Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 661 A Lemon-Flavored Kiss

At four o'clock the next afternoon, Jun Matsue sat on a recliner at the perfect angle, holding a smooth milk shaved ice in his hands, and looked at the little snack running towards him in the distance.

Before the boy lay a vast, gently undulating plain, with low, continuous green grass stretching out like a frozen, calm sea. In the distance were neatly arranged trees, and beyond that, there were fences, a sky filled with floating clouds, and leisurely horses.

This is a ranch located in Otawara City, Tochigi Prefecture, where the three-person team spent an entire afternoon—horse riding, sunbathing, playing with sheepdogs, and enjoying cheese, ice cream, and lattes made with milk directly from the ranch.

The small brown dots that were jumping in the distance gradually took shape. Jun Matsue put down the shaved ice in his hand and looked at the girls sitting on horseback.

Yosei Kurusu's long pink hair danced wildly, dazzling in the sunlight. The girl held the reins, skillfully maneuvering the horse beneath her. Aya Miyamura, as a passenger, sat in her lap, smiling happily.

The two people and the horse quickly arrived in front of him with a clattering sound. The idol leaned back slightly, her legs gently gripping the horse's belly to tighten the reins, and the glossy brown horse came to a steady stop on the grass in front of the recliner.

Jun Matsue stood up, took a carrot from the table next to him and put it in the horse's mouth. Then he walked over to the horse, first helping Aya off the horse, and then holding Yosei Kurusu's slender arm.

"Jun-ge! Yang-shi-jie is so good at riding horses!" Miyamura Aya said excitedly from behind him.

"Am I better than you?" The boy looked at the girl in front of him as she used his hand to dismount. "I won the previous competition."

"Isn't it because I studied for less time than you?" Yosei Kurusu said, standing steadily on the grass, unconvinced.

The girl was busy playing frisbee with several sheepdogs, wasting a lot of time.

"Miss Kurusu is indeed quite talented." The equestrian coach who was following behind the two walked over and patted the horse's broad back with a smile.

“If you hadn’t told me, I would never have imagined that she knew absolutely nothing about horseback riding before today.”

“Of course, the same goes for Matsueda-kun.” The woman’s smile widened.

"Thank you." Jun Matsue smiled calmly.

It has to be said that whether it's driving or riding a horse, Lai Qiyang learns exceptionally quickly—perhaps she really has a talent for driving vehicles.

"Matsushige, what time is it now?" The idol girl picked up the half-eaten milk shaved ice next to the boy's seat and scooped up a big mouthful without hesitation.

Jun Matsue raised his arm, but he couldn't keep up with the girl's movements. The shaved ice had already gone into her mouth, and the boy had no choice but to give up resisting.

“…4:30.” He glanced at his phone.

"Time flies so fast~" Kurusu Yosei put down his spoon and stretched to loosen up his body—being jostled around on horseback wasn't exactly a comfortable experience.

"It's time to go." She hugged the girl beside her. "We need to find somewhere to have dinner—"

Since no one could hold Jun Matsue, he could only link arms with the large horse next to him that was munching on a carrot and stroke its mane. The horse responded with an affectionate snort. The girls seemed to have been tickled, and they hugged each other, their shoulders shaking.

As they left the ranch, the pink Toyota gleamed in the sunlight. The boy opened the car door for his younger sister before getting into the passenger seat, the rolled-up window blocking the instructor's reluctant gaze.

“Matsushige, I think she’s quite interested in you~” Miss Idol raised an eyebrow.

Jun Matsue glanced at her. "Why didn't you stop her when she was flirting with me?"

"Why are you stopping me?" The girl haughtily raised her chin, inserted the key, and started the car.

"With me here, how could you possibly fall for her?"

"..." The boy was speechless.

The car left the ranch amidst applause from the girls in the back seat and headed towards the city.

The three of them had a fried Wagyu beef set meal for dinner. The vegetables and beef came from a nearby ranch. Compared to the steak, the small pieces of milk coated in fried batter were less greasy.

However, a small mishap occurred while enjoying the delicious ribeye.

"...You mean you're going back tonight?" Jun Matsue looked up, his eyes showing a hint of surprise.

"Didn't we say we'd leave tomorrow?"

"Didn't you say this afternoon that Mochizuki would be back tomorrow?" Kurusu Yosei swallowed the rice in his mouth and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"That girl must be getting impatient. She might even get up early to go back to Tokyo—if we're still not back by then, she'll definitely throw a tantrum!"

"That's certainly very possible..." Jun Matsue nodded, his chopsticks reaching for the last piece of fried beef tongue.

However, Kurusu's chopsticks also reached out, and the two chopsticks wrestled for a few seconds before finally splitting the beef tongue in two in perfect unison.

"So when we were riding horses just now, Caijiang and I discussed it..." the girl mumbled, chewing on her meat.

"Let's just go back after dinner."

“If we stay, we can just soak in the hot spring for another night,” said Aya Miyamura, who was sitting next to her. “We already soaked in the hot spring twice last night anyway.”

The girls played ping-pong enthusiastically for an hour last night, and then soaked in the hot spring in the suite's bathtub. Thanks to this, all three of them slept very well.

"...So it's decided then?" Jun Matsue put down his chopsticks and took out his phone to find directions.

"It's decided!" Lai Xiyang nodded vigorously.

"After this meal, we'll head back to Tokyo!"

Half an hour later, Jun Matsue sat back in the passenger seat and watched the girl next to him turn on her phone for navigation while she gripped the steering wheel.

"It takes three hours to drive back to Tokyo. Would you like to rest for a while, Kurusu?"

"We were resting during dinner," the female driver patted him on the shoulder. "And there are rest areas along the way."

“I was worried you’d get too tired from playing all day.” Jun Matsueda placed the coffee he’d bought between the two of them.

The girl had a busy day. After checking out in the morning, she first took them to visit the ruins of Kinugawa Amusement Park nearby. After that, they drove for more than an hour to a ranch in Otawara City. After lunch, they played frisbee and horseback riding. Both their physical strength and energy must have been quite depleted.

"It's okay!" Yosuke Kurusu took off his sunglasses and shook his arms. "It's not as tiring as when we were on tour before."

"If you're worried, just keep an eye on me and make sure I don't get sleepy or distracted~"

The boy rolled his eyes at her and took the sunglasses the girl offered him.

"Then I should go back to the ranch and get a whip, so I can wake you up when you're dozing off."

At 7 p.m., the sun had already set. The pink Toyota, on its way home, entered the highway, with gray mountains rushing past outside the road.

Jun Matsueda turned his gaze away from the car window and back to the girl in the driver's seat.

"It's much darker on the road now, would you like to switch to the slow lane?"

“It’s alright, there are fewer cars than during the day.” Yosei Kurusu shook his head and stared ahead at the road. “It’ll be nine o’clock by the time I get back to Tokyo, and I don’t want to drive back slowly.”

"Make sure you get home safely first." The boy glanced at Miyamura Aya, who was leaning on the headrest in the back seat, and reached out to turn the music in the car down a bit.

The girl glanced at the rearview mirror. "Is Aya-chan asleep?"

"uh-huh."

She suddenly smiled and said, "It feels like taking care of a child."

"...Aya-chan is much more reliable than you." Although he said this, the boy's tone softened considerably.

"So it was you and Aya who took care of me?" Kurusu Yosei glared at him. "Aya and I did all the scheduling and stuff. Matsueda was the one who was being taken care of!" "Yes, yes~" Matsueda Jun didn't try to deny it.

"I'm thirsty, Pine Branch, give me a sip of coffee!" The girl gestured to him.

The boy picked up the Starbucks coffee next to his seat and handed it to her. She was still holding the steering wheel, but she turned her face slightly to the side, pouted her lips, and put the straw in her mouth.

"Remember to watch where you're going!"

"I don't need you to remind me!" Yosei Kurusu said, biting his straw.

Jun Matsue smiled and looked at the road ahead with the girl.

The sky is clear tonight, with thin clouds visible, which in the moonlight resemble the snowflakes and marbling on the beef at their dinner.

The streetlights on both sides were far apart, and their dim, aged lights reminded one of a lone firefly as they passed by the car window.

The boy's gaze returned to the car interior. The closed windows made the sound of the wind somewhat muffled. The sleeping cat amulet hanging on the rearview mirror swayed precariously. Behind it, the road surface rolled out in the distance as the horizon shifted—the cat hadn't opened its eyes, so it seemed the road was relatively safe.

Some people enjoy driving at night, perhaps because they appreciate the tranquility of traveling alone at night and the perfect sense of solitude... Looking at the girl's profile, Jun Matsue felt a warm and delicate feeling, like coffee, welling up inside him.

As the pink Toyota passed the boundary marker of Tochigi Prefecture, Yosei Kurusu looked at the road sign in front of him that read "Hanyu PA".

"Let's go to the parking area and rest for a while."

“No problem.” Jun Matsueda breathed a sigh of relief. “I’d be worried if you drove all the way to Tokyo.”

"It's just that sitting in the car all the time is a bit boring~" The girl smiled, quickly turned the steering wheel, and drove into the parking area.

After the car came to a complete stop, Jun Matsueda unbuckled his seatbelt, leaned over to the back seat, and gently patted Aya Miyamura's calf.

"We've stopped for a break. Cai-chan, would you like to get out and use the restroom?"

"...What?" The girl sat up groggily.

"We're stopping for a break. Would you like to get out of the car?"

She closed her eyes and remained silent for two seconds, as if sensing her bladder, before collapsing softly to the ground.

"I'm going to sleep. Wake me up when we get to Tokyo..."

So Aya was left in the car. The boy and girl opened the car door, and the cool night breeze and fresh air gently touched their cheeks.

Matsue Jun removed his hands from under the humming hand dryer and walked out of the bathroom, leaving only the sound of his footsteps in the empty corridor.

The parking area on the highway was quite basic, with only restrooms and convenience stores. The boy walked out of the door and found the familiar figure of a girl in front of a row of vending machines.

Yosei Kurusu leaned against the wall next to the vending machine, looking down at her phone. The girl had a lollipop in her mouth, and the cool light from the screen shone softly on her face, making the light reflected in her pupils particularly bright.

Like a girl who has run away from home... Matsueda Jun thought to himself, and walked over to lean against the wall with her.

"looking at what?"

"Well, it's a message from my manager." The idol's tone was a little cold, more like that of a homeless child.

"What did she say?"

"Hmm... I was talking about the contract." The girl shrugged. "Judging from the current situation, terminating the contract is indeed the best option."

"She suggested that I find a temporary agent, otherwise I would be at a disadvantage when negotiating contracts with the new company."

"My sister is such a good person~" She looked up and smiled at the boy, "Even though we're about to end our partnership, she's still thinking of me."

Jun Matsue nodded. "See what she likes, and buy her a gift to thank her properly."

"Does Matsugi want some candy?" Kurusu Yosei pulled a handful of lollipops from his pocket and held them between his fingers like brass knuckles.

"Eat it on the bus." The boy casually picked one out and held it in his hand.

"So it's confirmed that you want to terminate the contract?"

"Hmm... I think so." The girl put away her phone. "The president and manager both said that this is the best way."

"I don't understand these things either, I've always left them to them. I just need to show my most charming self on stage."

"So, do you have any ideas? Which company do you want to join? Do you want to change your idol image?"

"How could that be?" She shook her head, candy in her mouth. "I haven't even thought about these things!"

There was a brief silence around the vending machine. The boy and girl looked up at the headlights of cars passing by on the highway behind the fence not far away.

"Have you heard of YM Entertainment, Kurusu?" Jun Matsueda suddenly asked.

"Of course I've heard of them!" Yosei Kurusu said without hesitation. "They're a super famous agency; Utada Hikaru is one of their artists!"

"Why don't you talk to them?" the boy continued. "They seem quite interested in you."

"..." The girl turned her head and stared at him, her eyes sparkling. "Really?"

“Of course it’s true.” Jun Matsue looked into her eyes. “However, they haven’t signed any individual idols, so if you want to join, you might have to change your mindset.”

"But it's hard to say. You should talk to them yourself."

The girl didn't speak, but stared intently at his face.

“YM is the company owned by Yamami-senpai’s family.” Jun Matsueda stuffed the lollipop he was holding back into her pocket.

I apologize for contacting her without asking what Lai Xi thought.

"..." The girl remained unresponsive, like a delicate doll.

"Kurusu?"

Yosei Kurusu didn't speak, but a crunching sound came from her mouth—she was chewing the candy in her mouth.

The girl quickly threw the paper stick she was holding into the trash can behind her, then swiftly opened her arms and hugged the boy in front of her.

Before Jun Matsueda could react, her lips were already pressed against his, and the two kissed.

A car drove into the parking area, and a bright beam of light swept across the boy and girl, piercing them together like an arrow.

Yosei Kurusu released her hand from the boy's head, panting excitedly, her moist lips gleaming in the darkness.

"You're doomed, Pine Branch." The girl forcefully pressed her forehead against the boy's, staring into his eyes.

"After all you've done, do you still expect me to let you off the hook for the rest of your life?"

Before the man in front of her could speak, the girl hugged him tightly and kissed him.

Looking at the flickering lights on the highway, Jun Matsue's mind, which was blank from the illumination, was filled with only one thought.

The candy she ate was lemon-flavored.

　Thank you so much to "Bai Anxiu" for the generous donation! Thank you for your support, I'm bowing my head in gratitude!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)