Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 516 The Knight's Invitation from the Land of the Rising Sun

"Who said I've never had a job!" Lai Qiyang said angrily.

"Not only do I have to work overtime, but I also have to travel frequently for work!"

“Uh…” Natsumi Imokawa, holding the camera, was a little at a loss.

"Ms. Kurusu's work is quite rare, and her temperament is different from most working people."

"How is it different!" the girl persisted. "I've worked as a 711-Eleven clerk before!"

"this and that……"

Jun Matsue sighed. Not far away, maids dressed in sailor uniforms were standing behind the cherry blossom tree, looking at them curiously.

“That means you’re too young.” He walked up to Yosuke Kuraki. “You still look like a high school student, not an adult who’s about to get married.”

"Am I too young?" The girl took out her phone and used the black screen as a mirror to look at her face. "Indeed! You look like an invincible, energetic high school girl!"

Natsumi Imokawa nodded repeatedly, then curled her lip at Haruka Mochizuki, who was walking towards the three of them, and said, "Such a thick skin."

Kurusu Yosei put down his phone, raised his head, and looked at the girl with his chin. "What does Mochizuki act in?"

Mochizuki turned her face away and walked to the side, leaning against the railing on the riverbank, leaving her with a disdainful back view.

“If she doesn’t speak, she’s definitely going to be a loser…” the idol said with certainty, then looked at Tomatsu Yuka who was walking leisurely over.

What role does Yuka-chan play?

"Poor first love, he didn't have a role after graduating from high school~" the girl said with a slightly aggrieved voice, then walked to the boy's side.

Although she and Matsueda were destined to break up, they were still lovers at least for now, and she had to hold onto her place in the relationship.

"So the final winner's spot is reserved for me?" Yosei Kurusu blinked excitedly.

“There’s no such role…” Natsumi Imokawa shook her head. She looked across the river, where the bodyguards of the Mochizuki family, who were guarding downstream, had already retrieved the white ribbon.

"We'll film the chase scene with the white streaks again in five minutes! Thank you all!" The girl turned around and called out to the maids under the cherry blossom tree.

The maids in sailor uniforms nodded happily—being an extra was much more interesting than doing housework in the manor.

Natsumi Imokawa turned around again, "We'll be filming the riverside scene two more times. Tomatsu-kun and Mochizuki-kun will be taking turns, okay?"

Mochizuki Haruka, who was secretly memorizing vocabulary words by the river, put down her phone and walked towards her maids. Tomatsu Yuka nodded, handed the boy a bottle of mineral water she had just taken a sip of, and walked towards the bridge.

"Don't we need to go to the pine branch?" Kurusu Yosei asked, looking at the boy who was still standing in the same spot.

“I just finished filming,” Jun Matsue fanned the hat in his hand. “Besides, it would be awkward to leave you here all alone.”

"But I want to act!" she grabbed Natsumi Imokawa, who was about to turn and leave. "Director, please give me a role too!"

"Uh," the young director, cinematographer, and producer hesitated, "Let me think about it."

"Alright, alright, stop making things difficult for Imokawa." The boy stepped between the two. "Even if a role was arranged for you, you won't have time. Will you even have time to act later?"

Kurushi Yosei pouted and loosened the hem of the girl's clothes.

"Kurasu, you can be a spectator for a while. There should be extra uniforms in Mochizuki's car. You can change into them later and be an extra."

"That's more like it~" Miss Idol nodded in satisfaction.

The girl wasn't particularly interested in a small extra role; she simply wanted to be more involved in Jun Matsueda's life.

Natsumi Imokawa gave the boy a grateful look, then ran towards the bridge with her camera. The girls standing on the bridge waved their white scarves as if cheering her on.

Filming resumed, and the young men and women, now free, sat under the cherry blossom tree, watching a maid across from them pick up the clapperboard and slam it shut.

A soft, delicate shout swept across the river.

"action!"

The crowd on the opposite bank lowered their white ribbons and walked downstream. Tomatsu Tomoka, walking at the edge of the crowd, took Imokawa Natsumi's hand and looked at her with gentle yet sorrowful eyes—or rather, at the camera lens. Of course, the two sitting on this side could only see the girl's black hair at the back of her head. They chatted as they watched the white ribbons of light shimmer and drift by in the water.

"Is Kurusu's new album coming out soon?"

"Hmm!" Kurusu Yosei nodded vigorously. "It's next weekend! Matsueda actually knew that."

Jun Matsue smiled. "I do follow your official account. I'm your number one fan, so I should know about this, right?"

"So how did your debut album sell?"

The girl turned to look at him, her smile suddenly vanishing, and the boy felt inexplicably nervous.

"Fifty-two thousand!"

Yosei Kurusu smiled, opened his arms, and drew a big circle. "I can't remember the last few numbers!"

"Sales have exceeded expectations!" Jun Matsueda clapped his hands. "They should be on the credibility chart you mentioned before, right?"

The girl's outstretched arms crossed and slid into the air, her right hand forming an eight and her left hand forming a two.

"Ranked 82nd on the Oricon Physical Albums Chart and 63rd on the Oricon Streaming Chart!"

"That's amazing!" The boy didn't hold back his praise. "With such achievements from her debut album, it seems inevitable that Ms. Kurusu will become a superstar."

"Of course!" Yosei Kurusu proudly puffed out her chest, her sunglasses hanging on her collar gleaming brightly.

To celebrate the good news, the two went to the vending machine on the street corner and bought drinks—the boy drank soda and the girl drank milk.

Jun Matsueda covered his head with the hat on his right hand, unscrewed the soda bottle, and clinked glasses with the girl.

"By the way, why didn't you invite me to your new song premiere?"

The pre-album premiere should be quite memorable.

The short brim of his hat cast a shallow shadow, making his features appear even more profound.

"You were still taking your entrance exams back then," the girl rolled her eyes at him. "I don't think you'd have time either!"

An eye for an eye; she was retaliating against the boy's earlier comment that he was busy.

At this point, the two of them fell silent for a moment.

Amidst their joy, they tacitly realized that since the girl left the apartment, they had been spending less and less time together.

“Let’s all have a proper celebration next time we go back to the apartment,” Jun Matsue said with a smile, taking off his hat and putting it in his pocket.

"We definitely have to celebrate!" Yosuke Kurusu wiped the milk stains from the corner of his mouth and said in a cheerful tone, "My manager gave me new wine again, and I'm looking forward to drinking it with you."

“Then we’ll have to get other people to drink with us.” The boy shook his head decisively. “I can’t handle you.”

"That wouldn't be fun," the girl said, pouting in disappointment.

The two returned to the bench by the river, where the girl in the crowd on the opposite bank had been replaced by Mochizuki Haruka. Tomatsu Tomoka was standing next to Imokawa Natsumi, gazing at the two sitting together.

Yosuke Kurusu smiled at the girl on the other side of the river, then casually turned her gaze to the side. When she saw the bodyguard standing by the car, an idea popped into her mind.

"Songzhi, how about you be my bodyguard at my book signing event?"

"Bodyguard?" Jun Matsuoka blinked.

"It's during the release of this new album that I'll be meeting and signing autographs with my fans." The girl gestured with her hands. "To avoid physical contact and to control some irrational fans, I need someone to be by my side at all times to protect my safety."

"Doesn't that sound like a knight?" she said excitedly, shaking the boy's arm.

"Pine Branch, come be my knight!"

(End of this chapter)