Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 243

"Boss—" Tomatsu Yuka's soft voice rang out behind the boy, echoing across the lake.

The defeated swan tilted its head back and opened its beak in response. The swan's call wasn't elegant; it sounded a bit like an old-fashioned car horn, but even more comical.

Jun Matsue turned to look at the girl, Yuka Tomatsu, who had a smile on her face.

"Shouting out loud like Matsueda-san makes me feel much better."

She opened her mouth and continued.

"Why doesn't Matsue-san like me—"

The girl's voice was louder this time, and the swans on the lake flapped their wings, creating ripples.

"Hey." Jun Matsue was startled, and before he could stop her, another girl behind him called out.

"How could Songzhi possibly like you—give up—"

Wang Yueyao shouted even more joyfully, and gray birds in the woods on the shore were startled and took flight, circling above the lake.

"Flat-chested young lady—good for nothing except money—" Tomatsu Yuka's retort rang out from the boy's right.

"..." The flat-chested young lady, who was leaning against the railing, suddenly straightened her arms and looked at her from behind Matsueda Jun.

“I have it!” the girl said in a low voice, gritting her teeth.

"Oh," Tomatsu Yuka replied, straightening her back and raising her head.

Mochizuki Haruka turned her head and continued shouting, "I kissed Matsue—"

Now it was the other girl's turn to break down. Tomatsu Yuka turned her head and looked at the boy next to her.

"When did this happen?" she asked in surprise.

Matsueda Jun did not answer, but instead turned his head to look at Mochizuki Haruka.

"You almost bit my lips raw, can this even be considered a kiss?"

“Yes—” the girl answered loudly.

The two of them leaned against the railing and shouted back and forth, attracting the attention of several more swans on the water.

A dozen minutes later, the girls were panting heavily, looking exhausted.

"Why bother?" Jun Matsuoka said helplessly.

"This feels so good, doesn't it?" Tomatsu Yuka smiled wearily, but her eyes were brighter than before.

"Doesn't Matsueda-san have something on her mind that she wants to say?"

How could there not be?

The boy leaned on the railing, gazing at the lake and mountains before him—to the girls, it looked more like he was facing off against the swans in the lake.

He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted at Mount Fuji across the lake.

"Yamami Ichizoku—"

I really want to punch you!

The girls exchanged glances; this was the answer they wanted to hear.

After a long while, Jun Matsue finally let out a long breath and turned around to look at the two of them.

"I didn't say anything."

Tomatsu Tomohana smiled and nodded, while Mochizuki Haruka remained expressionless, only giving a thumbs-up.

"Should we continue riding?" He looked at the three bicycles parked to the side.

"The students from Class 5 who set off first said there are hot springs ahead, and I want to go soak in one."

Mochizuki Haruka didn't object. Although she was in better physical condition than Tomatsu Yuka, she had still sweated a bit and hadn't taken a bath the night before, so soaking in the hot spring would be the best thing ever.

"We need to get going right away." Jun Matsue patted the seat. "We'll have to pay extra if we don't return the bicycle on time."

So the three bicycles set off again. Although they said they had to hurry, it seemed that no one wanted to speed up. Only the leisurely pedaling and the chatter on the road gradually faded into the distance.

"Speaking of which, has Mochizuki ever climbed Mount Fuji?"

"No, I was in a hurry to leave Japan, this place that caused me so much heartache."

"...maybe I'll have a chance to go hiking tomorrow."

"No way~ Doesn't Matsueda-kun know? It's closed to the mountains right now~"

"I see..." The boy looked at the lake surface rushing past him.

Shout out to the sky, describing the youth we yearn for—a time that is both unrestrained and fleeting.

Yet it makes one so impulsive, wanting to sink into it forever.

Chapter 431 Awakening

After enjoying the hot springs, the return journey became much easier. The cycling team returned to the campsite around 10 a.m.

"Isn't Songzhi coming with us?" Mochizuki Haruka stood at the camp entrance, looking at the boy who was standing still.

Jun Matsueda shook his head. "I'll go see what Sakamuro and the others are doing."

"Is Ken Sakamuro more interesting than me?" The girl frowned, somewhat displeased.

The boy shook his head again. "My grandma just lectured me recently, telling me not to always hang out with girls."

More importantly, he needed to calm himself down to avoid falling into the girls' trap—leaving school and with his senior no longer by his side, Matsueda Jun was already feeling his willpower was wavering.

"Then Matsueda-san, remember not to play too wildly with the boys." Tomatsu Yuka stood in front of Mochizuki Haruka, "Otherwise, you'll have wasted your time soaking in the hot spring."

The boy nodded and walked towards the woods on the other side. After his figure disappeared, the two girls standing there silently distanced themselves from each other.

"Are you asking your aunt for advice again?" Tomatsu Yuka sat on a tree stump and looked at Mochizuki Haruka, who was looking down at her phone.

"None of your business." The girl glanced at her and said nothing more.

From the start of their study tour, the two maintained a subtle and strange tacit understanding.

Mochizuki Haruka was in charge of the frontal attack, creating opportunities for Matsueda Jun to waver.

Tomatsu Tomori was responsible for inciting and amplifying Matsueda Jun's desires, forcing him to confront his own inner self.

They hadn't communicated; they only seemed to be in sync because they shared the same goal.

That is to make the boys realize that if they choose the senior they like, they will have to give up the freedom and pleasure they are currently enjoying—the girls are working hard to add weights, trying to tilt the scales of their crushes accordingly.

As for which way it leans? That's not important for now, as long as it doesn't lean towards Yamami Maki.

Pressing the send button, Mochizuki Haruka put her phone back in her pocket and looked up, making an unintentional eye contact with the girl who was looking at her.

She gave a soft hum and turned to leave amidst Tomatsu Yuka's smile.

At 11 a.m., the students of Class 5, Grade 2 gathered again in the open space. Kominato Shoko handed the Fuji Mountain soda in her hand to her best friend and cleared her throat.

"The activities at Yamanakako Campsite have come to an end!"

The boys below sighed in disappointment—they had previously held a "Strongest Sword" selection tournament in the woods, and they still hadn't chosen a champion.

"So in order to make the afternoon's itinerary easier, please start packing your belongings. Please disassemble and organize any tents you have assembled and return them to the administrator in order."

"If you brought your own outdoor gear, please make sure to check and distinguish it carefully to avoid any mistakes or omissions."

"Meet here promptly at 12:00 noon to participate in the afternoon activities and head to the next campsite!"

"Do you understand now—" Ms. Kominato shouted again, standing on tiptoe.

"clear--"

Ken Sakamuro was the one who set up the tent, and Jun Matsueda was the one who took it down. He squatted outside the tent and folded the moisture-proof mat.

"So what did you do with Ken Sakamuro and the others?" Haruka Mochizuki appeared behind him, and the familiar "ninja vibe" returned.

"They're selecting the best swords, and someone with my discerning eye like me is naturally a judge."

"what?"

Mochizuki Haruka didn't understand what a sword was. She took two steps toward the boy and watched him dismantle the tent before remembering why she had come.

"Pine branches, these kinds of ground stakes are really troublesome to remove without tools, you know? Let me tell you—"

Before the girl could finish speaking, Jun Matsuoka pulled the nail out of the ground with his bare hands. He turned around, holding a long nail covered in dirt in his hand.

"What did you say?"

"It's nothing," the girl said, pursing her lips. "I'll help you pack up the tent."

It seems that my aunt's methods aren't always effective.

At exactly twelve o'clock, the bus outside the camp started again, leaving the lakeside road and entering Yamanakako Village. Jun Matsue looked out the window at the swaying lake, then turned back to chase after the swans left behind.

"Are you reluctant to part with it?" Tomatsu Yuka, sitting behind him, asked with a smile.

"That's true to some extent." The boy nodded.

"After all, I have just established a deep friendship with an ancient family that has a long history, great power, and rules over Yamanaka Lake.

Thinking about it that way, the second-in-command who fought with him shouldn't be the Boss, but rather someone named Yamami Kazuaki.

However, the girl knew very well that it wasn't just the swan family that he couldn't bear to part with.

After having fried steak at the youth exchange center in the village, the afternoon's itinerary officially began. The bus shuttled through the village, taking the students from Haneoka High School to the Yamanakako Art Museum, the Yukio Mishima Literature Museum, and the Automobile Museum.

The Yukio Mishima Museum is located in the Forest of Literature. As a stopover in the afternoon, the exhibition hall is not very large, and most students quickly lose interest and start to wander around in the forest outside the museum.

"Does Matsueda like Yukio Mishima?" Tomatsu asked, looking at Matsueda Jun.

The boy was standing in front of the display case, looking at the ninety-nine published books on display.

"I wouldn't say I like it, but I have read some of it."

He looked at the green-covered book, *The Forest in Full Bloom*, behind the shop window. It was a gift he had received from a girl in junior high school. He generally didn't accept gifts, but books were an exception—a later exception that was dropped when everyone started giving him books.

"Because the protagonist of one of his books also has the surname Matsue, I've read it."

The girl looked at the book "Spring Snow" and said, "I've read it too, by Kiyoaki Matsue, right? But I don't really like it."

Women are nothing more than small, liar creatures with fleshy bodies—when she first saw this sentence at the Setagaya Literature Museum, she felt a profound pain that was somewhere between shame and regret.

However, the book that left the deepest impression on Jun Matsueda was not the two books mentioned above, but "The Temple of the Golden Pavilion".

He hadn't read the book, but because Kinkaku-ji was in Kyoto—although he had only been there once and hadn't stayed for many days—Kyoto had become an unforgettable place for him.

During the Gozan Fire Festival, amidst the flames in the sky and the shimmering lights along the riverbank, Jun Matsue kissed the girl in the kimono in the darkness where no one knew him.

The boy thought everything was just beginning, but three months later, he suddenly realized that he seemed to have lost that initial, carefree, and pure feeling of excitement.

If you're with Yamami Maki and pursuing a simple and peaceful happiness, will that happiness still exist now that these difficulties, trials, and setbacks have arisen?

Just thinking about it is terrifying.

So Jun Matsue turned around and looked at the girl beside him.

"I'm going to make a phone call."

Tomatsu Tomohana smiled and nodded, watching him leave the exhibition hall.

The forest outside was mostly withered and yellow, the lawn was covered with fallen leaves, and the dim sun hung in the sky not far from the woods, looking precarious.

It was already time for Haneoka High School to let out for the day, and Jun Matsueda took out his phone and dialed Maki Yamami's number.

"Hello? Is there something you need, Matsue-kun?" The senior's voice was still soft and gentle, seemingly unchanged.

The boy thought for a while, searching for a suitable beginning.

"Senior, we had a bonfire party at the camp yesterday."

"Really? That'll be really lively!"

"I don't know, because I didn't go."

"Huh? Why?" The girl asked, sounding surprised.

"Because it was a girl who liked me who came to invite me."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then he heard his senior ask cautiously.

Did you reject her?

"Of course."