Am I being simulated by their love affair?

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"Is this what it feels like to sit in your girlfriend's seat?"

"What girlfriend?" Jun Matsue turned his head and poked her with his eyes.

"It's just sitting side by side, isn't it? Didn't we often sit like this in your studio back then?"

“Oh right…” Natsumi Imokawa turned to look at him.

"So, does that mean I was enjoying the same treatment as a girlfriend all along?"

The boy turned his head away and didn't argue with her—Imokawa's knitwear was too revealing, and the visual effect of looking directly at him up close was too shocking.

"Didn't we say we were going to take photos? Why don't you hurry up and try it, Imokawa?"

The girl then remembered her goal. She took out the instruction manual from the packaging box and casually threaded her little finger through the key ring that came with the mini camera, hooking it onto her hand.

"This camera is really convenient."

While looking at the instruction manual, Natsumi Imokawa dangled the camera hanging on her thumb.

"It's so small, you can take it anywhere you want."

“That’s why I bought it.” Jun Matsue looked at the instruction manual with her.

"Imokawa often carries his camera around, so it's good to bring this mini camera when it's inconvenient."

As they talked, the boy noticed the ample breasts pressing against the edge of the instruction manual...

Perhaps it's inconvenient for Imokawa to carry a camera with him, or there are other reasons as well.

The mini camera only has a few functions, and Natsumi Imokawa quickly finished reading the instruction manual.

"Okay, I've got it completely!"

The girl, clutching her camera, leaned towards the person next to her, but the boy instinctively shrugged and blocked her way, causing her to pout in dissatisfaction.

"Why are you using pine branches? Didn't we say we were taking a group photo?"

Natsumi Imokawa raised her arm and stretched it out, gesturing to the boy about the poor lens of her camera.

"This camera is so simple, and it can't zoom. If you want to capture us all in the picture, you definitely have to get closer."

"..." Jun Matsue pulled his arm back.

The girl snuggled up to him contentedly and rubbed against his shoulder.

"Songzhi's arms are stiff, completely different from mine."

The boy stared intently at the camera she held up, trying to ignore the surging waves in his peripheral vision.

"Take a picture quickly and see how it looks. It's not too late to return or exchange it now."

“Oh~” Natsumi Imokawa nodded obediently.

She tilted her head on the boy's shoulder and winked at the small camera in front of them.

"I took a picture, okay?"

"uh-huh."

"Three, two, one—"

No camera shutter clicked; the young boy and girl listened to the classical string music drifting leisurely by—"Nude Dance"—and it ended without them even realizing it.

"...Is it alright now?" Jun Matsue barely managed to maintain his composure.

A few strands of the girl's black hair tickled his neck, and the weight of her soft, heavy body pressing against his arm was overwhelming.

"It should be all better now, right?" Natsumi Imokawa wasn't quite sure either, and she pulled her arm back.

The girl flipped the mini camera over, pressed the buttons to search, and then quickly looked up again.

"found it!"

Jun Matsue first shifted his buttocks to the side, then brought his head closer to her.

The small screen displayed a photo of the two of them that had just been taken. The pixels were not clear and the colors were not vibrant, like a piece of film from the last century that had just been developed.

However, this retro feel perfectly matched the teahouse where the two were—

The dim, hazy space, the yellowish, blurry lighting, the old record rack, and the boys and girls huddled together in sofa-like chairs.

They looked like a pair of high school students who had just started dating in late 1987, showing their shy smiles in front of the camera and capturing the first photo of their youthful excitement.

"Matsushi, it feels so good..." Natsumi Imokawa exclaimed softly, staring at the small screen.

"This thing is more interesting than I thought!"

“I think so too.” Jun Matsue nodded seriously, looking thoughtful.

This camera keychain is really interesting, and there are many different styles available—it seems like you could give one to each of Tomatsu and the others and they wouldn't have the same one twice.

"...It seems like Songzhi is thinking about something unpleasant." The girl turned her face and stared at him.

"No way." The boy blinked. "So the quality is fine, right?"

“It should be fine. Given its performance, this is how it turned out.” Natsumi Imokawa’s attention was quickly diverted.

"However, I feel the angle of that group photo wasn't good enough—"

She gently tapped the two slightly blurry figures on the screen with her index finger.

"The camera is too close, so our faces look bigger!"

"It's alright..." Jun Matsue leaned closer to take a look.

His posture was very natural, and he didn't seem to care much about the distance between him and the girl.

Human nature is always about compromise and moderation—after being overwhelmed by Imokawa's overwhelming offensive, the boy immediately felt that simply sitting together was acceptable.

“Imokawa is quite pretty, isn’t she?” He turned around. “I’m not ugly either.”

"But Matsueda isn't laughing!" Natsumi Imokawa didn't give up.

"But Songzhi's soft gaze is also quite captivating~"

"...So you just want to take another picture?" The boy took the camera from the table that she was holding.

"Let's take another picture then. I'll get the camera this time."

"Okay~" The girl obediently leaned closer.

"Pine branches have longer arms than me, remember to hold them a little further away."

Because of a small hiccup, this photo took a little longer to take.

"...Imokawa, why are you holding my hand?"

"Ah, I just instinctively hugged her."

In the final photo, the girl wasn't holding the boy's arm, but Natsumi Imokawa was still fairly satisfied.

At least the smiles of myself and Songzhi were genuine.

After exchanging Christmas gifts and playing with the girl's new toys for a while, Jun Matsue pushed open the door of "Meiko no Kacha" two hours later.

Natsumi Imokawa followed half a step behind him out of the coffee shop, the girl still holding the mini camera hanging on her keychain—

The sunlight in the lens had passed its most dazzling moment before sunset, but it still lingered on the streets.

"How do I get back from Imogawa? By tram or will my parents pick me up?"

The boy turned around and entered her lens; the blurry pixels couldn't erase the radiance on his face.

"Train~" The girl smiled and pressed the shutter.

"It only takes about twenty minutes to get from Shibuya to my house, it'll be quick!"

"Then I'll take you to the station." Jun Matsue was still carrying her canvas bag. "It's on the way anyway."

"Okay~" Natsumi Imokawa then put down her camera.

She walked briskly beside the boy, the little machine hanging between her fingers swaying back and forth.

"Pine branches?"

"Hmm?" Jun Matsue turned his head.

"You're currently worried about Yamami-senpai, does that mean..."

"Yang Shisang has already won you over?"

The girl still remembered that Yang Shisang had told her that they would take the pine branches before the New Year.

The boy paused in his steps.

“Then I know the answer!” Natsumi Imokawa smiled at him.

"Don't worry, I won't force the pine branches."

"But you must remember—"

Jun Matsue watched as the girl raised her hand and held the mini camera between her fingers above her head.

The classic Kodak yellow shines brightly in the sunlight, like a glittering golden exclamation mark.

"There's another side quest for me here, waiting for Pine Branch to unlock it!"

Chapter 819 Christmas Prelude

The next morning, Jun Matsueda woke up alone in his room.

Gazing at the ceiling streaked with sunlight, dispelling the drowsiness in his mind—once fully awake, the boy turned to look at the bedside table.

Besides his own phone, there was also a thick photo album sitting there.

That was the Christmas present he received early yesterday.

"..." The boy sat up as Imokawa Natsumi's innocent smile flashed through his mind.

He crawled out of bed, put on his clothes, and drew back the curtains to let the sunlight stream into the room—before leaving the bedroom, Jun Matsue returned to the bedside table.

He picked up the photo album and stroked the textured black cover.

We need to put it away properly first.

The bedside table drawer was neatly arranged with family planning tools. The boy blinked awkwardly, closed it, and turned to walk to his desk.

He thought for a moment, then opened the drawer at the bottom of the desk—

This is where he keeps some keepsakes, such as group photos from the orphanage and certificates of merit, which the girls usually don't open.

He carefully placed the photo album into the drawer, stared at the cover that had fallen into shadow for a while, and then gently closed the drawer.

Last night before bed, he looked through about half of the photo album. In order not to let his surging emotions drive away his sleepiness, he closed the album with great self-control and placed it on his bedside table.

Stretching as he walked out of his room, Jun Matsueda glanced at the bedroom next door; the idol was still asleep.

After the holiday started, he basically took over the task of making breakfast. The boy would first open the refrigerator to take a look at the ingredients, and then go to the bathroom to wash up.

He decided to have scallion pancakes for breakfast, looking at his reflection in the mirror.

Kurusu has to go to work today, so I'll also prepare some vegetables and the leftover chicken roll from last night to make sure her nutrition is balanced...

Lost in thought, a crisp, decisive sound of a door opening suddenly echoed from the hallway outside the sink, followed by a girl's groan—

"Um..."

It was clearly a stretch. Jun Matsueda blinked at himself in the mirror, then looked down and spat out the toothpaste foam.

"Is the pine branch in the bathroom?"

The idol's footsteps approached, sounding like a cat that had spotted a mouse.

"Hmm." The boy, rinsing his mouth, mumbled a response. When he looked up, the girl's bright face appeared right by the wall.

"Pine Branch didn't sleep in room 506?" Miss Idol asked, watching him pick up a towel. "Then why didn't you come find me?"

"I was supposed to sleep with Wangyue, but before bed, my aunt made a long video call to her. My aunt thought I was in the way, so I went back to my own room."

"It was already quite late, so I didn't call for Qi, afraid of waking you up."

"It's good that they didn't look for me!" Yosei's thoughts changed quickly.

"I don't want you coming to me smelling like Mochizuki!"

The boy, washing his face, smiled behind the towel. "Is it okay to have an egg pancake for breakfast?"