Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 474 No New Look for the New Year

January 8th marked the start of the third semester at Haneoka High School.

Jun Matsue sat in the classroom, watching the students greet each other and talk about the New Year.

The short ones are still short, the fat ones are still fat, and the loners are still silently lurking in the corner; everyone seems unchanged.

In Japan, winter break is only two weeks long, and there are only a few days left after New Year's Day. Of course, you won't see any new look in the classroom during the new year.

"Matsueda-kun arrived very early today!"

The boy turned his head, and the back door of the classroom was pushed open. Tomatsu Yuka's smiling face was full of surprise. The girl was wearing a beige scarf and light gray cotton socks, which was the best outfit that was both warm and cute.

She bounced lightly twice on the spot, pulled down the folded scarf, revealing her cherry-colored lips.

"Happy New Year~"

"Happy New Year." Jun Matsue nodded. "Tomatsu seems particularly energetic today."

"Because I got a little bored at home," the girl smiled. "It might sound strange, but I actually quite like school~"

"Understandable."

After all, he arrived so early today because he was bored at home.

Tomatsu Yuka sat down in her seat and glanced at the seat on the other side of the boy.

"Didn't Mochizuki come with you today?"

Jun Matsueda shook his head. "She just returned to Tokyo yesterday."

"I see~" The girl looked enlightened. "So, Matsueda-san spent New Year's with Aya-chan and the others?"

"Hmm, help prepare the festive dishes, go to the shrine with Aya-chan to buy amulets for everyone, stay for another two or three days, and then go back to the apartment."

"My family is pretty much the same—"

Just as Tomatsu Yuka was about to continue the conversation, the back door of the classroom opened again, and Mochizuki Haruka walked past her like a gust of wind, carrying a cool fragrance.

The girl's straight legs, encased in black pantyhose, appeared in front of Jun Matsueda, blocking Yuka Tomatsu's view with her body.

"Happy New Year." The girl's voice was like a spring, pleasant even when she was not making a sound.

"Happy New Year." Jun Matsue blinked, watching Haruka Mochizuki reach into the bag slung over her shoulder and take something out.

"Hold out your hand." The girl's voice rose and fell slightly, her tone like that of a child in an orphanage planning a prank.

"." Jun Matsue spread his hands and placed them under her clenched little fists.

A few coins fell from her slender fingers, making a crisp, short clinking sound.

"What are you doing?" Jun Matsue turned around and looked at the girl walking towards her seat.

"Maybe it's New Year's money from Mochizuki?" Tomatsu Yuka said jokingly from the other side.

Mochizuki Haruka put the schoolbag on the table. "There's a custom called 'money washing' in Kamakura. I went to the money washing shrine and washed all kinds of coins for you."

"Keep it and don't spend it; it will be good for your wealth and fortune."

"Wow." The boy blinked in surprise, examining the six coins of different denominations in his palm. They looked no different, except that they were exceptionally clean.

"Thank you." He put the coins into a compartment in his wallet.

Even though Jun Matsueda said he didn't want any gifts, the cunning girls still found ways to slip them into his arms. By 9:50 a.m., all the students had arrived, and the sunlight made the chatter in the classroom seem to swell, carrying the warmth of the New Year.

Kominato Shoko walked into the classroom wearing a teacher's suit, her low-heeled leather shoes making a clicking sound.

"Hello, Kominato-sensei~"

"You're even cuter in the new year~"

A cacophony of greetings erupted, and the female teacher nodded, smiling like a young girl.

"We've already worked hard for two semesters, so there's no reason to give up now. Even though the third semester is short, let's all keep up the good work!"

"Let's go to the auditorium for the opening ceremony first!"

The sound of chairs being dragged echoed in the classroom as the crowd surged out into the corridor. Jun Matsue stood up with the girls.

The students from Class 5 of Grade 2 next door were also heading to the auditorium. The corridor was bustling with activity. Jun Matsue spotted a familiar figure in Class 5's line. The girl with the camera turned around and noticed his gaze.

The two waved to each other, and the group from Class 5 quickly started moving. The girl hurriedly turned around and caught up with the main group.

With one class missing, the corridor felt noticeably quieter, which struck Jun Matsuoka as odd. He turned around.

There were only a few people outside the four classrooms for third-year students, and it was unusually quiet.

"It feels like more than half of the third-year students didn't come," Tomatsu Yuka said, standing next to him. "The common exam is in a week, everyone should have taken leave to study on their own."

Jun Matsuoka didn't speak. The crowd began to move, and he turned around and followed the group toward the stairwell.

The outdoor temperature was only in the single digits, and girls in school uniform skirts were running and jumping on the road, as if trying to keep themselves warm.

The auditorium was a bit warmer. Jun Matsue sat in his classroom, while the seats for the third-year students next door were mostly empty, like a field full of potholes. The few students there were like radishes still in the potholes, waiting to be uprooted.

"It's a pleasure to see everyone back on campus in the new year," the principal's gentle voice echoed through the hall.

"For first-year students, your first year at the new school is coming to an end. I hope you enjoy and adapt well to life at Haneoka High School."

"The principal's speech is pretty much the same every year," Tomatsu Yuka blinked.

“Only by not making any distinctions can we keep talking year after year,” Jun Matsueda recalled of the elderly people in the welfare home. “That’s the wisdom of speaking.”

The third semester was short, and the principal's speech was naturally short as well. Before concluding, she emphasized the third-year students facing the common exams.

“Look at the seats for the third-year students, many are empty—they certainly didn’t oversleep because of the New Year holiday, but were busy studying in the private school and library.”

Laughter filled the auditorium as the woman on the stage continued speaking.

"Let's all cheer on the third-year students before the new semester officially begins! Although many people are absent, please include them in your cheers!"

Why was it necessary? Jun Matsue looked at the woman on the stage who had raised her hand.

She clearly doesn't need your support at all.

With no wind and no snow, the third semester began in the clear, almost white sunlight.

The uneventful week passed quickly, and Haneoka High School became even quieter as the third-year students all went to take the common exams. It was a slightly tense weekend, and Matsueda Jun only remembered the news on television reporting it like this—

"This year's Common College Entrance Examination had 490,000 applicants, the first time in 32 years that the number has fallen below 500,000."

In this less-than-optimistic atmosphere, Jun Matsueda finally saw Maki Yami again after the common exam.

(End of this chapter)