Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 734 Say You Like Me Today

Two days later, on Saturday, at 12:30 pm, the bell rang for the end of get out of class at Haneoka High School.

Jun Matsue put away the textbooks and test papers on the table, turned to the side, picked up his schoolbag, and put the exercise book inside.

He looked up and saw that Tomatsu Yuka, who was sitting upright beside him, was not tidying up. The girl took out her phone from the drawer and tapped her thumb on the screen to type.

The boy thought for a moment, then looked towards the school gate, but the activity building in the middle blocked his view.

"Is today the day the brass band sets off?"

Tomatsu Tomohana nodded. "The school bus is already parked at the gate. We'll leave after Yuna and the others have lunch in the cafeteria."

Matsueda Jun closed his backpack. "They must have invited you to lunch, right?"

"That's right~"

"Why weren't you invited?" he asked deliberately.

The girl smiled. "Weren't you going to film with Imokawa-kun?"

"And some of my juniors specifically told me not to invite you—they said they'd feel awkward if there were handsome guys around during the meal~"

The boy breathed a sigh of relief, "It's good that my friend Hua doesn't do this."

Tomatsu Yuka gave him a non-threatening glare, then stood up with a smile.

"I'm going to find Yuna-chan now. I'm looking forward to Tsun-kun's photos this afternoon~"

Watching her leave the classroom, Jun Matsue got up and opened the locker in the corner of the back row. He took out a bucket and a mop and glanced at the girl sitting by the window.

Mochizuki Haruka also sat motionless in her seat, but her desk had been cleared—the uniform bag hanging on the side had been turned over, indicating that she had packed her things.

Does Mochizuki have any plans after school? The boy blinked and walked out of the classroom carrying a bucket of water.

He hadn't gone far down the corridor when he heard hurried footsteps and followed.

He turned around, and behind him was not Mochizuki Haruka, but Imokawa Natsumi carrying her uniform bag.

"Imokawa is all ready?" The boy shook the empty bucket in his hand.

"It's my turn to be on duty today, so I'll have to trouble you to wait a bit."

“It’s Songzhi’s turn to be on duty…” The girl, her cheeks slightly flushed, stopped and looked at the time on her phone.

"Should I go home and change my clothes first?"

"...Change clothes?" Jun Matsue blinked.

"It's not appropriate to wear the school uniform when going out to play." Natsumi Imokawa lowered her head and pinched the hem of her skirt.

"That's true." The boy glanced at the bright sunlight streaming through the corridor window. "Should I go back and change my clothes too?"

"No, no!" the girl waved her hand hastily. "That would be too much trouble. I'm just going home anyway."

"Then I'll come find you in Xidiwa later?"

"Okay, Songzhi can wait for me downstairs!"

The two parted ways at the top of the stairs. Natsumi Imokawa grabbed the handrail, turned around, and glanced at the boy carrying the bucket.

"Pine branches, don't rush, take your time!"

...Matsueda Jun watched as the girl with shoulder-length black hair hopped down the stairs, then looked at the empty bucket in his hand.

Why does it feel like she's the one who's anxious?

Carrying the heavy buckets of water back to the classroom, the boy first wet a rag and carefully wiped the blackboard, not missing a single corner.

When he washed the rag and turned around to look at the students below the podium, everyone in the classroom had left except for someone in the back row.

"..."

He wrung out the rag, tossed it on the podium, and walked toward the quiet girl by the window.

Sitting in her seat, Mochizuki Haruka wasn't wearing headphones. She wasn't reading or writing; she was just resting her chin on one hand and mechanically scrolling through her phone with the other. The wind outside the window ruffled the black hair that fell down on both sides of her face, making this otherwise dull scene vivid and beautiful.

The boy placed his hands on the edge of the table and slowly squatted down, bringing his line of sight to the person in front of him.

The girl's gaze remained fixed on her phone, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and his image appeared in her clear, dark eyes.

"Is there something you want to tell me, Mochizuki?" Jun Matsue asked softly.

Mochizuki Haruka finally made a move—she put down her phone and stared at the boy in front of her.

"..." The girl's flawless face remained expressionless. The two seemed to be playing some kind of game, staring at each other without moving.

A breeze wafted into the room, ruffling their hair. After a dozen seconds, or perhaps a minute, the girl's pale pink lips finally parted.

But she didn't say anything. After her lips parted slightly, Mochizuki Haruka got up from her seat, picked up her handbag, and walked straight out of the back door of the classroom.

Jun Matsue straightened up, waved to the girl's retreating figure, his expression still patient and warm.

"Be careful on the road~"

After finishing his chores, the boy pushed his bicycle out of the school gate alone. Seventeen minutes later, he stood at the entrance of the Xidiwa apartment and sent a message to the penguin avatar in his chat list.

"I'm downstairs now."

It took Natsumi Imokawa two minutes to reply.

"Come right away!"

Unlike typical girls who are slow and unreliable, Matsueda Jun spotted her at the apartment entrance in less than a minute.

"..."

He looked in surprise at Imokawa Natsumi approaching him.

The girl was wearing a pale yellow floral dress, and perhaps because of the cold weather, she was wearing a short-sleeved ice silk cardigan over the dress. Noticing the boy's gaze, Natsumi Imokawa walked up to him with some shy steps and lowered her head to straighten her pure white cardigan.

"Um...is it strange to dress like this?" she asked, looking up, a little nervous and shy.

This is not surprising, of course. Jun Matsue had seen this sundress before—it was the same one the girl was wearing when he was chatting with her at a nearby coffee shop.

It was springtime then, and six months later, the pale yellow floral dress was still eye-catching. The well-developed girl's figure had become even more stunning.

The dress was stretched taut at the bust, revealing her dazzlingly beautiful, fair skin. Fortunately, the cardigan covered her up, preventing her from drawing too much attention.

However, the way she styled her cardigan also reveals the girl's subtle cleverness.

The pure white short cardigan, with its hem just reaching the waist, flatters the figure beautifully, avoiding a bulky or overweight appearance. The breathable ice silk fabric with sheer mesh subtly reveals the skin's color.

The girl's cardigan wasn't buttoned up; it was just left open naturally in front of her chest, and the strap of her canvas bag was resting on her chest—the half-concealed, half-revealed fullness made her even more alluring.

More importantly, a delicate sunflower hair clip was added to Natsumi Imokawa's usually simple and casual shoulder-length black hair, pinned above her right ear.

"..." Jun Matsue blinked, confirming that what he was seeing was not an illusion.

"Doesn't it look good?" Natsumi Imokawa tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, looking somewhat embarrassed.

If Songzhi didn't like it, she would go upstairs and change into another outfit that her mother recommended.

"It looks good..." The boy didn't know what to say.

Although compared to those sophisticated and fashionable girls, Imokawa's outfits are nothing special, these changes are still quite amazing for a girl who doesn't usually put much effort into this aspect.

"But?" The girl leaned closer, blinking curiously.

“No buts.” Jun Matsueda took a step back, glancing at the street behind him.

"If you're ready, then let's go."

"Is Imokawa planning to appear on camera himself today?" the boy wondered.

He had no idea that the girl's goal for the afternoon had changed from "going out with friends" to "going on a date with someone she likes." "I'm fine!" Natsumi Imokawa adjusted the strap of her crossbody bag and walked over to the boy.

"Let's go! How about we have lunch at Koenji Temple first?"

“I’m hungry too.” Jun Matsueda nodded.

So at 1:20 pm, the hungry boys and girls officially embarked on their autumn outing.

It only takes seven minutes by tram from Nishi-Ogikubo to Koenji. As Jun Matsueda walked out of the station with Imagawa, he noticed the canvas bag dangling from her waist and suddenly remembered something.

"Imokawa changed his camera?"

The camera and lens she used before were obviously expensive, judging from their weight and length; they didn't look like they could fit in a canvas bag.

“Ah, yes.” Natsumi Imokawa put away her transportation card, turned around and took out a small and exquisite black camera from her canvas bag.

"I brought a Ricoh point-and-shoot camera with me today, it's quite convenient when I go out."

As the girl spoke, she held up her camera and pressed the shutter, revealing a section of the lens peeking out from the flat, black cube.

The boy who had just stepped out of the turnstile was captured on the camera screen, and she nodded in satisfaction.

"How is it? Pretty convenient, right?"

Jun Matsue walked over to her and looked at his own caught off guard in the scene.

"I feel that such a small machine produces pretty good results."

"Because this is one of the strongest point-and-shoot cameras!" Natsumi Imokawa suddenly became more talkative, and they walked down the street together.

"At a suitable distance, the Ricoh GR3 performs very well. However, point-and-shoot cameras cannot change lenses, so they require a high level of compositional skill..."

Listening to the girl beside him chattering excitedly, Jun Matsue finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Imokawa seems to be the same Imokawa; that aspect remains unchanged.

If she didn't even bring a camera with her, then he really had to question the girl's motives for today...

Stepping out of Koenji Station, a dazzling array of shopping streets immediately comes into view. The 24-degree sunlight gently illuminates the street. Jun Matsueda slows his pace and looks at the girl beside him.

"What do you want to eat for lunch?" He pointed to a ramen shop with many customers sitting by the roadside.

"How about ramen?"

"No, no!" Natsumi Imokawa immediately shook her head, her pale yellow sundress swaying along with it.

"Um," she peeked at the travel guide she had prepared in advance on her phone.

"It's getting late, why don't we find a teahouse and have some dim sum? That way we can buy something else to eat in the afternoon."

The boy thought for a moment and said, "That works too."

The girl headed toward her pre-selected destination, waving one hand behind her.

"Then come with me~"

Upon entering the café called "Seven Forests," Jun Matsueda's first impression was its old-fashioned feel.

Like an old coffee shop from the last century, the not-so-spacious storefront contains a few tables and a bar, making it look somewhat crowded.

One chandelier after another hangs down from between the wooden beams, its not-too-bright light just enough to illuminate the table below.

Following the girl into the corner double seat, the boy glanced around at the crookedly hanging picture frames and clock on the wall, and lightly sniffed the unfashionable smell in the dimly lit space.

"This shop must be decades old, right?" he asked, looking at the girl across from him.

“It seems like almost fifty years.” Natsumi Imokawa shifted her chair and placed her hands on the table.

"Doesn't Songzhi like this atmosphere?"

“No, not at all.” Jun Matsue also placed his hand on the table.

Yu Chuan's small hand was only a rice bowl away from his hand, and the healthy white crescent moons on the girl's pink nails were clearly visible.

With his tall stature and long arms and legs, sitting in a small space would feel somewhat restrictive and uncomfortable.

The boy moved his leg again, and he soon felt something warm against him—it was Natsumi Imokawa's calf under her skirt.

"..."

He pulled his leg back, exchanged a glance with the innocent-looking girl, and then turned to look at the note on the notice board nailed to the wall.

"Let's order quickly."

The two ordered three autumn-special desserts and two cups of coffee that were limited to the day, and the small table was quickly filled with all sorts of cups and saucers.

The boy picked up his fork and tapped it lightly on the edge of the porcelain plate with its casually drawn lines.

"It looks pretty good."

The pumpkin pudding is a beautiful golden brown, the sweet potato cheesecake is topped with pure white cream cheese balls, and the chestnut Mont Blanc is covered with light brown lines, like a small ball of tightly wrapped pasta.

With the addition of unique tableware, the scene was so exquisite it was worthy of being a painting… Jun Matsue looked up, and sure enough, the girl opposite him took out a camera from her pocket and snapped a picture without hesitation.

He watched as the full breasts encased in the skirt pressed against the edge of the tray, causing the coffee cup on it to wobble.

"Be careful," the boy couldn't help but say.

"What?" Natsumi Imokawa looked up and blinked blankly.

“It’s nothing…” Jun Matsueda lowered his head and silently took a sip of coffee. “Let’s eat quickly.”

Silently savoring the rich and mellow flavors of autumn, the two silver forks moved back and forth in the air in perfect unison for a short while before the girl suddenly stopped.

"Ah." Natsumi Imokawa put down her fork, straightened up, and looked at the boy opposite her.

"Have I not told Songzhi yet?"

"What?" Jun Matsuoka looked at the cream on her lips.

"Dongyi University sent me a message this morning—" The girl licked her lips, her eyes sparkling.

"Selection passed!"

The boy opened his eyes wide, looked around at the other diners, and could only applaud quietly.

Why didn't you say so sooner?

"Forgot?" Natsumi Imokawa's smile was a little silly.

"I had just woken up and was still a bit groggy."

"I should have had a big meal today," Jun Matsue said with a smile, taking a sip of coffee.

"Anyway, I'll treat you to lunch first."

"That's not what I meant~" The girl chuckled and fed herself a bite of Mont Blanc.

But today is indeed a memorable day... Natsumi Imokawa savored the sweetness on her tongue.

The creamy chestnut filling mirrored her current mood; the young woman felt capable of anything.

This includes confessing his feelings to Jun Matsueda.

Natsumi Imokawa has watched many romance films. Although watching more doesn't necessarily mean understanding more, the young woman still firmly remembered one lesson—

If you like someone, you should definitely tell them as soon as possible.

This is the most important principle.

So she wants to tell Songzhi that she likes him today.

(End of this chapter)