Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 253 A beautiful exterior doesn't warrant questioning its inner qualities.
Stepping out of the dilapidated gate of the "Torpedo" castle, Jun Matsue looked in the direction of Kumamoto Castle.

"Forget it, Matsueda-kun." Yami Maki shook her head. "Kumamoto Castle is closed now. Let's go another day."

"You must have a lot of places you want to go, right? Didn't you list a whole bunch of places on the plane before?" Matsueda Jun walked towards Kumamoto Castle.

"We can only stay for three days. We also need to participate in competitions and visit other places for learning. If we miss it today, will we really have another chance?"

Maki Yami couldn't refute him. She followed the boy's footsteps. At 5:40, the sun in Kumamoto City was about to set, casting long shadows behind them.

“So let’s go check out Kumamoto Castle first.” Jun Matsueda turned around. “The Kumamoto City Hall is very close to Kumamoto Castle, and the observation deck on the top floor offers a panoramic view of the entire castle.”

The girl nodded slightly.

It took the two seven or eight minutes to enter the city hall and take the elevator straight to the fourteenth floor. Most Japanese city halls have their top floors designed as observation decks and are open to the public free of charge.

"Luckily, the city hall is still open at night." Yami Maki smiled with relief, and Matsueda Jun nodded.

Upon entering the fourteenth floor, the first thing the two saw was a colorful picture of Kumamoto Castle hanging indoors, composed of origami cranes of various colors, with a texture that resembled stained glass in a church from a distance.

The elevator exit leads directly to the outer observation deck. Yamami Maki gently opened the wooden door, and the noise from outside rushed towards her. After a brief moment of disorientation, the retro-style building with white bricks and black tiles appeared opposite her.

"That's the castle tower, isn't it?" the girl murmured to herself. It was sunset, and the setting sun generously painted the surface of the ancient building, making it look like a blazing fire from afar.

“Now I can understand the origin of the Land of Fire.” Yami Maki looked at the boy next to her.

“You can only appreciate this view from the outside.” Jun Matsueda rested his hands on the railing and looked at the castle on the opposite bank. “After the Kumamoto earthquake, Kumamoto Castle was basically just this castle tower left. It was even restored later. Once you go inside, you can only see reinforced concrete. It’s no different from an ordinary museum.”

"Is Matsueda trying to comfort me?" Yami Maki smiled. "I don't feel anything anymore, after all, I've already visited Osaka Castle and Nagoya Castle."

"Then why did you look so down at dinner?" Jun Matsueda rolled his eyes at her. He had just urgently looked up the information about the city hall and Kumamoto Castle to comfort the girl.

"Because I was thinking that if I couldn't see Kumamoto Castle, I would have to go back to the hotel early to prepare for the competition, right?" The girl's smile was childish and mischievous, like a primary school student who didn't want to do her homework.

“Let’s go back to the hotel.” Jun Matsueda walked towards the elevator.

"No, please! Let's walk around a bit more, okay? Just consider it a post-dinner stroll!" Yamami Maki quickly walked up to him and took out a matcha milk candy. "Here, have another candy, please~"

The rich flavor of matcha milk melts in your mouth as Jun Matsueda and Maki Yamami walk around the moat outside Kumamoto Castle, with swaying cherry blossom trees overhead.

He felt a vibration in his pocket, took out his phone, and saw a message from the event organizers: meet at 8:00 AM tomorrow in the auditorium of Kumamoto University.

"Did you see the message, senior?" A tram passed by the two of them. The old-fashioned trams in Kumamoto have a history of over a hundred years. The area between the tracks in front of the platform has been turned into grass, adding a touch of youth to the aging mechanical creations.

"No need to remind me~" The girl put her phone in her pocket. "Kokoro-chan also messaged me saying she's arrived in Kumamoto."

"Should we go see her?" Jun Matsue imagined stuffing Kokoro Kuroba into a Kumamon suit.

"I won't see her!" Yamagami Maki shook her head. "Let's talk about it when we run into each other."

The two walked into the intersection on the right, leaving Kumamoto Castle behind, and stopped at the traffic light. The wind rustled, and a flock of crows flew past them. A lone crow perched on a telephone pole and cawed sharply twice.

The boy and girl turned around in unison, then became engrossed in the rare and beautiful scenery before them.

A century-old tram stood forlornly on the platform, next to a crowded stream of cars waiting at the intersection. Behind the traffic flowed the lush trees outside Kumamoto Castle, interspersed with scattered pink cherry blossoms that swayed in the wind. The castle tower, its splendor faded, stood atop the sea of ​​trees, facing off against crows perched on the power lines. The lingering warmth of the setting sun painted the night sky with a transparent gold hue.

The creations of human civilization from at least three eras, past and present, converge at this crossroads. The only constant is the boundless sky that once bestowed upon the city the name "Land of Fire."

"Kirei." Yamami Maki's absent-minded praise vanished into thin air. She subconsciously patted the shoulder of the person next to her, "Matsueda-kun, quickly take a picture!"

Jun Matsue took out his camera from his bag and captured this fleeting beauty forever. The girl leaned close to him and said, "It's a perfect picture."

After taking the photos, the two lingered to admire them for a while before returning to the hotel without any regrets as night fell completely.

"So why are you studying in my room?" Jun Matsue looked at the girl sitting obediently on the sofa. Maki Yami was carefully examining his room, even though there weren't many things inside.

"Because Kokoro knocked on my door just now, and I don't want to be bothered by her." Yami Maki spread out the books on the coffee table, preparing to start reviewing. "Besides, we should always prepare together, right? My room isn't very convenient, there are a lot of girls' things there."

"Alright then." Jun Matsue didn't press for details about what was inconvenient for the girl. He poured two cups of barley tea, using the tea bags the receptionist had given him.

"That sounds reasonable, so let's start reviewing."

He opened the book "Principles and Methods of Biochemical Experiments" in his hand and looked at the key points and precautions he had noted down before, but not long after, his phone, which was on the coffee table, vibrated.

The girl, engrossed in her book, glanced over silently. Jun Matsue pretended not to notice and picked up his phone.

It was a message from Yosuke Kita; it seems she just finished a performance.

"Osaka is so interesting! It's a shame you didn't come with me, Matsue!" Kirakira sent a sullen message along with a picture of Osaka Castle's golden roof.

“Our Kumamoto is just as good!” Jun Matsue sent her a photo of Kumamoto Castle that he had just taken, uploaded to his phone.

"I had authentic okonomiyaki and takoyaki for dinner, it was super delicious!" The girl sent another picture of steaming hot okonomiyaki and takoyaki.

"Tonight I ate the torpedo-flavored spicy dipping noodles, which is said to be the best choice if you can only eat noodles once in Kumamoto. Don't you love spicy food? It would be a shame if you didn't try it."

Jun Matsueda sent Yosei Kurusu another photo of noodles with a rich, dark sauce. The chat box showed "typing," indicating that the girl was not going to admit defeat, but he could no longer know the outcome of this contest.

Because Yamami Maki had already sat down and reached out to press on his phone screen, the girl had a feigned anger on her face, as if she didn't want to spoil Matsueda Jun's pleasant mood.

"Matsueda! No playing on your phone or getting distracted during review time!"

".yes."

(End of this chapter)