Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 254 Puff Pastry, Volcano, and Helicopter

Sunday, the first day of the finals.

Jun Matsueda walked out of the computer building at Kumamoto University, stretched, and said, "Is today's exam over already?"

According to the competition organizers' arrangements, the first day was a theoretical exam on computers, and the second day was the practical exam.

"It seems so." Yami Maki walked out of the building. She checked her phone; it was 10:40, and there was still some time before lunch.

"Why not schedule all the competitions together?" Jun Matsue's Chinese genes from his past life started to kick in. "If we finish all the exams on the first day, wouldn't everything else be easier?"

"Because adults always solve problems in the most troublesome way." Kuroba Shin appeared behind Yamami Maki and said indistinctly, with a candy in her mouth that she had asked Yamami Maki for.

"The more formalities they engage in—opening and closing ceremonies, company visits, and exchange programs—the more funding they get," the girl said disdainfully. "If we finish the exam in one day, where will they get the funding for the remaining two days?"

Jun Matsueda nodded in agreement; this was the first time he had acknowledged Kokoro Kuroba's perspective. Maki Yami, standing nearby, smiled. "Let's have lunch first; we're going to visit the flu vaccine factory this afternoon."

"Are you really going?" Kuroba Shin asked with an incredulous expression. "What's so interesting about visiting serum separation and preparation? Are you planning to study medicine in the future?"

Jun Matsue looked at the upperclassman beside her, and the girl blinked, "Is it okay if I don't participate?"

“You can choose not to go as long as you say you’re not feeling well or have something to do.” The petite girl crossed her arms. “Or you can just say you don’t want to go. Anyone who can participate in the finals is basically a genius—geniuses have privileges, and being a little unconventional is acceptable to everyone.”

"Can I be considered a genius?" Yami Maki's focus seems to be on something else entirely.

At 11 o'clock, the three of them walked into "Kumamoto Oil University" outside the university. It was a restaurant recommended to them by students from Kumamoto University.

The two girls shared a "20-piece seafood sushi" set meal, while Jun Matsueda ordered a yakitori set meal with rice.

The sushi set was served quickly. Yamami Maki and Kuroha Kokoro picked up their chopsticks and picked up the sushi one by one in a smooth and flowing rhythm. Perhaps this is the unique tacit understanding between childhood friends.

After a while, Jun Matsueda's yakitori set meal was served. He picked up a piece of crispy and tender grilled chicken neck and asked, "So, senpai, are we going to do a tour this afternoon?"

Yamami Maki was still eating sushi. She paused for a moment, then chewed faster, swallowed the sushi, and took a sip of water.

"How about we skip it like Kokoro and go out to play this afternoon?" The girl looked at him hopefully.

"I definitely have no objection." Jun Matsue nodded slightly. The yakitori and rice at this restaurant were very good, definitely worth coming back to next time.

"Where are you guys going to play? I want to go too!" Kuroba Shin quickly finished her ten pieces of sushi and took out her Switch to play games.

Actually, the girl wasn't very interested in going out to play; it was just that she was in an unfamiliar place and wanted to stay with people she knew.

Yamami Maki's eyes darted around, and she said with a smile, "We're going to take a helicopter to see Mount Aso, okay, Kokoro-chan?"

"I'd better go back to the hotel and play games." Hei Yuxin jumped off her seat without hesitation. Her fear of heights was quite severe; she even had to hold onto the wall when taking the hotel elevator.

"..." Jun Matsue watched the girl disappear at the intersection with her game console. He looked away, and the girl in front of the sushi gave him a peace sign.

"Get rid of that annoying guy!"

"So, we're going to see Mount Aso this afternoon?"

"Let's go see the volcano!" The senior student nodded excitedly, like a little girl in kindergarten.

So, a little after 1 p.m., Jun Matsueda and Maki Yamami, with their cameras in hand, appeared in front of the One Piece statue outside Aso Station.

"What's the next step?" Jun Matsue asked the girl beside him.

“Take the shuttle bus!” Maki Yami pointed to the white bus by the roadside.

Holding their purchased "Aso-Guzzer Line One-Day Pass," the two boarded the bus. Yamami Maki sat by the window and took a large cream puff from the paper bag she was carrying. "Matsueda-san, would you like some?" She had bought it from an old cream puff shop along the way, which was said to have a history of 150 years.

Jun Matsueda shook his head. "I just had lunch and don't have much of an appetite."

The bus drove smoothly, and the city buildings outside the window gradually decreased as they entered the forest. The sunlight was filtered through the dense foliage, falling in dappled patterns onto the girl's hair.

Jun Matsue turned his head to look at Maki Yamami sitting by the car window. He wasn't admiring the unparalleled beauty of the forest girl, but rather observing how she ate two custard cream puffs that were as big as his outstretched hand.

"It's really delicious~" Yamami Maki took out a tissue to wipe the custard off her lips, her eyes squinting with happiness, before she realized the boy's gaze.

"What are you looking at, Matsueda-kun?"

"Girls' stomachs are really amazing." He shook his head. "She could only eat ten pieces of sushi for lunch, but now she can eat two cream puffs as big as my hand."

He opened his right hand and placed it in front of the girl; it looked about the same size as her face, which was framed by black hair.

"Um, um..." Yami Maki blushed, "That's how girls' stomachs are!"

Half an hour later, the shuttle bus stopped at the penultimate stop, and the young men and women got off the bus. All around them was an endless expanse of lush green meadow.

"Kusa Senri truly lives up to his name!" Yamami Maki spun around in place, her excitement barely concealed as she could see the volcano crater emitting white smoke in the distance.

“It’s the perfect time~” Jun Matsue recited his own haiku again, “After the helicopter ride, we can go for a stroll in the grasslands, or hike to the crater.”

"Mmm!" The girl nodded and walked towards the helicopter ticket window.

The two filled out something resembling a waiver of life and death and a form, which required them to write information such as emergency contact, home address, age, and weight.

"It still feels a bit dangerous." Jun Matsueda thought for a while with his pen in hand, then wrote down Haruka Mochizuki's name and phone number in the emergency contact section.

For no other reason than that, if something were to happen to the two of them, Mochizuki Haruka would be the one who could get rescue forces to the scene the fastest.

“Because Mount Aso is an active volcano and there is still a risk of eruption, we still need to be prepared just in case.” The young woman inside the window spoke to Jun Matsueda solicitously. “But Mr. Matsueda is very lucky today; the weather conditions and the volcanic state are perfect for sightseeing!”

"Thank you," Jun Matsue replied politely, then looked at the girl beside him. "Is everything alright, senpai?"

Yamami Maki had come to Kumamoto with the intention of seeking thrills. Looking at the yellow helicopter slowly landing in the distance, she exclaimed, "I can do it!"

Once seated in the cabin and fastened my seatbelt, the helicopter began to sway as it ascended with the rotation of its wings.

"We've taken off!" Yami Maki patted Matsueda Jun's arm, her voice trembling with excitement.

The two chose a seven-minute loop route, flying over Kusasenri and Mt. Yonezuka, then circling the crater, gazing at the vast land below.

The grasslands stretched as far as the eye could see, and the mountains and plains were covered with forests and meadows, displaying an alluring matcha color. Wisps of clouds could be seen outside the cabin, flying across the sky like birds.

Jun Matsue watched as the girl beside him opened and closed her mouth, but the noise from the helicopter was too loud, so he could only guess from her excited expression that she was saying something.

They quickly approached the crater. The giant mouth, spewing heat and smoke, appeared somewhat calm, but it was still an extremely awe-inspiring sight. Jun Matsue took out his camera and filmed a video.

As the helicopter was about to leave the crater, the wind in the mountains suddenly picked up, and the fuselage shook violently. Yami Maki screamed and grabbed Matsueda Jun's arm.

The gust of wind quickly receded, and the girl soon let go of his hand. The two looked at each other, and then each looked into the distance.

The sound of the spinning wings continued, but in their world, only silence and each other remained.

(End of this chapter)