Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 198

"Xiaoyao actually thinks I'm in the way?" The woman on the sofa shook her head helplessly, picked up her coffee, and sat back down at her desk.

In Jun Matsue's room, the girl on the bed changed her position. She crossed her legs and patted the empty space next to her.

"Songzhi, come sit here. I want to hear about your past."

“The past…” The boy sat down, lying across the bed with his feet dangling to the ground. In his field of vision were the aged ceiling and the golden sky above the window.

"What happened when I was still in the orphanage?"

Mochizuki Haruka nodded, followed his posture and lay down. The two of them, each with a popsicle in their mouth, gazed at the sky outside the window.

"Let me think..." Jun Matsue said vaguely.

“Take this popsicle for example.” He flicked the plastic bottle. “In the past, I would never eat snacks like this that I bought myself in front of others.”

"You have to hide in your room or find a secluded corner to enjoy it secretly."

"Why?" The girl watched as a kite slowly floated into the sky, wondering who had flown it.

The boy turned his head and rolled his eyes at her, "Because those ignorant kids will ask you for it."

"Brother Chun, Brother Chun, I want to try some too..." He spoke in a child's tone, and Wang Yueyao's laughter drifted away like a cloud with the kite outside the window.

“Those more sensible children wouldn’t say that; they’d just look at you with pitiful eyes, and even the most delicious food would suddenly become unpalatable…”

“This Papico popsicle used to cost around 100 yen, which was cheap, but we usually shared it between two people. Today it cost 120 yen…”

The rest of the afternoon was spent chatting aimlessly. When the sky turned golden and then tinged with the fiery red of the sunset, Jun Matsue led the girl to dinner.

After dinner, Mochizuki Haruka still wouldn't let him go, dragging the boy back to his room to continue listening to someone's childhood memoirs.

Matsueda Jun has an excellent memory. When talking about something, he can remember all the details and even recount the feelings he had at the time, giving Mochizuki Haruka the illusion of watching time pass by in front of her.

“The number of rooms in the orphanage is limited. When I was a child, I had to share a room with three or four other people and sleep on the floor. I was only able to have my own independent room when I got older.”

“So don’t feel that this room is empty.” Jun Matsue sat on the floor, the room darkened only by moonlight. “Having it is something that makes me very satisfied.”

"Alright." He clapped his hands and opened the door to the room. "That's all for today's story. Miss Mochizuki should go to sleep now."

The sound of two people's footsteps echoed in the corridor. The children who had finished washing up passed by them and ran away. Mochizuki Haruka turned her head, and the boy's shrunken figure gradually overlapped with the young Matsueda Jun in her mind.

“This is it.” Jun Matsue pushed open the door. “The bed is definitely not as big as yours, but the blankets were just aired out today, so it should be comfortable to sleep on.”

The girl entered the room, and the boy turned on the light for her. "The bathroom is at the end of the corridor. Aya-chan should have prepared your toiletries. If you need anything, you can ask me or her."

"Goodnight?" Jun Matsue walked out of the room and was about to close the door when Haruka Mochizuki grabbed his hand.

The girl's skin was slightly cool, and her gentle gaze reminded him of the beautiful moonlight outside the window.

"Songzhi, I will always stay by your side."

"Next time you eat popsicles, don't forget to share one with me."

Chapter 349 The Real Summer Vacation

Mochizuki Haruka woke up a little earlier than usual the next day. When she climbed out of bed, she saw Matsue Jun walking towards the vegetable garden in the backyard.

"Senior, did you see that? The cucumbers are especially beautiful this year!"

Jun Matsue walked through the fields, carrying a watering can, watering the plants while video chatting with Maki Yamami.

On the other side, Yamami Maki stood on the treadmill at home, looking at the phone propped up in front of her. The girl had just gotten up and was jogging.

"Does Matsueda-san also grow vegetables?" the girl asked, slightly out of breath.

“I’ve planted them before.” Jun Matsue walked around to the other side of the vegetable garden and watered the lush water spinach.

“In the past, the welfare home chose to grow vegetables to save expenses. I would come and help whenever I had free time. The director would also give me a salary, which was my main source of pocket money.”

"I've done everything from sowing and fertilizing to loosening the soil and watering, so I shouldn't have any problem becoming a farmer in the future."

Yamami Maki laughed as she stepped off the treadmill and wiped the fine sweat from her neck.

"While there's nothing wrong with being a farmer, it feels like a waste of Matsueda's talent to go into farming in the future~"

Jun Matsue glanced behind the girl; a yellow parrot was standing in its cage, staring at him.

"Senior, are you exercising at home? Is it okay to video chat without headphones?"

"It's okay, no one's home today." Yami Maki's face was flushed from exercise, and she felt that her words seemed a little strange.

"Is the parrot okay?" Jun Matsueda asked, very alert. "What if it suddenly starts calling 'Matsueda-kun! Matsueda-kun' during dinner one day?"

The girl laughed even harder, "My parrot can't talk, Pine Branch, don't worry~"

Mochizuki Haruka walked to the edge of the field and looked at the boy bending over in the morning light. Matsueda Jun was wearing headphones, so the girl couldn't hear the other side, but she could guess that the boy was talking to Yamami Maki.

"A cat that steals fish..." the girl muttered softly, then called out to the boy's retreating figure.

"Pine branch——"

Matsueda Jun turned around, and Mochizuki Haruka, who was standing not far away, waved to him. Yamami Maki, on the other side, also heard the girl's shout.

"Shall we stop the video here for now?" the understanding young woman said. "I'm going to take a shower too."

"Okay, I'll send you a picture of breakfast later." Jun Matsue waited for the girl in the earpiece to hang up before walking towards Haruka Mochizuki.

"Does Miss also want to farm?" He shook the water jug ​​in his hand, while Mochizuki Haruka shook her head.

Have you had breakfast?

"No, would you like to eat together?"

The girl nodded in satisfaction and turned to walk towards the cafeteria.

There weren't many people in the canteen. During the summer vacation, the children all wanted to sleep in. Only a few welfare home staff members were eating breakfast and chatting in the hall. Mochizuki Haruka chose a corner seat and sat down. Matsueda Jun brought over two breakfasts.

Breakfast today was rice balls and vegetable and egg soup. Jun Matsueda pushed the girl's portion in front of her and asked, "How did you sleep last night?"

"It's fine." Mochizuki Haruka picked up a spoon and stirred the golden egg flowers in the soup bowl. "I didn't dream, I slept very soundly, and the blanket really does smell nice."

The girl seemed to remember something, looked up and asked, "I heard Rion say that the 'sunshine smell' of sun-dried blankets is the smell of dead dust mites, is that true?"

Jun Matsueda glanced at her. "We're having breakfast, aren't we?"

Mochizuki Haruka took a sip of the sweet vegetable soup without changing her expression, then took a bite of her rice ball and blinked at the boy.

"Let me think about it." Jun Matsue ate the salt-grilled salmon rice ball in his hand and pondered. He had already taken a picture of his breakfast and sent it to his senior.

"Sun-dried towels contain several compounds—methylpropionaldehyde has a fruity and baked smell, methacrolein has a floral scent, and methyl furan has a chocolate smell. Together, they are the source of the sun-dried smell."

Mochizuki Haruka paused in her chewing. "You know that?"

Although she believed the boy in front of her could give her the answer, the answer was far too professional.

"Because I had thought about participating in a chemistry competition before, I looked at some things when I had free time." Jun Matsue took a sip of soup, stuffed the last bite of rice ball into his mouth, and picked up another one.

"I can't eat that much, you can have this too." The girl put her rice ball into the plate opposite her. "Speaking of which, why don't you continue to sign up for the competition?"

"In short, I don't think it's that valuable anymore."

“That makes sense.” Mochizuki Haruka nodded seriously. “If it’s just for the prize money, why don’t you come and be my tutor?”

"..." Jun Matsue chose to shut himself up with a rice ball.

After finishing breakfast, the girl strolled around the orphanage with Jun Matsueda. When the asphalt road was completely dry and about to be mercilessly baked by the sun, she stood by the black car on the side of the road, ready to go home.

"Are you leaving already?" Jun Matsue opened the car door for her and put a bag of vegetables inside. "This is for Auntie, brought by the Dean."

"One day is enough." Mochizuki Haruka got into the car and looked at the boy standing by the roadside. There was a hint of resentment in the girl's eyes. She had come here to prevent someone from sneaking into her base.

"If I stay too long, you'll find me annoying again."

"Be careful on the road." Jun Matsueda could only pretend he didn't understand her. "Tell me when you get home."

The girl nodded. "A batch of books will be delivered in a couple of days. They are donated by my aunt and me to the orphanage. Please remember to count them when they arrive."

“Okay.” The boy hesitated for a moment. “You don’t need to be too nice to the orphanage just because of me.”

"This way, when they leave the welfare home in the future, they might not be able to adapt."

The girl paused for a moment, then smiled brightly. "So you mean I can just focus on being good to you?"

Before Jun Matsue could answer Haruka Mochizuki's question, the black sedan had already started and left at its owner's instruction.

Only her smile remained, like the summer sun, leaving an indelible phantom in his eyes.

Two days later, Jun Matsue walked out of the orphanage gate with his suitcase.

He left alone because he had to resume his part-time job at the library the next day, while Miyamura Aya planned to stay for two more days. The girl's previous part-time job had ended, and she had found a new one, which she would start in a few days.

"Brother Chun, please give my regards to Sister Yang!"

Caijiang stood by the bus stop sign, watching the boy board the bus.

"I'll come visit you guys later—"

"Bye-bye." Jun Matsue sat down by the window, waved to the girl, and the starting bus left her behind, leaving behind a clear blue sky.

He hummed a song softly and took out his phone to send a message to his senior.

"Our summer vacation has begun."

Chapter 351 Coffee, Noodles, and Study Sessions

At eight o'clock in the morning, Yosei Kuraki sat at the dining table in the apartment, watching the boy busy in the kitchen.

Two days have passed since Jun Matsue returned to the apartment. The girl no longer needs to go to the convenience store to buy frozen meat buns. Every morning after getting up and washing up, she only needs to sit at the dining table to wait for her roommate, who is wearing an apron, to bring her a steaming hot and fresh breakfast.

Isn't this kind of life a little too comfortable? The girl lay on the dining table, feeling exceptionally happy.

"Matsue, did you come back from the orphanage so early just to make me breakfast?" Kurusu Yosei said in a teasing tone.

“If thinking this way makes you happier, I have no objection.” Jun Matsue carried breakfast out of the kitchen.

Yosei ate breakfast very quickly, as was the girl always, as if she was eager to welcome the start of a new day of work.

Jun Matsue watched the girl eat the last piece of egg pancake. Could it be that for someone who idolizes her, going to work could be something to look forward to?

After finishing breakfast, Lai Qiyang changed her shoes in the entryway, put on her mask, turned around and waved to the boy, "I'm off!"

"Be careful on the road." Jun Matsue picked up the plate and went into the kitchen. The sound of the door closing echoed from the entrance, and the space returned to silence, with only the sound of running water reverberating in the sink.

A few minutes later, the door to room 507 opened again, and Jun Matsueda walked out of the apartment with his bag on his back. He closed the door with the same gesture as the girl and headed towards Kugayama Station.

In late July, the temperature in Mitaka remained consistently high. The undulating roads were scorching hot under the sun. A boy wearing a baseball cap walked under the shade of the trees and took out his phone from his pocket.

A picture was sent by someone with a yellow parrot avatar; it was a familiar window seat in the library, with two cups of coffee on the table.

"I've already bought the coffee, I hope Pineapple arrives soon~"

The boy laughed and took a picture of the station in front of him. "I'll probably be in about half an hour."

The parrot avatar replied with an animated emoticon of a bird nodding. Jun Matsueda put away his phone and walked into the chocolate-colored station.

Half an hour later, he sat down in front of the girl holding a coffee. Yamami Maki clenched her right fist and made a cheering gesture.

"Let's begin our study session today!"

"Good luck." The boy raised his coffee and clinked it against the senior's.

Looking at the girl studying with her head down in front of him, Jun Matsue was lost in thought for a moment. He had been getting up in the morning to make breakfast for Kurusu and then coming to the library to accompany his senior to study. This routine had been going on for two days and was about to become part of his summer vacation.

How did he spend last summer vacation? He looked out the window, rummaging through his memories.

Working part-time, meeting Mochizuki and Kurusu, failing at part-time work, working part-time at a nightclub, accompanying the brass band practice, visiting Mochizuki's house, the brass band competition, and confessing his feelings...

"That was too dramatic..." Jun Matsuoka took a sip of coffee, thinking that a peaceful vacation like this was more suitable for him.

"Matsueda-kun, aren't you studying hard?" The girl sitting opposite him looked up, pouting as she looked at him.

"Sorry, I was just spacing out for a bit." Jun Matsueda smiled and looked at the summer homework laid out in front of him.

"I didn't mean to blame Matsueda-kun," Yami Maki shook her head. "I was just worried that you were only staying here to accommodate me, and that you were getting bored or something..."

The girl looked a little awkward. She was happy to be able to study with boys, but she didn't want to become a reason to restrict Matsueda Jun.

“How could I be bored staying with my senior?” Jun Matsue said matter-of-factly. “I still have a part-time job, and the band is practicing too, right? You don’t need to worry about me.”

"That's good." The girl nodded with relief. "You can ask me any questions about your summer homework, okay?"

"The same goes for you, senior." Jun Matsue twirled the pen in his hand. "If you have any difficulties with your revision, remember to ask me."

The two laughed in unison. The mutual tutoring they had agreed to was like a kind of fun between top students—they weren't a couple, so they didn't have any dates and had to use study groups as a substitute.