Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 730 Natsumi Imokawa's Love

October 12th, Sunday, was a sunny day in Tokyo.

At noon, Natsumi Imokawa sat at the dining table at home, absentmindedly chewing on her beef sandwich while looking at the eleven-page handwritten manuscript she had prepared.

This "home" is not the Imokawa studio where the girl usually lives when she goes to school, but rather a house of moderate size in Shinagawa Ward belonging to the Imokawa family.

Akira Imokawa, sitting opposite his daughter, put down his tablet and pushed the milk towards her.

"Why don't you have some milk instead of just eating a sandwich?"

"Mmm." The girl turned a page of the prepared manuscript, casually picked up the milk and took two big gulps.

When she looked down at the manuscript again, Natsumi Imokawa exclaimed in surprise while holding the sandwich.

"What's wrong?" The woman wearing an apron poked her head out of the kitchen and asked in unison with her husband.

"The sauce dripped onto the paper..." The girl licked her sandwich and pointed to her manuscript.

"Let me see." Imokawa Remi walked to her daughter's side and bent down to take a look.

"It's just a tiny drop." She took a tissue from the table and carefully wiped away the stain.

"I told you not to watch while eating." The woman straightened up and poked the girl's cheek next to her.

"Haven't we watched it several times already?"

Natsumi Imokawa shook her head and took another bite of her sandwich.

"The exam is coming up soon, and I want to review it one more time."

Seeing her husband smile at her, the woman sighed helplessly.

Today is the day of her daughter's exam. She originally wanted to cook a more elaborate lunch, but the girl didn't like it—she wanted to eat a simple sandwich to save time for the entrance exam for Tokyo University of the Arts.

“If you still can’t get into Dongyi University of the Arts after preparing like this, then your father and I will go and complain to the school leaders.”

Hearing her mother's words, the girl raised her head, her pure eyes sparkling.

It seems that Matsueda said something similar to her back then...

Natsumi Imokawa chewed on her sandwich, searching for her memories—

"You've worked so hard for so long, if you still can't succeed, I'll go with you to the entrance of the Shanghai Oriental Art Center and complain with a megaphone."

Looking at the elderly couple sitting opposite her, the young girl's cheeks inexplicably flushed.

She picked up the milk again and took a sip, letting the melting ice cool the temperature in her heart.

I haven't even finished reading the draft yet, I don't have time to think about these random things...

At 1 p.m., after packing up the documents, pens, paper, and other miscellaneous items she needed to bring, Natsumi Imokawa got into the car parked in front of her house.

The man in the driver's seat put on sunglasses; the sunlight was a bit too bright today.

"Did you bring everything? You didn't forget anything, did you?"

"Okay!" The girl sat down in the back seat and nodded.

"Don't read in the car, okay?" The woman in the passenger seat turned her head.

"The road is swaying and bumpy. If I get dizzy and feel unwell, it will affect my performance on the exam."

“Oh…” Natsumi Imokawa silently stuffed the prepared manuscript she had pulled out back into her bag.

The car started smoothly and quickly passed through quiet residential areas and bustling commercial districts, before entering the Capital Expressway No. 2.

Unable to study, the girl pressed her cheek against the car window, watching the buildings gradually sink below the overpass. The rising height made the sunlight seem even brighter, causing her to squint slightly.

"I heard that there seem to be even more applicants for the directing department at the Tokyo University of the Arts this year."

The mother sitting in the front row shifted her body slightly; she was more concerned about the admissions situation than her daughter.

"It doesn't matter whether you report more or less," said Akira Imokawa, gripping the steering wheel with a relaxed tone.

“Our Xia Shi’s ability speaks for itself; he can get in no matter how many people apply.”

"You just love being blindly optimistic," his wife said, rolling her eyes at him.

"That's what happened when we first started making movies. We lost so much money, so we went to..."

The conversation between the adults in the front row didn't reach the girl's ears. She was just gazing out the window, somewhat bored, thinking about the predicted questions for the essay section.

Just as her phone vibrated in her pocket, beeping, Natsumi Imokawa seemed to be jolted awake and hurriedly took out her phone—

The class group and other group chats she was in were all set to "Do Not Disturb," so if a message notification was ringing, it must have been from someone she cared about.

The profile picture of the person who sent the message was a boy with a bright smile. The girl's eyes widened as she opened the chat window.

"Imogawa has exams at two o'clock, right? He should have already left by now?"

"Yes! We just got on the highway." She tilted her head and looked at her parents, who were chatting happily in the front seat.

How much longer until we arrive?

The man glanced at the road sign flashing by ahead. "Twenty minutes left, we'll definitely make it."

"Mmm." The girl lowered her head again. "We'll be there in twenty minutes."

"That's still quite early," Jun Matsue replied quickly. "How are you feeling? Did you take a nap?"

"No... I want to prepare a little longer," she replied cautiously.

"Then let's buy a bottle of black tea when we get there, not coffee—caffeine will dehydrate you, and it will be troublesome if you feel thirsty or need to go to the toilet during the exam."

"it is good!"

The boy replied after a while, "I'm going to have lunch now. Good luck on your exam."

"I might not be free this afternoon, but if Imokawa gets nervous before the exam, you can contact me."

"Ok!"

Putting down her phone, Natsumi Imokawa gripped the back of the seat in front of her and looked at the road ahead of the car.

"I'm going to buy some black tea when we get there!" she announced solemnly.

"Xia Shi, are you sleepy?" The woman turned to look at her. "Why don't you buy coffee?"

“Matsugi said that drinking coffee makes you thirsty and makes you want to go to the bathroom,” the girl replied earnestly.

“Songzhi said…” the man in the driver’s seat repeated with a smile.

"You didn't send that kid to accompany you during the exam?"

"Aren't Mom and Dad here?" Natsumi Imokawa blinked.

"Although Songzhi and I are good friends, this might be a bit of a hassle for him."

"Friends?" Remi Imokawa smiled along with her husband, but she didn't say anything more.

Watching a young girl being oblivious to her own innocent feelings is quite interesting—watching your daughter stumble and fall as she grows up is also a joy for parents.

At 1:25, the Imokawa family's car crossed the road in Ueno Park and arrived on time in front of the gate of Tokyo University of the Arts.

"This is it, right?" Imokawa Akira rolled down the car window and looked at the two campuses on either side. "Which one are you taking your exams on?"

"Isn't it written at the entrance?"

Natsumi Imokawa, carrying her schoolbag, opened the car door and looked across at the gate that read "Tokyo University of the Arts"—a white sign stood by the gate that read "Tokyo University of the Arts Comprehensive Entrance Examination Venue".

The girl placed her free left hand on her chest, calming her slightly excited heartbeat.

"It seems only Xia Shi can go in alone." The woman followed her out of the car and gently put her hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"how do you feel?"

"No problem!" The girl straightened her chest, raised her head, and nodded vigorously.

"Then your dad and I will go for a walk around the neighborhood. Xia Shi, remember to call me after the exam."

"it is good!"

After waving goodbye to her parents, Natsumi Imokawa entered the examination hall. After showing her admission ticket to the staff, the first thing the girl did upon entering the campus was to find a vending machine and buy herself a small bottle of milk tea.

Sipping red tea as I walked through the campus, I noticed that there weren't many people holding their exam admission tickets—although the competition was fierce, only two or three hundred people were qualified to apply to the film department each year.

Before entering the examination room of the School of Film, Natsumi Imokawa took out her phone and took a picture of the red tea in her hand with the School of Film building.

She naturally sent the photo to Jun Matsuoka, saying, "I've had my red tea, time to head to the exam room!"

The boy didn't ask her how she felt like a mother would, but instead sent her two simple and powerful words.

"Must win!"

The girl raised the corners of her lips under the clear sky, then, holding her red tea, she swung her fist and strode confidently into the building.

The entrance selection process officially began at 2 PM.

The first task was a short essay. Sitting upright in the classroom, Natsumi Imokawa looked away from the blackboard with the instructions written on it and looked down at the question on her desk. "Please state your thoughts on the theme of 'The Representation of Time in Film and Television Works,' 800 words, 80 minutes."

The way time is portrayed in film and television works... The girl blinked in surprise, not expecting it to be such a free-form topic.

First, she quickly organized her thoughts in her mind, focusing on the most basic points: screening time, narration time, and psychological time.

Picking up her pen, Natsumi Imokawa first wrote down the key points next to the title, and felt her mind was more active than ever before.

If you want to study directing, you must analyze these contents from a creative perspective—such as controlling the "sense of time" through slow motion shots, designing film time, and how to use the presentation of time to tell a story.

For examples, Tarkovsky and Nolan can be considered representative works, while Japanese works include "Tokyo Story" and "An Autumn Afternoon"...

After making my own short films, I've gained a lot of experience in this area—for example, in "White Stream," I consciously used the camera to present a frozen moment of summer to express the profound impact of first love on the protagonist...

"You can write!" The girl nodded at the blank answer sheet and began to write furiously.

At 3:20 p.m., after submitting her answer sheet, Natsumi Imokawa walked out of the classroom, slumped her shoulders, and let out a heavy sigh.

She raised the milk tea in her hand and gulped down a large mouthful.

It's not time to relax yet!
As the line of examinees entered the classroom next door, the girl sat down in the seat marked with her exam number, looked down at the tablet placed in the upper left corner of the desk.

The second item is a professional test, and the questions are the same every year: watch a short film and write a report on its cinematography, lighting, creative process, and shooting concept.

Natsumi Imokawa had a firm grasp on this aspect—not to mention that the young girl often watched her director father create films and television series, starting from her own film portfolio, she would always think about the content from the director's perspective when watching movies or TV series.

Sixty minutes, she wondered if that would be enough time to write... She confidently opened the video on her tablet.

An hour and ten minutes later, the girl holding the milk tea, with weary steps, knocked on the door at the end of the corridor.

"Please come in."

As I entered, two women in suits sat at the conference table and waved to me warmly.

"Please sit here."

Natsumi Imokawa pulled out a chair and sat down, placing the remaining two sips of her milk tea on the table in front of her.

"Natsumi Imokawa, right? The interview only lasts about fifteen minutes, so there's no need to be too nervous."

"Yes, thank you, teacher." The girl placed her hands on her lap, and the examiner's gentle voice put her at ease.

From her favorite directors to her reasons for choosing directing as her major, Natsumi Imokawa answered the examiners' questions one by one, based on her answers on her application form.

Although there were a couple of stumbles, judging from the professors' expressions, the girl's answers seemed to be pretty good.

Ten minutes passed quickly, and the two professors opposite them shifted to a more relaxed posture.

“I have a question.” The younger one flipped through the booklet in his hand. “Imokawa-san’s father is also a director, right? I’ve seen the TV series he directed recently.”

"As the director's child, will you feel pressure in your future creative work, such as having to take your father as a benchmark or wanting to surpass him?"

"..." Natsumi Imokawa blinked, slightly surprised.

I'd heard that interviews usually involve asking one or two easy, unimportant questions, but I never expected the professors to ask me that.

"I hadn't thought about it, after all, my dad has made quite a few weird and wonderful films..."

The examiners smiled knowingly. As a director who had filmed everything, Akira Imokawa was quite well-known in the industry.

"I think it's strange to have this kind of thought. After all, I didn't start making films because of my dad."

“For me…” Her lips moved slowly, as if she were chewing and digesting her thoughts.

"I want to study directing, not to become a more famous director than my father, or to make a lot of great films."

"I just wanted to film and record things. Of course, it would be even better if I could gain everyone's approval and recognition."

"...I'm a bit slow-witted; I'm not quick to react to what people say or what's happening around me."

The girl glanced at the milk tea beside her, "But a camera can help me capture all of this."

“I can record everything that happens around me, freeze it, and savor the feelings of that moment, and observe things that I didn’t notice at the time.”

“I bet everyone in the directing department has a lot to say, right?” She looked at the examiner in front of her. “Before the exam, I overheard other people talking. Some of them started making things in junior high school and exhibited them at school in high school.”

"Thinking about it this way, perhaps I'm not quite qualified as a directing student—"

"Everyone wants to express something, and they have many goals they want to achieve."

Natsumi Imokawa lowered her head and scratched her cheek shyly.

"For me, whether or not I can make a movie doesn't seem to matter."

"I just like to use a camera to observe the world."

"Ah!" She suddenly raised her head, her clear eyes wide open.

Is it inappropriate to say these things during an interview?

The two examiners laughed out loud, while the one who asked the question waved his hand.

"It's alright, the interview is almost over."

"Although it's time to end, I still have one more question to ask!" The examiner sitting next to her patted her shoulder and looked at the girl in front of her.

"I noticed a really handsome guy in all of Imokawa-san's portfolios—is he your lover?"

The woman's expression was somewhat gossipy, and Imokawa Natsumi was stunned.

"……Eh?"

She waved her hand hastily, "He and I are good friends."

"Just good friends?" The woman looked unconvinced.

"It's one thing to cast him as the lead in a short film, but he's in all the promotional videos, photoshoots, short shots, and long shots you've made!"

"For an artist to be thinking about him even while creating—what else could this be but liking him?"

The girl's expression froze, like a photograph.

"Alright." Another professor nudged his colleague and smiled apologetically at the student.

"That concludes the interview. Natsumi-san, you may leave now."

"……OK, thanks."

Natsumi Imokawa instinctively bowed to thank him, then pushed open the door, picked up her schoolbag, and walked with wooden steps through the line of waiting examinees in the corridor.

Is this liking?

When she takes photos, she always imagines the pine branches appearing in the lens—even if she doesn't think about it that way, she will still share the photos she takes with him.

Some directors do indeed develop a liking for the actors they favor...

Is this what liking someone is?

She remembered what the boy had said to her not long ago.

Being with him includes not only dating time, but also time spent apart—

"While waiting for him, while chatting with him on the phone, while walking towards him..."

"Even just thinking about him."

“These are all the parts of being with him, including arguments, suspicions, and neglect.”

The girl slowed her pace and began to think seriously.

When I was with the pine branches.

While sitting in the coffee shop waiting for pine branches.

When you're chatting with him on your phone, when you see him in a crowd, or when he notices you.

Countless times when I inexplicably think of him.

The initial elation and excitement made my heart pound uncontrollably in my chest.

The subsequent anticipation and nervousness, the disappointment of finding oneself unnoticed, and the emptiness in one's heart.

Just like her love for photography—before she knew it, the existence of "Matsueda Jun" seemed to have taken over her life.

"..."

The girl walked to the stairwell, facing the window of the corridor camera, and raised the milk tea in her hand.

As dusk approached, the golden sunlight streaming through the window pierced the tea packaging, casting a novel and dreamlike glow in her eyes.

Natsumi Imokawa blinked, muttering to herself as if waking from a dream.

"So this is what liking someone is like."

(End of this chapter)