Am I being simulated by their love affair?

"No." Jun Matsue stared at the little chick hopping around on the table.

"I just thought of a question."

"what?"

"There's a cat in Wangyue. If we were to share an apartment, would the cat and the parrot get along well?"

"..." Yamami Maki smiled faintly.

"I will protect Himawari together with Tsunku~"

"Hmm." The boy stretched. "So hurry up and finish your exams."

"I can't wait for my senior to come back to me."

The next morning at nine o'clock, a gray sedan belonging to H&M was parked in front of the main gate of the University of Tokyo.

Jun Matsue, carrying a bag, opened the car door and stepped onto the ground—there were many pedestrians coming and going at the school gate, and most of them were drawn to him.

Yosuke Kurusu, sitting in the driver's seat, took off his sunglasses and waved cheerfully at him.

"Keep it up, Pine Branch!"

The boy turned around and smiled.

"Even though we didn't get a gold medal, I'll try my best to bring you back first place."

Upon hearing these words, the examinee who was walking past him turned around—the girl's look of disdainful surprise quickly turned into one of amazement.

Unfortunately, Jun Matsueda ignored her and, after watching the car drive away, turned and walked toward the gate of the University of Tokyo.

Today, the Hongo campus is under lockdown. After showing their passes, the male students were able to enter the campus and join the tense crowd.

There were many candidates dressed in casual clothes, but Jun Matsue, standing out from the crowd in his school uniform, was particularly eye-catching. He calmly walked towards the teaching building that served as the examination room and took out his vibrating cell phone from his pocket.

It was a message from the 'Mitakadai Rental Exchange Group'—he had sent many messages to the girls as soon as he woke up today, but this group hadn't popped up at all.

Good luck on your exam!!!

It was "Kirakira" who posted the profile picture in the group chat. The boy laughed and posted one too.

Good luck on your exam.

The image of a pale yellow parrot quickly appeared as well.

Good luck on your exams, everyone!

"Good luck on your exam~" This one has a rabbit avatar, followed by a cool black cat.

Good luck on your exam!

Jun Matsue sent a message to the penguin avatar holding a camera, and received the same reply: "Good luck on your exam!" and a selfie of a girl raising her fist.

Putting his phone away, the boy glanced at the sky above the campus.

The sky was a pale blue with thin clouds. The sunshine wasn't exactly bright, but it was enough to warm people's hearts; the weather was quite nice.

Perfect for taking the first step towards graduation.

Chapter 864 Just a Warm-up

On January 18th, when Jun Matsueda walked out of Building 6 of the Faculty of Engineering, the sky was already a deep black.

Streetlights illuminated the campus of the University of Tokyo. The boy let out a soft sigh and walked towards the main gate with the flow of people finishing their exams.

"Which code is the answer to the last question in the intelligence report...?"

“I think it’s ‘Nissu[tantou]－1’…”

The other test-takers walked by and exchanged answers, seemingly unsure of themselves, their gazes silently fixed on Jun Matsuoka, who kept his eyes straight ahead.

The boy's face appeared exceptionally handsome and indifferent under the cool light—they blinked hesitantly, but still didn't approach him to say a word.

As soon as they stepped out of the school gate, they were greeted by the clamor of passersby, reporters, and parents picking them up—it was as if they had suddenly jumped from a silent, icy lake into a boiling kettle, leaving the exhausted students feeling momentarily disoriented.

"what."

A strange gasp came from her companion, and the girl, snapping out of her daze, turned around.

"What's wrong with Yuki-chan?"

The girl wearing glasses stared blankly at the boy walking away—his back was straight, like a silent cedar tree in the noisy crowd.

"So he can smile like that too..."

“Matsue—” Yosei Kurusu, who was standing a little distance away from the crowd, called out her boyfriend’s name as she ran over.

She threw herself into the boy's arms without any hesitation, and her mask was rubbed off, revealing most of her delicate and flawless face.

"Finally finished the exams! How did you feel?"

"That's great." Jun Matsue smiled, hugged her, and spun her around halfway.

"Let's get in the car quickly, otherwise I'll be caught by reporters for an interview again."

“Okay~” The idol girl took his hand and walked towards the car parked across the street.

Sitting in the gray sedan, Yosuke Lai took off his mask and smiled as he watched the boy in the passenger seat put down his backpack, lean back, and stretch.

"Isn't it a bit late to go home and cook now?" Jun Matsue turned to look at her.

"Why don't we just not cook and go out to eat?"

“Sure~” The girl nodded obediently, then suddenly remembered something.

"Are you going to invite them along?"

The boy blinked. "You mean Mochizuki and the others?"

“Yes.” Yosei Kurusu looked out the car window at the students walking on the street in twos and threes.

"Wangyue and the others took the exam just like you, so usually they get together to chat or something."

"..." Matsueda Jun smiled. "That's right, but Mochizuki and Tomatsu have already messaged me—"

"Mochizuki is going to stay with her aunt, Tomatsu's mom is taking her out for a big meal, and senior has evening class tonight."

The boy leaned out and hugged his idol.

"So it's just you and me left."

"Is there really such a good thing?" Lai Xi You Shi naturally hugged him tighter.

"Songzhi won't mind, will she? You can't really talk to me about exam questions, can you?"

"How could that be?" the boy said, sniffing her scent.

"It's not about what you talk about, but who you talk to—holding Kurusu like this makes the fatigue of the exam disappear instantly."

The girl patted his back with a grin, "Then hug the pine branch a little longer~"

The car fell silent, and the two people in the front row remained still, simply embracing quietly until the headlights illuminated their faces. Only then did the boy release his grip and let out a long breath.

"I'm hungry, let's eat!"

"Okay!" Lai Qiyang buckled his seatbelt and started the car with great interest.

"If it's just the two of us, how about we go get some curry? There's a place in Shinjuku that I frequent, and it's really good!"

"That's good. Right now, I just want something that will give me a strong sense of satisfaction."

The gray sedan smoothly pulled out of the parking space as the two were talking. Jun Matsueda glanced at the rearview mirror outside the window—

The crowds at the entrance of Dongda University are dispersing, and the mobile phone screens, reporters' cameras, and streetlights form dots of light of different sizes, which are dragged into the blurry neon lights on the horizon.

The exams that marked his high school graduation were over so easily... He felt a surge of realization.

The last remaining exam is the entrance exam for university.

Half an hour later, the gray sedan stopped in the parking lot of Nishi-Shinjuku 3-chome. Jun Matsueda took the girl's arm and walked onto the street, looking at the "Golden Curry" sign across the street.

"This is the place!" Yosuke Kurusu pulled down his mask and nodded.

"Don't let the small size of the shop fool you, the curry is delicious! It's been in the top 100 shops for two years!"

"I trust Kurusu's taste." The boy smiled and looked at the buildings on the other side of the road in the distance.

"Isn't Songzhi hungry and in a hurry to eat? Why are you spacing out again?" The girl waved her hand in front of him.

"Could it be post-exam depression?"

The boy let go of her hand. "I just realized I've been here before—my aunt took me and Mochizuki to eat takoyaki nearby before."

Of course, there's also the Little Prince that I watched with Mochizuki at the New National Theatre... I don't need to tell Kurusu about these memories.

"Oh?" Miss Idol's expression didn't change much, and she simply pulled him across the street.

"Are there any good takoyaki places around here? Matsue told me, I'll go try them next time!"

Stepping into the small shop and sitting in the island-style seating area, with wooden partitions on the table blocking the view on both sides, Yosei Kurusu picked up the menu handed to her by the owner and pushed it next to her boyfriend.

"They only sell three kinds of curry here, so there's not much to choose from. Just make sure it tastes good!"

Jun Matsueda put down his phone and nodded. "I can already smell the curry. It smells very authentic."

The two quickly ordered, and the shopkeeper, after taking away the menu, brought out two glasses of ice water and went back to work—the small shop was filled with the sounds of cooking from the stove and the conversations of the surrounding diners, and the warm yellow lights overhead made people feel particularly at ease.

Miss Idol crunched the ice cube in her mouth, glancing at the phone the boy had placed to the side.

"Have Songzhi and Mochizuki finished talking?"

"Let's stop talking for now." Jun Matsueda pushed his phone to the side again. "We just chatted in the car about our thoughts after the exams, and they're about to have dinner."

"So, what are your thoughts?" the girl asked with a smile, leaning closer. "Do you think Pine Branch can get first place?"

"You mean number one in the country?" He took a sip of water, seemingly lost in thought.

"Since the scores are divided into arts and sciences, I think I can still try to get first place in the arts."

"Wow, that's strong!" Kuraki Yosuke exclaimed, his eyes wide with pride. "I was just kidding, you know~"

The boy smiled. "Because I want to get first place in the humanities at Tokyo University—first place at Tokyo University should be first place nationwide, right?"

“That makes sense!” The girl nodded and took the tray from the shopkeeper.

"My shrimp curry, please come first—why is there an extra salad?"

"It's a gift for the test takers." The man with a headscarf and graying black hair looked at Jun Matsueda.

"Young man, you look like you're going to be very successful. Once you get into Tokyo University, do some practical things so that we old folks can pay less tax."

The boy smiled and said, "Thank you for the salad, but I can't guarantee that."

"But I can come and eat curry more often in the future, which will increase your income."

"..." The boss raised the corners of his rough lips, "You and this young lady are a good match."

Yosei Kurusu hugged the boy's neck and said with a sweet smile—

"We're a couple!"

Jun Matsueda's chicken curry was served soon after. There was a lot of chicken, half-buried in the thick, reddish-brown curry, and the rich aroma forcefully assaulted the nose.

The boy glanced at the busy figure with his back to him not far away—although he couldn't see the curry that other people had ordered, he felt that the owner must have added something extra for him.

"I haven't even entered the University of Tokyo yet, and I'm already enjoying the benefits of being a University of Tokyo student..."

Miss Idol forked a bunch of shredded cabbage drizzled with salad dressing, and with a smile, stuffed it into his mouth.

"Isn't that a sure thing?"

They finished the whole plate of curry with great satisfaction, not wasting a single grain of rice. After the meal, the young men and women took a stroll around the neighborhood before returning to their car.

"So Matsueda has to go back to school tomorrow?" Yosei Kurusu turned the car key, and the engine started humming.

"Isn't this schedule too tight?"

"Tomorrow we'll go back and check the answers to estimate our scores." Jun Matsueda looked at the illuminated road ahead of the car.

"But I still have to go back to school for the rest of the days, after all, I need to prepare for the University of Tokyo's entrance exams—at least there are still teachers at school."

"It's just like when I perform~" Miss Idol exclaimed as she stepped on the gas.

"Once we start, we'll have to work non-stop."

"To be precise, I just finished warming up." The boy glanced at his phone.