Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 492

However, instead of the sounds of intimate kisses, what rang out in front of the narrow sink was the sound of uncontrollable vomiting.

The somewhat awkward and embarrassing first meeting did not diminish Matsu Yuko's excitement; on the contrary, it made her more confident and bolder.

The woman thought that Mr. Kashiwabara might be a trustworthy person.

So, after Ms. Yuko took the initiative to pursue them, their relationship naturally changed from colleagues to lovers three months later.

They are marginalized figures in the workplace, misanthropic individuals in an atomized society, which is why the comfort they receive when they gradually draw closer and embrace each other seems so warm and bright.

"..." Yamami Maki, who was watching the screen, already had a bad feeling.

Ms. Matsu Yuko's face has still not been shown.

In this relationship, Hikaru Kashiwabara was neither proactive nor passive. He would invite Yuko to watch movies and have coffee, and the two would always exchange gifts on holidays without saying a word.

They gradually held hands, kissed, and embraced each other on the small bed in their rented room. Seeing the joyful smile on the person's face, Hikaru Kashiwabara would also show a matching smile.

But he still felt uneasy.

Is this all there is to it? The man thought to himself as he sat at his desk in his rented room, the melancholy deep blue of the sky outside the window gradually permeating the room.

Hikaru Kashiwabara knew that he could be immersed in happiness only because the letters coming from the distant island were gradually decreasing.

So he proposed to Miss Yuko.

Watching the close-up shot of the woman's trembling hands as she put her fiancé's ring on her finger, Yamami Maki felt a lump in her throat.

This shouldn't be happening, she thought.

Just like when Yuko Matsu asked Hikaru Kashiwabara about her lover's past, his answers were vague and ambiguous—the seemingly perfect happiness before her eyes was mixed with a sense of falsehood.

Late that night, as the two were making out in their shared apartment, news of an earthquake off the coast suddenly broke on TV—the coastline was not significantly affected, only some outlying islands near the mainland were impacted and temporarily out of contact.

Hikaru Kashiwabara hurriedly changed his shoes and ran out the door, leaving Yuko Matsu behind.

After years of being a corporate slave, the man's stamina wasn't what it used to be; the camera swayed, and his panting was clearly audible. He wanted to hitch a ride, but there wasn't a single car in sight on the road.

The camera's shaky speed gradually slowed down, and the view dropped as the man's perspective shifted, revealing only his hands supporting his knees and the gleaming pavement.

“What’s the point…” Hikaru Kashiwabara’s voice rang out on the screen.

The once clear and slightly hoarse voice of a young boy now sounds hoarse and tired.

"It's like you know perfectly well that you've made a phone call to Xiaoxing's island, but you never receive a number from the letter."

When was the last letter received, six months ago or a year ago?

"What did the letter say again?"

He had clearly kept it carefully in the drawer, but he had already forgotten about it.

"If you're the only one still stubbornly persisting, even though you graduated from university several years ago, why haven't you gone to her island to take a look?"

As he walked, Hikaru Kashiwabara turned around and headed back towards the apartment.

But the room was completely empty.

The next day, Yuko Matsu did not show up at the company.

When he got home in the evening, he received a breakup call.

I still love you.

The woman's voice was somewhat hoarse, and her face was still not visible in the shot.

"But I feel that even if we send each other a thousand messages, our hearts can only get one centimeter closer."

Silently hanging up the phone, Hikaru Kashiwabara put his phone in his pocket and walked out of the apartment.

The camera only shows the man's leather shoes and trouser legs. The light and shadow in the scene change in waves. Sometimes it is daytime, sometimes it is rainy, sometimes it is quiet and deserted, and sometimes it is noisy and crowded. Bicycles chase past his feet.

The shoes and trouser legs in the scene are also changing back and forth. When the camera rises again, the tireless chirping of cicadas reaches Yamami Maki's ears.

It was an afternoon with such intense sunlight that it looked like an overexposed photograph. Hikaru Kashiwabara unknowingly walked to a riverbank.

He was very familiar with this river; his high school was on the other side, and many things had happened along its banks.

The screen started flickering rapidly—

The separation from Konno An, Fujii Kaede's rejected confession, the "white line flow" of graduates every year, and the unexpected encounter with Matsu Yuko's skirt while he was strolling alone on the shore one day...

After a jumble of memories flashed by, what appeared before me was once again this river, futilely shimmering in the summer sun.

It seems like nothing has changed.

The camera remained still for a few seconds, quietly filming the man's arm leaning against the railing and the flowing river in front of him.

The cicadas were chirping incessantly.

Hikaru Kashiwabara lowered his head.

The End.

"..." Yamami Maki took a deep breath and looked at the frozen image on the screen.

She almost became that kind of person, an adult numb to emotions.

Like simulating your future self, all the excitement, joy, and tears of your youth, and all the shining roles in your life, are gone forever.

"how do you feel?"

A familiar male voice rang in my ears, clean yet slightly immature.

Yamami Maki raised her head and wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye.

"It's a great film," she said with a smile.

"However, I will absolutely not let Jun-kun become like that."

Chapter 742 You also like Jun Matsueda?

October 20th, Monday.

October has officially entered its latter half, and the highest temperature in Mitaka City has dropped below 20 degrees Celsius. Today, the students at Haneoka High School are discussing two pieces of news—

The first was that the brass band won the gold medal at the national competition.

Two gold medals in three years is certainly a very good achievement for the Haneoka High School Wind Ensemble, which is not a long-established powerhouse.

However, Tomatsu Yuka, the former club president, was brought up again by some people for commentary, who said that although she was very capable, she lacked leadership skills, which was why the previous brass band was eliminated in the Gold Division.

This claim was disproven after the current minister thanked Tomatsu-senpai for her guidance via social media post, but Tomatsu-yuka didn't really care anyway.

Because she's busy dating.

After the bell rang to signal the end of the fourth period in the morning, Tomatsu Yuka stretched and took out a beautifully packaged bento box from her schoolbag.

"Chun-kun~" She gestured towards the boy sitting next to her.

This is a bento box made by the girl herself; she carefully cooked it this morning.

Tomatsu Yuka blinked, her soft, brown eyes carrying a hint of allure.

Yesterday, she went to get a treatment with her mother and didn't get to be affectionate with Tsun-kun. As a child who gets unhappy if she can't have candy, she needs to find a chance to taste something sweet first.

Jun Matsue closed his book and nodded. He got up and picked up his coat, which was hanging on the back of his chair.

"wait for me."

The girl watched him walk toward the other side of the back row with a smile.

The boy stopped by the window. Mochizuki Haruka sat upright in her seat and took out a rather high-end-looking metal lunchbox from the drawer without looking to the side.

"Mochizuki brought a bento too?" he asked in surprise.

The girl didn't answer, but simply raised her delicate face and blinked, as if to say, "What brings you here?"

Jun Matsue raised her hand and closed the window next to her, which was letting in a cold draft.

"Have you seen the short film that Imokawa released?"

"She filmed it quite well, and Kurusu also shared it for her, so the number of views is now close to 100,000."

"Even though there's no cast list or anything, is it okay if you and your aunt are in it?"

Mochizuki Haruka placed the lunchbox on the table and pressed one hand against the cat paw sticker on the lid.

"Didn't you ask that before?"

The boy smiled and asked, "What about your aunt?"

She even regretted not being on camera... The girl pursed her lips.

"This is none of your business." She looked at Tomatsu Yuka, who was smiling behind the boy.

"Songzhi should go and be all lovey-dovey with someone else."

Jun Matsuoka looked into her indifferent eyes, but his expression remained warm.

"I put the box of ice cream that Mochizuki hadn't finished into the freezer."

"I was thinking of eating it when you come back."

"..." The girl blinked.

She turned around and opened her lunchbox a crack, indicating that someone could leave.

The boy put on the jacket he was holding. "It's getting cold. Even if it's just to provide energy for my body, Wangyue needs to eat more."

He turned and walked away, leaving the classroom with Tomatsu Yuka. Students passing by the back door in the corridor immediately called out to the two of them in surprise.

"Songzhi! I saw the short video you made yesterday!"

"I saw it too! Yuka looks great in photos!"

Holding her bento box ready to open, Mochizuki Haruka turned her head to watch Matsueda Jun walk out of the classroom, then reached out her right hand and gently closed the door behind her.

"..."

The noise in the corridor suddenly became muffled, and the girl hummed, a sound only she could hear.

The second piece of news that Haneoka High School students are discussing today is the short video that Natsumi Imokawa released on Saturday morning.

Over the course of a weekend, thanks to Yosei Kurusu's reposts and enthusiastic praise, "White Line Flow" has spread among the students of Haneoka High School, even though it's not yet a huge hit online.

With the most eye-catching boys and girls in the school, coupled with the director's free-flowing script and skills, this short film has become an unavoidable topic of conversation during breaks at school.

Even today, while sitting in the classroom, Mochizuki Haruka could feel the curious gazes fixed on her seat—the last time she felt such undisguised and bold gossip was when she first entered school.

As the girl composed herself and opened her lunchbox, Hane Rion, who was sitting in the front row, walked over.

"Should we bring lunch for Mochizuki-chan today too?"

When the cheerful, hot girl saw the lunchbox on the table, she was just as surprised as the boy had been earlier.

"Mochizuki brought a bento?!"

"Isn't bringing your own lunchbox a normal thing?" Mochizuki Haruka looked up and rolled her eyes at her.

"But you've never brought one before..." Rion muttered softly.

"Then I don't need to bring you lunch?"

"Thank you, but not today."

The girl glanced inside the lunchbox; it contained neatly arranged sandwiches that looked very substantial.

"Then I'll go?" Her tone was a little disappointed.

Mochizuki thought for a moment, "Could you bring me a pudding when you come back, if they still have any in the cafeteria?"

"Okay!" Spicy Girl's expression brightened again. "See you later~"

See you later.

The girl skipped away, and the seat by the window finally quieted down. Mochizuki Haruka picked up a sandwich from the box.

This is an avocado, salmon, and cheese sandwich she brought from home. It's a large portion, and after being cut into pieces, it filled the entire bento box.

The plump, grilled salmon seems to overflow from the bread, paired with melted cheese and tender green avocado puree, making it incredibly appetizing.

But faced with such a tempting sandwich, Mochizuki Haruka sighed slightly.

This was made by her aunt before she left home this morning, as a way of showing her care.

As for why we should express concern...