Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 293 The Girl in the Mirror

At 1:30 p.m., practice continued, and Jun Matsue played the drums for another three hours, expending far more energy than he would have done at his part-time job.

"Everyone's worked hard~" During the break, Yamami Maki walked into the practice room carrying a bag of drinks. "Want to continue practicing?"

"That's enough for today." Izumi Mizuki casually strummed a melodious vibrato on her guitar, signaling the end of practice.

"If you keep practicing like this, Aya-chan's voice will go hoarse." Jun Matsue carefully examined the drumsticks in his hand. There was no paint chipping or signs of being struck, so they seemed to be a fairly durable type.

Yamami Maki handed the drinks in her hand to everyone, and Miyamura Aya sat in her chair and tilted her head back to gulp down the water as if she wanted to drink it all in one go.

"Matsueda-kun's sweating quite a bit." The girl approached Matsueda Jun, watching him put his drumsticks into his bag. She then took out a bottle of electrolyte drink. "Have some energy!"

"Thank you, senior." Jun Matsue took the drink, and Maki Yami returned to the chair next to him and watched him drink out of the corner of her eye.

"What are you doing this afternoon, senior?"

The boy tightened the bottle cap. Ever since the two had lunch together, the senior's posture in the practice room had become more unrestrained. Her two long legs, stretched out, were always right under his nose, and her fair calves, which her dress couldn't cover, swayed with the rhythm of the music.

The girl didn't stay in the practice room all afternoon, but she would come over to check on things every now and then, which didn't seem like she was still in class.

“I’m studying in the next room.” Yami Maki pointed to the wall behind the boy. “When I get tired of studying, I come over to listen to music and relax. It feels pretty good.”

"Senior is really hardworking," Matsueda Jun remarked, noting that the girl didn't seem to have much real rest time on weekends.

"I can't help it, I used to think I didn't have any strengths." The girl laughed, "But Matsueda made me realize that maybe hard work is my only strength."

"So we need to work even harder."

“No way,” Jun Matsue retorted. “I clearly said that humility is your greatest strength, so you should have at least two strengths.”

The girl couldn't help but chuckle softly. Jun Matsueda lowered his head to tidy up his things, trying to hide the smile on his lips. The two of them quickly noticed the unusual quiet in the room. They looked up and saw the girls' gazes.

Yamami Maki blushed. "Um, why is everyone looking at me?"

"It's just that I feel that you and Matsueda get along particularly well when you're together," Izumi Mizuki replied earnestly, noticing that her senior's face had turned even redder.

"Maybe it's because we've known each other for a long time," Jun Matsue said, helping the shy girl out of her predicament. "Chatting with my senior always makes me feel relaxed."

“I also enjoy chatting with Yamami-neechan~” The very tactful Miyamura Aya walked over and hugged the girl sitting on the chair. “Before I leave, I want to take a picture with my senior to commemorate our first off-campus practice!”

After packing up their gear, the girls took many photos in front of the room's mirror before leaving the practice room. Jun Matsueda discovered that as long as the girls had a mirror, they could come up with almost an endless number of poses.

Finally, there was a group photo. To include all the instruments in the picture, the girls surrounded the drum set, with the tallest, Jun Matsueda, sitting behind it, making the band's heights appear more even.

Before taking the photo, Aya Miyamura, holding her phone, waved to the girl standing to the side, "Yamami-neechan, come stand here too, let's take a picture together!"

"Huh?" Yamami Maki paused for a moment. "Isn't this a bit inappropriate? Wasn't this a group photo of the band?"

"Is it alright?" Aya looked at the girls around her. "Since Yamami-neechan provided the venue for free, she's practically our benefactor, right?"

The two people who were posing with their unplugged guitar and bass nodded, indicating that they had no objection.

"Come on~"

Yamami Maki hesitated for two seconds after noticing the boy's gaze coming from behind the drum set, but finally walked over.

"I'll just stand behind everyone."

Being behind everyone, which is also behind the drum set, not only avoids drawing attention but also allows them to get closer to Matsueda, making it a win-win situation for the girl.

Jun Matsue handed her the drumsticks, saying, "Everyone's holding instruments, so you can have the drumsticks, since I have a drum set anyway." Maki Yami laughed, raised the drumsticks in front of the mirror and crossed them, imitating Jun Matsue's previous pose.

The girl seemed to favor this positive and uplifting pose, just like when she held up her oboe earlier.

Would the senior's parents like such an unladylike gesture? Jun Matsue pondered, gazing at the mirror.

Perhaps this is the true personality of Yamami Maki.

The shutter clicked, and the girls breathed a sigh of relief, putting down their microphones, bass guitars, and guitars, and bringing their hands together to their phones.

"Great shot!" Xiaoxing was very satisfied.

"Everyone just needs to keep their eyes open," Minister Quan said, his demands were modest.

"So, are you getting ready to leave?"

A rustling sound came from the room, followed by the sound of various backpacks being zipped up. The practice room door opened, and people wearing leather shoes, sneakers, and canvas shoes left the room one after another.

"We're off now~ Thanks for taking care of us, senior!"

Standing at the entrance of the studio, the petite girls, carrying large and heavy black violin cases, waved goodbye to Yamami Maki.

"How are you going to get home later, senior?" Jun Matsue stayed by her side. The five o'clock sun was no longer high in the sky, and the shadow of the building covered the two of them on the ground.

"I'm taking the subway home, does Songzhi want to come along?"

The girl made a joke: the two of them were going in opposite directions on the subway, so they couldn't possibly get on the same train.

"Then I'll see my senior off to her bus."

Maki Yami stepped onto the red and white Keio Line train. There were still seats available, but she chose to hold onto the handrail and turned around to meet Jun Matsueda's gaze as he stood on the platform.

"Remember to let us know you've arrived home safely."

The girl nodded obediently. The train doors closed, and a notification sound rang out. She waved to the boy outside the doors, and he waved back.

Jun Matsueda quickly disappeared outside the departing train, and Maki Yami found a seat, took out her phone.

In the chat group "Conquer Haneoka!", Aya Miyamura had uploaded photos from not long ago, including group photos with various band members and the final group photo.

Tomatsu Yuka quickly joined the group chat and started chatting with the girl. As they talked, the words "Yamami-senpai" naturally appeared in their conversations.

"Is Yamami-senpai here today?" This was Tomatsu Yuka's question.

“Yamami-neechan is our big benefactor! She even provides the practice venues.” Miyamura Aya was very tactful; she didn’t mention the “favor” that Yamami Maki had mentioned to Matsueda Jun.

"Really? That sounds interesting! I'd like to check it out next time!"

Yamami Maki clenched her fist slightly. This was what she had been worried about before appearing on camera—appearing next to Matsueda when Yuka wasn't there might arouse the suspicion of her junior.

But what could she do? The girl thought, she couldn't possibly keep playing the role of an ordinary classmate with Matsueda in front of Yuka for the rest of her life, could she?

She's about to graduate, while Yuhua still has over a year left.
Yamami Maki typed a line on her phone and sent it to the group chat.

"Sure, Yuhua is welcome to come visit again next time!"

(End of this chapter)