. Would you like to rest for a while, Kurusu?"

"We were resting during dinner," the female driver patted him on the shoulder. "And there are rest areas along the way."

“I was worried you’d get too tired from playing all day.” Jun Matsueda placed the coffee he’d bought between the two of them.

The girl had a busy day. After checking out in the morning, she first took them to visit the ruins of Kinugawa Amusement Park nearby. After that, they drove for more than an hour to a ranch in Otawara City. After lunch, they played frisbee and horseback riding. Both their physical strength and energy must have been quite depleted.

"It's okay!" Yosuke Kurusu took off his sunglasses and shook his arms. "It's not as tiring as when we were on tour before."

"If you're worried, just keep an eye on me and make sure I don't get sleepy or distracted~"

The boy rolled his eyes at her and took the sunglasses the girl offered him.

"Then I should go back to the ranch and get a whip, so I can wake you up when you're dozing off."

At 7 p.m., the sun had already set. The pink Toyota, on its way home, entered the highway, with gray mountains rushing past outside the road.

Jun Matsueda turned his gaze away from the car window and back to the girl in the driver's seat.

"It's much darker on the road now, would you like to switch to the slow lane?"

“It’s alright, there are fewer cars than during the day.” Yosei Kurusu shook his head and stared ahead at the road. “It’ll be nine o’clock by the time I get back to Tokyo, and I don’t want to drive back slowly.”

"Make sure you get home safely first." The boy glanced at Miyamura Aya, who was leaning on the headrest in the back seat, and reached out to turn the music in the car down a bit.

The girl glanced at the rearview mirror. "Is Aya-chan asleep?"

"uh-huh."

She suddenly smiled and said, "It feels like taking care of a child."

"...Aya-chan is much more reliable than you." Although he said this, the boy's tone softened considerably.

"So it was you and Aya who took care of me?" Kurusu Yosei glared at him. "Aya and I did all the scheduling and stuff. Matsueda was the one who was being taken care of!"

"Yes, yes~" Matsueda Jun did not deny it.

"I'm thirsty, Pine Branch, give me a sip of coffee!" The girl gestured to him.

The boy picked up the Starbucks coffee next to his seat and handed it to her. She was still holding the steering wheel, but she turned her face slightly to the side, pouted her lips, and put the straw in her mouth.