Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 166 After the Exam, Before the Competition

Miraculously, the final exams at Yuqiu High School last for five full days.

There are ten subjects in total, two of which are tested in the morning and the afternoon is a holiday.

"Taking exams for so long must be really torture."

Jun Matsueda walked out of the classroom yawning, but Ken Sakamuro had already run to the gymnasium before him. This basketball idiot was still thinking about making good use of the time to practice for a while.

Today is the 23rd, and there is only one day left until the end of the semester. The first game of the winter trial of the Haneda High School men's basketball team will be held at the Tokyo Gymnasium at 5:20 pm.

"Sakamuro-san is a little nervous too, right?" Tomatsu Tomoka walked beside Matsueda Jun. "Matsueda-san, don't you like this exam arrangement?"

He nodded. "I'm more used to scheduling exams full and finishing them as quickly as possible."

The girl nodded as well. "I've gotten to know Matsueda-san a little better. Congratulations~"

When Jun Matsueda walked out of the school gate, the girl who walked out of the classroom with him was still standing at the intersection in front of the ramp.

"Didn't Ms. Tomatsu come to pick you up early some time ago?" Jun Matsueda pushed his bicycle and stopped beside her, the girl's skirt swaying in the wind.

"Before, it was after work, and it was almost time for my mom to get off work. These days, I get out of school at noon, so she doesn't have time to pick me up, so I have to walk alone."

"Then why are you still standing at the school gate?"

“Because,” the girl took two steps toward him, “tomorrow is the start of the holiday, so I suddenly wanted to take a few more glances at Matsue-san.”

Jun Matsueda walked across the intersection and came to the top of the slope, with the girl following behind her.

"Why haven't I seen Mochizuki-san come to pick you up these days?"

"Because I'm not going home after school, why should she pick me up?" He got on his bike and started before entering the slope.

Just after riding two meters, I felt a weight on the back seat of the bicycle and Tomatsu Tomoka sat on it.

"Where are you going, Matsueda?" The girl sat sideways gracefully, her hands on the edge of the chair, with no intention of getting off.

"I'm going to work at the Shidagu Literary Museum." As he entered the slope, the bicycle began to accelerate. He heard the girl's exclamation, "So fast!"

"Too fast, Matsueda-san—"

After driving over the slope, Jun Matsue pressed the brake, saying, "When you suddenly sit on it, the speed will naturally increase."

He waited for two seconds, but the girl still didn't get off the car.

"I've never seen Matsueda-san working." Tomatsu Tomoka looked at the slope behind her, and the dead leaves on the roadside rolled down with the wind they left behind.

"Can I go to the Shidagu Literary Museum with me?" The girl's tone was relaxed, with deliberate nonchalance.

Jun Matsueda turned his head, but the long-haired girl didn't look at him, but just lowered her head quietly.

When they were sitting by the window of the library, holding a cup of coffee and looking at Jun Matsueda who had changed into the library uniform, Tomatsu Tomoka told them the real reason why she jumped on the bicycle.

"I just don't want to go home." The girl's smile was faint, like the snow hanging on the branches.

"I usually go home with my mother. Even though she spends most of her time in the study, at least I know I'm not the only one at home."

"These past few days, because of final exams, I have to go home at noon every day and stay in an empty room until the evening. It feels like I'm in a grave."

The girl is like a bystander, using her own loneliness as a model to depict.

"Then let's go out." Jun Matsueda raised his arm and put the book in his hand on the top shelf of the bookshelf.

"So I'm going out now~" Tomatsu Tomoka looked at the boy in front of her.

The boy was carrying books. He had taken off his winter coat, leaving only a white shirt and a librarian's black apron over it. Several pens were tucked into the large pocket on the front of the apron, which contained a notebook of sticky notes. It was a pity that Jun Matsueda didn't wear glasses; otherwise, he would have been the quintessential image of a young librarian.

"What does it feel like to work?" the girl asked curiously.

"It's good for making money and gaining experience." Matsueda Jun's answer was simple and direct. He thought for a moment and said, "If I focus on my work, I won't have time to think about unnecessary problems."

Tomatsu Tomoka sipped his coffee and fell into thought.

After Matsueda Jun walked around the bookshelf next to the girl, she looked up and asked, "Matsueda-san, will you work here during the winter break?"

He nodded, and the girl asked again, "Would Matsueda-san mind if I worked here too?"

Someone approached the counter, and Matsueda Jun turned and walked towards him, leaving the girl with a literary and artistic back view.

"Just don't interfere with my work."

Until four o'clock in the afternoon, Tomatsu Yuka watched Matsueda Jun walk back and forth in the huge library. The heavy bookshelves often blocked his figure, but the sound of his footsteps was enough to reassure the girl.

When the two left the literary museum, the bicycle that Jun Matsueda had parked on the side of the road had disappeared, replaced by a black car.

Mochizuki Haruka lowered the car window, his eyes swept past the girl walking to the side of the road, and looked at Matsueda Jun behind her.

"time to go."

Before opening the car door, Jun Matsueda looked at Tomatsu Tomoka beside him.

"I can take the subway to Tokyo Gymnasium by myself later, don't worry, Matsueda-san." The girl said with a smile.

After the black car disappeared at the end of the road, Tomatsu Tomoka turned and walked towards the subway station.

At 5:10 pm, members of the Haneda High School basketball team, cheerleading team, and wind band appeared at the branch venue of Tokyo Gymnasium.

"It's just a separate venue," Ken Sakamuro said disappointedly.

"Let's set our goal to reach the main arena first." Jun Matsueda patted his shoulder and walked to the bench. There were quite a few people around the bench, including substitute players, the managers of the basketball team, Natsumi Imokawa and Yumi Seshita from the news department, and Haruka Mochizuki.

The girl sat alone on the sidelines, far away from the others. Matsueda Jun squatted next to her. "How dare you come out with so many people here?"

"Because you might play, I want to cheer you on." The girl's tone was very serious.

"That might disappoint you, but I'll probably be sitting on the sidelines with you for forty minutes."

"That's better." Mochizuki Haruka's voice sounded happy.

At 5:15, the boys, dressed in basketball uniforms, gathered in the center of the field, and the cheerleaders on both sides entered the field one after another.

The loud sound of saxophone echoed in the stadium. Although the game had not yet started, the players felt the blood pumping from their hearts to their bodies.

"Our wind band is clearly better! We've already won!" the managers on the bench said proudly.

At 5:20 exactly, after the opening players on both sides jumped high with the thrown basketball, the audience's excited shouts resounded throughout the stadium.

On the bench of Tottori Johto High School, the boys in jerseys were looking at the guy who stood out from the crowd on the opposite bench.

"That guy was wearing his jersey, but he didn't even do pre-game warm-ups, and now he's even putting on his jacket?"

"He wasn't even watching the game, he was chatting with the pretty girl next to him!"

"What's going on with this guy?"

(End of this chapter)