Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 472

Tomatsu Yuka covered her mouth in surprise, "I didn't expect that you would live alone, senpai."

Did your family find you a place to live?

"..." Yamami Maki's composed expression froze, and she pursed her lips.

"Let's stop here for now," the boy's voice interrupted between the two.

The girls turned their gazes toward him, and Jun Matsue pointed to the clock hanging on the restaurant wall.

"It's about time to go on stage. You guys should go check on the band before they go on, right?"

“That’s true.” Tomatsu Tomoka was the first to stand up, with a gentle smile.

"I'm going to pay the bill, Jun-kun, could you hold my bag for me?"

Seeing her turn and walk towards the counter, Yamami Maki breathed a sigh of relief. She took out a small bottle of mineral water from her bag, took a sip, and then stood up with the boy.

"Matsueda-kun." Gazing at the girl's back in the distance, she secretly moved a little closer to the boy.

"What does it mean that Yuka calls me 'senpai'?"

Matsueda Jun recalled the nickname he had just revealed, "...it definitely doesn't mean turning the page on the past."

"She's probably just calling you that because I'm telling her. Anyway, just be careful."

"Okay!" The girl nodded vigorously.

Before meeting Tomatsu Yuka again, she made many mental preparations. Since their first meeting didn't turn out awkward, the most difficult hurdle should be over.

That was what Yamami Maki initially thought, but after leaving the restaurant, she realized she was wrong—

The girls walked out of the restaurant first, and after the boy closed the door, Tomatsu Yuka, who was standing to the side, naturally took his arm.

She smiled happily and snuggled close to her lover's arm.

"It even smells like pizza!"

"Really?" Jun Matsue didn't care about the girl's intimate behavior; he was already used to it.

The boy patted his jacket and asked, "Even though they have an open kitchen, is the smell really that strong?"

"Maybe it's just my imagination." Tomatsu Yuka took a small spray bottle out of her uniform bag.

"Anyway, just spray some deodorizing spray and it'll be fine~"

Yamami Maki stood a short distance away from them. She watched as the two walked forward hand in hand, oblivious to everyone around them—the girl playfully spraying small pink sprays onto their clasped hands.

"..."

She looked at the uniform jackets and skirts of the boys and girls, and then at her own sundress and shirt.

A pure black slip dress paired with a mint green French shirt looks great; this is an outfit she spent a long time choosing in front of the full-length mirror when she left home that morning.

But walking alongside the sweet couple in their school uniforms, Yamami Maki could only feel how superfluous her carefully chosen outfit was—

Like an outsider.

Even if she were still wearing her high school uniform, could she have held a boy's hand tightly like the girl in front of her and walked openly down the street without caring that she might be recognized by someone she knew?

Her fingernails left deep marks on her palms.

"So you deserve it..."

Fortunately, the Italian restaurant and the Suginami Public Hall were only a few hundred meters apart, so Yamami Maki did not wallow in regret for too long, as the entrance to the concert hall was already in sight.

Seeing the two people in front of her let go, the girl breathed a sigh of relief.

"Do I need to buy a ticket for this show?" She unzipped her handbag.

"No need." Tomatsu Yuka turned her head away, pleased with her senior's silence on the way.

"This performance is a joint production by several nearby schools. No tickets or reservations are required. Yuqiu High School has its own seats, so we can just go sit there later."

"Before we officially enter, let's go visit our juniors!"

After walking halfway around the side hall, the three quickly found the bandleader standing guard at the entrance to the preparation room in the corridor. The girl with her hair tied in a ponytail held an oboe and waved her free right hand at them.

"Yuka-senpai, over here~"

As the girl, whose expression was both tense and excited, walked towards her, Yamami Maki's gaze softened even more—she remembered herself when she had tried her best to lead everyone forward.

"How are you feeling, Yuna-chan?" Tomatsu Yuka stopped in front of the girl. "Were you nervous? Everyone seems to be doing well, right?"

"It feels pretty good." Yuna smiled calmly. "We just secretly peeked at the venue, and it's about the same size as the Tokyo Metropolitan Conference venue, so we're not particularly nervous."

She looked at the girl who was half a body length behind Tomatsu Yuka, and her gaze became even brighter.

"This must be Senior Yamami!"

"Yes, that's right." Tomatsu Yuka smiled, making room for the upperclassman behind her. "We brought the Yamami-senpai you've been waiting for~"

"Hello." Yamami Maki smiled at her junior. "This year's club president is the oboe."

When facing younger generations who are not teenagers, she naturally rediscovers her calm, gentle, and powerful self.

"Yes!" Yuna nodded excitedly, holding her instrument.

"Hello, Yamami-senpai! I'm Yuna Oba, the captain of the brass band and principal oboe this year. It's nice to meet you!"

Looking at the elegant and gentle senior in front of her, dressed in a fresh and quiet manner, the girl's eyes sparkled with envy.

"As expected of Yamami-senpai, she's definitely different from us..."

"..." Yamami Maki blinked in confusion, caught off guard by her junior's fan-like attitude.

"Your senior is already a legendary figure among the girls at Haneoka High School," Jun Matsue explained to her, keeping a slight distance from the other girls.

"Student council vice president, class monitor, head of the brass band, led the members to bring back the national gold scroll that Haneoka High School had not won for many years."

"Entered Ochanomizu University with outstanding grades and delivered a speech as a representative of the graduates..."

"It's not surprising that girls idolize you."

“That’s right!” Yuna nodded in agreement.

"My goal is to become someone like Senior Yamami, who excels in both academics and sports, and can lead everyone forward!"

"If Yuna-chan says that, I'll get jealous~" Tomatsu Yuka, standing next to the boy, said with a smile.

"Huh?" Caught off guard, the junior blinked in a panic. "Yuka-senpai is also my role model."

"It's alright, it's alright~" the girl waved her hand generously, "I'm really not as good as Yamami-senpai."

"Besides being excellent in sports, my senior is also skilled in calligraphy, flower arrangement, and tea ceremony. The former head of the tea ceremony club often invited her over for exchanges."

"...I just studied a variety of subjects, which took me a bit more time." Yami Maki pursed her lips, revealing a faint, reserved smile.

Being praised like that didn't make her as happy as she had been when she first discovered she had gained a new fan.

After all, these were just the usual routes for the women of the Yamami family.

"How long until it's our school's turn to play?" Noticing the senior's sudden drop in mood, Jun Matsue quickly changed the subject.

The young woman, who was in charge of the department, glanced at the time. "We're the second one, it should only take about ten minutes."

"Is it convenient for us to go to the preparation room now?"

She hesitated for a moment, "Should we wait until after the performance?"

"We wanted to practice one more time before going on stage, but we don't have that much time now."

"Then let's wait until the performance is over, and we'll listen attentively from the audience." Tomatsu Yuka took the boy's hand.

Keep it up!

"I definitely will!" Yuna clenched her fist with great enthusiasm. "Please look forward to it, seniors!"

Watching the girl walk quickly back to the preparation room, the three people in the corridor remained silent for a moment before turning around and walking towards the concert hall in tacit agreement.

With three minutes to go before the performance officially began, the boys and girls found Yuuka High's seat in the back row of the grand hall.

Tomatsu Yuka was the first to sit down, and patted the seat next to her to the boy.

Let's sit here.

Jun Matsueda glanced at her. Tomatsu was sitting in the very edge, which meant he was to sit among the girls.

"Is it okay for you to sit like this, senior?" Tomatsu Yuka leaned forward and looked at the girl standing on the other side of the boy.

“I’m fine with anything.” Yamami Maki nodded.

So the three of them sat down, and just then the lights in the concert hall dimmed, silently reminding the audience that the performance was about to begin.

Before Jun Matsueda could adjust his posture, he felt a warm, soft touch on both armrests at the same time, and his movements stopped abruptly.

The girl on the left naturally clasped his hands together, while the girl on the right, like a startled bird, immediately let her small hands fly away.

The boy turned his face to the side, and in the deepening gloom, the blush on Yamami Maki's face was not real.

Without making a sound, Jun Matsueda lowered his right hand from the armrest and looked toward the stage from which the sound was coming.

The first group on the program, Metropolitan West High School, has already taken the stage. The boys and girls in their school uniforms move quietly on the hazy stage, with only the instruments in their hands flashing like twinkling stars in the night sky.

The stage quickly fell silent again, and the lights came on once more, focusing on the main characters on stage.

"..." Matsueda Jun was momentarily dazed.

Besides the prominent conductor's seat, two girls standing in front of their companions on the stage were particularly eye-catching—judging from the instruments in their hands, they should be the principal oboist and flute players, respectively.

They all had smooth, black hair, dignified faces, and a calm and confident demeanor...

The conductor turned to acknowledge the applause, and after a brief round of applause, the performance officially began.

As the two outstanding and radiant principals played the sweet and melodious prelude, Jun Matsue couldn't help but look at the girls sitting on either side of him.

To his surprise, Tomatsu Tomoka and Yamami Maki's eyes held a shared sense of nostalgia.

They, too, once played the same melody intimately.

Chapter 727 She's changed, she hasn't changed

Half an hour later, the final melody of "Grandeur" fell on the floor of the grand hall like the sound of hurried, flamboyant footsteps.

Sitting in the audience, Jun Matsueda raised his arm and applauded his juniors who were putting down their instruments and bowing on stage.

"How are you feeling?" he asked the person next to him in a low voice.

Tomatsu Tomoka and Yamami Maki spoke at the same time, giving completely different answers.

"It's a bit difficult."

"That's great!"

Upon hearing the other's reply, the two exchanged a glance across the boy's face before quickly looking away.

Jun Matsue laughed and pointed in the direction of the exit.

"Let's find the main force first, we'll talk about it on the way."

They quietly left the concert hall before the next school's team went on stage, closing the heavy door behind them, leaving only the three of them in the empty corridor.

"Where are they now?" the boy broke the silence.

"...Yuna told us to go to the preparation room we were in before." Tomatsu Yuka took out her phone. "They were blocked by the line behind them in the backstage passage."

Yamami Maki let out a soft breath; after watching her juniors' performance, she seemed to have relaxed considerably.

"Let's go over there first."

The soft carpet in the corridor masked the sound of their footsteps. Jun Matsue glanced at the girls around him out of the corner of his eye—they seemed to still be immersed in the melody of the brass band, lost in thought.

"I feel like the brass band is pretty strong this year," he said, taking the initiative to speak.

"Indeed," the girls said in unison this time.

Yamami Maki blinked and looked at the girl who was closer to the boy.

"...Didn't Yuka say it was a bit difficult?"

“After all, there are only a handful of gold medals in the whole country.” Tomatsu Yuka turned her head and smiled at her.

"The brass section was actually quite good this year. Although there weren't any particularly strong sections or solos, the teamwork and emotional engagement were excellent."

"But how should I put it..." she thought for a moment.

"Flawless doesn't equate to outstanding. They are certainly qualified to enter the national competition, but whether they can impress the judges is another matter."