Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 549 Immersion

Pushing open the door, the girl pressed the switch beside the door, and the soft darkness before Matsueda Jun's eyes suddenly became bright and clear.

The room in front of me was the size of a normal bedroom, but it was quite spacious. There was only a long table with a computer, recording equipment, two pairs of headphones, and small speakers on either side.

"Matsue, sit here." Imokawa Natsumi sat down in front of the computer and patted the office chair next to her.

Jun Matsue glanced at the black sound-absorbing panels on the walls and ceiling, then at the opaque curtains on the exterior wall and the white soundproof cover in front of the window, before pulling out the chair next to the girl.

"It feels a lot like the recording studio where I recorded songs in Kurusu, only a little smaller."

The boy sat on the chair and stepped on the carpet. It was thick and soft, and made no sound.

"Are you going to the place where Miss Laixi records her songs?" The girl blinked curiously. She turned on her computer, and the two monitors on the table lit up at the same time.

"Yes, the space is quite large, the walls have uneven brick surfaces, and there are pillars and such in the corners."

"It should be the bass module and the treble module." Natsumi Imokawa manipulated the mouse, displaying the recording software and the video footage they had previously shot on the two screens.

“Recording songs requires a better environment, but we only record narration, so we can do it at home.”

The girl put on headphones and looked somewhat like a girl addicted to the internet.

"Proper sound insulation and sound absorption are essential to prevent noise from entering through the windows and doors, and also to keep our voices from going out. That should be enough."

Jun Matsueda glanced at the girl who was busy adjusting the equipment, then turned to look at the closed door.

It sounds a bit like imprisonment...

"Alright." Natsumi Imokawa placed the microphone in front of the boy and adjusted the height of the stand and the tilt angle of the microphone.

"Pine Branch also put on his headphones and said a couple of words to try it out."

Jun Matsue picked up the headphones next to him and put them on. The sound of the computer case running under the table immediately disappeared. He stared at the microphone in front of him, with the girl's expectant gaze beside him.

"Meiji Delicious Milk - The deliciousness of fresh raw milk is that simple."

He was reading the advertising slogan from the milk carton the girl had just drunk from, and Imokawa Natsumi couldn't help but smile.

"Don't use such an affected tone when you're talking about pine branches. Just be natural, like when we're having a chat."

Although all the sounds around him disappeared, Natsumi Imokawa's earphones also had microphones, so the only girl's voice left in Jun Matsueda's ears was exceptionally clear. Even the sound of her breathing and saliva was very distinct, making the boy feel a little strange.

"Imokawa just finished that carton of milk in one go, which left a deep impression on me." He casually started a conversation.

"Mmm..." The girl closed her eyes and listened to the sounds in her ears. "Because I drank some of that milk yesterday—I have to drink milk for breakfast and before bed. My mother has always told me that."

"From a young age? No wonder..." Jun Matsue nodded.

"No wonder what?" Natsumi Imokawa opened her eyes.

"It's nothing," the boy waved his hand. "Is there something wrong with your voice?"

"Hmm..." The girl clicked the mouse twice, frowned slightly, and listened to it again.

"Is everything alright? Let's record it once to test it out."

She picked up the script that was beside her, turned to the first page and placed it in front of Matsueda Jun, then brought up the video on the computer screen.

"Let's play the first part first, the scene where you and Tomatsu part ways."

The boy gave her a strange look, and the girl belatedly exclaimed "Ah!"

"The scene of Hikaru Kashiwabara and An Konno parting ways." "Is the pine branch ready?"

Jun Matsue nodded, looking at his own face on the screen, and entered the body of Hikaru Kashiwabara, who was about to say goodbye to his childhood friend.

Natsumi Imokawa lightly clicked the mouse, and the still image began to move. A crowd of people holding graduation certificates emerged from the school gate, where cherry blossoms swayed in the breeze. Among the faces filled with laughter and tears, the boys and girls walking hand in hand stood out.

When the camera zoomed in and only the two holding hands remained in the frame, Jun Matsue took a soft breath and looked at Yuka Tomatsu's undisguised sorrowful smile on the screen.

"Yesterday it was snowing heavily, a rare occurrence in March, but today the sun is shining so brightly—it's as if the weather in Tokyo is giving way to our graduation ceremony."

"But looking into Xiaoxing's eyes, I began to miss the heavy snow that fell before today—"

"If it continues to snow in Tokyo, will her departure be delayed?"

"Her soft hand trembled in my palm, and we both knew the answer."

The scene suddenly shifts to a classroom, where a boy, holding his graduation certificate, follows a girl to the podium and signs his name on the blackboard.

Hikaru Kashiwahara.

The camera pans to the left, as if following the boy's gaze—the girl's slender fingers hold a piece of chalk, leaving delicate handwriting on the blackboard.

Gonano apricot.

"The first day that snow stopped falling this year was the day my classmate Konno and I graduated from high school."

"It was also the day my neighbor of six years, Konno An, moved away from Tokyo."

"So I'm going to confess my feelings to Xiaoxing later."

"Then wait to be rejected by her."

"..."

"How is it?" Jun Matsuoka turned his head.

“Hmm…” Wearing headphones, Natsumi Imokawa stared at the paused scene on the screen. “Matsue, let’s listen to it again together.”

She pressed play, and the commotion at the school gate filled their headphones. Then the camera zoomed in again, and this time, the silent boy had a monologue.

"There seems to be a bit too much detail in the sound." The girl moved the mouse and adjusted a few parameters. "It sounds a bit like a lullaby."

“…Indeed.” Jun Matsue listened to his own voice, so delicate it was almost nauseating.

"It's okay, we can just adjust the recording settings." Natsumi Imokawa looked at the boy next to her. "But the emotion in Matsueda's later lines wasn't quite there, was it?"

"Hmm... because what I'm saying are all internal thoughts, right?" Jun Matsueda took off his headphones.

“I don’t have any particularly great acting skills. On set, I can increase my immersion in the character by interacting with other people. But now that I’m just recording, it might be a bit difficult to go further into the character’s mind.”

“I understand!” Natsumi Imokawa nodded. “If you can’t grasp the character, you need someone to interact with you, right?”

She reached out and turned the boy's chair so that he was facing her.

“It just so happens that Matsueda has a good memory, so he doesn’t need a script.” The girl cleared her throat, then straightened her back and looked at Matsueda Jun.

"From now on, just pretend I'm Konno An and record me!"

(End of this chapter)