Am I being simulated by their love affair?

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It was Yosuke Kurusu calling. As if by some unspoken understanding, he put the phone to his ear.

"Hey? Where is Songzhi now? Are you free?" The girl's energetic voice came through.

"I'm just wandering around Asagaya." The boy could already see the sign for the music store.

"How about coming to my roadshow?" The voice in my ear was full of anticipation. "It's in Shinjuku, near the Tokyu Tower!"

"When does it begin?"

"It'll take a little over an hour. If you're in a rush, I can come a little later, okay?"

Jun Matsue looked up; the sign of the record store looked somewhat weathered in the gradually yellowing sunlight.

He waved at the sign.

Plans have changed, so we'll have to meet again another day.

Chapter 545 The Path to Brilliance is Within Reach

After hanging up Yosei Kurusu's call, Jun Matsueda quickly boarded a train bound for Shinjuku.

As dusk settled over the clear sky, the boy's body swayed slightly with the moving train carriage. He took out his phone and found the official account of Kurusu Yosei.

The profile picture of the idol is of herself; it seems like most people in the entertainment industry do this. The girl updates her account frequently; the latest post is a photo of yesterday's lunch—a large bowl of golden pork chop rice, which looks very appetizing.

Jun Matsue scrolled down the page a few times, and soon a new update appeared:

"We'll be performing at Tokyu Tower in an hour! Let's enjoy the music together as the sun sets!"

Below is a selfie of Yosei Kurusu, with her right hand forming a V-shape and placed horizontally beside her eye, looking radiant and spirited.

The girl had told him this news herself not long ago. Matsueda Jun looked up at the crowded carriage. The sunlight outside the window fell on the tired faces of the men in suits, turning them a little sallow.

Sunset is indeed fast approaching.

As the train arrived at Nishi-Shinjuku Station, Jun Matsueda stepped out of the station. There were more people hurrying along the road, and seeing the young faces that couldn't hide their excitement, the boy had a premonition.

Could it be that they are also planning to go and watch the Xiqi Roadshow?

He quickened his pace silently and soon realized that his guess was correct. Not only that, but more and more people were walking towards the Tokyu Kabukicho Tower in the distance, enough to be called a "crowd".

Upon realizing this, Jun Matsue stopped being in a hurry. He slowed down and began to observe the people passing by.

Some people look very young, either high school or college students. Some are dressed fashionably, while others look like they just got off work and are still wearing suits and skirts. Some are running and laughing, holding hands with their companions, while others are wearing headphones, expressionless, walking alone and hurrying along.

These are all people attracted by Kurusu... A strange feeling arose in the boy's heart: the girl who used to share an apartment with him now has an incredibly exaggerated influence.

Perhaps this is the pleasure of idol making?

As he moved forward with the crowd, Jun Matsueda's cell phone rang again in his pocket. As expected, it was Yosei Rinsu calling. He looked around and turned the volume down a little when he answered the phone.

"Have the pine branches arrived yet?" The girl's voice was accompanied by some noisy music, as if she had just finished rehearsing.

"We'll be there soon." The boy looked up. "I can already see the tower."

"That's good." Kurusu Yosei seemed to turn around and call out to someone in the distance.

"The time doesn't need to be postponed anymore—"

The girl's voice then moved closer to the receiver, "If you arrive at Songzhi, you can come find me through the staff entrance on the side!"

Jun Matsue thought for a moment, then said, "I won't come looking for you this time."

"Huh? Why?" she asked, a little flustered. "Are you tired today? Or are you in a bad mood?"

"It's nothing, don't worry." The boy smiled. "It's just that it feels kind of strange to be walking with your other fans right now."

"So today I want to try being a regular audience member."

"Oh, whatever..." Kurusu Yosei breathed a sigh of relief. "Whatever, as long as you're happy—I just thought today's performance was very interesting and wanted you to come and see it."

"Okay." Matsueda Jun looked at the gradually gathering crowd in front of him. "Shall I hang up now?"

"Okay! I'm getting ready to go on stage too, see you there later~"

Two minutes later, he stood at the foot of the Tokyu Kabukicho Tower, with a shopping mall-style building in front of him, from which a towering 48-story building extended.

This is the Tokyu Tower, Shinjuku's new landmark building. At this moment, the stepped entrance on the side of the tower has been sealed off, and a small stage has been set up on the platform at the entrance.

The idol contestant hadn't appeared yet, but the accompanying band had already started warming up the crowd, their rhythmic melody enveloped by the nearby buildings and floating above the people.

Even with Yosei Kurusu's advance warning, Jun Matsueda didn't arrive too early. The front of the platform was already crowded with people. The boy stood in the middle, tiptoeing, and looked around.

A diverse array of figures emerged from the surrounding streets and entrances, gathering in the square. As dusk settled, the semi-open space was bathed in a sky tinged with orange-red, making everyone's eyes sparkle.

Like rats swarming out of closets before an earthquake, this metaphor flashed through Jun Matsue's mind.

Although it's not quite the right thing to say, doesn't it feel very much like Kurusu's style?

The large display screen above the tower entrance suddenly lit up, showing a time: it was almost six o'clock, the time announced on the official account of Qiyang World.

The crowd erupted like boiling water, bursting into a restless clamor, but their excitement quickly turned into orderly shouts.

"Haruyo——"

"Haruyo! Haruyo!" People looked up at the stage on the steps and called out, their faces flushed with anticipation.

That was the girl's name. The sounds coming from each mouth were like tangible waves, surging like a tide above the building.

So Junya Matsueda raised his head and shouted a couple of times. As if by some coincidence, or perhaps because it was exactly six o'clock, the big screen went black again, and then suddenly lit up.

Yosei Kurusu walked out of the closed passage, and the stage lights were turned on completely, reflecting her bright, star-like smile on the screen.

"Come to Suyoyo!!!"

The crowd was in an uproar. When Jun Matsuoka looked back, the crowd behind him seemed endless.

"Yahoo~"

Yosuke Kurusu held the microphone and waved briefly to the audience, who immediately erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

"It's six o'clock in the evening!" The girl in her finest clothes pointed to the setting sun. "Should I say it's better to say afternoon or evening?"

Jun Matsue smiled in the crowd. Even standing on the stage, this guy still spoke so whimsically.

"It doesn't matter anyway!" She waved her left hand forcefully in the air.

"Welcome everyone to my live show!"

The girl's hands seemed to sprinkle gold dust, and the surging crowd immediately raised their arms, cheering and waving excitedly.

Today's topic is—

Yosei Kurusu's left hand hovered in mid-air, then he pushed hard towards the crowd, or rather, towards Jun Matsueda.

As Jun Matsue looked at her raised hand, the girl's five fingers were clenched into a loose fist—as if she were holding a wine glass, he thought.

Cheers at sunset!

Before the girl could finish speaking, the speakers surrounding the square turned on, and the amplified drumbeats sounded the first note of the official performance.

Amidst cheers that nearly shook the heavens, Jun Matsueda watched Yosei Kurusu's beautiful silhouette standing under the dazzling lights.

He recalled the night he and Kurusu stood in front of the TBS television building, the night the girl was so excited she was trembling.

"The road to shining in Tokyo begins today!"

The dazzling path that the girl longed for seemed to be just around the corner.

Chapter 546 His and Her Song

Amidst the clamor of voices and the surging crowd, Jun Matsueda watched the girl on stage, her body swaying to the rhythm of the song's intro, her face radiating a cheerful and energetic smile.

Unexpectedly, the idol noticed the boy's one-sided gaze very quickly.

Yosei Kurusu turned his gaze to him in the crowd. The girl waved, her smile becoming even brighter, revealing her clean, white teeth—all of this was projected onto the building screen above the stage, making the fans below even more excited.

Matsueda Jun couldn't help but feel a little superior—who Kurusu's smile was for was a secret between the two of them. Perhaps when he walked into the crowd, the girl was already secretly looking for his presence.

The melody that had been hyping up the atmosphere echoed in the square for a few seconds before suddenly stopping. The drummer's arm holding the drumsticks froze in mid-air, and the guitarist's fingers, which were strumming the strings, also remained motionless. The restless crowd paused and looked at the girl holding the microphone in the center of the stage.

Yosei Kurusu's stage style today is different from the past. Her silver-white dress is not monotonous. The whole dress is made of fabric and tulle, decorated with lace and laser-shimmering ribbons, which is more elegant than lively.

The stage lights dimmed slightly, allowing the orange-red hues of the sky to sweep across the square. As the first golden rays of the sunset touched the hem of the girl's skirt, Yosei Kurusu took a soft breath and began to sing.

"Day after day," the drums and electric guitar sound simultaneously, "waiting for you."

The girl's singing style was exceptionally simple, like a gentle confession, and Jun Matsue watched as the heads of the people around her nodded slightly in rhythm.

"I am already very satisfied with just this."

After singing this line, Yosuke Kurusu glanced at the boys in the audience again, and the emotions in his voice gradually rose—

The traffic light changed from red to green.

"At this moment, I meet you~" The girl's voice was a little playful, as if it carried a certain expectation.

In this city, called—

She looked up, the setting sun casting its light on her entire body, making her eyes sparkle with golden light.

"Tokyo--"

The original singing turned into a drawn-out shout, and the guitar, bass and drums accelerated as if the gas pedal was floored. Yosei Kurusu's soaring voice and the stormy melody blended together, creating a huge wave in the crowd.

"Tokyo—" the girl shouted again, and this time the fans in the audience shouted along with her—it was a song from the new album, which they had heard many times before.

After the shouts ended, the rhythm of the instruments remained unrestrained, but then Qi Yangshi's ethereal humming rang out in the square. The melody finally slowed down, accompanied by distorted noise, dragging people back into the illusory time of the girl's lonely murmurs.

It rained on a Sunday in December~ I was stuck in my room with nowhere to go~

"The sound of rain stopped as evening fell. Emerging from my dream, I simply gazed at the setting sun."

"How I wish I could make a random phone call—"

Holding the microphone, Yosuke Kurusu looked down at the audience once more, searching for the person she wanted to call.

Upon noticing that Jun Matsueda was also looking at her, the girl secretly winked at him, tilted her head slightly, and sang even more brightly.

"I paint your image in my heart day after day~"

"Just this way I can keep breathing~"

Her silver-white dress was tinged with the color of the sunset, and the sashes on her body reflected golden-red light. In front of the bustling crowd, Yosei Kurusu below the tower seemed to be the spokesperson for the sunset. Her beauty was otherworldly, like a dazzling illusion.

"Although it's foolish, although it's like being a idiot~"

"But I still found you~"

"In this city called Tokyo—"

The fans below the stage sang along with their idol, their diverse voices overlapping and blending into a massive sound. Jun Matsueda did not speak, but simply watched the girl on stage with quiet, focused attention.

After scanning the square, Yosuke Kurusu's gaze settled on the boy once more.

"A Sunday in March ~maybe it's all just a dream in a beer can ~"

"Passing through the station's ticket gates ~ before embarking on my journey home ~"

"Daydreaming without any direction—"

The melody became wild again, the roar from the audience reached its peak, the girl gripped the microphone tightly, and with an air of abandoning everything, she jumped high on the stage and sang to the orange-red sky that covered the city.

"day to day--"

"Waiting for you~" the crowd chorused for her.

"Just this is enough for me!"

The girl jumped and sang on stage, and the crowd below rose and fell with her movements. Jun Matsueda watched as a drone suspended in mid-air captured the scene.

"As the setting sun shines through the city and falls on each other's shoulders~"

"At this moment, I reunite with you~"

In this city, called—

"To-kyo!!!"

As the rhythm of the music intensified, the final chorus pierced through the evening glow. Looking at the girl on stage waving vigorously at him, Junji Matsue couldn't help but smile.

This is a song about a boy in Tokyo and a girl who left Tokyo.

He had known all along that this was a story between the two of them.