Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 224

“Look at Yuka, she’s a completely qualified department head now. She recovered from the setback so quickly, which makes me feel like I’m still stuck in the same place, as naive as a child.”

The blow that Yami Maki was referring to was clearly not the defeat in the brass band competition, so Matsueda Jun had no choice but to take her hand and stroke it.

"The senior is just a little greedy."

“This is it.” The girl looked up. “Matsueda asked me before if my bows had never been refused by anyone.”

"Perhaps it's because I've always grown up receiving everyone's care that I'm so immature when facing setbacks—both Yuka and you overcame them so skillfully and can ignore them so quickly in life."

"But I can't do it."

Jun Matsue thought for a moment, then opened the tightly closed wooden door. The twilight that filled the corridor seeped in, and Maki Yami seemed a little flustered, as if she was afraid that the girls from the brass band club hadn't gone far yet.

"I won't say anything like your life is too smooth. I hope you don't think that way either. Don't you have a lot of troubles too?"

"You're just gentler than most people, and therefore more greedy, which isn't a bad thing."

“If you switch the positions of the senior and Tomatsu, she certainly wouldn’t hesitate like you, but the ‘senior’ who was left behind might be in an even more miserable situation.”

"Because no one else will care about her like you do."

"I hope you can keep this in mind. If you are like Tomatsu, you two will probably never see each other again."

"But isn't it precisely because you are Yamami Maki that there is a possibility of repairing the relationship?"

"What you need to do, senior, is not to forget how you feel right now, and to be more careful when making decisions in the future."

Yamami Maki and the boy left the corridor together, watching the figure that had not yet completely disappeared from the school gate.

"Does Matsueda really think there's any chance for Yuka and me to mend our relationship?"

"It's unlikely right now."

The girl's eyebrows drooped.

"But maybe in the future."

The boy sighed, "Tomatsu is also someone who likes to show off."

Jun Matsue was somewhat emotional. He never would have imagined that he would speak up for this unforgivable girl.

"So you need to adjust your mood, and I will give you enough happiness energy."

The boy changed the subject, "That way, you'll have the resources to win back Tomatsu Yuka when she's all sullen, right?"

Yamami Maki laughed.

"I hope that in the future I can have the same eloquence as Songzhi."

This is the closest I've seen to her smile since the start of the school year.

He can finally relax for now.

Chapter 398 Funeral, TV Series, and the Road to Idol

After a brief pause, the relationship between Jun Matsueda and Maki Yami began to warm up again.

However, the two did not meet this weekend.

The old man the Yami family visited in Kyoto passed away a few days ago, so the girl has to attend the funeral.

"I'm sorry, I was supposed to go to the movies with Matsueda-san..." Yami Maki sent an apology message.

“It’s alright,” Jun Matsue replied, sitting on the sofa. “We can meet again this time; the funeral is more important.”

He had already given the movie tickets he bought to Aya Miyamura. It was 1:30 PM now, and the girl should already be seated in the movie theater.

He put down his phone, and Yosei Kurusu, who was next to him, picked up the remote control.

"Has Songzhi finished replying to the message? Shall we continue watching the TV series?"

The boy nodded, and the frozen scene came to life again. The girl on the screen was sitting on her bed in her room, blushing as she looked out the window at her childhood sweetheart, while she began to masturbate on the bed next door.

Yosei Kurusu clicked her tongue in amazement, her eyes widening as she watched the boy on TV being obscured by the windowsill, then turned to look at the boy sitting on the sofa.

"What are you looking at me for?" Jun Matsue rolled his eyes at her, annoyed.

"Would Songzhi do that too?" The girl made a gesture that was very inconsistent with her idol status.

"Would you do something like that?" the boy countered.

"I'm so busy, I don't have time for that!"

"Me too."

"Roar……"

Under the girl's skeptical gaze, Jun Matsueda watched the television without changing his expression. He was very familiar with the faces of the boy and girl on the screen—he had seen them many times with Natsumi Imokawa during the summer vacation.

The two are watching the third episode of "Now That Things Have Gone, I've Fallen for My Friend's Lover".

Jun Matsueda was reading in his bedroom, but when he went out to get water, he happened to run into Yosei Kurusu lying on the sofa reading "Now That Things Have Come to This," so he joined her.

He said he wasn't interested, but he still watched it... The boy recalled his conversation with Natsumi Imokawa.

"So why are you watching this?" he asked the girl next to him.

"Because this drama is quite popular recently." Yosei Kurusu opened a bag of potato chips and placed it between the two of them.

"A highly realistic portrayal of school life, chaotic romantic relationships, and the most authentic adolescence of teenagers!"

"...Is this their promotional slogan?"

“That’s right.” Yosuke Kurusu took a bite of the potato chip, making a soft crunch. “Sounds interesting, doesn’t it?”

"But all I see now is a pair of silly childhood sweethearts. Where did the kissing scene at the beginning of the first episode go?" the girl said, dissatisfied.

"Ah, it's in the back," Jun Matsue said unhurriedly.

"Judging from the current progress, it's probably around episode five or six. The two of them slept together the first time they met, which is pretty outrageous."

"what?"

Kurusu Yosei turned to look at him in surprise. The girl's eyes were wide open, reminding the boy of the cat at Mochizuki's house.

"Really? How does Matsueda know what happens later in the story?"

"It's adapted from a comic book."

"You've read comics?" The girl was even more surprised; she didn't think Songzhi would read such things.

"No."

"..." Kurusu Yosei puffed out her cheeks, pretending to be angry, but Matsueda Jun could only feel her cuteness.

“She is a friend from my school. Her father is the director of this show. I visited the set during the summer vacation.”

The girl thought for a moment, "Is it that Imokawa-kun's father?"

“That’s right.” This time it was Matsueda Jun’s turn to be surprised. “You actually remember her?”

"Because she always has a camera with her, and you haven't told me about any other friends." Yosei Kurusu is no fool.

"And she has a great figure, so I remember her very well!"

The boy nodded. "Her family works in the entertainment industry."

"Amazing!"

Jun Matsueda looked at the mascara commercial that was playing on TV. Yosei Kurusu's beauty was flawless against the pure white background, and the girl's eyes shone brightly in the close-up shot.

"Is this considered impressive? How impressive must Kurusu-san, who already endorses commercials, be?"

“I’m different,” Yosei Kurusu chuckled. “After all, my goal is to reach the pinnacle of idol status.”

"By the way, you always say you want to stand at the pinnacle of idols, do you have any specific criteria for judging that?" Jun Matsueda suddenly asked curiously.

"Of course there are standards." The girl, with potato chips in her mouth, looked up at the ceiling and thought for a while.

"Given the idol ecosystem of this era and my current position, I must first have a nationwide tour."

"Then I need to have a song that's widely popular and ranks high on the Oricon charts, which means that as an idol singer, I can conquer both the general public and the fan market in the professional field..."

Matsueda Jun watched the talkative girl. Kurusu Yosei was usually always cheerful and often eccentric, so her serious and focused appearance at this moment was particularly attractive.

For fans, Yosuke Kurusu is someone who always shines on stage, but for Jun Matsueda, Yosuke Kurusu is like a childhood friend next door in a drama, embellishing his daily life, and also able to conquer hearts with his almost magical performances on stage.

This stark contrast is perhaps why he will always be drawn to the girl named "Kurusu Yosei".

"The most important point is that even if I leave my current agency, I can still maintain this influence and continue to be active on stage."

The girl put down the packaging bag, licked her fingers which were covered in potato chip powder, and looked at the boy who was still staring at her.

"What? Does Pine Branch want to lick your fingers too?"

Matsueda Jun snapped out of his daze and shook his head. "I was just surprised by your plans."

After the commercial break, the two continued watching the clumsy and naive girl try to win over the seemingly even more clumsy boy, while Matsueda Jun was still recalling Kurusu Yosei's earlier remarks.

"Judging from this, you've already participated in performances in other cities before, so a tour seems relatively easy to arrange, right?"

Yosei Kurusu paused for a moment, "That's what they said..."

"But large-scale tours are incredibly busy, requiring the investment of various resources, and once started, they can't be easily stopped."

"I'll be a super workaholic flying around all day, and I won't have time to take a break like this and stay in my apartment watching TV."

The girl looked at the profile of the person next to her.

"The busiest and most stressful time is before you get close to the top of the idol world."

"That was also the time when I was furthest away from you."

"So, Matsue, you should cherish this time we spend snuggling together, idly watching TV, okay?"

Chapter 399 Unexpected Situations Beyond the Election

The student council election at Haneoka High School was held on a Monday when the cicadas were nowhere to be heard.

The auditorium was brightly lit, and students from all three grades were seated, watching the girl standing behind the podium give her speech.

"I am Marie Honma from Class 2-6. You can find my information on page five of the election bulletin. Due to time constraints, I will briefly introduce myself..."

However, as people look at the boy, their gaze will naturally drift to the side and fall on the tall and straight-looking boy.

In an environment where everyone is seated, standing staff inevitably stand out, and Jun Matsueda, who is looking down at the documents in his hands, is undoubtedly the most conspicuous one.

"Is that Matsueda-senpai?" the first-year students in the crowd whispered among themselves. "He's even more handsome than I imagined."

"That's him. Isn't he the one Tomatsu-senpai confessed to during the sports meet?"

"I heard that Senior Mochizuki's relationship with him seems to be more than just casual..."

The girl behind the podium seemed to hesitate for a moment. Jun Matsueda looked up to confirm that the projection system on the stage was still working properly.

It seems it was just because he was nervous... He turned around, and those curious gazes immediately went away.

After confirming that everything was alright, the boy greeted Hiromi Seshita backstage and returned to his class.

As soon as he sat down, Tomatsu Yuka, who was sitting next to him, smiled and whispered.

"The smile that Matsueda gave to his juniors when he came over was exactly the same as the smile he gave to visitors when he worked at the Literature Museum."

"That's how it is when we're in business." Jun Matsueda sighed, and the girl's smile relaxed a little more.

Sitting behind Tomatsu Yuka, Mochizuki Haruka leaned over, placing herself between the two.

"Can the pine branches rest now?"

“It’s temporary.” The boy took a sip of the mineral water that was placed at his feet. “After the speech, I will read out the voting instructions.”

"This is so troublesome." The young lady was getting a little impatient. "Who am I supposed to vote for later?"

"Just vote for whichever one you like."

"I didn't listen, I'll just vote the same as you."

Matsueda Jun glanced at her helplessly, "I'll vote for Mitani-kun."

"Mitani? Aren't you going to vote for Honma, who's in our own class?"

The girl looked at the girl on the stage, who had just finished her speech and was bowing to the audience.

"Mitani's ideas are more to my liking."