Am I being simulated by their love affair?

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Being with him includes not only dating time, but also time spent apart—

"While waiting for him, while chatting with him on the phone, while walking towards him..."

"Even just thinking about him."

“These are all the parts of being with him, including arguments, suspicions, and neglect.”

The girl slowed her pace and began to think seriously.

When I was with the pine branches.

While sitting in the coffee shop waiting for pine branches.

When you're chatting with him on your phone, when you see him in a crowd, or when he notices you.

Countless times when I inexplicably think of him.

The initial elation and excitement made my heart pound uncontrollably in my chest.

The subsequent anticipation and nervousness, the disappointment of finding oneself unnoticed, and the emptiness in one's heart.

Just like her love for photography—before she knew it, the existence of "Matsueda Jun" seemed to have taken over her life.

"..."

The girl walked to the stairwell, facing the window of the corridor camera, and raised the milk tea in her hand.

As dusk approached, the golden sunlight streaming through the window pierced the tea packaging, casting a novel and dreamlike glow in her eyes.

Natsumi Imokawa blinked, muttering to herself as if waking from a dream.

"So this is what liking someone is like."

Chapter 731 Springtime Blossoms, Autumn Sunshine

The second Monday of October is Sports Day in Japan, a public holiday. Therefore, Jun Matsue saw Natsumi Imokawa a day later than usual.

It was during the second period of physical education class on Tuesday. When he walked onto the playground alone, he unexpectedly spotted the girl on the track.

Physical education classes for third-year students have basically turned into various free activities. Boys play basketball or baseball, while girls mostly stay in the gym playing light and easy badminton.

Aside from warming up, few people enjoy running, a boring sport, let alone girls who hate sweating.

So only Natsumi Imokawa was on the track. The girl wasn't running fast, and Jun Matsueda quickly got close to her from behind, hearing her cute panting.

"Imokawa." The boy didn't go past her, but called out in a normal tone.

The girl's shoulders trembled. She turned around, her clean, innocent eyes widening in surprise.

Like a startled rabbit, Natsumi Imokawa quickened her pace instinctively. Her body was clearly not prepared—the girl stumbled, but fortunately, someone grabbed her arm before she fell.

"Are you alright?" The two stopped, and Jun Matsue's tone was apologetic. "I didn't mean to scare you."

The warmth of the boy's hand, seeping through her tracksuit jacket, encircled her arm, and Natsumi Imokawa felt her cheeks begin to heat up.

"I'm fine." She looked at the boy's loosened hand. "I just didn't expect Songzhi to suddenly appear behind me..."

Fortunately, the girl's face was already flushed from exercising, so it didn't attract the attention of those around her.

She started running again, with Jun Matsue following beside her. The two of them ran side by side on adjacent tracks, neither too close nor too far apart.

After watching the girl's steps to make sure she hadn't sprained her ankle, the boy spoke with relief.

"Why did Imokawa decide to go for a run? I remember you didn't really like it."

“…” Natsumi Imokawa nodded at the track ahead. “Mom said I haven’t been exercising enough lately because I’ve been preparing for exams, so she told me to go for a run whenever I have time.”

She glanced at the boy's face out of the corner of her eye, then smoothed her swaying bangs with her left hand.

"I wonder if the wind has messed up my hair..." the girl thought nervously, noting that she didn't look very good while exercising.

"Speaking of which," Matsueda Jun looked at her blushing profile, "how did Imokawa do on the exam? He should be fine, right?"

Actually, he had asked Imokawa on his phone the evening before last, but for some reason, the girl didn't reply to him for several hours.

It was still just a vague "hmm"...

"I feel pretty good. I performed quite well and was able to answer all the questions."

Natsumi Imokawa slowed her pace as she recalled the interviewer's words.

So it turns out I like pine branches...

The girl's gaze secretly shifted to the boy's profile—his long, thick eyelashes when he blinked, his thin lips when he exhaled, and the muscle definition that appeared when he swung his arms...

The autumn sunlight, like crumpled transparent cellophane, casts delicate shimmers of light on the contours of his face, gradually captivating the viewer and making it impossible to look away.

She hurriedly looked away before the boy turned his face away.

"So when will the results be out? You didn't tell me on Sunday."

"It should take about ten days. Last year, the exam was on the 26th, and the results came out on the 4th..."

Imokawa Natsumi hesitated for a moment, "Um, I'm sorry, I went to have dinner with my parents after the exam and didn't pay attention to Matsue's news."

As they entered the bend, the distance between them shortened slightly, and Jun Matsue waved his hand dismissively.

"It's alright, it's good that Imokawa didn't run into any trouble."

He looked at the wide, deserted straight road ahead and said, "Shall I go warm up with a few laps?"

"Okay." The girl nodded, her voice soft and sweet.

So the boy took long strides and increased the amplitude of his arm swings, quickly leaving the girl behind.

Natsumi Imokawa finally relaxed. She let out a soft breath and watched the boy's tall figure shrink little by little under the clear sky, which resembled a lake, as he ran towards the next bend.

She didn't forget about Songzhi the night before last because she was having dinner with her parents; she was just at a loss after suddenly realizing the true nature of her feelings.

That evening, the girl took a bath early, pulled her mother back to her room, and confessed that she seemed to like Jun Matsueda.

However, to her surprise, her mother, sitting by the bed, didn't seem surprised at all; she just smiled easily.

"How did Xia Shi suddenly become so insightful?"

The girl hugged her mother's arm and told her about what happened during the job interview.

"I see..." The woman nodded gently.

"So what does Natsumi plan to do? Should she hurry up and tell Matsueda-kun 'I like you'?"

"..." Natsumi Imokawa's mind was in complete turmoil.

"But Songzhi is already dating someone else."

“And not just one…” she added softly.

This time, a look of surprise finally appeared on her mother's face—Imokawa Remi raised an eyebrow and thought for a moment while looking at her daughter.

"Xia Shi, wait for me." She got up and went out to consult her husband next door.

A few minutes later, the woman returned to the room, sat down in her usual spot by the bed, and took her daughter's hand.

"Just do whatever Xia Shi thinks of. Your happiness is the most important thing."

"If one day you truly want to be with Matsueda-kun forever, and want to spend the rest of your life with him—"

She gently patted the girl's thigh.

"Then your parents will work with you to figure out what to do."

The Imokawa couple didn't take it that seriously—after all, they were professionals in the arts and had seen far more chaotic things than this.

Their daughter is so young; she has a long life ahead of her. Besides, they don't think Matsueda Jun is the kind of scumbag who would deceive them—they've known each other for so long, and if the guy had such intentions, the girl wouldn't have only realized her feelings today.

So let nature take its course, that's the final decision the Imokawa family made.

The boy's agile figure swept past her once again, and Natsumi Imokawa on the track snapped out of her daze and subconsciously called out to him.

"Pine branches!"

Jun Matsue turned around and slowed his pace, waiting for the girl to walk alongside him.

"What's wrong?" he asked, panting.

"Um, didn't we agree to go out and have fun together after my exams?" Natsumi Imokawa's voice trembled slightly, filled with nervousness and anticipation.

"Is Songzhi free this Saturday?"

The girl couldn't keep things to herself, and now that she had realized she liked him, she definitely wanted to tell Matsue as soon as possible.

However, it can't be at school, because Matsueda Jun is always occupied by Tomatsu and Mochizuki at school. Since she's going to confess, she definitely wants to create some time alone for the two of them.

Just like all the romance movies she's watched.

"Saturday..." the boy thought for a moment, "It should be fine, we can leave after school?"

"Okay!" The girl nodded vigorously. "I haven't decided where to go yet. I'll let you know when the time comes."

"also."

Jun Matsuoka followed beside her, and the two began to stroll slowly, letting the cool autumn wind carry away their body heat.

"Imokawa is free now, right?" He looked at the girl beside him. "As long as you graduate smoothly, you can get into Tokyo University of the Arts?"

Even under her sportswear jacket, Natsumi Imokawa's upper body still showed off its graceful curves. She had just finished exercising, and her chest was still rising and falling significantly with her breathing, forcing the boy to look away.

"I haven't received the qualification notice yet!" the girl said, crossing her arms.

“Could Imokawa really fail the exam?” Jun Matsue smiled. “That would be a huge shock to me.”

“I’m not some kind of genius…” Natsumi Imokawa’s face turned red again.

The school bell rang in the distance, out of place. The boy walked off the track, and the girl jogged after him.

"Songzhi, there's something else!"

"What is it?" Jun Matsuoka turned his head to the side.

"I want to post that short video we filmed together online."

The boy blinked. "Will it be okay to post it?"

"I asked the examiners, and they said it's okay." The girl's white sneakers stepped onto a lone fallen leaf by the roadside.

"So I'd like to ask what you actors think. If you don't mind, I'll upload the short film."

"Let me think—me, Tomatsu, Mochizuki, Kurusu, and my aunt, right?"

"Hmm! Miss Hua's face isn't shown in the film, so it shouldn't matter."

"..." Jun Matsuoka looked at the crowd walking out of the stadium in the distance.

He could see Tomatsu Yuka and Mochizuki Haruka from afar; they were each surrounded by girls they were close to, like two kings.

"Then I'll go ask them."

"Is it okay?" Natsumi Imokawa blinked; she had originally intended to ask herself.

The boy waved his hand, "It's not very convenient for you to be in the next class either."

Moreover, this would give him another reason to get Mochizuki to speak.

"Then I'll leave it to Songzhi."

Look at Jun Matsue's profile as he gazes into the distance; the girl's cheeks are slightly puffed out.

Even though she's right next to him, Songzhi is already thinking about someone else again!

Natsumi Imokawa couldn't help but grab his arm—though she immediately let go, the boy, caught off guard, still turned to look at her.

"Don't just stand there, Pine Branch." The girl looked innocent. "Remember to tell me as soon as you get their permission, okay?"

The boy's touch was just as she had imagined: firm, taut muscles that left a vivid impression on her mind, even after just a brief touch.

“…I understand.” Jun Matsue stared at her face for a while, then looked away.

Imokawa seems a bit strange today. He was startled when we first met, but now he's acting all carefree.

Is it because you've just finished the exam and are no longer under pressure, so you're letting loose a bit?

As the boy and girl walked out of the playground and naturally parted ways in the crowd, the boy temporarily put aside his doubts and met up with Tomatsu Yuka, who was walking towards him. The two then entered the school building together.

"Does Yuka remember the short film that Imokawa shot before?" he asked the girl next to him as they went up the stairs.

"...The one we filmed all summer?" Tomatsu Yuka recalled, leaning on the stairs.