Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 446 Meeting
Jun Matsuoka knew perfectly well what he had done and what he hadn't done.

He was asleep, not unconscious. Besides, the living room was so clean. Even if there were any stains on the sofa, they were just spilled wine, not bodily fluids.

However, he did not refute her, but instead indulged the girl's wicked sense of humor—since he was leaving anyway, let her say whatever she wanted.

Watching the car carrying Yosuke Kurusu disappear at the next intersection, Jun Matsueda returned to his apartment building and took out his bicycle.

He took his schoolbag with him when he went downstairs so he could go straight to school. He ate breakfast at a convenience store—his brain seemed to be more alert after the hangover.

Perhaps alcohol isn't such a bad thing after all. With this thought in mind, the boy set off.

Today is the 21st. It's already late October, and the temperature is colder than usual. The leaves on the trees outside the teaching building are also falling earlier than usual.

When Jun Matsue arrived at the school, he first received news that was neither good nor bad.

"The performance video of the song 'Moment' has now been viewed over 50,000 times." Mochizuki Haruka stood beside him, her tone a little more lively than usual.

"So fast?" He took out his phone; there were indeed quite a few chat records in the band's group chat.

The girl nodded. "This song might become a huge hit. If someone wants to buy the rights or anything, and you're unsure what to do, you can come to me."

"Could it be that you were behind this?" Jun Matsue asked, still somewhat doubtful.

"I'm not that free," the girl snorted. "Everyone knows whether it sounds good or not."

“Indeed,” Tomatsu Yuka interjected, “I saw the performance video in the brass band group last night, and everyone thought Matsueda sang incredibly well!”

"They sing more sadly than someone who's just broken up, even though they're not actually in a relationship." That's what they say.

"."

"Moment" is not an uplifting song. Because Maki Yami was not present, Jun Matsueda on stage chose to fully express his emotions—this emotional tension is what allowed it to spread so quickly.

"So, did you see the performance video, senior?" Jun Matsue looked at the boys and girls playing around in front of the blackboard.

She's finally coming back today.

After the lunch break began, more and more people gathered in front of Jun Matsueda's seat, asking about the band and the performance. Unable to bear it any longer, he had no choice but to slip away to the infirmary for a nap.

When he woke up, the room was empty. The school nurse who had left had turned off the light, and the plain-colored curtains by the bed couldn't block the sun; they were so white they seemed to be glowing.

At this moment, Jun Matsueda felt as if he had finally emerged from a sleepless night. He picked up his phone; his manager had sent him a thank you message.

He stared at the "thank you" message for a while, then closed the chat window.

Aside from that, there were a few group chats with many people where people were talking about him and his band.

"Matsue has left the band." After Mochizuki Haruka, who rarely speaks, posted this message in the group chat, the chat interface fell silent.

Jun Matsue stopped looking at other messages and instead clicked on Maki Yami's profile picture to send her a message.

"What time will you arrive in Tokyo this afternoon, senior?"

It's time to meet.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, Jun Matsueda sat in a cafe across from Shinjuku Station, looking at the bustling intersection in front of him.

This is not far from the express bus station where he is staying for training. The building across from the traffic lights is the world's busiest station, with nearly two hundred exits. Even Tokyoites might get lost inside the station.

A veritable maze. He looked at the large crowd emerging from the station, among whom was a small group of people in school uniforms.

Jun Matsueda has excellent eyesight and immediately located Maki Yami—she was walking on the sidewalk opposite the coffee shop, chatting with the girl next to her.

It seemed to be the boy's imagination, but even though it had only been four days, he felt that the girl had clearly lost weight, and the faint smile that always graced her face wasn't as bright as before. He watched Yamami Maki wave goodbye to her classmates at the traffic light across the street, put her luggage into the car parked in front of her, and then step across the zebra crossing to the window of the café.

Jun Matsueda looked down at the menu, and when he looked up again, the girl was already sitting in front of him.

"Matsueda-kun, it's been a long time."

The boy didn't answer, he just looked at her. Yamami Maki turned her head to the side and took the hair that had been blown to her lips by the wind in front of the shadow of the French window.

"Matsueda-san?"

"When I was looking at you from afar just now, I thought you had lost weight."

"It's not that exaggerated." The girl waved her hand with a smile.

Yamami Maki hadn't lost weight, but her smile had lost some of its brightness, leaving him with nowhere to vent his emotions.

So Junya Matsueda smiled and handed over the menu, "What would you like to drink, senior?"

"The caramel macchiato is ready."

"The same goes for me."

The coffee was served quickly, and the two chatted about the girl's school trip. The air in the shop was warm, and the macchiato was quite hot. They sat in the best window seat with the view, where the sky was beginning to darken, the city was gray-blue, and people were hurrying through the intersection.

To onlookers, it's like a painting: a bleak autumn day in the background, a harmonious young boy and girl in the center, exuding a sweet atmosphere.

"If that's really the case," Jun Matsue put down his coffee cup.

"Senior, I didn't see any autumn leaves on Kamikochi."

Yamami Maki paused for two seconds, then said, "I'm sorry, although I tried to adjust, I still don't feel like taking photos."

It was as if a membrane had been peeled away, and the two of them finally began to breathe truly.

"Does the senior still have the same idea now?"

"Matsueda-kun, I saw the video of your performance that day." Yami Maki lowered her head, and Matsueda Jun couldn't see her eyes.

"On the way back, some classmates were talking about your band. Everyone was talking about Songzhi on stage."

"He looks so cool playing the drums, and his eyes are so expressive when he sings."

“But what they said was too superficial. I know much more than they do.” The girl raised her head, her smile as bright as ever.

"Every note played by Songzhi is clear, the rhythm is never off, and the forearm muscles when wielding the drumsticks are particularly powerful."

"Matsue's voice is very pure, and she is especially captivating when singing love songs. Although she doesn't seem to care about the audience's gaze, her posture and expressions are always perfect, no matter how she's posed."

"Of course, it's not just the band. Matsue is excellent in other ways too—when I hear people on the bus talking about you, I wish I could tell them all your good qualities."

"So, so I don't want to see such an outstanding student like Matsueda disappear from everyone's sight."

The sadness in the girl's voice dripped onto the table.

"Matsueda could have been an even more dazzling presence. Matsueda had so many things she liked and cared about, but because of me, they all disappeared, they were all lost."

"I don't want this kind of future."

"Matsueda-kun, let's break up."

(End of this chapter)