Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 173

This is the mistake I made in the practice room this afternoon... Just as Matsueda Jun was about to send a message, the girl sent another new message.

"Sorry! Today's class was a bit too boring, so during the break I wanted to check the monitor in the practice room, and I just happened to see that Matsueda made a mistake~"

"You can actually see the studio's security camera footage?" Jun Matsueda raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Does that count as spying?"

"Sorry!" she quickly sent back an emoji of a cute little character bowing repeatedly, "but class is just so boring!"

He shook his head. Only a senior could do something like this, exposing her own shortcomings. After all, a kind person cannot hide their mistakes.

The surveillance cameras in the practice room are likely there to prevent equipment damage and violent conflicts, and theoretically, staff members should be able to watch them. So, if it's just someone peeking, Matsueda Jun doesn't seem to have much right to stop them, especially since he had just told Tomatsu Yuka that afternoon that she was considered staff.

Jun Matsue thought for a moment and typed a line in the chat box, "Please don't publicly punish me for making a mistake while trying to look cool next time, senior."

Two more bowing figures appeared in the chat box. He laughed, imagining the girl blushing with shame. Just as he was about to continue typing, Tomatsu Yuka's footsteps approached.

"Matsueda-kun seems pretty happy?" The girl sat down in her seat and tilted her head.

"...I'm kind of looking forward to the taste of curry."

He put down his phone. The aroma in the room grew stronger. The silver-haired old man came out of the kitchen with two freshly made curries on a tray.

The beef tongue curry truly lived up to its reputation as the restaurant's signature dish, with an excellent taste—smooth, gentle, and fragrant. The rice portion was also very generous, and Jun Matsuzaka was very satisfied with his dinner.

Tomatsu Tomoka was well-mannered and didn't have the habit of talking much while eating. She would just chew her rice while looking up at the boy who was focused on eating. It seemed that she could eat a whole bowl of rice with Matsueda Jun as a side dish even without curry.

When the two returned to the practice room, there were already three other girls in the room. Miyamura Aya waved with delight, welcoming Tomatsu-neechan's arrival.

"I'm really looking forward to everyone's official performance!" Tomatsu Yuka made a cheering gesture.

"Let's get ready to practice." Izumi Mizuki looked at the boy sitting in front of the drum set.

Jun Matsue nodded. Just before it officially began, the boy suddenly remembered something. He looked up and waved to the camera in the corner, out of everyone's sight.

Is Yamami-senpai watching right now?

Chapter 301 Who is whose audience?

"Did Yuka go to the practice room yesterday? Why didn't you tell me? I was taking a class nearby and could have come over to check on her."

Yamami Maki looked at her junior sitting next to her. The surprise on the girl's face was far less than what she said in her tone. Fortunately, Tomatsu Yuka's attention was focused on the boy running in the distance and she did not pay attention to her senior next to her.

Both girls had physical education classes this time. The girls, whose periods coincided, sat together on the edge of the playground to rest, watching the students running and warming up on the playground.

"Because I didn't want to trouble you, senior." The boy's figure was obscured by the crowd on the nearby track. The girl turned her face regretfully and stuck out her tongue at Yamami Maki.

The senior student snorted inwardly, looking at the sky peeking through the thick clouds—you and Songzhi are having a romantic time in my studio, of course you don't want to bother me.

"Matsueda and his friends are already preparing to book a performance venue. Let's go see his debut together, senior!"

Yamami Maki was somewhat surprised that Yuka would actually think of going with her. The girl suddenly felt a little guilty about her behavior yesterday.

At least Yuka thinks of me when she's in a relationship. I wonder if my little actions were somehow unfair to her...

Tomatsu Yuka's idea was actually quite simple—since she couldn't be the only audience member, she might as well bring her senior along, which should create more opportunities.

The girl blinked innocently, looking at the senior whose face was filled with melancholy, "Senior?"

Yamami Maki snapped out of her reverie and smiled at Tomatsu Tomoka, "Sure, I'm also really looking forward to Matsueda-san's performance."

"It seems they're getting used to each other quickly?" She tried to act as if she wasn't familiar with the band.

"Anyway, it's already pretty good in my eyes as an outsider~" Tomatsu Yuka looked at the playground again. Matsueda Jun had already run out of the crowd, and Sakamuro Ken was trying to catch up with him.

"Matsueda-kun looks so cool playing the drums..." the girl thought of her time alone yesterday. "And the drumsticks he uses are really nice, they look a bit like fluttering leaves when they spin~"

Yamami Maki nodded involuntarily. Those were drumsticks that she had designed and carefully selected herself. How could they not be beautiful?

After warming up, the girls stopped at the finish line, walking slowly down the track in twos and threes, urged on by their teachers. The boys, on the other hand, were much more decisive, running all the way across the field before stopping. The girls' conversation came to a temporary halt as Jun Matsueda walked over.

"Matsueda-kun, here's some extra water." Tomatsu Tomoka didn't get up, but simply pointed to the bottled water on the open space next to her.

Compared to directly handing out water to assert dominance, this method is more acceptable to people. Yamami Maki sighed at her junior's little trick as she watched the boy bend down to pick up the water bottle from the ground.

"Thank you." Jun Matsue took two sips and tightened the cap. "Luckily it's a cloudy day, otherwise I would have sweated a lot more."

“That’s the downside of summer,” Tomatsu Yuka chimed in, agreeing with the boy. “I’d rather be chilled by the cold wind in winter than sweat in the summer!”

Summer clothes are too thin, and once you sweat, the color of your underwear will easily show through. This is a common problem for most girls in summer. Some people will wear a thin vest, which can also help protect against the low temperature of the air conditioning in the classroom.

Yamami Maki didn't offer any opinion; she simply sat to the side with a smile and watched the two chat. The girl didn't intend to interact too much with Matsueda-kun in front of her juniors—it would be troublesome if Yuka became suspicious.

"Is Songzhi preparing for a performance?" another girl's cool voice suddenly interrupted. "Have you found a suitable venue yet?"

Mochizuki Haruka walked up to Matsueda Jun. The girl had just finished running, and her face was a little flushed. She was panting and loosened her ponytail, letting her smooth black hair fall over her shoulders, looking very elegant.

"How cunning..." This thought flashed through the minds of the girls in the brass band at the same time.

He didn't untie his ponytail when he got off the track, but waited until he was in front of Songzhi before untying it. What else could it be but scheming?

“We’ve only just started looking for a venue.” Jun Matsueda shook his head. “There are quite a few livehouses in the area from Meidai-mae to Shimokitazawa, so finding a venue for a variety show shouldn’t be a problem.”

"Oh..." Mochizuki Haruka was a little disappointed. She had originally wanted to show off her abilities. The girl looked at the playground behind her. It was already the last class of the afternoon.

Did you practice today?

"No today, everyone's busy." Jun Matsueda shook his head, and then Ken Sakamuro called out from behind him.

"Pine Branch—come play ball—"

Ken Sakamuro was very perceptive; he simply stood far away by the wire fence of the playground and shouted, refusing to cross the line where the girls were gathered.

As expected, the girls gave him disapproving looks. Sakamuro wiped non-existent sweat from his forehead and jogged back to the basketball court.

"I'll head over there first." The boy, holding a water bottle, pointed to the basketball court. "If you're not feeling well, try to get back to the classroom as soon as possible."

Jun Matsue walked quickly, and the girls exchanged glances; their reason for staying had vanished.

Yamami Maki walked towards her class, Tomatsu Yuka and Mochizuki Haruka went their separate ways, and finally the two met again by the boys' basketball court in Class 6.

After school, Jun Matsue parked his bicycle downstairs at his apartment building. The breeze was neither cool nor hot, just enough to dry the light sweat on his neck. He picked up the groceries from his bicycle basket and went upstairs.

With her free right hand, she opened her phone and saw a message from Maki Yami, containing the addresses of several livehouses near her studio, along with detailed descriptions of their performance styles and venue conditions.

"Our studio has had contact with the staff of these companies, and they seemed pretty good. I'd recommend them to Songzhi~"

Although the senior didn't say anything during PE class, she kept his matter in mind... Matsueda Jun's steps became a little lighter as he went upstairs.

"Thank you, senior. I will check them out one by one."

On the other side, Yamami Maki smiled at her phone screen. If Aya and the others weren't available, she certainly wouldn't mind going on the research trip with Matsueda.

Back at the apartment, Yosuke Kurusu was already home. The girl wasn't lying on the sofa, but sitting upright at the dining table, flipping through a booklet that looked like a script.

Upon hearing the door open, the girl, who had been maintaining a professional demeanor, immediately collapsed. She skipped and hopped to the entrance, blocking Matsueda Jun, who was about to change his shoes.

"Matsue, you're going to be on the show this week, are you ready to be my audience?"

Fortunately, a performance venue hasn't been found yet... Jun Matsueda closed the security door, "Looking forward to Ms. Kurusu's performance."

"Don't worry, even if you become a big star in the future, I will always remember that you are my number one fan~" The girl patted his shoulder.

Before the girls become Jun Matsueda's audience, it seems he has to become someone else's audience first.

Chapter 302 Just a Coincidence

"Songzhi, what are you looking at?"

At midday, under the bright sunshine, Natsumi Imokawa sat in the clubroom, looking at Jun Matsueda, who was holding his phone horizontally beside her.

"Preparing to become a qualified audience member." Jun Matsueda placed his phone on the table, and a curious girl peeked over. It was a quiz-style entertainment variety show.

Although he was only going to be a viewer of Yosei Kurusu, he felt it was still necessary to learn about the show, just in case.

"Is this interesting?" The girl pointed to the phone screen. "If Songzhi likes it, I'd like to take a look too."

"It was just so-so," Jun Matsueda shook his head. "I was just accompanying a friend to the event."

"Going to the scene?" The girl's mouth dropped open in surprise. "That's amazing!"

Natsumi Imokawa's surprised and bewildered expression was so cute that Jun Matsueda felt like teasing the girl, saying, "My friend is going to the event as a guest on stage."

"Going on stage as a guest?!" The girl's rosy lips formed an "O" shape, as if an egg could fit inside. "So, Songzhi's friend is a big star?"

“She does want to be a big star.” Jun Matsue glanced at the girl’s teeth, which were white and even, with a touch of childlike innocence.

"You've met her before; she's the one who went to the haunted house in your class with me during the cultural festival."

"..." Natsumi Imokawa stared at the ceiling and began to recall the stunningly beautiful and outgoing girl who had once chased her around in circles on pine branches.

"The people Songzhi knows are all very capable." After a long pause, the girl finally uttered this one sentence.

"Of course." The boy smiled. "That's why I know Imokawa. You're amazing too."

Natsumi Imokawa blushed, nodded slightly, and continued to look at the documents in front of her.

The young woman is working hard for the Tokyo University of the Arts. To gather material, she has recently started to change her habits—using video recordings instead of still photography, and videos instead of still photos, in an effort to get into a cinematic perspective as soon as possible.

"By the way, didn't you watch our band practice the other day?" Jun Matsueda wasn't about to let the girl, who was burying her head in the sand like an ostrich, get away with it. "How did you think of it?"

To hone her professional skills, Natsumi Imokawa has been taking photos of the band's practice sessions since last week—and perhaps apart from Yosei Kurusu, Yuka Tomatsu is indeed the last one to enter the practice room.

"It feels like we're a family when we pick up our instruments." The girl's analogy was quite remarkable. She picked up her camera and started flipping through videos she had previously filmed.

"Look," she said, leaning closer to Jun Matsueda, "Aya-chan always sings this line wrong. Last time she made a mistake, everyone rolled their eyes at the same time. That's what band chemistry is all about, right?"

Seeing the "fierce" looks the three of them were giving the lead singer in the video, Jun Matsueda finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.

A girl's soft laughter echoed in the hallway after school. "Is that so? I feel sorry for Aya-chan."

Holding the documents, Yamami Maki walked with Matsueda Jun towards the meeting room. The public announcement and registration periods for the election process had ended, and they had to start preparing for the next stage of work.

"Can't the senior student also see it through the surveillance footage?"

Jun Matsue made a waving gesture. When he did this in his room in front of the camera that day, he quickly received a waving emoji from his senior on his phone.

As the two walked into the corridor in front of the conference room, the number of people had decreased significantly, and the girl's smile became more relaxed.

"I don't watch it all the time!" Yami Maki defended herself. "I only watch it occasionally when I'm bored."

Yes, yes~

The two entered the meeting room, where the student council president was already seated. The boy and girl naturally kept their distance and sat down on either side.

"Has the school approved the president's proposal about the ice cream machine?"

Two days ago, Jun Matsueda distributed proposal forms in the classroom, and almost all the students checked the support box. Everyone hopes to achieve ice cream freedom this summer.

"The school is discussing it." The student council president pushed up his glasses. Tsushima Kou and Seshita Yumi also entered the meeting room. The group greeted each other and listened to the ice cream plan.

"The school's original idea was that, considering the summer season, adding only one ice cream vending machine might not be enough to meet everyone's needs."

"However, if we add more facilities, we need to consider the necessity of the expenses, so the school is still discussing it."

"It doesn't sound very optimistic," said Hiromi Seshita, leaning on the conference table.

"If we spend too much money, some bored people outside might attack the school for being too frivolous and only caring about students' enjoyment."

“That’s right.” The student council president nodded. “We’re also thinking about whether there are any better solutions.”

Jun Matsue listened to the conversation at the conference table while looking down at the materials in front of him; he wasn't really concerned about the issue.

After all, he was a man who used to only turn on the air conditioner before bed in the summer to save on electricity bills and survive on cold-brewed barley tea.

“If all else fails, we’ll have to give up. There’s really nothing we can do about its necessity,” Tsushima Kou said with a smile, seemingly sharing the same attitude as Matsueda Jun.

"That's the only plan we can make for now..." Yami Maki frowned slightly, her tone somewhat regretful. Matsueda Jun looked up at her.

The boy wearing glasses gently tapped the table. "It's almost time. Yumi, could you please take charge of the next stage of the election campaign? We can talk about the ice cream machine later."

"OK~" The petite girl stood up, propped herself up on the table, and cleared her throat in front of the conference table.

"Next, we need to hold a campaign briefing for applicants. We need to prepare new brochures and related materials, including the standard format for campaign announcements and posters, prohibited content, etc..."

Half an hour later, the discussion in the meeting room ended, but the cicadas outside were still chirping. Everyone tidied up the documents on the table and prepared to leave the classroom.

“Um,” Jun Matsueda suddenly spoke, drawing the attention of the four, “I have some ideas about the ice cream machine proposal.”

"I'm happy to listen." The student council president, who had stood up, sat back down, and Yamami Maki cast a curious and expectant look at her junior.

"I've been thinking about it, and the current proposal lacks persuasiveness in terms of necessity, right? After all, there are many proposals supported by students. Even if the student council proposed that the school have four days on and three days off, everyone would raise their hands in support."

Laughter filled the meeting room as the student council president nodded. "That's right, we had our own ulterior motives behind this proposal."

"Judging from the president's explanation, the school's only concern is the cost. I just remembered that the school's convenience store sells ice cream in the summer..."