Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 145

"Then I'll go take a break." Unlike his own department head, Jun Matsuoka, as the highest-paid employee, knew he had to seize every possible moment of rest.

Jun Matsueda walked toward the crowd from which the music was faintly coming from, toward the direction of the cooking club. However, he had only taken a few steps when Maki Yami grabbed him.

"I don't recommend that Songzhi walk towards the school gate."

"Why?" he asked the girl behind him as he turned around.

"Because our wind band is coming soon."

The lively music and the sound of orderly footsteps amplified behind Jun Matsueda. He turned around, and the crowd parted like Moses parting the Sea, moving towards both sides of the avenue.

In the golden glint, the marching band approached Jun Matsueda, who was standing in the middle of the road. Leading them was a girl playing the saxophone, with shoulder-length black hair and glossy lips.

The neat and orderly formation added a touch of grandeur to the pure and innocent girl. Tomatsu Yuka held her saxophone at a slightly high angle, and the afternoon sun, which blazed freely on the open road, was forced to stop in front of her.

The girl continued playing her instrument, her gentle features now showing a touch of heroism, her gaze fixed on Jun Matsuoka.

Like a knight wielding a sword, Tomatsu Yuka comes in search of her "princess".

Chapter 242 After a Long Time, the Girl Launches an Offensive

Jun Matsueda watched as Tomoka Tomatsu gradually approached him.

The girls in the brass band weren't wearing school uniforms; their white short-sleeved shirts were tucked into orange pleated skirts, showing off their beautiful figures. They moved forward to the rhythm, occasionally taking small steps or skipping. The girls were all wearing white knee-high socks, and even their small movements were pleasing to the eye.

Tomatsu Yuka, who was walking at the front of the group, winked at Matsueda Jun. The girl made a cross-jumping motion to the music, then put down her saxophone, and her part temporarily ended.

"If Matsueda-kun doesn't move aside, the Tomatsu train is going to crash into us!" Yamami Maki said, waving to her junior while standing next to Matsueda Jun.

Tomatsu Tomoka blew a kiss to the two of them, mainly for Matsueda Jun's benefit, and then waved to indicate that she was going to move on.

Jun followed his senior to the side of the road and watched the orange and white procession march toward the square to the strains of the Patrol March.

Walking in the back row, Tayo-chan carried the Sun on her shoulder. The silver-white hull circled the girl, and the large horn-shaped nozzle rested on her head, making the girl look like a plant from some kind of game that could fire bullets.

Even so, Tayo-chan still joined the group, blowing and jumping around, her face flushed from the excessive exercise.

Jun Matsueda gazed in the direction where the girl leading the group had disappeared, as cheers erupted from the crowd. "It was tough, but they were really amazing."

"There's a performance when we get to the square! Matsue-kun, would you like to come with me to see it?"

Maki Yami smiled and said that this was a request given to her by Tomokatsu Yuka—to bring Jun Matsueda to the performance venue of the brass band.

A few minutes later, the two were standing at the edge of the square, where a large crowd had gathered, all drawn by the band's performance.

Of course, some people just want to see girls in white T-shirts and short skirts.

The procession that had been marching earlier had now formed a square formation in the square, with Tomatsu Yuka still standing at the very front. The girl had expended a lot of energy, and her chest was heaving more.

The melody started again, and the students watching screamed excitedly. Many people had heard this song before, "Can't Take My Eyes Off You".

Perhaps people are more familiar with the lyrics: "I love you baby~~"

The version adapted by the brass band, of course, has no lyrics. The girls simply stand together, swaying their hips to the melody, their orange skirts billowing, which is enough to excite the audience.

Their formation sometimes contracted, sometimes expanded, and the audience on the sidelines moved along with them. The drumbeats gradually quickened, the rhythm became more intense, the girls' toes lightly touched the ground, and the swaying of their hips was amplified by the swaying hems of their skirts. The dancing orange gradually took over people's hearts.

When the music reached its climax, the audience finally sang along in unison.

"I love you baby~and it's quite alright~"

"I need you baby~to warm the lonely night~"

The originally tightly packed formation dispersed, and the girls holding musical instruments jogged into the crowd, with the audience instinctively making way for them.

The girls circled around the divided audience, playing their instruments as they went. The larger circles might consist of four or five instruments, while the smallest circles might have only one.

At this moment, Jun Matsueda was surrounded by a girl holding a soprano saxophone.

The girl's saxophone playing was light and cheerful, and Tomatsu Yuka skipped and hopped around in a small circle, isolating him from the other students.

Standing outside the circle, Yamami Maki had an illusion: Matsueda Jun at the center seemed like the Earth, and Tomatsu Yuka was a passing asteroid that was unintentionally captured by his gravity. Thus, the free girl became a loyal satellite, beginning to rotate eternally day after day on the orbit of love.

However, the music had an end. Accompanied by the rhythm of applause and stomping, the girls walked through the crowd, returned to the center of the square, and played the final coda.

The melody stopped, and the girls, hand in hand, bowed deeply, filling every crevice of the square with applause and cheers.

……

"How are you feeling, Matsueda-kun?" Tomatsu Yuka asked with a smile as she stood at the entrance of the teaching building. Yamami Maki had gone to buy drinks, and the two of them were waiting for her.

Because of the previous strenuous exercise, Tomatsu Yuka's forehead and neck were covered in a thin layer of sweat that glistened in the air. Combined with the blush on her cheeks and her uncontrollable panting, the girl's original pure temperament was shattered, leaving behind an ambiguous erotic feeling.

"From song arrangement to choreography and breath control, everything is impressive."

Jun Matsue clapped softly, and their conversation carried to the vending machine in the stairwell on the other side. Maki Yamami stood behind the corner, waiting for their chat to end.

"The brass band members will be happy to hear Matsueda-san say that," the girl raised an eyebrow. "But I only want to hear your opinion on Tomatsu Yuka~"

"...A very moving performance. Although it was just playing the wind, it brought the lyrics to everyone's hearts."

Jun Matsue glanced in the direction of the vending machine; his senior had taken a while to buy a drink.

"Hmph~" Tomatsu Tomoka made a pleasant nasal sound, "Do you know why I can play it so well?"

Before Matsueda Jun could speak, the girl began to explain the reason.

"Because I have someone I really, really like. This is a love song, and when I play it, I just need to keep thinking about him."

"Thinking about how my first love gradually became part of my daily life, those sweet and tender feelings will spontaneously emerge from the saxophone."

"For example, when I walked down the steep and long steps of the Literature Museum."

"For example, when I affix a stamp perfectly straight."

"For example, when turning off a light before going to bed."

“These moments in daily life are always boring and repetitive, but when I think of you, even the most boring daily routine becomes interesting.”

The girl's voice was light and airy, and her way of addressing her beloved changed from the previously veiled "he" to the unreserved "you."

The empty corridor was empty except for the two of them. Outside the window was a busy avenue. Because Tomatsu Yuka was standing in front of the window, everything outside—the sunlight, the crowds, the cherry blossoms—could only serve as a backdrop for her.

"You are my support, my talisman."

"So no matter what kind of love song it is, I'm invincible when I play it like this!"

The outdoor light seemed to rush into the corridor at this moment, piling up and turning into an orange that matched the girl's skirt, like a large block of crystal-clear orange jelly, enveloping the boy and girl together.

Looking at the girl's smile, Jun Matsueda could only silently call for his senior's return.

Otherwise, if things continue like this, no matter how strong the defenses of Songzhibao are, they will not be able to withstand the relentless bombardment of the Tomatsu train.

Chapter 243 The Hesitant Senior

The orange light in the corridor solidified into a glistening jelly, only to be broken by footsteps coming from the other end.

"Sorry, the oolong tea I wanted to buy was sold out, so I was debating what to drink for a while."

Yamami Maki gave an apologetic smile, holding a bottle of Ayatsuka Green Tea in her hand.

“We’re not in a hurry.” Jun Matsue breathed a sigh of relief. “Shouldn’t we head back to the club now? The brass band performance might attract a lot of new students.”

Tomatsu Yuka held the saxophone in her arms, the girl somewhat regretful, the perfect atmosphere that had just enveloped the two of them had vanished.

"It's time to go back." She nodded, deciding to look for another opportunity later.

The three walked out of the teaching building. The news club's booth was relatively close, so Jun Matsueda separated from the two girls.

"Why did you come back early, senior? The atmosphere between Songzhi and me was really good just now."

Tomatsu Yuka asked her senior colleague quietly in the crowd, her words carrying a hint of resentment.

“I’m sorry…” Yami Maki looked down at the green tea in her hand, “because I couldn’t hear you from the vending machine, I assumed you had already left.”

"Not speaking could mean they're kissing or doing something else..." the girl sighed silently. "Senior, you have to make it up to me and help me out next time!"

Yamami Maki took her junior's arm and smiled apologetically.

When Jun Matsueda returned to the newspaper club's booth, the person behind the desk had changed back to Natsumi Imokawa, who was holding a cotton candy and licking it in small bites.

"Why did the person switch back?" He sat down next to the girl. It was almost time for school to end, and there were fewer new students on the main road.

"Tsushima-senpai was called away by the student council president. Yumi-chan was just here a moment ago, I wonder where she went." The girl carefully stuck out her tongue and licked a strand of sugar from the cloud-like cotton candy.

"Can we leave when the school bell rings?" Jun Matsue yawned, staring at the girl eating cotton candy.

"This is also from the cooking department?"

Natsumi Imokawa nodded. "Yumi-chan brought it for me."

The cooking department is truly a magical place... Jun Matsueda lay on the table in a daze. The pile of Polaroid photos on the table was almost empty, indicating that quite a few people had come today.

In the last few hours before school ended, Aya Miyamura, who had visited all the clubs at Haneoka High School, returned to the newspaper club.

"Have you made up your mind?" Jun Matsue looked up; the girl beside him had almost finished eating the cotton candy.

"Mmm! I saw the brass band performance this afternoon, and I think Tomatsu-neechan is amazing!" Aya sat on the edge of the desk, swinging her little legs back and forth.

"So I want to try out the light music club!"

"...Where is the cause and effect?" Jun Matsueda pulled a wet wipe from the table and handed it to the girl who had finished eating the cotton candy.

"Since Tomatsu-nee is already in the brass band club, I won't have a chance to shine~" Miyamura Aya looked at the brass band club booth in the distance.

"So why not join a band in the light music club and become the lead singer or something?"

Girls of this age, unless they are too introverted, will always have some fantasies about the stage, being the center of attention, and being a heartthrob, not to mention that they have a real idol in their social circle.

“Playing musical instruments is very expensive, you know.” Jun Matsueda sat up straight, just as the school bell rang, signaling the end of the recruitment campaign.

"So let's try it out first." The girl jumped off her desk, bouncing around a couple of times. "I'm going to check out the light music club's room right now!"

Miyamura Aya walked very quickly, and Matsueda Jun didn't even have time to ask her where Mochizuki Haruka had gone.

"Let's pack our things first," he thought, glancing at Imokawa Natsumi, who was quietly organizing photos and folding a tablecloth beside him.

……

"Thank you for your hard work, see you tomorrow~" Jun Matsue waved goodbye to the girl standing at the end of the corridor with a camera hanging around her neck.

There weren't many people in the classroom. Tomatsu Yuka was still with the brass band, and Mochizuki Haruka's schoolbag wasn't hanging on the desk, so she must have left school in the afternoon.

By the way, did Mochizuki return the English notes he borrowed to Tomatsu? As Jun Matsueda pushed his bicycle out of the school gate, this question suddenly came to mind.

After leaving the school gate, Jun Matsue did not choose the left turn to go home. After sending a message to Yosei Kurusu that he would not be home for dinner, he pushed his bicycle to the top of the slope.

He straddled the seat, stepped on the pedals, and the bicycle began to descend the hill. The road markings in front of him, the shadow cast by the sun behind him, and the cherry blossoms on both sides gradually accelerated, passing by his ears.

The boy on the bicycle released the brakes, letting the acceleration of the slope pull him along. He was like a gust of wind, rushing out of the bottom of the slope in the blink of an eye.

This was somewhat dangerous, but fortunately there weren't many people on this road. Matsueda Jun used this method to clear his mind, and next he would burn his brain cells for a girl who was determined to defeat his childhood friend.

The black bicycle rode towards the Setagaya Ward Library.

Pushing open the heavy, brownish-red wooden door, Yamami Maki was already sitting in her usual spot by the window, waiting for him.

Jun Matsue sat down opposite the girl, put his backpack on the table, picked up his coffee and took a sip. The coffee still tasted delicious, but Jun Matsue sighed.

"Why is Matsueda sighing?" Yami Maki's beautiful eyebrows furrowed as the boy sighed.

"Yamami-senpai actually schemed against me today." Matsueda Jun looked at the espresso in front of the girl. "Did Tomatsu ask you to help her out?"

"My senior called me in the middle of the avenue, right in front of Tomatsu, and then took me to the square to watch the performance."

"I was wondering why my senior insisted on having me stand at the very front, wasn't it to make it easier for Tomatsu to move around?"

Matsueda Jun looked at her with resentment. It was because of his senior's help that he had easily stepped into Tomatsu Yuka's trap, causing his own defenses to waver.

“This…that…” Yami Maki glanced at the wildflowers outside the window, then at the bookshelves inside, “I had no choice…”

"Besides, I came out to help you out later," the girl defended herself.

There might have been other reasons why Yamami Maki came to her rescue, but she didn't say anything or want to think about it.

Matsueda Jun sighed again. After all, she was his senior, and he could do nothing but complain.

"If something like this happens again, could you give me a heads-up or something?"

"...Um, Matsueda-san, there was a question that bothered me for a long time yesterday..." Yami Maki awkwardly changed the subject.

Jun Matsueda shook his head helplessly and took another sip of coffee.

"Which question could possibly stump Mr. Songzhi's best student?"