Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 755 The Cultural Festival with Idol Girl

After leaving the girls' changing room in Class 5 and browsing through the classrooms on the third floor, Lai Qiyang bought an ice cream from the vending machine, unpacked it, and walked to the boy at the stairwell.

"There's still over an hour." Jun Matsueda glanced at his phone. "Should Kurusu go upstairs first or downstairs first?"

"It's definitely downstairs, there are more classes downstairs," the girl said without hesitation.

The boy put away his phone and glanced at the ice cream in her hand.

"Want some pine branches too?" Miss Idol held them up and waved them. "Orange chocolate flavor, limited season only!"

“I was thinking about how you want to eat.” Jun Matsueda’s gaze moved upwards.

"Aren't you wearing a mask?"

"..." Kurusu Yosei's bright eyes darted around, looking at the mask pressed against the tip of her nose.

She thought for a moment, then reached up and lifted her mask up a little to reveal her lips.

Watching the girl stick out her tongue to lick the ice cream, Jun Matsueda couldn't help but approach and whisper a reminder to her—

"...Hey! Aren't you afraid of being seen?"

Yosei Kurusu pulled down his mask again and looked at the backs of the crowd turning around and going down the stairs in front of him.

"It's not that easy to be discovered, is it?" she whispered. "I'm wearing a hat, and I haven't taken my mask off either..."

"No!" The boy grabbed the brim of her hat and pressed it down.

"If you only show your eyes and mouth, what's the point of wearing a mask?"

"Don't relax too much. I used to hear them playing your songs all the time in class. Die-hard fans should be able to recognize their idols just by their eyes and mouth, right?"

"Oh..." Yosei Kurusu looked at the brown ice cream in his hand—the orange chocolate flavor was not bad.

"Then hold this pine branch for me!" She stuffed the ice cream into the boy's hand.

"You get it for me, and then give it to me when there aren't many people around. I'll eat it little by little secretly, is that alright?"

"..." Jun Matsue glanced at the chocolate ice cream in his hand, then walked into the stairwell with it in his hand.

"Let's hurry up and take a look around."

Back on the second floor, the boy and girl looked at the crowded people in the corridor, and Lai Xiyang stood on tiptoe to look around.

"Songzhi, what's that class with so many people lining up at the door for?"

“That’s a game room.” The boy glanced at the ice cream in his hand—its frozen surface was beginning to melt.

"These are all traditional festival activities, like scooping goldfish and shooting balloons. The apple candy for moon-gazing is also bought there."

Miss Idol's eyes widened. "Are there really goldfish?"

"Yes, they did. They caught almost all of their goldfish in the morning, and then bought another batch in the afternoon."

"Then I want to fish too!"

After passing the fortune-telling shop with exotic music playing again, the two walked to the entrance of the bustling game room and joined the line. The students in front of them seemed to be from the same class, and the others watching their companions inside didn't pay any attention to the two at the back of the line.

"Why don't you sneak a bite while you're at it?" Jun Matsue shook the ice cream.

The girl leaning against the wall next to him smiled and said, "Didn't you say to be careful not to get discovered?"

"The ice cream's starting to melt, why don't you take a bite yourself, Pine Branch?"

"It wouldn't be good if it dripped down, would it?"

"..." The boy looked at the small brown droplets hanging from the bottom of the ice cream, then lowered his head and licked them.

The slightly bitter sweetness of the chocolate, along with the refreshing taste of citrus, melted in his mouth. Jun Matsue blinked and looked up at the girl who was getting closer to examine him.

"It tastes pretty good, doesn't it?"

"It's not bad." He took a bite along the small notch in the ice cream. "But I think the lemon flavor tastes better."

"Songzhi likes lemon flavor so much?" Miss Idol asked with interest, drawing out her words and adding more intonation.

Matsueda Jun paused for a moment, then realized what Kurusu was talking about.

"..." He licked the ice cream stains off his lips. "We're not talking about the same thing."

"Actually, I wanted to buy the lemon flavor too, but the vending machine didn't have it, so there's nothing I can do about it~"

As Yosuke Kurusu spoke with a smile, she followed the group of boys to the classroom door. She peeked into the space filled with the sounds of splashing water and air guns, then took a step back and looked at the other classrooms on either side of the corridor.

"This year's cultural festival feels a bit familiar, doesn't it?"

“Because that’s how cultural festivals are, right?” Jun Matsueda looked at the girl’s bright eyes, which were glancing around.

"Every year it's basically the same few things—haunted houses, cafes, snack stalls, gambling, and games..."

The two walked into the classroom, took a few thin paper nets from the curious staff, and sat down on the floor by the pool of goldfish.

"You go first." Jun Matsueda handed the paper net in his hand to the girl.

"Good~"

Yosei Kurusu picked up the paper net, first pressing his head down with his hand to adjust his hat, then lowered his head, held the paper net, and slowly probed into the water.

The paper net for catching goldfish is a bit like a large bubble wand. It doesn't have a net bag; it's just a thin piece of paper in the middle that quickly turns into a translucent film when soaked in water.

The reflections of the two people on the water's surface were scattered by the idol's gently sliding hand. Schools of gold and red fish of varying shades gathered and lingered in the tank, their miniature bodies resembling a group of swimming, color-changing raindrops.

The girl held the small net and slowly approached a lone goldfish—just as the net showed signs of lifting, the fish immediately wiggled its tail and nimbly swam away.

"It's best to put the net deeper," the boy said, watching her movements. "Otherwise, it might scare the goldfish."

"Whoa~" Miss Idol gently bit her lip, looking quite interested.

"By the way, what did Pine Branch's class do at last year's school festival?"

Jun Matsuoka watched as her fingertips dipped into the clear pool water, far more beautiful than those monotonous goldfish.

"Jazz bar".

"How interesting?!" The girl's fingers trembled, and the goldfish that was about to fall into the net escaped again.

"Actually, it's not much different from coffee shops this year—selling non-alcoholic drinks and having live music."

As they were talking, Lai Qiyang made his third attempt.

This time, the goldfish fell into her net, but the paper net, having been soaked in water for too long, broke under the strain, allowing the prey to escape.

"..." The girl pouted and threw the torn net in her hand into the trash can at her feet.

"Pine branches, please!"

He left one of the paper nets in his hand and handed the rest to Kurusu along with the ice cream. Matsueda Jun stared at the goldfish swimming slowly on the surface of the water, his fingers pinching the net handle as he gently sank it into the water.

A semi-transparent paper net is probed below the target, and then decisively scooped upwards—giving a little lead in the direction the fish is swimming, so the goldfish, unable to struggle, is scooped out of the water.

"This paper net is easy to tear if it is soaked in water for a long time, so you have to be as quick and accurate as possible."

As the boy explained, he poured the goldfish into a small bowl next to his seat and handed it to the idol next to him.

"Songzhi is very experienced!" Laixi Youse took the wooden basin, shook it, and stared at the lone little fish inside.

"Bring it some more companions!"

"The director used to run a goldfish scooping stall at the orphanage—these things were much cheaper when bought at cost price..."

As he spoke, Jun Matsuoka used the same paper net to catch two more fish. He looked up and gave a nod to the class monitor who was sitting in the classroom not far away.

He had already come twice that morning with Tomatsu and Mochizuki—there were seventy or eighty goldfish in the pond, and they had caught at least twenty or thirty.

Fortunately, the girls were quite sensible; after enjoying the fun of scooping goldfish, they returned all their spoils...

"So that's how it is..." Kurusu Yosei lowered her head, secretly pulled up the bottom edge of her mask a little, and took a few big bites of ice cream.

"However, I missed the Songzhi Cultural Festival once in three years."

The boy's hand trembled as he reached into the water.

He was a beat too slow. The goldfish in the net struggled twice, and the soaked paper membrane tore in the middle. It fell into the water, flapping its tail and swimming away in a panic.

Last year at the cultural festival, the jazz bar that Idol Miss was most interested in did not come.

At that time, Matsueda Jun had just rejected Kurusu's confession because of his senior's situation—the girl quickly moved out of the apartment, and soon left Tokyo to embark on a lonely yet glamorous tour. Kurusu Yosei watched as the boy withdrew his hand in front of her and threw the tattered, wet paper net into the trash can.

"Will the pine branches of today still maliciously drive me away like they did back then?"

"No," Jun Matsue replied without hesitation.

He took a new paper net from the girl's leg and gently placed it in the water—when he lifted his hand again, there was another stranded golden-red fish on the paper.

"Now I can only hope that Kurusu will walk right into my trap."

Miss Idol pulled up her mask, and her exposed eyes smiled beautifully again.

"Does Songzhi think I'm an idiot?"

"That's hard to say." The boy placed the goldfish into the small bowl in the girl's hand.

"After all, there are plenty of exceptionally intelligent and all-around talented girls who come to me willingly and fall into my trap."

Yosei Kurusu glared at him, then snatched the paper net from the boy's hand.

"It's my turn!"

When the satisfied girl walked out of the classroom with her spoils, Jun Matsueda only had a little bit of ice cream left in his hand.

The boy turned his head and watched as the idol girl raised the water bag in her hand, in which more than a dozen small fish were swimming.

Although it's just a game, Kurusu isn't as indifferent to the outcome as Mochizuki and Tomatsu—but even if she leaves the goldfish pond empty-handed, she'll probably still enjoy the fun of playing with these little gadgets.

"Where to go next?"

"Hmm..." Laixi Youse put down the water bag and looked around.

"There are far fewer people here, let's go to the haunted house!"

They first went into the fortune-telling shop next door and temporarily left the goldfish with Aya-chan. When the boy and girl arrived at the gloomy haunted house, they didn't see many people.

"Excuse me..." The girl selling tickets bowed and apologized to them.

"Because we're almost closing for the day, and there's a light music group performance at the stadium, our haunted house doesn't have any NPCs right now..."

Jun Matsueda looked at the people around him, "How about we go see a show too?"

Yosuke Kurusu thought for a moment, "Is it Aya-chan's performance?"

The boy shook his head. "Cai-chan and the others already performed it at the beginning of the morning show."

Miss Idol then looked at the girl holding the ticket, "If we don't have tickets, is it okay if we go in and wander around?"

“No problem! We’re mainly exploring the maze.” The ticket seller nodded hurriedly. “But you still need to buy tickets, and there won’t be any photos taken.”

"It's alright!" The girl looked away, and Matsueda Jun obediently took out a coin from his pocket.

After taking two tickets stained with dried blood, which looked like they had been cut from an old newspaper, the boy and girl, along with half an ice cream, entered the eerie haunted house.

Although there were no NPCs, the chilling wind that swept over us carried a strong smell of blood, which still made our hair stand on end.

Jun Matsueda looked up at the whistling air vents on the ceiling.

"They actually turned on the air conditioning..."

Looking at the flickering lights and ghostly figures in the dark alley in front of him, Yosuke Kurusu excitedly rubbed his arm against the person next to him.

"It feels pretty good~"

"Don't get any ice cream on yourself." The boy gave her a disapproving look. "Which way are we going?"

“Let’s take this one~” Miss Idol pointed to the one closest to her and naturally took his arm.

"……Hey."

"What does it matter?" The girl tilted her head back and hunched her long neck.

"There aren't any NPCs here right now, and it's so cold inside, aren't you afraid I'll catch a cold?"

"If I catch a cold and my voice gets hoarse, I won't be able to sing!"

After staring at Yingying's eyes in the darkness for a few seconds, Matsueda Jun let the idol girl pull him into the maze.

Two minutes later, the two looked at the exit of the path in front of them—the light from the back door of the classroom was already close at hand.

"What kind of maze is this?" Kurusu Yosei complained, "Didn't we find our way out easily?"

The boy looked back and said, "There should be someone responsible for moving the obstacles and changing the path, but there's no one here now."

"But the atmosphere was quite good."

He stepped toward the exit, but was stopped by the girl.

"Wait a minute." Yosei Kurusu looked at the last piece of ice cream in his hand.

"Isn't this the perfect time to finish the ice cream?"

As she spoke, she lowered her head, and Jun Matsue had no choice but to stop and raise the popsicle stick in his hand.

The narrow passage was illuminated only at its end; he couldn't see Kurusu's bright face clearly, only hear the soft sound of her licking her ice cream.

Moist and indistinct, accompanied by soft breathing, the boy's senses were heightened in the darkness. The girl's breath landed on the back of his hand, dispelling the chill in the surroundings.

When the warm, damp touch pressed against his index finger, Jun Matsue blinked in surprise.

"Kurusu?"

Miss Idol chuckled softly in the darkness, continuing to lick the boy's fingertips.

A dozen seconds later, the boy and girl walked out of the back door of the classroom and walked away under the watchful eyes of the ticket seller.

Jun Matsueda tossed the popsicle stick in his hand into the trash can and shook his right hand.

"It's cold and sticky... You've gotten all the sugar from the ice cream onto my hands."

Yosei Kurusu stuck out his tongue under his mask.

"Your fingers don't taste good either, they're only slightly salty!"

The boy gave her a helpless look. "Then why are you still eating?"

Miss Idol blinked nonchalantly, "I suddenly wanted to try it, so I gave it a shot!"

The two took the goldfish they had left at the fortune-telling shop and went downstairs for a stroll. Time quickly approached 4:30.

"I should go upstairs." Jun Matsueda glanced at his phone. "The classroom will definitely need to be cleaned up later, and I can't be absent."

"Then I'll wait for you in the hallway?" The girl tilted her head. "We have to go home together, right?"

"..." The boy looked up. "I'm afraid it won't work today."

"After this is over, I still have to go to the library with Tomatsu for my part-time job."

"Working part-time with Tomatsu?" Yosei Kurusu's eyes widened. "Didn't you just get back together with Mochizuki?"

Given Mochizuki's temperament, now that they've gotten back together, how could he possibly allow Tomatsu Yuka to stay by Matsue's side?

Then all her arguments with Songzhi before were for nothing?
Jun Matsue took out a tissue and wiped his hands without saying a word.

"...They coexisted peacefully?" Miss Idol's beautiful eyes widened even more.

"It's not exactly peaceful..." The boy looked up at the ceiling of the corridor—the classroom of Class 6, Grade 3 was right above him.

"In short, they are reluctantly willing to accept this situation."

At 4:30 pm, Yosei Kurusu, carrying a water bag full of goldfish, walked out of the gate of Haneoka High School alone.

There was no look of disappointment on her face—although she couldn't go home with Songzhi today, Songzhi would eventually return to their home.

but……

Bathed in the soft sunlight at the end of the road, the girl looked thoughtful.

If Tomatsu Tomoka and Mochizuki Haruka both accept reality...

That means she doesn't have much time left.

(End of this chapter)