Am I being simulated by their love affair?

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At nine o'clock the next morning, Jun Matsueda appeared in front of Shinagawa Station in the Minato Ward, dragging two large suitcases.

Neither of these suitcases belonged to him; one belonged to Mochizuki Haruka, and the other to Miyamura Aya and Kurusu Yosei.

"Where did you girls get so much luggage..." Jun Matsueda looked at the girls behind him.

Boys usually wear lightweight clothing in the summer, and all their belongings are in the backpacks they carry.

Yosei raised an eyebrow. "We dressed up all nicely just for you."

"That's right!" Miyamura Aya was as happy as a large dog on her first long trip with her friends.

"What am I looking at?" The boy turned his head back and walked towards the turnstiles inside the station with his suitcase. "I wish you guys were just wearing short sleeves and shorts, so I wouldn't have to carry such a big suitcase."

"You have no sense of romance." Mochizuki Haruka pouted, but her body language betrayed her words as she followed behind him.

After getting their reserved seats on the Tokaido Shinkansen, the four of them boarded the blue and white train. The three girls sat in a three-seater row, while Jun Matsueda sat in a two-seater next to him. There seemed to be no other passengers around him.

If Iogawa were to be brought along, the seats would seem perfect, a thought suddenly flashed through Jun Matsueda's mind as the train departed.

The Shinkansen journey from Tokyo to Kyoto takes just over two hours, and the four-person team successfully arrived in Kyoto before lunchtime.

Tomatsu Yuka saw Miyamura Ayaka's post after her afternoon practice session.

The dynamic content is a picture of Jun Matsue sitting on a train, resting his head on his hand and staring blankly, with Mount Fuji surrounded by a sea of ​​clouds outside the train window.

"Off we go, Kyoto!" The girl's caption was very simple.

But this made Tomatsu Tomoka's heart, which had finally relaxed, begin to tighten again.

Chapter 372 People Who Love

Jun Matsueda's first impression of Kyoto was its heat.

"It's even hotter than Tokyo..."

As he stepped out of the station, the scorching sun blazed down on his face, leaving no corner untouched.

"I told you to wear sunscreen." Mochizuki Haruka walked up to the boy with a can of sunscreen spray.

"Come closer to me."

Jun Matsue bent down, and the cool spray hit his cheeks, then his neck, chest and arms.

"Jun-ge got sprayed with pepper spray~" Miyamura Aya walked past the two of them, chasing after Kurusu Yosei who was walking ahead.

Jun Matsuoka's second impression of Kyoto was its high price.

"This is the first time I've ever encountered a tourist attraction that requires paying accommodation tax..." Jun Matsueda complained to the girls around him as he walked out of the hotel.

"There's nothing we can do about tourist cities," Yosuke Kurusu shrugged. "Let's see where we can eat."

"They don't charge this fee in Hokkaido." The boy shook the small fan the shopkeeper had given him, and his fondness for Hokkaido grew even stronger.

My first meal in Kyoto was an all-you-can-eat wild game buffet. The term "all-you-can-eat" is similar to a buffet, meaning you can eat as much wild game as you want.

The tour group sat at a bar-style table, and Jun Matsue first took a bite of the venison steak placed in front of him.

The outer layer had a slightly charred aroma, while the inside was soft, tender, and juicy with a rich fragrance. His dissatisfaction with Kyoto immediately disappeared by more than half.

The boy took out his phone, took a picture, and sent it to Natsumi Imokawa, who was still in Tokyo.

"We haven't been to Nara yet, but we've already had venison."

"Huh?" Yu Chuan replied quickly, sending a shivering penguin emoji.

"Why would you eat a deer when it's so cute..."

"It's really not good. I didn't order this dish. I'll criticize Cai Jiang for you later."

As Jun Matsue said this, he took another bite of the venison steak and nodded with satisfaction. "I feel like I'm looking forward to Kyoto again."

“I picked this restaurant myself.” Mochizuki Haruka, sitting next to him, leaned closer. “It’s not just Tomatsu Yuka who knows what you like to eat.”

The girl's tone carried a hint of smugness. Jun Matsue paused in his chewing, realizing he hadn't yet told Tomatsu Yuka about his trip to Kyoto.

But Caijiang and the others have a group chat and posted updates, so she'll definitely see it... he told himself.

Jun Matsue rarely initiates conversations with Yuka Tomatsu now, because he still remembers the promise he made to the girl—that if he ever found someone he liked, he would tell her immediately.

But if he were asked that question now, he would probably have no choice but to remain silent.

Freshly fried shrimp and cream croquettes were served, and the slight clinking of the plates brought the boy back to his senses. He sighed inwardly, trying to refocus his mind on the sweltering heat of Kyoto.

During dessert time after dinner, the girls discussed their plans for the afternoon.

"We were originally planning to go to Kiyomizu-dera Temple first, but it's so hot now, how about we go to Kifune Shrine first?" Yosei Kurusu said, scooping up his rum ice cream.

"The altitude is higher over there, and there are more forests."

“Then we can go to Shimogamo Shrine first, it’s just halfway there.” Mochizuki Haruka licked the ice cream from her lips. “It’s relatively close, and they’re having a summer festival there.”

Jun Matsueda listened to the girls' chatter and opened his phone. Maki Yami had already replied to the message he had sent earlier.

"We had somen noodles for lunch, but Matsueda's lunch was more appetizing~"

The boy looked up and saw the girls still talking. He quickly looked down and sent a message.

Where is the senior student now?

The chat interface paused for a moment, "I'm currently at the Kyoto Imperial Palace, but the interior is not open to the public right now..."

Jun Matsue thought for a moment, "We're going to Shimogamo Shrine later, is there a chance we'll run into each other?"

"It's near the Kyoto Imperial Palace, but we're leaving soon."

"Then we'll just have to leave it to fate."

The chat ended with a regretful emoji from his senior. He put his phone back in his pocket and stared blankly at the chef behind the bar.

"Matsue, time to go." Kurusu Yosei patted him on the shoulder. "First, we'll go to Shimogamo Shrine and the Old Book Festival, then we'll see where to go next~"

Jun Matsue viciously devoured the last slice of salted cucumber and followed the girls back into the Kyoto heatwave.

As Jun Matsueda was taking the train to Shimogamo Shrine, his cell phone vibrated again in his pocket.

Yamami Maki sent a photo of a simple stall with a green canopy, where an elderly silver-haired man wearing a hat sat behind the counter, surrounded by a dense array of books.

"I've passed by Shimogamo Shrine! I left a surprise for Matsueda-kun; please ask this grandma to collect it~"

The noise in the crowded carriage instantly faded away, and Jun Matsueda zoomed in on the pictures on his phone, noting down every detail.

What if I can't find it?

"No way!" the girl sent a bird puffing out its chest emoji. "If all else fails, you can just tell the stall owner your last name is Songzhi~"

"I'm going up the mountain later, the signal won't be very good. I'll contact Songzhi later~"

Unexpectedly, his senior had prepared a surprise for him first... Matsueda Jun shook his head and looked at the green trees rushing past the car window.

Shimogamo Shrine is located in the "Tadasu no Mori" on the upper reaches of the Kamo River. It is a wildly growing woodland in Kyoto City where the Takano River and Kamo River on both banks merge to form the Kamo River, which is an essential part of Kyoto's life.

"The ancient book festival here seems to have appeared in a book by a famous author."

Walking lightly beside the boy, Mochizuki Haruka moved through the crowd, surrounded by a market filled with the scent of books and ink.

"Most of our troubles come from dreaming of another possible life."

"Placing your hopes on something as unreliable as your own potential is the root of all evil. You must accept that you cannot become someone else."

"You can't possibly enjoy the so-called rosy student life. I assure you, so stay calm."

The girl slowly repeated the words from the book, her voice carrying a profound meaning.

“Kyoto is just like that kind of city.” Jun Matsueda watched as Yosuke Kurusu and Aya Miyamura, who were walking ahead, disappeared into the crowd.

"Yukio Mishima's Golden Pavilion, Yasunari Kawabata's ancient capital, and Natsume Soseki's residence and writing here are what make Kyoto Kyoto, not Tokyo."

He stopped and looked at a patch of green not far away. It wasn't the green of a forest, but the green of a pergola.

The silver-haired old man was behind the counter, but he didn't go up to him. Instead, he slowly strolled around the book stall.

Jun Matsue believed in his and his senior's understanding; the girl would always find a way for him to find it.

Sure enough, the boy spotted a familiar green color in the corner of the bookshelf—a matcha milk candy lying quietly on an open book.

Jun Matsue put away the candy, then picked up the book and carefully wiped away the fine dust from the cover.

He looked at the elegantly colored cover in his hand; it seemed to be a gift from his senior.

"The People Who Love," by Yasunari Kawabata.

Chapter 373 Two Atheists and One Speculator

Mochizuki Haruka walked over to the boy and examined the book in his hand.

The girl read aloud the name on the cover: "The people I love."

"It sounds like some kind of love triangle story."

Jun Matsuoka flipped through a few pages. "It's just a collection of short stories about love."

So you want to buy it?

The boy touched the candy in his pocket. "Since we're already here, we should take something with us, right?"

The girl nodded her chin. "Then I'll buy a book too."

"You can pick some out first." The boy waved the books in his hand. "I'll go find the stall owner to pay."

Jun Matsuoka walked to the simple counter. The silver-haired old man glanced at the book in his hand and smiled kindly.

"It's three hundred yen, she's already paid. You can just take it, sir."

After thanking the old man, he sat on a bench by the roadside, waiting for Mochizuki Haruka, who was still choosing books, and two other girls who had disappeared somewhere.

Although the Old Book Festival was held in the forest, the environment was not very tranquil. The cicadas were noisier than people talking, reminding Jun Matsue of the background noise on an old television set—perhaps the cicadas' chirping was the same in summer.

A few minutes later, Mochizuki Haruka walked over to Matsueda Jun and put the book in her hand into the paper bag at his feet.

"You bought the book but didn't read it. What are you thinking?" The girl gently kicked his leg.

"I was thinking that the cicadas in Kyoto seem to be even noisier than those in Tokyo." The boy looked up at the sunlight filtering through the trees overhead.

"From this perspective, a girl who hates the sound of cicadas probably isn't suited to live in Kyoto."

"I've heard that people in Kyoto are very good at being sarcastic and unsettling; maybe the cicadas here have been influenced by that too." The girl sat down on a chair nearby.

Mochizuki Haruka did not refute the boy's guess. She did not like Kyoto very much, but not because of the cicadas.

Rather, she knew very well that Matsueda Jun had most likely come because of the Yami family's youngest daughter—everyone already knew about Yami Maki's arrival in Kyoto through group chat.

That's why the girl chose to travel with everyone; with her along, at least the chances of the two of them meeting could be minimized.

However, the cicadas were indeed too noisy. Frustrated, the girl got up from her seat and glanced at her phone.

"Let's go, Aya said they've already arrived at Shimogamo Shrine."

Jun Matsue stood up and stretched. "What book did you end up buying?"

"A slightly tattered copy of The Little Prince, it seems to be a first edition."

"First edition?" The boy glanced down at the bag in his hand. "That's probably older than the stall owner's grandma. It must be quite expensive, right?"

The girl shook her head. "She only asked for five hundred yen from me."

"Grandma was a good person..."

The boy's exclamation was crushed by the sound of footsteps and then drowned out by the endless, chaotic chirping of cicadas in the Forest of Rice.

"The official name of Shimogamo Shrine is Kamo no Mizo Shrine. It is one of the oldest shrines in Kyoto and enshrines the Yatagarasu (a type of crow). The Aoi Matsuri, one of the three major festivals in Kyoto, is held here every year. Therefore, crow feathers and aoi leaves are symbols of the shrine."

Jun Matsueda explained to Aya Miyamura and Yosei Kurusu standing in front of him. Tourists around him approached, but stopped because of Haruka Mochizuki's aloof expression.

"Shimogamo Shrine is actually a collection of several shrines." The four-person team walked deeper into the shrine. Jun Matsueda took a sip of water and continued his explanation.

"Including the Kawai Shrine we encountered when we came here before, as well as the Mitsui Shrine and Izumo Io Shrine on the left, which enshrine the goddess of beauty, the goddess of production, the goddess of contracts, and so on."

"Kamo Shrine is only a shrine for praying for national peace and prosperity. If you have other wishes, please go to the corresponding shrine. Don't pray to the wrong god."

As the boy said this, he glanced at Yosuke Kurusu. Noticing his gaze, the girl pouted, "What do you mean by looking at me like that?!"

"Just a reminder," Jun Matsue said, gesturing for him to proceed.

Kawai Shrine, which enshrines the goddess of beauty, is very popular with female tourists, but the girls eventually return to Shimogamo Shrine after wandering around—both Mochizuki Haruka and Kurusu Yose seem to be very confident in their appearance.