Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 425 Ignition
The open space by the lake gradually became noisy as students, having obtained firewood and various stoves, began to try lighting fires, with flickering flames rising continuously under the sunset sky.

"Use fire with caution! Do not play near fire sources!"

The camping instructor's voice echoed through the campsite. Jun Matsueda returned to the meeting point, unfolded a folding table, and placed a cutting board on the table next to the girl beside him.

"Tomatsu, just say what you want to say directly. There's no need to beat around the bush with me."

Tomatsu Yuka did not respond to the boy's words. She took out a small stool from her backpack and sat down in front of the counter. The bag containing vegetables and meat was placed on the empty ground at her feet.

"How about sukiyaki for dinner?" the girl asked, looking up at him. "Hot pot dishes are easier to cook, and it's cold now, so it'll be warmer to eat."

The boy standing to the side nodded, and the girl smiled, "Matsueda-kun will definitely like it~"

It was clearly dinner for four people, but she made it sound like it was made just for him. Matsueda Jun stood by the tent, watching her prepare the ingredients.

Taking out her phone, she saw a new message from Yamami Maki: "It's just a cold and fever. I can go to school tomorrow, Matsueda-kun, don't worry."

"It's starting to get colder, so remember to keep warm, and if you have flu symptoms, don't forget to take your medicine promptly."

"Okay," the girl replied quickly.

Jun Matsue thought for a moment, then typed another line, "Did Auntie want to talk to you about something?"

The girl didn't reply, nor did it show as read. The boy waited for two minutes before sending a final message.

"There's no need to have a falling out with your aunt and uncle over my matter. Just go along with what they say."

He thought the senior's condition was still due to the previous argument.

However, Yamami Maki still did not respond, so Matsueda Jun had no choice but to put down his phone and glance at Mount Fuji, which stood at the end of the lake.

The mountainside casts shadows against the light, with the golden glow of the setting sun behind it, creating a serene, sacred, and harmonious scene.

"When you're in a bad mood, looking at the scenery in the distance is a good choice," the girl's voice came from behind him.

Jun Matsue turned around and walked away, carrying a chair to sit opposite Yuka Tomatsu. "Is there anything else that needs to be dealt with? I'll help."

The girl thought for a moment, "Could you please remove the roots from the vegetables and cut them into small pieces, Pine Branch?"

The sound of two people chopping vegetables echoed on the cutting board, their methodical rhythm sounding like a melody amidst the crackling fireworks and noisy conversations around them.

"I asked Mochizuki about you and your senior," Tomatsu Yuka, who was sitting opposite the boy, suddenly brought up the question she had been avoiding earlier.

"So?" Jun Matsueda looked up. "Overprotection, facing desire—what exactly are you trying to say?"

The girl suddenly leaned out and grabbed the boy's hand as he chopped vegetables. "You can't hold your head up with a knife, okay? Matsueda-kun is so careless."

Jun Matsue glanced at her, released the girl's fingers, and continued chopping vegetables.

"Actually, Matsueda-kun knows very well what I want to say, right?" The two rhythms on the cutting board intertwined again, and the girl continued.

"You're being too protective of your senior. Is that really good for her?" Her slender fingers moved in and out of the boy's field of vision.

“Matsue-kun, you and I both know very well where the senior’s personality flaws lie—she is different from us selfish people. She likes to think about others too much. She always considers the environment, atmosphere, and other people’s thoughts, while ignoring her own true feelings and desires.”

Tomatsu Tomoka's tone remained unchanged, gentle and soothing, as if she were explaining a recipe.

"So, living with my senior under the Yamami family's plans, is that what happiness is?"

"This isn't the future Matsueda-san envisioned, is it?"

"And it's not even the future that senior sister truly hopes for." "Do you want me to persuade senior sister to leave the family?" the boy asked calmly.

"Why not?" the girl said with a smile.

"Think about how you changed me, and how you changed Mochizuki Haruka. You understand very well what would be better for us. So why can't you make up your mind when it comes to your senior?"

"Did you hesitate because it would change her life?"

"But didn't you also change our lives?"

"Matsueda-kun, believe in yourself, believe in your impulses, believe in your desires."

“Then go and change her,” Tomatsu Yuka said gently.

Jun Matsue put down his kitchen knife, looked up at the girl sitting opposite him, who was still chopping vegetables, seemingly having said nothing.

Compared to the man who advised his senior to be selfish, Tomatsu Yuka in front of him seemed more like a devil tempting people to fall.

“We’re back.” The girl’s footsteps sounded behind him, and Jun Matsue turned around.

Sakamuro Ken held a large pile of dry branches in his arms, while Mochizuki Haruka's bag contained pine cones and fallen leaves.

"When can we eat?" The girl looked at the two people sitting at the folding table, her eyes full of wariness towards Tomatsu Yuka.

"It'll be ready soon." Tomatsu Yuka smiled. "Tonight we'll have sukiyaki and udon noodles. Is that alright with everyone?"

Ken Sakamuro nodded decisively, "I didn't expect to be able to eat sukiyaki while camping. Thank you, Tomatsu!"

"Sukiyaki is more convenient, isn't it?"

Mochizuki Haruka didn't say anything, but simply moved a chair over and sat down next to Matsueda Jun, looking like a giant dragon guarding its treasure.

The conversation about Yamami Maki has temporarily come to an end. Matsueda Jun first piled up the pine cones and fallen leaves that the girl had collected, then picked up a pine cone that was spread out like a tower and lit it with a lighter.

The dry leaf tissue quickly ignited, producing small, flickering red flames, and the aroma of pine resin filled the air.

The boy turned his head and looked at the focused eyes of the cool girl beside him as she stared at the flame. He relaxed a little and put the pine cone back into the pile of fallen leaves.

Covering the fire with dry branches, the campfire burned steadily. Setting up a stand and placing the pot on it, Tomatsu Yuka poured the sauce, beef rolls, tofu, vegetables, and mushrooms into the pot one by one.

After boiling the ingredients to extract their own broth, water and udon noodles were added. Ken Sakamuro was called away by the other boys waving tree branches, and Yuka Tomatsu sat down next to the remaining two.

The sunset sky had faded, and everything around was gradually swallowed by the gray-black shadows, leaving only the lake surface shimmering in the light, the campfire burning alone, and the bubbling iron pot.

"Matsueda-kun, this is what freedom feels like."

Tomatsu Yuka said to the boy next to her that her cheeks had a vibrant, warm yellow hue that made her seem exceptionally approachable.

Mochizuki Haruka nodded, unusually agreeing with the girl's words, "It makes one feel relaxed and comfortable."

Jun Matsueda glanced at his phone; his senior still hadn't replied to his message. The boy remained silent, moving closer to the campfire.

The aroma of the food grew even stronger, and he reached out, feeling the warmth of the food as he licked his palm.

I wish my senior could be here too.

He couldn't help but think of it.

(End of this chapter)