Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 647 A Trip to Tokyo University
After leaving the Setagaya Literature Museum, we boarded the Keio Line train at Roka Park Station, 300 meters away. The carriage wasn't crowded at 4 pm, and the young people found a seat next to each other.

As the tram started moving, the girl beside him swayed slightly, their shoulders touching. Jun Matsue looked at the strands of dark hair falling over her shoulders.

The golden sunlight outside the car window fell on the girl's head, like a summer-exclusive floral crown.

"Speaking of which, didn't Yuka go to the University of Tokyo before?"

Tomatsu Yuka nodded. "But I went with my parents before, not with Tsunku."

She shifted her position, bringing her thighs close to the boy's.

"Besides, we went to the Hongo campus before. Didn't Miss Hua say that we were at the Komaba campus for the past two years?"

"So let's go check out the Komaba campus today!"

The girl waved her fist and said with great interest.

The tram ride from Roka Park to Komaba Todai-mae takes only about twenty minutes. As Jun Matsue stepped out of the station, his cell phone vibrated in his pocket.

"Not coming home for dinner tonight?"

The girl asked about the message from Mochizuki Haruka again, even though the boy had already told her beforehand.

"Yeah, I'll be back a little late. You and Kurusu can eat first, no need to wait for me."

"Whether I eat or not is none of my business. Just remember not to come back too late. There's nothing fun about the party anyway."

"Okay, I'll bring you some snacks later."

He put down his phone, let out a soft breath, and walked towards the girl who was looking back at him outside the station exit.

Jun Matsueda didn't tell Haruka Mochizuki about going to the University of Tokyo with Tomatsu Tomatsu—given the current situation, if Mochizuki found out, she might try to come along.

"What happened to honesty?" the boy asked himself as he walked out of the ticket gate.

He seems to prefer less trouble to honesty now.

As the boy walked towards her, Tomatsu Yuka adjusted her shoulder bag and handed him the umbrella from inside.

"The sun is still very strong outside, let's keep using the umbrella~"

The two walked out of the station together under a black parasol, and the main gate of the University of Tokyo's Komaba campus came into view.

Tomatsu Yuka, holding the boy's arm that was holding the umbrella, looked around and said, "The sound of cicadas seems to have suddenly faded away."

Jun Matsue raised the brim of the umbrella in front of him.

The avenue in front of the school gate is lined with cedar trees. Perhaps due to the high temperature and scorching sun in summer, the slender branches of a few trees drooped listlessly, and the pine needles on them were nowhere to be seen.

Even cicadas wouldn't like to see this.

"They must have deliberately planted trees on campus that cicadas don't like to inhabit."

"Creating a suitable learning environment is a plus!" The girl nodded in satisfaction. "I hope Yuqiu High School can learn from this too."

The boy smiled. Tomatsu's attitude didn't seem like he was visiting a school he longed for, but rather like a picky examiner interviewing a new candidate.

There were many people coming and going at the school gate. There were serious men wearing masks and carrying bags, as well as girls dressed in flashy short skirts. In addition to the youthful faces that were obviously students, there were also middle-aged men with white hair like weeds and wearing glasses, who looked like professors.

This is also why the two of them came to visit shortly after their vacation started – the University of Tokyo doesn't start its summer vacation until August, so now is the perfect time to see what it looks like on a regular day.

Although there was a sign at the school gate that read "No entry for unrelated persons," the uncle in the guardhouse did not react at all, even when people who looked like tourists stood at the gate taking pictures. So the young men and women walked into the campus with peace of mind.

Jun Matsueda glanced back and said, "Compared to the prestige of the University of Tokyo, this school gate seems a bit too plain."

It was just a main gate and a side gate, without any fancy decorations, and not very spacious. It was difficult for two trucks to pass each other side by side. If it weren't for the words "Faculty of Liberal Arts, University of Tokyo" engraved on the gateposts, he might have thought he had gone to the wrong place.

“The Komaba campus is already considered good,” Tomatsu Yuka smiled. “The main gate of the Hongo campus doesn’t even have any words written on it.”

"...Tokyo University is just too amazing." That was all the boy could say.

As they entered the campus, the circular plaza at the entrance was shaded by greenery. Jun Matsue put away his umbrella, and the girl reluctantly let go of his arm, putting the parasol into her bag.

Inside the square was a camphor tree that had been pruned into a round shape, with a map sign in front of it and wooden signs on either side. The two of them naturally walked over to take a look.

The map itself wasn't anything special, but the sign next to it was quite unexpected. The red sign with white stripes had several large characters written on it—

"The international system of excellence in universities has been shattered!"

"...This was made by the students themselves, right?" Jun Matsueda looked at the crooked handwriting. "Is it a big-character poster?"

Tomatsu Yuka covered her mouth in surprise, "I've never seen anything like this at the Hongo campus."

The two continued walking, passing all sorts of wooden signs along the roadside, some normal club promotional posters, and others the protest posters they had just seen.

"We firmly oppose tuition fee increases!"

"The library at the International Liberal Arts University is open 24 hours a day, but the library at the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Liberal Arts is busy selling naming rights!"

The girl stood in front of the signboard, reading the words on it with great interest. She turned around and looked at the boy behind her.

"The school atmosphere seems very free~"

"The tuition fee is going to increase by 100,000 yen..." Jun Matsueda pinched his chin and looked at the signboard.

"Hopefully, the protest will be successful before we enroll."

The two continued walking in, following the students into the teaching area. The boy's pocket jingled again as he took out his phone to reply to a message.

"Is Mochizuki urging you to go home?" Tomatsu Yuka asked slyly.

Jun Matsueda put away his phone. "A message from Kurusu."

Yosei Kurusu has developed a new habit: if the two of them don't eat together, she will definitely send a text message to the boy to show what she ate—this should be considered a unique way for a young girl to let him know she's safe.

“Yang Shisang.” The girl tilted her head.

"How is she now? I think Masahiko Sakurai has apologized and retired."

The boy pursed his lips. "I offended the company behind him. In short, it's quite troublesome. I guess I'm basically on the sidelines."

"Shelved..." Tomatsu Tomoka blinked.

She doesn't like this news, so doesn't that mean that Kise Yosei can devote all her heart and soul to Jun-kun?

"Can't Mochizuki-san help?" she wondered, thinking about the idol. "Her family has some influence in Tokyo, right?"

The crowd ahead disappeared into the teaching building, leaving the walkway empty. Jun Matsue shook his head.

"We're not in the same field, so I can't be of any help."

He did ask Mochizuki privately, but not on behalf of Kurusu; he just wanted to know if there was any solution.

Haruka Mochizuki expressed that she could not help. The girl's family was an investor and businessman, and the only business they had in connection with the entertainment industry was the small company they bought to get closer to Jun Matsueda.

"It seems having money isn't all that's useful..." Tomatsu Yuka's regretful tone carried a hint of mockery. After asking a couple of questions, the girl's attention quickly returned to the scenery before her—a world just for Tsunku and herself; she couldn't let other women take up too much of their time.

The two stood on the avenue lined with ginkgo trees. Building No. 8 beside them was quiet, seemingly a research facility, while the students had disappeared into Building No. 10 ahead.

All around was quiet, without the sound of cicadas. The girl took a deep breath, and the fresh scent of plants filled her nostrils, refreshing her mind and body.

She took the hand of the person next to her, saying, "This road should be very beautiful in autumn!"

Matsueda Jun gazed at the ginkgo nuts that were just beginning to form among the branches and leaves, "...They'll probably smell really bad, especially right after it rains."

Tomatsu Yuka rolled her eyes at the clueless boy, then scratched his palm. "Want to go inside the teaching building and take a look?"

"We'll have to get in first."

It wasn't difficult to sneak into the teaching building, but since it was class time, it would be too abrupt to enter the classroom. The boys and girls could only stand in the somewhat hot corridor and peek into the classroom through the small window on the back door.

Tomatsu Yuka leaned against the white wall by the door, watching the students listening to the lecture in the classroom.

"It doesn't feel any different from a regular university; the first row wasn't even full!"

“It’s all about attending classes, what’s the difference?” Jun Matsuoka stood beside her.

Even as he said this, he still pressed against the girl's back, looking around at the teachers and students inside with her.

Tomatsu Tomohana suddenly turned around and asked, "If it were Tsunku, would he sit in the front row or the back row of the classroom?"

Their faces were very close, and Jun Matsue lowered his breath to avoid disturbing the slight breeze stirred up by the girl's eyelashes.

Their bodies were pressed together through their thin clothes, and the boy could feel the warmth emanating from her soft side breasts as they gently rubbed against his arm.

The two were so close that even a kiss wouldn't be out of the question.

But thinking of Mochizuki's ultimatum, Matsueda Jun could only gently hold the girl's arm and take a half step back.

"I'll probably sit in the back."

Tomatsu Yuka seemed oblivious to everything, and rolled her brown eyes.

"I thought Tsun-kun would be thinking about studying hard."

"Can't we study properly in the back row?" Jun Matsueda glanced around the classroom again. "Aren't we sitting in the back row right now?"

The girl turned around and continued to press herself against the door. A couple was sitting in the back row, their fingers intertwined on the desk; they were clearly a couple.

“The back row is definitely better.” She nodded firmly. “You can be as affectionate as you like.”

The biggest difference between university and high school is that the desks are connected together, so when Tomatsu Yuka is bored in class, she doesn't need to do exercises to pass the time.

"...That's not what I meant."

The boy's tone was helpless, and a girl's soft laughter drifted from the classroom doorway.

After leaving Building 10, the two strolled around the area again. It seemed that get out of class had just ended, as the once quiet tree-lined paths were now bustling with people again.

It was past 5 p.m., and most students had finished their classes, but instead of leaving, they gathered in the square and on the road, as if waiting for something.

Jun Matsue and Yuka Tomatsu stood under the shade of a tree, watching the bustling crowd, the girl's eyes filled with curiosity.

"What is this going to do?"

"Could it be promotion for a club activity?" the boy asked, unsure.

Their doubts quickly dissipated as the crowd held up several posters bearing familiar words—

"We firmly oppose tuition fee increases!"

Soon, students picked up megaphones and began to give speeches.

What do you think is the most relevant thing to our lives?

"Tuition fees!!" the crowd immediately shouted.

"That's right!" the voice from the loudspeaker became even more impassioned. "The school is now planning to raise tuition fees by about twenty percent!"

"Not only did they not communicate with us, the students, beforehand, but they also failed to explain the necessity and reasons for this action—we have repeatedly asked the school to disclose the financial aid plan, but there has been no response!"

"Universities belong to students, yet we don't even have the right to know. How can we support the university's decision?!"

A chorus of approval rose in the square, the leaves above the heads of the boys and girls rustled, and Tomatsu Yuka stared wide-eyed at the enthusiastic students.

"So it was a protest..."

“I bet you’ve never seen anything like this back in your hometown,” Jun Matsue joked, and the girl nodded decisively.

The loudspeakers held up in the crowd were still vibrating powerfully.

"It should be understood that the University of Tokyo, as the most prestigious university in Japan, represents the pinnacle of our country's education system, and its every move can change the educational direction of all national universities."

"The move to raise tuition fees reflects a decrease in government investment in universities, which means an increased financial burden on families and students."

"The government cuts financial support to national universities, hoping that the schools can raise funds on their own, but in the end, the pressure falls on us students!"

"This move is changing the positioning of the University of Tokyo, and its impact on universities across the country is truly immeasurable!"

Like fish bubbling to the surface, the short student holding the megaphone, having somehow stepped on something, popped his head out of the crowd, his face flushed, and shouted loudly with his neck stiff.

"Therefore, we firmly oppose tuition increases until we have a deeper understanding of the facts and the specific reasons!"

"We strongly oppose tuition fee increases!!" the crowd echoed in unison.

The crowd was like a transparent bubble, its boundaries constantly shifting and changing. Uniformed guards stood beside the boys and girls under the shade of the trees, watching the students move.

Jun Matsue listened to the guards exchange a few words, their tone as casual as if they were talking about the summer sun, before they started walking away with the crowd.

"What do you think, Jun-kun?" Tomatsu Tomoka leaned slightly forward, turning her head to look at him. "Do you feel a little more drawn to the University of Tokyo now?"

"Well..." The boy looked up and glanced at the lush greenery and the not-so-luxurious buildings around him.

That group of aggressive, energetic guys came from here.

"I'd always heard that students at Tokyo University were a bunch of weird and eccentric guys."

"But if it's this strange, it's actually quite nice."

"If Tsun-kun were a student at Tokyo University now, they would definitely elect him to speak through a megaphone, right?" the girl said with a smile.

Jun Matsueda shook his head in denial, saying, "I should be busy working."

Tomatsu Yuka smiled even more broadly, raised her right hand, made a fist, and bumped it with the boy.

"Keep trying!"

(End of this chapter)