Am I being simulated by their love affair?

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Two girls hurried past him, their backpacks brushing against his legs.

"Sorry!" The girl in front turned around and apologized to him with a smile, then was pushed away by the girl behind her.

"It's already May! If we don't go see the cherry blossoms now, it'll be too late!"

When they returned to the classroom, the last group of students walked out the front door with their backpacks on, leaving only the girl wiping the blackboard in front of the teacher's desk.

"Is it Tomatsu's turn to be on duty today?" He looked at Tomatsu Tomoka, who had put down the blackboard eraser and was walking towards the back row.

"No, that's not it." The girl brushed the dust off her hands and wiped them with a wet wipe. "The classmate who was supposed to be on duty today had something come up, so she switched with me."

"I see." Jun Matsue began packing his schoolbag. Yuka Tomatsu always had various plausible reasons for staying in the classroom.

"When we go cherry blossom viewing tomorrow, is there anything you'd like to eat, Matsueda-kun?" The girl stood beside him, lifting up her slightly drooping black calf sock.

"Anything is fine?" He walked out of the classroom, Tomatsu Tomohana followed behind him, and the two closed the classroom door one after the other.

I'll try my best~

The corridor became empty, and at the end, one could still see the backs of a group of students. The sounds of the crowd gradually faded away, like the receding tide on the shore.

"How about cherry blossom mochi? When it comes to sweets for cherry blossom season, this is probably the one."

As she stepped out of the teaching building, cherry blossoms drifted down from the campus. The girl frowned slightly, her face filled with determination.

"Although it's a bit challenging, it's definitely worth trying!"

Back in the apartment, as Jun Matsue walked into the living room, the first thing he saw was Yosuke Kurusu sitting on the sofa. The girl's black hair had turned into the color of sakura mochi, a delicate pink.

"Why are you pink-haired again?"

"The company thought my previous pink hair look was pretty good, so they let me dye it again." The girl turned around and showed a vain expression.

"How is it? It looks great, doesn't it?"

"It looks delicious." He went into the bedroom, put down his backpack, returned to the living room, and opened the refrigerator. "We're almost out of food."

"I'll go buy it!" Kurusu Yosei jumped up from the sofa. "What do you want to eat?"

"Pork chop rice, you mean?"

"OK!" The girl skipped out the door, and the sofa in room 507 welcomed its new owner.

Jun Matsueda changed the TV channel, leaned back on the sofa, and reminisced about the pork cutlet he ate at the Mitaka Forest convenience store.

Tears soaked the pork chop rice. I vowed to earn a million, and before I knew it, I had actually earned a million.

Although it was in Japanese yen, it was still a cause for celebration, and Jun Matsueda decided to make himself a cup of barley tea to mark the occasion.

Even though the savings went from zero to seven figures, the way 507 Apartment entertains its guests has never changed.

On May 3rd, the first day of the holiday, Jun Matsue and Aya Miyamura boarded a train together to Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden.

"Brother Chun isn't wearing his school uniform today?" The girl asked curiously, looking at the boy sitting next to her.

“You guys definitely don’t wear school uniforms, it would look weird if I were the only one wearing one.”

It was a bit warm inside the carriage. Jun Matsueda rolled up his sleeves slightly. Although he wasn't wearing his school uniform, the difference wasn't significant; he had simply changed his shirt and trousers. However, he was still quite eye-catching to everyone on the train.

The boy felt a vibration in his pocket. He took out his phone; it was a message from Tomatsu Yuka: "We've met our senior, and we're about to get on the bus~"

"We've already set off."

"See you at the station then~" the girl sent a cute bunny emoji.

At the entrance of Setagaya Station, Tomatsu Yuka put down her phone. "Aya-chan and the others are already on their way. Let's hurry up too."

Maki Yamami nodded. "The weather today is perfect for cherry blossom viewing!"

The girls passed through the ticket gates and waited on the platform. Yamami Maki looked towards the end of the tracks. Ever since a few thoughts had begun to surface in her mind, she had become somewhat hesitant to make eye contact with her juniors.

"I heard that the cherry blossoms in Kumamoto were also very beautiful when my senior went there before?"

Seemingly to break the silence, Tomatsu Yuka brought up a topic that made Yamami Maki feel uneasy.

"...I don't really remember," the girl said, maintaining her smile. "The competition schedule was very tight, so I didn't go to see it. There are a few cherry blossom trees downstairs at the hotel, though."

"Is that so? That's good then." Tomatsu Tomohana looked thoughtful. "I was thinking that if Matsueda-kun had already seen the cherry blossoms in Kumamoto, the cherry blossoms in Tokyo might not surprise him as much..."

The girl's words seemed to have a deeper meaning, and Yamami Maki hoped that she was just overthinking it.

A black sedan was parked on the side of the road in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. Mochizuki Haruka rolled down the window and looked at the large expanse of pink rising from the depths of the green space.

"So we're going to enjoy the cherry blossoms here today?"

On the subway that was about to arrive at Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, the girl sitting next to Jun Matsueda tugged at his sleeve and swayed back and forth while humming a song.

"Cherry blossoms, oh cherry blossoms~ I want to see you right now~"

Chapter 261 The Cherry Blossom Viewing Team: A Superficial Union but a Disagreement

When Jun Matsue and Aya Miyamura walked out of Chitani Station, they did not see Maki Yamami and Tomoka Tomatsu.

"They left a little later than us, so they should be a few minutes away from arriving." Jun Matsue glanced at the time on his phone; it was 1:05 PM, a time when the sun was shining brightly.

"Then let's wait at the door." The girl hopped around a couple of times, seemingly feeling a little uncomfortable in the car.

"Why don't we go through the main entrance?" Jun Matsue stood upright at the station entrance, attracting the attention of everyone who passed by.

To get to Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, you can take the train directly to "Shinjuku Gyoenmae" station, where most people choose to enter through the main gate.

"Because the cherry blossom season isn't over yet." Aya Miyamura rolled her eyes at him, then looked down at her phone and sent a message to the others in the group, telling them that she had arrived.

"There are a lot of people at the main gate, and you have to walk a long way and go around to see the cherry blossoms. If you go in through the Thousand Valley Gate, you'll see the cherry blossom garden right away. Make sure to plan your trip well, Chun-ge, remember that!"

Jun Matsue recalled that he seemed to have always been led out by others without any need for planning.

He waited at the station entrance for five minutes, but the two girls didn't appear. Instead, he received a message from an uninvited guest.

The cat avatar in the chat window flashed, "Have you arrived at Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden already?"

"How did you know?"

“Your sister said it herself in the group chat, and also, send me your location.”

Jun Matsueda sent his location information to Haruka Mochizuki, then glanced at Aya Miyamura, who was still typing beside him.

"Did Aya-chan kick me out of the group?" He moved closer to the girl, but she quickly dodged away. Aya-chan then started humming a little tune, pretending not to hear him.

Two minutes later, Tomatsu Tomoka and Yamami Maki walked out of the station together. Matsueda Jun stood behind the low railing across the street, looking like a crane in the crowd in the eyes of the girls.

Just as Tomatsu Yuka was about to raise her hand to greet the boy in the shirt, a black sedan pulled up on the side of the road, coldly cutting off the girl's view.

“Matsueda-san is already waiting for us,” said Yamami Maki, who was standing nearby.

"...Let's hurry over there." Tomatsu Yuka looked at the somewhat familiar black sedan, and she had a bad feeling.

As they approached, the black sedan slowly drove away, and Jun Matsueda was accompanied by a girl with a cold expression.

"What are you doing here, Mochizuki-nee?" Miyamura Aya asked, voicing everyone's thoughts.

“I saw the message you posted in the group. What, are you not welcoming me?” Mochizuki Haruka stared straight into Matsueda Jun’s eyes.

Jun Matsue shrugged. "I'm not the one who makes decisions. I've already been kicked out of the group."

Before the girl could look at anyone else, Tomatsu Yuka stood next to Matsueda Jun, flashing a friendly smile, "Mochizuki-san is also in the group chat, of course we welcome her~"

"We all thought you wouldn't come out to play because you rarely talk."

Tomatsu Yuka spoke on behalf of everyone, but Miyamura Aya and Yamami Maki had no objections, as the girl's words reflected their own beliefs. However, this statement seemed to separate Mochizuki Haruka from the others, perhaps revealing the girl's cunning.

"I'm sorry, I've been busy with family matters, but things have improved now, and I have more free time." After traveling to most parts of the world, the black cat girl seems to have mastered a bit of the "art of speaking."

"But I still checked the messages in the group chat." She walked over to Aya Miyamura. "I saw the photos Aya-chan posted. The phone I recommended to you before had pretty good camera quality, right?"

The girl didn't mention Tomatsu Tomohana or Yamami Maki, but only expressed her closeness to Miyamura Aya.

"It's really good. The photos you took of Chun-ge before were excellent~"

Aya started chatting with Mochizuki Haruka, and the two naturally headed towards Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden.

“Let’s go,” Jun Matsue said to the two girls beside him. “The cherry blossoms in May are too late to see them now.”

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is located behind Sentani Station. The five of them walked through the path, and the sound of the railway crossing in the distance reminded them of this rare and brief moment of harmony.

"So, why did we choose Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden in the end? I think Nogawa Park is pretty good, it's in Mitaka City, so it's quite close." Jun Matsueda walked in the middle, with Haruka Mochizuki and Aya Miyamura in front of him, and the two members of the brass band behind him.

“I also think Nogawa Park is nice. There are fewer people, so the atmosphere should be quieter,” Yamami Maki quickly picked up where Matsueda Jun left off.

“Nogawa Park is too close to the welfare home,” Miyamura Aya said, turning around. “Jun-nii and I have been there many times, so it’s nothing new.”

"And there aren't many cherry blossoms over there, are there?" Mochizuki Haruka slowed her pace and walked over to Matsueda Jun. "Matsueda, did we see any cherry blossom trees when we went there last time? It seemed like there were more maple trees."

After the girl finished speaking, she glanced at Tomatsu Yuka behind her. She said that she only wanted to show someone the shared experiences she and Matsueda Jun had.

Tomatsu Yuka smiled slightly, pursing her lips, seemingly unconcerned.

“The cherry trees in Nogawa Park are deep inside; we were only at the entrance that time.” Jun Matsueda had already spotted the ticket booth for Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden.

The ticket booth had two windows, and the five-person team was split up. Tomatsu Yuka gently patted the girl in front of her on the shoulder.

"Is something wrong, Yuuka?" Yamami Maki turned her head, her eyes filled with concern.

"What do you think of Mochizuki Haruka, senior?" The junior's question was very direct, and the senior girl was stunned.

"What do you mean by this?" Yamami Maki forced a smile. "I think Mochizuki-san is pretty normal today."

"Does it mean whether the senior likes her or not?" The ticket line moved forward a little, and Tomatsu Yuka took two steps forward with her senior's arm in hers, looking at Mochizuki Haruka's back on the other side.

"...It seems like Mochizuki-san doesn't really get along with us."

Yamami Maki's words were cautious and tactful. She still remembered when her junior had just broken up with her boyfriend, Mochizuki Haruka came to kick him while he was down and made those malicious remarks.

Moreover, although Mochizuki Haruka was more docile today, her words emphasizing her relationship with Matsueda Jun and her infrequent eye contact with the two members of the brass band revealed a subtle hostility, which made Mochizuki Haruka feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Although a little self-deceptive thought had begun to sprout in Yamami Maki's heart, she did not want her junior to lose to Mochizuki Haruka.

“Your opinion is the same as mine, senior~” Tomatsu Yuka grasped the girl’s hands.

"So please, senior, stand with me and defeat Mochizuki Haruka!"

Yamami Maki hesitated for two seconds, but finally nodded. Looking at her junior's joyful expression, she sighed inwardly.

I just wanted to see the cherry blossoms with Matsueda-kun, how did it turn out like this?

If I had known, I would have just invited Matsue-kun, so the two of us could enjoy the cherry blossoms together...

Chapter 262 The Weight of Sakura Mochi

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is so large that it could easily accommodate a Haneoka High School, a welfare home, and the Mochizuki family's estate.

Take a few steps along the path leading to the entrance of the Thousand Valley, and you'll soon see cherry blossoms planted on both sides. The chirping of unknown birds can be heard from the shade of the trees. To your right is the cherry blossom garden, where large clusters of varying shades of pink bloom like a passionate cloud amidst the greenery.

"Brother Chun, can you tell what kind of bird this is?" The girl asked curiously, looking up at the treetop.

"Although I studied biology, it doesn't mean I'm a zoologist." Jun Matsueda walked into the cherry blossom grove. "Shall we spread out the picnic blanket here?"

"No!" Miyamura Aya stopped him from reaching into his bag. "Let's look around first, then find a place to sit down."

"Girls have a lot of energy, it's not time for them to rest yet."

Yamami Maki walked up to Matsueda Jun and said with a smile that after making a promise with her junior, the girl became more talkative, which reminded the boy of the senior he used to spend time alone with.

"This is a great place for taking pictures!" Aya Miyamura walked to the center of the cherry blossom grove, straightened her skirt, and asked, "Could someone take a picture for me?"

Just as Mochizuki Haruka was about to speak, Tomatsu Yuka had already raised her phone and walked up to the girl, "Aya-chan, come a little closer to me, so we can capture the cherry blossoms in the background~"

"..." Mochizuki Haruka narrowed her eyes slightly, stared at the two people taking pictures for a while, and then walked towards Matsueda Jun, who was standing next to Yamami Maki.

Has Matsue ever read The Garden of Words?

Yamami Maki didn't speak, but just watched the two chat with a gentle smile.

"I watched it in junior high, and I thought it was pretty good." Jun Matsueda brushed a cherry blossom off his shoulder. "Why are you suddenly asking about this?"

"Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden has a filming location for The Garden of Words, do you want to go check it out?" Mochizuki Haruka moved a little closer to the boy.

"Sure, let's wait until they've finished taking pictures." Jun Matsue leaned against the tree trunk behind him and yawned.

“Girls take a long time to take photos. They can take several pictures of one pose, and after taking one pose, they’ll take another, and they’ll have to change the angle again.” Mochizuki Haruka looked at the two people taking pictures not far away. “We can go over first, and they… can catch up later.”

"Does it really take that long?" he asked the senior student standing on the other side. The girl looked thoughtful. "I'll go ask her."

Yamami Maki walked towards the girls, while Mochizuki Haruka looked at the boy's hand beside her. She wished she could just grab Matsueda Jun and leave the others behind, letting them search for her in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden for an entire afternoon.