Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 373 Two Atheists and One Speculator

Mochizuki Haruka walked over to the boy and examined the book in his hand.

The girl read aloud the name on the cover: "The people I love."

"It sounds like some kind of love triangle story."

Jun Matsuoka flipped through a few pages. "It's just a collection of short stories about love."

So you want to buy it?

The boy touched the candy in his pocket. "Since we're already here, we should take something with us, right?"

The girl nodded her chin. "Then I'll buy a book too."

"You can pick some out first." The boy waved the books in his hand. "I'll go find the stall owner to pay."

Jun Matsuoka walked to the simple counter. The silver-haired old man glanced at the book in his hand and smiled kindly.

"It's three hundred yen, she's already paid. You can just take it, sir."

After thanking the old man, he sat on a bench by the roadside, waiting for Mochizuki Haruka, who was still choosing books, and two other girls who had disappeared somewhere.

Although the Old Book Festival was held in the forest, the environment was not very tranquil. The cicadas were noisier than people talking, reminding Jun Matsue of the background noise on an old television set—perhaps the cicadas' chirping was the same in summer.

A few minutes later, Mochizuki Haruka walked over to Matsueda Jun and put the book in her hand into the paper bag at his feet.

"You bought the book but didn't read it. What are you thinking?" The girl gently kicked his leg.

"I was thinking that the cicadas in Kyoto seem to be even noisier than those in Tokyo." The boy looked up at the sunlight filtering through the trees overhead.

"From this perspective, a girl who hates the sound of cicadas probably isn't suited to live in Kyoto."

"I've heard that people in Kyoto are very good at being sarcastic and unsettling; maybe the cicadas here have been influenced by that too." The girl sat down on a chair nearby.

Mochizuki Haruka did not refute the boy's guess. She did not like Kyoto very much, but not because of the cicadas.

Rather, she knew very well that Matsueda Jun had most likely come because of the Yami family's youngest daughter—everyone already knew about Yami Maki's arrival in Kyoto through group chat.

That's why the girl chose to travel with everyone; with her along, at least the chances of the two of them meeting could be minimized.

However, the cicadas were indeed too noisy. Frustrated, the girl got up from her seat and glanced at her phone.

"Let's go, Aya said they've already arrived at Shimogamo Shrine."

Jun Matsue stood up and stretched. "What book did you end up buying?"

"A slightly tattered copy of The Little Prince, it seems to be a first edition."

"First edition?" The boy glanced down at the bag in his hand. "That's probably older than the stall owner's grandma. It must be quite expensive, right?"

The girl shook her head. "She only asked for five hundred yen from me."

"Grandma is a good person."

The boy's exclamation was crushed by the sound of footsteps and then drowned out by the endless, chaotic chirping of cicadas in the Forest of Rice.

"The official name of Shimogamo Shrine is Kamo no Mizo Shrine. It is one of the oldest shrines in Kyoto and enshrines the Yatagarasu (a type of crow). The Aoi Matsuri, one of the three major festivals in Kyoto, is held here every year. Therefore, crow feathers and aoi leaves are symbols of the shrine."

Jun Matsueda explained to Aya Miyamura and Yosei Kurusu standing in front of him. Tourists around him approached, but stopped because of Haruka Mochizuki's aloof expression.

"Shimogamo Shrine is actually a collection of several shrines." The four-person team walked deeper into the shrine. Jun Matsueda took a sip of water and continued his explanation. "It includes Kawai Shrine, which we encountered when we came here before, as well as Mitsui Shrine and Izumo Io Shrine on our left, which enshrine the goddess of beauty, the goddess of production, the goddess of contracts, and so on, respectively."

"Kamo Shrine is only a shrine for praying for national peace and prosperity. If you have other wishes, please go to the corresponding shrine. Don't pray to the wrong god."

As the boy said this, he glanced at Yosuke Kurusu. Noticing his gaze, the girl pouted, "What do you mean by looking at me like that?!"

"Just a reminder," Jun Matsue said, gesturing for him to proceed.

Kawai Shrine, which enshrines the goddess of beauty, is very popular with female tourists, but the girls eventually return to Shimogamo Shrine after wandering around—both Mochizuki Haruka and Kurusu Yose seem to be very confident in their appearance.

"Aren't you going to pray for a good marriage?" Mochizuki Haruka stood beside Kurusu Yosei, watching Miyamura Aya pull Matsueda Jun toward the souvenir shop.

"Idols' love lives are generally not very smooth, right?"

“I don’t really believe in this kind of thing.” Kurusu Yosei glanced at her. “Besides, visiting shrines costs money, and I don’t want to just spend the money I’ve worked so hard to earn.”

"." Mochizuki Haruka walked towards Matsueda Jun, but the idol girl seemed to have started talking and continued to chatter after her.

"Am I the only one who finds this strange? Isn't this behavior just a way to change one's life by paying a small price?"

"Placing your hopes on this kind of thing feels less worthwhile than buying a lottery ticket—at least the probability of getting a return in the lottery is clearly stated there."

"I think it's more reliable to just put in the hard work honestly."

Mochizuki Haruka stopped in her tracks, somewhat surprised. "I didn't expect you to say something like that."

"Because I got to where I am today through hard work~" Yosei Kurusu's smile was the opposite of her words, carrying a carefree innocence—that's just the kind of personality a girl has, even when facing her love rival, her smile can be so bright.

"And didn't you also not visit the shrine?" she said, looking at Mochizuki Haruka, who had a cold expression.

"Because I don't believe in God either." The girl said this and walked towards Jun Matsueda, who was choosing a talisman.

Mochizuki Haruka had once believed in God. During the days when her aunt was in a coma, she visited every shrine and temple in Tokyo that was said to be efficacious, but she received no response.

In the end, it wasn't a god who changed her life, but the boy standing in front of her and the system he rejected.

And herself.

"Is that so?" Kurusu Yosei walked up to her with a smile. "It seems we still have times when we can get along."

"I wish it weren't so," the girl replied coldly.

"Hey, Matsue, do you believe in God?" Kurusu Yosei ran over to the other boy.

"Me?" Jun Matsue put down the souvenir in his hand. "I guess I belong to the indifferent group."

The fact that he can still stand here now is perhaps due to some kind of supernatural power. As for whether it is a prank by the gods or the obsession of the system, we don't know.

"If you don't care about pine branches, how about you worship Kurusu God?" Kurusu Yosei struck a holy pose. "Kurusu Yosei, who grants all requests, should be more efficacious than most gods~"

“That sounds good.” Jun Matsue clapped his hands.

"You have no opinions of your own, how pathetic." Mochizuki Haruka rolled her eyes at him, and the boy put his hand down again.

Despite saying they didn't believe in God, the two girls eventually left the forest with the amulets from Shimogamo Shrine.

The reason is simple: the amulets are just really pretty.

(End of this chapter)