Am I being simulated by their love affair?

"Otherwise, I can make a few rice balls for you to take with you tomorrow."

"—If there are no other questions, we'll be dismissed." The female teacher on the podium clapped her hands vigorously.

"Site the locations that need to be scouted, rest when you need to rest, and study when you need to study."

Good luck on your exams!

A chaotic yet tacit cheer erupted in the classroom. Kominato Shoko, her hands on the podium, watched with a smile as the students noisily stood up.

"Remember to clean the classroom as usual today, students on duty, don't forget!"

"So where is Yuka's exam room?" Jun Matsue stuffed the few things on the table into his bag and continued the conversation that had been interrupted by the teacher.

"Mejiro University." The girl picked up her ticket and waved it at him.

"It's very close to where Yamami-senpai lives~"

The boy paused for a moment, "Is Mejiro University in Higashi-Nakano?"

"Should Yuka go have lunch with her senior then? She's on holiday these days too."

"Never mind then." Tomatsu Yuka stuck out her tongue.

"I only mentioned my senior to tease Jun-kun; I didn't want to see her on the day of the exam."

"..." Matsueda Jun glanced at her helplessly, then got up and picked up his schoolbag.

"It's about time we went."

The boy turned his head, and Mochizuki Haruka, who had put down her phone, stood by his table with her bag.

The girl naturally stretched out her hand, "Let me see Matsu's inspection ticket and the things I just gave Tomatsu."

So the boy opened his bag again, tore his list out of his notebook, and handed it to her along with the inspection ticket.

The three of them walked out of the back door of the classroom one after the other, breaking the silence of the corridor. However, it was not as noisy as usual—it was the last day before the common exam, and everyone had things to do and no time to waste on their usual frolicking.

"Matsueda is taking the exam at the University of Tokyo..." Mochizuki Haruka put down the paper in her hand and raised her eyebrows in surprise.

She instinctively tried to grab the arm of the person next to her, but the boy blocked her with his bag—the girl looked up and realized that there were other people walking in front of and behind her.

"I guess you could say it's fate," Jun Matsue smiled at her.

"Now I feel like getting into Tokyo University is a 100% certainty."

"It's a pity that Yuka's exam venue isn't at Tokyo University." He turned to look at the girl who was hugging him. "Otherwise, it would be perfect."

Tomatsu Tomoka smiled, while Mochizuki Haruka on the other side gave a soft hum.

"There are only two days left before I can openly call Yuka Yuka."

"..." The girl wasn't angry; she just smiled and hugged the arm of the person next to her tightly.

“It’s a bit of a hassle not being at the University of Tokyo. My mom took the afternoon off to take me to see the exam venue at Mejiro University.”

"However, meeting Tsunku at Tokyo University is only a matter of time, so it doesn't matter if it's just a day or two."

Her "one or two days" seemed to be a response to someone's ultimatum, and Mochizuki Haruka pursed her lips.

Today's situation is special, so I won't bother arguing with this scheming woman.

She stuffed the inspection ticket and inventory list into the boy's bag. "So, does Pine have a watch? I've never seen you wear one."

Jun Matsuoka stepped onto the stairs and glanced at his bare wrist.

"No, I don't really need to use a watch normally."

"I don't know if the small clock in the apartment will work. If not, I'll just buy a new watch today."

“You don’t need to buy it,” the girl said, as if she had expected it. “Someone will deliver it to you tonight.”

"Then thank you in advance, Mochizuki."

The boy smiled and leaned against the stair railing, looking down at the stairwell—there were quite a few people below, and a noisy commotion was rising up.

Is there some kind of event happening downstairs?

Tomatsu Yuka, who was holding his arm, smiled slyly, "Tsunku will find out when we get down here."

Descending to the first floor with the girls, stepping out of the stairwell, we were greeted by the brilliant afternoon sunlight, like gold leaf spread across the ground, and their still-childlike faces—

Good luck on your exam!!!

The voices of the boys and girls in uniforms were not in unison, but they were exceptionally energetic and loud.

Jun Matsue squinted slightly in the sunlight, taking in the joyful faces on both sides of the road—judging from the colors of their ties and skirts, they were all first-year and second-year students.

"It's Matsueda-senpai!" a voice shouted from the crowd. "Doesn't he seem to need our blessings?"

"How can you say that!" a girl next to her said with a laugh, then shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Go, Matsueda-senpai!!"

Different shouts soon rose from the crowds on both sides of the road—

"Go for it, Haruka-senpai!"

"Go, Yuuka-senpai! Keep being number one and pin Matsueda-senpai beneath you!"

Jun Matsue put on a warm smile, a rare sight for him, and walked along the school avenue while thanking everyone—the crowds cheering him on did not diminish, and the line continued until the school gate.

"Wow, it's quite a spectacle..." The boy standing at the door turned around and looked at the third-year students walking out of the teaching building and the juniors cheering on both sides of the road.

"It feels like I'm at a graduation ceremony."

"That's still a long way off," Mochizuki Haruka said beside him. "By graduation time, we should all have already moved out."

Her expression wasn't as emotional as the boys'—mainly because the girl wasn't too happy with the strange things her juniors had just said.

"Starting tomorrow, we'll take the first step towards graduation."

Jun Matsuoka turned around.

Tomatsu Yuka held her uniform bag in both hands, her smile as if bathed in sunlight, warmer and more vibrant than ever.

"I'm going to check out the exam venue now~" the girl waved. "We probably won't see each other again for two days."

The boy glanced behind her. Although he hadn't seen her often, he could still recognize Ms. Tomatsu in a suit not far away.

"Be careful on the road." He gave Tomatsu a hug.

"I'll tell Yu-Hana about her experience in the Tokyo University classrooms tomorrow night."

Tomatsu Yuka smiled and nuzzled his cheek before walking toward the woman outside the school gate—only after her figure was obscured by the sunlight did the boy turn his head away.

Mochizuki Haruka stared at him from the side, "What? Should we hug too?"

“Uh.” Jun Matsueda glanced at the crowd at the school gate. “Then we might have to wait another two days.”

"Or should I see you to your car and then give you another hug?"

"Forget it." The girl turned her face away haughtily. "My aunt is in the car, and she doesn't want to see you right now."

"Your aunt wants to eat you alive right now."

"..." The boy could only smile.

He led Mochizuki Haruka to the school gate, using his body and the wall to block the view of the surroundings, and gave her a hug.

"Are you satisfied with this?"

The girl nodded demurely and took out her phone from her pocket.

"I can get in the car myself, so my aunt won't get angry if she sees you." She rolled her eyes charmingly.

"Also, while I'm not home, you're not allowed to do it with Kurusu tonight."

“Of course.” Jun Matsueda looked innocent. “I knew exactly what to expect the day before the exam.”

Mochizuki Haruka gave a soft hum and strode towards the door.

"that's it."

After watching Mochizuki leave, Jun Matsue stood at the gate for a while. Instead of stepping out of the school gate, he turned around and went behind the cheering juniors to find another girl holding a camera.

"Is Imogawa still filming at this point?"

Natsumi Imokawa put down her heavy camera and gave the boy an excited, rosy smile.

"It's precisely at times like this that I'm needed to take the photos!"

Once she was in professional mode, the girl temporarily set aside her goal of winning over Songzhi. She simply leaned closer to the boy and showed him the photos she had just taken.

"How about it? Isn't this photo of the pine branches emerging from the teaching building a beautiful one?"

“It really looks good.” Jun Matsue nodded honestly—he often felt that he looked better in Imokawa’s photos than in real life.

"But shouldn't Imokawa go and scout out the test venue?"

"Scouting out the location?" Natsumi Imokawa turned her head.

“I’m taking an exam at Sophia University. My mom will take me there tomorrow; it’s her alma mater.”

"I see..." the boy said with a hint of regret.

I had thought that even though Tokyo is a big city, I might run into someone I knew who was taking the exam at the same school, but now it seems like that's impossible.

"What about the pine branches?" the girl asked, holding her camera.

"Don't you need to scout out the location? I saw that Tomatsu and Mochizuki have already left, but you haven't."

Imokawa Natsumi had noticed the three people coming downstairs long ago, and during breaks in filming, she had been secretly observing the school gate.

"I'm taking the exam at Dongda University." The boy pulled out his test ticket and showed it to her.

"Since I've already been there before, there's no need to scout it out."

"I see~" The girl blinked, her upturned lips revealing her cute teeth.

"So the pine branch came to keep me company?"

Looking at her pure and innocent smile, Jun Matsue did not speak immediately.

He actually just saw Imokawa in the crowd, so he came over to take a look, without thinking too much about it.

Even if he goes home now, Kurusu is still at the office, so he can only study alone in the empty room.

and so……

Jun Matsue put his schoolbag on the lawn and turned to look at the expectant girl.

"Then I'll stay with Imokawa for a while."

The uniform bag on the lawn glittered in the sunlight—who knows how many years later it will fade into a wistful memory?

Chapter 863 Their Common Exam (Part 2)

At four o'clock in the afternoon, Lai Qiyang got off work early and volunteered to take over the task of making dinner as soon as he got home.

The boy on the sofa turned his head and watched her deftly take off her ankle boots and run towards the kitchen.

"Are you alright, Kurusu? You must be tired from work today, right?"

"Not tired!" The girl replied energetically as she walked into the kitchen.

"All I have to do is keep changing clothes and striking poses!"

Jun Matsue leaned against the sofa and turned around, watching the idol take off her coat and neatly put on an apron—in her eyes, this seemed no less impressive than a glamorous outfit.

"Besides, Songzhi has an exam tomorrow, so I'll definitely be cooking for you tonight~"

The boy leaned back on the sofa, resting his chin on his hand, and smiled as he watched her retreating figure.

"Then I'll thank Kurusu in advance."

Dinner was Chikuzen-ni – a large pot dish made by stir-frying and then boiling ingredients such as shiitake mushrooms, chicken thigh meat, lotus root slices, carrots, and snow peas. Although it was not a luxurious local dish, its deliciousness was undeniable.

"Pine branches, eat more of this!" Yosei Kurusu pushed the small plate next to the big pot toward the boy.

"These are beef and asparagus spring rolls I made myself, they're absolutely delicious!"

"I was wondering why you've been so busy." Jun Matsue picked up a golden-brown spring roll and took a bite without hesitation.

"...It's so hot!" He immediately started exhaling, and the girl next to him laughed.

"It tastes really good." The boy chewed after recovering. "The outer skin is crispy, and the beef filling inside is very juicy."