Am I being simulated by their love affair?

It must have been the senior who came up with this idea... Matsueda Jun looked at the girl in front of him, whose eyes revealed a hint of trepidation and anticipation.

After all, he had given up his drumsticks and left the band because of her.

“…It’s okay if Jun-kun doesn’t want to right now.” Yamami Maki couldn’t help but speak up, her smile not showing any disappointment.

"It's easy to get rusty if you don't practice for too long."

"No need," the boy interrupted her. "I really should get a feel for drumming."

“But there are no drumsticks here.” He looked around.

"Wait for me a moment, I'll go to my room to get it?"

“No problem!” The girl nodded happily, her usually gentle voice unconsciously becoming a little louder.

"I'm willing to wait as long as I want!"

"Hey, hey, that won't do." Aya's voice livened up the atmosphere. "I'm looking forward to watching the Kohaku Uta Gassen tonight!"

Jun Matsue smiled and stepped towards the door.

"I'll be right back."

On his way to his room, the boy carefully suppressed the emotions rising within him.

"Let things take their course," that's what he told Tomatsu before, and that's how he addressed his senior.

The lingering resentment has dissipated, so there's no need to remind myself of past grievances by throwing down the drumsticks.

Upon hearing Yamami Maki's words, the boy's last remaining thought was actually only one—

It's been a long time since I've played the drums.

Pushing open the door to his room, Jun Matsue walked to his desk and pulled out the drawer on his right.

Inside was a long, narrow wooden box with a black background and gold lacquer.

The boy was very familiar with the contents of the box—the drumsticks were a very textured black, with green patterns wrapped around them, like vines or thorns.

This wasn't the one he brought back to the orphanage this time. Ever since he left the band and broke up with Yami Maki, the drumsticks the girl gave him had been put into a box by Matsueda Jun and placed in his room at the orphanage, never to be opened again.

So, it's definitely time to pick it up.

The warm, slightly cool, fine yet firm touch quickly warmed up in his palms, and the boy gripped the drumsticks tightly, returning to the girls' side even faster.

As soon as the boy entered, Yamami Maki's eyes lit up—

"Did Jun-kun take the drumsticks I gave him before?"

"Hmm." Jun Matsue smiled at her. "The drumsticks your senior gave me are still the best."

After the boy walked toward the drum set, the girls had already prepared chairs. He sat down and adjusted the height of the cymbals and the chair, and then moved a few drum kits around.

Yamami Maki didn't speak again, but silently followed the boy's every move with her eyes, until he took a soft breath and raised his drumsticks—

First, a single hand lightly and quickly taps the drumhead, like gradually rising raindrops, followed by both feet stomping the bass drum, bringing a light yet powerful rhythm...

The girl held her breath, intently watching the movements of her beloved's hands—

It felt like going back to the first time I watched him go on stage, the background blurring in my eyes until only he remained. I had even forgotten how to restrain myself; only the melody in my heart played along with his movements.

Even the curious onlookers who had gathered outside the door behind her didn't notice that by the time Yami Maki came to her senses, the lively and smooth drum music in her ears had already ended.

"Hoo..." The boy behind the drum set raised his head and let out a long breath.

Disorganized applause rang out in the corridor. Miyamura Aya darted to the door with cat-like steps—first making a "shh" gesture, then winking at the onlookers to indicate the special atmosphere between the two people behind her.

The area outside the door quieted down in agreement. Aya gently closed the door and looked at the boy and girl inside.

Yamami Maki clapped her hands loudly, her voice slightly nasal.

"Tsun-kun's technique is still very skillful, it sounds wonderful!"

"Thank you." Jun Matsueda relaxed his shoulders and smiled naturally at her.

"Thanks to my senior's drumsticks."

"How are you feeling, Jun-kun?" the girl asked curiously. "Are you too tired?"

The boy put down his drumsticks, shook his head with a refreshing smile.

"It feels great."

After the impromptu performance ended, an idea, like a gushing spring, flowed naturally into Jun Matsue's heart—

He has changed, and the current senior students are not the same as before.

So, if they can naturally come together...

That's not a reconciliation, but a brand new relationship.

Chapter 844 In the new year, Jun Matsueda must continue the fight.

The main dish for dinner on New Year's Eve is still the traditional buckwheat noodles, accompanied by tempura with seafood and vegetables and duck, which is nutritious, simple and sweet.

After eating two bowls of hot "Toshigoshi" soba noodles, chewing away the bad luck of the old year, Jun Matsue walked around the welfare home, ending his last patrol mission of the year.

When he returned to the dormitory building, he couldn't find the girls. He went upstairs to Aya's room and knocked on the door, but didn't get any response.

"...Where are they?"

Continuing upstairs, Jun Matsue returned to his room. He first put the drumsticks on the table into their box and then into his backpack. Afterward, he went out, turned left, and knocked on the door of the next room.

"Please come in~"

The boy gripped the doorknob, his movement of turning it paused for a moment—

This seemed to be the first time since the senior student came to the orphanage that I had knocked on her door without any reason.

The thought flashed through his mind, and he pushed open the door in front of him.

The girl sitting by the window turned around—it wasn't Yami Maki, but Miyamura Aya, who was holding a lipstick.

"So Cai-chan was here all along..."

Miyamura Aya blinked. "Why does Jun-nii sound a little disappointed?"

“…No.” Jun Matsueda’s gaze shifted to the side—

The senior student sat on the bed with her back against the headboard, her laptop resting on her lap, slowly typing away.

What are you doing?

"To put on makeup~" the girl, who was using her desk as a vanity, said matter-of-factly.

"I usually go without makeup at the welfare home, but since we're staying up all night today, I should at least dress up a bit, right?"

"Because Sister Moji has relatively few things here and her desk is quite empty, we've used it as a dressing table."

“That’s right~” Yamami Maki on the bed responded cheerfully.

"Let me see—" The boy walked toward the desk, but was quickly pushed away by Miyamura Aya.

"It feels so weird to have Chun-ge watching me put on makeup!" the girl said, but winked at him mischievously with her right eye.

"Don't look at me, go play with Sister Moji!"

"..." Matsueda Jun glanced at her, then obediently turned to the bed next to the desk.

"Is the senior studying or working?"

“Neither of those~” Yami Maki turned her head and smiled at him, then moved her body closer to the wall.

"Would Chun-kun like to take a look?"

The boy didn't say much. He sat down against the headboard, put his legs on the edge of the bed, and leaned his upper body towards the laptop on the senior's lap.

"So he was writing an email."

“That’s right~” The girl’s voice was sweet and soft, revealing a hint of joy that she didn’t want to admit.

Last time, Tsun-kun ignored his little gesture of inviting him to sit on the edge of the bed, but this time he sat down directly.

First, he picked up the drumsticks again, then he closed the distance, and sure enough, Tsunkun's attitude began to change...

Yamami Maki pursed her lips, savoring the joy in her heart.

She didn't press her arm against the boy's side; she simply leaned her body slightly towards him.

The girl has no shortage of courage, and now that she has won her freedom, she has no shortage of time. She only hopes that she and Tsunku can take the last few steps on the road to being together again—smoothly and without any setbacks.

So, just let things take their natural course.

“The senior wrote New Year’s greetings.” Jun Matsueda looked at the polite and gentle words on the computer screen.

"I thought, given your personality, you would send a New Year's greeting."

The New Year's greeting card was a New Year's card that the welfare home had organized to write a couple of days ago. Yamami Maki slowed down her typing speed and sketched the faces of the people around her with a smile.

"I also send New Year's greetings. I've already sent them to my landlady and the professor who's been kind to me."

"However, if you want to send New Year's greetings to your classmates, New Year's cards seem a bit old-fashioned - many of my classmates have never written one."

“That’s true.” Jun Matsue didn’t say anything more. The girl smiled at him and continued to concentrate on typing.

The room quieted down, with only Aya humming softly as she put on makeup and the clatter of her senior typing on the keyboard—a few cheerful footsteps ran past outside the door, but no one would frown and remind them at this time of day.

The boy shifted his gaze from the computer screen and subtly looked to his side.

Yamami Maki wore light makeup, her lips a bright, delicate pink, and her warm cheeks made her seem exceptionally approachable. The overhead light fell through her thick eyelashes, leaving a slight upturned curve on the tip of her nose—a natural cuteness that straddled the line between mature elegance and youthful gentleness.

Jun Matsue's gaze then continued downwards.

The senior student lay on the bed without a blanket, wearing a thick off-white sweater on top and warm dark gray leggings on the bottom—the highly elastic cashmere fabric hugged her leg skin, showing off her healthy and soft curves, perfect for lingering fingers.

Suddenly, the footsteps outside the door increased, and Jun Matsue came back to his senses.

"It's almost time for the Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Song Battle), isn't it?" He glanced at the bottom right corner of his computer screen. "Shouldn't we be heading downstairs soon?"

“No problem~” Yamami Maki lightly pressed the Enter key and sent the email.

"Is Aya-chan all done with her makeup by now?"

"Alright, alright~" Miyamura Aya stood up—as long as Jun-ge and Maki-nee-nee didn't say anything, she could play the supporting role forever.

"How was it?" Caijiang tilted her little face up proudly. "My skills are pretty good, right?"

Matsueda Jun examined her closely. "She is pretty, but why does she look like she's not wearing any makeup?"

The girl gave a heavy snort.

"That just means I'm naturally beautiful!"

At 7:25 p.m., the children in the welfare home gathered in the activity room, with the younger ones sitting in front and the older ones in the back.

Jun Matsue sat down in an empty seat in the last row and handed the two cups of genmaicha (brown rice tea) to the girls sitting on either side of him.

"Grandma gave these to you. I drank a lot of noodle soup tonight, so I don't need them."

"Thank you, Jun-kun." Yamami Maki took the teacup and held it in her hands.

She looked at the headmistress, who was surrounded by young children in the corner—the old woman smiled kindly at her.

Grandma seems to like me quite a bit... The girl lowered her head and took a sip of her drink, feeling a warm glow in her heart.

She looked up and saw the lively backs of children. A small television hung on the wall above, large enough for everyone to see clearly.

"Is this your first time celebrating the New Year like this, senior?"

A gentle male voice reached her ears, and Yamami Maki turned her head and licked the tea from the corner of her lips.

Yes~

Jun Matsueda looked at the children clamoring for the Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Song Battle) and the strange hand-drawn graffiti on the wall.

"Feeling a little uncomfortable? It's so noisy, isn't it?"

"I'd say it feels very novel..." the girl smiled.

When her family reunions, there are quite a few people, but it's mostly men with men and women with women—and if you break it down further, the elders talk about family, the middle-aged people talk about their careers... everything is well-organized and orderly.

"Like a class reunion, it was chaotic, but that made me feel strangely at ease."

"That's true, so I quite like going back to the orphanage; it's a kind of relaxation..."

The volume in the room suddenly increased significantly. The teenagers looked at the TV, and the stage of the Red and White Song Festival appeared on the screen—the three hosts were already greeting everyone with great energy.