Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 327

Even though she intentionally interacted more with her juniors and reduced her own presence, she was still the undisputed protagonist in front of the camera.

Kurusu Yosei is such a special existence that others cannot learn from him, much less replicate him.

"Time really flies." He took a sip of lemon tea, his words full of emotion.

“It feels like just yesterday that I was watching your debut performance from the audience, but now Kurusu is already mentoring younger artists.”

Mochizuki Haruka pursed her lips; she didn't like Matsue talking about his past with other women in front of her.

And it was something she didn't know.

“…Indeed, time flies.” Yosei Kurusu looked at himself on the screen. “It seems like just yesterday, and a whole bunch of days have passed by in a blur.”

There was a strange emotion in her smile, which Jun Matsue noticed, but he didn't understand it.

Five hours later, the noisy living room, which had been filled with noise all day, fell into darkness, and the boy went into his bedroom.

He took off his clothes, got into bed, and crawled under the covers. Just a few minutes after lying down, there was a soft knock on the door.

"..." Jun Matsue glanced at the tightly closed door.

Even though I don't know who's outside, I'd better put my clothes on first.

He got out of bed, put on his slippers, walked to the bedroom door, and turned the handle—before him appeared Yosuke Kurusu's flawless face, slightly damp.

The moisture on her face wasn't from tears, but from the lingering dampness after washing up. Behind the girl was a dark corridor, and the cold light from the bedroom shone on her face, making her appear less radiant and energetic during the day, and more delicate and quiet.

However, this sense of vulnerability disappeared as soon as she raised the corners of her lips.

"Shh—" Kurusu Yosei laughed and held up a finger to the boy, "That Mochizuki guy is definitely still awake, don't let her hear us~"

"Aren't you going to sleep yet?" The girl's smile put Matsueda Jun at ease; she didn't seem to have any strange intentions.

"It's just a chat before bed," she tilted her head. "I just don't want Mochizuki to hear."

Yosei Kurusu bent down and slipped past the boy into the bedroom. Jun Matsueda hesitated at the door for a moment, then turned around and went back into the room without closing the bedroom door.

The girl sat cross-legged in the middle of his bed, her gaze fixed on the window, seemingly focused, yet also as if she were simply gazing at the moonlight.

"Matsue, are you moving out of the apartment soon?"

Jun Matsuoka paused, pulled out a chair from under his desk, and sat down by the bed.

"That'll have to wait until graduation, isn't that still more than half a year away?"

"But these six months will pass quickly, won't they?"

There was a faint hint of doubt in her words. Kurusu Yosei lowered his head and stared at a small patch of the bed in front of him.

"After all, we've known each other for almost two years now, time really flies..."

"Where will you move to after you graduate?"

"...This doesn't seem like something you would consider." A reassuring smile appeared on the boy's face.

"At your current pace, you might already be at the top of the idol world by the time I graduate."

“That’s different!” The girl looked up, her voice a little louder. “An idol is an idol, and a pine branch is a pine branch.”

"After you move out, can we still be roommates?"

The girl's vulnerability at this moment is simple and easy to understand. Today's reflection on time and looking ahead has made her clearly feel that the distance between herself and Songzhi is probably going to widen.

Even a Buddha with unwavering will and decisive action, like the Buddha dwelling in the mortal world, could not help but feel worried—

Songzhi will definitely have more freedom in college, while she is likely to become busier. If she loses her roommate, who has such a close and unique position, how can she ensure that her importance in Songzhi's heart will not diminish?

"I guess there's nothing we can do about it," the boy said softly. "Of course we can't be roommates forever."

"Even if I don't graduate, once your career continues to rise, do you think you can just slip by like this?"

"Now you come back once a month, but in the future it might be every two or three months?"

"Will your soaring popularity allow you to slip away from fans and reporters and sneak into a loosely managed apartment by yourself?"

It was precisely because he knew how precious the present scene was that he cherished it and uttered the exclamation from that afternoon, "If only it could always be like this."

Yosei lowered her bright and beautiful eyes, a hint of sadness in them.

Jun Matsue sighed, his tone gentle and helpless, "Being discouraged doesn't suit you."

“I’m not saying our relationship will fade away in the future. I’ll definitely be more free in college than I am now. We’ll both be in Tokyo, so it will be easy for me to see your performance or visit your company.”

"So there's no need to worry too much. You're the kind of person who never admits defeat, Lai Qiyang. Do you think you'll be discouraged by such a vague and uncertain future?"

"So I'm not the only one who can't bear to leave this place, right?" The girl moved closer to the boy, her eyes shining brightly again.

“…Of course.” Jun Matsueda moved a little closer to the bedside.

"Then Songzhi, come visit me more often, okay?" she asked expectantly.

"I'll definitely have more time in college than I do now, and I want to continue being your number one fan."

"How about you come work for our company after you graduate?" Lai Qiyang asked further.

"If you want to study marketing, you should be able to join our marketing department, right?"

"Aren't you pushing your luck a bit?" Jun Matsue stopped her from getting any closer with a look. "Go back to sleep. You got up so early today, aren't you sleepy yet?"

The girl, relieved, finally realized her belated drowsiness. She knelt on the bed, stretched, and revealed her alluring waistline and sexy navel.

"One last question, when did you and Yuuka break up?"

"...Why are you asking this too?"

"Looks like Mochizuki is urging you to break up?" the girl asked astutely.

"I didn't mean to rush you. It seems something unexpected has happened?"

“But I don’t care~” she laughed again, “Since Mochizuki expects you to break up, then I’ll support you in continuing the relationship even more.”

No matter what, a real girlfriend is definitely harder to deal with than a fake girlfriend, right?

Before leaving the boy's bedroom, the girl turned around and gave Jun Matsueda a thumbs-up.

"Pine branches, hold on tight! Don't give in so easily!"

Chapter 570 Two Sides of the Story

The next morning, Mochizuki Haruka stood in the apartment corridor, took out her own key to open the door of room 507, and quietly entered the room.

The girl had her hair in a bun today, her long, dark hair turned into a round, full bunch at the back of her head. She was wearing an especially oversized white T-shirt, the long hem of which covered the upper part of her thighs, making it impossible to see that she was wearing pants.

Beneath her innocent and cute appearance lies a unique allure; this is the cunning of a fashion-savvy young woman.

Bare, fair feet touched the floor like soft cat paws, causing no ripples in the dimly lit living room. Mochizuki, supporting herself on the back of the sofa, made her way towards the hallway connecting the bedroom and bathroom.

Both bedroom doors were tightly closed. The girl stood in front of the innermost door and quietly turned the handle.

She came to wake up Jun Matsue—although it was impossible for Matsue to accidentally get into a fight, it wouldn't hurt to give him a little excitement since he was an early riser.

However, Mochizuki Haruka was disappointed to find that there was no boy on the bed, and the blankets were cold; she had missed her target.

An ominous thought and some chilling images flashed through her mind. The girl frowned and turned to walk towards the next room.

Pushing open the door to the other bedroom, there was only the sound of even breathing in the room. Looking at the undulations on the bed, it was clear that only one person was sleeping there. Judging from the slender curves under the thin blanket, it was undoubtedly Lai Qiyang.

Thankfully, it wasn't the worst-case scenario... The girl breathed a sigh of relief. She quietly left the room and took out her phone to send a message to Jun Matsueda.

"Has Songzhi gone out?"

The boy replied quickly, sending a photo of a red light at an intersection. In the foreground of the photo was the handlebars of a bicycle, with his left hand on the handlebars and his right hand presumably holding his phone, though it wasn't visible in the frame.

"I have to go to work today, and we're almost at the Literature Museum."

Mochizuki Haruka sat down on the sofa in the living room. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I left a sticky note on the table."

The girl turned around and saw that there did seem to be a piece of paper stuck on the dining table, but the person with ill intentions hadn't turned on the light when they came in, so they hadn't seen it at all.

She lowered her head and continued typing, "Back this afternoon?"

"I'll bring you some desserts on my way back this afternoon."

Mochizuki Haruka looked up at the bedroom she had closed, where Kurusu Yosei was fast asleep.

"Why don't you come back tonight? By then, Lai Qiyang should have already left."

The boy's final reply was a string of ellipses, which didn't seem to mean yes. The girl pouted and put down her phone.

"I'll just take a nap."

However, instead of heading towards the entrance, she went into Jun Matsueda's bedroom and closed the door behind her.

After taking off her oversized T-shirt and the shorts underneath, Mochizuki Haruka climbed onto the bed and crawled straight into the covers.

She grabbed the blanket and covered herself completely, then buried her head inside and sniffed around.

"It tastes completely different from mine..."

The girl sighed, then closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep, enveloped in the boy's presence.

At 10 a.m., Jun Matsue stood behind the library counter, handing the books in his hands to the visitors with his most standard smile.

"These are the books you borrowed. Please return them within two weeks."

"Thank you." The young man with glasses bowed politely, picked up the book, and walked towards the door.

After the visitor left, the young woman standing behind the counter with Jun Matsueda smiled at him solicitously.

"Matsueda-kun, you've worked hard~ This morning was especially busy!"

"Yes." The boy turned his head and showed a smile that was completely different from when he was receiving visitors. "We can't let our guard down."

This smile was also the result of careful manipulation. Those who were not familiar with Jun Matsueda would think that this was his true feeling, and thus feel a secret joy that they understood the boy better. The distance between the two would naturally be shortened in this way.

At lunchtime, the young woman put down the form in her hand and looked at the boy next to her, "Matsueda-kun, would you like to have lunch together?"

Jun Matsue gave a smile that was a mixture of delight and worry. "My girlfriend will be jealous."

"Oh, I see. Haha..." The woman's expression was somewhat embarrassed.

Actually, she already knew that the boy had a girlfriend, but the two of them, who usually worked together, had recently been working different shifts, so her fantasies started to resurface.

Jun Matsue nodded gently. "I'll go have lunch now. See you later."

After leaving the library, the boy sat down at his usual Japanese restaurant a few hundred meters away. He ordered a bowl of soba noodles and sighed silently as the waiter brought him some ice water.

He missed Tomatsu Yuka a little.

He hadn't seen Tomatsu Yuka while working recently. She hadn't been feeling well for a while and had taken some time off. After resuming her part-time job, she had to switch shifts several times due to travel arrangements with her parents.

The two were originally in the same class today, but the girl should already be on the campus of the University of Tokyo.

The young woman filling in was also a long-time colleague. Actually, she was quite capable and had a decent personality. However, compared to Tomatsu Tomoka, having experienced the unspoken understanding and warm atmosphere of working with a younger woman, Matsueda Jun could no longer be satisfied with this older colleague.

"I hope this afternoon can be a little easier..." He picked up a piece of buckwheat noodles with his chopsticks, rolled it in the dipping sauce, and put it in his mouth.

The boy suddenly wondered how Mochizuki and Kurusu had managed to have lunch. He took out his phone and glanced at it; neither of them had sent any messages.

Jun Matsue thought for a moment and decided not to send a message to inquire. He thought that the girls might start arguing about curry butter or some other ingredient, and then a series of messages would come in, giving him a headache for a while.

He pressed the lock screen button, and just as he was about to put his phone down, the dim screen lit up again. The message wasn't from the two girls at home, but from Tomatsu Tomoka, who was strolling around the University of Tokyo.

"The economics department that Tsunkun wants to see."

She sent me a photo of a building, a large building located next to a tree-lined road, with red bricks and tiles on the exterior wall hidden among tall, lush green trees.

"The library is together with the main campus, right next to the Akamon gate~"

"Looks pretty serious," Jun Matsue replied, chewing on his soba noodles. "What about the Literature Club?"

He knew that Tomatsu Yuka's ambition was to join the Faculty of Letters.

"The Faculty of Letters and the Faculty of Economics are separated only by a general library."

The girl sent another photo; the Literature Department building looked even more antique, exuding a strong historical atmosphere.

Are you with your parents right now?

"Yes, we're planning to try the cafeteria at the University of Tokyo. Have you eaten yet, Tsun-kun?"

The boy took a picture of the half-eaten buckwheat noodles in front of him and sent it to the sender.

"It's a bit too bland... I think we should order another serving of karaage chicken!"