Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 627 Day 1

When Jun Matsue woke up the next morning, the rain outside the window had stopped.

He got out of bed and drew back the curtains. The sunlight was not bright, and the clouds sweeping across the city were like a sea, churning and changing.

After glancing at the weather forecast on his phone, which predicted thunderstorms, the boy yawned, got dressed, and left the bedroom.

When Jun Matsue opened the refrigerator and took out the ingredients for breakfast, the sight of a girl rubbing her eyes as she walked past him made him realize that his roommate had returned.

"Didn't you say you wanted to live the life of a useless person? Why are you awake so early?"

He stuffed an extra egg into his hand, closed the refrigerator door, and turned around.

Yosei Kurusu spread out a yoga mat on the living room floor in front of the balcony. She was wearing a pure black strapless top and tight shorts that hugged her hips, just like the boy had seen her in her exclusive photobook.

"I went to bed early last night, and my work-related biological clock hasn't adjusted yet."

The girl deftly lifted her heels, her slippers landing on the floor. Standing on the yoga mat, she gracefully bent over and performed a perfect split.

Her graceful and supple body shimmered in the morning light, forcing Jun Matsuoka to look away.

"Breakfast is a sandwich, is that alright?"

Yosuke Kurusu looked up at the eggs, ham, and vegetables in his arms.

"Give me another slice of ham!"

The boy smiled, turned and went into the kitchen. After a while, he went to the refrigerator and took out butter, toast and milk.

When she passed by the girl again, Yosei Kurusu was still in the splits. However, her upper body was lowered, causing her hips to press firmly against the ground, and her buttocks naturally rose, showing a round and firm shape.

Hearing the footsteps behind her pause and then hurry away, the girl straightened up and revealed a sly smile.

After enjoying the delicious sandwich with plenty of ingredients, Yosei Kurusu looked at the boy across the table and licked the milk stains off the corner of her lips.

"Shall we go buy some snacks now?"

Jun Matsueda checked his phone; the supermarket should be open by the time he arrived. "Let me ask my agent first."

After receiving her reply and instructions, the boy nodded.

"Let's set off while the sun isn't too strong yet."

Before leaving the apartment, the girl went back to her room to change her clothes. She wore a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, then put on a sun-protective shirt, a hat, and a mask.

Matsueda Jun looked at the girl in front of him, whose eyes were the only part of her body visible, and said, "If you wear any more layers, the shop assistants might suspect you're going to rob someone."

"What can I do!" Yosei Kurusu pulled down his mask, revealing his delicate and upturned nose.

"If we go out like this, our doorstep will be surrounded by reporters this afternoon."

The boy thought for a moment, "How about I go buy you some snacks?"

"No way!" The girl shook her head vigorously. "I haven't been out properly for almost a week."

"Does Songzhi understand this feeling? It's like a pet kept at home—I don't even get a chance to go out for a walk!"

“…This is what an idol is like,” Jun Matsueda murmured with emotion.

Idols who sell hope and dreams may be glamorous when they succeed, but once their image deviates from people's expectations, the backlash is even more severe after this illusory vision is shattered.

The boy recalled many stories of idols committing suicide, all of which he had come across while searching for information about the impact of the recent online controversy.

"Then wait for me."

Junya Matsueda walked towards the bedroom. When he returned to the living room, he was also wearing a baseball cap and a mask, and he also had a sun protection shirt on.

"...What is pine branch doing?" Kurusu Yosei blinked.

The boy zipped up his jacket, "so that people won't think you're some kind of suspicious person."

The girl laughed, "That would just make you seem like a suspicious person too~"

“That works too.” Jun Matsueda pushed open the door, and the sunlight that filled the hallway streamed into the room, illuminating the two of them.

"Even if I'm considered a weirdo, at least I'll have someone to keep me company."

Walking on the streets of Mitaka, the incessant chirping of cicadas filled the air on both sides. Yosei Kurusu looked up at the undulating clouds and squinted his eyes with pleasure.

"The sky is so beautiful today!"

"It's probably going to rain." The boy looked at the large cumulus clouds rolling in the sky, so white that they revealed nothing of his thoughts.

"The summer sky is always the most beautiful."

"Right, right~" the girl said cheerfully.

"Although it is indeed more comfortable to stay in an air-conditioned room in the summer, you still have to go out and see the blue sky and white clouds."

Looking at this sky, I feel like my heart has been completely cleansed.

Aside from the cars that sped by, there were few pedestrians on the road. Jun Matsueda lowered his guard against the reporter and looked at the girl beside him.

Yosei Kurusu walked with light steps, her eyes sparkling, her dark pupils darting around nimbly, inexplicably reminding the boy of a puppy chasing butterflies in a flower garden.

The girl looked around with a hint of longing, from the gleaming asphalt road and the lush trees enveloped in the chirping of cicadas, to the buzzing air conditioner units on the exterior walls of the houses along the roadside and the flashing green light at the intersection not far away.

Yosei turned her head and met the gaze of the boy who was observing her. She smiled.

"Mitaka is still the best~"

"How so?" Jun Matsuoka turned around and looked at the road ahead of the two of them.

"Because it's not in any of Tokyo's 23 wards." The girl spread her arms wide, as if to embrace the long street and the vast sky in front of her.

"There are very few people on the road, and the buildings are not tall. The road is just a simple convenience store, traffic lights and fire hydrants."

"Unlike the city center, which is busy and crowded, with towering buildings that make it hard to breathe, everyone you grab on the street is dressed fashionably, and there are all sorts of novel shops that can tire your eyes after a while."

"Does Kurusu feel the same way?" The boy blinked. "It sounds like someone who works overtime every day."

“Whether you go to work or not, Tokyo is always like this,” Yosuke Kurusu said matter-of-factly.

"Just like watching TV, staring at a colorful screen for too long will always make you feel uncomfortable."

“Then Mitaka is definitely better.” Jun Matsue nodded. “I’ve never felt uncomfortable here.”

"And life is quite convenient~" The girl pointed to the supermarket not far away, "It has everything you need."

"If I buy a house in the future, I definitely won't buy one in those districts in the city center!"

However, she doesn't seem to have made a decision about where to buy it.

As they entered the supermarket, the air vents made the sun-protective clothing of the young men and women rustle, and the blast of cold air made them all sigh in unison.

"Let's buy groceries first!" Yosei Kurusu picked up the basket and handed it to the boy. "What are we having for lunch?"

"Eat whatever tastes good, eat whatever is cheap."

Jun Matsue said without hesitation that this has always been his principle when buying things.

So the two of them headed to the fresh produce section. The supermarket had just opened and the ingredients were just laid out. The girl raised her chin and her haughty gaze swept over the various vegetables, which were covered in water droplets, like a picky princess choosing her dance partner.

"Pine branch! This celery looks good!" She bent down, picked up a bunch of celery, and waved to the boy next to her.

"The color is light, and the leaves are very fresh. They look very tender. It would definitely taste delicious if you just tossed them together!"

Matsueda Jun raised the basket in his hand and took the celery handed to him by the girl. "It's really good, and it tastes good when stir-fried." "The potatoes aren't bad either!" Kurusu Yosei picked up a potato with a thin layer of soil on it and rubbed it with his thumb.

"These rough-surfaced potatoes are perfect for making potato pancakes or mashed potatoes!"

The boy took the potatoes and put them in the basket. "Then let's buy them."

"The bell pepper looks beautiful too!" The girl held a yellow bell pepper to her cheek; its vibrant sheen was gorgeous.

Jun Matsue thought for a second, "Perfect for making stir-fried beef with bell peppers and potatoes."

"Then I'll take two more!"

After putting the bell peppers into the basket, Yosuke Kurusu looked up. Instead of going to the counter, she looked at the boy and asked with a grin.

"A pampered young lady like Mochizuki wouldn't pick out vegetables with you like this, would she?"

Matsueda Jun paused for a moment, “...She really isn’t interested in grocery shopping, but comparing things like that is pointless.”

Mochizuki mentioned last time that she bought a rotten, frozen white fish.

"The point is that you'll be happier doing these things with me."

The girl's face came closer. She was wearing a mask and a hat, and the only thing visible was her pair of bright eyes, which shone with a luster more tempting than any sweet pepper.

"Songzhi, to be honest, would you rather pursue your dreams or stay by your side like this?"

Without hesitation or silence, the boy spoke up decisively.

"Of course, it's better to have them nearby."

Laiqi Yangse took a step back, crossed his arms, and his expectant, sweet gaze suddenly turned cold.

She tilted her head back, turned her face away, and gave a spoiled snort.

"Now you know you need to be honest?"

Why don't you just keep saying you don't like me that much?

“...It’s not the same thing.” Jun Matsue looked at the brim of her hat.

The girl glared at him fiercely, "You said that again!"

“I would have made the same choice regardless of personal preference.” The boy took two steps and picked up the scallion behind her.

"If I'm by your side, at least I can find out immediately if anything happens to you, so you won't have to face it alone."

"..." Kurusu Yosei lowered the arm in front of his chest and punched his shoulder hard.

"Don't say such foul things next time."

On the way back to the apartment, the clouds suddenly darkened, and a dampness began to build in the air. Kurusu Yosei, carrying his large bag of snacks, took a deep breath.

"It's going to rain."

"You should have brought an umbrella before going out." Jun Matsue lifted the brim of his hat. The only sound of the wind was from the roadside bushes; the cicadas had already stopped chirping.

"But it shouldn't matter if I'm wearing a hat, since we're almost at the apartment anyway."

However, summer rain is like a capricious young girl, showing no signs of anger and acting without any pattern. One second it's just a few scattered raindrops falling under the brim of a hat without you even noticing, and the next second it suddenly turns into large raindrops that hurt when they fall on your arm.

"Run!" the girl beside him suddenly shouted, almost startling him.

Yosei Kurusu ran a few steps with her shopping bags in her arms, then turned back to look at the boy.

"What are you standing there for, pine branches? Are you waiting to get soaked?"

Jun Matsue hadn't planned to run, since the apartment was just a few steps away and he was wearing a coat.

But the girl's cheerful tone and smiling eyes made him unconsciously take a step forward.

As Yosuke Kurusu watched the boy run towards her and quickly overtake her, the girl's eyes widened as she tried to catch up with him.

"Why are you running so fast? Wait for me!"

When Mochizuki Haruka opened the apartment's security door, she saw two people carrying heavy plastic bags, panting, and with slightly damp clothes.

The girl frowned. "...Where did you all go?"

If she didn't believe that Songzhi could control herself, she might have suspected that they went to the gym together.

"You went to the supermarket." Yosuke Kurusu placed the bag he was carrying on the floor at the girl's feet.

"I'm not a stingy person, you can have these snacks, Mochizuki."

Mochizuki Haruka rolled her eyes at her and reached out to take the plastic bag from the boy's hand.

After lunch, the sound of rain outside the window immediately subsided. After washing the dishes, Yosuke Kuriki took off his apron and walked out of the kitchen.

Jun Matsue was brewing barley tea at the dining table when the girl poured herself a cup and gulped it down.

"How will Songzhi spend the afternoon?"

"Study," he said without hesitation. "There's a mock exam for Tokyo University tomorrow."

The girl tilted her head. "Will watching TV bother you?"

"Just don't make the sound too loud."

"I'm going home this afternoon, I'll be back for dinner." Mochizuki Haruka walked up to the boy while holding the cat. "Matsue, would you like some snacks?"

Yosei Kurusu blinked in surprise; she had thought Mochizuki would be clinging to her that afternoon, keeping a close watch on Matsue.

Jun Matsue shook his head. Haruka Mochizuki glanced at the girl sitting opposite him, then turned and walked out of the apartment.

"Are you planning to watch TV this afternoon?" The boy stood up, preparing to go back to his bedroom. "Do you want to call Aya-chan over to play with you?"

"No need." Kurusu Yosei shook his head. "I want to live the life of a useless person!"

"I'll take a shower first, then take a nap. After I wake up, I'll lie on the sofa, eat ice cream, and watch TV!"

And so the leisurely afternoon began. Jun Matsue sat at his desk in his bedroom, while outside the window, the cicadas chirped noisily once again.

After finishing several pages of challenging problems at his desk, the boy stretched and looked back at the bedroom door that wasn't closed.

There was faint television noise outside the door. Kurusu Yosei had already woken up. He took his empty water glass and walked out of the bedroom to refill his barley tea.

There was also some brewed lemon tea in the refrigerator, but the good thing about barley tea was that even if Kurusu drank it, it wouldn't make Mochizuki angry.

After passing the sofa with his water glass, Jun Matsue lowered his head and looked at the girl lying on her side on the sofa, propping her head up with one hand and scooping ice cream with the other.

"Isn't it said that looking at colorful screens for too long can be tiring?"

"Of course I get tired." Kurusu Yosei looked up at him. "So when I'm tired, I run to your bedroom door and watch you do your homework."

"Didn't you notice?"

Jun Matsue blinked. "I didn't notice. I was probably too focused."

"Great!" The girl nodded in satisfaction. "Study hard, and then take me to Dongda University!"

The boy smiled, took his water bottle back to his room, and sat down at his desk again.

The quiet noise coming from the living room seemed to put him at ease.

(End of this chapter)