Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 201

"It's already evening," the girl said with a smile, changing the subject. "Time flies."

“In the past, classmates would always come to me and talk about love, and they would talk for an entire class period. Now I think I can understand the fun they have in their endless chatter.”

"Will my older sister also feel annoyed like my senior did back then?" Jun Matsueda pondered.

In my older sister's eyes, they must be the kind of couple who dawdle along, right?

Yamami Maki covered her mouth, suppressing her laughter, but their hands remained clasped together. "Anyway, I had a lot of fun talking about it."

The two left the library when the clock on the wall struck the hour. They did not share the night with each other. Jun Matsueda and Maki Yami walked to the station together.

The setting sun was melting the entire city, and people hurried along the streets. Young men and women let go of each other's hands and tried to slow their pace.

"By the way, has senior forgotten something?"

"Really?" Yami Maki blinked in confusion, her eyelashes turning a crimson gold in the afterglow of the sunset. "I can't remember."

"Could you please remind me, Matsue-kun, who has an exceptionally good memory?"

"Didn't we agree to change the way you asked for compensation before?" Jun Matsue walked to the girl's right, shielding her from the dust kicked up by the traffic on the road.

"Ah!" Yamami Maki suddenly remembered this, and she lightly touched her cheek with her finger, trying to think.

"Maybe we should just keep it for now," she said with a smile. "There's nothing I really want."

"I'm too happy right now, so I'll leave this opportunity to make amends to my future self."

"That's how my senior is always. She's not in a hurry to have anything or to ask for anything," Jun Matsue shook his head helplessly.

"Doesn't my senior still owe me a favor?" Jun Matsue suddenly had a flash of inspiration. "How about we offset it with this compensation?"

“No way!” Yamami Maki shook her head decisively in rejection. “It’s not like we owe each other a debt, how can we offset it?”

“Matsueda-kun, you’ve been teaching me all this time. Now, Maki-sensei is going to teach you a lesson too.”

The girl reached out and adjusted glasses that weren't actually there. Matsueda Jun tilted his head in her direction, pretending to listen attentively.

"The purpose of indebtedness is to create memories—to use my favor to offset your compensation. Neither Songzhi nor I actually gained anything."

“A favor and a compensation can actually leave two memories in our hearts, such as going skiing together or cooking a meal at the other person’s request.”

“We may forget why we did these things, but these memories will last a very long time, and our connection with each other will become deeper and deeper.”

"Only by carefully cultivating relationships little by little can we gain the strength to accompany each other."

"Does Matsueda understand?"

Jun Matsue nodded respectfully, "I will try my best to learn from my senior."

"Well then, I'll leave you here, Matsueda-kun." Yamami Maki looked at the station in front of her. "See you tomorrow~"

As he watched the girl walk up the steps of the station, Jun Matsueda suddenly called out.

"Senior."

Yamami Maki turned around, tilting her head in confusion, as the boy walked up to her.

"Was it the senior who initiated that first hand-holding in the library?"

The girl didn't say anything, but glared at him with embarrassment and annoyance before turning and walking away into the sunset.

"Absolutely impossible!"

Chapter 356 Infiltration and Ambition

After dropping his senior off at the station, Jun Matsueda didn't plan to go home. Instead, he rode his bicycle towards Suginami Ward.

Miyamura Aya's new part-time job is in Suginami Ward, and he plans to go check out his younger sister's work environment and also go see Yosuke Kanzaki's live performance tonight.

In early August in Tokyo, the temperature showed no signs of dropping. Jun Matsueda unbuttoned the collar of his shirt, letting the wind circulate around his body.

After being blown by a wind that was neither gentle nor cool for more than twenty minutes, he arrived at the cafe in Asagaya.

The boy parked his bicycle by the roadside and circled around the café. There were no strange markings on the surrounding buildings, no women carrying pamphlets preaching on the streets, and no signs of vandalism on public facilities.

"Very good, there's basically no chance of any dangerous incidents." Jun Matsueda nodded in satisfaction and walked into the coffee shop.

The sound of wind chimes rang out as the glass door was pushed open. The first thing Jun Matsue saw was not Aya Miyamura standing behind the counter, but Haruka Mochizuki sitting in the shop drinking coffee.

He took two steps toward the girl to make sure he wasn't mistaken.

"Why is Wangyue here?"

“I mentioned in the group a few days ago that I found a new part-time job, and Mochizuki-nee-san came to check it out~” Miyamura Aya answered on behalf of her customer.

"Brother Chun, would you like a coffee? I've recently learned how to make lattes!"

The young woman in her work apron picked up a can of coffee beans and shook it; her new part-time job was as a barista apprentice.

"Let's try it again next time we come," Jun Matsue waved his hand, having already had his senior's coffee today.

"Okay, Chun-ge, wait for me a bit." The girl took off her apron and opened the small door to the workroom. "I have ten minutes left before I get off work. Why don't you go chat with Sister Wangyue first?"

The boy walked toward the guests in the corner. Mochizuki Haruka rested her chin on her hands and quietly watched Matsueda Jun walk up to her.

"What were you doing loitering around outside? Did you see me and decide not to come in?"

Jun Matsue sat down opposite her. "I was just looking around to see what the environment was like. I didn't even notice you."

Mochizuki Haruka's location is against the wall, so it's not easy to spot her unless you're standing directly in front of the coffee shop's exterior wall.

The girl said "Oh," and looked down at the notebook in front of her. Jun Matsue glanced at it and realized it was summer homework.

"You're progressing quite fast. I only finished writing it a couple of days ago." He looked at it again and saw that the accuracy rate was quite high, indicating that the girl had indeed done it seriously.

“There’s no way around it—” Mochizuki Haruka tilted her head back and stretched, revealing her long, swan-like neck.

"If someone doesn't come to me, what else can I do besides do my homework?"

The little hedgehog started working hard again. Jun Matsue picked up a pen from the table and twirled it. "I'm doing my homework diligently too, otherwise how could I have finished before you?"

The girl sneered inwardly. She had been back to her apartment these past few days, and there hadn't been a sound from 507 next door during the day. That guy was definitely studying with that Yamami.

However, she did not intend to reveal the truth—that would only embarrass Songzhi and not improve her image in his eyes. It would be better to pretend to be unaware and act pitiful, making the boy feel guilty for deceiving her.

"Then why didn't you ask me to write with you before?" Mochizuki Haruka said in a slightly lonely tone, "I didn't want to go to your apartment to see you, and you would find me annoying if I did it too often."

“I’ve been in this coffee shop for three days, and I’ve almost finished my homework, and then you finally showed up…” She gazed wistfully at the boy’s face.

Jun Matsue was somewhat speechless. His current principle was to prioritize his senior classmates, so he certainly wouldn't take the initiative to approach Haruka Mochizuki.

Or perhaps, he was subconsciously using this method to solidify his resolve: if he spent too much time with young girls and undermined certain fundamental principles, things could become dangerous...

"Never mind." Mochizuki Haruka picked up her cup and drank the last sip of coffee. "Hoping you'll take the initiative is really a pipe dream."

"Back then, Kurusu called me a tsundere, but I think you, Matsueda, are the real tsundere, aren't you?"

"I support what Mochizuki-nee said!" Miyamura Aya, who had changed back into her casual clothes, appeared behind the two of them. "Atsushi-nii is just that kind of person who doesn't like to talk about things!"

"I've always followed my heart, okay?" The boy could only sigh.

"Time to get off work!" Aya Miyamura cheered as she pushed open the glass door, and the wind chimes rang again.

After leaving the coffee shop, Jun Matsueda noticed that Haruka Mochizuki showed no signs of separating from the two of them, and the three of them walked into a roadside restaurant together.

"Does Mochizuki want to come with us to the show?" he asked his younger sister in a low voice.

"Can't I?" Aya blinked. "She's already bought the tickets."

Jun Matsueda glanced at Haruka Mochizuki, who was examining the menu, "...It should be fine, right?"

After a quick dinner, the three of them got into Wangyue's black car, heading towards the performance center in Jiangdong District.

Matsueda Jun sat between the two girls, staring at the streetlights on the road ahead for a while before glancing at Mochizuki Haruka beside him.

Today, Mochizuki Haruka is wearing a fitted gray sleeveless vest and a denim straight-leg mini skirt, which is sweet with a touch of youthful sexiness. The wind outside the car window blows her bangs wildly, and the shimmering lights on the roadside flash across the girl's dark eyes, making her look somewhat melancholy.

"Why are you looking at me?" Mochizuki Haruka turned her gaze to the inside of the car. Her lips moved slightly, but she didn't make a sound.

"You're not planning to cause trouble tonight, are you?" Jun Matsue asked cautiously.

The girl glanced at him. "Get involved in Qiyang World's affairs? I'm not interested in that right now. I'm just a little bored today, so I wanted to go see what happened to that guy."

Mochizuki Haruka had just received her ticket that afternoon. She wasn't lying; she just wanted to take this opportunity to observe Kurusu Yosei standing on the stage.

Because among the girl's rivals, she had met Tomatsu Tomohana and Yamami Maki, but Mochizuki Haruka didn't know much about Kurusu Yosei's charm and characteristics—in her impression, Kurusu Yosei was just an eccentric creature who occupied the 507 sofa for a long time.

A black sedan stopped in front of the Tokyo Garden Theater. Mochizuki Haruka opened the car door and looked up at the promotional images on the screen outside the venue.

The electronic screen flashed neon lights, and one gorgeous and exquisite face after another appeared. Among them was Yosei Kurusu's face. The close-up of the girl's face was frozen on the screen, causing passers-by to stop and linger.

"He really does have the aura of an idol..." Mochizuki Haruka murmured to herself.

"Kurusu is incredibly hardworking in this area," Jun Matsueda said with a smile, standing next to her. "In a way, wouldn't you say this guy is a workaholic?"

Is she a career fanatic? Mochizuki Haruka recalled their conversation at Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. The idol girl's words were ambitious, suggesting she wanted both a career and love.

She snorted dismissively.

There aren't that many good things in this world.

Chapter 357 The performance was a great success, but what was the price?

"A performance venue that can accommodate eight thousand people..."

Miyamura Aya was somewhat lost in thought. She sat in the audience, looking left and right. The previous performer's show had just ended, and the waving light sticks all around her were like an ocean, so impressive in the darkness.

"Is Yang Shijie already this popular?"

“This isn’t her solo performance,” Mochizuki Haruka, sitting on the other side, retorted, the two talking through the boy in the middle.

"There are five groups of artists on CDTV tonight, and Yosuke Kurusu is just one of them." The girl's tone was a little annoyed. She looked at the light stick on her lap, which Aya-chan had bought for the three of them when they entered the venue.

She wouldn't brandish something like that for that guy.

"That's amazing! Sixteen hundred people!" Aya's tone was already like that of a devoted fan of Yosei Kurusu. "Is it almost Yosei-nee's turn?"

"She's the fourth one, and the next one will be her." Sitting in the middle, Jun Matsueda looked up as the laser lights on the ceiling of the venue began to rotate, signaling the start of the next performance.

A beam of white light descended upon the center of the stage, and the intro guitar music began. Yosei Kurusu, dressed in pure white, appeared magnificent and sacred.

The girl picked up the microphone and waved to the audience below the stage. Cheers immediately rang out in the venue, surging like waves.

Mochizuki Haruka's seat was very close to the stage, enough for her to see the girl's expression on stage—Kurasu Yosei took a deep breath, preparing to speak.

The girl's singing style was somewhat unique, as if she were gritting her teeth and straining, making the listener feel as if they were being harshly reprimanded.

The past cannot be changed.

"Haven't you learned your lesson after all these times?!"

The pitch-black screen lit up instantly, and Yosei Kurusu's face appeared on the big screen. Haruka Mochizuki could feel the girl's gaze fixed on her, and the lyrics turned into a resounding question, settling in her heart.

Can the past be changed?

Mochizuki Haruka didn't think she could do it.

"Recurring and recurring, unable to break free~"

"Finally, they've been gradually abandoned~"

Her mood gradually declined as the song played, and past memories resurfaced.

There's nothing left to look forward to.

"I can no longer walk with you~"

"Now I have to leave."

"I have to accept reality."

As the girl sang, her tone gradually rose with the changing melody, forcing all those who had felt disappointed to look up at her on stage, anticipating the upcoming change.

"Let's meet again in the next life—"

Yosei Kurusu sang as if shouting, and even the most indifferent person could not resist the song entering their heart.

"The moment of rebirth—"

A brand new future surely awaits us!

The powerful vocals resonated through Mochizuki Haruka's memories. She looked at the girl on the stage—Kurusu Yosei—who was gripping the microphone tightly. This girl, whom she always remembered as carefree, had such a serious expression on her face that it was hard to look directly at her.

"See you in the next life~ Embrace the light~"