Am I being simulated by their love affair?

"You're not wearing makeup?" The boy blinked. Cai Jiang had only applied lip balm, which was more than what he had applied skin cream.

"Didn't you get all dressed up excitedly yesterday?"

"I'm so sleepy..." Miyamura Aya tilted her head back and yawned.

"I'm too lazy to dress up, I might as well sleep a little longer." She pulled the two of them toward the cafeteria.

"Anyway, I don't have a partner for whom I would put on makeup."

As Yamami Maki followed Aya-chan, her cheeks flushed a pink more captivating than the color of her sweater.

"..."

A few minutes later, the three of them sat down near the window in the cafeteria. The girl picked up her small bowl and looked around the hall.

Besides them, the only other people in the canteen were the busy employees behind the windows. To save electricity, only the seats on this side had their lights on.

She rubbed the warm soup bowl between her hands.

"It's so deserted..."

“After all, it’s only 5:40 now.” Jun Matsueda stirred the soup bowl with a spoon. “It’s still completely dark.”

"It's too early..." Miyamura Aya was still yawning as she carefully picked up the bowl and took a sip of soup.

"It's so hot!"

The traditional breakfast for the Japanese New Year is "zoni," which is actually rice cake soup. In the Kanto region, square rice cake slices are usually used, and the soup base is made with kelp and bonito flakes.

"Isn't it because you said you didn't want to be crowded on your first shrine visit?" Jun Matsue glanced at her.

"The pilgrimage begins at 8:00 AM. We'll have breakfast at 5:40 AM, set off at 6:00 AM, and arrive at Tokyo Daijingu Shrine at 7:00 AM to be among the first to worship—wasn't that the plan last night?"

"I remember..." The girl blew on the cool air, put a piece of rice cake into her mouth, and continued speaking indistinctly.

"But we stayed up late yesterday to celebrate the New Year, and went to bed early. I'm getting up so early today—I'm definitely going to feel sleepy!"

Yamami Maki, who was scooping rice cake soup nearby, nodded gently.

She was actually a little sleepy, but the thought of seeing Tsun-kun next door as soon as she got up, and being able to say Happy New Year and Good Morning to him face to face, made her struggle to leave her warm bed.

"So how can Chun-ge be so energetic!" Miyamura Aya exclaimed, looking at the boy across the table.

"You were the last one to go to bed last night, but you don't look tired at all!"

"..." Jun Matsue picked up the crisp and tender green vegetables from the bowl.

He was busy chatting with girls who were welcoming the New Year right after midnight last night, sometimes by voice and sometimes by video. He was definitely the last one to go to sleep.

"I exercise more regularly, so I can handle pressure better than you guys."

"Nighttime exercise" can be considered a form of exercise, right? The boy thought to himself.

Moreover, getting up at 5:30 is not actually that early—that's probably true for high school students in China.

The warm rice cake soup warmed their bodies, dispelling the morning chill and drowsiness. At six o'clock in the morning, Jun Matsue and the spirited girls boarded the bus at the entrance of the welfare home.

As expected, there were hardly any people on the first bus. The three of them sat on the bench-style seats, watching the dark blue sky outside the window gradually brighten.

"We'll be able to see the New Year's sunrise later!" Aya Miyamura excitedly nudged the arm of the person next to her.

"Getting up early was definitely the right thing to do!"

“It’s really good.” Jun Matsueda nodded in agreement.

Although the sunrise on New Year's Day is not actually anything special, witnessing the moment in person can certainly be positive and enjoyable.

He felt a close touch on his other shoulder and arm, and turned his head—his senior was tilting her head slightly and pressing her body against his.

"Are you sleepy, senior?" the boy asked softly.

"No." Yami Maki looked up at him and smiled.

"Just being close together like this, with our body heat passing between us through our thick coats, makes me feel very safe."

So when they entered the station and boarded the train to Chiyoda Ward, Jun Matsueda changed seats so that his senior could sit between him and Aya-chan—the two of them squeezed the girl in the middle to satisfy her desire for "sticky" contact.

"So why are we going to Tokyo Daijingu Shrine?"

The idea for the first shrine visit was a last-minute decision made by Aya and her senior; he was still connecting with the girls last night.

“Actually, there are quite a few choices.” Yamami Maki turned her head to the side, her long, smooth hair brushing against the boy’s shoulder.

"For shrine visits only, there are quite a few in Mitaka City—but Aya-chan wants to go to a more famous one, feeling that it will be more effective."

"And it can't be too popular!" Miyamura Aya poked her head out from the other side of the girl.

"Just like Senso-ji Temple back then—it's said that there were already a lot of people in front of Kaminarimon Gate at six in the morning!"

Jun Matsue chuckled. "You really are hard to please."

Yamami Maki continued, "So you need to be famous, but there can't be too many people around, and it's best if you're also quite effective."

"What comes to mind are Hie Shrine, Yushima Tenmangu Shrine, and Tokyo Daijingu Shrine."

The boy took out his phone and said, "We've already been to Hie Shrine, haven't we?"

“…That’s right.” The girl nodded.

Yuka was also in the four-person team back then...

"Yushima Tenmangu Shrine is for praying for academic success. The general exams are in two weeks, so there should be quite a few people going."

"Besides, Chun-ge doesn't need divine intervention to get into Tokyo University, right?" Aya-chan interjected with a grin.

Matsueda Junpei raised his right hand and turned his palm over.

"Dongda University? A piece of cake!"

Having prepared for so long, he was naturally full of confidence.

Maki Yami smiled. "So the only remaining option is Tokyo Daijingu Shrine."

The boy looked down at the search results on his phone.

"The most efficacious shrine for finding a partner in Tokyo? The birthplace of Shinto wedding ceremonies?"

"..." The girl's cheeks flushed a little more.

"Besides praying for marriage, Tokyo Daijingu also offers regular fortune slips."

Of course, it would be even better if I could go with Tsun-kun and receive his best wishes regarding our love.

"And all the amulets from Tokyo Daijingu Shrine are really beautiful!" Aya Miyamura said, bringing her phone closer.

"Chun-ge, look at this lily of the valley lace amulet! Isn't it beautiful?"

Jun Matsueda glanced at her phone.

"...It seems that there aren't many men who come to worship at this Tokyo Grand Shrine."

The girls' enthusiasm didn't last long. After changing trains at Nakano Station, the warm air in the carriage made everyone drowsy—and after a few stops, Jun Matsueda became the only one in the corner with his eyes open.

The boy turned his head and glanced at the station information on the train door; it was still a fifteen-minute drive to Iidabashi, where Tokyo Daijingu Shrine is located.

Sleeping is fine; it's better than being listless during the shrine visit.

Taking off his coat and covering the two girls' thighs, Jun Matsue examined their sleeping postures.

Cai Jiang wasn't exactly well-behaved; she wrapped her arms around the person next to her and leaned half her body against her.

The senior student had her hands folded on her lap and her head tilted back against the car window—the dignified girl had her pretty brows slightly furrowed, whether from feeling the weight on her body or from being hurt by the hard, cold glass.

The boy shook his head, put his hand on Yamami Maki's shoulder, and pulled her closer to him.

The senior naturally leaned closer, tilting her head to rest on his shoulder—not exactly a soft or comfortable spot, but the girl's furrowed brows quickly relaxed, and she looked at him with a sense of relief.

Jun Matsue didn't make any further moves, but silently gazed at the peaceful sleeping face resting on his shoulder for a while.

When the station announcement sounded again in the carriage, he took out his phone from his pocket with minimal movement and opened a chat app—

It's not even seven o'clock yet, and perhaps because it's still early, there's unusually little activity in the guy's chat list.

Are Mochizuki and her aunt still sleeping in? Even if they're planning to visit the shrine, they probably don't need to get up early...

Matsueda Jun smiled, thinking that the temples and shrines in Kamakura would definitely be happy to give the Mochizuki family special treatment.

Is Tomatsu awake by now? Her mother had arranged another lavish dinner and spa treatment yesterday.

However, the two also went to watch the New Year's Eve fireworks around the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, and the girl was quite satisfied.

Kurusu was the only one who watched the Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Song Battle) like him. Last night, to celebrate her minor success as a singer, she and her mother drank quite a bit of alcohol, and she's probably still soundly asleep.

Speaking of Imokawa… the boy recalled the Imokawa family he had met by chance near Senso-ji Temple two years ago.

If he were to encounter them again this year, even with his extensive experience, he wouldn't know how to face the girl's parents.

However, Imokawa and the others probably won't come to Tokyo Daijingu Shrine.

Looking at the flashing and moving dots on the tram route map, Jun Matsueda turned his head to look at his senior who was fast asleep on his shoulder.

The girl's breathing was even and warm, making him reluctant to wake her.

"Senior?"

“…Hmm?” Yamami Maki’s eyelashes trembled slightly, then she slowly opened her eyes.

Looking up at the boy's face so close to hers, the girl's eyes sparkled with a playful light—she blinked dazedly, then quickly revealed a surprised expression.

"Did I fall asleep?"

Yamami Maki hurriedly touched the corner of her mouth—thankfully it wasn't wet, and she felt relieved.

The boy smiled and said, "Not only is the senior asleep, but Aya-chan is asleep too."

The girl then turned her head to look in the other direction.

Miyamura Aya was still fast asleep with her arm around her shoulder—until Matsueda Jun picked up the coat that had been covering their legs, and the sudden chill woke Aya slowly.

"Um..."

The girl, on the other hand, appeared calm and composed. She yawned and stretched.

"Have we arrived at the shrine?"

The announcement of the Iidabashi stop came at just the right moment in the carriage, and passengers who had been boarding one after another surged toward the door, bringing the quiet New Year's Day morning to life.

Jun Matsue stood up and smiled at the girls whose faces were marked by the pressure.

"We've arrived."

Stepping out of the station, crossing the road, and winding around the shady grove at the edge of the shrine, the spirited Hatsumode team soon arrived at the main gate of Tokyo Daijingu Shrine. Aya Miyamura raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"There are quite a few people."

"It's alright." Jun Matsue stood on tiptoe and looked around.

"You can see the whole line at a glance, and if you're in line, it should only take about ten minutes."

“However, it’s smaller than I expected…” He looked around, “about the same size as Hie Shrine.”

Walking between the two, Yamami Maki smiled and said, "Actually, places as large as Meiji Shrine and Senso-ji Temple are rare."

"After all, Tokyo isn't that big." The boy nodded and walked towards the end of the line outside the torii gate.

"Let's hurry up and line up before there are too many people."

Upon entering the crowd waiting for the first shrine visit, Jun Matsue quickly discovered a fact—

"There really aren't many men..."

The group was mostly made up of well-dressed young women, and even just in terms of height, he stood out quite a bit, not to mention his exceptionally handsome face...

The girls in the group cautiously sandwiched the boys between them, trying to block the excited glances from those around them.

"We have to protect Chun-ge!" Cai-jiang said, putting on her best effort.

"Hmm!" Yamami Maki smiled and waved her fist.

"If that doesn't work, I can hold hands with Tsunku and pretend to be a couple~"

"..." Jun Matsue glanced at the eager senior.

Just as he was about to speak, his cell phone rang in his pocket.

"Please wait a moment, Jun-kun." Yamami Maki blinked apologetically.

However, once she took out her phone, her cheerful expression vanished completely, like a piece of paper touched by a spark.