Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 358 Thirst for Knowledge

"Matsueda-kun, aren't you planning to go out and have some fun during summer vacation?"

The sunlight outside the window was bright and dazzling. In the library in the afternoon, Jun Matsueda looked at the girl next to him who was asking a question.

"I did go out." He took a sip of water, trying to calm the slight irritation caused by the cicadas' chirping.

"I'm not talking about going out shopping," Tomatsu Yuka said, shifting her position so she was facing the boy.

"It's like going on a long trip, you see, the vacation is quite long, isn't it?"

"Going on a long trip, huh?" Jun Matsue glanced at the girl again.

"It doesn't feel like something Tomatsu would ask me."

He couldn't possibly take a girl on a trip. If it were Tomatsu Yuka, she would probably want him to stay in Mitaka and come to work every day so that the two of them could meet more often at the library.

"Because I'm preparing for a training camp." The girl lowered her head slightly, clutching the hem of her skirt with both hands.

"If we go to the dormitory together, I won't be able to work at the library, and I won't be able to see Matsueda-kun anymore."

The girl's tone was somewhat melancholic. Matsueda Jun turned to face her. "You resigned?"

"Oh, no, not at all." Tomatsu Yuka blinked. "I just took a long leave from my supervisor."

"." Jun Matsue turned around and continued recording his work log.

"We'll be able to meet when school starts, and I'll also be watching your games."

Tomatsu Yuka is a capable and considerate colleague who never causes him any trouble. It would be a real shame if the young woman quit her job.

"That's true~" The girl's expression brightened again, as if her earlier disappointment was just an act to evoke the boy's emotions.

"So, Matsueda-san, aren't you planning to go out and play?"

"Since we won't be seeing each other again anyway, I actually hope that Matsueda-kun can take me with her somewhere to have fun~"

The boy put down his workbook and thought for a while. "I'm not interested in going out alone, and it's too hot in the summer."

"If Aya-chan wants to go anywhere, I might go with her."

"Is this the treatment my little sister gets? I'm so envious."

Tomatsu Yuka smiled, but felt a little uneasy. She always felt more at ease knowing that Matsueda was going out.

Why? The girl stood up, looking at the boy's empty water glass.

"I'll go get some water for Songzhi~"

She placed her hands on the table, her upper body swept past Matsueda Jun, and then walked out from behind the counter with two water glasses.

A few minutes later, Tomatsu Yuka returned to her seat and bent down to put the boy's water cup back in its place.

Using the same method and the same posture, the girl once again smelled that faint fragrance on the boy.

Tomatsu Yuka tried her best to deepen the memory of this fleeting moment in her mind—

It has no oily smell and doesn't have the aroma of food.

It doesn't smell like fabric freshener; Songzhi never uses that kind of stuff.

As for laundry detergent, the one he used before didn't have much of a scent, but the later one smelled more like lavender. The girl had smelled it at school before, so it was probably the one his roommate, Yosuke Kurusu, used.
Jun Matsueda's voice interrupted the girl's thoughts, "Are you daydreaming? It's not time to rest yet, is it?" "Ah, sorry," Tomatsu Yuka snapped out of her reverie, "I was just thinking about the training camp."

"Have you already decided where to go for the training camp?" Jun Matsue thought the girl was still a little down and decided to chat with her a bit more.

“Yes.” Tomatsu Yuka nodded. “I plan to go to Ome. It’s accessible by train, and the scenery is nice as it’s close to the mountains. Okutama is also a great place to escape the summer heat.”

“Okutama?” The name he hadn’t heard in a long time stirred up memories in the boy. “Be careful when doing outdoor activities.”

"I'll remember!" the girl smiled. "We plan to stay in the suburbs of Ome City. There's a training hall nearby, and we might also visit the Yuyue Valley."

After get off work, Tomatsu Tomohana got on her bicycle before Matsueda Jun, but the girl didn't start riding. Instead, she waited for the boy to come to her side.

"The summer festival has been postponed this year. Will Matsueda spend it with other girls?" She should already be a childhood friend by then.

"I don't know." Jun Matsue got on his bicycle. "Maybe I've gone on a long trip with Aya-chan too."

"That would be best," Tomatsu Yuka said with a smile. "Otherwise, I'd be green with envy for the girl who watched the fireworks with you."

The two bicycles were going in different directions. The shirt on the left was like a gust of wind, and the short skirt on the right was like a cloud. They disappeared one after the other into the sound of cicadas chirping.

That evening, in an apartment near the Zenpukuji River, Tomatsu Miyuki looked at her daughter who was getting up from the dining table.

"Youhua didn't eat much, did she? Is that alright?"

"I just don't have much of an appetite." The girl walked into her bedroom and closed the door behind her.

"Are you sick? It's not heatstroke or a fever or anything, is it?" A woman's voice came from outside the door. "Mom's in the study. Remember to tell me if you're not feeling well."

"Okay—" the girl responded in a louder voice, then threw herself onto the bed and stared blankly at the light on the ceiling.

"What does it taste like?" Of course, she hadn't forgotten what she had discovered during the day.

"It seems that the smell only appears during the afternoon shifts." Tomatsu Tomoka's excellent learning ability led her to start summarizing the patterns.

"Who did you contact this morning? Was it Kiyoshi? Or Aya-chan?" The girl turned over and opened her phone to send a message.

"Is Aya-chan in Fangnan Town today? I saw a girl at the intersection who looks just like you."

Aya Miyamura immediately replied to the message, "It's definitely not me! It was too hot today, so I stayed home all day!"

Excluding one, Tomatsu Yuka chatted casually with the girl for a couple of minutes, then opened another social media app. This is a platform where celebrities run accounts, making it easy to find out about Yosei Kurusu's whereabouts.

"Today I participated in an interview with my seniors in 'mina' magazine. Remember to buy next week's issue of 'mina' to support us!"

This is a message posted by the official account of Yosei Kuraki, featuring a group photo of her and others, taken at 10:00 AM.

It can't be ruled out; the photos of the celebrities and such make it impossible to determine the exact time.
Tomatsu Yuka tossed her phone onto the pillow, then turned over. The ceiling light was a bit glaring, and the girl squinted.

Could it be that I'm coming to live in the world of the living?

Did they do it when they got up this morning?
The smell shouldn't be that faint, and given Matsueda's personality, she would definitely take a bath.
If it's from Kurusu, this smell should appear more frequently; it wasn't there during the morning shifts before.
Isn't it the scent of a girl? What else could it be?
Tomatsu Yuka had a headache. She got out of bed and opened the window. The night breeze carried a coolness as thin as a cicada's wing, and the calls of water birds echoed on the shimmering river.

The girl took a breath of fresh air, then closed the window and drew the curtains.

She believed she would find out sooner or later.

(End of this chapter)