Am I being simulated by their love affair?

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The boy replied with a thank you, "Happy New Year, and I hope Tomatsu can come up with fewer bad ideas."

Not long after putting his phone down, message notifications started piling up, so Jun Matsue had to pick it up again and reply to them one by one.

The countdown to midnight started as he replied to the message, and the noisy, childish voices in the room became orderly as everyone counted down together.

Fireworks sounded right on time outside the window, and children ran out of the room to admire the fireworks in the night sky amidst the adults' wishes of "Happy New Year".

Jun Matsueda looked at the call notification from Haruka Mochizuki on his phone and walked to the side.

After the call connected, there was silence, with only the faint sounds of fireworks and the girl's breathing audible.

For some reason, Jun Matsue didn't say anything either.

The two remained silent for a long time until Mochizuki Haruka lost her patience.

Why don't you say Happy New Year?

"I was just afraid you'd be unhappy." Jun Matsue still remembered what happened last year.

The girl laughed happily, "This time you're allowed to speak."

"Happy New Year," the boy said in a warm voice.

"Happy New Year." The girl's voice was somewhat reserved, yet sweet.

Mochizuki Haruka's phone call ended just like that. Matsueda Jun returned to the crowd, and everyone sat on the lawn, looking up at the colorful fireworks flickering and covering the monotonous light of the stars.

A boy in the crowd took out his phone and took a picture of the night sky.

He had just clicked on Natsumi Imokawa's profile picture when the girl's picture of fireworks was sent to him first.

Jun Matsue was pleased with this coincidence.

No matter what, at least I won't be alone in the new year.

Chapter 474 No New Look for the New Year

January 8th marked the start of the third semester at Haneoka High School.

Jun Matsue sat in the classroom, watching the students greet each other and talk about the New Year.

The short ones are still short, the fat ones are still fat, and the loners are still silently lurking in the corner; everyone seems unchanged.

In Japan, winter break is only two weeks long, and there are only a few days left after New Year's Day. Of course, you won't see any new look in the classroom during the new year.

"Matsueda-kun arrived very early today!"

The boy turned his head, and the back door of the classroom was pushed open. Tomatsu Yuka's smiling face was full of surprise. The girl was wearing a beige scarf and light gray cotton socks, which was the best outfit that was both warm and cute.

She bounced lightly twice on the spot, pulled down the stacked scarf, revealing her cherry-colored lips.

Happy New Year!

"Happy New Year." Jun Matsue nodded. "Tomatsu seems particularly energetic today."

"Because I got a little bored at home," the girl smiled. "It might sound strange, but I actually quite like school~"

"Understandable."

After all, he arrived so early today because he was bored at home.

Tomatsu Yuka sat down in her seat and glanced at the seat on the other side of the boy.

"Didn't Mochizuki come with you today?"

Jun Matsueda shook his head. "She just returned to Tokyo yesterday."

"I see~" The girl looked enlightened. "So, Matsueda-san spent New Year's with Aya-chan and the others?"

"Hmm, help prepare the festive dishes, go to the shrine with Aya-chan to buy amulets for everyone, stay for another two or three days, and then go back to the apartment."

"My family is pretty much the same—"

Just as Tomatsu Yuka was about to continue the conversation, the back door of the classroom opened again, and Mochizuki Haruka walked past her like a gust of wind, carrying a cool fragrance.

The girl's straight legs, encased in black pantyhose, appeared in front of Jun Matsueda, blocking Yuka Tomatsu's view with her body.

"Happy New Year." The girl's voice was like a spring, pleasant even when she was not making a sound.

"Happy New Year." Jun Matsue blinked, watching Haruka Mochizuki reach into the bag slung over her shoulder and take something out.

"Hold out your hand." The girl's voice rose and fell slightly, her tone like that of a child in an orphanage planning a prank.

"..." Jun Matsue spread his hands and placed them under her clenched little fists.

A few coins fell from her slender fingers, making a crisp, short clinking sound.

"What are you doing?" Jun Matsue turned around and looked at the girl walking towards her seat.

"Maybe it's New Year's money from Mochizuki?" Tomatsu Yuka said jokingly from the other side.

Mochizuki Haruka put the schoolbag on the table. "There's a custom called 'money washing' in Kamakura. I went to the money washing shrine and washed all kinds of coins for you."

"Keep it and don't spend it; it will be good for your wealth and fortune."

"Wow." The boy blinked in surprise, examining the six coins of different denominations in his palm. They looked no different, except that they were exceptionally clean.

"Thank you." He put the coins into a compartment in his wallet.

Even though Jun Matsueda said he didn't want any gifts, the cunning girls still found all sorts of ways to get them into his arms.

At 9:50 a.m., all the students had arrived. The sunlight made the chatter in the classroom seem to swell, carrying the warmth of the New Year.

Kominato Shoko walked into the classroom wearing a teacher's suit, her low-heeled leather shoes making a clicking sound.

"Hello, Kominato-sensei~"

"You're even cuter in the new year~"

A cacophony of greetings erupted, and the female teacher nodded, smiling like a young girl.

"We've already worked hard for two semesters, so there's no reason to give up now. Even though the third semester is short, let's all keep up the good work!"

"Let's go to the auditorium for the opening ceremony first!"

The sound of chairs being dragged echoed in the classroom as the crowd surged out into the corridor. Jun Matsue stood up with the girls.

The students from Class 5 of Grade 2 next door were also heading to the auditorium. The corridor was bustling with activity. Jun Matsue spotted a familiar figure in Class 5's line. The girl with the camera turned around and noticed his gaze.

The two waved to each other, and the group from Class 5 quickly started moving. The girl hurriedly turned around and caught up with the main group.

With one class missing, the corridor felt noticeably quieter, which struck Jun Matsuoka as odd. He turned around.

There were only a few people outside the four classrooms for third-year students, and it was unusually quiet.

"It feels like more than half of the third-year students didn't come," Tomatsu Yuka said, standing next to him. "The common exam is in a week, everyone should have taken leave to study on their own."

Jun Matsuoka didn't speak. The crowd began to move, and he turned around and followed the group toward the stairwell.

The outdoor temperature was only in the single digits, and girls in school uniform skirts were running and jumping on the road, as if trying to keep themselves warm.

The auditorium was a bit warmer. Jun Matsue sat in his classroom, while the seats for the third-year students next door were mostly empty, like a field full of potholes. The few students there were like radishes still in the potholes, waiting to be uprooted.

"It's a pleasure to see everyone back on campus in the new year," the principal's gentle voice echoed through the hall.

"For first-year students, your first year at the new school is coming to an end. I hope you enjoy and adapt well to life at Haneoka High School..."

"The principal's speech is pretty much the same every year," Tomatsu Yuka blinked.

“Only by not making any distinctions can we keep talking year after year,” Jun Matsueda recalled of the elderly people in the welfare home. “That’s the wisdom of speaking.”

The third semester was short, and the principal's speech was naturally short as well. Before concluding, she emphasized the third-year students facing the common exams.

“Look at the seats for the third-year students, many are empty—they certainly didn’t oversleep because of the New Year holiday, but were busy studying in the private school and library.”

Laughter filled the auditorium as the woman on the stage continued speaking.

"Let's all cheer on the third-year students before the new semester officially begins! Although many people are absent, please include them in your cheers!"

What's the point...? Jun Matsueda looked at the woman on the stage who had raised her hand.

She clearly doesn't need your support at all.

With no wind and no snow, the third semester began in the clear, almost white sunlight.

The uneventful week passed quickly, and Haneoka High School became even quieter as the third-year students all went to take the common exams. It was a slightly tense weekend, and Matsueda Jun only remembered the news on television reporting it like this—

"This year's Common College Entrance Examination had 490,000 applicants, the first time in 32 years that the number has fallen below 500,000."

In this less-than-optimistic atmosphere, Jun Matsueda finally saw Maki Yami again after the common exam.

Chapter 475 Partner

"Matsue, so we know our results the day after the common exams are over!"

As he walked out of the men's restroom, Ken Sakamuro said this to Jun Matsueda in an incredulous tone.

"What's so strange about that?" Jun Matsue looked at the boy next to him as the cool tap water slid down his hand.

"This isn't just strange, it's terrifying!" Ken Sakamuro said in an exaggerated tone.

"Originally, after the common exam, you could relax and rest while waiting for the results. But after you finished the exam in the afternoon, you could finally get a good night's sleep, and the standard answers were all out the next day!"

"I'll be busy checking scores, estimating passing scores, and preparing for university entrance exams and second rounds right away. There's absolutely no time to rest. Japan's university admission system is inhumane!"

Jun Matsue smiled. "Isn't it nice not to have to wait anxiously?"

The two entered the corridor, and the empty third floor became noisy again—the common exams had just ended last weekend, and today was the day for third-year students to return to school to estimate their scores.

It's lunch break now, and most of the grades have been checked. The third-year students are running around between classrooms, passing messages to each other. Some are laughing happily, while others have expressions of utter despair.

"This is a drawing of hell, Pine Branch!" the boy exclaimed.

“It’s not that exaggerated.” Jun Matsueda greeted the seniors who were passing by. “It’s not like you can’t go to university if you fail the common exam. There are plenty of ways to get into college.”

However, for private universities like Waseda, if you do well on the general entrance exam, you might be able to get in without having to take a second exam...

The image of Yamami Maki sitting beside him, engrossed in her studies, inevitably appeared in the boy's mind.

After more than a month of adjustment, Jun Matsue believed that his mindset had returned to normal—he no longer intended to hold a grudge about his senior, but rather to respect the girl's choice.

Perhaps one might feel nostalgic when reminded of certain scenes, but that is merely emotion rising and falling like the tide, ultimately controlled by reason.

The boy had already realized that he and his senior were not on the same path.

Putting aside emotional factors, Yamami Maki is certainly a good person, and it's perfectly reasonable to hope that her efforts and diligence will yield good results.

So when he passed by the classroom of Class 3-4, Jun didn't give it a second glance.

However, the return of the third-year students still affected his school life. After the first get out of class in the afternoon, Kominato Shoko walked through the back door of the classroom.

"Songzhi, go to the principal's office."

"Now?" The boy stood up, looking somewhat surprised.

"Yes, the principal wants to talk to you."

As Jun Matsue walked down the corridor once more, several girls jogged past him with estimated grade sheets in hand, accompanied by clumsy, awkward whistles—graduation was approaching, and the girls' behavior was becoming increasingly unrestrained.

Upon entering the administration building, the noise immediately subsided. The boy walked up to the fifth floor, where the empty corridor led to the principal's office.

Jun Matsuo knocked on the door, and only after hearing the woman's kind "please come in" did he push the door open and enter.

Facing him was a large window behind the desk, the sunlight so bright it was almost dazzling. The boy squinted slightly before noticing the girl's back standing in front of the desk.

This was a familiar back view to him; he had seen it countless times outside the stations in Setagaya and Meidai.

The girl turned around when she heard the door open. The surprise and delight in her eyes were more dazzling than the sunlight.

However, these emotions were quickly suppressed deep within her heart, and the last thing that appeared on her face was a reserved and restrained smile.

"Hello, Songzhi."

Jun Matsue suddenly realized that his senior, despite her young age, possessed the wisdom of an adult with rich experience—she always addressed him the same way, just as their relationship had never changed.

The boy also gave a gentle smile, but instead of looking at Yamami Maki, he bowed slightly to the woman behind the desk.

"Good afternoon, Principal."

Only after that did he look at the girl beside him.

"Hello, Yamami-senpai."

Yamami Maki's eyelashes trembled. She nodded gently, turned around and looked at the sunlight outside the window, seemingly lost in thought.