Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 257

The discussion temporarily ended, and the jazz bar proposal was unanimously approved. Tomatsu Yuka returned to the back row, pulled out her chair, and turned her legs under her skirt toward the boy next to her.

"Will Matsueda and I be the executive committee members for this year's cultural festival?"

On the other side, Mochizuki Haruka turned her face away; she had no interest in this kind of job.

Jun Matsuoka nodded. He needed to find something to do; he couldn't just let time erase those lingering marks.

That's too slow.

"Would you like to come with me to the executive committee after school this afternoon, Matsue-kun?"

"it is good."

The last class in the afternoon was physical education. After the bell rang, Tomatsu Yuka bought a bottle of Pocari Sweat from the vending machine next to the playground and walked to the finish line of the track with it.

The boy in the distance began his sprint at the last deserted bend, his strides long and his legs moving like those of a nimble feline. He covered the bend in an instant and appeared in the girl's sight.

Jun Matsue crossed the finish line of the straightaway, slowed down, took a few more steps, and finally stopped right in front of Yuka Tomatsu.

"Matsueda-kun has been running throughout the entire PE class." The girl handed him the Pocari Sweat, which the boy took.

"Thank you." Jun Matsue unscrewed the bottle cap and took a couple of gulps. "I saw a movie before where someone would go running every time he was heartbroken, saying that it would make the water in his body evaporate and make him less likely to cry."

"So, how are you feeling right now, Matsu-san?" Tomatsu Yuka asked curiously, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I just feel thirsty." The boy shrugged.

A girl's cheerful laughter rang out beside the track. Jun Matsueda took another big gulp of Pocari Sweat, tilting his head back as the subtle sweet and sour grapefruit flavor settled in his body. Gazing at the sky, he recalled the night beach in Shizuoka, and a girl's warm-up exercises before entering the water.

"So running is such a lonely thing that it has to be done with two people." That's what she said back then.

"Shall we go to the conference room now?" Tomatsu Yuka's black hair swayed in front of him.

"Let's go." He picked up his jacket from the side. "We need to change out of our gym clothes first."

The November temperature was already starting with "1". Some classroom windows in the corridor were open and some were closed, depending on the mood and physical condition of the girls in each class. Jun Matsue and Yuka Tomatsu walked against the flow of people after school toward the meeting room.

After passing the second-year classrooms, the hallway became empty. Jun Matsue looked at the girl's back in front of him. Tomatsu Yuka's black hair swayed with her steps, already covering her shoulder blades.

Her hair, which she had cut short, was about to grow back... The boy suddenly realized this.

Tomatsu Yuka, who was walking ahead, turned around and tilted her head. "Matsueda-san, would you like me to show you the way?"

So Jun Matsue quickened his pace and the two walked side by side. As they walked, the smile on Tomatsu Tomoka's lips began to widen.

What are you laughing at?

"It's been so long since I've walked with Matsueda-kun like this," the girl said with particular delight.

"Isn't this just a normal thing?"

To pick up documents from the office, to attend school meetings, etc., Matsueda Jun would go with her like this almost every day.

“No,” Tomatsu Yuka shook her head. “It feels different.”

They walked past the wide-open window, a sudden gust of wind ruffling their bangs. The autumn air was very dry, carrying a faint scent of fallen, fragmented leaves.

The girl didn't explain further, but Jun Matsue felt like he understood—before breaking up with his senior, he hadn't paid attention to the length of Yuka's hair for a long time.

"Has Matsueda and her senior broken up yet?" Tomatsu Yuka suddenly asked after they turned the corner at the end of the corridor.

Jun Matsue looked at the black hair that slipped off her shoulder. The girl was clearly very scheming, but she was always completely unpretentious when she talked to him.

Tomatsu is a cunning and cruel fellow, he could only remind himself of that.

"Formally speaking, it's over, but to say that letting go isn't something that can be done so quickly."

"Is Matsueda-san just giving up like that?"

"Aren't you satisfied?" The girl looked like she had gotten a good deal but was still being smug, which made Jun Matsue want to laugh.

"But you're still unhappy, aren't you?" Tomatsu Yuka stopped and turned around to stare into the boy's eyes.

"I don't know what your senior said to you, but in the end, doesn't she just not like you enough?"

"You sacrificed so much, yet she still did nothing."

“There’s no need to say anything more.” Jun Matsue continued forward. “We’ve already broken up, there’s no point in asking about these things anymore.”

The conference room was at the end of the corridor. There were several figures in front of it, and a girl was beside him, her swaying black hair particularly beautiful in the sunlight.

“But I know you must be feeling bad…” Her tone was full of pity and temptation. “I want Songzhi to forget her as soon as possible, to let go of all resentment and regret.”

In this respect, the girl was in the same boat as him.

"So, Matsueda-kun, let's get revenge on our senior."

"Get revenge on her thoroughly."

Tomatsu Yuka spoke softly as she walked past him and pushed open the conference room door.

The brightly lit room was almost full when Jun Matsue saw a familiar face in his seat in Class 3-4.

He was instantly transported back to the afternoon of three days ago.

"Even if I'm with other people, you're okay with it?"

Remembering the girl who refused to answer him no matter what, Jun Matsue met Tomatsu's expectant gaze and walked in side by side with her.

He wanted to know just how much this relationship meant to the girl.

When Jun Matsue and the girl beside him entered the conference room, Maki Yami immediately lowered her head.

She never imagined they would meet again so soon.

Actually, this wasn't fast at all. If it weren't for the fact that it was the weekend, the two of them might have met in the corridor on the third floor the next day.

This weekend was particularly difficult for Maki Yami. After agreeing to break up with the boy, she told her father about it that very night so that she wouldn't regret it.

"It's like children playing house," sighed Kazuaki Yamami.

"Are you sure you've broken up?"

The girl nodded silently.

"What did that kid do to you?" The man's tone was a bit unfriendly; the title 'Matsueda-kun' was no longer necessary.

“Matsueda-kun did nothing wrong!” Yamami Maki hurriedly said, “It’s my fault. I let him down, and I was the one who initiated the breakup.”

The man was silent for a moment, then picked up the tea on the table. “My son, Moki, is a good girl. It’s just that he’s not a good match for the Yamagami family.”

"You don't need to go to class this weekend. I'll ask your tutor for leave for you. You and your friends can go have some fun."

"...I want to rest at home."

The girl who used to go shopping and drink coffee with her is no longer here, and Yamami Maki felt like crying again.

"That's fine too." The man nodded. "Tell your mother what you want to eat."

"There's no need to be too sad. Everyone loves a few people in their life. Your mother and I weren't each other's first love." That was the only way he could comfort his daughter.

The girl had no strength left to speak. She silently returned to her room, closed her eyes, and everything became blurry.

The vivid dreams, the mother's comforting words, the tears shed time and time again, the glaring sunlight that filled the room during the day—it all felt like time was passing by so slowly, yet recalling them is like looking through a fog, leaving no impression on my heart.

On Monday morning, before leaving for school, Yamami Maki told herself that she couldn't go on like this anymore.

Matsueda wouldn't like seeing himself so weak. Even if I can't do it, I should still try my best to meet his expectations...

"Senior, senior?" Someone shook her arm, and the girl realized that she was still in the conference room.

"...What's wrong?" Yami Maki looked at her junior sitting in the middle, trying her best to keep her smile the same as always.

"Is almost everyone here? I'll officially start the meeting in two minutes?" Mitani asked in a low voice.

Even though she was already the student council president, she still liked to consult her seniors for advice when Yami was around.

“No problem.” Yamami Maki nodded, her eyes lowered, her bangs obscuring the view of the boy and girl sitting opposite her.

However, the junior next to her shook her arm again, "Senior, is there still no news about the matter I asked you to inquire about Matsueda-san?"

"...I'm sorry, I haven't had much time or a suitable opportunity these past few days."

The girl started learning to lie.

Fortunately, Mitani didn't seem to mind. "I'll ask him myself. Can you wait for me a bit after the meeting? I want to ask about the implementation of last year's cultural festival."

"it is good."

So after the meeting ended, Yamami Maki did not get up immediately. Waiting for her juniors, she subconsciously looked up and the two people sitting opposite her came into her view.

Matsueda held the meeting documents in his hand, his expression calm. The overhead light cast shadows on his face, making his features appear particularly striking. Tomatsu Yuka stood very close to him, the girl intently focused on the documents in the boy's hand, her cheek almost touching his arm.

Yamami Maki's heart suddenly began to clench, a bitter taste filling her chest and seeping into every crevice.

The girl lowered her head immediately, as if pricked by a needle.

"Thank you for your hard work, Mitani-kun." She heard the boy's polite greeting, followed by the sound of a chair being moved.

"Pine Branch, wait a moment!" the girl called out to him. "I wanted to ask if you'd like to participate in the school festival performance. I've seen your band's videos, and everyone would love it if you appeared on the school festival stage!"

The boy didn't hesitate much. "Sorry, I've already left the band. If you need a performance, I can help you contact them."

"Ah...that's fine too." The girl's tone was a little regretful, yet also inexplicably affectionate.

"Matsueda-kun, will you not be performing on stage anymore? I really want to see you perform live~"

"I have no plans to return to the stage for the time being."

Yamami Maki lowered her head even further, her hands clenched tightly under the table.

"But he'll be performing in our class during the school festival~" Tomatsu Yuka's voice suddenly broke in.

"Huh? Really?!"

Although she couldn't see it, Yamami Maki could imagine Mitani looking at the boy with excitement.

After a brief pause, Jun Matsuoka remained silent.

"Since we're opening a jazz bar, I figured we definitely needed the best drummer, Matsueda-kun, to provide accompaniment, right?"

Tomatsu Yuka's voice moved closer to the boy next to her.

“…That’s right.” He agreed with the girl.

"I can't wait!"

"You have to come visit sometime!"

Only after the two footsteps disappeared at the door did Yamami Maki raise her head.

The school she once cherished and longed for nostalgia no longer seemed so pleasant.

Chapter 455 One Hundred Tricks for Gazing at the Moon

After deciding to run a "jazz bar" for this year's cultural festival, Jun Matsue filled out the event planning form by noon the next day.

"Thomatsu, take another look and make sure there are no problems." He handed the form to the girl at the next table.

Tomatsu Yuka reached out and took it. She used her other hand to support her cheek, the pen between her fingers pressed against her face. Her posture was casual, and her expression was cute.

The girl scanned the neat handwriting on the form one by one, nodded seriously, and said, "No problem. Shall I hand it in to the chairman?"

"You've already gone to so much trouble with the proposal." The boy took back the form. "I'll take care of these few steps."

"Then I'll consider the classroom layout plan again." Tomatsu Tomohana smiled brightly. "Thank you for making the trip, Matsue-san!"

As the boy got up from his seat and walked toward the door, he heard another girl's footsteps behind him.

Jun Matsue walked out of the classroom without closing the door, and Haruka Mochizuki naturally followed him.

"Are you coming with me?"

The girl nodded. "I'll buy an ice cream while I'm at it."

No one dared to mess with the combination of the top student and the rich girl. On the street, some students would unconsciously lower their voices while chatting, and then secretly glance at them.

"Time flies so fast," the boy suddenly remarked.

Mochizuki glanced at him, her expression as disdainful as a wild beast. "You can say such sentimental things that only an old man would say?"

"Just consider me old for now," Jun Matsueda said, waving the form in his hand. "Did you hear what they were saying?"

The girl turned her head slightly, assuming a listening posture.

"About the cultural festival."