Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 409

“Isn’t it nice to sleep here?” Natsumi Imokawa repeated.

"Look, it's already past eight o'clock, and sirens are sounding all over Tokyo. It's still raining so hard." The girl looked at the TV, which had been switched to a news program.

"The TV is saying that this torrential rain has broken Tokyo's historical record. Are you still going out?"

She patted the cushions on the sofa, as if she were patting the pillows on her bed.

"You can just sleep here with me~"

"..." Matsueda Jun glanced at the girl, then looked out the window on the other side. The sound of rain seemed to be aiding and abetting the evildoer, and instead became even louder.

Seemingly unable to find any reason to refute him, he took out his phone. The weather forecast showed that the heavy rain would continue for at least two more hours.

It'll be 10 o'clock by then...

"Can I sleep on this sofa?" the boy asked tentatively.

"Why are you sleeping on the sofa?" Natsumi Imokawa suddenly stood up. "The studio has guest rooms—Dad and his two assistants used to sleep here!"

"I'll go make your bed!" she said, running towards the end of the corridor.

Jun Matsue looked at the chat box on his phone; he still had to tell the girls.

Yosei Kurusu quickly replied. She didn't ask any further questions or object to the boy's decision. Jun Matsueda was relieved and reminded Miss Idol to close the windows tightly at home.

However, things didn't go so smoothly for Mochizuki Haruka; the girl called him again.

"Is Songzhi going to sleep outside tonight?"

"If the rain continues to be this heavy, I'll have to sleep here at the studio." Jun Matsue listened to the noise on her end. "Is Mochizuki still in the hospital? Did Auntie's medical results have problems?"

"No, it's just that the overseas medical team can't go back right now, so my aunt and I hosted a dinner at the hospital restaurant to treat them."

"So you're going to sleep with Natsumi Imokawa?" she asked immediately afterward.

"What do you mean by that?" Jun Matsue frowned at the heavy rain outside the window. "We are sleeping in two separate rooms."

“Oh…” Mochizuki Haruka drawled out, “Then Matsugi can stay at the studio for now.”

"Then how will you get back?" the boy asked, not forgetting to show his concern.

"It's fine for me to stay with my aunt. Since you're not going back to the apartment, there's no point in me going back."

The sound of a girl's footsteps came through the microphone. "If it doesn't work, I'll just sleep in the hospital."

"Remember to keep a close eye on Jinzhi and don't let it run away."

"I know~"

After hanging up the phone, Jun Matsue looked at the black cat avatar on the screen—Mochizuki was surprisingly calm this time.

"Pine branches—" The sound of the girl's slippers echoed back into the living room. "I've already made your bed~"

"Thank you." The boy turned on the living room light. "I'll go check on it later."

"I've put your new toothbrush and towel in the bathroom!" Natsumi Imokawa stood in front of him, hugging a pillow. "So, Matsueda has some time now, right? How about we play some games together, or watch another movie?"

The girl stomped her feet slightly, looking very excited—this was her first time spending the night with her friends.

"Let's play games. Watching movies for too long is tiring." Jun Matsueda put down his phone. "I'll have a glass of water first."

I'm actually going to spend the night with Imokawa...

Watching the girl run into the kitchen, the boy felt inexplicably nervous.

Chapter 672 The Determination to Go Home

An hour later, Jun Matsue sat in front of his computer, controlling his character to cover his teammates' retreat.

"Pine branch! This skeleton soldier keeps chasing me and shooting arrows!"

The girl sitting next to him shouted in a panic, gripping the controller as she leaned closer.

Natsumi Imokawa has little experience playing games, so she gets easily startled by the slightest movement on the screen. While her bewildered expression is indeed cute, it also causes some trouble for the boys.

Jun Matsueda leaned his body along with the girl's movements to avoid any inappropriate physical contact—their posture didn't resemble that of a classic sandbox game, but rather that of a racing simulator.

The boy didn't try to teach her how to use the shield. "Just walk in an S-shape, don't go straight."

"But this is too slow, the monsters behind us will catch up!" Natsumi Imokawa pressed the joystick left and right, tilting her head as she shouted again.

"It's alright, leave the rest to me." He said as he swung his iron sword, slashing away any spiders that approached.

A few minutes later, the characters controlled by the two successfully escaped from the mine. The girl looked at the blue sky and white clouds on the screen—even though she knew it was just a game, the illusory sunlight shining from the square sun still excited her.

Natsumi Imokawa pulled out a diamond from her game backpack, held it in her hand, and waved it at the blocky little figure on the pine branch in front of her.

"This is a diamond!"

"That's amazing~" Jun Matsueda turned to the girl beside him and smiled, "You can make good things now."

"Mmm!" Natsumi Imokawa nodded excitedly, and she picked up her phone to check.

"One will be used to make a record player, and the remaining two will be used to make diamond swords from pine branches. That's just right!"

The boy blinked. Generally speaking, experienced players would choose to make a diamond pickaxe, as it is the most cost-effective option.

"Let's make a record player first. It just so happens that Imokawa found a record in the dungeon earlier."

He did not hesitate to support the girl's decision—what did the veteran player's optimal route matter compared to Imokawa's happiness?

The two returned to the simple hut they had built together. Jun Matsue took the diamond sword from the girl and stood with her in front of the newly made record player, listening to a simple and cheerful electronic song.

"It sounds nice~" Natsumi Imokawa nodded happily, "I almost forgot it's still raining outside."

Jun Matsue looked out the window. The curtains in the recording studio were already drawn back, and the unprecedented downpour was still falling, accompanied by the equally hysterical wailing of the alarm.

He went to the window and looked out. The rain wasn't as heavy as before, but the "river" on the street still hadn't receded.

The boy glanced at the time at his computer desk but didn't sit down. "It's already nine o'clock."

Natsumi Imokawa put down the controller, a slight blush of pleasure still on her face. "Matsueda's going to sleep?"

"It's not that early." Jun Matsueda took a sip of the yogurt the girl had prepared. "But it'll take the two of us a while to wash up, won't it?"

“Indeed!” she stood up. “Then I’ll go take a shower first.”

The boy and she walked out of the recording studio, which had been turned into a game room.

The corridor inside the house wasn't wide. Jun Matsue followed the girl to the end—a small window opened on the wall, like an oil painting depicting a rainy night, with bedroom doors tightly closed on both sides.

“Matsue will be sleeping here tonight~” Natsumi Imokawa pushed open the wooden door on the right. “I’ll go get a change of clothes first.”

The girl's bedroom was right across from the guest room. She didn't close the door properly when she went in, and Matsueda Jun could see Imokawa's back as he opened the wardrobe. He then closed the door himself.

Lying on the newly made bed, Jun Matsue listened to the sound of rain drifting across the other side of the room and looked around at where he would be spending the night.

The space was a bit larger than his bedroom in Mitaka, but the bed was about the same size. There was a large desk against the wall not far from the head of the bed, with notebooks and papers piled on it, as well as a clean ashtray.

The boy glanced to the side and saw some posters on the wall above the desk, some of which were not very well-known movies and TV series, probably things that Imokawa's father had been involved in.

It's easy to imagine a middle-aged man with a cigarette in his mouth, a lamp lit, sitting at his desk late at night, working on a project. The sound of rain in the room at this moment is quite fitting.

There was a sound of a door opening outside the room. Jun Matsue opened his eyes, and the girl in the hallway gently knocked on the door.

"Songzhi, I'm going to take a bath, okay?"

"Okay." The boy sat up and looked towards the door.

Although it wouldn't be strange if he said it, the way Imokawa said it still felt odd to him...

"Um, the bathroom door lock was broken before, but since I live alone, I was too lazy to fix it."

No wonder. Jun Matsue nodded through the wall. "I understand. I won't go in."

The soft sound of slippers faded into the distance, and the boy lay down again. He stared at the ceiling for a while, then took out his phone.

Kurusu was still watching TV when he sent a string of complaints about the program. Tomatsu sent a photo taken at his desk, where the incense sticks he had given him were placed. Compared to the dark, heavy rain outside the window, the wisps of smoke and the faint glow of the incense sticks were so comforting.

There was no news from Mochizuki... Matsueda Jun took his phone, got out of bed, and walked towards the living room.

On the way, they passed a restroom and a bathroom. The sound of showering could be heard from the closed doors. The boy quickened his pace and sat down in front of the TV to watch the news.

After watching the breaking news footage of several subway stations with waterfall-like water curtains, he blinked, and heard the sound of a bathroom door opening in the corridor.

The girl's footsteps faded into the distance, then she hurried back to the other side.

"Pine branch?" Natsumi Imokawa's moist face peeked into the living room, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"I saw that no one was in the guest room, so I thought you had run out."

"Where could I run to?" Jun Matsue stood up. "Are you done washing?"

"I'm done washing." The girl nodded.

Natsumi Imokawa's hair was still wet after taking a shower. She dried the ends of her hair with a towel draped over her shoulder, her eyelashes, still damp with water droplets, drooped slightly, making her look exceptionally innocent and naive.

She changed into a tank top that she was wearing as pajamas. The girl, who had just taken a shower, was still naturally naked from the waist up. The close-fitting cotton tank top revealed her round and full figure. The large expanse of delicate skin exposed at the neckline shone with a moist, off-white luster, trembling and accumulating into a deep cleavage.

The girl wore simple loungewear shorts that accentuated the curves of her waist and hips. Her legs weren't particularly thin, but they had just the right amount of fleshiness. The way they were pressed together made one imagine the wonderful feeling of holding them in one's arms and stroking them.

Like a delicate and beautiful little beast tempting a predator, this thought suddenly popped into Jun Matsueda's mind.

How could he possibly have feelings for Imokawa! He immediately turned his head to look at the television on the wall.

"Does pine branches need to take a bath too?" The girl's legs, which were pressed together, unconsciously shifted. "What about my underwear?"

She frowned and thought hard, "How about I find a pair of looser shorts, and Songzhi can make do with these for tonight?"

“…No need.” A faint fragrance emanated from Imokawa as she moved closer, somewhat like strawberry milk. Matsueda Jun raised his chin, trying to keep his distance from her.

"Anyway, the air conditioning will keep me cool, so I can just take a quick shower."

The girl turned and walked towards the bedroom. "I'll go get you another towel to wipe yourself down!"

She opened her wardrobe containing underwear and crouched down to search for a towel and shorts deep inside.

"It would be more refreshing to take a bath," thought Natsumi Imokawa. She first found some temporary clothes for Matsue to change into, leaving it up to him whether he took a bath or not.

It's okay if she doesn't wear underwear, right? Even if it's obvious, she can pretend she doesn't care.

Spending the night with pine branches... The girl hummed a tune she had just heard in the game.

Since we don't have to go to school tomorrow, should I play games with Songzhi for a while longer, or watch another short film with him?

Let's play games first and then watch the movie, it's not even 10 o'clock yet anyway~

As Natsumi Imokawa walked out of the room carrying a thick towel and oversized striped shorts, a boy's voice rang out in the living room.

"Are you already on your way?"

"..." It didn't sound like the person was talking to her, so the girl slowed her pace.

Matsueda Jun listened to the cool yet sweet girl's voice on the phone, "Yeah, I'll be at Nishi-Ogikubo in about twenty minutes."

He walked to the French windows in the living room, where the rain outside could soak him through in just a few seconds.

"Has the rain lessened where you are?"

Mochizuki Haruka replied calmly, "No, but I've found an off-road vehicle, so getting us home shouldn't be a problem."

"..." Matsueda Jun realized he had underestimated her ability to act.

He recalled the phone call Mochizuki had made earlier: "Then Matsue can stay at the studio for now."

He stayed in the studio "first," indicating that the girl had no intention of letting him spend the night with other girls.

"What's wrong?" Mochizuki Haruka asked, puzzled by the boy's silence. "Do you want to stay in Imogawa?"

Jun Matsueda turned around, phone in hand, while Natsumi Imokawa, holding a towel and shorts, looked at him with a somewhat blank expression.

"No, it's just that you suddenly told me you're already on your way, which was a bit of a surprise."

"Hmm." The girl made a muffled nasal sound. "Anyway, I'll be picking you up in about twenty minutes, so be prepared, okay?"

"understood."

The boy hung up the phone, but Natsumi Imokawa in front of him didn't move, her expression still a little dazed.

"Is Songzhi going back?" Although she already had a premonition, she still chose to ask again.

"Okay." Jun Matsueda put away his phone. "Mochizuki said she'll be there in twenty minutes."

"Oh, oh, oh." The girl nodded. "So you're not sleeping here tonight?"

Although it was a pointless question, he still answered it.