Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 374

When Natsumi Imokawa put down her camera, the two who had been leaning against each other had already separated. Yosei Kurusu looked at the boy next to her and tilted her head in confusion.

"It was just a pat on the shoulder, why are you reacting so strongly?"

“…It’s nothing.” Jun Matsueda waved his hand. “I was just startled.”

The moment his shoulder was put on her arm, he thought that Kurusu would kiss him right away—given her personality and previous behavior, such a thing was not impossible.

"Take a look at the photos." Natsumi Imokawa walked up to the two of them and handed them the camera.

"Surprisingly, it's not bad! I thought it would be ruined by Matsue's movements!"

Yosuke Kurusu looked at the boy in the picture. He turned to the side of the camera and looked at the girl who was hugging him. The surprise in his eyes was just the most suitable for the naivety of this age.

"Songzhi looks like a shy little girlfriend~" she said with a grin.

“…Don’t talk nonsense.” Jun Matsue glared at her and handed the camera back to its owner.

"Are you going to continue filming?" Natsumi Imokawa asked, looking at the river behind the boy.

Her face looked a little blank, but neither of them noticed.

"It's done, thank you Natsumi-chan~"

"Then I'll be going now." The girl turned around and picked up her backpack from the embankment, her movements a little laborious. "I'll send the photos to Ms. Kurusu when I get home."

Staring at her shadow on the grass, Natsumi Imokawa felt a tightness in her chest for some reason.

She has also taken photos for many people: their parents, female classmates, members of the wind band, and for various school events...

The person I've photographed the most is probably my best friend, Songzhi.

Not only his solo photos, but the girl also took pictures of the boy standing with other people.

However, when Yosei Kurusu asked her to take a photo of the two of them together, Natsumi Imokawa immediately felt uncomfortable.

why?

She wanted to go home quickly to figure things out.

But the girl's hand was suddenly grabbed, and she turned her head to see Yosuke Kurusu's eyes reflecting the sunset.

"Imokawa isn't going to film?" she asked in a matter-of-fact tone.

"...What?" Natsumi Imokawa blinked in confusion.

The idol turned to the side, showing her the magnificent river under the sunset, "Such a beautiful view, don't you want to take a picture of yourself?"

So the girl was pulled back in a daze, and she stood on the riverbank with the camera taken off her neck.

Kurusu Yosei stood not far away, his raised camera obscuring half of her face. "Natsumi-chan, do you want to take a picture by yourself, or with Matsue?"

Natsumi Imokawa hurriedly waved her hands, "Um, I don't like being on camera..."

"Then let's take the picture with Songzhi!" The decisive idol made the decision for her. "Songzhi, quickly stand next to her! We'll go have dinner after the shoot~"

The boy who had been watching the water birds sighed and walked over to the girl.

Natsumi Imokawa's shoulders trembled slightly, and she hugged her left arm with her right hand—even though she was already quite familiar with Matsueda, the girl still felt inexplicably shy standing in front of the camera with him.

“Relax,” Jun Matsueda said, looking at the camera. “That’s just how Kurusu is.”

"Oh……"

"But she's right, we really should take a picture together—we've known each other for so long, but it seems like we've never taken a picture together before."

Natsumi Imokawa looked up at him, and the boy raised his chin. "Don't look at me, look at the camera."

"……Um!"

"Ready to take pictures?" Seeing that the two were ready, Yosuke Kurusu bent down and brought his face close to the camera screen.

"one two Three--"

After the shutter clicked again, the three of them huddled together, looking at the photos taken by Miss Idol.

"Didn't I tell Iogawa to look at the camera?" Jun Matsueda looked helplessly at the girl on the screen with her head down and one arm crossed.

"Um, it was just a subconscious reaction..." Natsumi Imokawa's face was flushed, and she was looking somewhere.

"It turned out pretty good!" Yosuke Kurusu looked at his masterpiece with satisfaction. "Natsumi-chan's shy expression is so cute~"

"But you, Matsueda!" she said, looking at the boy next to her. "How come you smile so naturally when you take pictures with her?"

"...Shall we take another one?"

"Never mind!" the girl scoffed. "I'm hungry, let's go eat."

"Then I'll be going now..." Natsumi Imokawa put the camera into her backpack and prepared to turn around and leave.

She wanted to go home early and sort out her chaotic emotions.

However, the girl was pulled back by Yosei Kurusu.

"Where is Natsumi-chan going?"

"Uh... go home?"

"Is someone at home waiting for you to have dinner?"

"No," Natsumi Imokawa said, trying to avoid eye contact with the bright face approaching her. "I usually live alone."

"Then why don't you eat with us?" Yosuke Kurusu asked bluntly.

"We're all together, isn't it more troublesome for one person to go back for dinner?"

"Kurasu." Jun Matsue walked up to the two of them. "If Imokawa wants to go back, let her go back. There will be other opportunities to play together in the future."

"I'm not—" the girl quickly said again, not wanting Songzhi to misunderstand that she preferred someone else.

When the boy looked at her, Natsumi Imokawa paused.

It's unclear which of her many conflicting emotions suddenly triggered the girl's decision, but she made something completely different from her usual approach.

"...Then, let's go have dinner together."

Chapter 634 Natsumi Imokawa's Minor Hostility

Walking along the roadside bathed in the setting sun, Natsumi Imokawa looked at the boy beside her who was carrying her equipment bag.

The sidewalk wasn't wide, so the two stood quite close together. The girl looked at the sunset on the boy's profile for a while before speaking.

"Um... so what should we eat tonight?"

"I don't know." Jun Matsueda shook his head.

He usually waited for Tomatsu Yuka to make the decision, but Tomatsu was not by his side at the moment.

"What did Kurusu say?" He turned to look at the girl walking on his other side.

"If you're inviting us to eat together, there must be somewhere you'd like to go, right?"

"Of course." Yosuke Kurusu adjusted the brim of his hat and took his phone out of his pocket.

"Let's go get some barbecue!" She pointed to the intersection ahead. "I saw a really famous barbecue restaurant on my way here!"

"Barbecue in this weather?" The boy waved his hand to fan himself.

"Is it not allowed?" Miss Idol raised her eyebrows. "Eating barbecue in the summer is like eating ice cream in the winter—Matsue surely understands this kind of pleasure, right?"

"It's not impossible." Jun Matsueda turned his head. "Does Imokawa want some grilled meat?"

"I'm fine!" the girl nodded.

"Then Kurusu, hurry up and lead the way." The boy rubbed his stomach. "I'm a little hungry too."

At the next traffic light, they turned left onto the side road and quickly found the sign for "Zhengtaiyuan Main Store" in a corner of low-rise residential buildings.

Natsumi Imokawa blinked. "Josephine Garden..."

"Has Imogawa eaten here before?" Jun Matsue watched as Yosei Kurusu ran to the old shop door, turned around, and waved to the two of them, urging them on.

"I've never been to this main store before." The girl took out her camera and took a picture of the two-story old house in front of her, painted with the sunset and looking like it was on fire.

"However, my parents and I have eaten at its Sangenjaya branch a few times, and the taste is quite good."

The three entered the old shop, and the shop assistant led them to a private room on the second floor.

The girls entered the room one after another. Jun Matsueda turned around and blocked the doorway from the waitress who was wearing a mask and a headscarf.

"Thank you very much," he said with a smile. "My friend is a bit shy, could you please not come in when you're serving the food?"

“Sure,” the woman nodded. “I’ll knock on the door when I serve the food, and you can come out and get it yourself.”

"Ok."

Before leaving, the waitress glanced at the two girls behind the boy, her eyes showing some hesitation.

"Although there are no security cameras in the private rooms, we will still seek compensation if someone deliberately dirties the seats. Please be aware of this, our guest."

The three guests were all young and good-looking, and their requests were a bit strange. The experienced waitress was worried that the guests might want to vent their energy on the spot after eating the barbecue.

“…Okay.” The boy was too lazy to offer any further explanation.

Closing the door, Jun Matsue walked to the tatami table by the window, where a charcoal grill was set up. The girls sat facing each other, leaving him the seat in the middle facing the window. Yosei Kurusu looked at her phone, while Natsumi Imokawa stared at her face, lost in thought.

Hearing the boy sit down, the girl put down her phone. "What did Songzhi say to the waiter? Why did it take so long to come in?"

"I told them not to come into the room, so you can eat in peace."

"Pine Branch is so thoughtful~" She took off her mask and baseball cap, happily picked up her chopsticks, and reached for the salad as an appetizer.

Jun Matsue picked up the sauce bottle on the table, mixed two dishes, and placed one dish next to Yosei Kurusu.

"Do you want me to make it for you, Imokawa?" he asked, looking at the girl who was staring at him.

“…” Natsumi Imokawa glanced at the idol girl who seemed used to it, “I want her.”

Do you have any dietary restrictions?

The girl looked up and pondered for a moment while staring intently at the hissing cigarette butt. "I don't like spicy food."

Jun Matsue put the bottle of chili sauce aside, poured barbecue sauce, white sesame seeds, soy sauce and a little salt and pepper into a small dish, stirred it a few times and then placed it in front of the girl.

"Thank you, Matsueda." Natsumi Imokawa looked at the arm extended in front of her. The boy's thin muscle lines were even more pronounced under the overhead light, making him look extremely handsome.

The food at this restaurant was served very quickly. By the time the first knock sounded and Jun Matsue opened the door, the waiter already had several plates of meat on his tray.

"Thank you." The boy reached out and took it, then used the tip of his shoe to block the door. He returned to the dining table and placed the tender, bright red beef tongue and marbled beef onto the grill.

Yosuke Kurusu gazed at the sizzling grill and excitedly licked his lips.

"Ready to dig in!"

The small room was soon filled with the rich aroma of oil and meat. Each piece of roasted meat was quickly picked up and devoured as soon as it was cooked, and the three people chewed with a consistent expression of satisfaction on their faces.

"It tastes much better than the one at Xuxuyuan!" Laixi Youse's cheeks were bulging as he gave a thumbs up.

"It's so hot!" Natsumi Imokawa stuck out her tongue and blew on the sizzling grilled meat on her chopsticks.

Jun Matsueda flipped through the menu placed to the side, "I feel like it would be more refreshing with some cold drinks."

“Matsushige is right!” The idol, with her bulging cheeks and wide eyes, exclaimed, “Let’s drink!”

"Barbecue is all about beer!"

“…Yes, you can drink it yourself.” Jun Matsueda turned his head to the other side.

Drinking is the beginning of losing one's rationality, and he absolutely cannot lose his rationality in front of Kurusu.

"This is boring." Kurusu Yosei pouted and looked at the girl sitting opposite him.

"The yuzu wine here looks pretty good, Natsumi-chan, would you like some?"

Seeing the girl nod without hesitation, Jun Matsueda was somewhat surprised. "Can Imokawa drink alcohol?"

Natsumi Imokawa tilted her head back and thought for a while—after leaving the apartment, her reactions had been slow.

"I drink a little with my parents at home, so it should be fine."

So the boy went out of the room and ordered two glasses of grapefruit wine. A few minutes later, there was another knock on the door. Kurusu Yosei put down his chopsticks, humming a little tune as he walked towards the door.

"Come on~"

"What are you doing!" Jun Matsueda immediately pulled her back. "Have you forgotten that you can't be seen by people?!"

“Oh right…” The girl sat back down and watched as the boy opened the door and came back carrying two large cups of bright yellow sake and the remaining meat.