Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 698 How to Play Love

In the second week of school, the third-year students of Haneoka High School reluctantly faced the national mock exam of Sundaijuku.

After answering test papers like machines without stopping, the teenagers who looked up suddenly realized that three days of September had already passed.

At 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, the school bell rang, and the students, relieved, chattered noisily as they walked out of the classroom before the Mandarin teacher's footsteps could be heard.

The mock exams had just ended yesterday, and the atmosphere in the classroom was much more relaxed than usual. Jun Matsue closed the special booklet full of classical Chinese texts and put it in his drawer.

When he looked up, it seemed as if a gaze had appeared on his face as he looked at the seat to his right.

A girl in a pure white sailor uniform leaned against a desk, one hand supporting her chin, her brown eyes fixed on the boy's face with a soft smile.

Jun Matsue blinked, meeting her gaze. "Yuka, do you have any plans after school?"

Tomatsu Yuka smiled without saying a word, picked up her beautiful saxophone bag from beside her desk, and held it in front of her with both hands.

The boy understood. "The brass band asked you to give instructions again?"

The girl then nodded and asked, "Are you free today, Jun-kun?"

Her eyelashes fluttered. "I've been practicing for several days, and I've already gotten back into the swing of playing!"

Jun Matsue first recalled the photo she posted on Sunday, and then nodded.

"No problem, shall we go now?"

"Waiting a little longer is fine." Tomatsu Yuka looked out the window at the activity building across the street. "They should have just left for their clubrooms."

“Let’s go over there then.” The boy stood up. “Even though you’re a senior, it still doesn’t feel right to be late.”

“Okay~” The girl obediently got up, and Jun Matsue took her schoolbag.

He turned back before leaving the classroom.

Sitting by the window, Mochizuki Haruka was chatting with a glamorous girl standing next to her. The girl smoothed her black hair, seemingly oblivious to the commotion on the other side of the back row.

As he stepped into the after-school corridor, Jun Matsue slightly raised his right arm so that the girl next to him could easily hold it.

"Can the brass band win the national gold medal this year?" he asked casually.

"It's hard to say," Tomatsu Yuka said, affectionately wrapping her arm around the boy's, her expression becoming even brighter.

"Although everyone's attitude is quite positive and proactive, but—"

"Pine branch!" A shout from behind interrupted the girl's words, and she turned around.

Natsumi Imokawa stood at the entrance of Class 5 not far away and ran towards the two of them. She stopped in front of the boy, pressing her heaving chest with one hand as she gasped for breath.

"Imagawa?" Matsueda Jun turned around, somewhat surprised. "Did you need something?"

The girl nodded vigorously, but she quickly noticed the two people in front of her linking arms, and her expression became blank again.

"Well, how about I message you later?"

Jun Matsue looked at the girl beside him. Tomatsu Yuka moved her lips, as if she wanted to speak, but was interrupted by new footsteps.

"Please give way."

A cold yet sweet voice sounded from behind. Imokawa Natsumi hurriedly leaned against the wall, and the girl holding the books brushed past her.

Mochizuki Haruka's expressionless face was directly in front of the young couple's intertwined arms; she was like a moving iceberg, heading straight ahead.

The two had to let go and turn sideways. The girl walked through the gap in the middle without any politeness, and even bumped into the boy's arm.

"..." Watching her walk hesitantly towards the study room, Jun Matsue and the girl beside him exchanged bewildered glances.

"I'll go to the brass band room first," Tomatsu Yuka smiled at him.

"Anyway, Chunjun is here to observe, so it's okay if he goes a little later."

The girl shook the saxophone bag in her hand, glanced at Imokawa Natsumi across from her who was looking down and pinching her thumb, and then turned and walked to the other end of the corridor.

"I'll be there in a bit," the boy said, and Tomatsu Yuka's black hair swayed gently behind her back.

Jun Matsue turned around, while Natsumi Imokawa, still standing there, was gazing at the figure in the distance.

"Did Songzhi's plan to have his cake and eat it too fail?"

The girl snapped out of her daze and looked curiously at the boy in front of her.

Jun Matsue waved his hand. "The version has been updated. I'm trying to adapt."

"Let's not talk about that now. What does Yuchuan want with me?"

“Oh…” Natsumi Imokawa blinked; she had wanted to ask a few more questions.

The girl took off her backpack and held it to her chest. She carefully pulled out a CD with a thin protective case from a hidden compartment and waved it in front of the boy.

"My CD is burned!"

"Wow." Jun Matsue stepped forward and looked at the disc in her hand from left to right.

Aside from the exceptionally pink fingers that were holding it and the nails that shone with a healthy luster, the boy didn't notice anything particularly special.

"Can I take it out and have a look?"

"no problem!"

He took the disc and carefully pulled it out of its protective case.

This is a Sony silver-white CD with the words "Imokawa Natsumi" written on it in an oil-based pen. Judging from the round and cute handwriting, it should have been written by the girl herself.

The boy held up the CD, and several rainbow-like streaks of light shimmered under the lamplight, changing with the angle at which he held it.

"Imokawa's hard work over the past six months is all contained in this thin CD."

“It’s the result of our hard work!” Natsumi Imokawa puffed out her cheeks as she looked at him. “Didn’t Matsueda also participate a lot?”

“That makes sense.” Jun Matsue carefully tucked it back into the protective case and gently placed it back into the girl’s hand.

"So, Imokawa can relax now?"

"It's not time yet!" The girl shook her head, her black hair flying in the wind. "We've just finished the preparations."

Natsumi Imokawa pressed the CD against her soft chest, tilted her head back, and said expectantly.

"So, Pine Branch, come with me to register!"

"..." The boy blinked. "Register?"

"If I have to go to Tokyo University of the Arts, I might not have the time."

"No need, I just need to go to the post office to mail my registration letter!" the girl hurriedly explained.

"I'd like someone to go with me to the post office in Xidiwa, so I don't make any mistakes without realizing it..."

She was somewhat anxious, and Matsueda Jun took a step back to avoid bumping into Imokawa's aggressively pressing chest.

The boy thought for a moment, "Is Saturday enough time? I'll go with you to mail the letter after school?"

Actually, he's freer on Sundays, but according to Tomatsu Yuka's plan, he should go to her house to study this Sunday...

A look of joy flashed in Natsumi Imokawa's eyes. "Then I'll come find you!"

"no problem."

Jun Matsue looked down the corridor and saw that the number of people had decreased; the brass band must have already started practicing.

"But for something like this, can't you just ask your parents to help you?"

"If I ask for my mom and dad, wouldn't that make me seem like a child again?" The girl shook her head again.

"I don't want to listen to their nagging anymore."

"A cute problem," Jun Matsue smiled, and zipped up the backpack for the girl who was putting away the CDs.

"Is that settled then? I need to go find Yuhua."

Natsumi Imokawa's cheerful mood seemed to come to a sudden halt as she recalled Tomatsu Tomoka, who had just been holding a boy's arm, and Mochizuki Haruka, who had walked firmly and coldly between them.

The girl's full lips moved slightly, then quickly closed again.

"...Goodbye, pine branch."

"See you tomorrow."

She waved and watched the boy's figure, carrying two backpacks, gradually disappear into the distance.

Upon entering the third floor of the activity building, melodious wind music overflowed from the room into the corridor. Jun Matsue slowed his pace and stopped outside the front door of the brass band room.

The music was still playing inside, and it wouldn't be wise to just push the door open and go in. He decided to wait until the piece was over.

Leaning against the wall, the boy looked up at the sky outside the corridor—the three days of the mock exam had been accompanied by drizzling, intermittent rain, and today, dark clouds of varying shades still lingered over Mitaka City.

However, thanks to this, the persistently high temperatures have finally begun to drop. Today's high is only 29 degrees Celsius, as if this tumultuous summer is finally coming to an end.

The soothing and melodious tune drifted through the air, dispelling the lingering warmth of late summer. Jun Matsuoka listened with his eyes closed, but he couldn't find any trace of the high-pitched saxophone in it.

He turned and leaned against the window, looking inside. He quickly spotted Tomatsu Yuka in front of the neatly arranged band of musicians. The girl stood beside the conductor, holding a magnificent golden saxophone. She didn't join in the playing, but simply nodded slightly to the melody, her eyes closed as she listened intently.

As the song ended, Tomatsu Yuka opened her eyes—as if there were some invisible trace in the transparent air, she naturally looked towards the window, and the boy's figure was reflected in her honey-colored pupils.

The girl sitting in the principal oboe position stood up, her expression one of surprise.

"You look so satisfied, senior. Has your progress been very obvious this time?"

"There has been progress," the girl said with a smile, shaking her head, "but that's not what makes me happy."

She walked over and opened the front door of the classroom. The boy in the white shirt leaned in first, revealing his clean-cut and handsome face.

"Sorry to bother you~"

Before he could continue his self-introduction, gasps of surprise rang out from the group of girls holding musical instruments.

"It's Jun Matsueda!"

"That handsome guy who ran four races in a row at the sports meet!"

Two Olympiad gold medals in two years!

"Yuka-senpai's boyfriend!!!"

The room was immediately filled with the cheers of the girls. Jun Matsue walked over to the girl with a helpless yet sweet expression and greeted the others with a cheerful smile.

A few minutes later, the band quieted down, and the girls sat down again with their instruments, listening attentively to the joint guidance from the club president and senior members on the podium.

Of course, some people still secretly turned their heads to glance behind them—Yuka's boyfriend was standing there, a gentle smile on his lips, listening attentively to his girlfriend's speech.

How wonderful... Their envy of Tomatsu Yuka grew even stronger.

"Alright—" The young minister put down her oboe and clapped her hands.

"You must remember the points I just mentioned for each part, especially the breath control that the senior student emphasized during ensemble playing. You must maintain it well."

"Let's do it one more time!"

The two stepped down from the stage, giving the conductor space. Tomatsu Yuka, carrying the delicate music that began to play again, walked to the boys in the back row.

She took her lover's hand, pressed their arms together, rested her chin on his shoulder, and spoke softly.

"How does Jun-kun feel?"

The girl's warm, moist breath brushed against his earlobe, causing a slightly ambiguous tickle. Matsueda Jun tilted his head, looking at the focused commander in front of him.

"It seems like there aren't any particularly outstanding people this year?" He listened carefully.

"But the atmosphere when we're together is the best."

"Yes~" The girl nodded, her head resting on his shoulder.

"I quite like the atmosphere of this year's cohort, which is why I agreed to mentor them."

The two didn't say much, but leaned against each other, quietly listening to the beautiful melody surrounding them. Only when the conductor on stage clenched her hands, and Tomatsu Yuka, with her eyes half-closed like a kitten, fluttered her eyelashes and released the boy's arm.

"Please wait a moment, Jun-kun—I'll play for you alone after today's practice."

Jun Matsue nodded. The girl who had walked away turned around and gave him a flirtatious wink. Then, amidst another round of cheers from the girls, she walked up to the podium with a smile.

The boy watched her swaying school uniform skirt; it seemed Tomatsu quite enjoyed the feeling of having her relationship noticed and blessed by everyone.

At 4:30 p.m., the chaotic footsteps of the girls flooded into the corridor, shattering the lingering echoes that had just fallen.

Jun Matsue remained in the clubroom, standing beside Yuka Tomatsu, watching her say goodbye to each of her departing juniors.

After the last girl left the clubroom, the girl who had relaxed let out a sigh of relief. She closed the door, turned around, and smiled at the boy.

"Finally, it's time for just the two of us!"

Jun Matsue cleared space in the center of the room and moved a chair down. Tomatsu Yuka picked up her exquisite and shiny soprano saxophone, carefully wiped it clean, and then walked over to him.

"Is Jun-kun ready?" The girl blinked.

"I'm really looking forward to it." The boy smiled.

Then Tomatsu Yuka straightened her chest, leaned forward slightly, looked into her beloved's eyes and saw her reflection in them, and then played the first note.

The gentle melody is like the nonchalant tone at the beginning of the story. After the girl finishes playing the first "words," Jun Matsueda realizes that it is a song he has heard before.

Utada Hikaru's "First Love" is a well-known song in Japan.

As the emotions in the music slowly spread, familiar lyrics involuntarily surfaced in the boy's mind.

"The final kiss carried a bittersweet, heartbreaking scent."

Where will you be at this time tomorrow?

"Whom will she be thinking of this time?"

Yes, it was a sad love song, Jun Matsue thought as he looked at the girl standing in front of him.

The dim light from the window illuminated the pure white outline of the sailor uniform. Tomatsu Yuka's slender fingers danced gracefully on the gleaming gold buttons, evoking images of trickling streams or soft whispers, carrying the melancholy of a young girl's thoughts.

But the saxophone's melodious and bright tone diluted the sadness, like sincere words after careful consideration, wanting to flow down the boy's earlobe into his heart.

"You will be my eternal love, my one and only forever~"

"Until a new song plays again, the time that once stood still will continue to move forward."

I hope I have a place in your heart too~

"That way I can play the melody again and again—"

"Now and forever."

In the delicate, trembling, lingering tone, the girl blew her long and obsessive love, her profound yet innocent scheming, into a continuous, rain-laden wind, enveloping the boy in her heart.

Tomatsu Yuka put down her saxophone and looked at the boy who had stood up in front of her.

"What do you think, Chun-jun?" she asked with a sweet smile.

Matsueda Jun did not speak immediately, but instead pulled the girl into his arms, feeling her warm and soft temperature.

“I like it very much,” he said, pressing his cheek against the girl’s.

"That's good~" Tomatsu Yuka happily rubbed his earlobe, "I also put a lot of effort into my adaptation."

"...I've experienced that."

Although she was sad and heartbroken, she chose to accept it for the sake of her beloved. This was the sentiment the young girl conveyed through her performance.

"Chunjun."

"Hmm?" The boy looked up.

Tomatsu Yuka captured his lips and kissed him passionately.

A soft, damp "tsk tsk" sound echoed in the empty room. Two minutes later, the two figures, which had been pressed together, separated slightly.

Jun Matsue lowered his head slightly, and the girl wrapped her arms around his neck, her cheeks flushed with a tender pink.

"There's another place I'd like to go with Jun-kun."

The two left the brass band room, and Tomatsu Yuka took his hand and quickly led him to the third-floor restroom.

"..." Jun Matsueda looked at the girl beside him.

"No one will come to the restrooms here," Tomatsu Yuka said with a shy smile.

The girl pressed half her body against his arm, "When I'm happy, I feel a little shy, that's just the kind of person I am~"

Her thigh, beneath her skirt, rubbed against the boy's trousers. "I can't wait until Sunday."

"I just want to serve Jun-kun right now."

The boy looked at her helplessly, then was gently but firmly pulled into the girls' restroom by the girl.

After closing the wooden door of the stall, the empty bathroom was completely silent. Jun Matsue sat down on the toilet and watched as the bright pink on the face of the girl who was hugging him tightly gradually deepened.

"Wait for me a moment~" the girl whispered in his ear.

Tomatsu Yuka let go of his hand and stood up. She stared at the boy in front of her and took a hair tie out of her pocket.

She carefully and quickly tied her hair into a pure and innocent high ponytail, then lowered her head, blinked, and slowly knelt down in front of Matsueda Jun.

Her neat and dignified school uniform skirt fell over the boy's black leather shoes.

Tomatsu Tomoka looked up at her lover with deep affection.

Jun Matsue watched the girl's movements without blinking.

The sweet warmth of her lips quickly pressed against hers, and she slowly took the mouthpiece into her mouth.

The bathroom window wasn't closed properly, and the baseball team's loud slogans drifted through the campus and into the room, drowning out the even more ambiguous "chirping" sounds coming from the quiet stall.

(End of this chapter)