Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 484

"Wow..." Natsumi Imokawa's eyes sparkled with curiosity and admiration.

"Keep weaving with pine branches, I want to take a picture of this!"

The boy thought for a moment, then picked up his crochet hook again, while the girl raised her camera and obediently made room for him.

Matsueda Jun changed into a half-finished hat and started sewing. Imokawa Natsumi silently approached, watching the clean and strong fingers in the lens pinching the stitches, the pale yellow cotton thread like a docile little snake, constantly flying and gathering.

So this is what a girly side of Songzhi is like... the girl thought to herself.

She had always been fascinated by the beautiful faces and bodies captured by male photographers, but this was the first time she had discovered the subtle charm of Jun Matsueda.

No, wait! There was also the time when Songzhi was wearing an apron and cooking for herself...

Looking at the large, slender hand on the camera screen, Natsumi Imokawa's throat bobbed. She remembered what her mother had said before—

"Looking at you, you'll definitely need to find a boy who can take care of you in the future!"

Indeed, pine branches are the perfect match for me...

"It's finished."

Jun Matsue loosened his crochet hook and showed the hat to the girl.

The rose-red woolen hat, which had already been trimmed with grass-colored lace, now has a string of letters added to the center of its forehead—

"Imokawa" is the pronunciation of "Imokawa".

"Wow..." Natsumi Imokawa took the hat and examined it closely.

"So beautiful!" She carefully rubbed her name with her fingertip.

This was woven by hand from pine branches...

“Weaving letters isn’t difficult.” The boy put the tools back in their place. “If Imokawa wants to learn, I can teach you later.”

"Shouldn't we be leaving soon?" He looked around. "There's nothing else worth seeing here."

"Oh..." The girl was still looking at the woolen hat in her hand, her expression somewhat reluctant.

"Can I take it with me?"

Ten minutes later, Natsumi Imokawa walked out of the bookstore, clutching the strap of her canvas bag, looking somewhat dejected.

"What do you mean, 'not for sale'..."

"It's okay," Jun Matsue comforted her. "I just took apart the knitted letters, since you've already taken pictures of them anyway."

“…That makes sense.” Natsumi Imokawa lowered her head to smooth out the wrinkles in her skirt, then took out her phone to look at her notes.

I came out today to confess my feelings to Songzhi, so I can't get my priorities wrong!

Cafes, bookstores, then vintage clothing stores and antique shops...

She looked up at the boy beside her.

"What did Songzhi think of the bookstore just now?"

The boy thought for a moment, "...Not bad."

The bookstore had a lot of interesting secondhand books, and a cup of coffee was only 350 yen—although he didn't buy anything, he still had to give it a thumbs up for the price.

"Does Songzhi like looking at specimens and other trinkets?" The girl's tone relaxed considerably. "How about we go to an antique shop next? That should be more interesting~"

However, Jun Matsue hesitated for a moment.

"I feel like Imokawa's acting a bit strange today," he finally said. "He keeps asking me if I like it, you never used to do this..."

After all, in the boy's mind, he was just accompanying Imokawa out as usual.

Is something the matter?

Two cheerful chirps of autumn birds came from above, and Natsumi Imokawa's heart tightened instantly, like a bird caught in a net.

Chapter 736 Imokawa-style Confession

"Imokawa, is something the matter?"

The streets of Koenji were bustling with people. Faced with the boy's question, Natsumi Imokawa felt the sunlight on her face begin to burn rapidly.

The girl didn't want to say "I like you" at this time, so even though she wasn't good at lying, she could only try to deceive Matsue first.

"Because we came out to play together." Her eyes blinked quickly, hurriedly searching for an excuse.

"This is my first time visiting Koenji Temple, and I'm worried that Matsue won't have much fun."

A car passed by at the intersection, and Jun Matsueda pulled the girl further inside.

"Then why did you choose Koenji today?" he continued. "I feel like your home is similar to this place, and the old lady's café we went to last time was even more interesting."

"Uh." Natsumi Imokawa was a little stumped.

"Also, I noticed you didn't take many photos today, and you seemed a bit distracted the whole time—Does Imokawa feel happy?"

"Of course I'm happy!" the girl quickly retorted.

"Then why did you still seem distracted this afternoon?" Jun Matsue stared into her eyes.

So you still have something on your mind?

Natsumi Imokawa lowered her head, stared at the half-covered shoe tips in silence for a while, then gripped her skirt and looked up at her.

"Because today's main task isn't filming!"

"Didn't I tell you before? I came out to play with Songzhi today!"

"I didn't have much experience hanging out with friends, so I asked Yumi-chan—she said I could come to Koenji, so I came!"

The girl's tone had a "what's the use" feel to it, which made it sound particularly convincing. Matsueda Jun blinked, looking somewhat surprised.

"...Is that so?"

The boy thought that this trip with Imokawa was no different from before—even when informing Tomatsu, he used the term "filming."

"Otherwise what!" Natsumi Imokawa glared at him, embarrassed and helpless.

The excuse the girl came up with on the spot was a bit weak, but the genuine feelings she showed were enough to fool the intuitive boy.

"That's good..." Jun Matsue breathed a sigh of relief.

He thought that after passing the selection, Imokawa would have plenty of time and energy and would start to develop romantic feelings.

"So, can we go to the antique shop now?" Natsumi Imokawa tugged at his sleeve.

After barely managing to get away with it, she was eager to change the subject.

"Let's not go." The boy stood there unmoved.

"...Huh?"

The girl turned around and blinked in surprise.

"These places were suggested to you by Yumi, right?" Jun Matsue glanced at the phone hidden behind her back.

“I can understand Imokawa’s concern for me as a friend, but I don’t really need it.”

He bent down slightly, bringing his gaze level with the girl's.

"I feel fine just going out with you like before, you don't need to think so much."

“…Oh.” Natsumi Imokawa nodded slightly.

She was quite happy to hear Songzhi say that.

"So forget about all that planning you did." The boy held up his palm and wiped it in front of her, as if he were erasing a blackboard.

"Forget all that nonsense, where does Imokawa most want to go right now?"

"..." Natsumi Imokawa stared at him blankly.

The girl's eyelashes were dark and thick, and they shimmered silently in the crystalline air.

"I want to go to Arakawa."

Fifty minutes later, a crow perched on the "Adachi Kodai" bus stop sign poked its head out and looked down at the boys and girls walking out of the station.

Stepping out of the east exit of the station, past the bus stop sign, I stopped at a small traffic light—unlike the crowded shopping streets of Koenji, across the street was a large expanse of green grass, showcasing the flat and spacious area.

Gazing at the golden band of light in the distance, Jun Matsue stretched and breathed in the fresh air of the riverbank.

He swung his arm and looked at the girl beside him.

"It's much more comfortable here than in Koenji."

Natsumi Imokawa clutched the backpack strap across her chest with one hand and smoothed her wind-blown hair with the other.

"But there's only the Arakawa River and grasslands here, I'm afraid it won't be very interesting..."

The crowd around her disappeared, and there were hardly any people on the road, only boys on bicycles speeding by—it felt like she had returned to the days when she and Songzhi strolled around casually, and the girl's mood was much more relaxed than before.

The green light came on, and the two started walking towards the riverbank.

"Then why does Imokawa still want to come here?"

"Because I want to move to Arakawa Ward for university." Natsumi Imokawa looked around, as if searching for a suitable apartment.

"It's relatively close to the East China University of the Arts, the rent isn't high, and it's near the river with nice scenery."

"So, you're here to get a taste of university life beforehand?"

"Ok!"

“No wonder.” The boy looked at her pink earlobes illuminated by the sunlight. “I thought you would want to go to Yoyogi Park or something—didn’t you go to Meiji Shrine last autumn?”

"I've seen it!" The girl waved her hand seriously.

"The ginkgo trees in Yoyogi Park and Jingu Gaien aren't very yellow yet, so it's not worth going!"

"Then let's take a walk along the river, chat, and take some photos," Jun Matsue said with a smile.

"Autumn is the perfect time for a walk."

"Okay~" The girl nodded in relief.

Arakawa, as its name suggests, is a somewhat desolate river—although located within Tokyo's 23 wards, it is not surrounded by tall, dense buildings. Its banks are lined with grassy slopes and walkways; only by standing on the shore and looking up can one see the Tokyo Tower and the city's layered, blocky buildings in the distance, like some kind of mirage.

However, on a clear autumn day, Arakawa appears just right—

The afternoon sun at 3:30 was as clear and cool as water, shining on the young men and women walking side by side on the shore.

A few loud, childlike shouts approached from a distance; it was middle school students playing a game on a riverside baseball field. Their white baseball caps were askew, casting no deep shadows on their faces.

The wind carried the scent of grass and earth. Jun Matsue squinted contentedly as he watched the girl beside him raise her camera and capture the dust kicked up on the court and the blurry figures of the athletes.

"The autumn in Arakawa seems quite nice." Natsumi Imokawa nodded in satisfaction.

The boy stretched out his arms towards the distant sky, and sunlight, tinged with a hazy golden hue, pierced through his outstretched fingers and fell onto the tips of the grass blades by the roadside.

"This is what autumn looks like..."

Continuing forward, she bought two bottles of chestnut milk from a vending machine by the roadside. Holding the beverage bottles, the girl looked at the grassy slope of the riverbank ahead.

The green slope is flat and soft, with a moderate angle of inclination. It floats with a layer of fine golden light under the sunlight, which is simply too tempting.

She turned her head. "Would you like to sit here and rest for a bit?"

Matsueda Jun naturally wouldn't object, and the two sat down in the middle of the grassy slope. He watched as the girl carefully gathered the hem of her skirt behind her legs to prevent the short blades of grass from pricking her delicate skin.

After carefully adjusting her posture, the girl placed her canvas bag and camera aside and obediently hugged her legs.

Just two meters away, the shimmering surface of the Arakawa River stretched out before me. A gentle breeze whispered in my ear, and the sound of bicycle chains on the shore drew near and then faded away behind me.

"So comfortable..." Natsumi Imokawa blinked, suppressing the urge to lean on the shoulder of the person next to her.

"This is the perfect time to come to the river." The boy's warm voice rang in her ears, as comforting as sunshine.

"If it were two months earlier, the grass we're sitting on now would be scorching hot, with mosquitoes flying around our heads and bugs crawling on our legs."

The girl laughed as boys wearing baseball caps walked over the grassy slope, the sound of baseballs being swung in the air.

"Is Imogawa on vacation now? The selection results are out, and as long as you graduate normally, you can get into Tokyo University of the Arts."

"Mmm." The girl nodded demurely, her eyes reflecting the shimmering light on the river's surface.

"But classes will still continue, just without worrying about grades."

"That's good too." Jun Matsue looked at the lush wild grass swaying in the wind on the opposite slope. "Have you figured out how to pass the time?"