Am I being simulated by their love affair?

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"Of course it's a date with Tsunku!" Tomatsu Yuka smiled brightly.

She took the arm of the boy next to her, and Jun Matsue looked up, smiled, and greeted the girls she wasn't very familiar with.

"Wow! It feels so satisfying to see handsome men and beautiful women dating right in front of me!"

"They're here on a date, not for you to see as some rare animal!"

"Exactly! Just say hello and leave, don't bother them!"

Before the girls left, Tomatsu asked them to take a few photos of herself with the boys.

"Your smile is even sweeter this time than before~" The girl looked at the photo she received on her phone and nodded in satisfaction.

Jun Matsueda leaned over and glanced at the photo. "I don't see any difference."

He's just being stubborn.

"It would be perfect if you could keep laughing like this from now on." Tomatsu Yuka put away her phone and turned her head, the boy's handsome profile within reach.

"But I think it's still a little lacking."

"Now that we're a couple, just like how I call you Chun-jun, shouldn't we change how we address each other too?"

Jun Matsueda looked at the cherry blossoms in the girl's eyes and pondered for a while.

"Youhua?"

"Ok!"

The girl's incredibly sweet smile made him feel even more at ease.

This is how relationships should be conducted.

Chapter 494 The Plan Has Changed

After a short rest, the two continued on their way, following the direction in which the cherry blossoms stretched out.

"Besides tourists, there are also a lot of Tokyo locals who came to join in the fun." Tomatsu Yuka watched the girls she had bumped into earlier disappear into the crowd.

Jun Matsue felt the girl naturally take his hand again, and he looked up at the cherry trees on both sides.

"If we're just talking about cherry blossoms, Ueno Park isn't that attractive."

There may indeed be a lot of cherry trees planted along the road, but the dreamlike beauty is greatly diluted by the crowds of people - at a glance, the bustling crowds are more noticeable than the cherry blossoms.

The girl said in a soft voice, "When the cherry blossoms in Ueno are in full bloom, they do indeed look like light, crimson clouds. Tokyo is no different."

The boy blinked. "You've just reversed the words in the textbook. Lu Xun didn't tell you to use them like that."

Tomatsu Yuka smiled and said, "Ueno Park isn't just about cherry blossoms. In summer, there are lotus flowers in Shinobazu Pond, in autumn, ginkgo trees, and in winter, peonies. If you're not satisfied, Tsunku, we can come back another time."

Jun Matsue nodded. "You can also visit the National Museum of Nature and Science and the Ueno Zoo. I think there are pandas there."

The two held hands and talked about pandas as they walked to Shinobazu Pond. The crowd dispersed there, and the air temperature seemed to drop a little.

As they walked along the pond path, Jun Matsueda's cell phone suddenly rang in his pocket. He let go of the girl's hand and tried to take out his phone.

Tomatsu Yuka seemed somewhat reluctant, but after gently squeezing the boy's wrist, she put her hand down.

It was Yosei Kurusu calling. As soon as Jun Matsueda answered, he heard the girl's somewhat lazy voice.

Why isn't Songzhi home today?

“I’m not home every day. I went to work yesterday too.”

He glanced at Tomatsu Yuka beside him; the girl was calmly watching the swan boats on the water, a faint smile on her face.

Are you going to work today too?

"No, I'm outside looking at the cherry blossoms."

"With whom?" A cold voice suddenly came through the receiver.

"...and Tomatsu."

The girl who had been watching the waterbirds turned her head, her eyes filled with reproach—she had clearly agreed to call him Yuka.

"Huh?" Kurusu's voice rose, she seemed to have fully woken up, "You actually abandoned us to go find her?"

“No matter what, Tomatsu is my girlfriend now.” The boy pointed this out to the girls on the other end of the phone, and the slight reproach in Tomatsu Yuka’s eyes immediately disappeared.

"Where are you now?" the girl standing next to Kurusu asked again.

"Are you still thinking of chasing after me?" Jun Matsue looked at the girl beside him as she moved a little closer. "There are too many people here. You won't be able to find me even if you come now."

A girl clicked her tongue impatiently on the other end of the line. "When are you coming back?"

While they were on the phone, the two had already arrived at the Buddhist hall in the center of Shinobazu Pond. Jun Matsueda looked up at the sun hanging above the building; it was only nearly noon.

"I'll definitely be back before dinner."

"Too slow..." Yosei Kurusu took back his phone, and Jun Matsueda listened to the girls complain for a few more minutes before hanging up.

“Tsun-kun has worked very hard too.” Tomatsu Tomoka looked at him with a smile.

"You're not going to mock me like Mochizuki did, are you?" Jun Matsueda put down his phone. This time, the girl didn't hold his hand again, but instead linked arms with his.

"I really mean it." She led the boy up the steps in front of the Buddhist hall, where rows of white lanterns hung on both sides, shining brightly in the sunlight.

"I don't know what it was like when you were dating my senior, nor do I understand how Yang Shisang viewed you."

"However, I know very well that in both my heart and Mochizuki's, you are the only one who can never be replaced."

“We all need your help, so of course Jun-kun must feel tired.”

The girl pointed to the Buddhist hall, her arm glowing white in the sunlight. "Jun-kun, do you know which deity is enshrined at Shinobazu-bedono Temple?"

The boy thought for a moment, "Judging from the name, it should be Bian Caitian, right?"

"Bingo~" Tomatsu Tomohana nodded, "The shrine where Mochizuki-kun performed the 'money laundering' ritual for you was also the Benzaiten Shrine in Kamakura."

The girl led him into the hall, saying, "Unless Jun-kun abandons me willingly, I will not give you to Mochizuki-kun."

After paying their respects at the Benten Hall, the two walked along the path behind the hall and circled Shinobazu Pond, taking many photos of each other under the cherry blossom trees by the pond.

"What do you think of Shinobazu Pond, Jun-kun?" Tomatsu Yuka asked, sitting in a pavilion surrounded by cherry blossoms, looking at the boy beside her.

"...It feels just so-so." Jun Matsue looked at the pond in front of him, which was divided into three parts. "Besides the swan boats, there are only ducks and a large area of ​​red reeds. It feels a bit small and cramped."

“It was Tsun-kun’s own choice.” The girl looked helpless. “I originally wanted to say Meguro River or Chidorigafuchi.”

"I wasn't too disappointed. Famous tourist attractions are bound to have a lot of visitors." The boy looked at the pink petals that had fallen onto the water.

"If we went to other places, we might actually feel that Ueno Park, which we didn't visit, was better."

“That makes sense,” Tomatsu Yuka said, looking at his face. “Those things we once looked forward to often turn out to be less wonderful than we imagined, don’t they?”

Jun Matsue remembered the Ochanomizu Station he had passed on the way.

"I'm tired from shopping." The girl stood up at the opportune moment. "It's time for lunch. Let's rest and recharge!"

For lunch, Tomomika Tomatsu had chosen a long-established Western-style restaurant that was said to be a favorite of Natsume Soseki and Mori Ogai. Matsueda Jun looked at the omelet rice and braised beef in front of him, picked up a spoon, and took a bite.

The beef is tender and the sauce is rich and flavorful, worthy of the discerning eye of literary giants.

"How are you feeling?" The girl sitting opposite me looked at me expectantly.

"It's very good. I don't know if the recipe is authentic, but it's delicious." The boy nodded with satisfaction.

When going out with Tomatsu Yuka, there's never any worry about food.

The two shared a stewed beef while enjoying the bright spring sunshine outside the window. The girl also had a good appetite today, and after finishing her pasta, she ordered an ice cream.

"Are you going to continue exploring Ueno Park this afternoon?"

While waiting for the ice cream, Jun Matsue inquired about the afternoon's plans.

Tomatsu Yuka put down her knife and fork, carefully wiped the sauce from the corner of her mouth with a napkin, and stared at the ceiling in thought.

"How about we go to Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden?" the girl suddenly asked.

"Why?" the boy asked, puzzled.

"Because we went there with our senior classmates back then," she replied with a smile.

Tomatsu Yuka had already started planning this back when she talked to Matsueda Jun about his ex-girlfriend—

She wanted to erase all those girls' memories after they started dating, leaving only her own traces.

Chapter 495 The Psychological Activities of a Kiss

"Tsun-kun has lost interest in Ueno Park, hasn't he?"

"Instead of letting your expectations be shattered in an unfamiliar place, why not go to a place you've already been?"

"Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden holds shared memories for us and my senior. If she sees photos of us dating there, she'll definitely be very upset, if not heartbroken, right?"

In the restaurant, amidst the clinking of cutlery and glasses, Jun Matsueda listened to Tomoka Tomatsu say these words.

“Sometimes I think you seem to dislike your senior much more than I do.” He looked at the smiling girl sitting opposite him.

"Of course," Tomatsu Yuka said, taking the ice cream from the waiter. "I truly hated her."

"Jun-kun isn't that bad, is he?"

Matsueda Jun didn't hate Yami Maki; he only pitied her misfortune and was angry at her lack of ambition. His choice to take revenge was simply to make the girl understand that there is no good outcome if she doesn't pursue a more fulfilling happiness.

Do you still hate her?

The smile on the girl's face slowly disappeared. She lowered her head and used a delicate silver spoon to scoop off a small piece of ice cream, leaving a gap in the perfect shape.

"When I first found out she was with Tsun-kun, I was absolutely furious."

"Now, things feel a bit complicated."

The cool solid melts on the tip of the tongue, releasing a sweet taste.

"He promised to be my wingman in love, but he betrayed me in the end."

"But if you weren't dating Tsunku, I don't think it would be easy for me to sit in front of you like this."

This was just a girl's intuition: if it weren't for her senior, Tsunkun probably wouldn't have chosen her as his lover.

"So, is this a blessing in disguise?" she asked, looking up.

“This is hardly a blessing.” Jun Matsueda picked up a spoon and began to divide the girl’s ice cream.

"Since we're going to Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, let's hurry up and leave after we finish eating."

At 1 p.m., the boy and girl arrived at the Senya Gate of Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden on the Chuo Main Line.

"Although I didn't come back here with any particularly good purpose, I do feel a bit nostalgic." Tomatsu Yuka looked at the gate in front of her.

Compared to the main gate, there are far fewer people here. Even before entering, the branches covered with pink and white petals have already reached over the wall and into people's eyes.

“The cherry blossoms here are much more impressive.” Jun Matsue recalled the scene when he and the girls first walked into this place.

Back then, he and his senior weren't a couple yet.

The boy was unaware that Yamamoto Maki had also regretted not having the courage to invite him to enjoy the cherry blossoms together.

Compared to the standard-sized, orderly rows of cherry trees in Ueno Park, the cherry trees in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden are much more unrestrained. In addition to large groves of cherry trees, they are also scattered haphazardly on the lawns and by the pond, with each tree's branches extending wildly, crossing over the heads of visitors, or rising and falling like fireworks.

Matsueda Jun looked at the black, gnarled branches and the pink and white cherry blossoms, "It feels like a traditional Chinese ink painting."

“It’s much more spectacular than Ueno.” The girl smiled and held up her phone. “So it’s because I saw the cherry blossoms at Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden last year that I found Ueno so boring.”

"Let's take more photos!" She turned to the boy beside her, "Otherwise, we'll be wasting such a beautiful view!"

The two walked and stopped, their phone shutters flashing constantly. They walked through the cherry blossom forest, which seemed to stretch like a sea of ​​pink blossoms in the wind, and saw a single pink branch lying across the pond. They walked all the way to the lawn in the central garden and sat under a huge cherry blossom tree that blocked out a small patch of the sky.

"Tsun-kun, what photos do you think would be good to show on our date today?" Tomatsu Yuka asked, placing her phone on the boy's lap.

"A group photo at the entrance of Ueno Park? The shadows of us holding hands by the pond? And these close-up photos of us taking pictures of each other? Is this ambiguous enough?"

“You can choose.” Jun Matsue looked at the girl’s black hair hanging on his arm. “After all, you always see through my acting. When it comes to manipulating other people’s hearts, you know better than me.”

"Why do you make me sound like some kind of bad woman?" Tomatsu Yuka looked innocent. "No matter how bad I am to others, I'll always be the most obedient and well-behaved one in front of you."

“That’s the feeling.” The boy nodded, and the girl laughed.

"Hmm..." Tomatsu Yuka looked through all the photos taken today, and finally frowned slightly.

"We're still missing one final, definitive photograph."