Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 114 Ginkgo Avenue, Rainy Night, and the Uninvited Girl

Before entering the main hall, Matsueda Jun drew a fortune stick.

The fortune stick at Meiji Jingu Shrine is called "Ogokoto". It does not predict good or bad luck, but instead contains the imperial poems and interpretations, with the purpose of teaching good men and women.

Jun Matsueda did not draw the fortune for himself, but for his aunt and her niece who were still sleeping.

He looked at the signature on the paper.

"Iwagami Pine" by Emperor Meiji (19th)

“Even if the world changes and the storms rage, we should remain unshaken like a pine tree on a rock.”

"To survive in this society, cultivate yourself like a pine branch."

"(Unwavering Faith)"

Matsueda Jun's heart became subtle.

"What do you mean?" He couldn't help but speak, and Natsumi Imokawa beside him looked at him in confusion.

I was clearly asking for the fortune for the Mochizuki family, so why are there so many pine branches?

He folded the signature paper and put it in his pocket. He had originally intended to give it to Mochizuki Haruka, but now it was wasted.

The two entered the main hall square from the Minamishin Gate, which was surrounded by long corridors. In the center of the square stood three tall nanmu trees, with the two on the left connected by shimenawa ropes.

Natsumi Imokawa walked under the huge canopy of the camphor tree and looked up at the sky between the shade of the trees.

"Why are these two nan trees connected together?" the girl asked curiously.

"It seems to symbolize the deep affection between Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken." Jun Matsueda walked over to her. He had seen it in a Tokyo travel magazine.

A green leaf fell from the treetop and landed on Natsumi Imokawa's chest. Both of them looked down at this inappropriate leaf.

"You are blessed." He didn't know whether he was talking about Kusunoha or Imokawa Natsumi.

The girl nodded seriously and put the leaf in her pocket, planning to use it as a bookmark when she got home.

Behind the nanmu tree is the main hall. The sunlight shines on the flat and delicate roof. The arc of the eaves is graceful and flexible, and there are jade-colored decorations on the roof ridge.

Entering the main hall, Imokawa Natsumi put down his camera; photography is prohibited inside the hall. The two men dropped five-yen coins into a box, bowed twice, clapped twice, and bowed again after making a wish.

"It's a pity that we can't take pictures, otherwise I would definitely take a picture of you making a wish." Natsumi Imokawa felt a little regretful.

After paying homage inside the temple, the girl raised her camera and aimed it at Jun Matsueda who was standing by the ema wall outside the temple.

"Do you want to write ema?"

Matsueda Jun nodded and said, "I just asked a friend to write a piece for her."

Jun Matsueda wrote on the wooden board for praying, "I wish my aunt a speedy recovery." The signature was Haruka Mochizuki.

He hung the ema in his hand on the highest row, turned and looked at the camera, "Isn't Imokawa going to write a piece?"

The girl thought for a moment and hung the camera back around her neck. Matsueda Jun handed her a blank ema.

When Natsumi Imokawa was writing, he suddenly realized something.

The video just shot was the first conversation today. If it is shown to others in the future, the audience will also hear the boy calling her name, Yuchuan, in a gentle voice.

"What's wrong?" Jun Matsueda took two steps closer and looked at the girl who suddenly smiled.

"Nothing!" She put the ema on her chest, not wanting him to see it, so Matsueda Jun had to walk away.

Natsumi Imokawa took out her camera, found the shot of Jun Matsueda hanging his ema, then stood on tiptoe and hung her ema next to Jun Matsueda's.

She wrote, "I hope Matsueda-san can be my model for life." The signature was Imokawa.

"Do you want to go see the ginkgo trees in Jingu Gaien again?" Before leaving Jingu, Imokawa Natsumi suddenly suggested.

"I'll do as you say." Jun Matsueda had no objection.

So the two did not return the same way. They entered along the South Sandao and now left along the North Sandao. There were still lush ancient trees and yellow torii gates. After they went out, they arrived at Yoyogi Station.

At Yoyogi Station, they took the JR line again and got off at Shinanomachi. The photographer and her model walked towards Jingu Gaien.

The Outer Garden sounds very close, but it is actually separated from the main shrine by a block, and it takes more than 20 minutes to walk there.

After exiting the station, continue walking south, passing the National Stadium and a large stadium, and the Ginkgo Avenue in Jingu Gaien will be right in front of you.

The young boy and girl stood at the starting point of Ginkgo Avenue without saying a word, just quietly watching the golden light surging in front of them.

It was past four in the afternoon, and the sky was tinged with red. Ginkgo leaves of varying shades of gold lined both sides of the avenue. The two walked along the sidewalk, the paving stones no longer visible, only the rich, varied colors of gold. Natsumi Imokawa, camera in hand, moved forward when suddenly a gust of wind swept through, causing gasps of surprise from the crowd. Ginkgo leaves, both on the ground and on the branches, were swirled into the air, making it difficult to distinguish whether this golden rain was falling to the ground or drifting into the sky.

The girl turned the camera to Jun Matsueda beside her. The boy was immersed in the picturesque street in front of him and only noticed the camera after a while.

He smiled at the camera and said, "Don't be fooled."

Amidst the falling leaves, the camera in her hand nodded foolishly.

After walking through the ginkgo-roofed tunnel, they stood at the other end of Namiki Avenue and looked back. At the end of the wide road was the dome of a Western-style building. The twilight in the sky cast an orange hue on the golden outlines of the ginkgo trees on both sides. Homecoming crows flew over the treetops, leaving behind black silhouettes.

"This is the most beautiful autumn I have ever seen in Tokyo," said Natsumi Imokawa.

"Me too." Matsueda Jun nodded. "Why don't you take out your camera and take some pictures?"

The girl shook her head, "We've taken enough photos today."

Now is the time of separation. What she needs is not images, but to feel the fleeting delicate colors with the people around her.

Before leaving, Jun Matsueda and Natsumi Imokawa had dinner at Shake Shack in Jingu Gaien, known as one of the best burger chains. They ordered the same avocado, bacon, and beef burger and walked Namiki-dori again. Neither of them could tell if the burger was good, but the Ginkgo Avenue during Oma no Kokusai was certainly beautiful.

When the streetlights came on, they retraced their steps and boarded the JR train. Imokawa Natsumi had to get off early, and Matsueda Jun had to ride back to Kugayama Station to get his bike back.

The girl waved to Jun Matsueda before getting off the train. After the train started again, a message with a penguin avatar popped up on his phone.

"I'm very happy today."

“Can we continue filming next time?”

Jun Matsueda replied with an OK gesture, and the other party sent a shaking penguin emoji.

It started to drizzle on the way home by bike, but fortunately it wasn't heavy, with only some thin lines of light flashing under the street lights.

The room was pitch black. Kurusu Yoshi had a performance tonight and wouldn't be back so early. Matsueda Jun went to the bathroom to take a shower, then lay on the sofa in the living room to read.

He developed the habit of lying on the sofa to kill time, which was influenced by his idol.

The drizzle got heavier, the rumbling thunder reached the room, and Lai Qi Yang Shi called.

"Matsueda, I'm not coming back tonight. I'm staying at Berry Jam's apartment."

Meijiang is a member of her group and is a good girl recognized by Laiqi Yangshi as being consistent in appearance and character.

“Is it because of the weather?” He walked to the window, raindrops hitting the glass.

"No, I'm leaving the group. Berry-chan can't bear to leave me, so we're having a girls' meeting tonight."

Matsueda Jun thought for a moment, then said, "Start a video call so I can check your safety."

The phone hung up, and the video invitation rang immediately. He clicked the confirmation button, and the girl's flawless face appeared on the screen.

Kurusu Yoshi turned around with his phone, showing Matsueda Jun the warm pink interior. "Are you relieved now?"

Jun Matsueda nodded, and the phone screen finally stopped in front of the frosted glass of the bathroom, with a faint flesh color emerging.

"Oh! Meijiang is taking a shower, I can't show you this!" The girl hung up the video in a hurry.

Jun Matsueda shook his head, returned to the sofa and continued reading while listening to the sound of rain.

At half past ten, he heated up a cup of expired milk that he had bought from Lai Qi Yang Shi and drank it in one gulp. After the warmth spread from his stomach to his whole body, he turned off the lights and went to bed.

It was not the next morning when Jun Matsueda opened his eyes. He picked up the mobile phone on the bedside table. It was 1:46 in the morning.

The room was pitch black and the rain was still falling outside the window. It sounded heavier than before he went to bed.

Jun Matsueda has always had a very good sleep quality, the kind that sleeps through the night.

A knock on the living room door explained his early awakening.

Jun Matsueda quietly walked to the kitchen, picked up a kitchen knife, and came to the entrance without making any sound the whole time.

He walked to the door and looked out through the peephole.

The person outside the door was not an overconfident bandit, but a black-haired girl who was drenched by the rain. She lowered her head, and her shiny wet black lace nightgown stuck to her body, revealing the rise and fall of her waist and chest.

The darkness blurred the girl's face. As if she felt the prying eyes, she raised her head and her dark gaze passed through the cat's eye and met Matsueda Jun's.

The phone in his pocket rang.

(End of this chapter)