Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 464

"What about the brass band? Hasn't the senior been playing the clarinet anymore?"

As he couldn't help but speak, he recalled the bedroom he had just left—there was no trace of the instrument case in the fairly large space, unless the girl had put it in the closet.

Yamami Maki shook her head gently once more, and the room fell silent.

Even with the sealing strips reinforcing the room, the pattering rain still seeped in, greatly enhancing the quiet atmosphere.

Jun Matsue looked at the girl sitting on the side of the low table. This time, he didn't care about maintaining a certain distance.

Has the gentle, considerate, lively, and proactive Yami Maki in front of him lost her former poise and brilliance at school?

Perhaps it was because the senior always presented herself to him in a way that was unchanged, or even better, that the boy almost forgot about her previous dull and lackluster appearance.

When I first met her by chance in front of Kasuga Station, I saw her from afar, looking so thin.

She was there in the conference room of YM Entertainment, looking lost and pitiful.

Jun Matsue realized once again that it wasn't just him who was completely changed by that breakup, but also Maki Yami, who was now silently facing the barley tea.

They are all losers.

"...Why isn't Matsueda-san saying anything?" The girl looked up while holding her barley tea.

"Don't be sad for me or anything," she waved her hand, her face still bearing a peaceful smile. "It was my own choice to have this kind of university life."

"As I said before, my family required me to join the student council in high school."

"My parents chose the clarinet for me because they thought I had the most talent in it."

"I'm not unhappy about letting go of these things."

"Who was so sentimental when they left the student council?" Jun Matsueda couldn't help but bring up his buried past to refute.

"When the brass band won the national gold medal, who was so happy that their face turned red? Who told me that they were the one in the brass band who most wanted the national gold medal?"

"Haha..." Yamami Maki laughed awkwardly, "At first, I didn't exactly like her, but I didn't really dislike her either."

"After spending so much time and energy on these things, of course I'll start to care about them—that's what you call sunk costs!"

The girl blinked, and the sunk costs she had invested the most in were all in the boy in front of her.

"In short, I'm quite satisfied with my university life right now, so Songzhi doesn't need to worry too much~"

"...Well, you know what you're doing." The boy sighed inwardly.

That's what makes this senior student stand out.

If it were Tomatsu, she would definitely take this opportunity to win his favor, and if it were Mochizuki, she would vent her grievances to him.

But the senior student would just smile and say that she was fine and there was no need to worry.

Yamami Maki tilted her head back slightly and took a big gulp of barley tea, as if she were drinking alcohol.

She picked up a tissue from the table and wiped the water stains from her lips. "Don't just talk about me."

"Is Matsueda-san's conquest plan... progressing smoothly?"

Jun Matsue blinked unexpectedly, not even noticing the diminishing sound of rain in the room.

He also picked up his barley tea and took a sip. "We're working hard to get it going."

"Aren't there any difficulties?" the girl asked curiously.

If Mochizuki Haruka and Yuka were so difficult to deal with in the simulated dream, she wouldn't really believe there weren't any challenges.

“…Of course there are.” The boy looked away from her—he was still a little uncomfortable talking about these topics with his senior.

"Mochizuki is currently giving me the cold shoulder."

"It's not just a minor tantrum, it's a real cold war."

Jun Matsueda picked up his phone and glanced at it. "A message from an hour ago, still unread."

"An hour isn't that long..." Yami Maki thought to herself, but when she spoke, she said something completely different.

"That does seem a bit cold. What's the reason for that?"

"I told her my feelings." The boy gripped his teacup tightly and gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"If Mochizuki's behavior is just passive-aggressive, then it's already considered gentle."

“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it,” Yami Maki said without hesitation.

"After all, what Matsueda is doing now is essentially juggling multiple relationships, so it's normal that they don't understand."

"But you won't waver just like that, right?"

Jun Matsue nodded.

"Then there's nothing to hesitate about!" The girl moved closer to him. "Just keep giving Mochizuki Haruka the cold shoulder."

"...Will the Cold War continue to this day?"

The boy's face showed an unusual look of hesitation, and Yamami Maki stretched out her hands and placed them around the table beside his teacup.

"Yes, this is the simplest and most direct method."

"Make Mochizuki Haruka realize that she needs you more than you need her, and this problem will be easily solved."

The girl's expression was remarkably firm—she and Mochizuki Haruka had a long history of conflict, so she certainly wouldn't suggest any gentle or roundabout methods.

The living room fell silent again. Jun Matsue breathed silently and picked up the teacup that was being held by his senior's hands.

"I understand." The boy gulped down the rest of his barley tea and put the glass aside.

"Thank you for telling me all this, senior." He stood up and looked out the window.

"The rain has lessened, I have to go back now."

“…Okay.” Yamami Maki smiled, stood up and walked towards the entrance.

"I have some waterproof shoe covers here, Songzhi, please wear them."

Picking up an umbrella and pushing open the door, Jun Matsue turned to look at the girl guarding the entrance.

"I'm leaving now. Remember to contact me if anything unexpected happens tomorrow."

"Okay~" Yami Maki smiled and waved gently at him.

"Take care on your journey, Pine Branch. See you next time."

Nodding slightly, the boy closed the door with the girl in the room, holding an umbrella and looking out at the misty rain outside the corridor.

Will the Cold War continue in the end, an eye for an eye...?

He stepped downstairs, opened his umbrella, and walked into the low-hanging, gloomy sky.

Chapter 720 Danger often arises from within.

When Jun Matsuoka woke up the next morning, the first thing he heard was the crackling sound from behind the tightly drawn curtains.

"..." The lingering sleepiness quickly dissipated. He put on his clothes, walked to his desk, and drew back the curtains.

Outside, everything was gray and murky. The rain, like grains of sand, pelted the window in front of me, obscuring the original color of the glass and making a dense, rapid, and crisp sound.

The boy subconsciously took a step back, watching the hazy light and shadow fall on the desk, flickering and changing rapidly, like the screen of a malfunctioning old television.

"Should we move the table?"

After clearing everything off his desk, Jun Matsue picked up his phone and walked out of the bedroom—the living room was unusually dimly lit, making it impossible to tell that it was 7:30 in the morning.

He pressed the switch on the wall, and the sudden light made the boy squint. He walked to the balcony where the sound of rain was coming from and pulled back a corner of the curtain.

Sharp splashes of water erupted on the balcony floor tiles, but thankfully the drain was working properly and no water flooded into the living room.

After walking around all the doors and windows of the apartment to make sure everything was alright, the boy returned to the hallway and opened the door next to his bedroom.

The handwritten "Kurasu Yosei" sign on the thin wooden door swayed, and Matsueda Jun leaned inside first.

In the pitch-black room, he could barely make out the outlines of objects, and he quietly began to walk.

The girl was lying in bed, comfortably covered with a blanket. Her peaceful, soft breathing was muffled by the sound of rain tapping on the window, indicating that she was sleeping soundly.

Walking to the tightly drawn curtains, and after confirming that the torrential rain outside wouldn't disturb Laiqi's sweet dreams, the boy returned the way he came and carefully closed the bedroom door without making a sound.

After finishing all this, Jun Matsue yawned and went into the bathroom to get back to his daily routine.

Three minutes later, when the toothbrush cup, still wet with water droplets, was put back in its place, the phone on the table next to it lit up and vibrated silently for a moment.

After glancing at the pale yellow parrot that popped up at the top of the screen, Jun Matsue first wiped his face with a wet towel, then hung the towel back on the shelf with one hand and picked up his phone with the other.

Yamami Maki sent me a short video, which she filmed while standing in her bedroom.

In the first few seconds, the girl held her phone very low, and the screen showed water splashing on the ground outside the balcony door, bare feet in slippers, and the hem of a thin nightgown—it seemed she had just gotten up.

"Matsueda-kun, it's raining so hard outside!" The senior's voice came through the raised camera, which was pointed at the torrential rain outside.

The girl's words carried a hint of unease and obvious excitement. Jun Matsue opened the input box and walked towards the refrigerator in the corner of the living room.

"They should have entered the typhoon's typhoon circle. Is everything alright with my senior?"

"No problem!" Yamami Maki replied quickly. "The doors and windows didn't get wet or shake. Although the rain outside was a bit scary, I actually feel safer staying at home~"

"That's good."

"I'm going to wash up and prepare breakfast. Has Matsue-kun had breakfast yet?"

"Thinking about what to eat."

"How about something with soup?" the girl suggested, trying to think of a solution for him.

"Wouldn't a feeling of happiness arise spontaneously while sipping hot, thick soup and looking out the window at the typhoon-stricken sky?"

Jun Matsueda stood in front of the refrigerator and nodded. "A good suggestion."

No new messages popped up in the chat box; the senior student must have gone to wash up. The boy opened the refrigerator door and looked at the food he had prepared yesterday.

"Breakfast with soup...?"

Twenty minutes later, when Yosuke Kurusu stretched and walked out of the bedroom, he saw Jun Matsueda sitting at the dining table, holding a bowl and watching TV.

The sleepiness in the girl's eyes vanished instantly. She curled her lips into a smile and skipped towards the boy.

"Pine branch is up so early, is it secretly eating something good behind my back?"

"It's just miso soup with rice."

Jun Matsueda looked away from the television and watched as the idol walked up behind him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Wow..." Yosei Kurusu bent down to carefully examine the rice porridge in the boy's bowl in front of him.

Besides the basic miso soup ingredients of kelp, tofu, and bonito flakes, there were also white jade mushrooms and a soft-boiled omelet. The savory aroma rose along the rim of the bowl, awakening the taste buds of the girl who had just been staring blankly at the rain outside her bedroom window.

"I want some too!" she said, shaking the boy's shoulder.

Jun Matsue brushed aside the long pink hair that was hanging in front of his eyes to prevent it from falling into his breakfast.

"The miso soup is in the pot, the heat was just turned off not long ago. If it gets cold, you can reheat it. The rice is also placed next to it, ready for you to soak anytime."

The reason he chose rice porridge instead of noodles was so that even if Kurusu didn't know what time he would get up, he could still have the most delicious breakfast.

"Great!"

The girl behind him walked excitedly into the kitchen, while the boy picked up his phone from the dining table.

My senior sent me her breakfast: a slice of melted cheese and a slightly browned fried egg on top of freshly cooked instant noodles, looking incredibly tempting.

"It looks pretty good."

After sending a brief reply, Jun Matsueda put down his phone. Behind him, in the kitchen, Yosuke Kurusu hummed an unknown melody as he turned on the gas stove, waiting for the hot miso soup to be ready.

On the other side of the wall, a television was playing the morning news, and the host's bright voice reached their ears.

"Typhoon No. 19 entered the Kanto region early this morning. It is expected that the maximum rainfall intensity in Tokyo and surrounding areas will reach 60-80 mm, and the rainfall will continue for more than 24 hours."

"Residents of all areas are advised not to go out unnecessarily, to pay close attention to relevant information, and to take preventive measures..."

After breakfast, the wind and rain outside seemed to pick up again. Jun Matsue returned to his bedroom and sat down by the rattling window.

Yosei Kurusu poked his head in through the bedroom doorway. "Matsueda's going to study?"

"Learn for a bit first." He shifted his chair, "Then I'll write a song for you."

The girl blinked. "Won't the wind break this window and suck you out?"

"..." The boy turned around and glanced at her. "Is it really that exaggerated?"