Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 164

The girls watched as Jun Matsueda's hands moved like phantoms, his right drumstick suddenly striking the cymbals hard, while his left drumstick flew high into the air, spinning rapidly.

Yamami Maki's eyes widened. She thought the boy had made a mistake, but when the rapidly spinning drumsticks landed steadily back in Matsueda Jun's hands, she realized that the performance was over.

The girls clapped enthusiastically, but for them, the final movement of Jun Matsue spinning the drumsticks was the essence of the performance.

The boy's earlier display of power and speed was completely suppressed at the last moment, leaving only the white drumsticks spinning back and forth in the air. Combined with the boy's downcast and calm eyes, it was full of dramatic tension.

Yamami Maki was the happiest of the girls clapping, as if she herself had just performed.

"You played the drums well, and the last beat was really cool." The girl wearing a pick necklace nodded. "I'm Izumi Mizuki, the head of the Light Music Club. You can just call me Izumi. I'm in charge of the guitar."

"Hello, Izumi-kun. I've seen you before at the club meeting." Jun Matsueda stood up from his seat, smiling politely, while the upperclassman next to him puffed out her cheeks slightly.

A surname with only one character sounds especially friendly...

"I'm Xiaoxing, who plays bass, just call me that~" the petite girl giggled.

"...Hello, Xiaoxing."

Atsushi Matsueda and Maki Yami had the same thought: Are all band members this outgoing?

"So where's your keyboard?" Jun Matsue asked Aya-chan, who was still clapping.

“The keyboard…” The girl’s expression turned to one of unbearable remorse, “It got driven away by the first drummer.”

"It's okay," Beth Xiaoxing comforted her. "The three main pieces are still enough for a performance."

Jun Matsue smiled. The three main instruments are guitar, bass, and drums. Theoretically, they could even kick Aya out and just let the bassist or guitarist play and sing at the same time.

"So does this mean I've joined by default?" He suddenly realized this question.

"Otherwise what?" Izumi Mizuki looked at him, puzzled. "Did you come here just to put on a show for us, then wave goodbye and run away?"

The president of the light music club was the tallest girl Matsueda Jun had ever seen in school. Although she looked aloof, she was surprisingly funny when she opened her mouth, and the girls all laughed.

"We're just missing a drummer, Chun-ge," Cai-jiang said, feigning pitifulness as she stood next to the boy. "We've been waiting for so long..."

Matsueda Jun glanced at the pitiful girl, then looked at the senior student beside him who was smiling and not saying a word—those beautiful drumsticks were still in the closet in the apartment, and it was indeed a pity not to use them.

"I might not be able to stick with you guys in the band for a long time," he reminded the girls one last time.

"We'll see when the time comes," Xiaoxing said indifferently. "Anyway, so many people have come and gone before the band has even been formed yet."

Jun Matsue looked at the drum set placed by the window, and after a long time, he started playing it. It felt really good. "Shall we wait until after the midterm exams?"

"Everyone must be busy studying these days, right?" He looked at Aya Miyamura. "There are still two or three days until the midterm exams. Although the band is really fun, don't forget to study."

"I remember—"

Thus, it was a natural progression for Jun Matsueda to join the band, and the members of the light music club high-fived each other in celebration.

"So, is this senior also joining? We could also have a keyboard or guitar or something." Koyuki looked at the girl standing on the other side of Matsueda Jun.

Yamami Maki hurriedly waved her hand, "Ah, no, I just came with Matsueda-san..."

"Just good friends."

The words "senior sister" that I subconsciously wanted to say naturally turned into other words when I said them.

The girl thought that the term "senior sister" sounded a bit too unfamiliar.

After chatting for a while, the girls in the light music club wanted to practice a little longer, but only Jun Matsueda and Maki Yami left the practice room. Even though she had long since left the brass band club, Maki Yami still felt a little guilty as she walked up the stairs, hearing the faint, melodious wind instruments drifting towards her.

"Is the senior student satisfied with my performance?"

The boy's words brought her back to her senses, and Yamami Maki smiled, "Very satisfied, Matsueda Jun looks really cool playing the drums."

Jun Matsue smiled and said, "I initially wanted to learn the drums because it looked cool, but actually practicing it was quite a struggle and too physically demanding."

"Back then, when the orphanage made dumplings and such, I would take two kitchen knives and chop the filling, practicing the rhythm as I chopped."

Imagining the boy wielding a kitchen knife, Yami Maki couldn't stop laughing. "That sounds really interesting! I'd love to see it for myself!"

The two walked out of the club building. Jun Matsueda walked towards the bike shed, and the girl followed him, taking a detour.

"I think whether it's because of being handsome or for any other reason, as long as you want to do it, it's a very meaningful thing."

The hint of regret in Yami Maki's tone prompted Matsueda Jun to ask, "What made you start playing the clarinet, senpai?"

"Me...?" The girl's expression became confused. "It's not because I like it or anything."

“My family had me try various musical instruments, such as the piano, violin, and harp. In the end, they found that I had the best talent on the clarinet, so they let me continue to practice it.”

"As I practiced, I realized it wasn't so bad, and maybe I gradually came to like it."

Yamami Maki's smile faded slightly, like the hazy glow of the sunset.

Just like how she joined the student council only because of her family's demands, many choices in a young girl's life are decided in this way.

Her tranquil personality may stem from this—she is easily satisfied, accepts the status quo, and is accustomed to finding pleasure in it to console herself.

The two were silent for a short while. The bicycle was pushed to the school gate, and Jun Matsue looked at the girl beside him.

"Senior, would you like to try playing the drums? I can teach you."

Yamami Maki looked at the boy with surprise, "Is it okay?"

But then she shook her head, "Third-year students don't have that much time. I'd much rather watch Matsueda play the drums than play them myself~"

The girl made a tapping motion with both hands, saying, "The drumsticks I gave to Matsueda-kun can finally come in handy!"

Jun Matsue nodded. "I remember. I'll bring it with me next time I practice."

"If I give Matsue a pair of drumsticks, you'll remember that someone is looking forward to your performance whenever you play the drums," the girl said back then.

The two parted ways at the school gate. Yamami Maki waved to him, saying, "Although I may not have time to learn to play the drums, I will go and watch Matsueda practice."

"I'm really looking forward to my first performance!"

Chapter 282 The Intoxicating Sake

After watching Yamami Maki's figure disappear into the distance, Matsueda Jun rode his bicycle away from the school.

In late May, the temperature in Mitaka stays around 25 degrees Celsius, making it the most comfortable time to wear just a shirt. Once June arrives, you'll have to rely on ice cream, air conditioning, and cold barley tea to combat the sweaty summer heat.

Jun Matsugae rode rather fast, trying to calm his feverish mind with the wind rushing past his ears.

On his way to the school gate, as he listened to Maki Yami recount how she began playing the clarinet, and seeing the girl's restrained smile, he suddenly felt a surge of emotion—

I want to see my senior's genuine smile, I want to make her happier, not this serene expression of sadness without pain.

That's why he brought up teaching her the drums.

"What a dangerous thought," Jun Matsue thought as he stopped at the traffic light, examining his own mind.

The senior was a more mature person than him, gentle and hardworking. While everyone else was still enjoying their high school life, she had already taken on some of her own responsibilities.

Such a person doesn't need to be changed, Jun Matsue thought, looking at the flashing red light in front of him.

The red light turned green, and the bicycle sped up again. The smile that Matsueda Jun saw for the first time today, a smile unlike any other, was buried deep in his heart.

When he got home, Yosuke Kurusu didn't lie on the sofa, but walked around the living room with two bottles of sake in his arms.

"What's going on?" Jun Matsue asked, looking at the girl circling the sofa.

"I'm sobering up~" Kurusu Yosei said earnestly, wearing a short-sleeved sweatshirt. "This is a bottle of wine that a sister from the sales department gave me. I'm going to enjoy it tonight."

"I've only ever heard of wine needing to be decanted." Jun Matsue looked at the two large bottles of sake in her arms, closed the door, and changed his shoes.

"I didn't use any wine decanting methods either~" The girl was still pacing around the room. "Matsue, I'm not cooking tonight. I ordered yakitori. Drinking really does go well with yakitori!"

“Okay.” He nodded and went into the bedroom. “But I’d like to have rice with it. I won’t be full just eating yakitori.”

"The rice is already cooking," the girl's voice drifted into the room. "Now we're just waiting for the yakitori to be delivered~"

When Jun Matsue returned to the living room with the long, narrow box, Yosei Kurusu had already placed several boxes of various sizes on the dining table. The chicken wings and drumsticks strung together glistened with oil, making one's mouth water.

"Let me pour you some wine." Jun Matsueda placed the box he was holding on the coffee table and took out wine glasses and saucers from the kitchen.

The girl watched as he held the bottle neck with one hand and supported the bottom with the other, the clear wine flowing out at a steady pace, overflowing the glass and completely covering the saucer underneath.

"It has a real izakaya vibe~" she exclaimed in admiration.

“I used to work part-time at an izakaya, but I quit quickly.” Jun Matsueda put the bottle of sake aside and sat down in front of the girl.

"Eh, why?" As he spoke, Kurusu Yosei had already picked up a skewer of chicken meatballs and put it in his mouth.

"Because the customers at izakayas are troublesome. They come to eat after work, and who knows what they'll do if they get drunk." Jun Matsueda served himself a bowl of rice.

"Male customers are one thing, if they get drunk and act crazy, we can just subdue them. Female customers are more troublesome." He thought of those women in suits and skirts, he didn't know how good they were at their jobs, but they were very good at pretending to be drunk.

"Well said!" Kurusu Yosei took a sip of sake. "It tastes pretty good. Would you like to try some pine branches?"

Perhaps it was because the yakitori with rice was a bit dry, perhaps it was because the weather was a bit hot, perhaps it was because I felt it was safer to drink at home, or perhaps it was because I remembered my senior's smile, which was different from usual.

In short, Jun Matsue stared at the orange bird-shaped pattern on the bottle for a while, hesitated, and finally nodded.

Kuryuu Yosuke had only asked casually, and she was surprised that he actually agreed. The girl stood up in delight, "Let me pour you some wine~"

"Don't pour too much, just a little is enough," Jun Matsue called out to her as she walked into the kitchen.

The sake that Kurusu Yosei received was "Kishou sake." While regular sake is brewed with water, Kishou sake is brewed with sake. Of course, it is also clear and transparent in the glass, giving people the illusion that it might not make them drunk.

Under the girl's expectant gaze, Jun Matsue picked up the wine glass, took a small sip, and blinked in surprise.

"It does taste good."

The stimulating flavor is very mild, clean and refreshing, with a distinct fruity aroma, seemingly like honeydew melon. Although sake belongs to the category of spirits, this one tastes more like a fruit wine.

"Right, right?" Yosuke Kurusu nodded smugly. "The sales department lady said this one is hard to buy, it ranks very high on wine review websites!"

Matsueda Jun took a bite of the chicken wing. "She gave me something so expensive, don't you need to give her something in return?"

"I gave you a return gift, a very delicate little cake that you have to reserve in advance." The girl took another sip of her drink, clearly enjoying it. "But it probably isn't as expensive as her wine, is it?"

"She gave me the gift because the album's sales exceeded the department's expectations. It's really just to curry favor with me. If I didn't accept it, she'd have even more ideas. My manager advised me to do all this."

It seems that the interpersonal relationships in the entertainment industry are more complicated than he thought, so Jun Matsueda chose to eat quietly.

After finishing their meal and cleaning up the mess on the table, Jun Matsuoka sat on the sofa, while the girl next to him secretly glanced at him a few times.

Although his face looked flushed, he didn't seem drunk at all... Kurusu Yosei thought regretfully.

She originally planned to get Songzhi drunk and take the opportunity to extract information, such as whether he currently has someone he likes, and what he thinks of his cute roommate.

The sound on the TV screen suddenly got louder. The commercial break was over, and the variety show had started. Jun Matsueda stared at the flickering screen, looking somewhat bewildered. Sake was quite weak, and the effects of it would creep up on him without him even realizing it. Fortunately, he had resisted the temptation of Kurusu and only had two or three cups.

"Speaking of which, I might be going to participate in a variety show later." Yosei Kurusu suddenly remembered, "The invitation has come, but I haven't decided whether to accept it or not."

"...Didn't you appear on a variety show before? Why don't you go again?" Jun Matsue lay on the sofa, his warm body reacting somewhat slowly.

"Because it's a different type." The girl looked at the comedians on TV. "This time it's not a music performance variety show, but the kind that's more comedic."

“It doesn’t seem to concern you much.” Jun Matsueda picked up the box on the coffee table, and Yosei Kurusu’s gaze followed it.

"It doesn't really matter, but these kinds of shows are actually more likely to make someone stand out. The company is considering what kind of persona to use if I participate."

"Speaking of which, Matsushige, what's in that box you're holding? A magic wand?" Kurusu Yosei leaned closer to him. The girl thought that satisfying her curiosity was more important than whether or not she would be on the show.

“They’re drumsticks.” Jun Matsue opened the box, and a pair of black drumsticks lay quietly inside, with green patterns wrapped around them, like vines or thorns.

The girl's smile as she gave him the gift, the smile as she clapped at him, the smile as she talked about herself—these images began to flash erratically in Jun Matsueda's mind, overshadowing the images on the television screen.

It seems he drank a bit too much tonight.

Chapter 283 The band hadn't even started yet, but everyone already knew.

The next morning, Jun Matsue woke up a little late. When he came out of his bedroom, Yosei Kurusu was already in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

A few minutes later, the two ate their Kurusu-style egg pancakes at the table. They were made with scallions and diced ham, but the two of them tasted slightly different.

Perhaps it was the ratio of flour, eggs, and water, or the thickness of the pancake, or the temperature of the oil? Jun Matsuzae guessed as he sipped the pancake and milk, anyway, it tasted pretty good.

"So Songzhi is forming a band now? I've never seen you play drums before!"

Yosei Kurusu looked behind Jun Matsueda, where a long, narrow black box lay quietly on the coffee table, containing two "magic wands".

“If you want to see it, Aya-chan should have filmed it.” Jun Matsueda put down the milk in his hand, took out his phone and messaged Aya Miyamura. A few minutes later, he forwarded the video to the girl in front of him.

"I meant watching it live!" Even though she said that, the girl's fingers still honestly clicked on the video. She swayed her head to the melody while chewing on an egg pancake, looking quite engrossed.

"What's your highest bpm?" she asked, watching the boy finish the last piece of his pancake.

The so-called bpm, or beats per minute, can be roughly compared to the speed of drumming. It cannot be completely linked to the drummer's skill level, but it is still a standard for measurement.