Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 461 Cultural Festival and the Lost Girl
The first day of the cultural festival, Saturday, was sunny and so pleasant that one couldn't help but take a few more breaths of fresh air.

As Yamami Maki walked out of the teaching building, she followed the flow of people toward the auditorium. The sunlight, like a perfectly baked slice of cheese, gently melted above the heads of the crowd.

The girl took a few steps to the side of the road, away from the crowd. She turned around and looked up at the banner hanging on the wall of the teaching building. The words "Yuqiu Festival" swayed in the wind, and the light flowed on the satin.

This year's cultural festival was exceptionally successful. Yamami Maki had a premonition that this was the case.

Upon entering the auditorium, the room was bustling with people. The enclosed space was filled with the students' joyful and excited whispers, like oil in a frying pan gradually heating up and stirring, waiting for the sizzling sound of ingredients being added to the pan.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting!" A girl dressed in a sailor uniform and school uniform skirt jumped into view, and the appetizer was served.

Mitani was dressed exquisitely, her fair arms waving in the air as the stage screen behind her lit up, displaying scenes of the students' activities over the past year.

Scenes of the freshman entrance ceremony, the wind instrument competition, the kendo tournament, and Koshien Stadium flashed by one by one, and finally the camera returned to the "Haneoka Festival" banner floating in the air.

"This year marks the 90th anniversary of Haneoka High School. The principal has already told me that the best way to celebrate the cultural festival is to let everyone have a great time!"

The girl's voice was playful and lively. Yamami Maki heard the laughter beside her and looked at her junior standing on the stage.

She's much better than she was last year, and she's very satisfied with her judgment.

"We hope this year's cultural festival will be the most unforgettable one of the past three years for everyone—"

Mitani raised his right hand, and a countdown timer appeared on the screen.

"Three, two, one!" People counted down in unison, the huge beat echoing in the auditorium, and the girl on the stage jumped into the air.

The 90th Yugaoka Festival is now open!

As the music began and the lights shone brightly, girls dressed in cheerleading outfits surged onto the stage, and the first performance began.

There were so many activities that it was dazzling. Some people stayed, and some people left. Before stepping out of the auditorium, Yamami Maki turned around and took one last look.

Beautiful bodies swaying and dancing, sweet and innocent singing voices, dazzling lights and a bustling crowd.

It was a scene of vibrant celebration, with flowers in full bloom and oil sizzling on the stove. Yet, her heart felt cold; the uncontrollable flutter she had felt last year was nowhere to be found.

This year, Class 4 of Grade 3 is running an arcade, which includes activities such as goldfish scooping, balloon shooting, and darts. Although the format is a bit old-fashioned, it is at least more convenient. Since they are already third-year students, they would rather enjoy everything else than plan a spectacular event.

As the class monitor, Yamami Maki naturally supported everyone's ideas. She sat in her class for a whole morning to make sure that everything, including shift work, fees, and prop replenishment, was in order before leaving the classroom.

Staying in her own classroom always made her lose interest, so she took the candied apple and walked down the stairs.

The girl had no idea where to go first.

"Senior Yamami~"

Hello, senior!

Students on the street greeted her, and the girl nodded in response. A girl from the same grade came over and gently hugged her arm with a smile. "The candied apples in Moki's hand look so tempting! Where did you buy them?"

Yamami Maki waved the round, red, crystal-clear candy in her hand. "These are the ones our class sells. Limited quantities available each day, first come, first served!"

The girls jostled and ran upstairs, while the girl continued forward, from Class 2-4 to Class 2-1, passing a haunted house, a male servant café, and an art exhibition.
Walking down the stairs at the end, from Class 6 of Grade 1 to Class 1 of Grade 1, you pass a palm reading shop, a smoothie shop, and a quiz competition.
Yamami Maki felt as if she had stumbled into a dazzling tunnel, where people's gleaming eyes, the flush on their faces from shouting, and colorful cardstock and paints mingled and appeared on the tunnel walls.

But what she wanted to see was not the wall, but the light source at the end of the tunnel.

At first, the girl thought she didn't know where the end was, but after walking around the school building again, she finally realized that she was running away—

Even though Class 6 of Grade 2 was on the same floor as her class, and the sound of jazz music could be faintly heard in the stairwell, the girl didn't even glance at it or listen to a bit. Instead, she blindly rushed into the stairwell and quickly escaped.

The crowd in the corridor was still noisy. As Yamami Maki walked up the stairs, various sounds echoed in the stairwell, yet they kept their distance from the girl.

She returned to the third floor with the unfinished apple candy. The melodious and soothing jazz music naturally reached her ears. The girl followed the sound to the door of Class 6, Grade 2. Unlike the other classrooms, the door here was locked and the light was scarce.

But this darkness, harmonized by the sounds of the saxophone and drums, is actually reassuring.

Somewhat uneasily, Yamami Maki knocked on the door, which opened silently, and the girl stepped inside.

The dimly lit room was filled with guests, all of whom were quiet, as if they did not want to disturb the dim, candle-like light on the table. Their faces were turned toward the podium, where it was bright and warm, and the music was louder.

So the girl standing by the door naturally looked up.

The warm yellow light from the floor lamp illuminated the upper body and face of the girl in the center, while the alto saxophone in Tomatsu's hands shimmered with dreamlike sparkles as she swayed.

The sound of the saxophone is like sweet liqueur gliding through the air, while the drum kit and keyboard form the base of this elegant cocktail.

Jun Matsue sat behind the drum kit, his two drumsticks lightly tapping the cymbals, the drumbeats gently striking the backs of the audience, making them relax involuntarily. The boy had a gentle and carefree smile on his face, using the rhythm to invite the piano girl sitting on the other side to dance together.

Mochizuki Haruka exudes an elegant air from her very posture. The girl lowers her head slightly, her loose black hair shimmering with light. Her hands rest on the electronic keyboard, her ten fingers moving back and forth as gracefully as if plucking waves, and the melodious music dances on the keys.

In the slowly flowing darkness, their music intertwined without any reservations, the eyes of the young men and women exchanged toasts, and their playing movements echoed each other, making everyone in the darkness feel harmonious, content, and warm.

However, Yamami Maki had other emotions in her heart. She looked at the outline of the drum set in front of the boy. It was not the drum set she had carefully selected and matched, and the drumsticks she was waving were not the black thorn pattern she was familiar with, but ordinary wood color.

Right before the girl's eyes, the boy who had once played the opening and closing music for her, drummed for her, and sang for her had already left her stage and was now playing music with someone else.

As the song ended and applause erupted, Yamami Maki hid in the darkest corner, leaning against the cold wall behind her.

The girl tilted her head slightly, and the lamp cast rings of light that fell on the dark ceiling, like ripples.

She was about to give up.

(End of this chapter)