Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 353

The girls blinked instinctively, and then golden-red flames exploded before their eyes, illuminating the sparse clouds above Atami Harbor for a moment.

The fireworks festival has begun.

Chapter 607 The Outbreak of Fireworks

The first burst of fireworks on the shore was accompanied by the excited and joyful noise of the crowd.

One of the girls let out an unconscious sigh of "Wow..."

One of the boys let out a strange "haha" laugh.

There were a series of exclamations of "Whoa!"

There were children making loud, shrill "ah ah" noises.

So this is how many meaningless sounds humans can make... Watching the scattered sparks slowly fall towards the sea, Jun Matsueda noted down this meaningless fact.

The second burst of fireworks then took to the air, exploding into a vibrant green, a summery sight, within its pinkish-purple border.

"It's the purple of the February Orchid~" Tomatsu Yuka said with delight, leaning over the railing to look at the third burst of fireworks in the sky.

The sound of fireworks exploding echoed continuously along the beach. Jun Matsue turned his head to look at the people around him, and their faces, like waves, appeared one after another in the bursting flames.

"Why are you looking at me if you're not going to see the fireworks?" Mochizuki Haruka turned her face, her eyes sparkling with colorful fireworks.

"I was just observing the crowd's reaction; you're being presumptuous." The boy smiled mischievously.

The girl glared at him, then turned her face away, staring wide-eyed at the ever-changing night sky as if in a huff—however, the fact that she was holding the hand of the person next to her betrayed her true feelings.

This was her first time watching a fireworks display with Songzhi.

But the words coming from the other side shattered the sweetness in her heart.

Tomatsu Tomoka's voice sounded especially soft in the wind, "It feels like the fireworks festival in Atami is much bigger than the one in Tamagawa~"

"After all, Mitaka isn't exactly a tourist city. It's already pretty good that they can set off fireworks at the summer festival alongside cities like Chofu."

The boy's voice was clear and bright, and he was noticeably more talkative, indicating that he was in a good mood.

“But I especially love the fireworks over the Tamagawa River,” the girl continued. “I wonder if there will be a summer festival jointly organized by the four cities this year.”

Mochizuki Haruka peeked out to look to the other side. The girl in the yukata, with a gentle smile, looked at the boy beside her. In addition to the dazzling flames in the sky, her eyes also held an unconcealable tenderness.

"You talk too much," Mochizuki Haruka said impatiently. "Just watch the fireworks, what are you reminiscing about over there?"

Isn't it just that he wanted to show off his past time with Songzhi in front of her?

Jun Matsueda's expression stiffened slightly, while Yuka Tomatsu's smile became even more natural.

"It's just a feeling of being moved. Faced with such dazzling fireworks, I suddenly become sentimental."

The three fell silent again, watching the flames bloom on the horizon amidst the clamor of the surrounding crowd.

The single, dazzling fireworks display at the beginning has disappeared. On the opposite bank, clusters of flowers bloom one after another, forming three flickering torches that spew forth bright, radiant flames.

Then three beams of fire rose simultaneously, trailing long golden-red flames, and suddenly burst forth with dense rays of light in the air, like dandelions bursting into bloom.

Sighs and exclamations echoed once again along the coast. Looking at the golden branches that stretched and drooped in the air, Mochizuki felt inexplicably annoyed.

Why three bunches in particular?

As if hearing the girl's inner complaints, the three beams of light quickly turned into two, bursting into a concentrated burst. After a while, they spread out into five beams, weaving together a blazing white flame above the higher clouds. Then, they extended outwards in all directions, creating even denser and longer dark red sparks.

I'll take a video and show it to my aunt.

Mochizuki Haruka took out her phone and first took a few seconds of pictures of the fireworks rising from the sea, then turned the camera away.

"Matsueda," she called out, and Matsueda Jun looked over.

"...Tsk." The girl looked at the scene on the camera and made a sound of dissatisfaction.

Everything was perfect, except for Tomatsu Yuka's arm and profile, which appeared on the other side of the boy.

However, before she could say anything more, Tomatsu Yuka seemed to notice her gaze—the girl turned her face and smiled at the camera, then stepped back out of the phone screen.

"..." Mochizuki Haruka didn't say much. She filmed another segment, then leaned on the boy's shoulder and filmed the two of their faces changing color with the fireworks.

She put down her phone and sent a message to her aunt, and quickly received a reply.

Wow~ Is this a fireworks display in Atami?

The girl lowered her head, took the boy's arm again, and typed away.

"Yeah, I'll watch the fireworks display tonight and head back tomorrow morning."

"Wow, this is so nice! It's so lively! Auntie, I'm so envious!"

Wang Yueyao laughed. Although it was just words, she could imagine her aunt wriggling around her.

"But didn't you two already do all that? Why did you only link arms in a video when you filmed me?" Auntie continued to ask.

"At least take a picture of us kissing in front of fireworks, right? That would really give off a youthful vibe!"

She was silent for a moment, then said, "I just slept with him the day before yesterday, and he tore my swimsuit to shreds."

The aunt sent a rolling-eyes emoji at the end, but the girl didn't reply and put her phone back inside her belt.

She turned her head and saw that Tomatsu Yuka had returned to the boy's side and was whispering something in his ear.

Mochizuki clenched her hands on the railing, gazing at the sea that flickered in and out of focus under the glow of the fireworks.

The more I think about it, the more upset I get...

It's not just because if Tomatsu weren't there, she would probably have kissed Matsue passionately in front of Hanabi.

It's also because of Tomatsu Tomoka, who, despite only being able to stay by Matsue's side because of her kindness, acts as if she's completely at ease and wants to be on equal footing with him...

Just like before, I kept jumping back and forth on the edge of what I hated, which made me feel unhappy all the time.

We need to teach her a lesson.

Then, when the grandest wave of fireworks rose into the sky, illuminating the entire coastline...

Mochizuki Haruka turned her head to look at the boy next to her.

"Pine branch," she called again.

"Hmm?" Jun Matsuoka turned his head with a smile.

The tenderness in the boy's eyes immediately turned into surprise, because the girl reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him with an irresistible force.

Meanwhile, the girl on the other side was still looking at him with a smile.

Under Tomatsu Tomoka's almost frozen gaze, Mochizuki Haruka tiptoed and shared a fleeting kiss with Matsueda Jun on the beach.

Before the boy could break free from her embrace, the girl voluntarily released her hands.

She wiped the wetness from the corner of her lips with her right hand and leaned out to look at the girl on the other side.

"Tomoka Tomatsu, you need to get one thing straight."

"You are able to stay by Songzhi's side like this right now because of my tolerance."

"So don't try to show off your scheming and petty tricks in front of me."

Mochizuki Haruka licked her bright red lips with lingering satisfaction, her eyes completely oblivious to Tomatsu Yuka's presence before her.

"Otherwise, I'll have Songzhi kick you away."

Fireworks exploded in the sky, as if they were about to destroy the entire hot sea.

Chapter 608 The End of the Fireworks

"full moon."

Fireworks flickered on the sea, and Jun Matsue stood in front of the girl.

He glanced back; Tomatsu Yuka's eyelids were lowered, her expression hidden in the shadow of her bangs, with only the distant flames illuminating the outline of her face.

"What, did I say something wrong?" Mochizuki Haruka looked up at him with displeasure.

She pushed the boy away slightly and continued looking at the girl who was standing motionless.

"Tomoka Tomatsu, how long do you think you can stay in this position?"

"Matsue will ultimately choose me—he told me himself that he can no longer imagine life without Mochizuki Haruka."

Tomatsu Yuka's shoulders trembled slightly. Matsueda Jun completely blocked the girl's cold gaze and reached out to put his hand on her shoulder.

"full moon……"

"Isn't that how it is?" Mochizuki Haruka stared wide-eyed, still speaking to the girl behind the boy.

"In the end, you're just a temporary worker. After you've licked your wounds by his side, you'd better leave obediently!"

"Stop fantasizing about living happily ever after with Songzhi. He and I were just being all lovey-dovey the night before last—"

"full moon!"

Jun Matsueda's voice was no longer gentle, attracting some attention from those around him.

Mochizuki Haruka was startled, and the hand on her shoulder tightened a little. The girl immediately fell silent, just staring blankly at the boy, before pouting aggrievedly after a while.

"Matsueda is yelling at me? You're yelling at me because of Tomatsu?"

"..." Matsueda Jun said helplessly, "I'm not being mean to you, I'm just telling you to stop talking."

He turned to look at Tomatsu Yuka, the girl who had wrapped her left arm around her right arm and stared down at the ground in front of the railing, her eyes showing no trace of the fireworks.

"Yu-hua?" the boy asked worriedly.

"..." Tomatsu Yuka's chest heaved rapidly, the girl's disordered breathing sounded labored, as if something was weighing heavily on her heart.

However, when Jun Matsue approached her, the girl raised her head, and a broken smile reappeared on her face.

"What Mochizuki-kun said...makes sense."

Once the first sentence is successfully uttered, subsequent speech becomes more fluent.

"After all, Jun-kun and I are only lovers in name only."

"I know he's only staying by my side because he's worried about me..."

As she said this, Tomatsu looked into the boy's eyes and gently shook her head, as if to say that she was alright.

"That's enough." But Jun Matsue didn't let her continue.

He glanced at the girls with their heads bowed, leaned against the railing, and sighed as he looked out at the sea.

"I should have just watched our own fireworks."

A continuous round of applause rang out from the shore. The grand fireworks display that filled the sky had ended, and the trailing lights that swayed on the coast gradually faded away.

"It's all because Tomatsu talks too much..." Mochizuki Haruka muttered, watching the swarming crowd.

"I'll go first then." Tomatsu Yuka took out her phone and glanced at it. "Miya and the others asked me to take pictures."

Matsueda Jun watched as the girl put down her phone and smiled at him, "Jun-kun, you don't need to worry about me too much."

"I've had a lot of fun these past few days!"

Her smile was so dazzling that the boy subconsciously followed her as she turned around, but then immediately stopped.

Because Mochizuki Haruka was tugging at his sleeve from behind.

"Is Songzhi going to abandon me...?" the girl asked pitifully.

So Jun Matsue stopped and watched Tomatsu Yuka walk toward the girls holding incense sticks and fireworks not far away.

Her silhouette looked somewhat lonely.

Ten minutes later, Jun Matsueda and Haruka Mochizuki walked out of the crowded shore and headed towards the hotel.

The streets were crowded with pedestrians, and the two chose a dimly lit side street. The girl in the dark blue yukata looked at the back of the figure walking ahead of her, quickened her pace, and took the boy's motionless hand.

"Is Matsue angry?" Mochizuki Haruka's tone was like that of a child who had made a mistake but was unaware of it.

“…I’m not angry.” Jun Matsueda glanced at the girl beside him. “I’m just a little tired.”

He had thought the school trip would end peacefully, but now it seems he was being too greedy.

"If you're tired, hurry up and kick Tomatsu off..." Mochizuki Haruka raised the boy's left hand.

"Kick everyone else out, leaving only the two of us. Wouldn't that make things as easy as we want?"