Am I being simulated by their love affair?

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Happiness cannot be obtained by not giving up anything—while his feelings for Kurusu have not deepened, while Kurusu is still pursuing her dreams, cutting ties is the most rational decision.

Otherwise, his love life would only descend into uncontrollable chaos, and neither love nor career would bring him fulfillment; in the end, all that would remain for them would be a mess.

"Are you sure you don't need to record anymore?" Jun Matsueda looked up. "I'm fine."

"That's all," Imokawa Natsumi replied absentmindedly. "I didn't expect today's progress to be so fast."

The boy glanced at the time; it was just past 5:20. If he went back, he could still make it for dinner.

"Should I go back now?"

"Huh?" The girl snapped out of her daze. "Aren't you going to play games anymore?"

“It’s not the weekend today,” Jun Matsueda chuckled. “I have several tests tomorrow.”

“Oh right…” Imokawa Natsumi scratched her arm.

"Thank you for your hard work, Pine Branch."

The soft lights in the recording studio went out, and the girl who was the last to leave the room closed the door. Watching the boy change his shoes in the entryway and open the security door, she subconsciously followed him out.

"You don't need to see me off anymore," Jun Matsue said, stopping as the girl behind him bumped into him. "It's so hot outside, and you're not dressed very safely."

"Oh, oh." Natsumi Imokawa glanced down at the deep cleavage at her neckline and waved to the boy who stepped into the corridor.

Be careful on that pine-covered path.

Jun Matsue turned to leave, saying, "See you at school tomorrow."

After watching the boy enter the elevator, Natsumi Imokawa closed the apartment door. She sat down on the sofa in the living room, tilted her head back, and let the air conditioner blow her hair into a mess.

Recalling Jun Matsueda's expression in the recording studio, the girl felt a sense of déjà vu, and she quickly found the source of that familiarity.

"Just like Yamami-senpai back then."

The senior who broke up with Songzhi.

Looking down at the two milk-stained glasses on the coffee table, Natsumi Imokawa felt a little down, with a vague sense of loss.

It wasn't that her curiosity wasn't satisfied, but rather that Matsueda Jun, who was willing to tell her everything, seemed to have suddenly drifted away from her.

"There's another thing that Songzhi won't tell us..."

Chapter 620 The Final Sports Meet

Monday, June 30th. Due to weather conditions, Haneoka High School's sports meet was moved up to today.

It had rained a couple of days ago, and the temperature in Tokyo dropped slightly to 30 degrees Celsius.

However, the cloudy weather made it even more humid. Jun Matsuoka stood at the starting line of the 100-meter track, stepped on the starting line and rubbed the soles of his shoes hard to feel the grip of the ground.

A few plastic pellets escaped from his feet and bounced off the ground. The sweltering air expanded around him. The boy looked up at the dense crowds on both sides of the straight track.

"The next event is the 100-meter race for third-year boys! Runners, please take your positions!"

The energetic female voice from the radio station echoed across the playground, and the crowd on both sides of the track immediately erupted in cheers and encouragement, like water boiling.

"Stone Bridge!! Stone Bridge!!"

This is the sports representative of Class 1.

"Go Kawano-kun! You promised to be number one!"

Kawano from Class 2 was a key player in the track and field team, but he has since retired.

"Shin'o-kun! Remember to tie your shoelaces tightly, so you don't trip over them and fall again—"

A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd. Jun Matsue turned his head and looked at the boy who was helplessly squatting down to check his shoelaces. He even had a girlish band-aid stuck on his knee.

"Chunjun——"

The girl's soft shout reached his ears. Jun Matsueda turned around and saw Yuka Tomatsu standing in the cheering crowd of Class 3-6, waving vigorously at him.

"Remember to conserve your energy, don't push yourself too hard—"

This was only the boy's first race of the day; he would later compete in the 200-meter, 400-meter, and 800-meter races, which made the girl a little worried.

Jun Matsue nodded to her, making an "OK" gesture to indicate that he understood.

Mochizuki Haruka stood next to Tomatsu Yuka. She took off her baseball cap and waved it, then took out a whistle from the pocket of her school uniform skirt, blew it, and put it to her lips.

"Pop pop—"

A cheerful, short whistle rang out from the straightened tube, and the girl raised her arms, waving them back and forth as if she were holding a cheerleader's pom-pom.

“This guy…” Jun Matsueda’s lips curled up involuntarily—Haruka Mochizuki’s expression remained aloof as she whistled, which instead made her look comically cute.

"Students, please leave the track and maintain a safe distance!"

The energetic female voice on the loudspeaker reminded the male teacher, who was acting as the referee, to walk to the starting line, pull out the starting pistol with a cool cowboy-like pose, and do a final check.

Jun Matsue stood still, tiptoed and jumped a few times, then raised his arms and stretched, letting the warmth of the sun spread throughout his body and flow to his limbs.

People on the sidelines chanted slogans to cheer on their respective classes while secretly glancing at the boys stretching their bodies on the central track.

As the athlete who took the lead for Class 3-6 this time, Jun Matsue did not wear the uniform class uniform, but a gray sleeveless vest and quick-drying shorts - sweat-wicking and breathable, convenient for sports. It was a girl who picked it out for him when he and Yuka Tomatsu were shopping for sports equipment.

As a result, the boy's arms, shoulders, and calves were completely exposed to the sunlight.

Jun Matsueda wasn't exactly the muscular type; after all, he'd only done manual labor at an orphanage since childhood and earned money through odd jobs as an adult. In terms of physique, Ken Sakamuro, who was eagerly practicing basketball at the javelin field next door, was far more muscular.

However, the most pleasing thing about him is the physique he has built up – the taut muscles in his calves when he works out, the distinct lines and shadows of his forearms in the sunlight, the strong contours of his upper arms and shoulders…

Seeing a boy like this standing on the track, poised and ready to go, his clean eyes under the sunlight hidden in the shadow of his bangs, people would feel, without reason or justification, that he should be the most glorious first place winner.

As a result, the cheers from the other classes on both sides of the track quietly subsided a little, while the various slogans chanting Matsueda Jun's name grew louder and louder with a sense of righteous indignation.

"Athletes, get ready—"

The track seemed to be muted; people held their breath, watching the boys on the starting line.

With a crisp, loud gunshot, the boys sprang to their feet and charged forward like arrows released from a bow.

The cicadas' chirping, pierced by the gunshots, returned to the playground, merging with the shouts of encouragement from the crowd, all held together by the scorching heat.

Half an hour later, Jun Matsue, who had crossed the finish line, wiped the sweat from his neck and returned to the finish line with the other runners, listening to the referee announce their results.

"First place, 22.22 seconds."

Jun Matsue came in first place. He didn't listen to any more. After thanking the referee for his hard work, the boy walked off the track and was greeted by a girl holding a towel and a water bottle.

"Tsun-kun, you've worked hard~" Tomatsu Yuka jogged through the crowd and handed him the Pocari Sweat in her hand.

"Another first place winner!"

The girl's radiant smile kept the surrounding noise at bay. Her joy was not because of the honor of winning first place, but because of the brilliance of her beloved.

So Junya Matsueda smiled, took the sports drink from her hand, and the bottle cap popped open with a soft click.

"Twenty-two and a half seconds, quite an amazing number."

"I was just 0.2 seconds away from leaving school!" the girl, who had done her homework, said proudly.

"If Chun-jun's current score is four twos, then he'll definitely be holding four ones in his hand!"

"Four ones?" Jun Matsuoka looked at the event record board below the podium not far away.

Including the previous 100-meter race and the just-concluded 200-meter race, he has already secured two first-place finishes. The remaining races are all in the afternoon, and if he conserves his energy, it's certainly not impossible for him to win.

"Then I need to rest well at noon." He tilted his head back and drank a large gulp of water.

"There won't be any problems!" Tomatsu Yuka encouraged him as she used both hands to hold up a dry, soft towel and wipe the sweat from the boy's arms.

The girl's movements were delicate and graceful; her lowered gaze conveyed focus and gentleness, drawing envious glances from the students watching the game from outside the arena.

The boys envied Jun Matsueda for having such a gentle, considerate, and pure-looking girlfriend, while the girls envied Yuka Tomatsu for being able to bring water and wipe her sweat for her flamboyant boyfriend and openly touch the most handsome boy at Haneoka High School.

The slightly salty, cool liquid, with its invigorating sweetness, slid down his throat. Jun Matsue put down the water bottle and exhaled a long, satisfying breath.

"It's hard to say. Kawano was also very strong in the 100-meter dash. In the end, I only crossed the finish line at the same time as him."

Tomatsu Yuka watched as the boy took the towel from her hand and began wiping his neck and abdomen.

She licked her lips. "No matter how powerful he is, he'll never be as powerful as Chun-jun!"

Leaving that baseless statement behind, the boys and girls returned to the sunshade of their class camp. Jun Matsue sat on the dark green mat that was often used in physical education class and looked at the somewhat empty field in the classroom.

Where did everyone go?

"They've all gone to watch the other players' matches in the class." Tomatsu Yuka sat down next to the boy, their arms touching.

"After all, it's the last year, and everyone cherishes the opportunity to participate in activities. They don't want to just stay in the classroom and waste time like this."

The boy nodded. "What about Mochizuki? It's not time for her competition yet, is it?"

This was what Matsueda Jun cared about; Mochizuki wouldn't let herself out of her sight.

"..." The girl glanced at the exit of the playground. "Wang Yue's aunt came and took her out. I don't know when she'll be back."

Jun Matsue took his phone out of his bag, and the screen showed a message from Haruka Mochizuki.

It's a selfie of her and her aunt, each with an ice cream in their mouths, standing in front of the "Lady Mochizuki" statue—the girl's expression is a little reluctant, but still very cute.

"Is Jun-kun going to find her?"

Tomatsu Yuka's voice rang in his ears, and the boy shook his head.

"No, I'll rest here."

"Anyway, she'll be going to the long jump area later, so I'll just go over there then."

The girl's eyebrows curved, and she smiled radiantly.

"Then I'll go with Tsun-kun~"

Jun Matsue did not object. He pulled the small floor fan that was spinning loudly between the two of them and watched the girls' slender figures running past on the bend outside the sunshade.

Tomatsu Yuka lay down on the soft cushion. The boy didn't turn around, but naturally reached out to cover the loose legs of her shorts. The girl stretched out her arm and took out a bottle of soda from the cardboard box behind her.

"Would you like some soda, Jun-kun?"

Jun Matsue picked up the half-finished Pocari Sweat bottle at his feet. "This will do."

So the girl took a bottle of soda and sat back down. She handed the soda to Jun Matsueda next to her with the same natural movement, watching him unscrew the cap and insert a straw for herself.

When the boy handed the soda back, Tomatsu Yuka didn't take it immediately. Instead, she leaned down in front of him, bit the straw, and took a sip.

Jun Matsueda withdrew his gaze from the bustling playground and looked at the girl in front of him—her rosy lips slightly pouting with a straw in her mouth, her fair cheeks flushed and radiating heat, and a strand of unruly black hair hanging down from her temple as she lowered her head.

Perhaps this is the true meaning of summer.

When she met the boy's gaze, Tomatsu Yuka winked playfully before taking the soda bottle and drinking it from her lap.

Jun Matsue looked up and saw a crowd of people sweeping past the track; they were third-year students cheering on their classmates.

But the girl continued to stare at his profile with a smile, seemingly without getting tired of it.

The boy yawned as he watched the departing crowd.

"Don't you ever get tired of seeing it?"

"Maybe?" Tomatsu Yuka smiled and tilted her head.

"Or maybe Tsun-kun should stop running around and let me see when I'll finally get tired of looking at him?"

Jun Matsue gave her a helpless look.

In just a moment of eye contact, the smile in the girl's eyes reached into his own.

"Jun-kun, I made a decision a couple of days ago," Tomatsu Yuka suddenly said softly.

"What decision?" The boy turned his head again.

“I’m not going to live at home anymore. Whether or not we can live together in college, I’m going to move out.”

The girl, with a straw in her mouth, spoke in an ordinary tone.

“My parents are already moving forward with their own lives, so I think there’s no need for me to stay put and keep waiting.”

Jun Matsue looked at the runway in the distance, which had become crooked and distorted.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with it."

"No matter what kind of feelings you have, they should be based on a reliable foundation. If the future you originally hoped for is something you are holding onto alone, then there is really no point in staying in the same place for it."

The girl put down her soda. "...So Tsunku supports my decision, right?"