Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Chapter 113: Ginkgo Avenue, Rainy Night and the Uninvited Girl

Before entering the main hall, Matsueda Jun drew a fortune stick.

The fortune stick at Meiji Jingu Shrine is called "Ogokoto". It does not predict good or bad luck, but instead contains the imperial poems and interpretations, with the purpose of teaching good men and women.

Jun Matsueda did not draw the fortune for himself, but for his aunt and her niece who were still sleeping.

He looked at the signature on the paper.

"Iwagami Pine" by Emperor Meiji (19th)

“Even if the world changes and the storms rage, we should remain unshaken like a pine tree on a rock.”

"To survive in this society, cultivate yourself like a pine branch."

"(Unwavering Faith)"

Matsueda Jun's heart became subtle.

"What do you mean?" He couldn't help but speak, and Natsumi Imokawa beside him looked at him in confusion.

I was clearly asking for the fortune for the Mochizuki family, so why are there so many pine branches?

He folded the signature paper and put it in his pocket. He had originally intended to give it to Mochizuki Haruka, but now it was wasted.

The two entered the main hall square from the Minamishin Gate, which was surrounded by long corridors. In the center of the square stood three tall nanmu trees, with the two on the left connected by shimenawa ropes.

Natsumi Imokawa walked under the huge canopy of the camphor tree and looked up at the sky between the shade of the trees.

"Why are these two nan trees connected together?" the girl asked curiously.

"It seems to symbolize the deep affection between Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken." Jun Matsueda walked over to her. He had seen it in a Tokyo travel magazine.

A green leaf fell from the treetop and landed on Natsumi Imokawa's chest. Both of them looked down at this inappropriate leaf.

"You are blessed." He didn't know whether he was talking about Kusunoha or Imokawa Natsumi.

The girl nodded seriously and put the leaf in her pocket, planning to use it as a bookmark when she got home.

Behind the nanmu tree is the main hall. The sunlight shines on the flat and delicate roof. The arc of the eaves is graceful and flexible, and there are jade-colored decorations on the roof ridge.

Entering the main hall, Imokawa Natsumi put down his camera; photography is prohibited inside the hall. The two men dropped five-yen coins into a box, bowed twice, clapped twice, and bowed again after making a wish.

"It's a pity that we can't take pictures, otherwise I would definitely take a picture of you making a wish." Natsumi Imokawa felt a little regretful.

After paying homage inside the temple, the girl raised her camera and aimed it at Jun Matsueda who was standing by the ema wall outside the temple.

"Do you want to write ema?"

Matsueda Jun nodded and said, "I just asked a friend to write a piece for her."

Jun Matsueda wrote on the wooden board for praying, "I wish my aunt a speedy recovery." The signature was Haruka Mochizuki.

He hung the ema in his hand on the highest row, turned and looked at the camera, "Isn't Imokawa going to write a piece?"

The girl thought for a moment and hung the camera back around her neck. Matsueda Jun handed her a blank ema.

When Natsumi Imokawa was writing, he suddenly realized something.

The video just shot was the first conversation today. If it is shown to others in the future, the audience will also hear the boy calling her name, Yuchuan, in a gentle voice.

"What's wrong?" Jun Matsueda took two steps closer and looked at the girl who suddenly smiled.

"Nothing!" She put the ema on her chest, not wanting him to see it, so Matsueda Jun had to walk away.

Natsumi Imokawa took out her camera, found the shot of Jun Matsueda hanging his ema, then stood on tiptoe and hung her ema next to Jun Matsueda's.

She wrote, "I hope Matsueda-san can be my model for life." The signature was Imokawa.

"Do you want to go see the ginkgo trees in Jingu Gaien again?" Before leaving Jingu, Imokawa Natsumi suddenly suggested.

"I'll do as you say." Jun Matsueda had no objection.

So the two did not return the same way. They entered along the South Sandao and now left along the North Sandao. There were still lush ancient trees and yellow torii gates. After they went out, they arrived at Yoyogi Station.

At Yoyogi Station, they took the JR line again and got off at Shinanomachi. The photographer and her model walked towards Jingu Gaien.

The Outer Garden sounds very close, but it is actually separated from the main shrine by a block, and it takes more than 20 minutes to walk there.

After exiting the station, continue walking south, passing the National Stadium and a large stadium, and the Ginkgo Avenue in Jingu Gaien will be right in front of you.

The young boy and girl stood at the starting point of Ginkgo Avenue without saying a word, just quietly watching the golden light surging in front of them.

It was past four in the afternoon, and the sky was dotted with red. Ginkgo trees of varying shades of golden yellow lined the sides of the avenue. The two of them walked on the sidewalk beside the road. They could no longer see the arrangement of the tiles, leaving only the thick and thin smears of gold.

Imokawa Natsumi walked forward, camera in hand, when a sudden gust of wind swept through, sending gasps of surprise through the crowd. The ginkgo trees on the ground and branches were swept into the air, and for a moment it was unclear whether the golden rain was falling to the ground or drifting into the air.

The girl turned the camera to Jun Matsueda beside her. The boy was immersed in the picturesque street in front of him and only noticed the camera after a while.

He smiled at the camera and said, "Don't be fooled."

Amidst the falling leaves, the camera in her hand nodded foolishly.

After walking through the ginkgo-roofed tunnel, they stood at the other end of Namiki Avenue and looked back. At the end of the wide road was the dome of a Western-style building. The twilight in the sky cast an orange hue on the golden outlines of the ginkgo trees on both sides. Homecoming crows flew over the treetops, leaving behind black silhouettes.

"This is the most beautiful autumn I have ever seen in Tokyo," said Natsumi Imokawa.

"Me too." Matsueda Jun nodded. "Why don't you take out your camera and take some pictures?"

The girl shook her head, "We've taken enough photos today."

Now is the time of separation. What she needs is not images, but to feel the fleeting delicate colors with the people around her.

Before leaving, Jun Matsueda and Natsumi Imokawa had dinner at Shake Shack in Jingu Gaien, known as one of the best burger chains. They ordered the same avocado, bacon, and beef burger and walked Namiki-dori again. Neither of them could tell if the burger was good, but the Ginkgo Avenue during Oma no Kokusai was certainly beautiful.

When the streetlights came on, they retraced their steps and boarded the JR train. Imokawa Natsumi had to get off early, and Matsueda Jun had to ride back to Kugayama Station to get his bike back.

The girl waved to Jun Matsueda before getting off the train. After the train started again, a message with a penguin avatar popped up on his phone.

"I'm very happy today."

“Can we continue filming next time?”

Jun Matsueda replied with an OK gesture, and the other party sent a shaking penguin emoji.

It started to drizzle on the way home by bike, but fortunately it wasn't heavy, with only some thin lines of light flashing under the street lights.

The room was pitch black. Kurusu Yoshi had a performance tonight and wouldn't be back so early. Matsueda Jun went to the bathroom to take a shower, then lay on the sofa in the living room to read.

He developed the habit of lying on the sofa to kill time, which was influenced by his idol.

The drizzle got heavier, the rumbling thunder reached the room, and Lai Qi Yang Shi called.

"Matsueda, I'm not coming back tonight. I'm staying at Berry Jam's apartment."

Meijiang is a member of her group and is a good girl recognized by Laiqi Yangshi as being consistent in appearance and character.

“Is it because of the weather?” He walked to the window, raindrops hitting the glass.

"No, I'm leaving the group. Berry-chan can't bear to leave me, so we're having a girls' meeting tonight."

Matsueda Jun thought for a moment, then said, "Start a video call so I can check your safety."

The phone hung up, and the video invitation rang immediately. He clicked the confirmation button, and the girl's flawless face appeared on the screen.

Kurusu Yoshi turned around with his phone, showing Matsueda Jun the warm pink interior. "Are you relieved now?"

Jun Matsueda nodded, and the phone screen finally stopped in front of the frosted glass of the bathroom, with a faint flesh color emerging.

"Oh! Meijiang is taking a shower, I can't show you this!" The girl hung up the video in a hurry.

Jun Matsueda shook his head, returned to the sofa and continued reading while listening to the sound of rain.

At half past ten, he heated up a cup of expired milk that he had bought from Lai Qi Yang Shi and drank it in one gulp. After the warmth spread from his stomach to his whole body, he turned off the lights and went to bed.

It was not the next morning when Jun Matsueda opened his eyes. He picked up the mobile phone on the bedside table. It was 1:46 in the morning.

The room was pitch black and the rain was still falling outside the window. It sounded heavier than before he went to bed.

Jun Matsueda has always had a very good sleep quality, the kind that sleeps through the night.

A knock on the living room door explained his early awakening.

Jun Matsueda quietly walked to the kitchen, picked up a kitchen knife, and came to the entrance without making any sound the whole time.

He walked to the door and looked out through the peephole.

The person outside the door was not an overconfident bandit, but a black-haired girl who was drenched by the rain. She lowered her head, and her shiny wet black lace nightgown stuck to her body, revealing the rise and fall of her waist and chest.

The darkness blurred the girl's face. As if she felt the prying eyes, she raised her head and her dark gaze passed through the cat's eye and met Matsueda Jun's.

The phone in his pocket rang.

Chapter 114: Hot Milk, Shipwreck and Bedtime Fairy Tales

"Hello."

"Yes, she's at my door."

"Half past twelve?"

"Okay, it's okay. Let me take a look at the specific situation first."

Matsueda Jun hung up the phone. It was the Mochizuki family's bodyguard calling. The man in the suit had parked his car on the side of the road outside the apartment building. He had noticed that the lights in Matsueda's house had not been on and called out of concern.

Jun Matsueda placed the kitchen knife on the shoe cabinet at the entrance, opened the security door, and looked at the girl in front of him who looked like she was out of her body.

"Why are you so wet? Didn't someone bring you here?"

Mochizuki Haruka shuddered. "I heard that getting wet in the rain can help you calm down."

It was too late and she was afraid of disturbing Jun Matsueda. However, the anxiety in the girl's heart was like black mud with nowhere to release. She chose to walk around in the open space downstairs again and again, trying to calm herself down by getting caught in the rain.

As expected, she failed, which is why the girl is now standing in front of Jun Matsueda.

"Come in first." Jun Matsueda turned on the light in the living room and brought her a pair of slippers.

"Matsueda--" Mochizuki Haruka took a step forward and put her hands on Matsueda Jun's chest. She wanted to say something, but was interrupted.

"Go to the bathroom and take a hot shower before we talk."

He sent the girl into the bathroom and went back to the bedroom to find clothes.

Mochizuki Haruka needed to change his clothes, as his own pajamas had just been wet by the ghost-like cold hands.

Jun Matsueda knocked on the bathroom door and said, "I've left your clothes at the door." Then he went to the living room to heat milk for the girl.

After Mochizuki Haruka came out wearing a loose T-shirt and shorts, Matsueda Jun poured hot milk into the glass.

This cup was used to entertain guests, and it was used to pour barley tea for Tomatsu Tomoka and Kurusu Yoshi. Of course, Kurusu Yoshi now has his own special cup.

The girl was standing in the living room. Matsueda Jun pointed to Kurusu Yoshi's room and said, "If you want to wear underwear, go to her room and look for it yourself."

When Mochizuki Haruka returned to the living room, Matsueda Jun was already sitting on the sofa watching TV. The girl sat down next to him with a glass in her hands.

"The Mochizuki sank." The girl finally said her first sentence. After being interrupted several times by Matsueda Jun, she found that her tone was calmer than expected.

Matsueda Jun pressed the remote to mute the TV screen. "The Mochizuki on Lake Ashi?"

The girl took a sip of milk and nodded. "I just received news tonight. According to the design, it should still be able to work for at least twenty years."

The tears that flowed from the corners of her eyes washed away the traces of milk on her lips.

"Could it be because of the previous typhoon?" Jun Matsueda tried to find a scientific explanation.

Mochizuki Haruka shook his head. "Lake Ashi is in a valley, so it's generally not affected by typhoons. Furthermore, the regular inspections of previous ships haven't revealed any problems."

She looked at Matsueda Jun like a homeless puppy, "It must be my aunt..."

He unmuted the TV and the sound of the night show came through.

"There's no need to think that way. Accidents can happen for many reasons. The Mochizuki is just a civilian replica ship. It's normal for something to go wrong."

Although there would be no glacier suddenly appearing in Lake Ashi that would cause the Mochizuki to hit, he could only try his best to persuade the girl.

"Perhaps there was a problem with the original counterfeit design, or perhaps the manufacturer cut corners or something? This possibility is much greater."

"But this time my aunt didn't wake up for more than a week..."

Mochizuki Haruka put the milk on the table, but Matsueda Jun picked it up again and handed it to her, "You'd better drink it while it's hot. You've been in the rain for so long, your body needs to warm up."

After the girl reluctantly took the glass, he changed the channel on TV. Quiet music flowed in the room, making the sound of rain outside the window seem even more violent.

"You said before that the doctor's judgment is that the condition may worsen. Now that he hasn't woken up for over a week, it's expected. Don't associate it with the shipwreck."

"If you think so, then could it be that tonight's rain is Auntie crying? Tokyo has so many earthquakes every year. If something in Mochizuki's house collapses in a couple of days, will you think it has something to do with Auntie again?"

Mochizuki Yao drank the milk in small sips without saying a word.