Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 163

Tomatsu Yuka seemed to have fully woken up. She picked up a pen and wrote for a while before handing him a sticky note.

"It seems like Songzhi really likes this yogurt. I feel like you haven't had enough, so I bought you another box~"

Jun Matsue recalled how he had gulped down yogurt before leaving the classroom, and then looked at the blue Meiji yogurt box in front of him.

She seemed to have misunderstood something, but the yogurt did taste good.

He wrote "thank you" on a sticky note and handed it to the girl. Tomatsu Tomohana put the yellow sticky note into a small box deep in the drawer, completely satisfied.

This box was specially used to store the notes she exchanged with Jun Matsuoka. Occasionally, when she was tired of studying or bored at home, the girl would take it out and look at it, picking out the sweet moments to recall over and over again.

Jun Matsue turned his head and suddenly remembered that Tomatsu Yuka seemed to be the first truly meticulous and patient girl he had ever met.

It was precisely because of the girl's personality that the two were able to become closer friends through their interactions in class after entering school.

But later she lost a little patience. Matsueda Jun looked out the window at the sky. The clouds were high today, and the dazzling white looked somewhat familiar to him.

Is the white dress she wore at the opening ceremony still there?

Chapter 279 Pine Branches, I Want to Study Film

A science fiction short film was being shown on the stage. The flickering light made Natsumi Imokawa rub her eyes. The girl looked at Jun Matsueda sitting next to her.

She had seen this short film before. Although it was very famous, she found it rather boring. Rather than watching it again, she was more curious about how the people around her felt about it.

When Natsumi Imokawa noticed the boy yawn and tears welling up in his eyes, she finally couldn't help but secretly laugh.

"What are you laughing at?" Jun Matsue asked lazily. "I just think this movie is a bit boring. It talks about love and science fiction, but it's just a story about fighting alien creatures. I can't see any unique features at all."

"I also think this movie is boring~" the girl said softly. She looked around guiltily, but no one in the dark classroom noticed the commotion in the corner.

"How about we sneak out and skip today's image studies class?"

“Sure.” Jun Matsueda showed absolutely no interest in the giant spider being projected on stage. “But where do we go after we kick the bucket?”

The Image Studies course is an elective, one class a week, and attendance is flexible; skipping it is fine. However, other elective courses are probably being held in his classroom, so he can't go back for the time being.

“Let’s go to the clubroom!” Natsumi Imokawa’s eyes gleamed with excitement. “We can watch other movies in the clubroom.”

So the two of them quietly slipped out the back door and headed toward the club building. On the way, they encountered a boy holding a plaster bust, which seemed to be a teaching aid for a sculpture class.

"By the way, what course did Matsueda originally choose?" Natsumi Imokawa suddenly remembered this question.

The girl chose to study video, and Jun Matsueda was just accompanying her. As for why he didn't attend his own class, it was because that was even more boring than watching alien spiders.

"Mandarin." Jun Matsueda pushed open the door to the newsroom.

Yu-Chiu High School's elective courses are divided into two categories: one is art electives, which are similar across high schools, generally choosing one from music, fine arts, and calligraphy; the other is interest electives, which are basically courses set by the school itself. Yu-Chiu High School offers courses such as film studies, sports theory, Chinese, French, introduction to animation and editing design, and fashion design.

It is clear that the purpose of art electives is to improve students' aesthetic appreciation, while interest electives are closer to skills learning. If a student does not plan to pursue further education, his elective courses should be increased by a few sessions, aiming to help him find his future development direction.

Jun Matsuo originally chose to take Chinese language class simply because it was convenient, but after seeing the strokes and pinyin on the blackboard in the classroom, as well as the unbearably poor spoken English of his classmates, he felt that it would be better to switch to another course.

Natsumi Imokawa skillfully turned on the computer and operated the projector. The white screen slowly descended, and Jun Matsueda sat at the conference table.

However, the descending curtain suddenly stopped. He turned around and saw the girl staring blankly at the camera placed in the corner of the computer desk. It was a shared piece of equipment in the department and was quite old.

"What, you don't want to watch, but want to take pictures?" He moved a chair and sat down next to the girl. "Our school doesn't have photography classes."

Natsumi Imokawa nodded and shook her head, looking hesitant, before finally picking up her slightly dusty camera.

"Songzhi, I want to study film."

"Study film?" Jun Matsueda stopped joking and started thinking seriously. "You mean film studies, like that film student you met at Tokyo University of the Arts?"

“Yes!” The girl’s confused expression turned excited again. “Last week I went to that lady’s studio, and she showed me some materials and records of her daily work.”

"She suggested that I should study it systematically, so she recommended that I learn about film studies."

"Wait a minute." Jun Matsue stopped her. "Did you go alone? Did she do anything strange to you? Like, make you an art film or something?"

This kind of plot sounds a bit like seducing an innocent girl. Although the director is also a woman, it's normal for artists to have unconventional orientations and values.

Tokyo is a place where opportunity and decadence coexist, and Jun Matsueda has to be on his guard. He has encountered suspicious people posing as talent scouts before.

“Dad went with me. I think we met at the film festival before. As for strange things, what counts as strange things?” Natsumi Imokawa tilted her head and looked at him.

"...For example, touching you inappropriately or touching your sensitive areas." Looking at the vibrant and alluring body in front of him, Jun Matsueda felt it necessary to provide the girl with some safety education.

Natsumi Imokawa followed his gaze as it swept over her body. The girl's face flushed red for the first time in a long time. She sat back in her chair, resting her hands on her knees, and looked down at the ground in front of her skirt.

"I know about this..."

"It's good that you know." He breathed a sigh of relief. With safety awareness and a parent accompanying them, there shouldn't be any problems.

Getting back to the main point, he looked at the obedient girl with her head down. Applying for film studies would be considered an arts major, which is quite different from applying to regular universities. It's not something that can be decided so easily.

"During the school interview, Imokawa chose to continue his studies through the regular college entrance exam, right?"

The girl nodded.

Did you tell your parents?

The girl shook her head. "Not yet, because I haven't decided myself yet. I'm just looking into it first."

Matsueda Jun looked at the screen on the wall, which was neither high nor low, and realized that there would be no chance to continue his research on images today.

"So how can I get into a film school?"

Natsumi Imokawa took out her phone and opened the notes app, her chest, which she had been hiding, puffing out again. "Usually it's academic transcripts, on-campus exams, interviews, and portfolios. The number and format of the portfolios depend on the specific major..."

A camera rested on the girl's lap as she muttered to herself, gazing at the daylight streaming down the corridor, lost in the foreseeable future. The blush on Natsumi Imokawa's cheeks hadn't completely faded, and her lively, vibrant eyes held a youthful energy even more pronounced than in the images she herself had captured.

“It certainly looks like it’s worth the effort,” Jun Matsue said instinctively.

If the girl in front of him were a scene in a movie, he would be willing to watch the whole movie for her.

"What?" Natsumi Imokawa turned her head and asked.

"Maybe we can give it a try," the boy said with a smile.

"Yes!" The girl nodded vigorously. "I also want to try filming some more serious things!"

“I think the music video is pretty good. After Songzhi talked about it last time, I went back and looked at the band’s music videos. The style is quite realistic, and the time is relatively short. At the same time, it needs to have a narrative logic. So I’ll try making one.”

"Songzhi, when is your sister's band going to perform?"

The girl's eyes sparkled with anticipation, making it hard for him to refuse.

Looks like I should really keep an eye on Aya-chan's band...

Chapter 280 The Drumbeats Inside the Light Music Club

After school the next day, as Tomatsu Yuka left with her saxophone, Mochizuki Haruka looked at Matsueda Jun, who was still in the classroom.

"I'm going back to the hospital with my aunt for a check-up later. Songzhi, do you want to come with me?"

Jun Matsue, who was sweeping the floor, stopped. It was his turn to clean today. "I made an appointment to go and check on Aya-chan today."

The girl thought for a moment, "Her band?"

"Hmm." Jun Matsue nodded and put the broom into the cabinet standing in the corner.

"Then I'm going to the hospital." The girl picked up her schoolbag and glanced back at him before leaving the classroom.

"My aunt really likes that tombstone."

Leaving behind those words, Mochizuki Haruka's black hair fluttered as her footsteps gradually faded into the corridor.

"You like it?" Jun Matsue shook his head. The women of the Mochizuki family were indeed strange in a lineage.

After cleaning the blackboard and emptying the classroom trash, Jun Matsuoka finally finished his cleaning duties. He went to the restroom to wash his hands and returned to the corridor to find a girl standing at the door of Class 4, Grade 3.

"Is it Matsueda-kun's turn to be on duty today?" Yami Maki asked, looking at the rag in the boy's hand. "Do you need my help?"

"Thank you, senior, but I'm already finished." Jun Matsueda glanced at the time. "I can go to the light music club after I put the rag back."

The girl nodded. "Then I'll wait for you on the balcony~"

Waiting for Matsueda outside his classroom might lead to him being seen by others, and it wouldn't be good if it got back to Yuka. So it's safer to wait on the balcony.

Before entering his own classroom, Jun Matsue glanced at Class 2-5 next door. Natsumi Imokawa wasn't in the classroom; it seemed she had already gone home.

He had originally planned to invite Natsumi Imokawa to join him today, but after hearing that Aya's band was still not stable, the socially awkward girl decided to send her good friend Jun Matsueda to scout things out first.

A few minutes later, the two girls, carrying their schoolbags, walked towards the club building. The girl's steps were light, and her mood was as bright as the sunshine outside the window.

"Has Matsueda-san ever been to the light music club before?"

Jun Matsueda recalled that he had met the head of the light music club at the last club meeting. She was a girl who looked rather aloof and wore a necklace made of guitar picks.

"No, all I know is that the instructors for both the light music club and the brass band club are Mr. Hirouchi."

The Light Music Club and the Brass Band Club are both on the third floor of the club building, but the two of them had already gone up to the fourth floor because the Light Music Club doesn't just have one band; Aya and the others practice in other rooms on the fourth floor.

As soon as he reached the fourth floor, he heard a faint, chaotic drumbeat, and Jun Matsueda had a bad feeling—it sounded like a beginner, and the person hadn't been practicing for much longer than Aya Miyamura had been playing the guitar.

In contrast, Yamami Maki's mood brightened considerably. "Something seems a little off here~"

The music stopped, and a boy walked out of the room, his face slightly flushed. He left from the other end of the corridor without glancing at the two of them once.

Maki Yamami and Jun Matsueda walked to the door of the room, where a large white paper was pasted on it, which read "Light Music Club Unit 2!" and had a guitar and bass drawing next to it, which looked very cute.

Jun Matsueda knocked on the door and entered the room. The girl standing not far from the door put down her guitar and sighed, "Another guy pretending to be something he's not..."

"Uh, are you talking about me?" Matsueda Jun asked, somewhat bewildered. The senior student following behind him laughed.

“No, no! We’re talking about the person who just left!” A familiar voice rang out, and Miyamura Aya, who was sitting in the corner, walked up to him.

"Good afternoon, you two. We are conducting an audition for a drummer. Are you interested?"

“My friend should be interested~” Yamami Maki said with a smile, “Right, Matsueda-kun?”

Looking at his expectant younger sister and then at his innocent-looking senior, Jun Matsue felt as if he had stepped into a trap.

The girls in the practice room decided to take a break. A few of them went to the corridor to cool off, and the sound of wind instruments came from downstairs. The melody of spring was gentle and cheerful.

"So you still haven't found a drummer?"

Jun Matsue asked Aya Miyamura, who was standing next to him. The girls from the Light Music Club stood not far away, leaning against the railing, enjoying the breeze, and looking over curiously.

"We did find a pretty good drummer before." Aya-chan, lost in memories, showed a painful expression. "But that guy, he really loved conducting. He wouldn't let go of the guitar and bass, and he even wanted to give me pointers on how to sing!"

“I think he’s more suited to be a conductor than a drummer.” The girl leaning on the railing spoke softly. She was the light music club president whom Jun Matsueda had met once before. The person who had just played the guitar in the room was tall and slender, and the guitar was a perfect fit for her.

"So we got rid of him very quickly," Miyamura Aya continued. "Later we found a few more drummers, but they either didn't have time or weren't good enough."

"The guy who just left said he was really good, but he couldn't even keep a basic beat," another girl said discontentedly. Compared to the guitarist next to her, her petite figure made her practically invisible, so she was naturally the bassist.

"So it still depends on Jun-nii." Aya-chan took a sip of her soda. "You're free lately, right? Yamami-neechan told me!"

"How about we play the drums again, something we haven't done in a long time?"

Yamami Maki looked at the boy sitting behind the drum set, adjusting the height of his chair, surrounded by the girls from the light music club.

When was the last time Songzhi played the drums?

Jun Matsue recalled, "It was more than a year ago."

That was the day he left the orphanage. The drum set that everyone chipped in to buy is still in the orphanage, serving as the children's musical instrument introduction.

He picked up the drumsticks that were placed to the side and gently tapped the brass cymbals. The flat metal pieces wobbled and made a loud sound that evoked a sense of nostalgia.

"Don't you have any sound damping pads or sound-dampening rings?" he asked the light music minister, who was standing furthest away. "The sound might be too loud."

The girl shook her head. "It's okay. There's soundproofing on the walls, and there's a band downstairs."

"Want some accompaniment?" The girl's tense expression softened a bit; the fact that she could ask that question meant she was at least someone who had played drums before.

Jun Matsue shook his head. "It's been a while since I've played. Let's have a solo match first."

The room fell silent, and the girls' gazes were fixed on his hands holding white drumsticks. But the next second, his slender fingers holding the drumsticks disappeared before their eyes, leaving only a waving afterimage.

Unlike the chaotic noise left by the previous person sitting there, the sound in the room was stable, harmonious, and full of power. The sounds of bass drum, snare drum, treble cymbals, and bass cymbals intertwined in an orderly manner. The tight drumbeats hit the girls' hearts like a downpour, but without causing pain—even if you were soaked to the bone, you could still run wildly in the rain, and that was the kind of exhilarating feeling.

As Yamami Maki watched the boy engrossed in his performance, a sense of satisfaction gradually welled up inside her.

Neither Yuka nor Mochizuki Haruka had ever seen him like this before, right?

She was the first one...

Chapter 281 The Story of the Drum Set and Clarinet