Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 725 Yuhua, Long Time No See

The next day, Saturday, Haneoka High School dismissed students at 12:30 pm.

As the students carrying their schoolbags walked out of the school gate, they were surprised to find a school bus parked on the side of the road.

The tall bus was spotless, its roof reflecting the midday sun. The boys and girls hurrying home unconsciously slowed their pace, gazing at the ornate lettering of "Haneoka High School" and the brightly colored school emblem on the side of the bus.

"Oh, so our school has a school bus..."

One of the girls said that she was a first-year student who had only been at Yuqiu High School for a little over a semester.

Her companion took her arm. "Ah, Junko, you're in the home club, it's normal that you didn't know—"

"Whenever school clubs participate in large competitions or performances, there will be school buses to pick them up and drop them off!"

"But at the beginning of October..." The well-informed girl frowned and looked at the sky in thought.

The noisy footsteps behind her gave her the answer. She turned around and looked at the girls carrying large and small bags, hurrying out of the school gate.

"Oh, it's the brass band club~"

When Jun Matsue walked out of the teaching building, the main group of the brass band had already disappeared at the school gate. He watched a somewhat familiar girl walk past him, carrying a pure black backpack that looked like a trash can, panting as she walked towards the school gate.

"Is that your trumpet player?" he asked, looking at the person next to him.

“Yes, that’s right.” Tomatsu Tomohana nodded, glancing at the light and delicate sack bag in her hand.

“They practice large instruments, which is where things get complicated.”

"Should we go help?" the boy asked habitually.

"No." The girl decisively grabbed his arm.

"We are the seniors, how can we do manual labor for the juniors?"

"Besides, Tsun-kun belongs to me. If you go and help them, who knows how many more girls you'll attract."

“…Then let’s hurry over there.” Jun Matsue agreed with her.

Tomatsu Yuka didn't let go of his hand, and walked towards the school gate with him. When another girl with a backpack that was longer than her head passed by her, the girl suddenly remembered something.

"What you just said seems a bit off." She turned to look at the boy and stuck out her tongue.

"I should belong to Tsunkun~"

Jun Matsue smiled.

"At least for now, I belong to you."

He boarded the school bus with Tomatsu Yuka and patiently waited for her to chat with the club president sitting in the front row, while also enduring the curious stares of the girls on the bus. A few minutes later, the boy finally sat down in the back row by the window.

"Yuhua, would you like to switch seats with me? The view from the window is better."

"No." Tomatsu Yuka shook her head and sat down, leaning against his arm.

"I'm going to block the other girls' view, I won't let them look at you!"

Since there was no one else she cared about here, Chunjun didn't mind indulging in a little capriciousness and releasing her possessiveness.

Jun Matsue glanced at her and took the saxophone bag from the girl's hand.

"Why are you bringing your saxophone if you don't need to perform?"

"To make myself feel more involved~" Tomatsu Yuka smiled, "Otherwise, I'll feel like an outsider."

"And what about me?" the boy asked, pointing to himself.

"Tsun-kun, just think of it as a free show!" The girl smiled even more broadly. "It'll be a while before everyone arrives, so let's wait in the car~"

The head of the brass band, who was sitting in the front row, came over again. Jun Matsueda turned his head to look at the line of students leaving school outside the car window, and heard the gentle conversation of the girls in his ears.

Perhaps because school ended early on Saturday, the students passing by the school bus all looked radiant. After exchanging greetings with a few acquaintances through the bus window, the boy's wandering gaze finally settled on the school gate.

Wearing a white shirt, Mochizuki Haruka walked out of the school gate alone, carrying a bag in one hand and a neatly folded coat in the other.

She squinted slightly in the sunlight and pursed her lips with a hint of displeasure, as if she didn't quite like the midday sun.

Like a cat… Jun Matsueda couldn’t help but raise the corners of his lips.

If Mochizuki happens to pass by, should we try to attract her attention?

The boy quickly realized that his thinking was pointless, because the Mochizuki family's car had already stopped in front of the girl.

A low-key yet sophisticated black sedan drove past the school bus. Jun Matsue watched the car window glide past him—the dark glass was like a calm lake, and he could only see his own reflection.

“Every time Tsun-kun leaves school, she follows him out of the school gate early.”

A girl's whisper came from behind him. Jun Matsue turned around. The brass band president who had been standing next to their seats had already walked away. Tomatsu Yuka was leaning close to him, looking at him with a sly smile in her eyes.

The boy glanced out the window again; the Wangyue family's car had already driven far away.

"There was no self-study period after school today, so it's normal for her to leave early."

"But on the days when Jun-kun goes to work after school, Mochizuki Haruka also skips self-study and leaves right away."

"Really?" Jun Matsue blinked.

"Hmm~" the girl made a confident nasal sound.

The low hum of an engine starting filled the carriage. The boy stretched and ended the conversation.

"Are you leaving?"

"Everyone's here." Tomatsu Yuka nodded and looked at the instructor standing next to the driver, who was starting to take attendance.

"The destination is Suginami Public Hall, the venue where the NHK Symphony Orchestra regularly performs."

As the school bus passed the entrance of Haneoka High School, Jun Matsueda spotted a familiar figure not far away—Natsumi Imokawa had just walked out of the school gate, the girl carrying a uniform bag and walking out with her head down, holding books.

The boy took out his phone: "Don't read books once you leave the school gates. Be careful on the road."

After sending the message, he leaned close to the car window. The girl who was concentrating on memorizing her lessons had already been left behind—her back, with her head raised and looking left and right, revealed a hint of surprise and confusion.

Jun Matsuoka smiled, put away his phone, and turned his gaze to the inside of the carriage.

He and Natsumi Imokawa haven't been in much contact these past few days, partly because of the mock exams, and partly because the girl is going to participate in the Tokyo University of the Arts entrance exams next week, and is now basically in the final sprint stage of "not paying attention to anything else".

However, this actually made the boy feel a little more at ease.

What he feared most was that after chatting on the terrace that day, the girl suddenly showed unusual initiative and enthusiasm. Now that he found her still acting normally, the boy's uneasy feelings finally relaxed.

It seems that Imokawa's mind isn't set on romantic relationships...

A warm, weighty body pressed against his shoulder. Jun Matsue turned his head to the side, and Tomomi Tomatsu, who was resting with her eyes closed, smiled faintly. He adjusted his position to make the girl more comfortable.

Amidst the girls' barely suppressed excited chatter, Haneoka High School's school bus quickly pulled up in front of the Suginami Public Hall near Ogikubo Station.

As an outsider and a senior, Matsueda Jun naturally let the junior with the instrument get off the car first. He poked the girl's cheek on his shoulder and then looked out the car window at the Suginami Public Hall.

The cubic building has a regular shape, and the extensive use of glass exterior walls gives it a simple yet grand impression—although the boys thought it looked somewhat like an open transparent cardboard box.

Several girls who got off the bus first took out golden musical instruments from their backpacks and walked into the hall, like shiny gold coins being stuffed into the coin slot of a giant machine.

"We've arrived?" Tomatsu Yuka sat up groggily and rubbed her eyes.

"I think I really fell asleep..."

"It'll only be about ten minutes." Jun Matsue tidied her disheveled hair. "It's time to get off the bus."

The two got off the school bus one after the other. The girl stopped and glanced at the messages on her phone.

"They went in to prepare first. Yuna-chan said we can find a place to have lunch first, and then enter with the audience at 1:40." The boy leaned closer to her and glanced at the time; it was almost 1:00.

"Then let's eat first."

He looked around; the guild hall was located in the neighborhood near the station, so finding something to eat wouldn't be difficult.

"By the way, what about the members' lunch?"

"It's not good to eat too much before a performance, so Mr. Guangnei will probably go to the convenience store to buy them something to eat."

"Let's go." Tomatsu Yuka took the boy's arm.

"I haven't done any research on the restaurants around here, I'll have to explore them in person~"

Following the girl toward the shopping street near the station, Jun Matsueda took out his phone, which had vibrated twice, from his pocket.

It was a message from Yamami Maki.

"I just finished lunch at the school cafeteria and am getting ready to leave now."

The boy blinked. "Does the senior also have classes on Saturdays?"

"I didn't have any classes, but I spent the morning helping the teacher collect materials for acting."

Jun Matsue scrolled through the chat history; he hadn't checked the messages much at school that morning.

The senior student is still reporting on her daily life, but she didn't post any pictures today, which is different from before.

He guessed that she was indeed a little nervous.

Noticing the boy's silence, Tomatsu Yuka, who was searching for a restaurant on her phone's map, looked up.

"Is Jun-kun chatting with someone?"

“It was sent by my senior,” Jun Matsue typed on his phone. “She said she’s leaving soon.”

"..." The girl glanced at him, then restrained herself and looked away, shaking his arm.

"I saw a pretty good Italian restaurant nearby, how about we go get some pizza?"

"The pizza shouldn't be too bad, and it's also quite convenient and quick."

Jun Matsue quickly sent the text in the chat box and put down his phone.

"No problem." He rubbed his stomach. "I do feel a bit hungry and want to eat a pizza with meat."

Tomatsu Tomatsu nodded. "The mushroom and ham pizza and the tuna pizza at that place seem pretty good!"

"Then we'd better hurry up." The boy laughed. "The more Yuhua talks, the hungrier I feel."

The two, holding hands, quickened their pace, turned left at the next intersection, and headed towards the Italian restaurant across the street.

Half an hour later, they sat in a booth by the restaurant window, licking the rich sauce off their lips with satisfaction.

The girl picked up a wet wipe from the side and carefully wiped her left hand, which had just held the pizza.

"Are you full, Chun-kun? You can order some snacks if you're still hungry."

“No need.” Jun Matsue picked up the last slice of pizza from the plate. “The portion is quite generous; this slice will be just right.”

"The food here is really good, and I ate a little more than usual."

The girl rested her chin on her hand, watching her beloved eat with a smile. After he swallowed the last bite, she took out her phone to check the time.

"It's already past 1:30, shouldn't Yamami-senpai be here soon?"

Jun Matsue paused for a moment, then wiped his mouth with a tissue while taking out his phone.

"let me see."

His pocket had vibrated twice while he was eating, but it wouldn't be appropriate to check messages while the girl was happily feeding him, so he didn't take out his phone.

Unlocking the screen and opening the chat window, Jun Matsueda looked up and, unsurprisingly, saw a message from his senior.

"She said we'd be at Ogikuwa Station in a few minutes."

"Shall we go pick her up?" Tomatsu Yuka straightened her clothes. "We can go into the guild hall together."

The boy blinked but didn't say anything.

"What's wrong?" The girl tilted her head.

"It must be Yamami-senpai's first time here too. She's not very familiar with the current brass band, so it would be quite awkward for her to go in alone."

“…Yuka makes a good point.” Jun Matsue looked at her innocent face.

"But your attentiveness and initiative towards her makes me feel strange."

"I wasn't that proactive, was I?" Tomatsu Tomohana said casually. "I just thought about it casually."

"Is Chun-jun worried that I want to cause trouble for her?" She blinked her innocent eyes.

"Didn't you tell me that? Don't worry, I won't make things difficult for her, nor will I make things difficult for Chunjun."

"What's bothering me?" the boy typed on his phone.

“I’m not thinking about how to protect her, nor do I see you as an enemy.”

“I’m just afraid things will get too ugly—I really like how we are right now, so I’m going to be careful about anything that could affect it.”

“I also really enjoy the time I spend with Tsun-kun~” The girl nodded sweetly, seemingly pleased with his words.

"If I were a cunning venomous snake, the happiness I feel now in my relationship with Jun-kun has made me remove my fangs—even if I bite someone else, it shouldn't hurt much."

"Showing off your love isn't really being difficult, is it?" She stuck out her tongue, like a mischievous child.

"Just don't drag me into the bathroom in front of her..." Jun Matsue turned his phone over and waved it.

"The senior student said we don't need to pick her up, she has already gotten off the bus and will come directly here."

"So fast?" Tomatsu Yuka hurriedly pulled a small mirror out of her uniform bag.

"I was thinking of putting on some lip gloss or something..."

"Senior sister..." she pondered the boy's term of address in her mind.

Five minutes later, the doors of the simply and elegantly decorated restaurant were pushed open, and Maki Yami stopped at the entrance, carrying a small beige bag.

The girl's chest heaved slightly, as if she had been walking a little too fast.

"Senior Yamami—"

She turned her head, and the schoolgirl sitting by the window, holding onto the back of her chair, turned around and waved to her.

Yamami Maki took two deep breaths to calm her nervousness before stepping out and walking towards the booth by the window.

She walked up to the two people sitting by the window, first looking at the boy, and instinctively wanted to speak.

Then, realizing something, he turned to the smiling girl with a hint of panic.

Facing Tomatsu Yuka's gaze, she took another deep breath.

Yamami Maki raised the corners of her lips, revealing a calm, gentle, and friendly smile.

"Yuhua, it's been a long time."

(End of this chapter)