Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 167

"Thank you for your support, Songzhi." The boy nodded, a look of satisfaction on his face.

“Yamami and Tsushima often mention you to me, and I think you are quite suitable for student council work.”

"Does my senior often talk about me to the president?" Jun Matsueda glanced at Maki Yami beside him. The two made eye contact briefly before looking away.

The girl still smiled demurely, only reaching out to smooth her hair behind her ear to hide her slight shyness.

“Unfortunately, I’m already a member of the election management committee, so I can’t participate in the election.” Jun Matsueda waved his hand.

"If there are no problems, everyone, let's go back to the classroom. We still need to distribute the notices to each class." Yumi-chan closed the glass window of the notice board and took the lead in walking towards the teaching building.

As Jun Matsue walked at the back, he heard the sound of liquid splashing. He turned around, and a silver chain shimmered in the sunlight. The water splashed by the school janitor streaked through the air and landed on the cement ground at the school gate.

"Sprinkle water first, so that there won't be dust when sweeping?" he guessed. No wonder he sometimes found the ground at the school gate wet when he arrived early.

"Matsueda-kun?" The girl walking ahead called out to him. Matsueda Jun turned around, and Yamami Maki, who had stopped, looked puzzled.

"It's nothing, I just learned some more useless knowledge."

He strode forward, walking alongside the girl who was waiting. The three of them were chatting and laughing, and even the student council president's profile looked much softer.

"How about we leave one last mark before we step down?" the bespectacled boy suggested. "Summer's coming, how about installing an ice cream vending machine in the teaching building?"

"It feels good," Yami Maki said with a smile. "The students will definitely support it, but will the school agree?"

"Just try to convince them. We've worked diligently for two years, shouldn't we have a chance to be a little capricious?"

I never knew a serious student council president would say something like that.

Matsueda Jun and Yamami Maki walked up the stairs together. The president didn't go this way. Yumi and Tsushima Kou went to the convenience store to buy breakfast. Only the sound of their footsteps could be heard in the quiet, winding space.

"Matsueda-kun, how's practice going with the band and Aya-chan?"

"Progress is proceeding steadily." The girl's skirt swayed in his peripheral vision. "However, everyone feels that the daily practice time is a bit too little."

The Light Music Club has a relatively flexible schedule, and the members usually only come when they have free time. Aya and Sachi both have part-time jobs, while Izumi Mizuki has to take time to go to private school. The four of them usually spend most of their time practicing on their own.

“That’s a bit difficult to solve…” Yamami Maki frowned as she thought.

"We currently plan to practice some time on weekends and are looking for a suitable practice room."

"Can't you come to school to practice on weekends?"

The girl's gaze drifted over; it seemed an opportunity had presented itself.

"The school environment is still a bit rudimentary. If possible, we would like to have better conditions so that everyone can be more immersed in the experience and get used to the feeling of being on stage."

"Hmm..." Yamami Maki's eyes flickered. "Then I should be able to offer some help to everyone, right?"

"After all, my family happens to be involved in the music industry~"

Chapter 288 The Girl Who Hadn't Yet Stepped Down Already Had Her Heart Awaits Else

After the election management committee notices were posted on the main road of the school, at the bottom of the teaching buildings, and in each classroom, discussions about the student council election increased.

When class ended, a girl in the class stood in front of Jun Matsueda's seat. Facing the stares of Tomatsu Tomoka and Mochizuki Haruka, she nervously twisted her hands hidden behind her back.

"Um, Matsueda-san, I'd like to get an election registration form."

It turned out they were there to register for the student council election... The girls looked away, and the girls breathed a sigh of relief.

Each candidate had to obtain an application form from the election committee member in their class. Jun Matsue took out a form from his drawer.

"Let me confirm first, did Honma-kun register for himself?"

“That’s right.” The girl nodded.

"So you've already looked at the election process posted by the Election Management Committee, right?" Jun Matsue handed her the form in his hand.

"The election management committee will not be held responsible if the registration fails due to procedural or time issues."

The girl's relaxed expression turned a little tense again. "...I've looked into it. It requires the signatures of ten recommenders and the homeroom teacher to submit the application form."

“Yes, and campaign participants and election officials cannot sign as nominators.” Jun Matsuoka nodded and handed the girl a thin booklet.

"This is an information booklet with some materials you might need. Finally, please submit the completed application form to Hiromi Seshita in Class 2-5 before the application deadline."

"Okay, thank you!" The girl bowed to him and walked towards her seat.

As Mochizuki Haruka lay on the table, watching the girl's departing figure, she thought, "It's just a high school student council election, but they're making it sound so formal."

“In terms of process, it’s no different from a parliamentary election.” Jun Matsueda said with an air of nonchalance, though Maki Yami had told him all of this.

"I heard that the ballot counting station and ballot box we'll be using later were borrowed from the city hall. We're using the same stuff as the members of parliament," he recalled of the previous meeting.

"Why use 'I heard'?" Mochizuki Haruka looked at him. "Didn't you vote in last year's election?"

“Last year…” Jun Matsue looked at the girl who suddenly lowered her head on the other side. Not long after the election began last year, he was unemployed at home for some reason.

Tomatsu Tomoka felt guilty and didn't dare to look Matsueda Jun in the eye. She silently took out a small green box from her bag and handed it to the boy, putting on an act of willingly accepting punishment.

"This is a yokan (sweet bean jelly) sent from my grandma's house. It tastes very good. I kept some for Songzhi to try."

Once the weight in her hand was gone and the wagashi was on Matsueda Jun's table, the girl finally breathed a sigh of relief. She looked up at the other side and saw Mochizuki Haruka pouting in dissatisfaction.

This guy was definitely asking on purpose... Tomatsu Yuka smiled nonchalantly and changed the subject, "I don't really remember Honma-san, I didn't expect her to be planning to run for student council."

“There should be quite a few people who want to run for office.” Jun Matsue cut off a small piece of yokan with a plastic spoon and put it in his mouth. It had a sweet matcha flavor and looked a bit like jelly, but it tasted soft and fluffy.

“Student council work experience can be included as a bonus in college application essays, and it can also serve as proof of personal ability in comprehensive selection exams.”

The so-called comprehensive selection exam was something Jun Matsueda found on his computer when he was talking to Natsumi Imokawa on the phone some time ago. Compared to regular entrance exams, it places less emphasis on written scores and focuses more on factors such as students' comprehensive abilities and special talents.

Jun Matsueda's first reaction to this admission method was that it sounded like it was a backdoor for students with connections...

But what does this have to do with him? Matsueda Jun took another bite of yokan. He left the scheming and intrigue to others; all he had to do was ensure that Yami-senpai could step down peacefully and face the pressure of further education with a positive attitude.

After school, in the second practice room of the Light Music Club, Natsumi Imokawa stood anxiously looking around at the door. Then she heard footsteps coming from the top of the stairs. She turned around and finally saw a figure that made her feel at ease.

"Why aren't you going in?" Jun Matsue walked up to the girl. He had just finished attending a meeting of the Election Management Committee, so he was a little late.

"Because I didn't see any pine branches at the entrance, I didn't dare to go in..." The girl was holding a camera in her hand, "Wouldn't it be embarrassing if I went to the wrong place?"

The boy sighed, pushed open the door that read "Light Music Club Unit 2!", and said, "Come in with me."

"So, the school's promotional video for new students was filmed by Imokawa-kun?" Koyuki let go of her bass guitar and looked at the girl walking around the room with a camera in her hand.

It's break time now. Izumi Mizuki is sitting in a chair in the corner reading manga, while Sachi is observing the new members of the light music club. Because Imokawa Natsumi wants to film a video of her playing the drums, only Matsueda Jun isn't resting, and the room is filled with the sounds of percussion.

"I only filmed a portion of the footage; I mainly did the editing." The girl who picked up the camera spoke much more naturally, looking at Jun Matsueda, who had stopped moving in the lens.

"Songzhi, could you perform that scene again?"

Jun Matsue picked up a tissue to wipe his sweat, glanced at her helplessly, and then began to wave his hands rapidly again, sometimes crossing them and sometimes separating them. To please the girl, he twirled the drumsticks a few more times, making it look particularly flamboyant.

After the boy finished playing the song again, Izumi Mizuki put down her manga and walked over to Imokawa Natsumi. "Imokawa-san, you can't just focus on Matsueda-san. I hope you'll pat our band on the back a bit more."

"Ah! Um, sorry..." Natsumi Imokawa turned around and apologized weakly, while Aya Miyamura chuckled in the corner.

"How's it going, Imokawa?" Jun Matsueda put down his drumsticks and took a sip of water. "Is it worth having you film it?"

"I think the band is really interesting!" the girl nodded excitedly. "I'll probably come here often in the future, and I hope I won't bother everyone."

“We don’t have much time to get together,” Miyamura Aya shook her head. “We don’t need to come very often.”

Natsumi Imokawa glanced at the boy who was gulping down water. He was only wearing a short-sleeved shirt during practice, and his forearms, which he was frequently using to exert force, had particularly defined muscle lines. The girl blinked.

Since everyone has less time to practice together, wouldn't she be able to focus on photographing pine branches?

Jun Matsue, putting down his water bottle, interrupted the girl's reverie, "Speaking of which, I think I've found a suitable place to practice on the weekend."

"Where? Where?" The girls gathered around the drum set, and just as Jun Matsueda was about to speak, there was a knock on the door.

Aya Miyamura ran to open the door, and Maki Yamami walked into the room. "It's nice to see you again!"

The senior student seemed more lively than usual. She glanced at the boy sitting behind the drum set, smiled, and waved to the girls.

"This is my home studio; everyone is welcome to come and practice!"

Chapter 289 The expectation in her eyes was enough to touch every heartstring.

"Wow, amazing!" Miyamura Aya exclaimed involuntarily as she stood in front of the highly designed building, her back to the vehicles and pedestrians.

"Do all musicians come to places like this...?"

The girl turned around. Across the street was a music store. The guitars in the window were so expensive that you could tell just by looking at them. Dozens of meters away, the entrance to the basement was decorated with LED lights for a livehouse. It wasn't open yet, so the lights were still dim.

“This is the practice room and recording studio, which can basically meet most of the recording and rehearsal needs.” Yamami Maki walked to Miyamura Aya’s side. “If you want to change instruments or accessories, you can go to the music store across the street.”

“There are other performance venues and recording studios here. You can go and take a look once you’re familiar with them.” The girl looked at Jun Matsueda, whose hands were empty.

“It’s a bit troublesome to move the drum, so Matsueda-kun can use the one he brought from the practice room.” Yami Maki blinked, her eyes sparkling with a smile that seemed to tremble like a flower bud on a branch.

Although it was said to be brought from the practice room, she had already shown her staff videos of Jun Matsueda's performance and specially arranged a drum set for him. Of course, the other girls who brought their own instruments did not enjoy this treatment.

“I’m starting to look forward to it…” Jun Matsueda looked at the graffiti-style sign at the entrance of the building, “Denny’s studio”, that’s the name of the studio.

"So, is Denny's owned by your family?" Izumi Mizuki walked up to Yami Maki and looked her up and down curiously. "I've seen your chain stores several times around Tokyo."

The girl smiled and nodded. "Our main business area is the Kanto region."

Matsueda Jun clicked his tongue inwardly. Although he had long known that Yami-senpai's family background was no worse than Mochizuki Haruka's, he still found it hard to believe when he heard her say that.

He glanced at the girl a few more times. He couldn't find any sense of superiority about her. If Mochizuki Haruka's temperament was like a cold ice flower, then Yamami Maki's temperament was like a warm spring breeze, making people feel no sense of wariness.

It's not the biting winter wind that makes you want to take off your coat, but the gentle warmth of the spring breeze. Even though Matsueda Jun had some reservations about the Yami family's parenting style, he had to admit that they had indeed raised Yami Maki into an exceptionally outstanding young woman.

"How much does it cost per hour?" Xiaoxing only wanted to ask this question. The girl was deeply in love and had many expenses.

“I still owe Matsueda a favor, so there’s no need to calculate the cost,” Yami Maki said without hesitation.

Using the excuse of returning a favor, Songzhi couldn't refuse. Such favorable terms would also ensure that others wouldn't consider other studios. The girl thought her idea was flawless.

It's only a few subway stops from Maki Yamami's house to Meidai-mae Station, where her studio is located, which is very convenient. This will give her more opportunities to interact with Matsueda-san...

"Does Matsueda-kun think it's okay?" the girl asked the boy next to her.

Yamami Maki's words were somewhat unexpected for Matsueda Jun. Based on his impression of his senior, he thought she would say in a matter-of-fact tone, "How can you repay a favor when you can buy something with money!"

“…Then I’ll have to trouble you, senior.” Jun Matsue nodded. Although the girl’s gift was still valuable, it was better than letting her keep owing those two favors.

"Then everyone, let's go in quickly~" The girl laughed, raised her index finger and waved it at him, before beckoning everyone to walk into the studio.

Matsueda Jun inexplicably understood what his senior meant, "There's still a favor to repay!" That's probably what she meant.

The boy shook his head, slung his bag over his shoulder, and walked into the building. The glass doors slowly closed, blocking out the noise of the traffic behind him.

"So many pieces of equipment I've never seen before!"

Aya Miyamura wandered around the room, watching the bassist and guitarist plug and unplug various cables and press buttons on the mixing console.

"Will we need to test so much equipment for the performance?"

"Pretty much." Izumi Mizuki casually strummed a chord while holding the plugged-in electric guitar. "Basically, you just need to find the wires and boxes on the ground and connect them. Leave the rest to the tuner."

"Is the volume okay?" The guitarist looked at Jun Matsueda sitting behind the drum kit. Generally speaking, the volume is determined by the drummer.

“OK.” Jun Matsueda nodded. He looked at the drum kit in front of him and saw that it was indeed much better than the one at school, but there was one problem.

"It seems there are no drumsticks?" He looked at the girl sitting next to the drum set, and Yamami Maki blinked.

"Because I feel like drummers tend to prefer their own drumsticks, right?" The girl turned slightly, her long legs beneath her skirt facing Matsueda Jun. "Matsueda-kun, aren't you planning to use your own drumsticks?"

Yamami Maki has been concerned about this for several days now—Matsueda-san seems to have never used the drumsticks she gave her.

Could it be that he doesn't like the pattern he designed? Or is it uncomfortable to use? Or is it simply because their relationship isn't good enough? There are people who don't like using gifts from others, aren't there...?

The girl felt a little melancholy until she saw Jun Matsue take out that long, narrow box that she was very familiar with from her bag.

“I’ll use my own.” He opened the box, took out a black drumstick with green stripes from the storage bag, and tapped it on the snare drum alternately.

"Although the drumsticks in the practice room can also be used, these are definitely the ones that feel the best."

"Really?" The dark clouds hanging over Yamami Maki's heart were swept away. "I'm glad Matsueda-kun likes it~"

"But I've rarely seen you use it before. Is this the first time you've used it?"

The girls in the light music club were still adjusting their equipment. Yamami Maki moved her chair closer to the drum set, seemingly just to get a better look at what the boys were doing.

Matsueda Jun realized that his senior seemed to have misunderstood something. "Because it was a gift from my senior, I should cherish it. I was thinking of only taking it out to use during the official performance."

“I see…” Yami Maki’s smile widened.

“You can use the pine branch as you like. If it gets damaged, I’ll just replace it with a new one—the music store across the street is also owned by my family.”