Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 560

She stared at the boy's face in front of her, trying to recall, "Didn't I take leave a few times before to film a music video for Yang Shisang?"

"Hmm, and then what?"

"Then, Chie suddenly said something like 'I'm so envious' when get out of class ended last Thursday."

"At first I thought she was talking to herself..." the girl shrugged, "but then I realized she was talking to me."

"I'm so envious of Natsumi-chan. She doesn't have to worry about exams and further education anymore."

"'You took the day off yesterday too, probably to go out and take photos? That's great, before when I had a cold and didn't want to go to school, my mom would scold me...'"

"..." Jun Matsue scratched his cheek. "I think I understand."

It turns out someone was just jealous.

Natsumi Imokawa nodded. "Recently, Chie-san has been saying things like this to me a lot—studying is so tiring, Natsumi-chan has it so easy."

"After she said that, others started making similar comments—I knew they were right, but I still felt a little uncomfortable..."

“Where is it right?” Jun Matsue interrupted her.

"What does your ease have to do with them? Why can't you relax when they're studying so hard?"

"..." The girl paused for a moment, then nodded vigorously.

"That's right, Songzhi is right!"

The boy stretched and said, "These kinds of people just like to make sarcastic remarks and can't stand seeing others doing better than them."

He thought it was some big problem.

Natsumi Imokawa leaned closer, the girl's bangs swaying in front of her eyes, and she brushed them aside with her index finger.

"What does Songzhi think I should do?"

“What should I do…” Jun Matsue thought for a moment, “If it’s just this level, it doesn’t even count as a quarrel, so the teacher probably won’t care.”

"However, if this goes on for too long, they might go even further, which would be quite troublesome."

"Hmm!" The air inside warmed up, and the girl took off her coat.

“When they used to say that, I would just look up and smile and they would stop, but now they keep going on and on, which is getting a bit annoying…”

The boy glanced out the window and saw that some club upstairs was secretly playing Kurusu's new song.

"Where's Yumi? She should be able to handle this kind of thing easily, right?"

"Yumi-chan has been busy preparing for exams lately... I'm a little embarrassed to bother her."

"Then why is Imokawa asking me? I'm busy too." Matsueda Jun wanted to tease the girl again.

Natsumi Imokawa tilted her head. "Didn't Matsue stop me first?"

"..."

The boy sitting in the chair looked away, but the girl leaned over and caught his gaze. It was as if a silent play was being performed in the room with only the two of them.

“That’s right.” Jun Matsue turned around. “It’s because you were moving like a snail in the hallway that I had to stop you and ask you something.”

“Snail…” Natsumi Imokawa curled the corners of her lips. “Does Matsue think I’m cute?”

"What's so cute about snails?"

"Isn't it cute?" She blinked. "The snail's round shell is pretty, I quite like snails~"

"...Anyway, let's get back to the main topic." Jun Matsueda turned on his computer and found a blank document.

"From your perspective, there are roughly three ways to handle Imokawa's situation—"

The girl, having taken off her coat, leaned in front of the screen, watching the cursor produce text while the boy's slender fingers tapped on the keyboard.

"The first method is to ignore it."

"Some classmates may be venting their emotions by discussing you out of envy and jealousy—if you ignore them, it doesn't really matter what they say."

"Hmm..." Natsumi Imokawa frowned slightly in thought, "So you want me to play dumb?"

“It’s not pretending to be stupid, it’s ignoring it,” Jun Matsuoka corrected her.

"As for Imogawa, he can wear headphones or go out for a walk after class—he can simply ignore what they're saying."

"There are only two or three weeks left in this semester. After the break, there will be a common exam soon. Besides venting a few words, there's nothing else they can do. Ignoring it is the simplest solution."

The girl stared at his profile. "Aren't you going to pay attention to him...?"

"Yes, but Imokawa needs to adjust his mindset before he can truly not care about what they say."

The boy stopped typing and turned to look at the person next to him.

Natsumi Imokawa, who had been secretly watching him, blinked guiltily. "What's wrong?"

"Imokawa, do you know how amazing you are?" Jun Matsue said in an exceptionally serious tone.

"...Huh?" A slightly embarrassed blush appeared on the girl's face.

"The acceptance rate for Tokyo University of the Arts is less than 5%, not to mention that many people can't even qualify for the general selection process—"

"During high school, I also filmed a very popular recruitment video for the school. One of the short films in my portfolio became a hit online. Recently, I even collaborated with a professional entertainment company to shoot a bonus music video..."

"Natsumi Imokawa, you are a true genius!"

The usually straightforward Natsumi Imokawa became unusually shy, reaching out to brush her bangs aside in an attempt to conceal the warm blush on her face.

"...Is that so?"

"Of course," the boy replied without room for argument.

"Because you are so outstanding, some people are dissatisfied with you—but you don't need to care. They see their own ugliness reflected in your excellence, which is why they feel envy, jealousy, and hatred."

"Instead of you doing something wrong and needing their understanding."

“Oh…” the girl nodded.

Is that why Mochizuki dislikes me?

Natsumi Imokawa, who had a knack for drawing parallels, originally wanted to ask that question, but then she thought about it—after all, Mochizuki was Matsue's girlfriend, and he might not be able to give an impartial answer.

Jun Matsue tapped the space bar to bring the girl back to her senses.

"If Imokawa could truly recognize his own greatness, he wouldn't care about what these people say."

Natsumi Imokawa watched as her and the boy's faces appeared on the dormant computer screen, which was quickly turned back on.

"But I really don't think I'm anything special—like Matsue, Tomatsu-san, Mochizuki-san, and Yosei-san, aren't you all pretty amazing?"

“So I’m a genius too,” Jun Matsue replied matter-of-factly.

“We never care how jealous other people are—it’s a waste of time to worry about that.”

“That’s exactly what I meant!” The girl grabbed his arm.

"I was planning to watch Yang Shisang's music video after class, but I've completely lost the mood!"

“…Right?” The boy glanced at her hand gripping his sleeve.

"So we should learn to ignore these not-so-great guys as soon as possible."

"Just in case, I'll tell Imokawa about other methods as well—"

As he spoke, he started typing away on the keyboard again.

"The second type is playing the victim."

"Next time someone says they envy you, just tell them how much effort you put into filming and editing, and how many nights you stayed up."

"The admission permit for Imogawa didn't fall from the sky, and it's no easier than them having to go to a private school for extra lessons after school."

"Oh, playing the victim..." Natsumi Imokawa took out her phone and took a picture of the document in front of her that was still increasing in word count.

"The third option is to fight back."

"Fight back?"

"Literal meaning."

Matsueda Jun coughed twice, raised his chin at the girl beside him, and his eyes were full of disdain.

"I'm really relaxed now. Anyway, I've been admitted to Tokyo University of the Arts. I don't have to worry about getting into university or taking exams. I can play however I want every day—so what?"

"What does this have to do with you? If you're envious, you should go and participate in the Tokyo Art University entrance exam."

Instead of wasting time being so sour, you should use that time to do more practice questions. Otherwise, you might fail the general exam and have to try your luck at a private school.

Natsumi Imokawa opened her mouth slightly, "That sounds so mean... kind of like Mochizuki-san."

The boy laughed, not denying her statement.

"Most people who gossip are bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong. You have to be a bit harsh to make them afraid of you."

The tapping of the keyboard stopped, and Jun Matsue released the girl's hand.

Natsumi Imokawa looked up at the radiator vent and thought quietly for a while.

"Other methods seem too complicated... It's simpler to just ignore it."

“Then let’s try to let it cool down for now,” Jun Matsueda said, pushing back his chair. “Anyway, if you feel uncomfortable about anything, just tell me.”

He wasn't too worried about Imokawa's situation.

The girl is currently the top student in the school's arts program and is highly favored by the school. The problem she's encountered isn't anything major; it's actually helping her develop a mature mindset in interpersonal relationships…

"Pine branches are definitely the best."

The boy turned his gaze and saw Natsumi Imokawa smiling at him.

"I was just thinking, why am I so embarrassed to bother Yumi-chan, but I feel comfortable taking up so much of Matsueda's time..."

The girl slightly raised her chin and spoke with certainty.

"After thinking it over, it's still because my relationship with Songzhi is special."

"Although Yumi-chan is very nice to me, it's just the concern between friends."

“Only Songzhi truly wants to stand by my side, trying to understand me, help me, and think about me…” She spread her five fingers and pointed at them one by one.

"They acted as actors for me, helped me film movies, and even cared about my daily life—whether I stayed up late or ate properly."

"They would also worry about my studies and my situation in class. They would talk to me about many things, but they wouldn't lecture me like a teacher. They would be very gentle and interesting."

"You also share a lot about yourself with me—so Matsue trusts me a lot, right?"

"Of course, Songzhi is special to me, but I must be special to Songzhi too, right?"

"Otherwise, why would they treat me so well?"

As Natsumi Imokawa spoke, she leaned forward, resting her hands on her knees, to observe her beloved's expression up close.

"Hey, Pine Branch said, isn't that right?"

"..." Matsueda Jun leaned back, dragging the chair legs backward, making a scratching sound on the floor.

"I'm nice to everyone, otherwise why would so many people like me?"

“Then I must be special in Songzhi’s heart too!” the girl replied in an unquestionable tone.

"Otherwise, how could I have become your last good friend?"

This question certainly put the boy in a difficult position to answer.

Why is Imokawa, who is clearly a problem child and terrible at interpersonal relationships, so strong when it comes to matters of the heart?

“…Very well, that’s the attitude.” Jun Matsueda could only manage a composed reply.

"?" Natsumi Imokawa tilted her head in confusion.

"Anyway, I don't care—this is the kind of mentality I need for a cold shoulder." The boy stood up and turned off the air conditioner on the wall.

"If you return to class with this mindset, Imokawa's problem will be solved."

Natsumi Imokawa puffed out her cheeks and followed him toward the door.

"Pine branches are too cunning!"

"Everyone I care about is special to me, of course," the boy said as he walked out the door, spouting a meaningless statement.

"And what about in love?"

"Has Imokawa heard Kurusu's new song released today? What do you think of it?"