Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 700 Love Like Rain Stops
After leaving the post office, Jun followed the girl, who didn't want to go home, in the opposite direction from the station. He watched as she opened her schoolbag as she walked, fumbling for her beloved camera and hanging it around her neck.

"Let me take your bag."

Natsumi Imokawa turned her head; her round eyes reminded one of a fawn that had bumped into a human in the forest, looking somewhat adorably startled.

"It's okay!" she waved her hand. "I can carry it myself."

“But isn’t Imokawa trying to take pictures right now?” The boy pointed to the camera hanging around her neck. “Isn’t it inconvenient to carry a bag around your neck?”

He glanced at the girl's slightly flushed face. "And you look pretty hot with your backpack and camera hanging on you."

"...Indeed, a little."

Natsumi Imokawa handed the backpack that had slipped off her shoulder to the boy, and fanned herself in the process.

"I get hot easily, so I don't like summer, and this summer is so long..."

"At least it's starting to cool down now, so it's a little more comfortable," Jun Matsue said with a smile.

He watched as the girl raised her camera, the street in front of her like a thin, smooth rope held by the wind blowing across the ground.

A cool breeze first brushed past the girl's wisps of hair, then lifted the boy's bangs—the faint hint of autumn in the air was completely dissipated, leaving it powerless against the afternoon sun.

Natsumi Imokawa pressed the shutter, and Jun Matsueda remained silent, watching her as she took the picture.

"Ugh—" The girl suddenly let out a frustrated groan, turned around and handed over the camera in her hand.

"I forgot to adjust the settings, and it's overexposed!"

"It's okay." The boy smiled reassuringly. "There's plenty of time. We can just reshoot."

So the two of them started walking along the street.

The road in front of the station wasn't wide; after the first traffic light, it could only accommodate two vans side by side. Fortunately, Xidiwa wasn't a bustling, crowded area, so the young men and women walking side by side on the stone-paved sidewalks didn't feel crowded at all.

Jun Matsue watched as the girl, who was half a step ahead of him, stopped and knelt on the ground.

The boy looked at the camera in her hand. At the bottom were dark gray stone bricks stretching into the distance, on the left was a white van passing through an asphalt road, and on the right were the artistic storefronts along the street.

There are no roadside trees or landscaped areas on this street, but many shops display their own cultivated green plants in front of them. At two o'clock in the afternoon, the sunlight falls on the mini maple tree in front of the camera lens, and the leaves shimmer with a bright green.

"It's a beautiful sight." Jun Matsue walked behind the girl and covered the hem of her skirt that was sticking out from her hips.

“I think these floor tiles are quite interesting.” Natsumi Imokawa pressed the shutter, stood up, moved closer to the boy, and tapped the camera screen with her index finger.

"Don't you think the rectangular floor tiles with their wavy edges look a lot like soda crackers?"

"They do look somewhat alike." The boy blinked.

Besides the dark gray floor tiles, what he saw most was the creamy, delicate flesh color of the girl's sailor uniform collar.

“But I don’t really like soda crackers.” Jun Matsueda pushed the camera back.

"It's dry and crisp, a bit dry."

Natsumi Imokawa glanced at the camera and nodded in satisfaction. "It goes quite well with milk!"

The boy accompanied the girl as they walked and took pictures, passing several cafes and restaurants with different styles, before turning into an alley at the next intersection.

“I feel that Nishi-Ogiwa is indeed a suitable place for you.” Jun Matsue looked at the pretty figure walking in front of him.

"What do you mean?" The girl turned around and pointed the camera lens at him.

"Well..." The boy waved his hand, encompassing the street in front of him and the shops hidden within it.

"Not as trendy and noisy as Shibuya and Shinjuku, not as high-end and fashionable as Ginza and Nakameguro—"

"But after exploring it carefully, you'll find that it's a great place to while away the time."

“That’s absolutely right!” Natsumi Imokawa nodded.

"Anyway, I often take my camera with me to shoot the streets of Xidiwa, and I never get tired of taking pictures."

As she spoke, she looked up and pressed the shutter, capturing the crows flying across the eaves on both sides.

"But I haven't gone out for a stroll like this in a long time. It looks like a lot of new shops have opened up around here."

Jun Matsueda raised an eyebrow. "Because of your portfolio?"

"Yeah." The girl pouted, looking aggrieved. She put down her camera and waited for the boy to walk up to her before continuing on her way.

"Since I started creating my portfolio, it's been all about writing and revising scripts, filming, and editing—"

Natsumi Imokawa reached out and drew in the air, while adjusting the camera strap so it was slung across her shoulder.

"Even when there's free time, you still need to think about how to compose the shots and how to adjust the camera positions appropriately..."

The girl let out a long sigh of relief, and her steps became weak and listless.

"These past few months have definitely been the most exhausting period since I started taking photography..."

"You've worked hard." Jun Matsue smiled and turned to look at her. "After all, you're turning your hobby into a profession."

As if a crow that had just flown past the two of them had left a gift, sunlight pierced through the girl's thick eyelashes, casting two small gray feathers that gently rested below her eyes.

"Would you like some snacks?" The boy turned to look at the coffee shop and bakery in front of him.

"I'll treat you to a meal as a reward for Imokawa's hard work these past few days."

Five minutes later, they entered a teahouse hidden behind a mansion at the crossroads—there was a small tree by the entrance with round leaves and a wooden sign hanging on the trunk that read "Shoan Bunko".

Jun Matsue watched as the girl walked confidently to the counter and ordered two puddings and two cups of coffee.

As Imokawa Natsumi searched her pockets for her wallet, the boy walked up to her and said, "Don't forget it's my treat."

“Oh right.” The girl took two steps to the side and watched him take out banknotes to pay.

The old man behind the counter adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and sized up the boy in the school uniform shirt in front of him.

"Is this Natsumi-chan's classmate?"

Natsumi Imokawa nodded seriously, "Matsueda is my good friend!"

"A good friend?" The old man smiled, and the metal chain hanging from the frame of his glasses trembled.

"Then I'll give you a 10% discount today."

Carrying their pudding and coffee, the young man and woman walked to the round table by the window, sat down in two old-fashioned single sofas, and simultaneously let out a contented sigh.

Natsumi Imokawa first picked up a spoon, smeared some whipped cream and raspberry sauce on the light blue tray, and then scooped up a small spoonful of pudding and put it in her mouth.

She looked satisfied. "The pudding at this shop is delicious. Pine Branch, you should try it!"

Jun Matsue followed suit and took a bite. The sweetness of the cream and pudding was melted away by the slightly sour raspberry sauce, creating a very retro Japanese flavor.

He took another sip of coffee and looked out the window at the green lawn in the courtyard.

"You seem to know the owner here quite well?"

The girl nodded. "I've been to all the bookstores around Nishi-Ogikubo, except for this one, Shoan Bunko, and the café where I took you last time where you can read manga!"

The boy recalled that it wasn't yet April, and Imokawa was wearing a pale yellow floral sundress. It was at that coffee shop that he agreed to be her actress.

He looked at the girl in front of him again. She was sitting on the sofa opposite him, wearing a sailor uniform. The camera she was wearing was slung across her chest, with one end of the strap disappearing into her deep cleavage, making her full breasts even more noticeable.

Jun Matsue lowered his head and scooped up another spoonful of pudding, but the girl showed no awareness of the need to avoid suspicion. She leaned closer and spoke with great interest.

"I'll tell you a secret... This boss was originally quite arrogant, but I thought she dressed very coolly, so I offered to take a set of photos for her."

"Later, this set of photos was even published in a senior fashion magazine! From then on, her attitude towards me was so much better!" Natsumi Imokawa gently patted the boy's shoulder, gesturing for him to look to the side.

"It's a photo shoot similar to the one we have now—"

Jun Matsue turned around. The shop owner, who had been standing behind the counter, sat down at the other end of the room. She picked up a book from the bookshelf next to her and put it on her lap to read.

The white curtains outside the window fluttered in the wind, and the old woman's short, silver-gray hair was made clean and bright by the hazy sunlight. Her golden eye necklace hung down to her neck, giving her an elegant and composed appearance.

"Doesn't it look alike?"

The boy turned around, and Imokawa Natsumi had unknowingly squatted down beside him. The girl pulled a magazine from under the round table, opened it, and placed it on her lap.

Jun Matsue looked down and saw that the only difference between the picture in the magazine and the scene in front of him was the lighting; the beauty of the scene was indeed obvious.

But what attracted him even more was the blush on the girl's face.

Looking into those clear, unadulterated eyes, her enthusiastic mood seemed to shine through the glass, easily penetrating Matsueda Jun's heart, making him feel the girl's exceptionally pure joy and pleasure at that moment.

He stared at him quietly until Natsumi Imokawa, who hadn't heard a response, turned her head in confusion and looked at him. Only then did the boy come back to his senses.

“...almost exactly the same.” He smiled and looked up at the old man sitting by the window.

How could I be so distracted...? Jun Matsue absentmindedly picked up his coffee and glanced at the girl who had returned to her sofa and was eating pudding.

He recalled Yosei Kurusu standing on the stage back then.

Idol Girls dazzle with their own brilliance, but Natsumi Imokawa is different—she's like a lens, capturing the captivating silhouette of this objective world, and those fortunate enough to have her share in their lives will naturally focus on it.

It's like a perspective, a tool.

Of course, some people become obsessed with the tool itself, just as some people are always dazzled by the colors in a kaleidoscope and can never forget that wonderful glimpse.

The bitterness of the coffee was sobering. Jun Matsue put down his porcelain cup and looked at the girl who was intently licking the cream off her lips.

"So now Imokawa has time to go around documenting things with his camera again, right?"

“…” Natsumi Imokawa wrinkled her nose, as if she was annoyed by the bitterness of the coffee.

"It's not time to relax yet."

She put down her spoon and started counting on her fingers.

"I will receive the application results in a week at the latest. Then I will have to ask the principal to prepare an investigation report - which includes academic reports, school evaluations, and proof of relevant awards or practical experience. After that, I will have to send it to the East Asia Academy of Arts."

“But this shouldn’t take too much time, right?” Jun Matsue asked, watching the redness on her face fade.

The room has air conditioning, so the girl shouldn't be so hot now.

"But after passing the qualification review, we need to prepare for the enrollment selection immediately."

Natsumi Imokawa pouted, her slightly thick lips looking exceptionally full and moist.

"Exams and interviews are more troublesome than portfolios..."

"It's just studying," the boy comforted her. "If you think about it this way, learning about film is more interesting than learning math, Japanese, and history, right?"

“That’s true.” The girl’s expression relaxed again. “But we won’t be free until the selection is over in October.”

“Then we’re in an even worse situation.” Jun Matsueda glanced at the shimmering light and shadows in the courtyard outside the window. “Not to mention the university entrance exams, even the general exams won’t be finished until January.”

With the contrast in mind, the girl finally smiled and bent down to take another bite of pudding.

When she looked up again, she suddenly noticed that many shiny lines were falling on the floor-to-ceiling windows of the tea house.

"It's raining!" The girl looked out the window, and the boy sitting opposite her turned around as well.

Green shadows swayed in the courtyard as the rain gradually intensified. Not an exaggeration, the two people by the window could hear the rustling sound.

Although it was raining, the light outside the window was not dim. The clouds above the street were still white, and the sunlight shone through, creating the shimmering lines that the girl saw.

"Sun shower—"

Natsumi Imokawa was somewhat surprised. She first picked up the camera she was carrying and took a video before taking out her phone.

"It doesn't seem like it'll stop anytime soon."

Jun Matsue took out his backpack from next to the sofa armrest. "I brought an umbrella."

"No need, no need!" the girl waved her hand.

She laughed, "Didn't Songzhi say there's still plenty of time?"

The two continued to look out the window, leisurely drinking coffee and eating snacks. Natsumi Imokawa picked up her coffee; the ice inside had melted halfway.

As she sipped her drink, the girl glanced at her side out of the corner of her eye.

Jun Matsue leaned against the sofa, typing on his phone in one hand and holding a coffee cup in the other, occasionally tilting his head back to take a sip. One button on the boy's collar was undone, and in the interplay of light and shadow, his clean profile and straight nose appeared even more defined, revealing a contradictory charm that straddled youthful innocence and maturity.

This contradiction was all the more alluring, Natsumi Imokawa said slowly, holding up her coffee cup.

"By the way, how's the relationship between Matsueda and Tomatsu-san/Mochizuki-san going...?"

The boy blinked and turned his head to look at her.

Imokawa had asked about this topic before, but he brushed it off.

"..." Jun Matsue thought for a moment, "We encountered some setbacks, but also made some progress."

The girl held the cup and stared at him with wide eyes.

"My relationship with Tomatsu before was just a fake one. We broke up and got back together, and now we're really in love."

He declined to comment further.

"And what about setbacks?"

"The setback is that Mochizuki is very dissatisfied with my philandering attitude, and we are currently in a cold war."

He was just messaging Mochizuki about the rain—judging from the unread messages, the girl must have obediently brought an umbrella.

Natsumi Imokawa shifted her position to make it easier to listen to Matsue's speech, but after those two sentences, the boy didn't say anything more.

"..." She blinked again. "Is that all?"

“That’s all.” Jun Matsue shrugged.

To be honest, he felt that what he was doing was not exactly honorable, so he didn't really want to tell those details to his few close friends.

“…Oh.” The girl turned around, holding her coffee, and looked out the floor-to-ceiling window.

Natsumi Imokawa felt an unusually strong thirst for knowledge right now, and this desire seemed to have lost its objectivity, making it impossible for her to remain detached.

But Songzhi rejected her without even explaining—this seemed to be the first time.

The girl looked out the window, somewhat bewildered.

Sitting in a teahouse converted from an old house, sipping coffee and watching the bright sunlight fall on the lush green courtyard—

Although it was an unexpected accident, she should have been even happier with such a beautiful scene...

Looking at the rain curtain through the window, Natsumi Imokawa put down her cool white coffee cup.

Her hands were wet.

(End of this chapter)