Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 337

"Songzhi, I haven't seen many scenes like this in movies..."

"What's there to be unhappy about? Everyone did it willingly, shouldn't we be overjoyed?"

Although she said this, Natsumi Imokawa's tone changed a bit, no longer just the curiosity of an onlooker, but tinged with a hint of sourness.

Her thinking was simple: if Songzhi had more girlfriends, he would definitely have less time to play with her, right?

So the girl's barely concealed tension intensified, and she looked at the boy expectantly, hoping to hear a negative answer from him.

“How could I possibly be happy…” Jun Matsueda sighed again.

As soon as he finished speaking, the little stone in the girl's heart shattered into light, floating bubbles that drifted around her chest.

The boy stretched in his chair. "Let's stop playing games for now and chat in another room."

The recording studio was not a large space, and it was equipped with soundproof curtains and partitions. Although the lights were on, it still didn't feel very comfortable after a while.

"Let's go to the living room to rest!" Natsumi Imokawa stood up, holding two cups of yogurt.

Her slippers clattered as she led the boy out of the room.

Back in the living room, the girl opened the window. Raindrops hit the window frame with a muffled thud, and a gray-white sky appeared before them. Outside the eleventh-floor window was a street soaked in water.

Jun Matsue sat down on the sofa closest to the window and took a deep breath.

"The air outside is still much fresher."

"Remember to open the windows for ventilation when you're at home, it's good for your health and the home environment."

"Okay, okay, you're just like Mom..." Natsumi Imokawa sat down next to him. "Go on and tell me what you're saying."

The boy took a sip of yogurt and looked out at the dark clouds. "I don't like two-timing."

Although these words sounded like she was being hypocritical after getting a good deal, the girl naturally chose to believe them because it was Matsueda who said them.

"And this state cannot last."

Jun Matsue didn't say much, but just watched as the tilted yogurt in the cup slid to the bottom, leaving a sticky and blurry white mark on the glass.

Mochizuki couldn't possibly watch Tomatsu sit in her girlfriend's seat forever, and once Kurusu returned to the apartment, would the willful girl remain silent?

Just imagining the scene makes his head ache.

The conflict was right in front of him, but Jun Matsue could only watch it approach, with no way to avoid it, which was why he couldn't be happy.

He prefers a life where he has a sense of belonging rather than the so-called "two-timing" lifestyle.

“Then what should we do…” Natsumi Imokawa frowned. “Can’t Matsue choose to end this relationship?”

Unable to let go of Mochizuki, and unable to bear the thought of Tomatsu, Jun Matsueda could only shake his head.

"Then...then you brought this on yourself..." the girl couldn't help but whisper.

She quickly waved her hand, "I didn't mean to criticize Songzhi!"

Jun Matsue paused for a moment, then smiled. "That's true."

"Ultimately, this choice was my own."

"It's just that this choice isn't something I would have made before, so I feel uneasy."

“That means the pine branch has changed.” Natsumi Imokawa turned to look at him. “People change, that’s normal!”

It's just a temporary situation of having two relationships at the same time; she wouldn't say anything wrong about Songzhi because of this.

The boy looked up and said, "But I feel like Iokawa hasn't changed much."

"No way!" the girl protested. "I've changed so much—"

“In the past, all I knew was to take pictures aimlessly with my camera. I felt bored every day and could only kill time in the movie theater and DVDs.”

"But I'm so busy now! I have to read a ton of books every day, and I also have to write scripts and storyboards. I feel like I don't have enough time at all."

As she was talking, she suddenly stood up, walked to the workroom next to the living room, and picked up the books stacked on the long table.

"These are all what I've seen now, and what I'm going to see..."

Her voice sounded strained, and Jun Matsue quickly stood up and caught the books in front of her before the girl tripped over the tripod that was sticking out from the ground.

A tall stack of books landed on the coffee table in front of the sofa with a heavy thud, and even the empty CD case next to it trembled twice.

"Introduction to Film Analysis," "Textbook of Film Expression," "110 Years of Japanese Cinema"... Jun Matsueda tilted his head, looking at the spines of the books crammed together.

"Also included are 'A Collection of Film Theories,' 'Key Film History Terms You Need to Know,' 'One Hundred Classic Storyboards,' and 'Saving the Cat'..."

Natsumi Imokawa rattled off a list of dishes as her slender index finger brushed against the sides of the books. "I'm actually reading far more books now than I did before I decided to apply to film school!"

"And I also have to shoot a portfolio, communicate with actors, and learn sound recording and color grading..."

"Anyway—" The girl stood opposite Jun Matsueda, straightened her back, patted the top of the pile of books, and proudly puffed out her chest and raised her head.

"I'm not the same Natsumi Imokawa I used to be!"

Jun Matsue nodded vigorously and clapped earnestly, and enthusiastic congratulations filled the living room.

"However, in my eyes, Imokawa hasn't really changed much."

Wangyue has become a clingy and willful cat.

The cunning Tomatsu became incredibly vulnerable and needed someone to rely on.

The gentle and strong senior became a senior with whom she no longer had any contact.

The roommate who picked him up from the typhoon and bought discounted groceries with him has become a popular idol.

But Imokawa remains that simple girl who loves to take her camera and greedily record the world.

“Eh…” Natsumi Imokawa was inexplicably disappointed. “Does Matsueda think I haven’t changed…”

“I also think you’re much better now than before.” The boy smiled. “I hope I can keep going like this.”

"That's too difficult." The girl waved her hand. "I guess I'll be able to relax after I get into Tokyo University of the Arts."

"How will you relax then?"

She stared blankly at the rain lines outside the window, thinking, "Should I take my camera and wander around, or stay home and watch a movie?"

The outdoor light, like a thin veil, fell on the girl's face, outlining her soft features.

“Is there any difference between then and now…” Jun Matsue looked at her profile.

“Of course!” Natsumi Imokawa turned around. “What I’m shooting now is a portfolio, something that’s been prescribed.”

"The same goes for watching movies. Now I watch things from the lecture notes of the Tokyo University of the Arts."

"What about 'The Blood of the Hero', 'Rashomon', 'Tokyo Story', 'Hakuoki'..."

"Some movies are incredibly boring!"

She stuck out her bright red tongue, as if she had eaten something unpalatable, her expression vivid and adorable.

"So after I finish my college entrance exams, I want to watch whatever I want and film whatever I want! Without any ulterior motive!"

Just like when she went to Meiji Shrine with Matsue before and saw the ginkgo trees on Namiki Avenue... Memories flooded the girl's mind, and she glanced at the boy in front of her a few more times.

“Hey, Matsueda.” Natsumi Imokawa placed her hands on the coffee table and brought her face close to the boy’s.

"You're not the type to forget your friends once you're in a relationship, are you?"

She felt a sense of crisis as Matsueda Jun was about to have his cake and eat it too.

When she learned about Jun Matsueda's first relationship, his relationship with Maki Yami was already facing obstacles. As for his second relationship with Yuka Tomatsu, since it was a fake girlfriend relationship, the girl didn't pay much attention to it.

But now it seems that Matsue is about to fall in love again, and even two-timing—will he still have a place for me, his good friend, in his heart? Imokawa Natsumi inevitably began to think about this question.

Why bother with dating...? A little resentment crept into her heart, because Songzhi's time and emotions would be consumed by it.

"Why are you worried about this?" Jun Matsueda blinked. "Formally speaking, I've already had two relationships, and our relationship hasn't grown distant, has it?"

To be precise, it's not just that they haven't drifted apart; he's even started recording at the girl's house now.

"I was just a little worried." Natsumi Imokawa breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm just glad that Matsue won't do that."

The girl glanced at the time. "It's already this late. I don't think I have time to play games anymore."

"Then let's wait until next time." The boy stood up and drank the rest of the yogurt on the coffee table in one gulp.

I hope that when I come back next time, I won't feel so lost and uncertain.

When Jun Matsueda returned to the apartment, Haruka Mochizuki was sitting on the sofa in the living room, holding her cat and watching TV.

"You're back so early?" He was a little surprised. "I thought you weren't coming back tonight."

"It only satisfied the curiosity of bored adults." The girl turned her head and glanced at the boy. Jinzhi in her arms was listless, seemingly disliking rainy days.

“You didn’t say you were going out today.”

“Didn’t I mention it to you last time we were filming? We’re going to record in Imagawa.” Jun Matsueda placed his umbrella in the corner of the entryway.

The umbrella he borrowed from Tomatsu Yuka was leaning against the side; it was now dry.

"Is that so?" Mochizuki Haruka frowned.

"Let's not talk about that, Songzhi. Did you go through my two notebooks?"

"Yes." The boy readily admitted, "I asked you that night, and you didn't object."

"How can words spoken back then count!" The girl blushed and rolled her eyes.

"So you crossed that one out too?"

She discovered this today while looking through the "Pine Branch Guidebook" with her aunt.

“That’s right.” Jun Matsue walked into the living room, where a pitcher of freshly made lemon tea was on the dining table. He poured himself a cup.

757. Jun Matsue dislikes Haruka Mochizuki; he has already crossed that out himself.

"Because it's in the past."

The sweet, sour, and slightly astringent lemon black tea went down his throat, carrying a natural coolness, and he looked out at the rain curtain.

The rain fell tirelessly, making it impossible to tell the time.

The countdown to May has come to an end.

Chapter 587 The Rain Temporarily Relieved

May 26th, Monday.

The rain that had been shrouding Tokyo stopped for a morning, but the dark clouds over the city did not dissipate; it seemed to be just a break.

Matsueda Jun and Mochizuki Haruka walked into the teaching building together. The girl's low-heeled boots stepped across the wet pavement, and a few drops of water flew up from the raised toes of her shoes.

Stopping in the lobby on the first floor, Mochizuki Haruka yawned and bent down to change into indoor shoes.

"Mochizuki." Jun Matsueda looked at the small hand resting on his arm. "We're at school now..."

"What happened at school?" The girl looked up, seemingly oblivious.

After Mochizuki Haruka changed her shoes, the boy pulled her into a corner to the side.

"You can't be too close at school, or rumors will spread everywhere."

"What rumors?" The girl frowned. "Why do I feel like you're trying to find an excuse to distance yourself from me?"

“I’ve already given you the house key, how else can I distance myself from you?” Jun Matsue sighed.

“If you act like you do at home, a lot of rumors about us will start circulating at school very soon.”

"For example, if Mochizuki Haruka steals someone else's love and becomes the other woman, it probably won't stop until we graduate."

"They dare!" The young lady who had stolen her lover raised her eyebrows and glared at the crowd in the hall.

"So don't go too far, even if you don't care." Jun Matsueda tugged at the girl's crookedly tied scarf.

"If there are too many flies, the buzzing around your ears can be quite annoying."

Mochizuki Haruka pursed her lips and followed the boy up the stairs. The dry soles of her shoes tapped on the steps, sounding much more crisp than wet leather shoes.

"What about Tomatsu?" she suddenly asked. "Do you want me to watch her being intimate with you at school?"

Or maybe we should kick Tomatsu Yuka off the stage first... This thought flashed through the girl's mind.

Jun Matsueda, who was walking beside her, shook his head.

"Tomatsu is definitely more sensible than you think."