Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 521

"...Pine branches?"

"What's wrong?" He didn't look up this time.

Footsteps echoed in the empty office as Imokawa Natsumi left her seat and walked to the boy's side.

"I'm reminded of when we were still in the news department..."

The girl stopped and looked at the boy she liked in front of her—her tone and expression were somewhat melancholy.

"Even though we weren't that close back then, we could still chat happily together in the department room during lunch break..."

"Why do I feel like this now that we're on good terms..."

"Has the distance between us actually grown further?"

Jun Matsue stopped what he was doing and stood still in his position.

Chapter 766 How to Distinguish Between Liking and Desire?

"Why do I feel like this now that we're on good terms..."

"Has the distance between us actually grown further?"

The sound of pages turning stopped, and the girl's murmured words echoed in the empty, cold office.

Jun Matsuoka's gaze was fixed on the black and white words on the paper in front of him, and he looked up after two seconds.

Natsumi Imokawa stood beside him, her plump lips pouting, her naturally innocent eyes drooping, looking aggrieved.

She tugged at the boy's uniform jacket. "Say something, Pine Branch."

"Why did it become like this?"

"..." Jun Matsueda put down the documents in his hand and turned to face the girl.

"Because you like me, but I don't like you, we should keep our distance."

"Only in this way can I be true to myself, true to the person I love, and true to you—if we get too close, it will only waste your time and feelings."

"Why is it called a delay?"

Instead of feeling more disappointed, Natsumi Imokawa retorted angrily.

"Time and feelings are my own things! How I use them and think about them is my own business! Why does Songzhi think I'm being held back?"

Before the boy could speak, she continued:

"And what's wrong with Songzhi not liking me?"

"Don't you like my body? Don't you like that Little Red Riding Hood outfit?"

"Don't you like going street photography with me, watching movies with me, and taking photos together?"

"Wasn't Songzhi happy when she was with me?"

Natsumi Imokawa stared intently into the boy's eyes, her body instinctively leaning closer and closer.

"So, is there something about Songzhi that she doesn't like about me?"

Jun Matsue reached out and placed his hands on the girl's shoulders to stop her from getting any closer.

"What you're saying is all about liking each other as friends—as a good friend, of course I like Imokawa quite a bit."

"Pine branches are lying again!"

Natsumi Imokawa widened her eyes and raised her hands to her chest.

"Didn't Songzhi say that my body was very well-developed and attractive?"

"Don't you want to touch, kiss, and hug me?"

"Is this what friendship is all about?"

Jun Matsue pushed the girl's shoulders to help her straighten up, then consciously let go of her.

"This is desire, not liking."

"So what?" Natsumi Imokawa stared at him relentlessly.

"Isn't it normal for men and women to like and desire each other?"

"..." Matsueda Jun suddenly felt a little tired—it seemed unlikely that he could persuade Imokawa with reason.

Forget it, he decided to be more direct.

"In short, my feelings for Imokawa are not to the point of wanting to date you."

"As I've said before, my feelings for you aren't the kind of liking that comes with being lovers."

"So, does Songzhi like me any more now?" The girl in front of me looked conflicted.

"I asked Songzhi the same question back then: how can I turn someone's feelings into those of a lover?"

"You told me to figure it out myself, but now that I've started trying, you've already run off again, without giving me a chance at all!"

Seeing her pitiful expression, like a stray puppy, even though he knew what he should do, the boy couldn't help but soften a little.

"Then I'll give you a different answer."

"Right now, I definitely wouldn't develop romantic feelings for Imokawa."

"Why?" Natsumi Imokawa pouted, looking even more aggrieved and confused.

"Since Songzhi is so good to me, you're bound to fall for me..."

Jun Matsue sighed. "Have some water first."

"Oh."

The girl quickly composed herself and nodded obediently.

Her emotions came and went quickly, like a cute little child… the boy couldn’t help but think.

Together with Imokawa, they took paper cups and filled two cups with hot water from the water dispenser by the wall in the office. Matsueda Jun returned to Kominato's seat and sat down, while the girl moved a chair over and sat next to him.

Holding the steaming paper cup in her hands, Natsumi Imokawa carefully sipped two mouthfuls, a faint pink blush rising on her face.

She squinted contentedly, then quickly snapped back to reality, put down her paper cup, and glared at the boy in front of her.

"If Songzhi doesn't explain this to me clearly today, I'm not leaving!"

“That’s right.” Jun Matsue cleared his throat. “Imokawa knows my current situation, right?”

The girl placed her two small hands on her knees, looking like she was listening attentively to the lecture.

"Didn't you ask this before—'Having two relationships at the same time, and thinking about a third one?'"

“…That’s right.” The boy’s tone was somewhat awkward.

It was a little strange to have a serious discussion about this kind of thing with Imokawa, but luckily there were no cameras in the office.

“I’ve only recently settled into two positions and don’t want to disrupt this fragile balance lightly—besides… there’s a third ship waiting for me.”

Natsumi Imokawa blinked. "Matsueda and Mochizuki-san have made up?"

Jun Matsue nodded. "Not only did we reconcile, but she also reluctantly accepted my situation, and Tomatsu agreed as well."

"Wow..." The girl's mouth opened slightly as she exclaimed, "That's amazing!"

She couldn't imagine at all the scene of Mochizuki Haruka and Tomomatsu Yuka sharing pine branches.

"So I need to try to avoid factors that might affect the current balance," the boy continued.

"Just like I told you before, going to university closes off your social circle—and if Imokawa plans to pursue me, that will also be one of the influencing factors."

“…Me?” Natsumi Imokawa pointed to herself.

Her expression seemed to say, "Am I really that amazing?"

"Hmm." The boy took a sip of water. "Besides, I have my own considerations."

“I do have a good feeling about you, Imokawa—I didn’t realize how attractive you were to me when we were just friends, but now that I do, I’ve decided to try to control it.”

When she heard the first part of his sentence, the girl's eyes were still smiling, and she had a happy expression as if she had been praised.

However, after she finished speaking, she immediately frowned and looked at the boy unhappily.

"Why?!"

Jun Matsue gazed at his own reflection in her clear eyes.

"Because I'm afraid I'll eventually discover that what I'm growing to like isn't really liking, but just the result of greedy desires."

Jun Matsugae originally had great confidence in his self-control and willpower, but after the scales in his heart suddenly tipped, he chose to be loyal to his desires.

Being loyal to love and desire also means honestly facing the ugliness within—the boy begins to worry that his desires will spread endlessly.

Especially when facing Imokawa and her senior.

“…” Sitting in front of the boy, Imokawa Natsumi blinked in confusion and tilted her head.

"Can you really distinguish between liking and desire so clearly?"

Jun Matsue smiled. "That's precisely why we need to be cautious, since we can't tell the difference."

"Imokawa, think about it. If I make a move on you, I might end up only wanting to taste your body."

"Or maybe I just feel that since I've already dated two or three people, one more like Imokawa wouldn't matter..."

"If that's the case, wouldn't that be terrible?"

“That’s true…” The girl nodded in agreement, her arms crossed warily in front of her chest.

"But is Songzhi that kind of person?"

"...I don't know." The boy's expression was somewhat helpless. "I only know that I have indeed become 'bad' now."

When Jun Matsueda left the orphanage, he never imagined that he would end up in bed with two girls on a single weekend—and that he would even be sharing a room with girls other than those two.

"I can accept that my love is greedy, but I don't want to accept that my love is replaced by impure desires."

"Therefore, in order to prevent myself from falling into the abyss of decadence, I must be cautious and restrained in my relationship with Imokawa."

“…I understand.” Sitting in the chair, Natsumi Imokawa straightened her back and nodded vigorously.

The boy breathed a sigh of relief.

"—In game terms, it means I already have a quest marker above my head, but Pine Branch doesn't want to start my side quest yet, right?"

"..." Matsueda Jun looked at the serious-looking girl in front of him, "What game did you secretly play behind my back?"

"It's clearly Matsueda who didn't want to be with me!" Natsumi Imokawa puffed out her cheeks.

"So that's how it is, right?"

"Matsue said she wouldn't have romantic feelings for me, but it's not that she dislikes me or has no feelings for me; she just doesn't want to start my side story right now!"

"Maybe he just doesn't have feelings for you?" The boy decided to elaborate, "After all, being lovers and being friends are different."

The girl glared at him fiercely—he was lying again!

“Ha…” Jun Matsue sighed as if admitting defeat.

"In fact, it's pretty much what Imokawa understood."

"That's alright then!" Natsumi Imokawa's expression relaxed.

She stretched her hands above her head, seemingly supporting the golden exclamation mark above her head.

"I can wait, until Songzhi is willing to come and take on my story mission!"

"...Then you just wait." The boy had no reason to refute her anymore.

"But even if we wait—" the girl's gaze returned to what was in front of her, "we can't even be friends anymore, can we?"

"Songzhi has rejected my invitations so many times!"

Jun Matsueda's gaze drifted to behind her, "I really didn't have time..."

"Are you still not free now?" Natsumi Imokawa pressed her upper body against him again.

"...It's a little more empty now."

"Are you still going to refuse my invitation?"

"That depends on the situation."