Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 433 Fools and Madmen

On the second night, which was also the last night before returning to Tokyo, Jun Matsueda slept on Mount Fuji.

Although it's called Mount Fuji, we've actually entered the true foot of the mountain. Mount Fuji is divided into ten sections from the foot to the summit. The fifth section is halfway up the mountain, and the camp where Class 2-6 is currently located is the second section, at an altitude of 1,200 meters.

"I know you might want to go hiking, but the 5th station is closed. There may be fog in the forest at night, so please don't leave the campsite!"

"Tomorrow, professionals will lead the way, and you can try mountain climbing or skiing if you want!"

When we first arrived at the camp, the instructors gave us this advice, so everyone could only move around the tents and prepare to rest early.

At eight o'clock in the evening, Jun Matsue stepped out of his tent, shaking off Ken Sakamuro's entanglement. He then walked alone to the edge of the camp and looked at the vast forest in front of him.

This campsite was a man-made clearing near the road, but further out lay a vast, wild forest. The boy stopped, took a moon chair from his backpack, and sat down under a tall pine tree.

He was a good student of Ms. Kominato, so of course he didn't intend to go against her decision; he just wanted to find a quiet place to be alone.

Take out the gas stove, set up the folding table, place the portable camping lamp on the table, pour mineral water into the pot, and start the stove fire. The flickering warmth gradually spreads in the darkness along with the light.

Jun Matsue took a packet of instant matcha powder from his pocket and placed it next to the stove. While waiting for the water to boil, he leaned back in his chair and looked up at the sky beyond the treetops.

The forest night lacked the romantic and leisurely atmosphere of the lakeside; instead, it was filled with varying shades of black from the leaves. Faint voices drifted from distant tents, and beyond the layers of trees, the calls of nocturnal birds could be heard, their sounds vast and distant.

While he was daydreaming, the water in the portable pot had already started to boil. After turning off the heat, Jun Matsue waited a few minutes before starting to brew the matcha.

"It tastes pretty good," the boy commented after taking a sip of the dark green liquid.

Sipping his matcha, he took out his phone. His chat history with Yamami Maki was still stuck on this morning.

In fact, Jun Matsue really hoped that the girl would take the initiative to send him something, anything at all—although he had already made up his mind, the lack of a response always made him feel somewhat lost.

Just like how he's now running to the edge of the campsite to make tea, it's only because these things that weren't used before—the gas stove, camping light, matcha powder packets, etc.—were all personally selected by Yamami Maki.

He simply hoped that if the girl asked him about it when he got back, he could answer that the chair was very comfortable, the matcha was delicious, and the camping light was a bit too bright—it was that simple.

Jun Matsueda closed the chat window with Maki Yami and made a phone call to Aya Miyamura.

"Hey? Chun-ge should still be out having fun, right? Why are you calling me?"

The girl's voice was still lively, but there was jumbled noise in the receiver, probably due to signal interference.

"Are you home?" Jun Matsue heard the name of the male protagonist in "Now That Things Have Come to This," and she seemed to be watching TV in her apartment.

"Hmm~ Hurry up and say what you need to say, the plot is at its most exciting part right now!"

"Regarding the departure from the band that we talked about before, have you found a replacement drummer?"

The sound of the TV drama immediately stopped, and Aya seemed to stand up from the bed. "Didn't you say you wouldn't quit until the end of this semester?!"

“I meant at the latest by the end of this semester,” he corrected the girl. “I plan to leave the band after I come back.”

"Huh?" Aya Miyamura was extremely surprised. "How come so fast? Is it because of something that happened to your family, senior?"

"Yes, I want to give my senior more confidence."

The girl remained silent for a long while, and Matsueda Jun almost thought the signal had been lost.

"I know. The minister once looked for a girl with pretty good skills. I'll ask her again."

"Thank you all for your help." He felt a little apologetic.

"What trouble are you talking about? You're my brother!" The girl's voice rose a little. "Let's talk about it when you get back. My good mood for watching the show is ruined."

Jun Matsueda hung up the phone, then picked up the matcha on the low table and took a sip.

"Have you made up your mind?" Mochizuki Haruka's voice sounded behind him. The boy turned around, and the girl stood under a pine tree not far away, quietly watching him.

"Didn't we already decide that?" He watched the girl walk towards him.

"I'll say it again: is it worth it?"

Whether it's worth it or not, we still have to do it.

Jun Matsue turned around and said in a deliberately lighthearted tone, "Just like climbing Mount Fuji is definitely one of the things Japanese people must do in their lifetime."

"Is this the same thing?" The girl stood behind him.

“You’ll regret it,” she said with certainty.

The boy didn't turn around. "I'm starting to suspect that things turned out this way because you guys said something to the senior."

Whether it was Tomatsu Tomoka, who discovered she had been betrayed, Mochizuki Haruka, who stayed at the orphanage, or even her aunt who had the right to enter and leave the Yamami family, all of them could have been involved.

"You mean I'm the reason she's like this?" The girl asked, as if she'd heard something amusing. "Which part? Her weakness, greed, cowardice, or hypocrisy?"

Neither she nor Tomatsu Yuka were actually afraid that the boy would find out what they said at the time, because they did have the right to be angry about it—Tomatsu Yuka's sadness and pain were real, and Mochizuki Haruka's feelings for him were also real.

So Jun Matsuoka could only sigh.

"I'm not happy if you talk about her like that."

"Whatever." Mochizuki Haruka snorted, secretly letting out a sigh of relief.

Jun Matsue shook his cup; he had finished the matcha.

"Let's go back."

He stood up to pack his things, only to realize that the girl standing behind him was also carrying a bag.

What are you doing with your backpack?

“Because I saw you carrying a bag,” Mochizuki Haruka said matter-of-factly.

"I'm just here to sit for a while and make myself a cup of tea."

"How would I know? What if you're going to climb a mountain?"

"Then shouldn't you have stopped me?" Jun Matsue packed his things, slung his bag over his shoulder, and headed towards the camp.

"Why should I stop you?" the girl asked, following behind him. "Of course I want to climb the mountain with you."

"...It's very dangerous. There are no supply points during the closed season, and there's snow on the road." Jun Matsue actually started to think seriously. "It's the highest mountain in Japan, after all, at 3,776 meters. Please show some respect."

"I know." The girl glanced at him, her eyes stubbornly defiant.

"Visibility is poor at night, and there are bears in the forest. Now is the time for them to store up fat before hibernation."

"I know."

So Jun Matsue could only sigh again.

"madman."

"Fool!"

The girl retorted sharply.

(End of this chapter)