Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 656 The Beauty of Sunlight
"Without the sunlight, one cannot know what beauty is."

As the sun-drenched plains outside the car window transformed into rolling forests and mountains, Jun Matsue recalled an old proverb he had learned while chatting with girls on the road.

Tochigi Prefecture is located directly north of Tokyo. On the map, it appears as if Saitama and Chiba Prefectures have joined forces to block Tokyo from the city. Most of the area is mountainous, making it, like neighboring Nagano Prefecture, a popular summer retreat.

After exiting the highway, the pink, older Toyota model saw the buildings on both sides gradually becoming denser, clearly indicating that they had entered the city. After driving along the winding stream for a while, Jun Matsueda looked at the "Tobu Nikko" station sign that appeared at the intersection and turned to look at the girl beside him.

"Are we almost there?"

As Yosuke Kurusu gripped the steering wheel, the navigation on her phone was nearing its destination, and the girl's voice trembled with excitement.

"We're almost there! Get ready to get off!"

At 9:20 a.m., the boys and girls walked out of the parking lot under the shade of the trees and took a deep breath in front of the river and the distant mountains.

"It smells like mountains and trees!" Aya Miyamura closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly, looking as if she were in meditation.

Jun Matsue nodded. "The air felt the same way when I went on a school trip to Izu."

"However, the plant scents seem to be more pronounced here in the sunshine area—scientifically speaking, it's probably because there are more negative oxygen ions."

A slender, fair arm waved between the two of them, "Don't stand here chatting!"

The boy turned around and saw that Yosei Kurusu had taken off her sleeves and put her sunglasses back on. The girl stretched her arms and yawned, her full breasts and sexy waist under her light gray vest were particularly eye-catching.

"Songzhi, where's my rice ball?" she asked energetically.

Jun Matsue took off the bag on his back and took out rice ball and Idol Girl's dark green sun protection shirt.

There was half a rice ball left from breakfast, and the boy fed the other half to the girl because she said she was hungry on the way.

Yosei Kurusu tucked his shirt in, opened his mouth wide, and devoured the rice ball in a few bites. Then, he stretched out his right hand and pointed confidently to the opposite bank of the river.

The green forest stretches up the hills, and the shadows of numerous temples can be faintly seen among them.

"First, we'll go to Toshogu Shrine, then see Kegon Falls, have lunch, and then go play at Lake Chuzenji!"

"set off!"

After crossing the old redwood sacred bridge, stepping onto the long stone steps, and passing the stone monument marked "World Heritage Nikko Shrine and Temple", the three officially entered the Toshogu Shrine complex.

However, Yosuke Kuraki didn't seem as happy as when she got off the bus. The girl frowned and glared back at the wooden bridge they had just crossed.

"It's outrageous that they charge a fee just to cross a bridge!"

“After all, it’s the sacred bridge of Futarasan Shrine. There’s also a road bridge next to it. You don’t have to pay to get across,” Miyamura Aya advised her from the side. “At least it looks pretty good to take pictures standing on it.”

Matsueda Jun looked at the photos he had taken on his phone. The girls were smiling brightly, the river under the bridge was crystal clear, and the lush vegetation around them presented a natural green with a rich sense of layering.

"It's alright, the bridge ticket is 200 yen, which is about the price of a bottle of Coke."

"That's two hundred yen for a high school student!"

The idol, wearing sunglasses, deftly stepped over a few stairs and held up three fingers to him.

"I'm an adult, so I need 300 yen!"

"Three hundred yen it is then." The boy pressed down on her finger and continued walking. "Anyway, I'm paying for it!"

“Then we should be even more concerned—” Kurusu Yosei skipped and hopped behind him, while Aya followed the two with a smile.

The girl's self-assessment was correct. Even though she was already an idol who had earned a lot of money, she was still worlds apart from those rich people who lived in villas in Karuizawa.

Miss Idol ultimately decided to protest by not visiting Futarasan Shrine, and Jun Matsueda had no objection—the “two shrines and one temple” that include Futarasan Shrine, Toshogu Shrine and Rinnoji Temple have dozens of buildings, and it would take at least four hours to see them all.

So the three-person team headed straight for Toshogu Shrine. The approach to the shrine was straight and wide, with towering pine and cedar trees on both sides, making the young men and women look like delicate squirrels standing upright in the forest.

"It's a pity it's not a stone-paved road..." The boy listened to the two girls, one big and one small, whispering to each other, and stepped on the hard cement.

After walking along the approach, the dark torii gate of Toshogu Shrine came into view. Jun Matsueda glanced at the height marker next to him.

There's a picture of the Tokyo Skytree on it, with "634M" written on it.

"It's already as tall as the Sky Tree!" Yosei Kurusu blinked and waved his little hand.

"keep going!"

Led by an idol, Jun Matsueda and Aya Miyamura passed through the torii gate and the brightly colored five-story pagoda, heading towards the toll booth at the main gate of Toshogu Shrine.

Watching the girl rush towards the ticket counter, Aya nudged her brother's arm.

"Yang Shi is amazing~ She drove for more than two hours this morning and is still running around with such energy."

“She’s always been the energetic type,” Jun Matsueda said, watching the girl’s retreating figure.

"Besides, since we're out having fun, we're bound to be more excited."

"Really?" Miyamura Aya raised an eyebrow. "Maybe it's because you're with her that Yosei-nee is so happy?"

The boy glanced at her and said, "Don't even think about playing matchmaker. I'm already overwhelmed with all this."

But her biggest supporter is Yang Shi-jie... Cai-jiang rolled her eyes and obediently shut her mouth.

The girl standing at the ticket booth turned around and waved three tickets at them.

"Hurry up!"

Jun Matsue quickened his pace and walked toward her.

Since we're already here, let's try our best to make sure Kurusu has a great time.

Passing through the main gate, Kurusu Yosei, with a bamboo whistle she had bought at the entrance dangling from her mouth, emitted a melodious and cheerful bird song. The girl stopped in front of a wooden house outside the hall, looking at the painted monkey reliefs under the eaves.

She turned to look at the boy beside her, making a short, drawn-out sound with her bamboo whistle, her expression tinged with doubt.

"Pine branch, what is this?" she asked in birdsong.

“These are the very famous ‘Three Monkeys’ of Toshogu Shrine,” Jun Matsueda explained to the girls around him, having done his research beforehand.

Of course, he could know this even without doing his research—because many of the reliefs here stemmed from Japan's longing for Chinese culture.

“‘Do not look at what is improper, do not listen to what is improper, do not speak what is improper’ is a saying of a very famous Confucian scholar in ancient China.”

"Ah, I know, I know!" Kurusu Yosei said earnestly, like a student listening attentively in class. "It's from the Analects of Confucius. I learned it when I was in school."

“Yoshi-nee has a great memory~” Miyamura Aya continued her words.

"Of course!" The girl tilted her chin up. "My grades weren't bad when I was in school!"

She looked at the relief carvings on the lintel and imitated the monkeys' movements. "Don't listen, don't look, don't speak..." Kurusu Yosei lowered her hands from behind her sunglasses. "If everyone could do that, would I not need to wear sunglasses now?"

“That depends on when you’re talking about,” Jun Matsue said, closing the distance between them. “If you mean no one will take pictures of you traveling and post them online, then you can definitely take off your sunglasses.”

"However, if everyone could be this self-disciplined, there wouldn't be all those messy comments and rumors. You should be working diligently right now, not taking a vacation."

The girl pursed her lips, then put the bamboo whistle in her mouth again, and the chirping of birds circled around the boy.

“But neither people online nor in real life are that self-aware,” he continued. “They’ll join in the fun, take pictures of celebrities, and chase trends—without these people, the entertainment industry wouldn’t be as prosperous as it is now.”

“So there’s no point in thinking about things that don’t exist.” Jun Matsueda smiled and gently pinched the nostril of the girl’s whistle.

"It's better to eat more, see more, and play more."

“…Okay, Matsueda-sensei~” Kurusu Yosei rolled her eyes behind her sunglasses and pulled the boy’s arm to continue walking forward.

Matsueda Jun grabbed Aya's arm and put it in her hand, "Speaking of which, is it really safe to just take off your hat and mask and wear only sunglasses?"

"I've already dyed my hair anyway." The girl brushed the pink waves from the back of her head. "With sunglasses covering my eyes, no one can recognize me by my voice!"

The only person who could recognize Qi Yangshi just by his words was right behind her.

Upon entering the hall, a magnificent golden gate came into view. After winding and turning, the three-person team finally saw the first true appearance of Toshogu Shrine.

“This is Yangmingmen,” Jun Matsue explained from the side. “As a national treasure-level building, it is known as the most magnificent gate in Japan.”

In contrast to the simplicity and elegance of traditional Japanese architecture, the multi-tiered gate tops resemble palaces, shimmering under the clear sky. The gateposts, lintels, and eaves are carved with numerous mythical beasts, flowers, birds, and figures from various stories, totaling over five hundred different designs, making it exceptionally magnificent.

Like dragons spotting a jewel, the girls stood beneath the door, their eyes sparkling.

"It is said that because the carvings and paintings of Yangmingmen are so exquisite and intricate that one would not tire of looking at them even until sunset, it is also known as 'Sunset Gate'."

"Really?" Kurusu Yosei looked at the boy explaining, her eyes wide open, revealing her innocent and pure cuteness.

Jun Matsue laughed, "How about we try watching the sunset here?"

"Then forget it." The girl shook her head decisively. "I still want to have lunch, see the waterfall, and go boating on the lake!"

Passing through the magnificent gate, she turned around and glanced at it. "But I feel that this Yangming Gate would be quite good as a stage backdrop. It would be very impressive."

“Yoshi-nee should be able to use it as a stage in her dreams~” Miyamura Aya said with a grin.

After passing through another equally glittering "Tang Gate," the three finally entered the Dongzhao Palace. Compared to their leisurely stroll on the way there, they now explored much faster—the girls weren't particularly interested in the cultural relics themselves.

Compared to the Tokugawa Ieyasu enshrined inside the temple, Kurusu Yosei preferred the gleaming, golden, and magnificent doors outside, and the thunderous, dragon-like sounds of the craftsmen striking wooden blocks as they demonstrated their skills.

After all, you only need one protagonist.

As the girls walked out of the back door of the main hall, they looked up at the sleeping cat carved on the lintel.

"Jun-ge, Jun-ge, what's this again?" Miyamura Aya nudged the boy next to her.

“This is a sleeping cat.” Jun Matsue looked at the white wooden cat sculpture sleeping beside the peony flowers. The cat had black spots on its back and head, and looked adorable.

"It can be considered the guardian of Tokugawa Ieyasu's tomb later—sleeping with its eyes closed, but alertly pricking up its ears. It is said that when it opens its eyes, it means that some evil has invaded."

"Isn't that Mochizuki Haruka?!" Kurusu Yose blurted out instinctively, "She looks exactly like her!"

"..." Matsueda Jun paused for a moment, then realized that what she said seemed to make some sense.

But Mochizuki isn't that ugly... He shook his head at the squinting, middle-parted cat.

According to the plan, the tour of Toshogu Shrine was supposed to end here, but the boy heard that the inner shrine behind the shrine sold amulets, ema (votive plaques), and charms with sleeping cats, so he led the girls a little further.

Holding a jingling bell and several different amulets, Jun Matsue followed the girls out of the first gate—this time they didn't walk across the Sacred Bridge.

"Shall we go straight to see the waterfall?"

The boy took out his phone; it was past 11 a.m., almost lunchtime.

"Let's go eat first." Yosei Kurusu touched his stomach through his clothes. "I feel a little hungry."

"Let's take a break, I'm a little tired from walking~" Miyamura Aya nodded in agreement, her stamina not as good as Jun-ge and Yoshi-jie's.

Once again seated in the pink Toyota, the girls had a clear goal in mind and soon arrived at a small black house with a sign that read "Shao Mian" (roasted noodles).

The store wasn't very big, but there weren't many customers either. Jun Matsueda found a seat and watched the girls order with great enthusiasm.

He ordered a spicy fried noodle dish with roast pork and a soft-boiled egg—this restaurant's fried noodles are known as the best in Japan. The guy had missed a lot of conversations last night, but he hadn't forgotten about this one.

While waiting for lunch to be served, the girls began organizing the photos they had taken. Watching their slender fingers swipe across the screen, zooming in and out, Jun Matsueda thought for a moment, then opened his own phone.

He took out various amulets from the bag, all of which featured the image of a sleeping cat. He picked out a few, took photos, and sent them to the black cat and rabbit avatars in his chat list.

Mochizuki Haruka replied first, sending a cat-faced frowning emoji.

"What is this? It's so ugly."

"The amulet I bought from Toshogu Shrine, this sleeping cat looks a bit like you."

"How is it similar?!"

The girl stopped replying, so Jun Matsue smiled, exited the chat, and his cute rabbit avatar started flashing.

"Where is this souvenir from? Didn't Jun-kun go back to the orphanage?"

"I just bought this amulet at Toshogu Shrine after going to Tochigi Prefecture with Aya and the others for two days."

The chat window paused for a moment. Tomatsu Yuka must have gone to check Mochizuki Haruka's updates. After discovering that the two were not together, she quickly sent another message.

"Oh, how cute~ Which one are you planning to give me, Tsun-kun?"

"How about this bell amulet? It sounds quite nice."

The girl sent a nodding rabbit emoji, "I also really like this bell; it'll be perfect to hang it on my balcony~"

After replying to their messages, Jun Matsue's upturned lips curled up again as he stared blankly at the swaying trees outside the restaurant.

The girls' reactions were completely different, yet both were full of love.

Without sunlight, one cannot know what beauty is.

But even after spending the whole morning in the sunlight, he still couldn't distinguish their beauty.

(End of this chapter)