Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 170

The familiar maid was in the driver's seat. She opened the car door and stood by the roadside, speaking softly to the boy sitting on the bicycle.

"Hello, Mr. Songzhi. Miss is not in a good mood today and may be causing you trouble."

Is Mochizuki Haruka in a bad mood? Matsueda Jun recalled his recent interactions with the girl, wondering if he had done anything to upset her.

After saying this, the maid bowed and drove away in her black car, leaving Matsueda Jun pondering the situation of Miss Mochizuki as he slowly rode towards the school.

The classroom was sparsely populated, and as expected, Jun Matsue saw Haruka Mochizuki sitting upright with a serious expression next to his seat.

As soon as he stepped through the back door of the classroom, the girl looked over and coldly watched him sit down in his seat.

Jun Matsue thought she would speak immediately, but the girl patiently waited for him to put down his schoolbag, tidy up his desk, write the name of the student on duty on the blackboard, and return to his seat before she opened her small mouth and uttered her words of dissatisfaction.

"Have you finished everything that needed to be done?"

Jun Matsue nodded, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up. Right now, Haruka Mochizuki was like an ice cube that had accidentally fallen into hot cocoa. Even if it got cold, it wouldn't get too cold.

"Don't laugh! Explain yourself properly—" the girl said angrily, "I clearly told you that you could contact me if you needed practice space or equipment."

"Why did you go to see Yami Maki instead of me?" Her words were full of resentment.

So that's what made her angry. Jun Matsue finally understood. It must have been that Aya posted a group photo from the practice room in the group chat yesterday, and then they talked about Maki Yamami, which the girl saw.

Meanwhile, Tomatsu Yuka, who was pretending to be reading aloud in the morning, turned her gaze over. In the past, she always maintained an irreconcilable attitude towards Mochizuki Haruka, but this time she was somewhat inclined to support the girl.

They were clearly both vying for Matsueda's attention, but he went off to another woman's territory. How could that be...?

“Didn’t I tell you before that there’s no need for you to spend money on this?” Jun Matsue’s tone was a little helpless. “My senior’s family does this kind of business, so it’s more convenient to go to her place.”

Although it sounded reasonable, Mochizuki Haruka still kept a tense expression, staring at him without saying a word, like a child doll in a Japanese horror movie.

"Besides, Senior Yamami owes me a favor, so I'm just taking this opportunity to pay it back." The boy had no choice but to come up with another reason.

"A favor?" Tomatsu Tomoka's voice sounded behind him. "Does senior owe Matsueda a favor? When did this happen?"

The girl had only intended to watch the fire from the sidelines, but now she found that the flames seemed to be silently burning up to her feet.

“It was during the brass band training camp.” Jun Matsueda didn’t think it was a taboo topic. “Your drummer was sick, so Yami-senpai asked me to play the timpani. It’s that simple.”

"It's all your brass band's fault..." Mochizuki Haruka's resentful gaze shifted to Tomatsu Yuka, as if questioning her for not managing her club properly.

"Don't make excuses for your incompetence, Mochizuki-kun. Since your family happens to have related businesses, I think she's much more suitable to help Matsueda-kun than you are." The girl retorted subconsciously, but other things came to mind.

As expected, the senior student has quite a lot of contact with Songzhi...

Why does she rarely mention it to me? Is it to be considerate of my feelings? Or is there another reason?

Seeing Tomatsu Yuka deep in thought, Mochizuki Haruka's gaze returned to Matsueda Jun. "I'll let it go this time. Next time, if you need any help, just let me know first."

"Today is Auntie's last check-up. Do you want to come with me?"

Jun Matsueda certainly didn't mind going to the hospital with the girl, but he recalled his schedule, "The newspaper club has a meeting after school today."

Now, Mochizuki Haruka stopped talking, only looking at him with red eyes, as if she could burst into tears at any moment.

"...I'll ask Imokawa at noon, and try to make time for you."

"Not just try, definitely!"

Even though he hadn't done anything wrong, he inexplicably felt as if he owed her something... Jun Matsue spent the whole morning thinking about it, but still couldn't find the reason for this strange feeling.

At noon, only Jun Matsueda and Natsumi Imokawa were in the newsroom. He sat at the conference table, watching the blushing girl turn on the air conditioner.

“The last class was PE, and it felt a bit hot…” Natsumi Imokawa turned around and explained to him.

“Then sit further away from the draft,” Jun Matsueda reminded her. “You’re more likely to catch a cold if you’re exposed to cold air after exercising.”

The girl nodded, hugged her tracksuit jacket, and sat down next to him. Her beautiful, full breasts, hidden beneath the thin fabric, were obscured by the hateful jacket.

"Are you sure you'll be okay with attending the meeting alone this afternoon?"

Natsumi Imokawa hesitated for a moment with her head down, "It should be fine. We've already had a few meetings, and Tsushima-senpai will be there too."

"So I'll ask to skip today's meeting?"

Matsueda Jun took out his phone to send a message to Mochizuki Haruka, while Imokawa Natsumi sat obediently beside him, looking at the documents in her hands, occasionally glancing up at him.

Putting down his phone, Jun Matsueda decided to stay in the clubroom a little longer; the air conditioning for two people was much more comfortable than that for thirty. He turned his head to look at the booklet in the girl's hand, which bore the words "Tokyo University of the Arts" and contained information such as "Academic Ability Test," "Specialized Examination," and "Comprehensive Selection."

"Imokawa is already preparing for the Tokyo University of the Arts?"

"Mmm." The girl nodded vigorously, and the coat she was holding to her chest slipped down to her lap, revealing the soft, white skin that the sailor uniform collar couldn't hide.

Although she had considered the Faculty of Arts at the University of Tokyo, which is also in Tokyo, Natsumi Imokawa watched the camera footage from that evening. When the colors of the sunset outside the window were at their most intense, that was exactly when she said, "I want to apply to Tokyo University of the Arts."

So the girl decided to apply to Tokyo University of the Arts.

When she stands at the entrance of Tokyo University of the Arts and is asked why she chose it, Natsumi Imokawa wants to give this cool answer:

"Just because I didn't want to miss such a magnificent sunset!"

Chapter 295 The Long-Awaited Cicada Song

So how exactly do you get into Tokyo University of the Arts?

The fleshy skin swaying beneath the girl's neck was so dazzling that Jun Matsueda had no choice but to focus on the file booklet in Natsumi Imokawa's hand.

“There are many ways to get admitted to university.” The girl leaned on the table, her right index finger tracing a paragraph. “Comprehensive selection, regular exams, professional tests, and admission by recommendation.”

"Comprehensive selection, professional test and recommendation admission are actually similar. The test content is all short essays, relevant professional test and interview. When applying, you need to attach your portfolio or award experience."

"The regular exam is similar in format to the common exam, and admission is based on pure academic ability."

"Then can't I also get into Tokyo University of the Arts?" Jun asked with some surprise. The girl covered her thighs with her sports jacket under her short skirt and nodded.

"Although the acceptance rate through the regular entrance exam is the lowest, Matsueda, getting into Tokyo University of the Arts should be easier for you than for me~"

“I never thought I’d have the chance to become an artist…” Jun Matsue murmured to herself. The girl’s laughter was soft, like a breeze passing by in the sunlight.

"Songzhi can apply to the Faculty of Literature! Who knows, he might become a great writer or a famous screenwriter in the future!"

"That's really hard to imagine."

Compared to writers who write prolifically, Jun Matsuoka considers himself more of an action-oriented person. Apart from assignments and exams, he rarely records his thoughts.

After chatting about Tokyo University of the Arts for a while, Natsumi Imokawa seemed to be getting tired. She lay down on the long table, using her tracksuit jacket as a cushion.

"It's getting warmer..." the girl said, looking at the sunlight streaming through the curtains. "It feels like I can hear the cicadas chirping all the time."

"So, we haven't heard any cicadas chirping this year, even though summer has already started," Jun Matsue suddenly realized.

“It seems to be related to whether summer comes early or late.” Natsumi Imokawa turned to look at him. “Last year, the first cicada chirped in Tokyo on May 11th, and the year before that it was on July 14th. I have records of both.”

Neither of them spoke, but simply lay on the table, gazing out the window at the dazzling summer heat that was about to unleash its astonishing intensity, seemingly waiting for the cicadas to begin their song.

When summer arrives, even the speed of time seems to speed up. I only stared blankly at the swaying bushes during PE class for a while before the school bell started ringing continuously throughout the campus.

"Matsue, don't forget to come to the hospital with me." Mochizuki Haruka's voice rang in his ears.

"I remember." The two walked into the noisy classroom one after the other. The seat to Matsueda Jun's right was empty. Tomatsu Yuka walked quickly, as if she was going to go play with Yamami-senpai.

He picked up his schoolbag and left the classroom, then looked at the girl beside him, "Shall we go with your aunt?"

Mochizuki Haruka nodded. "She's already waiting for us at the school gate."

"It seems Auntie is eager to get rid of her patient status." Jun Matsue dodged a boy who ran past him.

The girl glanced at him, and the distance between them shortened. She quietly took two steps closer to Matsueda Jun, and their schoolbags brushed against each other.

After Matsueda Jun switched the handbag, she also switched her schoolbag from her left hand to her right. Although the distance didn't get any closer, the absence of the schoolbag made the two seem more intimate—these were little tricks she had learned from the woman she was about to meet.

As Jun Matsue stepped out of the school gate, he immediately spotted Mochizuki Kaname across the street, her hand resting on the car window. The woman noticed them too and excitedly waved. She didn't look like a patient preparing for a medical check-up in a low-key, luxurious black sedan, but rather a sunglasses-wearing older sister sitting in a convertible sports car, ready for a ride.

"Let's go!" Auntie said, looking at the two people who sat down beside her. "Let's try to make today the last time we go to the hospital!"

Matsueda Jun watched the roadside trees outside the car window gradually recede, shimmering with a hazy golden hue in the early summer sunlight. "Won't we still have to go to the hospital if we catch a cold or fever in the future?"

“We have a family doctor, so we don’t need to go to the hospital for minor ailments,” Wang Yuehua said with a smile. “Actually, before this illness, I hadn’t been to the hospital for a long time.”

Matsueda Jun sighed at the ugly face of the rich and pulled out the skirt of the girl next to him that was pressed under his legs.

"Even if the results of this follow-up examination are fine, you can't relax, okay?" Sitting in the middle, Mochizuki Haruka reached out and pressed down on the boy's skirt, which he was trying to move, and warned her aunt sitting on the other side of her.

“We’ve only found an effective treatment. We don’t know the cause of the illness at all. Even if you recover, it might relapse. So Auntie needs to maintain a healthy lifestyle, especially regarding sleep.”

"Okay, okay~" Auntie nodded obediently, then walked past the girl to talk to Matsueda Jun, "Matsueda! Look what you've done to my Haruka!"

"She's still at the age where she's a cute high school girl, but now she's worrying about this and that all the time. She's more like an aunt than me, her aunt."

“How could this be my fault?” Jun Matsue, who was admiring the scenery, turned his head.

"It's all your fault~" Mochizuki Haruka said softly, poking his hand with the hem of her skirt.

The boy's sigh and his aunt's energetic laughter rang out together in the carriage. The girl looked ahead at the gleaming highway, the clear blue sky, and the wispy white clouds. Her smile transformed back into that of a cute high school girl.

Once again on the top floor of the inpatient building, the boy and girl sat on a bench in the corridor, watching the curtains of the wards sway in the breeze, and heard Wang Yuehua and the nurses chatting and laughing.

Mochizuki Haruka turned to look at Matsueda Jun beside her. The boy's profile was even more defined in the sunlight, making one want to touch him.

"For the first time, I felt that the waiting time in the hospital was no longer so painful and long," the girl said softly.

"Are you so confident today? Aren't you usually very cautious?"

"Having come this far, there's no point in God playing another trick on me."

Mochizuki Haruka's smile was much brighter than before, and Matsueda Jun felt a pang of emotion.

The girl used to talk to him about the future, what would happen, and "what ifs," but when he looked at her expression, he could only feel a deep curse, unlike now, when there was a real future in her eyes.

If Mochizuki Haruka was always bound by the shackles of the system, then today might be the day she truly escapes the mire, Matsueda Jun had such a premonition.

Wang Yuehua was still in the ward and hadn't come out yet. The nurses had already rushed away, and the medical team quickly came out from another room and stood in front of the two of them.

There was no data, no thick sheets of paper, no white coats or glasses. Mochizuki Haruka stood up, and Matsueda Jun watched as her hands trembled slightly behind her back.

"Congratulations," the leading doctor said with a smile.

Mochizuki Haruka turned around, her eyes already red, her thin lips trembling slightly, and the girl threw herself into the boy's arms.

Matsueda Jun gently supported her, and the girl's body trembled with indescribable joy. He soon felt a warm, moist sensation on his chest.

“You are free,” he said softly.

First, a clear, melodious cry rang out outside the window, followed by a moment of silence. The newly awakened creatures of summer were still confused, but they quickly came to their senses. A vast and orderly wave of sound, like a sea, surged and surrounded the boys and girls in the corridor.

After lying dormant underground for seventeen years, the young cicadas finally emerge from the soil in summer.

Chapter 296 The Price of a Miracle

As Mochizuki walked out of the ward, she covered her mouth in surprise, looking at the trembling figure in Matsueda Jun's arms.

"Oh dear, did Matsueda make our Haruka cry?"

"No." Mochizuki Haruka turned around, smiling as she wiped away her tears. "I'm just too happy."

"..." Jun Matsue lowered his head, looking at the large, semi-transparent wet stains on his chest. He was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt today.

"I've wanted to say this before, your tear ducts are really well-developed." His voice was very soft, drifting into her ears.

The girl didn't turn around, but simply lifted the heel of her little leather shoe and gently kicked his shin.

"Today is a good day, don't be sad, young lady." The aunt bent down and gently wiped away the remaining tears on her face with her soft fingertips.

"After all, even the cicadas are celebrating for us."

Jun Matsue stood in the corridor outside the ward, watching the black car drive away from the hospital entrance. The aunt, now fully recovered, was finally free from her niece's supervision and was preparing to return to the group to gather her subordinates.

"Aren't you going with her?" He looked at the girl beside him. Mochizuki Haruka had just returned from the restroom and washed her face.

"My aunt is going to the company, what would I do if I went with her?" The girl looked at her phone screen to make sure there were no traces of crying on her face.

"I don't want to go anywhere right now, I just want to stay by your side."

Matsueda Jun glanced at her a couple more times. The girl, now free of her burdens, seemed to have lost all sense of shame, and spoke sweet nothings without blushing at all.

"Isn't it because we need to pack Auntie's things?"

Although the woman had been discharged from the hospital long ago, Mochizuki Haruka did not take anything from the ward beforehand, just in case.

"That's only a secondary reason."

Back in the ward, the various medical instruments that had always been placed by the bedside had been moved away. The windows on the outside wall were wide open, and the white curtains fluttered, showing signs of wind. The smell of disinfectant had been greatly reduced, and the sunlight from outside shone on the two large beds. The soft bedding was turned up, and they looked like they were very comfortable to sleep on.

Wang Yueyao sat on her bed, looking at everything. The girl had guarded this place day after day, but she could not find peace. Even the lines and contours in the corners would make her feel sharp and glaring, and she would want to cry.