Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 634 Natsumi Imokawa's Minor Hostility

Walking along the roadside bathed in the setting sun, Natsumi Imokawa looked at the boy beside her who was carrying her equipment bag.

The sidewalk wasn't wide, so the two stood quite close together. The girl looked at the sunset on the boy's profile for a while before speaking.

"Um... so what should we eat tonight?"

"I don't know." Jun Matsueda shook his head.

He usually waited for Tomatsu Yuka to make the decision, but Tomatsu was not by his side at the moment.

"What did Kurusu say?" He turned to look at the girl walking on his other side.

"If you're inviting us to eat together, there must be somewhere you'd like to go, right?"

"Of course." Yosuke Kurusu adjusted the brim of his hat and took his phone out of his pocket.

"Let's go get some barbecue!" She pointed to the intersection ahead. "I saw a really famous barbecue restaurant on my way here!"

"Barbecue in this weather?" The boy waved his hand to fan himself.

"Is it not allowed?" Miss Idol raised her eyebrows. "Eating barbecue in the summer is like eating ice cream in the winter—Matsue surely understands this kind of pleasure, right?"

"It's not impossible." Jun Matsueda turned his head. "Does Imokawa want some grilled meat?"

"I'm fine!" the girl nodded.

"Then Kurusu, hurry up and lead the way." The boy rubbed his stomach. "I'm a little hungry too."

At the next traffic light, they turned left onto the side road and quickly found the sign for "Zhengtaiyuan Main Store" in a corner of low-rise residential buildings.

Natsumi Imokawa blinked. "Josephine Garden..."

"Has Imogawa eaten here before?" Jun Matsue watched as Yosei Kurusu ran to the old shop door, turned around, and waved to the two of them, urging them on.

"I've never been to this main store before." The girl took out her camera and took a picture of the two-story old house in front of her, painted with the sunset and looking like it was on fire.

"However, my parents and I have eaten at its Sangenjaya branch a few times, and the taste is quite good."

The three entered the old shop, and the shop assistant led them to a private room on the second floor.

The girls entered the room one after another. Jun Matsueda turned around and blocked the doorway from the waitress who was wearing a mask and a headscarf.

"Thank you very much," he said with a smile. "My friend is a bit shy, could you please not come in when you're serving the food?"

“Sure,” the woman nodded. “I’ll knock on the door when I serve the food, and you can come out and get it yourself.”

"Ok."

Before leaving, the waitress glanced at the two girls behind the boy, her eyes showing some hesitation.

"Although there are no security cameras in the private rooms, we will still seek compensation if someone deliberately dirties the seats. Please be aware of this, our guest."

The three guests were all young and good-looking, and their requests were a bit strange. The experienced waitress was worried that the guests might want to vent their energy on the spot after eating the barbecue.

“…Okay.” The boy was too lazy to offer any further explanation.

Closing the door, Jun Matsue walked to the tatami table by the window, where a charcoal grill was set up. The girls sat facing each other, leaving him the seat in the middle facing the window. Yosei Kurusu looked at her phone, while Natsumi Imokawa stared at her face, lost in thought.

Hearing the boy sit down, the girl put down her phone. "What did Songzhi say to the waiter? Why did it take so long to come in?"

"I told them not to come into the room, so you can eat in peace."

"Pine Branch is so thoughtful~" She took off her mask and baseball cap, happily picked up her chopsticks, and reached for the salad as an appetizer.

Jun Matsue picked up the sauce bottle on the table, mixed two dishes, and placed one dish next to Yosei Kurusu.

"Do you want me to make it for you, Imokawa?" he asked, looking at the girl who was staring at him.

“…” Natsumi Imokawa glanced at the idol girl who seemed used to it, “I want her.”

Do you have any dietary restrictions?

The girl looked up and pondered for a moment while staring intently at the hissing cigarette butt. "I don't like spicy food."

Jun Matsue put the bottle of chili sauce aside, poured barbecue sauce, white sesame seeds, soy sauce and a little salt and pepper into a small dish, stirred it a few times and then placed it in front of the girl.

"Thank you, Matsueda." Natsumi Imokawa looked at the arm extended in front of her. The boy's thin muscle lines were even more pronounced under the overhead light, making him look extremely handsome.

The food at this restaurant was served very quickly. By the time the first knock sounded and Jun Matsue opened the door, the waiter already had several plates of meat on his tray.

"Thank you." The boy reached out and took it, then used the tip of his shoe to block the door. He returned to the dining table and placed the tender, bright red beef tongue and marbled beef onto the grill.

Yosuke Kurusu gazed at the sizzling grill and excitedly licked his lips.

"Ready to dig in!"

The small room was soon filled with the rich aroma of oil and meat. Each piece of roasted meat was quickly picked up and devoured as soon as it was cooked, and the three people chewed with a consistent expression of satisfaction on their faces.

"It tastes much better than the one at Xuxuyuan!" Laixi Youse's cheeks were bulging as he gave a thumbs up.

"It's so hot!" Natsumi Imokawa stuck out her tongue and blew on the sizzling grilled meat on her chopsticks.

Jun Matsueda flipped through the menu placed to the side, "I feel like it would be more refreshing with some cold drinks."

“Matsushige is right!” The idol, with her bulging cheeks and wide eyes, exclaimed, “Let’s drink!”

"Barbecue is all about beer!"

“…Yes, you can drink it yourself.” Jun Matsueda turned his head to the other side.

Drinking is the beginning of losing one's rationality, and he absolutely cannot lose his rationality in front of Kurusu.

"This is boring." Kurusu Yosei pouted and looked at the girl sitting opposite him.

"The yuzu wine here looks pretty good, Natsumi-chan, would you like some?"

Seeing the girl nod without hesitation, Jun Matsueda was somewhat surprised. "Can Imokawa drink alcohol?"

Natsumi Imokawa tilted her head back and thought for a while—after leaving the apartment, her reactions had been slow.

"I drink a little with my parents at home, so it should be fine."

So the boy went out of the room and ordered two glasses of grapefruit wine. A few minutes later, there was another knock on the door. Kurusu Yosei put down his chopsticks, humming a little tune as he walked towards the door.

"Come on~"

"What are you doing!" Jun Matsueda immediately pulled her back. "Have you forgotten that you can't be seen by people?!"

“Oh right…” The girl sat back down and watched as the boy opened the door and came back carrying two large cups of bright yellow sake and the remaining meat.

"Be a little more vigilant," Jun Matsue said, swatting away her outstretched hand. "I don't want to be on the entertainment front page with you in a couple of days."

"I know~"

The teenage idol, on vacation, stuck out her tongue, took a big gulp of wine, and let out a sigh that sounded very much like a middle-aged man.

"what……"

"All you ever do is drink." Jun Matsue rolled his eyes at her, picked up a slightly thick slice of beef liver and placed it on the grill, then started grilling meat for the two of them.

Natsumi Imokawa silently took another glass of yuzu sake, stared at the two people drinking and grilling meat, and sipped it slowly.

Even though the three of them are sitting on opposite sides of the table, why do Matsue and Ms. Kurusu look so close?

It was as if a mischievous cat was fiddling with a ball of yarn; the girl's chaotic emotions bounced wildly in her chest, jumping around erratically.

Strange… She looked at the two people talking in front of her. She had seen Matsue eat with Mochizuki Haruka and Tomatsu Yuka before, but she hadn’t felt this way then.
Natsumi Imokawa took another sip of the sake, the icy, sweet and sour liquid flowing on her tongue, leaving a slightly bitter aftertaste.

She stopped picking up her chopsticks and instead held her wine glass, taking sip after sip, comparing in her mind how she differed from others when she was with Jun Matsue and Yosei Kurusu.

When a slight blush appeared on the girl's cheeks, she noticed the difference.

"Matsue and Ms. Kurusu have a relationship like that of very good friends..." Natsumi Imokawa thought to herself.

Or rather, it's like the relationship between a pine branch and oneself.

She watched as Kurusu Yosei raised her glass to the boy, and Matsueda Jun smiled and shook his head, flipping the beef liver on the grill. The butter dripped onto the embers below, emitting a little smoke and a sizzling sound.

When Matsue is with Ms. Kurusu, does he tell her everything...?

Doesn't Miss Kurusu like him? Even though Matsueda rejected her, why are they still so close...?

It was extremely rare for Natsumi Imokawa to look at the people around her with a hint of hostility.

"Why isn't Yuchuan eating anymore?"

The boy's voice brought the girl back to her senses. She blinked and looked at the face that was so close to hers.

"Are you full? Or is it not to your liking?" Jun Matsueda asked with concern. "Would you like some vegetables to cut through the richness?"

“…No need.” The girl shook her head. “I just drank a little too much.”

The boy then noticed that the full glass of sake in front of her was almost half empty—she had drunk it faster than Yosuke Kurusu, and he looked surprised.

Jun Matsue waved his hand in front of her, "You're not drunk, are you?"

"No, not at all." Natsumi Imokawa's face was flushed, and she licked her lips. "I can drink a little more."

"...Drink less and eat more meat." The boy placed the grilled beef liver on her plate. "There's still more than half left for us."

"Mmm." The girl nodded, picked up a piece of meat and put it in her mouth, chewing absentmindedly without tasting it.

Then why did she feel uncomfortable when Ms. Kurusu asked her to take photos before...? She pondered another question.

Because she had become a "tool," a tool used by Ms. Kurusu to get close to the pine branches, the girl recalled the scene.

Previously, I only took photos because I wanted to, but this time it was for Ms. Kurusu.

Moreover, it wasn't just her who was filmed; Jun Matsueda was also in the shot.

"I don't want to take pictures of pine branches for someone else..." the girl whispered.

Jun Matsue, who was eating meat with his head down, looked up and asked, "What?"

"Ah." Only then did Natsumi Imokawa realize that she had spoken her true feelings aloud.

"It's nothing!" she waved her hand hastily.

"...Are you really not drunk?" Jun Matsue looked at the nearly empty wine glass in front of the girl.

Does Imokawa love drinking that much?

"No, no!" Natsumi Imokawa got up from her seat, stood on the empty space next to the table, spread her arms slightly, and walked nimbly in a straight line.

"Look, I can even walk in a straight line!"

“…I understand.” Jun Matsue looked at the girl with flushed cheeks. This girl was drunk even though she wasn’t, which made her look adorably silly.

"If you don't eat now, the meat in your bowl will get cold."

Natsumi Imokawa quickly sat back down. "Um, where were we?"

"Let's talk about the scandalous video incident before Kurusu." The boy looked at the bold girl who was holding a piece of grilled meat in one hand and a wine glass in the other.

"Have you finished handling it on your end?"

"I guess you could say it's been suppressed, but I guess you could say it's been suppressed." Kurusu Yosei's voice became even more cheerful.

"Since there were no further revelations, those smears are not very convincing and will soon be forgotten."

"But there's one thing that's really outrageous!" The girl put down her chopsticks and wine glass, took out her phone from her pocket, and showed it to the two of them.

"Now they're starting to search through every single picture I've ever posted in my social media feed—"

“Hats are trying to find evidence that I live with a man, while fans are trying to refute them. In short, everyone is scrutinizing every single one of my photos as if they were wearing a microscope.”

"The reflection of a spoon, the image of a pupil, the shadow of a person on the wall—this is outrageous!"

“It’s a bit scary…” Natsumi Imokawa’s expression was somewhat disgusted.

"Right, right~" Kurusu Yosei patted the boy next to her on the shoulder, her smile not being heavy.

Natsumi Imokawa sized up the girl sitting opposite her. Ms. Kurusu was indeed a rather interesting person…

Despite being a famous idol, he has no airs. He's quirky and witty, and although we haven't met many times, he gives off a very friendly vibe.

But seeing her and Matsue in front of her made her feel somewhat annoyed... Thinking this, Imokawa Natsumi picked up the wine glass in front of her again.

She paused for a moment, then pouted slightly and shook the cup in her hand, which was dripping with water.

The wine is finished.

After spending an hour and a half at the yakiniku restaurant and enjoying a delicious meal, the wealthy and generous idol stood up and announced that she would treat everyone tonight.

Although Natsumi Imokawa appeared quite sober, worried that the girl, who smelled of alcohol, might encounter some accident on the way, and since it was on their way anyway, Jun Matsueda and Yosei Kurusu took her home first.

Standing in front of the apartment building in Nishi-Ogikubo, Natsumi Imokawa turned around and looked at the boy and girl behind her.

"Well, I'll go home now."

Jun Matsue nodded. "If you've been drinking, go to bed early and don't stay up late."

"Let's drink together again next time~" Yosei Kurusu waved vigorously.

"Okay, bye."

Bye-bye~ Remember to send me the photos~

See you Monday.

The girl turned around and went into the apartment, but a few seconds later, she peeked out from behind the first-floor door and watched the two figures disappear into the distance.

Once they get home, will they still chat and play games together?
Natsumi Imokawa remembered the game controller she had specially bought for the computer desk in the recording studio.

After watching the two figures disappear around the corner, Natsumi Imokawa walked into the apartment building and stepped into the elevator.

The first thing the girl did when she got home was to turn on her camera and transfer the files to her computer—she found the photos of Yosuke Kurusu and Jun Matsueda together and sent them to the most recently added contacts in her contact list.

"Thank you so much~" The shiny gold avatar replied with a chibi version of Yosuke Kurusu holding a rose in his mouth.

"You're welcome."

Natsumi Imokawa closed the chat window, stared at the photos on the screen for a few seconds, and then clicked the mouse to delete all the group photos that didn't belong to her.

Those photos no longer exist, whether on a computer or in a camera.

The girl's face was reflected in the dim light of the screen. She sighed with a relaxed sigh, a sigh tinged with the bitterness and tartness of grapefruit wine.

Ms. Kurusu should probably go back to being an idol... That's what Natsumi Imokawa thought in the end.

　I'm asking for votes at the beginning of the month, thank you all for your support!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)