Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 660 Yamami Maki's Phone Call

After drying himself off, putting on a yukata, and walking back to the hotel along the path, Jun Matsueda felt like a sun-dried blanket, the warm feeling still lingering on his body.

However, besides the hot springs, there are other reasons for his heat...

The boy recalled the fleeting glimpse he had just caught before leaving the hot spring; the misty water couldn't conceal the girl's beautiful body, and half of Kurusu Yosei's enviable assets as an idol were laid bare before him.

It was only a brief moment of exposure; if it were an ordinary person, they would probably be desperately trying to fill in the details with their imagination right now.

But Jun Matsue has a pretty good memory; even a fleeting snapshot is enough to stay in his mind for a very long time.

"I can't think about it anymore," the boy shook his head vigorously, burying the image of fair skin and pink cheeks deep into his memory.

"Go buy some milk."

Even the most upscale hotels have vending machines. Jun Matsueda took out his coin purse from the pocket of his yukata and stuffed in a few coins.

Watching the metal rack inside the machine slowly rise and the pickup basket move towards the glass bottle of milk—modern vending machines have long been upgraded, and there won't be any embarrassing scenes of drinks falling out.

A few seconds later, he bent down and took the milk out of the spit.

The glass was hard and felt cool to the touch. Jun Matsue tore open the packaging and unscrewed the cap.

He tilted his head back and drank most of it in one gulp, then sighed softly under the gentle light above him.

"That felt great..."

After drinking the cool, sweet liquid, both his body and mind calmed down considerably. Jun Matsuoka took the milk and walked to the window at the end of the corridor, looking at the night view outside.

Actually, it wasn't that beautiful. The town's lights were particularly dim at night, and only a few of the buildings in the distance had lights on, with most of them hidden in darkness.

But there was moonlight, the rustling of the wind through the mountains, and the faint sound of flowing water day and night. The boy sipped his milk, like a greedy drinker savoring the night before him.

He heard a vibration in his pocket, took out his phone, and saw a message from Yamami Maki.

Jun Matsue immediately snapped back to reality. He placed the milk on the windowsill and tapped the pop-up window on his phone's lock screen.

"My sister is very interested in what Songzhi said!" The senior sent a hopping bird emoji.

"However, she said that signing an artist of this caliber is not a simple matter; you have to get to know them first before you can consider it."

The boy breathed a sigh of relief; his worst fear was that the Yamami family would directly refuse.

"So you need to meet and talk?"

"Yes, but there are some things to consider before that. She asked me to tell you first."

"what's up?"

The chat boxes that were originally one after another paused for a moment before new messages popped up.

"Typing is too troublesome, is it convenient for you to call, Matsue-kun?"

"..." Jun Matsue frowned as he read the girl's reply.

Should I make a call?
If there's a lot of content, typing is indeed quite troublesome... He recalled the dense text on his phone screen when he sent a message to his senior on the street before.

But calling my senior seems quite troublesome.

Jun Matsueda prefers to keep his distance from the stubborn girl he can't win back.

Soon after, another dove bowing emoji appeared on the other end, "Typing is fine too! But you'll have to wait a bit, Matsueda-kun!"

The boy's fingers twitched. "Let's do it by phone then, it'll be more convenient."

There was no other reason; he was just staring at the milk bottle in thought when he suddenly remembered the coin purse he was using, which he had bought with his senior from back then.

"Ah, okay!" The girl's emotions became more apparent in her words. "Shall we fight now?"

Jun Matsue glanced back at the empty corridor on the first floor; Kurusu and the others should still be soaking in the hot spring.

"Now, I happen to be free."

The chat window paused for a moment before a voice call invitation popped up.

The boy picked up the milk, took a sip, and then clicked to answer the call.

There was no sound from the receiver; it was completely silent. He glanced at his phone in confusion; it was indeed in the middle of a call.

"Hello? Yamami-senpai?"

"..."

The long-unheard voice rang in her ears, and Yamami Maki's feelings were hard to describe.

Even after leaving Matsue-kun, the girl could still see photos of him.

After taking off his winter school uniform coat, his clean white shirt looked a bit thin. The boy seemed to have grown another centimeter taller, and his bangs grew longer before being trimmed.

However, she could see his face, but could not hear his voice, nor feel his breath or warmth.

So even just a simple "Yamami-senpai" is enough to make the girl unconsciously drift into a daze.

“…I’m here!” Yamami Maki quickly replied, “Um, good evening, Matsueda-kun.”

"...Good evening." The boy waited a while before speaking, perhaps trying to figure out the best way to treat her.

"So, Miss Yuxiang, is there something you want to tell me?"

There was no unnecessary small talk, nor any deliberate coldness. The girl's feelings were somewhat complicated. She sat down at her desk and opened her notebook.

"My sister said that the company usually signs professional singers, and the company takes care of songwriting, album recording and distribution."

"There are idols, but they are all in groups. They are selected and trained by companies. There is no precedent for signing mature individual idols."

Jun Matsueda blinked in surprise. The Yami family doesn't allow its members to appear in public, yet their company trains artists from scratch...

Is it because he is a chef standing in front of a cutting board that he disdains to be with the ingredients?

"Is Matsueda-san listening?" Yami Maki asked, her voice a little nervous.

"Yes, you can continue."

“Okay, my sister said this is also due to the company’s market planning, so she needs to figure out whether Ms. Kurusu intends to stick to her idol singer image if she plans to transfer to YM Entertainment.”

The boy nodded. "I'll ask Kurusu, and we'll have them meet and talk about it then."

"Yes, my sister also asked me to tell them that the company is already aware of Ms. Kuru's current situation, so if they really want to sign a contract, there will definitely be corresponding pressure on the contract terms."

"Understood." Matsueda Jun felt a little relieved. As expected, the Yami family's company wasn't afraid of SG targeting them.

"There are some things to note about artists transferring their agencies, which need to be discussed between the artist and their original company. I think Matsueda might want to know about that."

Yamami Maki flipped through the notebook in front of her; these were all the questions she had pestered her older sister for.

With this information, Songzhi's call shouldn't end so quickly.

"Then please continue. Thank you very much. I will write it down."

The girl breathed a sigh of relief, "First of all, there's the issue of ownership of the stage name..."

Listening to the gentle voice in his ear, Jun Matsue gazed at the silhouettes of the mountains and forests swaying in the moonlight outside the window and silently finished the rest of his milk.

Perhaps it was just his imagination, but his senior's voice didn't seem as pleasant as it used to be.

It was as if she had lost some of her energy and spirit, or perhaps she had simply talked too much and her throat was a little dry; her voice lacked its original reserved liveliness.

The boy recalled the neighborhood he had seen during the day—although it seemed to have regained its vitality after reconstruction, the outdated doors and windows and the gas lamp-shaped streetlights by the bus stop still couldn't hide its inherent gloom. The teenage girl who had leaned against the railing of the school corridor with him, eating ice cream and lamenting that her seventeen-year-old self was already past her prime, seemed truly gone forever.

"And we also need to pay attention to those interrupted endorsement deals and merchandise releases..."

Jun Matsue raised the glass bottle in his hand, watching the remaining milk slide down the empty bottle wall, leaving a murky mark.

"Songzhi, why did it take you so long to buy some milk!"

He heard a girl calling from behind him. He turned around and saw Yosuke Kurusu, dressed in a yukata, waving at him and pulling Aya Miyamura along as they walked from the other side of the corridor.

"...Does Matsueda-san still want to hear it?" Yami Maki asked cautiously on the phone.

"I'm afraid that's not convenient." Jun Matsue shook the empty bottle in his hand at the two of them. "How about I call you later?"

"It's okay, there's not much left. I'll take a picture and send it to you," the girl said considerately, without mentioning why she hadn't done so before.

"Okay, thank you for replying to me so quickly, Yamami-senpai."

"I was just asking my sister." Yami Maki's smile was a little awkward, something only she could see.

Before the call ended, the girl finally couldn't help but ask one more question.

"Is Matsueda-san on vacation right now?"

"Yes."

Who was he with? The question was left unanswered because the boy had already put down his phone.

The last thing she heard was Yosei Kurusu's carefree complaining.

"It's one thing to leave so early when you're soaking in the hot springs, but to dawdle here just to buy some milk..."

After hanging up the phone, the spacious bedroom immediately fell silent. Yamami Maki stared blankly at her phone for a while.

That's Ms. Kurusu's voice, isn't it? Did they go to the hot springs together?

Are there only two people? Or is Yuka also there?
"..." The girl threw herself onto the bed and sighed at the bright light on the ceiling.

Maki Yami originally had no intention of having a voice call with Jun Matsueda, but Kokoro Kuroha had been annoyed by the girl's frequent phone checks these past few days and gave her this suggestion.

"Since you're not planning to let go of Matsueda Jun, you might as well call him and hear his voice, instead of staring at your phone all day, feeling happy one minute and disappointed the next!"

Encouraged by her childhood friend, she finally mustered the courage to make the call today.

However, the girl did not find much comfort; instead, the conversation she overheard made her even more unsettled.

It's all Kokoro's fault; she shouldn't have made that call.

Yamami Maki wanted to say that, but the complaint stuck in her throat and she couldn't bring herself to say it.

At least she could hear his voice again... The girl looked at the phone placed to the side.

I was so busy explaining the precautions for artists transferring their registration to Songzhi that I didn't listen to him properly.

Perhaps she should record it, she thought, trying hard to recall.

Will there be another chance to make a phone call?

Even if not, when Ms. Kurusu meets her sister, Ms. Matsueda will probably come too, right?
The thought of meeting Jun Matsueda made Maki Yami a little nervous. She turned off the light, closed her eyes, and imagined the possible scenarios.

What should I say then?

If they actually met in person, would she still be able to speak as rationally as she did on the phone?

Ultimately, would Matsueda really want to see her...?

The girl was unaware that the boy had already seen her near Ochanomizu University.

After rolling around on the large bed a few times, Yamami Maki finally buried her head in the blankets, her shoulders trembling slightly.

"Sorry……"

Yosei Kurusu stood by the vending machine and took the iced milk that Aya-chan handed him.

"Who is Songzhi calling?"

"It's the private school's phone number. I have a mock exam for Tokyo University in a couple of days." Jun Matsueda put away his phone and placed the empty bottle in his hand into the recycling bin next to the machine.

He planned to talk to Kurusu about these things on the way back, since he was out having fun and shouldn't think too much.

"The mock exam for Tokyo University..." Miss Idol repeated, tearing open the milk carton and suddenly bringing her head close to the boy's face.

"You'd better prepare those pine branches carefully, it wouldn't be good if you only had me on your mind~"

The loose neckline of the girl's yukata was slightly open due to her posture. Matsueda Jun didn't say anything, but pressed the girl's shoulders and pushed her away.

Yosuke Kurusu slyly observed his expression, then opened the lid of the milk and, in unison with Aya-chan beside him, tilted his head back and drank it down.

"Ha—" she made a drinking sound, "Iced milk after a hot spring bath is the best!"

“As expected, milk in glass bottles is the most authentic!” Miyamura Aya held the bottle high with both hands, like a believer gazing upon a sacred object.

"I heard they're going to get rid of glass bottles in the future, how can that be!"

"Remember to wrap your yukata tightly after you finish drinking the milk." Jun Matsueda looked at the girls' flushed cheeks. "Don't catch a cold."

"No way!" Yosei Kurusu waved his hand. "We still need to exercise—isn't table tennis after the hot springs a must-do activity?"

The boy raised an eyebrow. "Won't that make you sweat again?"

"So what if I sweat?" the girl said nonchalantly. "It's still early. I can just go back to my room and soak in the hot spring again."

"However, that bathtub isn't big enough, so mixed-gender bathing might be a bit difficult~"

She stuck out her tongue to wipe away the milk stains from the corner of her lips, her deliberately slowed movements exuding a seductive charm.

Jun Matsue ignored her temptation and walked toward the front desk at the end of the corridor.

"Then I'll go reserve the pool table first, so you don't rush over excitedly only to find it's already in use."

"I'll go with you!" Lai Xi You Shi finished the rest of her milk in a few gulps, grabbed the boy's yukata sleeve, and followed behind him.

Miyamura Aya stood there, slowly drinking her milk. Only after the two had walked away did she return the glass bottle and begin her leisurely stroll.

Ten minutes later, Jun Matsue stood by the ping-pong table, watching the small white plastic ball bounce back and forth among the girls dressed in brightly colored yukatas.

The ping-pong ball flew off the table quickly, the boy picked it up, and it was taken by the smug idol.

It must be said that, putting aside their skill level, the girls' clumsy yet adorable movements as they wielded their rackets in their yukatas were truly a sight to behold.

Back at the pool table, as he turned to a page of the scoreboard, Jun Matsuoka's cell phone rang again in his pocket.

It wasn't a message from Yamami Maki, but rather a profile picture of a haughty black cat.

"I'm coming back a day early."

Returning to Tokyo a day earlier, on the same day as me... Matsueda Jun remembered what Mochizuki had said before, that she wanted to see me when she came back.

The boy pursed his lips slightly and quickly replied to the message.

"receive."

The girl's patience was indeed limited.

(End of this chapter)