Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 609 Not Letting Go

After soaking in the hot spring, Jun Matsueda went back to his room to change into some comfortable clothes before leaving the hotel.

They were greeted by young men and women in yukatas, jostling and laughing, apparently having just returned from a bonfire party.

"Sakamuro!" Jun Matsueda called out to a boy in the crowd, "Have you seen Yuka?"

Sakamuro Ken, who was clutching several fans in his hand, stopped in his tracks. "Tomatsu, huh...?"

He asked the girl behind him a couple of questions, then turned around.

"They said Tomatsu went back to the hotel a long time ago!"

"Received, thank you." Jun Matsue nodded and walked past the crowd.

"Is Matsue still going out?" Ken Sakamuro called out to his retreating figure.

The boy waved from under the streetlight.

"Let's take a short walk."

The neighborhood where the hotel was located was called Kasuga-cho. After crossing several tree-lined streets that lived up to the name "Kasuga," the dark sea reappeared before his eyes.

Jun Matsue took a deep breath; the damp sea breeze was slightly cool, as if trying to steal away the warmth from under his shirt little by little.

The boy glanced at the road behind him; the empty road surface twisted and stretched towards the distant coastline.

He turned back to look ahead, where a few lights were still lit in the distant Atami Harbor, probably by local residents who, like him, were out for a stroll.

"Let's move forward..."

The sea breeze carried the sound of the tide as Jun Matsue walked along the edge of the road. In the dim light beyond the stone railings, where the streetlights couldn't reach, the waves crashing against the rocky beach shattered weakly into powder, leaving a fleeting silver spray in his peripheral vision.

As the jogging man passed by, panting, the boy who hadn't stopped walking sighed softly.

Some multiple-choice questions are indeed difficult.

To be honest, he's starting to understand his senior a little better now.
Jun Matsue was very self-aware; no matter how much his senior liked him, it was hard to compare with the family that had raised him for nearly twenty years.

It wasn't because she was happy at home; it was just that after nearly twenty years of living like that, leaving her family was no different from changing herself—even if she knew it might be a good thing, the pain of change wouldn't be lessened by whether it was good or bad.

Just like now, as he takes a walk, he already knows that the best choice is not to make a choice.

But if he makes this choice, is he still the same Jun Matsuoka?

"...What else can we do?"

The boy turned his head and looked at the boundless sea shrouded in night.

Maki Yami is a greedy perfectionist, but she eventually realizes that perfection is impossible, so she makes a rational decision.

Jun Matsue picked up a stone from the roadside and threw it into the water.

"But I think I've lost my rationality."

A deep "thump" echoed across the silent highway, as if the night in Atami had just awakened.

"I can't let go," he said to himself, watching the ripples disappear into the waves in an instant.

Whether it's Mochizuki Haruka or Tomatsu Tomoka, it seems like she can't let go of either of them.

When Mochizuki uttered those derogatory words to Tomatsu in front of him, Matsueda Jun could no longer deceive himself—

He clearly realized that in his heart, there was no longer any significant difference in their status.

So, is it possible that neither of them will let go?

Jun Matsue continued along the road.

He took out his phone and sent a message to Mochizuki Haruka first.

"Are you hungry?"

The girl replied with a question mark, and the boy continued typing, "I'm taking a walk outside now, do you want me to bring you something to eat?"

Mochizuki replied after a while, sending a voice message.

I want to eat goldeneye snapper!

Compared to her caution and unease on the road, the girl's tone was much softer—she must have realized that Matsueda Jun wasn't angry with her, so she felt relieved.

Golden-eyed sea bream... Jun Matsueda looked around.

We're almost at the beach where the fireworks festival is held. There aren't many shops open nearby, and I wonder if the ramen place we had for dinner is still open.

"Let me take a look first," the boy replied.

"Then I'll wait for you to come back~"

After staring at Mochizuki Haruka's black cat avatar for a while, Matsueda Jun switched to Tomatsu Yuka's chat window.

"Is there anything you'd like to eat, Yu-Hana?"

"Is Jun-kun outside?" the girl replied just as quickly.

"Yeah, we went for a walk after soaking in the hot springs. You didn't have dinner, you must be hungry now, right?"

"Actually, it's not so bad. But if Tsunku is going to bring some, I'll happily eat it all!"

The answer was very Tomatsu-esque. Jun Matsueda nodded, as if the girls immediately reverted to their usual selves once they stopped seeing each other.

"So what do you want to eat?"

"Hmm... desserts or snacks are fine, just buy whatever you think is best, Jun-kun~"

As always, Matsumoto Jun gave the same answer: he put down his phone and walked away from the beach where the sound of the waves was deafening.

Not far away was the platform where they had watched the fireworks display. Just over an hour ago, the coastline was ablaze with light and bustling with people, but now it was sparsely populated and left to the ravages of the tide.

Standing on the dimly lit beach, watching the shimmering water under the moonlight for a while, the boy turned around, his footsteps drowned out by the swaying waves.

At 9:40 p.m., Jun Matsue returned to the hotel carrying bags full of stuff. Ken Sakamuro, who was in the room, opened his eyes wide in surprise.

"Did Songzhi go to buy late-night snacks?"

"...I guess so." The boy smiled and took a jar of pudding out of the bag and handed it to him.

"I'll put these things in my room first. Please keep an eye on them for me so that no one who comes to visit steals them."

"No problem!" Ken Sakamuro, busy opening the pudding, saluted and watched his roommate leave again.

Jun Matsue went up to the third floor and glanced at the bag he was carrying—he had just put a golden-eye snapper rice bowl and a fruit sandwich in his room, and now he had some desserts and snacks from the Atami Shopping Street.

So it goes without saying where he's going now.

Stepping into the umbrella building's corridor, Jun Matsue greeted the girls in the corridor and, under their curious gazes as they turned around, knocked on the door of a certain room.

The noisy sounds from behind the door suddenly quieted down, and a spirited girl spoke up to ask.

"Who is it?"

The boy coughed twice. "I'm Jun Matsue. Is Yuka inside?"

The room immediately became noisy again, and the chattering behind the door grew even louder.

"It's Matsueda-kun~"

"Yuhua, Yuhua, I've come to see you."

"My boyfriend came to visit me on set!"

He soon heard Tomatsu Yuka's voice, "Don't stare at me, it feels weird~"

Although she said this, the girl's smile was obvious. Her footsteps approached the door, followed by the sound of turning the handle.

"hello--"

The thin wooden door opened, and Jun Matsue watched as the girls in the room peeked out and waved to him from behind Yuka Tomatsu.

"Wow, this is so lively!" He smiled. "Is this a party?"

“That’s right~” a girl waved the card in her hand at him, “This is UNO!”

"These are Hanafuda cards~" Another girl held up a deck of cards with elegant designs. "Matsueda-kun, want to play together?"

"Alright, alright..." Tomatsu Yuka smiled helplessly, "Let's go outside and chat."

She reached out and put her hand on the boy's shoulder, then pushed him out the door.

"These are snacks I brought for you." Jun Matsueda held up the bag in his hand and waved it in front of the girl. "Butter red bean bread, fried fish cakes, and pudding."

Tomatsu Yuka stared at the three plastic bags, which were completely full, and her mouth dropped open slightly.

"So much... Could it be that Tsun-kun wants to fatten me up like a pig?"

The boy laughed, "You can choose your favorite flavor first, and then share the rest with the others."

The girl nodded obediently, "Then I'll try a bite first~"

She opened the bag in the boy's hand, picked out a fried fish cake, and took a bite.

"Mmm..." Tomatsu Tomohana nodded happily, "Being able to eat whole shrimp meat and melted, hot mayonnaise is super delicious!"

"Then try more of this flavor." Jun Matsue tapped the paper bag with his finger. "The different flavors are packaged separately, so it's easy to find them."

"Mmm!" The girl puffed out her cheeks and chewed. "They must be so happy."

"Our punishment for playing games tonight is drinking super sour lemon juice. It's so uncomfortable if we don't have anything to eat!"

"Did you lose?"

She frowned. "I lost once when playing UNO, and once when playing Hanafuda. It really doesn't taste good..."

Watching the girl chatter on and on in front of him, Jun Matsue felt a little silent.

Tomatsu couldn't possibly be as nonchalant as she appeared.

"Yuka," the boy called softly, "I'm sorry about the fireworks festival."

"..." Tomatsu Yuka blinked, then laughed.

She took the boy's hand and walked a few steps deeper into the corridor, so that the gossipy girls wouldn't overhear what she was about to say.

"It's alright, after all, what Mochizuki-san said is the truth."

"If she's planning to date you, then there's really nothing for me to do now."

“It was my fault.” Jun Matsueda found it hard to refute this fact.

"How could it be Jun-kun's fault?" The girl held the unfinished fried fish cake in her hand, gazing quietly into his eyes.

"It's clearly Mochizuki's fault for not wanting to take responsibility; she probably doesn't trust you enough, right?"

"..." The boy chuckled self-deprecatingly, "In this regard, I seem to have no trust left."

“No, that’s not true~” Tomatsu Yuka shook her head.

"At least I believe that Jun-kun won't kick me aside just because of something Mochizuki said."

"Right?"

The girl leaned closer, bending down and tilting her face up. Her deep brown eyes looked small and innocent as she looked up.

Jun Matsue held her shoulders. "I'm not just here because I'm worried about you, it's that simple."

“I know.” The girl’s smile brightened again. “I only said that to please Mochizuki Haruka back then.”

"Yuhana, aren't you done chatting yet?" The door to the room not far away opened. "Let's start the next round!"

"Coming right away~" Tomatsu Yuka waved and then took the bag from the boy's hand.

"You're still going to find Mochizuki Haruka, right?"

Jun Matsue nodded, surprised yet honest.

"Because you're clean and don't smell like her." The girl winked mischievously and slowly backed away towards the room.

"Jun-kun doesn't need to apologize to me. You haven't done anything to wrong me."

"So I would prefer that Mochizuki-san say 'sorry' to me."

Tomatsu Yuka waved goodbye one last time, opened the door to the room, and the warm yellow light inside illuminated her profile.

"Remember to go to bed early tonight, Jun-kun~"

Watching the girl close the room door, the dim, old-fashioned light returned to the corridor. Jun Matsue sighed and turned to walk downstairs.

Tomatsu was still hiding his emotions, only releasing a little bit in his last few words.

He returned to his room. After washing his hair, Kenjiro Sakamuro came out of the bathroom and watched as the boy picked up the bag on the table, turned around, and walked out again.

"...Are you going out again?"

"This is the last trip." Jun Matsueda's back was exceptionally resolute.

Stepping into the stairwell again, he went straight to the top floor—Wang Yue's room was, as always, a luxurious suite located on the top floor of the hotel.

This time, there was no need to wait; the boy directly knocked on an even heavier and more magnificent door.

"Did Matsue buy the golden-eyed sea bream?" Mochizuki Haruka stood at the door, wearing that creamy white home tank top.

"Golden-eye sea bream rice bowl." Jun Matsueda shook the bag in his hand. "This was originally the last serving that the owner intended to enjoy himself."

The luxury suite was naturally equipped with a kitchen and a refrigerator. The boy reheated the slightly cold food and served it to the girl.

"Feed me with pine branches~" Mochizuki Haruka sat at the table with her mouth wide open, revealing her moist, bright red little tongue.

"...I'll feed you the first bite."

Jun Matsue mixed the rice and vegetables slightly, then scooped up a spoonful, tore off a piece of sea bream from the bowl with his chopsticks, placed it on the spoon, and fed it to the girl.

"Mmm..." Mochizuki Haruka chewed happily, "Delicious~ One more bite!"

"Do it yourself." The boy rolled his eyes at her. "I'll go get you some hot tea."

When he returned to the bedroom with the tea that came with the rice in the kamameshi (rice pot), the girl's lips were already stained with the golden yolk of the onsen tamago (hot spring egg).

"The owner said we can save some rice to make ochazuke (rice with tea), which is also delicious."

Jun Matsue placed the teacup on the table, and the girl nodded in agreement. He then picked up the plastic bag from the side.

"Here are two matcha puddings, which can be eaten as dessert. Remember to put this strawberry sandwich in the refrigerator for your breakfast tomorrow."

Mochizuki Haruka put down the spoon in her hand, and the girl sitting on the tatami twisted her thighs and hips, rubbing against the boy's arm.

"Pine branches are the best!"

Jun Matsueda pressed his forehead against hers with disdain, "Don't get my clothes dirty."

"Songzhi, what activities do the boys do in the evening?"

"We didn't. The people next door probably went to bed around 10 p.m. too."

"Then—" Mochizuki Haruka used her index finger to pull aside the thin fabric covering her chest, "How about we continue to do it tonight?"

"..." The boy wiped the stain from the corner of her mouth. "Let's talk about it when we get back to Tokyo. There won't be time for you to sleep in tomorrow."

"Oh." Mochizuki Haruka licked her lips regretfully. "How about I do it for you with my mouth?"

Looking at the girl's pink lips glistening with moisture, Jun Matsue closed his eyes with difficulty.

"Let's talk about it next time."

Half an hour later, Jun Matsue lay on his bed in his room, listening to the sound of the wind rustling through the trees outside the window, which sounded like rain.

He ate with Mochizuki Haruka before returning to his room. Apart from feeding the girl a few more bites, he didn't do anything else.

Mochizuki's invitation was indeed tempting, but the boy wasn't in the mood for it tonight.

Gazing at the cold, pale moonlight emanating from the ceiling, Jun Matsue sighed silently to himself.

The biggest problem is how to persuade Mochizuki if we don't want Tomo to give up.

(End of this chapter)