Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 726 The Melody of Memories: Undercurrents of Thought

Inside the Italian restaurant near Ogikubo Station in Suginami Ward, the window-side booths were already empty.

The leisurely atmosphere of the boys and girls' lunchtime also faded away, and things became strange with the appearance of a third party.

"Please have a seat, Yamami-senpai," Tomatsu Yuka said with a smile.

"Ah, no need." Yami Maki stood outside the booth and waved her hands.

"It's almost time to enter."

"There's a 20-minute time limit for entry, there's no need to go in right away," the seated girl said with a smile. "Senior, why don't you sit down and rest for a bit?"

Jun Matsue stood up, and to prevent the two from arguing any further, he picked up his bag and walked behind his senior.

"Senior, please sit here."

“…Okay.” Yamami Maki slipped into the booth and sat down, holding down her skirt.

She placed her handbag on the seat next to her, faced the two people on the other side, put her hands on her lap, and sat up straight.

"Would you like something to drink, senior?" The boy pushed the menu on the clean table toward her. "The orange juice here is pretty good."

"Thank you, I had coffee at noon." The girl raised her hand and waved again. "I also have water in my bag."

Jun Matsueda blinked. Perhaps because Tomatsu was also present, the senior was much more reserved than when the two of them were in the rented apartment.

A brief silence fell over the booth. Yamami Maki's eyelashes trembled, and she placed her hands on the table, nervously clenching them together.

"Um, Yuka, is there something you want to say to me that you're looking at me like that?"

The boy turned his head to the side, and the girl sitting next to him was staring intently at her senior, even more so than when she had been watching him eat.

"It's nothing," Tomatsu Yuka smiled. "It's just that... you've really changed a lot."

Unlike herself, fresh out of school in her uniform, the senior sitting across from her was dressed in a sundress and a French-style puff-sleeved blouse, clearly having put a lot of thought into her outfit.

The pure black dress reached to the chest, with a close-fitting cut. The fabric, similar to a suit, had a smooth drape, and under the light, the even and delicate shadows at the folds could be seen.

Wearing only a slip dress would accentuate the curves of her chest and hips, so the girl carefully paired it with a mint green shirt.

The light green color is fresh and airy, and the neckline has a tie that hangs down, which flatters the full curve of the chest. The shirt has wide ruffles at the shoulders, which connect to the fluffy and light sleeves, adding a touch of youthful innocence to the fitted base dress.

She possesses both a mature, adult-like demeanor and a unique, fresh, and romantic charm... Tomatsu Yuka glanced down at her school uniform jacket, deliberately revealing a hint of longing in her words.

"You already have the air of a grown-up, no wonder you're a college student."

"Sir..." Yami Maki smiled somewhat awkwardly.

"I only recently started to feel like I've entered society and truly become an adult."

Her gaze moved silently, and Jun Matsue met her eye, before she lowered her gaze to the menu in front of her.

The girl didn't know how Mochizuki Haruka and Yuka viewed the system, but for her, if she hadn't seen the future shown by the system, she certainly wouldn't have changed so quickly and so resolutely.

However, she was more grateful to the boy sitting opposite her than to the system.

It was Jun Matsueda who was willing to turn the page on their past, which is why Maki Yami was able to muster the courage to sit here.

"Where did you come from, senior? It didn't take too long, did it?" Tomatsu Yuka continued to ask.

"I ate lunch at school and came right away." The girl checked her phone. "It'll take half an hour to get here, so the timing is perfect."

"Does the senior have class today?"

"...It's just working for the teacher." Yamami Maki blinked.

Yuka suddenly started calling her "senior sister" all the time, and the distance between them seemed to disappear instantly, which made her feel a little uncomfortable.

"I see..." Tomatsu Yuka placed her hands on the table and moved a little closer to her.

"I heard that you're living alone now?"

Yamami Maki then looked at the boy beside her, and Matsueda Jun nodded slightly, indicating with his eyes that he was the one who told Tomatsu.

"Yes." The girl nodded readily.

"Actually, I haven't been living at home for very long, and I'm still trying to adjust."

Tomatsu Yuka covered her mouth in surprise, "I didn't expect that you would live alone, senpai."

Did your family find you a place to live?

"..." Yamami Maki's composed expression froze, and she pursed her lips.

"Let's stop here for now," the boy's voice interrupted between the two.

The girls turned their gazes toward him, and Jun Matsue pointed to the clock hanging on the restaurant wall.

"It's about time to go on stage. You guys should go check on the band before they go on, right?"

“That’s true.” Tomatsu Tomoka was the first to stand up, with a gentle smile.

"I'm going to pay the bill, Jun-kun, could you hold my bag for me?"

Seeing her turn and walk towards the counter, Yamami Maki breathed a sigh of relief. She took out a small bottle of mineral water from her bag, took a sip, and then stood up with the boy.

"Matsueda-kun." Gazing at the girl's back in the distance, she secretly moved a little closer to the boy.

"What does it mean that Yuka calls me 'senpai'?"

Matsueda Jun recalled the nickname he had just revealed, "...it definitely doesn't mean turning the page on the past."

"She's probably just calling you that because I'm telling her. Anyway, just be careful."

"Okay!" The girl nodded vigorously.

Before meeting Tomatsu Yuka again, she made many mental preparations. Since their first meeting didn't turn out awkward, the most difficult hurdle should be over.

That was what Yamami Maki initially thought, but after leaving the restaurant, she realized she was wrong—

The girls walked out of the restaurant first, and after the boy closed the door, Tomatsu Yuka, who was standing to the side, naturally took his arm.

She smiled happily and snuggled close to her lover's arm.

"It even smells like pizza!"

"Really?" Jun Matsue didn't care about the girl's intimate behavior; he was already used to it.

The boy patted his jacket and asked, "Even though they have an open kitchen, is the smell really that strong?"

"Maybe it's just my imagination." Tomatsu Yuka took a small spray bottle out of her uniform bag.

"Anyway, just spray some deodorizing spray and it'll be fine~"

Yamami Maki stood a short distance away from them. She watched as the two walked forward hand in hand, oblivious to everyone around them—the girl playfully spraying small pink sprays onto their clasped hands.

"..."

She looked at the uniform jackets and skirts of the boys and girls, and then at her own sundress and shirt.

A pure black slip dress paired with a mint green French shirt looks great; this is an outfit she spent a long time choosing in front of the full-length mirror when she left home that morning.

But walking alongside the sweet couple in their school uniforms, Yamami Maki could only feel how superfluous her carefully chosen outfit was—

Like an outsider. Even if she were still wearing her high school uniform, could she have held a boy's hand tightly like the girl in front of her and walked openly down the street, without caring at all about being recognized by someone she knew?

Her fingernails left deep marks on her palms.

"So you deserve it..."

Fortunately, the Italian restaurant and the Suginami Public Hall were only a few hundred meters apart, so Yamami Maki did not wallow in regret for too long, as the entrance to the concert hall was already in sight.

Seeing the two people in front of her let go, the girl breathed a sigh of relief.

"Do I need to buy a ticket for this show?" She unzipped her handbag.

"No need." Tomatsu Yuka turned her head away, pleased with her senior's silence on the way.

"This performance is a joint production by several nearby schools. No tickets or reservations are required. Yuqiu High School has its own seats, so we can just go sit there later."

"Before we officially enter, let's go visit our juniors!"

After walking halfway around the side hall, the three quickly found the bandleader standing guard at the entrance to the preparation room in the corridor. The girl with her hair tied in a ponytail held an oboe and waved her free right hand at them.

"Yuka-senpai, over here~"

As the girl, whose expression was both tense and excited, walked towards her, Yamami Maki's gaze softened even more—she remembered herself when she had tried her best to lead everyone forward.

"How are you feeling, Yuna-chan?" Tomatsu Yuka stopped in front of the girl. "Were you nervous? Everyone seems to be doing well, right?"

"It feels pretty good." Yuna smiled calmly. "We just secretly peeked at the venue, and it's about the same size as the Tokyo Metropolitan Conference venue, so we're not particularly nervous."

She looked at the girl who was half a body length behind Tomatsu Yuka, and her gaze became even brighter.

"This must be Senior Yamami!"

"Yes, that's right." Tomatsu Yuka smiled, making room for the upperclassman behind her. "We brought the Yamami-senpai you've been waiting for~"

"Hello." Yamami Maki smiled at her junior. "This year's club president is the oboe."

When facing younger generations who are not teenagers, she naturally rediscovers her calm, gentle, and powerful self.

"Yes!" Yuna nodded excitedly, holding her instrument.

"Hello, Yamami-senpai! I'm Yuna Oba, the captain of the brass band and principal oboe this year. It's nice to meet you!"

Looking at the elegant and gentle senior in front of her, dressed in a fresh and quiet manner, the girl's eyes sparkled with envy.

"As expected of Yamami-senpai, she's definitely different from us..."

"..." Yamami Maki blinked in confusion, caught off guard by her junior's fan-like attitude.

"Your senior is already a legendary figure among the girls at Haneoka High School," Jun Matsue explained to her, keeping a slight distance from the other girls.

"Student council vice president, class monitor, head of the brass band, led the members to bring back the national gold scroll that Haneoka High School had not won for many years."

"Entered Ochanomizu University with outstanding grades and delivered a speech as a representative of the graduates..."

"It's not surprising that girls idolize you."

“That’s right!” Yuna nodded in agreement.

"My goal is to become someone like Senior Yamami, who excels in both academics and sports, and can lead everyone forward!"

"If Yuna-chan says that, I'll get jealous~" Tomatsu Yuka, standing next to the boy, said with a smile.

"Huh?" Caught off guard, the junior blinked in a panic. "Yuka-senpai is also my role model."

"It's alright, it's alright~" the girl waved her hand generously, "I'm really not as good as Yamami-senpai."

"Besides being excellent in sports, my senior is also skilled in calligraphy, flower arrangement, and tea ceremony. The former head of the tea ceremony club often invited her over for exchanges."

"...I just studied a variety of subjects, which took me a bit more time." Yami Maki pursed her lips, revealing a faint, reserved smile.

Being praised like that didn't make her as happy as she had been when she first discovered she had gained a new fan.

After all, these were just the usual routes for the women of the Yamami family.

"How long until it's our school's turn to play?" Noticing the senior's sudden drop in mood, Jun Matsue quickly changed the subject.

The young woman, who was in charge of the department, glanced at the time. "We're the second one, it should only take about ten minutes."

"Is it convenient for us to go to the preparation room now?"

She hesitated for a moment, "Should we wait until after the performance?"

"We wanted to practice one more time before going on stage, but we don't have that much time now."

"Then let's wait until the performance is over, and we'll listen attentively from the audience." Tomatsu Yuka took the boy's hand.

"To Come!"

"I definitely will!" Yuna clenched her fist with great enthusiasm. "Please look forward to it, seniors!"

Watching the girl walk quickly back to the preparation room, the three people in the corridor remained silent for a moment before turning around and walking towards the concert hall in tacit agreement.

With three minutes to go before the performance officially began, the boys and girls found Yuuka High's seat in the back row of the grand hall.

Tomatsu Yuka was the first to sit down, and patted the seat next to her to the boy.

Let's sit here.

Jun Matsueda glanced at her. Tomatsu was sitting in the very edge, which meant he was to sit among the girls.

"Is it okay for you to sit like this, senior?" Tomatsu Yuka leaned forward and looked at the girl standing on the other side of the boy.

“I’m fine with anything.” Yamami Maki nodded.

So the three of them sat down, and just then the lights in the concert hall dimmed, silently reminding the audience that the performance was about to begin.

Before Jun Matsueda could adjust his posture, he felt a warm, soft touch on both armrests at the same time, and his movements stopped abruptly.

The girl on the left naturally placed her hands on his, while the girl on the right, like a startled bird, immediately let her small hands fly away.

The boy turned his face to the side, and in the deepening gloom, the blush on Yamami Maki's face was not real.

Without making a sound, Jun Matsueda lowered his right hand from the armrest and looked toward the stage from which the sound was coming.

The first group on the program, Metropolitan West High School, has already taken the stage. The boys and girls in their school uniforms move quietly on the hazy stage, with only the instruments in their hands flashing like twinkling stars in the night sky.

The stage quickly fell silent again, and the lights came on once more, focusing on the main characters on stage.

"..." Matsueda Jun was momentarily dazed.

Besides the prominent conductor's seat, two girls standing in front of their companions on the stage were particularly eye-catching—judging from the instruments in their hands, they should be the principal oboist and flute players, respectively.

They all had smooth, black hair, dignified faces, and a calm and confident demeanor...

The conductor turned to acknowledge the applause, and after a brief round of applause, the performance officially began.

As the two outstanding and radiant principals played the sweet and melodious prelude, Jun Matsue couldn't help but look at the girls sitting on either side of him.

To his surprise, Tomatsu Tomoka and Yamami Maki's eyes held a shared sense of nostalgia.

They, too, once played the same melody intimately.

(End of this chapter)