Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 424 Signs and Persuasion

On the way to the campsite from the "City of Flowers," Jun Matsueda received some unexpected news.

"You mean the senior didn't go to class today?" He looked at Tomatsu Yuka sitting next to him.

The seats on the bus are not assigned and change depending on the entertainment activities on board. The boy who had been sitting next to Jun Matsueda was engrossed in his phone, but he moved away when the girl stood in front of him.

“Yes, that’s right.” Tomatsu Yuka nodded to him. “It was told by her senior in the same class that she took sick leave today.”

Matsueda Jun frowned and recalled that Yami Maki didn't seem to have mentioned this matter explicitly today.

"When did you become so concerned about her?" He looked at the girl, a sense of unease creeping into his heart.

She used to act like she would never speak to her senior again.

"Even if I don't care about her, news about her will still come to me on its own."

Tomatsu Yuka's smile was tinged with bitterness. She looked out the window behind the boy. Lake Yamanaka was to the right of the bus, and the rising and falling waters of the lake could already be seen from the roadside.

"Even though she left the student council, she's still a highly regarded figure in various circles. I saw messages from other girls in the girls' group chat."

Seemingly afraid that the boy wouldn't believe her, she took out her phone, opened the app, and placed it in front of him.

"People are talking about it in the brass band group, and in several other groups where we often organize activities."

Jun Matsue took the phone and looked at it. Just as the girl had said, there was a group chat that he was in, but he hadn't really looked at the messages in it.

"Of course I don't want to care about my senior, but just like I'll see what she's doing, she'll probably see what I'm doing too, right?" Tomatsu Yuka looked into the boy's eyes.

"Just like we still meet in the hallway—no matter how much I try to distance myself from her, my senior might still be affected by me."

"So I decided to face these things head-on."

"If I make my senior feel bad, then my senior will make Songzhi sad."

"I just didn't want to make Matsueda sad."

The sound of boys playing cards and shouting came from the front of the carriage. Jun Matsueda returned the phone to the girl.

"You don't need to do this."

"It's fine if Matsu-san doesn't intend to accept my feelings," Tomatsu Yuka frowned, her voice tinged with barely concealed anger. "Does she also intend to control what I think?"

Jun Matsue fell silent. He sighed inwardly, opened the car window, and heard the sound of the wind whipping the lake water against the shore.

"Thank you," he said to the girl.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, the people who left Tokyo finally arrived at the campsite at Lake Yamanaka. Jun Matsueda tightened his backpack and stepped onto the open ground covered with sand and wood chips.

Are you sleeping here tonight?

This is a large open space by the lake facing Mount Fuji. According to the staff, it can easily accommodate 100 tents. The camping plan for the accommodation training is for two classes to go together, and the class that arrived first has already set up their tents in the distance.

“It’s completely bare.” Tomatsu Yuka, holding her large backpack, curiously stepped on the ground.

"I thought it would be a lawn like the one by Lake Ashi." She didn't think this place was very nice.

“The lawn by the lake is not suitable for camping.” Mochizuki Haruka, carrying her bag, stepped between the two. “The soil gets damp easily, and there will be a lot of mosquitoes. You’ll have a hard time sleeping there.”

"Come to think of it, you seem to be the most experienced one right now," Jun Matsue said casually.

The girl proudly puffed out her chest, "I've slept in a tent in the Sahara Desert."

"Alright, alright!" The tall and slender Hirouchi Aya walked to the center of the field and clapped her hands.

"Have you all finished chatting? Put your luggage over there and come over here to listen to the professional instructors from the Wilderness Education Association teach you the basics of camping!"

The noisy students approached the middle-aged man in green gear. Jun Matsueda put his backpack aside and stood at the back of the crowd to listen to the lecture.

"Attention, students!" the man's voice was very loud. "I'll start by explaining how to set up a tent. You'll receive one-person, two-person, and three-person tents later. First, remember to check your tent pegs."

Jun Matsueda lowered his head to make sure he could hear the coach's voice, then took his phone out of his pocket.

Clicking on Yamami Maki's profile picture, the girl's last post was about an outdoor equipment store they visited together a few days ago, but he didn't show his face.

"Is the senior student sick?" The boy recalled in his mind that the girl's voice did sound somewhat low.

But why didn't she tell herself?
"Firewood and food can also be obtained from the camp huts, but each group has a limited amount of funds, so everyone needs to think carefully about how to allocate them. For example, there are many dead branches and leaves in the woodland behind me, which can be collected and used as firewood. Please discuss and agree on a plan among the members of each group."

The school arranged for the man to arrive at the camp at 4 o'clock so that he could spend enough time giving lectures and training. After more than 40 minutes, the middle-aged man finally shut up.

"Thank you for your hard work, Coach," Kominato said with a smile, walking over to the students. "Now everyone can gather in their respective groups, collect the tools, and set up their tents!"

Jun Matsueda put away his phone, first finding Ken Sakamuro, who was waving a tree branch. After collecting the tents together, they began looking for a base. "Matsueda, how's my sword?!" Ken Sakamuro asked excitedly, brandishing the arm-length tree branch with great flair.

"Handsome enough." Jun Matsueda nodded. "Perfect for someone your age."

"You still think I'm childish?" The boy's eyes widened. "Last year, you were the one who took me to find the best sword at Yuu-gao High School!"

Jun Matsue paused, realizing that he had indeed done that during a physical education class last fall.

It seems like it happened a long time ago.

“Once you’ve found the sword, it becomes unimportant.” He said this in a deliberately lighthearted tone. “The most important challenge now is how to set up camp. Sakamuro, I’m leaving that to you.”

"Are you trying to slack off, kid?" Sakamuro Ken pointed a tree branch at him.

"I'll cook after we meet up with the girls, so you don't need to worry about it," Jun Matsueda offered, offering an enticing deal.

“No problem.” The boy immediately sheathed his sword. “Where shall we pitch our tent?”

Matsueda Jun looked around. The campsites for boys and girls were separate, with the open space in the middle used for group activities. He pointed to an open space next to the lake.

"That's fine. You set up the tent first, I'm going to make a phone call."

Walking towards the woods behind him, Jun Matsue took out his phone and called Maki Yami.

"Hello?" The girl's voice was flustered and sounded tired. "Why did you suddenly call me, Matsue-san?"

"Didn't you go to school today, senior?" he asked bluntly. "People in your class said you took sick leave."

".Yes."

Why didn't my senior tell me?

The boy found a tree stump and sat down. He looked at the shimmering water not far away, where Mochizuki Haruka was gesturing at Tomatsu Yuka, as if she were teaching her how to set up a tent.

"Um, I didn't want Matsueda-san to worry, I'm sorry." The girl's tone was a little flustered.

“There’s no need to apologize for this,” Matsueda Junji’s voice softened. “So, how are you? Are you seriously ill?”

“It’s nothing serious,” Yamami Maki lowered her voice. “Um, my mom’s calling me, I have to go downstairs.”

"Wait--"

Before the boy could finish speaking, the girl hung up the phone. Jun Matsueda looked at the call log on the screen, somewhat puzzled.

what happened?

He put his hands on his lap, rested his forehead on his hands and thought for a while. When he stood up, he saw Wang Yueyao waving at him from the side of the tent.

He put his phone back in his pocket and headed towards the camp. Ken Sakamuro and Mochizuki Tomatsu had already met up, and the four-person group was complete.

"What do you say now?" Mochizuki Haruka crossed her arms. "We definitely need to get the ingredients, but do we have to gather the firewood ourselves?"

Ken Sakamuro winked at Jun Matsueda, and Yuka Tomatsu smiled, "Neither Mochizuki nor Ken Sakamuro are good at cooking, are they?"

"Then Songzhi and I will cook. For our first meal, we'll try to make it as lavish as possible. We'll go get the ingredients. Could you please go and check out the woods first?"

“No problem!” Ken Sakamuro patted his chest. He was determined to find a stick that would be enough to attract Jun Matsueda.

"..." Mochizuki Haruka seemed dissatisfied with the arrangement. She stared at the smiling girl for a while, then turned and walked towards the woods.

"Let's meet here later~" Tomatsu Yuka waved to the two departing figures, then turned around to look at the boy.

"let's go?"

Stepping out of the camp hut, Jun Matsue carried heavy tools such as pots and pans and a kitchen knife, while Yuka Tomatsu carried a bag of ingredients. There was still no one at the meeting point. The girl turned around and looked at the boy walking beside her.

"Matsueda-kun is frowning, is something bothering you?"

It was obvious, so Jun Matsue nodded without saying a word.

"Hmm..." The girl made a thinking expression, "Although I don't know what it is, I can share my experience with Matsueda-san."

"There may be nothing wrong with deceiving yourself for the sake of a beautiful vision."

"But the more lies you tell, the further you find yourself from what you expect, and naturally you will feel more and more mentally exhausted, won't you?"

“Perhaps confronting our own greed and desires is the best course of action,” Tomatsu Yuka said, looking at the kitchen knife in the boy’s hand.

What kind of dishes should be prepared to win over diners?

(End of this chapter)