Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 148

Chapter 248 A Trip to Kumamoto Just for the Exam

"So, Matsueda-san is going to Kumamoto?"

Tomatsu Yuka put down her pen and looked at the boy sitting to her left. On the other side, Mochizuki Haruka's gaze also turned towards her.

This was supposed to be a PE class, but unfortunately, the spring rain outside had been drizzling all morning, so everyone had to stay in the classroom to study. Although it was supposed to be a study session, everyone was mostly chatting and playing games, with laughter rising and falling in the classroom, but kept within a range that wouldn't disturb the classes next door.

"It seems so. This year's biology competition finals will be held at Kumamoto University." Jun Matsueda glanced at the message on his phone.

"I don't really understand why the tournament organizers chose Kyushu Island as the venue for the finals."

He sighed. Kyushu was already the southernmost of Japan's eight major regions, and it was only separated from Kagoshima, the southernmost region, by Miyazaki Prefecture.

"It's so far~" Mimi Mizushima, who was sitting in front of Tomatsu Yuka, sighed. She turned around and joined the conversation. On a rainy day, no one had much motivation to study during PE class.

“You can treat it as a trip,” Tomomatsu said with a smile. “It would be nice to visit Kumamon and Kumamoto Castle.”

"When will you be back?" Mochizuki Haruka was more concerned about this question.

"It seems like we'll be staying for two or three days, there are also learning and visiting activities and stuff." Jun Matsue hadn't looked into it carefully, he was just hearing what his senior told him.

"Two to three days..." The black cat girl looked somewhat tempted. If she went with Matsueda Jun, wouldn't it be no different from a couple's trip?

"Besides Yamami-senpai and Matsueda-san, are there any other students from Haneoka High School who made it to the finals?"

Tomatsu Yuka pulled her chair a little closer to the left, and her two long legs under her school uniform skirt crossed over, revealing a fleeting glimpse of her absolute territory.

"What a scheming person..." Mizushima Miya rolled her eyes at her best friend.

"No, right?" When Jun Matsueda went to Shoko Kominato's office to report, the teacher didn't mention anyone except for Maki Yami from Class 3-4.

Wasn't that supposed to be a trip for two, a man and a woman alone...? Tomatsu Yuka put down her crossed legs, the girl feeling a little regretful. If she had signed up for the biology competition back then, she might be spending time alone with Matsueda right now.

"What's with those expressions?" Jun Matsue looked around at the girls around him. "I'm going to take an exam, not to play around, okay?"

“That’s true…” Tomatsu Tomohana’s smile was somewhat forced, and Mizushima Miya began to massage the girl’s back, seemingly to comfort her.

The bell rang, and Jun Matsue walked out of the classroom. He was going to find the teacher in charge of the biology competition to inquire about the travel arrangements to Kumamoto. As he stepped onto the stairs, he turned around to look at Haruka Mochizuki behind him.

"What are you going to do? Don't even think about coming to Kumamoto with me."

"Oh." The girl nodded, her tone slightly disappointed. She had indeed wanted to test the waters, but there was something more important to tell Matsueda Jun.

"There is now hope that my aunt will wake up."

Jun Matsueda pulled his right foot back from the step and stood next to the girl. "Are you sure? Did that new treatment work?"

Mochizuki Haruka nodded. "Although there is only a slight effect so far, Aunt's nerves are indeed showing a relative response, unlike before when the fluctuations were just accidental."

"That's good news too." As students gradually filled the stairwell with students coming and going from get out of class, he had no choice but to lead the girl back to the corridor. "At least we've found a direction for treatment, haven't we?"

"Hmm." A smile appeared on the girl's face. She leaned against the windowsill and looked at the cherry blossoms swaying in the rain. "I feel a little tired... but at least I can see the possibility of it ending."

Jun Matsue thought for a moment, "How about we come to 507 for dinner tonight to celebrate?"

Mochizuki Haruka instinctively wanted to nod, but she held back. The girl's hands were behind her back, her fingers twisting together, showing that she was going through a fierce internal struggle.

"Let's forget about it." She shook her head with difficulty. "I need to oversee the medical team's discussions on the next treatment plan, and I'll probably have to take a lot of time off during this period."

Matsueda Jun was somewhat surprised. If it were the old her, she would have already ordered food from him by now. He looked into Mochizuki Haruka's eyes, and the girl tilted her head in confusion, meeting his gaze.

"what happened?"

"You've really grown up." He resisted the urge to pat the girl's head.

"Don't talk to me like an elder." Mochizuki Haruka rolled her eyes at him, tossing her black hair that brushed against her shoulder. "It's because someone keeps trying to push me forward, wishing they could whip me into an adult."

“I never had that thought!” Jun Matsue said seriously. “I just hope you can live a good life on your own.”

"..." The girl was silent for a few seconds, allowing the sound of rain outside the window to seep between them. "Are you still thinking that you'll stay away from me once Auntie wakes up?"

Students carrying books walked down the corridor, seemingly able to keep going as long as the school bell didn't ring, leaving only two still figures in the corner as a discordant note in the moving background.

"No, it won't." Matsueda Jun's voice was like heavenly music to Mochizuki Haruka, and the girl with her eyes lowered looked up at the boy in front of her.

Many things quietly changed during her absence from Tokyo; perhaps this is the meaning of the Little Prince leaving his planet.

"Really?" Mochizuki Haruka blinked.

Jun Matsue smiled. "I also want to see the young lady of the Mochizuki family gradually become a better human being."

The girl wasn't particularly satisfied with the boy's answer. She pouted and decided to let him off the hook for the time being.

"Taking leave frequently will interfere with my studies. Will you tutor me?" Mochizuki Haruka asked him one last time.

"If Auntie agrees."

The sound of rain outside the window drew closer to the two of them, seemingly criticizing Matsueda Jun for his increasingly cunning answer.

After dinner, in room 507, Yosei Kurusu looked at the boy washing dishes in the kitchen and asked, "So, you're going to Kumamoto in a few days?"

"I already told you I wasn't going there for fun..." Jun Matsue felt like a broken record today.

“I’m going on a long trip the day after tomorrow too~” The girl turned around, leaned back on the sofa, and said defiantly, “The company has arranged for me to go to Osaka to participate in a music festival and promote the album.”

"I was thinking of taking you with me, but it looks like there's no chance?"

As Jun Matsue walked out of the kitchen, there was a piece of crème brûlée with a missing piece on the table. It was his dessert, but it looked like the girl had stolen it.

"I can only wish Ms. Kurusu a successful performance in advance."

Kurusu Yosei made a face at him and ran into the bedroom. The guilty thief fled the scene of the crime.

Jun Matsue sat on the sofa with a pudding in his hand, watching the neon-lit rain outside the balcony. The bouncy pudding had a sweet caramel flavor, and the sound of the rain outside the window, combined with the warm yellow light inside, gradually relaxed his tense body.

His phone rang, and he put the plate he was holding on the coffee table and answered the call from Yamami Maki.

"Matsueda-kun! Have you packed your luggage for Kumamoto?" The senior's voice, besides its usual gentleness, also carried a hint of childlike excitement.

"Clothes and travel supplies are ready." Jun Matsueda lay back on the sofa with his eyes closed, feeling the light passing through his eyelids.

"That's good. I'm looking at the information about Kumamoto City, and it seems like there are a lot of fun places to visit!"

"We're not going there to have fun, are we..." Matsueda Jun wanted to say, but the words came out differently.

"...Then I'll take a look when I have some free time."

Chapter 249 Two Heroes Embark on a Journey

On Saturday noon, the bell rang, and Jun Matsue returned to the classroom.

He skipped all his morning classes by imperial decree and spent the entire morning in the biology lab doing experiments with Maki Yamami.

"Is Matsueda ready to leave?" Tomatsu asked, watching the boy pull up his suitcase from the back of the classroom.

Matsueda Jun nodded. "The flight is at 1:30 PM, it's about time." It's now the end of the fourth period, exactly twelve o'clock.

"Songzhi, are you going to bring back another gold medal?"

Ken Sakamuro walked up to him, followed by the gyaru Rion. She was there to help Haruka Mochizuki with her homework. The girl had been taking leave for the past few days and only occasionally showed up at school.

"If there are no surprises, that's how it is." Jun Matsueda always appears very humble in public.

“You haven’t been playing basketball much lately.” Ken Sakamuro punched his arm, pretending to be sad. “Everyone misses you.”

"Everyone" refers to the boys in the basketball team.

"Come on," Jun Matsue brushed his hand away. "Without me, you can be the big brother on the field, isn't that awesome?"

Sakamuro Ken then revealed the smile hidden behind his mask.

However, Ken Sakamuro was right. This week, Jun Matsueda even took two days off from his part-time job at the Literature Museum in order to make time to prepare for the competition.

There was nothing he could do; he didn't want to see his senior heartbroken after losing to Kuroba Shin.

Jun Matsue pulled his suitcase out of the classroom. Ken Sakamuro wanted to follow, but when he saw Tomatsu Yuka following closely behind, he decided to retreat back into the classroom.

"How are you getting to Kumamoto, Matsueda-kun?" The girl followed beside the boy's suitcase, watching the right wheel make a sudden noise as it hit the ground.

"The teacher in charge of the competition will take us to Haneda Airport, and there will also be people from the competition team picking us up at Kumamoto Airport on the other side."

"Wait." Tomatsu Yuka pressed down on Matsueda Jun's hand, which was dragging the suitcase. He turned around, and the girl had already squatted down.

"Don't move, Matsueda." Her hand reached under the suitcase, seemingly touching something. Students passing by in the corridor glanced at the two of them.

"Oh, it was hair!" The girl stood up, holding a clump of hair between her right index finger and thumb. "Now the wheels shouldn't be so noisy."

Jun Matsue took a couple of steps, and the sound of the suitcase did indeed become smoother. "I thought it was about to break."

“Matsueda-kun is still not careful enough~” Tomatsu Yuka returned to his side. “Come on, I’ll walk you out of the school gate, and it will be time for you to go home after school.”

He shook his head. "Go wash your hands in the bathroom." The girl had just been fiddling with her hands, so they must be quite dirty.

Tomatsu Yuka also shook her head, "I want to see Matsue-san out."

"……I'm waiting for you."

Jun Matsue turned and walked toward the restroom, his suitcase gliding gently down the corridor, the girl following behind him with a smile.

Tomatsu Yuka turned on the tap, letting the cool water wash away the dirt on her fingers. She looked in the mirror in front of her; the smooth surface reflected half of a suitcase around the corner, where the boy she liked was waiting for her.

What to do? It feels kind of sweet... The girl was a little reluctant to wash off the black marks on her hands.

She turned off the tap, dried her hands, went back to her suitcase, clapped her hands, and said, "Matsueda-kun, let's go!"

Tomatsu Yuka looked up and saw another girl pulling a suitcase standing in front of the boy. Yamami Maki had her usual smile on her face.

"...Senior is here." She almost forgot that her senior was going to Kumamoto with Matsueda Jun.

"It's so nice to see Yuuka before leaving school," Yamami Maki smiled at her. "Let's go, everyone~"

The three walked towards the stairwell. Even though there was one more person, the corridor became quieter, probably because the students were all in a hurry to go home, resulting in fewer people in the corridor.

"After this competition, will the school be welcoming two gold medals?" Tomatsu Yuka brought up the topic as she walked along the school's main avenue.

"I'm not as confident as Matsueda-kun," the girl said with a smile, shaking her head.

“As for you, senior, the gold medal is no problem.” Matsueda Jun made a fist gesture, and Yami Maki’s smile widened even more.

"That's enough for now." The three stopped at the school gate. A red car parked by the roadside rolled down its window, and the female teacher waved. She was Yamami Maki's homeroom teacher.

"I'll be going now. Good luck in the competition!" Tomatsu Yuka waved to the two of them and turned to walk down the slope.

She didn't want to see another girl get into a car with Jun Matsueda and head off into the distance.

The woman in the car knocked on the window. "Shall we set off?" She squinted at the girl who was running unsteadily towards them from a distance.

"Matsueda—wait!" Natsumi Imokawa appeared in front of Jun Matsueda, panting, carrying her camera.

The girl stopped, leaning over and panting, one hand on her knee, the neckline of her sailor uniform revealing a deep cleavage.

Yamami Maki looked at Matsueda Jun's face, blinked, and consciously turned her gaze into the distance.

"Um, this is my spare camera. I'd like Matsue to take it to Kumamoto." Natsumi Imokawa looked up and handed the a7m3 camera she was holding to the boy in front of her.

"I've never been to Kumamoto, but I've heard there are a lot of things worth photographing there, like Kumamoto Castle, volcanoes, and the shrine from 'Natsume's Book of Friends'..." The girl gestured frantically, "Could you please take pictures of these for me, Matsue?"

"Is it okay?" Jun Matsue looked at the camera in his hand; he was too lazy to admit that he wasn't going there for fun.

"Okay! Please!" The girl smiled, then looked at Yamami Maki beside him, "Good luck in the Matsueda competition, and good luck to you too, Senpai!"

"I'll try my best~" Yamami Maki smiled at Imokawa Natsumi, the two girls had a high level of affection for each other.

As Jun Matsueda watched Natsumi Imokawa leave, he thought, "It feels like receiving a quest from an NPC when you're about to head to a new map in a game."

"Even though I don't understand it, it should be a good thing, right?" Yami Maki looked puzzled.

Thirty-five minutes later, the red car arrived at Haneda Airport. The female teacher who was driving opened the car door and looked at the boy who was helping the girl with her luggage in the trunk.

"Teacher, is this where I'm dropping you off? Remember to message me before takeoff and after landing, okay?"

“Okay~” Yamami Maki answered for Matsueda Jun, “Thank you for your help, teacher.”

The woman shook her head. "Just do your best in the competition. If you have any questions, you can contact me on your phone anytime."

"And also, Matsueda-kun." She walked over to Matsueda Jun and patted him on the shoulder, "Remember to protect my Maki!"

"Teacher!" The girl glared at her, and Jun Matsue patted his chest, meaning "Leave it to me."

The two stood at the terminal entrance, watching the red car disappear at the end of the road, and exchanged a glance.

"Please take good care of me for the next three days, Matsueda-kun~" Yami Maki said with a smile.

Chapter 250 Landing in the Land of Fire