Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 704 Writing a Song Again

The following evening, in apartment 507, the two sat on the sofa in the living room after dinner, but the television was not turned on.

The sofa that the landlady left behind was L-shaped, with the longer side facing the TV on the living room wall, where Yosuke Kurusu used to lie.

She wore large white headphones and held an electronic pen, writing and drawing on the tablet in front of her. The girl closed her eyes, sometimes shaking her head and sometimes frowning, her bare feet gently patting the sofa in time with the melody playing in her headphones.

Jun Matsue sat facing the wall with the television mounted on it, at the shorter end of the "L" shape. The night breeze blew in from the wide-open balcony, landing on his arms and cheeks.

As we entered mid-September, the cicada chirping that filled Tokyo's summer gradually faded away with the high temperatures. Outside the balcony, the deep blue night was filled only with the flapping of birds' wings and the barking of dogs passing by on the street, making the living room, where the television was not turned on, quiet and harmonious.

However, the boy holding the phone probably didn't think so; he was staring blankly at the pale yellow parrot on the screen.

Matsueda Jun felt a headache coming on when he recalled the sly smile on the girl's face when he parted ways with Tomatsu yesterday.

How did the task of inviting the senior students, which the brass band was planning to do, end up falling to me?

He looked at the girl who was occupying one side of the sofa next to him. Kurusu Yosei was lying there without moving, her head facing him, her pink hair spread out on the sofa—like a big pink octopus, softly sprawled next to his hand.

"Want to turn on the TV?" The boy picked up the remote, trying to distract himself.

"No!" The girl, who hadn't moved, pressed down on his hand and tilted her face up.

“I’m listening to the demo the production department sent me.” She pointed to the headphones on her head.

Jun Matsue had no choice but to move away her soft little hand that was pressing on him and look back at the parrot avatar on his phone.

"..." The boy recalled the gentle yet firm smile of Yamami Maki in the coffee shop earlier.

To be honest, he didn't really want to invite the female senior.

Although Tomatsu said that Yamami-senpai's matter was no longer important, that was only because she now had a sweet romance.

If Tomatsu Tomohana and Yamami Maki actually met, and she discovered that Yamami-senpai was trying to win back her boyfriend, would she still think it was unimportant?

But perhaps Tomatsu really didn't care that much anymore? Jun Matsueda's thoughts changed again.

After all, he's currently in a relationship with her, trying to win back Mochizuki, and even thinking of dragging Kurusu into it, and she doesn't seem to have any objections on the surface...

But given Tomatsu's personality, it's also possible he wanted to see how his ex-girlfriend was behaving now...

Besides, the senior student just said "like me one more time," so if I go and invite her out, wouldn't that be like actively giving her a chance?

Matsueda Jun's head ached more and more as he thought about it. He put down his phone, leaned back, and rested his head on the back of the sofa.

As the wind on the balcony blew the curtains, and the cool breeze of approaching autumn brushed against his ears, the boy's agitation began to dissipate little by little.

Suddenly, the girl lying next to him sat up and pounded the sofa.

"Ugh, this is so annoying—" Kurusu Yosei complained in his ear.

"...What's bothering you?" Jun Matsue opened his eyes and watched her take off her headphones.

It's rare to see Kurusu so openly troubled.

"I'm annoyed by the new song!" The girl put her hands on her chest and changed to a duck-sitting position.

Her short black hot pants were covered by her loose white T-shirt, and her supple thighs swayed in the boy's eyes, breaking his hard-won calm.

Jun Matsueda blinked. "You've already announced your comeback, hasn't the company decided on a new song yet?"

"No, that's not it." Yosei Kurusu waved his hand.

"Isn't there a really popular anime that just started airing recently—Chainsaw Man? You know Matsueda, right?"

The boy, who had been leaning back in his chair, sat up straight and nodded. "I've heard Sakamuro and the others talk about it."

"This animation is amazing!" The girl gestured with her hands. "The ending theme is different for each episode, it's super luxurious, and they've got big names in it—Queen Bee, Aimer, and a band I don't recognize but is very famous..."

“So…” Jun Matsue turned to look at her, “you’re one of those big names in this lineup?”

“That’s right!” Kurusu Yosei nodded vigorously, his long pink hair swaying with it.

"This is a project that the agency's parent company took on before—the song was already prepared, and now it's just that I'm taking over the singing."

"Wow, this is what a big company is like!" the boy exclaimed.

"So you're worried you won't be able to handle these resources?"

"No, not really." The girl shook her head vigorously again, her long, flowing hair hitting the boy's shoulder.

She handed me the earphones. "You'll see once you listen!"

Jun Matsue took it and put it on his head. A faint scent of shampoo wafted to his nose. The girl leaned closer, and music soon started playing.

"..." Two minutes later, the boy took off his headphones.

"I understand."

Kurusu played him a very cute and adorable song, the version sung by Idol Girl herself—the catchy melody and various girlish pronunciations alone were enough to convince Matsueda Jun that this song would definitely not be unknown.

"I feel like this song is going to be a hit," he said to the person next to him.

“I feel the same way!” Yosei Kurusu blinked.

"But even if I didn't sing it, it would definitely be a hit."

This kind of catchy, addictive song doesn't really showcase the singer's talent or qualities—which is probably why YM Entertainment is confident enough to have a newly returned girl sing the ending theme of a popular anime.

"...So you don't want to sing?"

"How could that be!" Lai Qiyang put the headphones back around her neck, her sunny temperament now tinged with a touch of artistic coolness.

"It's work, after all, and the company chose this song to help me build popularity."

"Generally speaking, for idols like me who transition to singers, the first step is either to appear on shows to promote their songs, to cover well-known singles, or to sing theme songs for TV dramas or animations."

"So the resources the company has given me are already quite good."

Jun Matsue watched as the girl got up, walked to the refrigerator in the corner, took a box of lemon ice cream, and returned to her seat.

"So what exactly is bothering you?"

"I'm already thinking about the next song." Yosei Kurusu opened the ice cream, scooped up a big mouthful, and put it in his mouth.

"My own song."

The girl leaned on the boy's arm, holding an ice cream in one hand and slapping the tablet onto his thigh with the other.

"I'm not very satisfied with the demos and finished products that the production department sent me!"

"..." Jun Matsueda looked at the rows of documents on the screen. "Can I play it out loud?"

"Go ahead and release it."

The boy listened to a few songs while the idol girl buried her head in eating ice cream, licking the milk stains from the corner of her lips.

"It's alright, isn't it?" He stopped the music. "While none of them are particularly outstanding, the quality is above average."

"Mid-to-high level won't do!" The girl's face suddenly came closer, and Matsueda Jun could even smell the vanilla lemon scent on her lips.

"This is my first song as a singer, my very first song! It has to be a smash hit, it has to leave everyone speechless!"

Jun Matsue glanced at the tablet screen; apart from the default numbers, all the filenames were related to romance.

“…Then don’t restrict the subject matter so much.” “No way!” Kurusu Yosei shook his head vigorously, spoon in his mouth.

This time, the flying hair hit the boy's face—it didn't hurt, just felt a little hot and itchy.

"I've already said it, my first song has to be about love."

"..." Matsueda Jun glanced at her helplessly.

I didn't realize how difficult this guy was to please when we were together normally, but when it comes to work, he turns out to be so demanding.

"Then you can just wait." The boy handed the tablet back. "We'll wait for the production department to find you a better song."

Yosei Kurusu frowned in distress, "Waiting is just too unbearable..."

"What can we do? You can't write songs."

Seeing Matsueda Jun lower his head and take out his phone, the girl seemed to suddenly remember something, and opened her bright eyes wide.

"Pine branch!" She put down the ice cream and reached out to shake the boy's shoulder.

"You can write songs!"

"Wasn't your song 'Instant Moment' super catchy and incredibly popular online?!"

"..." Jun Matsue turned to look at her. "I wrote the lyrics and only participated in part of the arrangement."

Kurusu Yosei pressed down on his shoulders, her entire upper body pressed against him, her eyelashes almost touching his cheeks.

"Just tell me if you can write songs!"

Jun Matsue's vision was almost entirely occupied by the girl's face; her bright eyes were full of expectation, making it impossible to look away.

"But I'm just a drummer, I don't really know how to write songs..." he said slowly.

"Then how did 'Instant' come about!" Kurusu Yosei stared at him relentlessly. "Your original band members have all been interviewed, and they said that 'Instant' is basically your doing!"

"That's because Izumi-senpai gave me the original melody first, so I could write lyrics and adapt the music at the same time."

"That settles it!" The girl picked up the tablet from her lap and pressed it against the boy's chest.

"I have so many ready-made songs and demos here, you can pick any one you want to modify!"

"..." Jun Matsue caught the tablet that had returned to his arms. "Isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

“What’s wrong with it!” Miss Idol glared at him.

"Which song do you like to modify? If it's actually used, just write down the original composer's name and yours."

Looking at the boy in front of her, Yosei Kurusu thought he was a perfect match.

"What I want is a song that can express my own feelings—Songzhi is my number one fan and someone I like, so she must know me better than anyone else, right?"

"So you can definitely write the song I want!"

Her logic was quite clear, and Matsueda Jun felt he was almost convinced. However, before he could speak, the girl seemed to remember something and froze in place.

"Does Songzhi still need to prepare for the common exam?"

A hint of regret appeared on Yosuke Kurusu's face as he sat back down on the sofa.

"Then forget I said anything."

The living room fell silent again. Jun Matsue looked at the girl beside him who was silently eating ice cream. Her profile looked blank, as if she was still thinking about the suggestion she had just made.

Although Kurusu's ideas are always wildly imaginative, this time they seem quite feasible.

As long as he is capable enough...

The boy thought for a moment, then put his hand on the girl's shoulder. "I think your suggestion is good."

"Really?!" Yosei Kurusu turned his head suddenly, his eyes sparkling again.

"Will Songzhi write a song for me?"

"Let's give it a try first," Jun Matsue smiled.

"Men don't believe they can't do something without trying."

"But don't you still need to prepare for your exams?" The girl blinked. "I don't want to affect your chances of getting into a good school."

"It's okay." The boy patted his chest. "After all, everyone says I'm a genius."

"The limits of genius don't lie here!"

Yosuke Kurusu was stunned for a moment, then raised the corners of his lips and pounced on him with the ice cream.

"I'll feed Songzhi ice cream as a reward!"

"No need for that..."

At 10 p.m., Jun Matsue returned to his bedroom after washing up and lay down on his not-so-large hard bed.

He heard a girl's hazy singing coming from the wall behind him, like a siren appearing at night, bewitching the minds of those around her.

Writing songs...

The boy couldn't find any reason to refuse. He had already told Kurusu that he liked her—the opportunity to write a song for the girl he liked was something he should have wanted more than anything.

Moreover, his mutual probing with Kurusu was nearing its end, and it was indeed time to find some new ways to "conquer" them.

Perhaps as long as his songs touch the hearts of young girls, even if he can't become their "sun," she'll be willing to accept his philandering ways?

How could I be fantasizing before I've even written anything... Jun Matsue chuckled self-deprecatingly.

He picked up his phone from the bedside table, glanced at the time, and then opened the chat app.

The pale yellow parrot had been silent for a long time and was about to sink to the bottom of the chat list.

The boy didn't send a message, but instead clicked on the parrot avatar—although he had met with the senior a few times, he hadn't paid attention to the girl's recent activities.

The content displayed on the screen was surprisingly sparse. Jun Matsueda blinked, his face reflecting a faint, cold light.

Unlike in high school, the school activities, daily life, and weekend outings with classmates that Yamami Maki used to share have all disappeared, leaving only the occasional landscape photo—each time a lonely picture with a timestamp automatically displayed by the system.

The boy scrolled down and realized that these landscape photos were probably taken by the female seniors on their way to and from school and on campus.

Sometimes the sky is clear and pleasant, sometimes the window is blurred by rain; I wonder if it has anything to do with the owner's mood.

Jun Matsue imagined Maki Yamami walking out of the station with the crowd and standing in the rain, and Maki Yamami looking up at the sky on the bustling street.

What were she feeling at that time?

Actually, when it comes to the brass band's performances, I'm just a supporting character, and I have no right to worry about whether or not to invite the younger members.

The boy closed his eyes and put his phone back on the bedside table.

Although it might seem a bit strange to do this, next time I accompany Tomatsu to the brass band room, I'll just give the senior's contact information to that junior.

However, Jun Matsueda did not live to see such an opportunity.

The following evening, he learned that Yami Maki had run away from home.

(End of this chapter)