Am I being simulated by their love affair?

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Tomatsu Tomohana nodded. "Mr. Yoshida took the day off, so I'm filling in for him."

Jun Matsue stopped talking, turned around and continued forward. The girl, carrying her bag in both hands, obediently followed in his footsteps.

Perhaps because autumn is a poetic season, it is particularly easy to evoke romantic feelings in people's hearts. The literature museum had quite a few visitors this afternoon, and the two of them barely rested after entering the counter.

It wasn't until after 3 p.m. that the footsteps in the hall gradually subsided, leaving only the soft sound of turning pages and people's silent breathing.

Jun Matsue put down his water glass and looked out the window at the bright sunshine and clear sky, with only a few straight contrails.

I wonder how my senior is feeling these past few days... There are still more than two months until the joint exam. Will the breakup affect her performance?

We agreed to discuss university and major choices together, so I hope she doesn't go back to Ochanomizu...

The gentle voice beside him interrupted his thoughts.

"Matsueda seems to be in a bad mood lately?"

The boy turned his head and met the gaze of the girl with bright eyes.

"Tomatsu must have seen it already, so why are you pretending not to know?"

“I was afraid you were in a bad mood and didn’t want to talk to me.” Tomatsu Yuka smiled. “I also like to be alone when I’m troubled, so I can understand Matsueda-kun.”

She paused for a moment, then asked in a tone that was not surprised.

"Is my senior still unwilling to change?"

Jun Matsue stared at the table with its rows and columns on the computer screen for a while, then nodded.

The girl breathed a sigh of relief.

She knew that the boy's wavering was enough, or rather, even Matsueda Jun felt helpless in the face of the weak, stubborn, and not selfish Yami Maki.

“Matsueda is just too gentle with the people she likes.” Tomatsu’s tone was even gentler. “I felt that way back then, but I didn’t know how to cherish it. You will regret it later, senpai, because you are like this now.”

"So rather than letting her regret it later, why not use a more direct approach now to make her realize it? What do you think, Matsue-kun?"

Jun Matsueda shifted his gaze from the computer screen in front of him to the girl's gentle eyes.

"In the end, it's because you're too compliant with your senior's wishes, always thinking about holding her hand and guiding her to change step by step."

"But with your gentle yet stubborn personality, the gentler you are, the less effective you become. Matsueda-kun, why don't you think about how you changed us?"

"Isn't it time to give her a good enough shock?"

Tomatsu Yuka doesn't mind being a bad kid.

Chapter 449 Bewitchment

"You're not thinking of pretending to be a couple to spite her, are you?"

Behind the library counter, Jun Matsueda looked at the smiling girl.

He's not that easy to fool.

“That’s a bit too fast and too extreme,” Tomatsu Yuka shook her head, but she didn’t deny it. “Even excitement should be approached gradually.”

The boy took a sip of water, waiting for the girl to continue.

“Matsue was too proactive with her senior. You put in so much effort and turned her into a child raised in a honey pot—she will think that the sweetness in front of her is as natural as air, but it isn’t.”

"Like now, even though you've broken up, your senior knows you still like her, which gives her a great sense of security."

Tomatsu Yuka leaned slightly closer to the boy and spoke softly.

“Even though he broke up with Songzhi, he will still care about me and pay attention to me. That’s what she thinks now.”

"It's a misconception that Yami-senpai thinks she has the initiative."

"It's your senior who needs you, not the other way around—if she really wanted you to let go, why didn't she tell me?"

"My senior hasn't told me about your breakup yet..."

She couldn't bear to part with you; the girl's words were soft yet surprisingly persuasive.

“I understand that your senior doesn’t want to hold you back, but she can’t bear to lose you, so she just can’t bring herself to do it—she thinks this situation can continue, and maybe you can continue to be good friends and keep each other company.”

"So you need to let her know you're sad, let her know that a real breakup isn't like this."

By ignoring her, Jun Matsue understood the girl's meaning.

“That might even have the opposite effect.” He lowered his head slightly, avoiding the faint fragrance surrounding the girl.

"My senior already wanted to break up with me. If she finally puts up with my coldness, then there's really no way to turn things around."

Tomatsu Tomohana tilted her head, her eyes clear. "Does Matsue-san have any other ideas?"

"Are you going to kneel down and beg your senior to continue dating you?"

What's the point of that kind of relationship?

Matsueda Jun fell silent, and a small joy welled up in the girl's heart—as long as Matsueda-kun didn't refute her, it meant that he had begun to accept it.

So Tomatsu Tomohana wisely stopped while she was ahead and didn't continue the topic. She tidied up the returned books and gave the boy space to think for himself.

Once the two were completely free, the girl took off her headphones and stretched.

"When will you upload 'Moment' to the music app? I really like this song, but I can only listen to your performance videos."

The boy shook his head. "You'll have to ask Quan and the others. I've already left the band."

Seemingly because he had some free time, he said a few more words, "This final version of 'Moment' was only rehearsed a few days before the performance, and we don't even have a recording studio version ourselves."

"Then wasn't last Sunday's performance the swan song?" The girl's eyes widened in surprise.

“…I guess so.” Jun Matsueda smiled.

"It's such a pity..." Tomatsu Yuka sighed regretfully, "So many people are asking for a studio recording version under the performance video."

"Is that so?" Jun Matsueda turned another page of the workbook in front of him.

In fact, he hadn't watched the recording of the performance at all—the memory was already firmly ingrained in his mind, and he didn't want to recall that night again.

"The video has already surpassed 200,000 views!" The girl tapped her finger on the phone screen. "It's even trending in its category!"

"Hopefully it will go down soon."

For the past few days, people from other classes have been coming to watch him because of the band's performance, and he's getting a little annoyed even with their fake smiles.

Jun Matsuo put down his pen and looked at the vast sky outside the glass wall. The sun was setting earlier and earlier; before five o'clock, the city's colors were already beginning to dim.

Cycling home from get off work, gazing at the half-sky tinged red in his peripheral vision, Jun Matsueda suddenly thought—

Perhaps it wasn't the onlookers who were annoying, but rather that he was no longer comfortable with the life he used to lead while wearing a mask.

After returning to his apartment, Jun Matsueda placed the bag he was carrying on the dining table. It was his dinner for the day—a half-price bento from a convenience store.

Since Kurusu Yosei left, cooking for one has become troublesome, and coupled with his naturally bad mood these past few days, he hasn't cooked for quite some time.

Standing on the balcony, enjoying the afterglow of the setting sun, Jun Matsue finished eating the char siu and half-cooked egg cold noodles in a plastic box. He then returned to the living room, turned on the TV, and saw a familiar face on the program that started on time.

Yosuke Lai had returned once in the past few days. The girl was in a hurry and hadn't even changed out of her performance costume. Her manager was standing downstairs, nervously looking left and right, wary of any entertainment reporters who might appear.

At that time, Jun Matsueda had just returned from school. He was sitting in the living room, watching in surprise as the girl stormed into her room, grabbing her pillow and blanket.

"I'm not used to sleeping in the new apartment. I think it might be the bed," she explained earnestly as she left the bedroom.

"Won't you sit down for a bit? I can help you take it down." The boy got up from the sofa.

"No way!" The girl shook her head decisively. "I came straight here after the performance. It would be troublesome if you went down and were seen by reporters or fans who were following you."

"Remember to help me record the show!" she said, then hurriedly left with her blanket.

Even after leaving the apartment, Yosuke Kurusu didn't lose contact with the boy. She sent him a few photos, usually selfies backstage at performances or pictures of lunch she ate in the car. She no longer typed messages, mostly sending voice messages; the girl's life was dazzlingly busy.

The sky outside the balcony had completely darkened. Jun Matsue looked at the smiling girl on the TV screen. The girl who had taken a quilt from his house a few days ago was now facing the live camera, sitting in front of the host of a prime-time entertainment program.

Yosuke Kurusu, who only wanted to focus on the stage, once again accepted an invitation to this comedy variety show.

He knew what the girl was thinking. "These kinds of shows are actually more likely to make people go viral," she said herself.

Although Kurusu didn't say it, given her almost arrogant confidence, she must be thinking that she would excitedly describe the scene to him while watching her own show.

A recording start notification flashed on the screen. Jun Matsueda leaned back on the sofa, watching the colorful lights from the television projected onto the dark ceiling.

He recalled what Tomatsu Yuka had said at the literature museum that afternoon; the girl's allure was almost obvious, yet he couldn't resist.

After all, everyone is changing, so why shouldn't the senior student change as well?

Chapter 450 Reaping the Bitter Fruit

"How can we attract everyone to this year's cultural festival...?"

Yamami Maki sat in the student council office, absentmindedly watching her junior's lips move. She couldn't hear the girl's voice clearly, and her gaze wandered over the whiteboard against the wall, seemingly searching for something.

"Senior?" The girl waved her hand in front of Yamami Maki, bringing her back to her senses.

"Ah, I'm sorry..."

"What are you looking at, senior?" The girl turned around and glanced at the whiteboard behind her, which was completely blank. "Are you too tired from studying lately and have no energy?"

"Perhaps." Yami Maki smiled apologetically. "Where were we, Mitani-kun?"

"We were talking about the arrangements for this year's school festival." As a junior, she was very patient. "I was wondering if we should arrange some special performances, like Yuka from the brass band. I think she's really good at the saxophone, right?"

“…Yes.” The girl nodded.

Recently, Yuka has been greeting me when we meet in the hallway. Her attitude has become a little warmer, but Yamami Maki feels that there is something between us, making the girl's smile seem so blurry.

Come to think of it, she's seen Yuka more often than Matsueda lately... Has he stopped leaving the classroom so often these days?

The mere thought of that name caused a sharp pain in the girl's heart, making even her breathing slow down.

"What do you think, senior? How about inviting Yuka to perform a solo? And the Light Music Club, Matsueda's band is really popular lately, right? I've seen clips of their performances!"

Yamami Maki looked up. At first, she thought she was hallucinating, but then she realized that the girl in front of her had said his name.

"Senior, you think it's feasible too, right?" Mitani assumed that her senior's actions were in support of her idea.

"...Didn't Matsueda say he had already left the band?"

"Huh? Really?" The girl was somewhat surprised.

“Yes, many classmates have asked him recently, and he said he will not be performing anymore.” Yami Maki said this very slowly.

Even though they've already broken up, Matsueda still refuses to return to the stage.

"That's a bit bad..." the junior in front of me said regretfully, "I was originally planning to invite him in person."

"...Let's choose someone else." The girl's smile was somewhat forced.

"That's true—why don't we let the senior ask her?"

"Huh?" Yamami Maki was stunned.

"Your relationship with Yuka isn't very good right now, right? I'll go ask her. And as for Matsueda, could you please help me?" The girl winked playfully.

"You two seem to have a pretty good relationship, right? Help me sound out whether there's a chance for me to perform on stage?"

Yamami Maki didn't know why she didn't refuse.

Leaving the student council office, she returned to the teaching building alone. The sunlight was slightly chilly today, and the girl silently walked through the crowd in the corridor.

Even after the breakup, she might not want to say it out loud that their relationship wasn't good.

The first-year students, laughing and joking, ran past Yamami Maki, leaving behind a few wisps of wind carrying the scent of perfume.

So should I talk to him about it...? The girl stepped onto the third-floor corridor. Although it was unlikely that Matsueda would appear at the school festival, she really wanted to persuade him to return to the band and pick up the drumsticks again.

The noise in the corridor suddenly grew louder. Yamami Maki looked up and saw the boys from Class 2-6, who had just finished their home economics class, crowding around her across the hall.

The crowd surged forward like a tide, and she immediately noticed that familiar, tall figure. Jun Matsueda was at the very end of the line, the figures in front of him like exhausted waves, unable to obscure his features. The boy was speaking to Ken Sakamuro, his face turned to the side. His smile reminded passersby of the sunlight outside the window that day—even with a hint of coldness, it still made people want to get closer.

Maki Yamami stopped by the wall, waiting for the crowd to pass by. She and Jun Matsueda were on the same side of the corridor, and the girl would happen to pass by him.

She watched as the boy finished speaking and turned around. His features were fully revealed to the girl, as captivating as ever.

Yamami Maki took a step forward, intending to greet the boy as usual and take the opportunity to mention the request given to her by her juniors in the student council.

But the girl stopped moving.

Matsueda Jun turned around and clearly saw her, but he didn't react at all; even the smile in his eyes vanished. As if he'd seen someone he didn't want to see, the boy's gaze paused for a moment, then moved past the girl and continued forward.

Although she had warned herself beforehand, Yami Maki still felt her heart skip a beat when Matsueda Junma showed a distant attitude towards her.