Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 213

He turned around and showed the girls the pictures on his phone. Yosei Kurusu and Aya Miyamura winked, looking quite satisfied.

"That's it!"

The girls left the Kamo River before the wind along the riverbank deepened with the night.

"Isn't Songzhi going?" Mochizuki asked, looking at the boy standing in the wind.

"It's too early to go back now, I'll wander around a bit more."

"..." The girl turned around and walked towards the hotel. "Remember to come back early, or there won't be any milk left after your bath."

After observing him for the past few days, she was certain that the boy didn't intend to meet someone secretly, so she decided not to follow him around all the time.

The girl's figure disappeared on the riverbank, and Jun Matsue continued walking downstream—this was his third night strolling along the Kamo River, and he was already quite familiar with the route.

So when he saw the old man sitting by the river drinking for the third time, he was not surprised at all.

The old man was dressed in a black linen kimono, his right hand supporting a bottle of sake placed on the ground, and his left hand holding a small transparent cup, as if he were slowly sipping his sake.

Normally, when Jun Matsue saw this old man, he knew he had gone quite far and it was time to head home. But today he didn't move; he simply stood behind the old man, gazing at the herons standing on the opposite bank.

After the heron spread its wings and took off gracefully, the old man lowered his wine glass and looked at the boy behind him.

"I remember you, young man." His voice was clear and strong, though he spoke rather slowly.

"You came for a walk a couple of days ago, didn't you? What are you doing standing here with me today?"

“You’ve had a bit too much to drink today,” Jun Matsue said, pointing to the empty bottles on the ground. “It would be better if you stayed away from the river.”

There are no lights here. Although the water level may not be high enough to drown someone, it would still be a bit dangerous to fall face down into the river.

The old man smiled, but instead of getting up, he patted the grass beside him.

Elderly people in Japan tend to be quite talkative, so Jun Matsue wasn't surprised. He sat down on the grass, keeping a little distance from the old man.

"Are you here in Kyoto for tourism?" The old man poured himself some more wine and sipped it slowly.

"Yes, I feel that Kyoto is a very nice place."

The moonlight was obscured by thin clouds, making it a little darker, and the two people on the riverbank were only shadows.

The old man exhaled slowly, as if sighing, "I used to love Kyoto when I was young, but I haven't come here much since I inherited the family business."

"After not seeing it for many years, this city seems to have changed a lot—"

His sigh was enveloped by the night and dissipated in the wind.

Jun Matsue blinked. "Judging from your accent, I thought you were a local."

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do." The old man switched back to his Tokyo accent. "Speaking with a foreign accent makes me feel like I don't belong in this city."

"I see."

The old man exhaled again, poured the little wine left in the bottle into his glass, and drank it all in one gulp.

He wasn't an alcoholic; he was just saddened by seeing his old acquaintance struggling on his sickbed, and by the changed state of things in Kyoto.

The wine was finished, and it was time for the old man to leave. He picked up the bottle and stood up, but stumbled a little. Jun Matsuoka immediately stepped forward to help him up.

He stayed for so long precisely because he was afraid this situation would occur.

"No need to help me," the old man said stubbornly. "I've just been sitting in the wind for a while."

"Yes, yes." Matsueda Jun adopted an attitude of neither listening nor believing. "Where do you live?"

The old man pointed in a direction, and the boy helped him into the alley. The lanterns along the road cast a warm glow, dispelling the chill that had settled on them.

After turning a corner, Jun Matsueda could only see izakayas and sushi restaurants at the end of the street, but he did not find any signs for a hotel.

"It's not time to go back yet." The old man no longer needed help. He pointed to the sushi restaurant with the fox logo. "Their inari sushi is good. It's on me."

As the two walked toward the sushi restaurant, a grey heron appeared out of nowhere and landed quietly at the entrance of an izakaya not far away.

"The birds in Kyoto aren't afraid of people at all anymore..." the old man patted the sleeve of his kimono.

"Maybe it was a Kyoto native in its past life, and it might have come here to drink often."

The old man was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

The grey herons on Kamo River Street may have been frequent visitors in a past life.

He recalled the days when he drank with his old acquaintance in this city, and the days he spent by the river with the water birds.

"Young man, you're quite interesting."

Chapter 378 Five Mountains Sending Fire Lanterns

Jun Matsueda returned to the hotel with a box of Inari sushi.

"We just finished eating not long ago, why did Songzhi go to buy food again?"

Yosei Kurusu, who was lying in bed playing on her phone, sat up and took the cardboard box from the boy's hand.

"I met an old man who often takes walks by the river, and he treated me to a meal."

Jun Matsue and the elderly man in the black kimono didn't talk much. After confirming that the old man had sobered up, he took his leave.

"Ah!" The girl jumped up and down on the bed twice with her waist. "No wonder you go to the Kamo River every day, so someone is treating you to food!"

"Just this once." Jun Matsue shooed the girl off the bed. "Don't eat in my bed."

"Where are Mochizuki and the others?"

"I'm changing clothes in my own room. I was sent here to prevent you from peeping."

Yosei Kurusu took a bite of the inari sushi wrapped in fried tofu, and it tasted pretty good.

"You're just bored." Jun Matsue didn't believe her at all. It was one thing for Aya-chan, but Mochizuki would definitely be hoping he would spy on her.

The girl, holding the sushi, pretended not to hear the boy's words and watched with great interest the flock of crows flying past the window.

Behind the flock of crows were scattered lights. Kyoto's night view was not dazzling, but hazy, carrying the restrained character of the older generation, which was completely different from the dense lights of Tokyo, which resembled integrated circuits.

The next morning, the four-person team set off according to the established plan, with their first destination being Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion).

On a clear day, Jun Matsue stood by the Mirror Pond and took a picture of the reflection of Kinkaku-ji Temple in the water, then sent it to Maki Yamami.

"Golden Pavilion is so beautiful in the sunshine!" the girl replied quickly. "It was a bit of a shame when we went, it was cloudy..."

"But now that we have photos taken by Songzhi-kun, it's not a pity~"

So the boy took a few more photos and sent them over.

The second destination was Ryoan-ji Temple, near Kinkaku-ji Temple.

Jun Matsue sent the dry landscape garden in the courtyard to his senior.

"Grandpa prefers dry landscape gardens, which I don't really appreciate."

"What a coincidence, I think so too," the boy replied decisively.

Perhaps Yamami Maki was secretly laughing, because a new message didn't appear in the chat box for two seconds.

"I went to Mandala Mountain yesterday to deliver the sacred wood, and I made a wish for Songzhi to be healthy~"

The third destination is Arashiyama.

After getting off at Arashiyama Station, Jun Matsue looked north and saw a bare patch on a low hill, which was one of the sites for the Gozan no Okuribi (Five Mountains Fire Offering).

"Are you really looking forward to the Five Mountains Sending Fire?" Mochizuki Haruka stood beside him, observing the expression on the boy's face.

“After all, it is a very solemn ceremony.” Matsueda Jun withdrew his gaze and looked at the lush trees behind the temple in front of him, which was where Arashiyama was located.

It was already dusk when we left Arashiyama. Yosei Kuriki was the first to walk out of Seiryoji Temple, stretching with his back to the setting sun.

"I'm hungry!" The girl turned around. "Wouldn't it be better to go see the Five Mountains Sending Fire after we eat?"

"The Gozan Fire Offering doesn't start until 8 o'clock." Jun Matsue glanced at his phone. "Hirosawa Pond is about a 20-minute walk from here. It should be just right to go there after we finish eating."

"Isn't it just past six o'clock now?" Miyamura Aya wiped the fine sweat from her forehead, her voice sounding somewhat tired.

"We need to get a good spot early." Mochizuki Haruka took Aya's arm. "We can sit and rest by the pool later."

"That's a little better." The girl leaned on her shoulder. "I feel like today's schedule was too full. I've been traveling for four days, and I feel so tired..."

“Didn’t you insist on adding Kinkakuji?” Jun Matsueda glanced at his younger sister.

"Did I overestimate myself...?"

However, when the four arrived at Hirozawa Pond at 7 p.m., the scene before them swept away Miyamura Aya's fatigue.

"How dreamy—"

The night deepened the color of the pond, and square river lanterns were scattered on the surface, swaying with the ripples.

The river lanterns made of oiled paper come in colors such as red, green, yellow, and blue, blurring the candlelight in the center of the lantern base. The drooping black sky blends with the inky pool water, and the shimmering light seems like a tangible soul about to drift away into the sky.

Jun Matsue glanced at his phone. His senior had arrived at Hirozawa Pond, but the shore was now a sea of ​​people, making it difficult to spot her.

The Five Mountains Fire Offering Ceremony will last for thirty minutes. There's no rush. He followed the girls to the pool and sat down on a dry patch of grass.

"How much longer until we ignite the fire?" Yosei Kurusu asked with great interest, hugging his legs.

"Half an hour." Mochizuki Haruka looked down at her phone. "It's right across from us."

The crowd of onlookers spread out with the lights on the pond, quickly filling the space around the four-person team. In the open and dark world, only the "lantern flow" in front of them and the whispers around them remained, giving them a unique sense of security.

Sitting behind the girls, Jun Matsueda picked up his phone again and texted Maki Yami, "Where is my senior?"

"We're on the side closer to the forest," the girl replied immediately. "I'll come find Matsue-san after we start lighting the fire?"

"Wait five minutes after lighting the lanterns." Jun Matsue craned his neck to look at the water. "Go to the bank with the fewest lanterns; it'll be harder to spot them there."

"Good~"

Yamami Maki put away her phone and looked at the people dressed in kimonos around her. The girl was a little nervous and a little excited—it was the first time she had "done something bad" under the noses of her elders.

At exactly eight o'clock, a ribbon of fire lit up from the foot of the mountain, and people blinked in surprise.

“That’s the team carrying torches.” Mochizuki Haruka’s voice rang out in the darkness. “After they go up the mountain, they will light the torches that have been placed in advance, and the Five Mountains Fire Offering will officially begin.”

The bright band of fire moved up the mountain, and fifteen minutes later, a ball of sparks expanded from the center of the mountain, then rapidly expanded into the shape of a torii gate, shining brightly in the night sky.

Colorful lanterns and fiery torii gates in the air become the only light in the darkness, as if the gate to the other shore has opened, and those souls that have briefly returned to the human world are drifting away, about to depart.

The people by the Guangze Pond gasped in amazement. The girls were captivated by the extraordinary sight before them, and Jun Matsue glanced down at his phone.

Time is up.

The boy stood up, and Kurusu Yosei, who was sitting next to his toes, turned around. "Where is Matsue going?"

"I need to use the restroom," Jun Matsue chose the simplest and most unpretentious reason.

The girl patted him on the shoulder and said, "Go and come back quickly, and take pictures of me and Aya-chan later."

Jun Matsue nodded, pushed aside the crowd of people with cameras and phones behind him, and walked to the other side.

Kurusu Yosei turned around and stared at the lanterns swirling on the water for a while before realizing something was amiss. She then turned to look at the girl sitting next to her.

Mochizuki Haruka wasn't admiring the magnificent view before her; her profile glowed faintly in the dim lamplight.

The girl was still gazing in the direction where Jun Matsueda had disappeared.

Chapter 379 The Kiss Frozen in Time

Jun Matsugae weaved through the gaps in the bustling crowd.

Looking to the right, the city's sparse roads and low houses emerge indistinct outlines in the darkness; looking to the left, the blazing torii gates hang in the air, and the lanterns on the horizon sway gently.

Such a peculiar and dreamlike scene was like an illusion, making Jun Matsuoka think that he was walking in the gap between reality and the other side.

He walked toward the darkest part of the shore, searching for the figure of a young girl.

In this city where time has left its mark everywhere, they have passed each other by many times.

A light green lantern glided from the shore toward the center of the lake, and Yamami Maki, dressed in a kimono, came into the boy's view.

The girl lowered her head slightly. She didn't look at the lake, but at the shore, in the direction from which Matsueda Jun had come. The slight unease in her expression disappeared the moment she saw the boy appear.

"Matsueda-kun~" Yami Maki smiled, raised her right hand and waved, calling his name softly.

Jun Matsue slowed down and walked step by step to the girl. The lush grass on the bank rustled softly at his feet.

"I see you again, senior." He stopped and looked at the gentle smiling face before him. "Did you get bitten by bugs while standing here?"