Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 471

It seems that Imokawa's mind isn't set on romantic relationships...

A warm, weighty body pressed against his shoulder. Jun Matsue turned his head to the side, and Tomomi Tomatsu, who was resting with her eyes closed, smiled faintly. He adjusted his position to make the girl more comfortable.

Amidst the girls' barely suppressed excitement and chatter, the Haneoka High School bus quickly pulled up in front of the Suginami Public Hall near Ogikubo Station.

As an outsider and a senior, Matsueda Jun naturally let the junior with the instrument get off the car first. He poked the girl's cheek on his shoulder and then looked out the car window at the Suginami Public Hall.

The cubic building has a regular shape, and the extensive use of glass exterior walls gives it a simple yet grand impression—although the boys thought it looked somewhat like an open transparent cardboard box.

Several girls who got off the bus first took out golden musical instruments from their backpacks and walked into the hall, like shiny gold coins being stuffed into the coin slot of a giant machine.

"We've arrived?" Tomatsu Yuka sat up groggily and rubbed her eyes.

"I think I really fell asleep..."

"It'll only be about ten minutes." Jun Matsue tidied her disheveled hair. "It's time to get off the bus."

The two got off the school bus one after the other. The girl stopped and glanced at the messages on her phone.

"They went in to prepare first. Yuna-chan said we could find a place to have lunch first, and then enter the venue with the audience at 1:40."

The boy leaned closer to her and glanced at the time; it was almost one o'clock.

"Let's eat first then."

He looked around; the guild hall was located in the neighborhood near the station, so finding something to eat wouldn't be difficult.

"By the way, what about the members' lunch?"

"It's not good to eat too much before a performance, so Mr. Guangnei will probably go to the convenience store to buy them something to eat."

"Let's go." Tomatsu Yuka took the boy's arm.

"I haven't done any research on the restaurants around here, I'll have to explore them in person~"

Following the girl toward the shopping street near the station, Jun Matsueda took out his phone, which had vibrated twice, from his pocket.

It was a message from Yamami Maki.

"I just finished lunch at the school cafeteria and am getting ready to leave now."

The boy blinked. "Does the senior also have classes on Saturdays?"

"I didn't have any classes, but I spent the morning helping the teacher collect materials for acting."

Jun Matsue scrolled through the chat history; he hadn't checked the messages much at school that morning.

The senior student is still reporting on her daily life, but she didn't post any pictures today, which is different from before.

He guessed that she was indeed a little nervous.

Noticing the boy's silence, Tomatsu Yuka, who was searching for a restaurant on her phone's map, looked up.

"Is Jun-kun chatting with someone?"

“It was sent by my senior,” Jun Matsue typed on his phone. “She said she’s leaving soon.”

"..." The girl glanced at him, then restrained herself and looked away, shaking his arm.

"I saw a pretty good Italian restaurant nearby, how about we go get some pizza?"

"The pizza shouldn't be too bad, and it's also quite convenient and quick."

Jun Matsue quickly sent the text in the chat box and put down his phone.

"No problem." He rubbed his stomach. "I do feel a bit hungry and want to eat a pizza with meat."

Tomatsu Tomatsu nodded. "The mushroom and ham pizza and the tuna pizza at that place seem pretty good!"

"Then we'd better hurry up." The boy laughed. "The more Yuhua talks, the hungrier I feel."

The two, holding hands, quickened their pace, turned left at the next intersection, and headed towards the Italian restaurant across the street.

Half an hour later, they sat in a booth by the restaurant window, licking the rich sauce off their lips with satisfaction.

The girl picked up a wet wipe from the side and carefully wiped her left hand, which had just held the pizza.

"Are you full, Chun-kun? You can order some snacks if you're still hungry."

“No need.” Jun Matsue picked up the last slice of pizza from the plate. “The portion is quite generous; this slice will be just right.”

"The food here is really good, and I ate a little more than usual."

The girl rested her chin on her hand, watching her beloved eat with a smile. After he swallowed the last bite, she took out her phone to check the time.

"It's already past 1:30, shouldn't Yamami-senpai be here soon?"

Jun Matsue paused for a moment, then wiped his mouth with a tissue while taking out his phone.

"Let me take a look."

His pocket had vibrated twice while he was eating, but it wouldn't be appropriate to check messages while the girl was happily feeding him, so he didn't take out his phone.

Unlocking the screen and opening the chat window, Jun Matsueda looked up and, unsurprisingly, saw a message from his senior.

She said they would arrive at Ogikubo Station in a few minutes.

"Shall we go pick her up?" Tomatsu Yuka straightened her clothes. "We can go into the guild hall together."

The boy blinked but didn't say anything.

"What's wrong?" The girl tilted her head.

"It must be Yamami-senpai's first time here too. She's not very familiar with the current brass band, so it would be quite awkward for her to go in alone."

“…Yuka makes a good point.” Jun Matsue looked at her innocent face.

"But your attentiveness and initiative towards her makes me feel strange."

"I wasn't that proactive, was I?" Tomatsu Tomohana said casually. "I just thought about it casually."

"Is Chun-jun worried that I want to cause trouble for her?" She blinked her innocent eyes.

"Didn't you tell me that? Don't worry, I won't make things difficult for her, nor will I make things difficult for Chunjun."

"What's bothering me?" the boy typed on his phone.

“I’m not thinking about how to protect her, nor do I see you as an enemy.”

“I’m just afraid things will get too ugly—I really like how we are right now, so I’m going to be careful about anything that could affect it.”

“I also really enjoy the time I spend with Tsun-kun~” The girl nodded sweetly, seemingly pleased with his words.

"If I were a cunning venomous snake, the happiness I feel now in my relationship with Jun-kun has made me remove my fangs—even if I bite someone else, it shouldn't hurt much."

"Showing off your love isn't really being difficult, is it?" She stuck out her tongue, like a mischievous child.

"Just don't drag me into the bathroom in front of her..." Jun Matsue turned his phone over and waved it.

"The senior student said we don't need to pick her up, she has already gotten off the bus and will come directly here."

"So fast?" Tomatsu Yuka hurriedly pulled a small mirror out of her uniform bag.

"I was thinking of putting on some lip gloss or something..."

"Senior sister..." she pondered the boy's term of address in her mind.

Five minutes later, the doors of the simply and elegantly decorated restaurant were pushed open, and Maki Yami stopped at the entrance, carrying a small beige bag.

The girl's chest heaved slightly, as if she had been walking a little too fast.

"Senior Yamami—"

She turned her head, and the schoolgirl sitting by the window, holding onto the back of her chair, turned around and waved to her.

Yamami Maki took two deep breaths to calm her nervousness before stepping out and walking towards the booth by the window.

She walked up to the two people sitting by the window, first looking at the boy, and instinctively wanted to speak.

Then, realizing something, he turned to the smiling girl with a hint of panic.

Facing Tomatsu Yuka's gaze, she took another deep breath.

Yamami Maki raised the corners of her lips, revealing a calm, gentle, and friendly smile.

"Yuhua, it's been a long time."

Chapter 726 The Melody of Memories: Undercurrents

Inside the Italian restaurant near Ogikubo Station in Suginami Ward, the window-side booths were already empty.

The leisurely atmosphere of the boys and girls' lunchtime also faded away, and things became strange with the appearance of a third party.

"Please have a seat, Yamami-senpai," Tomatsu Yuka said with a smile.

"Ah, no need." Yami Maki stood outside the booth and waved her hands.

"It's almost time to enter."

"There's a 20-minute time limit for entry, there's no need to go in right away," the seated girl said with a smile. "Senior, why don't you sit down and rest for a bit?"

Jun Matsue stood up, and to prevent the two from arguing any further, he picked up his bag and walked behind his senior.

"Senior, please sit here."

“…Okay.” Yamami Maki slipped into the booth and sat down, holding down her skirt.

She placed her handbag on the seat next to her, faced the two people on the other side, put her hands on her lap, and sat up straight.

"Would you like something to drink, senior?" The boy pushed the menu on the clean table toward her. "The orange juice here is pretty good."

"Thank you, I had coffee at noon." The girl raised her hand and waved again. "I also have water in my bag."

Jun Matsueda blinked. Perhaps because Tomatsu was also present, the senior was much more reserved than when the two of them were in the rented apartment.

A brief silence fell over the booth. Yamami Maki's eyelashes trembled, and she placed her hands on the table, nervously clenching them together.

"Um, Yuka, is there something you want to say to me that you're looking at me like that?"

The boy turned his head to the side, and the girl sitting next to him was staring intently at her senior, even more so than when she had been watching him eat.

"It's nothing," Tomatsu Yuka smiled. "It's just that... you've really changed a lot."

Unlike herself, fresh out of school in her uniform, the senior sitting across from her was dressed in a sundress and a French-style puff-sleeved blouse, clearly having put a lot of thought into her outfit.

The pure black dress reached to the chest, with a close-fitting cut. The fabric, similar to a suit, had a smooth drape, and under the light, the even and delicate shadows at the folds could be seen.

Wearing only a slip dress would accentuate the curves of her chest and hips, so the girl carefully paired it with a mint green shirt.

The light green color is fresh and airy, and the neckline has a tie that hangs down, which flatters the full curve of the chest. The shirt has wide ruffles at the shoulders, which connect to the fluffy and light sleeves, adding a touch of youthful innocence to the fitted base dress.

She possesses both a mature, adult-like demeanor and a unique, fresh, and romantic charm... Tomatsu Yuka glanced down at her school uniform jacket, deliberately revealing a hint of longing in her words.

"You already have the air of a grown-up, no wonder you're a college student."

"Sir..." Yami Maki smiled somewhat awkwardly.

"I only recently started to feel like I've entered society and truly become an adult."

Her gaze moved silently, and Jun Matsue met her eye, before she lowered her gaze to the menu in front of her.

The girl didn't know how Mochizuki Haruka and Yuka viewed the system, but for her, if she hadn't seen the future shown by the system, she certainly wouldn't have changed so quickly and so resolutely.

However, she was more grateful to the boy sitting opposite her than to the system.

It was Jun Matsueda who was willing to turn the page on their past, which is why Maki Yami was able to muster the courage to sit here.

"Where did you come from, senior? It didn't take too long, did it?" Tomatsu Yuka continued to ask.

"I ate lunch at school and came right away." The girl checked her phone. "It'll take half an hour to get here, so the timing is perfect."

"Does the senior have class today?"

"...It's just working for the teacher." Yamami Maki blinked.

Yuka suddenly started calling her "senior sister" all the time, and the distance between them seemed to disappear instantly, which made her feel a little uncomfortable.

"I see..." Tomatsu Yuka placed her hands on the table and moved a little closer to her.

"I heard that you're living alone now?"

Yamami Maki then looked at the boy beside her, and Matsueda Jun nodded slightly, indicating with his eyes that he was the one who told Tomatsu.

"Yes." The girl nodded readily.

"Actually, I haven't been living at home for very long, and I'm still trying to adjust."