Am I being simulated by their love affair?

"Will you never abandon me?"

"When can I tell him I like him?"

"When will I be able to make him feel how I feel?"

In order to get to know Matsueda Jun better, Mochizuki Haruka didn't sleep much all night, and the girl lying on the bed soon fell into a deep sleep.

This time she had a dream she expected.

In Room 507 next door, Jun Matsueda left breakfast on the table, then went out on his bike and headed towards Setagaya.

Mitaka City and Setagaya District of Suginami Ward are adjacent to each other, and the part-time job he recently found is at the intersection of the three, the Setagaya Literary Museum.

The work is very leisurely. I organize the books in the internal library on a daily basis. When there are exhibitions, I need to organize related peripherals or act as a guide.

During the morning break, Jun Matsueda's phone vibrated. It was a message from Yamami Maki.

"Matsueda-san, I received a postcard from Hokkaido!"

He gave a parrot-nodding expression in return, which he had stolen from his senior, "Just like what Yamami-senpai said, Hokkaido is a place that makes you reluctant to leave."

"Hmm~"

Although it was just text in a dialog box, Jun Matsueda could imagine the girl humming softly in front of him.

"Matsueda-san, don't leave after the final exams. Remember to come to the rooftop to find me to receive your Christmas present!"

Yamami Moki sent another parrot emoticon that he had never seen before, and Matsueda Jun silently saved it.

As expected, when he walked out of the Literature Museum in the afternoon, he received another call from the welfare home.

"Brother Jun! I saw your postcard. I also want to go on a school trip to Hokkaido!" Cai-chan's voice was a little more excited than before.

"You can go there once you get admitted to Haneda University." Jun Matsueda shrank his neck in the wind. The temperature today was much lower than the previous two days.

"Yes! I've finished the previous entrance exams in your drawer and am just waiting for the entrance exam in March!"

"Then I'll see you in Yuqiu next spring?" He looked up at the winter sky, and the water vapor he exhaled gradually rose and turned into part of the clouds.

"absolute!"

Jun Matsueda spent the last break of the second semester fulfillingly, filled with words of longing, joy and blessings.

After school on Thursday, Jun Matsueda and Tomoka Tomatsu returned to the classroom from the gymnasium to do a final inspection of the examination room environment.

"Today is the final practice. What do you think of the wind band's level, Matsueda?"

The two stood at both ends of the classroom, bending down to check the drawers of each desk.

"After a few bad apples left, the overall feeling is more harmonious and beautiful, and the ensemble of several principals is also excellent."

They gradually approached the center of the classroom, and both raised their heads at the same time, almost bumping into each other.

"Especially the principal saxophone player. To be honest, I'm looking forward to seeing her perform at her best." Jun Matsueda took a step back.

"I think Matsueda-san will definitely see it." Tomatsu Tomoka didn't move, just stood there and looked at him.

The sunset sunlight in winter is always exceptionally clean, clear and cold, but it cannot wipe away the tenderness on the girl's face. The two people standing in the middle of the classroom, their faint shadows melting together.

"This year is about to end, and I feel a little reluctant." Tomatsu Tomoka's voice is gentler than the snow falling on the black nose of a polar bear.

"If it's not over, how can we welcome the new year?" Matsueda Jun broke away from the girl's sight and returned to his seat to get his bag.

"Inspection complete, time to leave the classroom."

He walked out of the classroom, and after a while, the girl caught up with him.

Final exams, winter trials, Christmas and New Year came one after another in the afterglow of winter.

Chapter 165: After the Exam, Before the Competition

Miraculously, the final exams at Yuqiu High School last for five full days.

There are ten subjects in total, two of which are tested in the morning and the afternoon is a holiday.

"It feels like torture to take such a long time to take the exam..."

Jun Matsueda walked out of the classroom yawning, but Ken Sakamuro had already run to the gymnasium before him. This basketball idiot was still thinking about making good use of the time to practice for a while.

Today is the 23rd, and there is only one day left until the end of the semester. The first game of the winter trial of the Haneda High School men's basketball team will be held at the Tokyo Gymnasium at 5:20 pm.

"Sakamuro-san is a little nervous too, right?" Tomatsu Tomoka walked beside Matsueda Jun. "Matsueda-san, don't you like this exam arrangement?"

He nodded. "I'm more used to scheduling exams full and finishing them as quickly as possible."

The girl nodded as well. "I've gotten to know Matsueda-san a little better. Congratulations~"

When Jun Matsueda walked out of the school gate, the girl who walked out of the classroom with him was still standing at the intersection in front of the ramp.

"Didn't Ms. Tomatsu come to pick you up early some time ago?" Jun Matsueda pushed his bicycle and stopped beside her, the girl's skirt swaying in the wind.

"Before, it was after work, and it was almost time for my mom to get off work. These days, I get out of school at noon, so she doesn't have time to pick me up, so I have to walk alone."

"Then why are you still standing at the school gate?"

"Because..." The girl took two steps towards him, "Tomorrow is the holiday, so I suddenly wanted to see Matsueda-san a few more times."

Jun Matsueda walked across the intersection and came to the top of the slope, with the girl following behind her.

"Why haven't I seen Mochizuki-san come to pick you up these days?"

"Because I'm not going home after school, why should she pick me up?" He got on his bike and started before entering the slope.

Just after riding two meters, I felt a weight on the back seat of the bicycle and Tomatsu Tomoka sat on it.

"Where are you going, Matsueda?" The girl sat sideways gracefully, her hands on the edge of the chair, with no intention of getting off.

"I'm going to work at the Shidagu Literary Museum." As he entered the slope, the bicycle began to accelerate. He heard the girl's exclamation, "So fast!"

"Too fast, Matsueda-san—"

After passing the slope, Matsueda Jun pressed the brake, "You suddenly sat on it, the weight increased, so of course the speed will increase."

He waited for two seconds, but the girl still didn't get off the car.

"I've never seen Matsueda-san working." Tomatsu Tomoka looked at the slope behind her, and the dead leaves on the roadside rolled down with the wind they left behind.

"Can I go to the Shidagu Literary Museum with me?" The girl's tone was relaxed, with deliberate nonchalance.

Jun Matsueda turned his head, but the long-haired girl didn't look at him, but just lowered her head quietly.

When they were sitting by the window of the library, holding a cup of coffee and looking at Jun Matsueda who had changed into the library uniform, Tomatsu Tomoka told them the real reason why she jumped on the bicycle.

"I just don't want to go home." The girl's smile was faint, like the snow hanging on the branches.

"I usually go home with my mother. Even though she spends most of her time in the study, at least I know I'm not the only one at home."

"These past few days, because of final exams, I have to go home at noon every day and stay in an empty room until the evening. It feels like I'm in a grave."

The girl is like a bystander, using her own loneliness as a model to depict.

"Then let's go out." Jun Matsueda raised his arm and put the book in his hand on the top shelf of the bookshelf.

"So I'm going out now~" Tomatsu Tomoka looked at the boy in front of her.

The boy was holding a book in his hands. He had taken off his winter coat, leaving only a white shirt. He was wearing a librarian's black apron on the outside. There were a few pens clipped in the big pocket on the front of the apron, and a sticky note inside.

It’s a pity that Jun Matsueda doesn’t wear glasses, otherwise he would have the standard image of a young man in the library.

"What does it feel like to work?" the girl asked curiously.

"It's good for making money and gaining experience." Matsueda Jun's answer was simple and direct. He thought for a moment and said, "If I focus on my work, I won't have time to think about unnecessary problems."

Tomatsu Tomoka sipped his coffee and fell into thought.

After Matsueda Jun walked around the bookshelf next to the girl, she looked up and asked, "Matsueda-san, will you work here during the winter break?"

He nodded, and the girl asked again, "Would Matsueda-san mind if I worked here too?"

Someone approached the counter, and Matsueda Jun turned and walked towards him, leaving the girl with a literary and artistic back view.

"Just don't interfere with my work."

Until four o'clock in the afternoon, Tomatsu Tomoka watched Matsueda Jun walking back and forth in the huge library. The stacked bookshelves often blocked his figure, but the sound of his footsteps was enough to make the girl feel at ease.

When the two left the literary museum, the bicycle that Jun Matsueda had parked on the side of the road had disappeared, replaced by a black car.

Mochizuki Haruka lowered the car window, his eyes swept past the girl walking to the side of the road, and looked at Matsueda Jun behind her.

"time to go."

Before opening the car door, Jun Matsueda looked at Tomatsu Tomoka beside him.

"I can take the subway to Tokyo Gymnasium by myself later, don't worry, Matsueda-san." The girl said with a smile.

After the black car disappeared at the end of the road, Tomatsu Tomoka turned and walked towards the subway station.

At 5:10 pm, members of the Haneda High School basketball team, cheerleading team, and wind band appeared at the branch venue of Tokyo Gymnasium.

"It's just a division of the competition venues..." Sakamuro Ken said disappointedly.

"Let's set our goal to reach the main arena first." Jun Matsueda patted his shoulder and walked to the bench. There were quite a few people around the bench, including substitute players, the managers of the basketball team, Natsumi Imokawa and Yumi Seshita from the news department, and Haruka Mochizuki.

The girl sat alone on the sidelines, far away from the others. Matsueda Jun squatted next to her. "How dare you come out with so many people here?"

"Because you might play, I want to cheer you on." The girl's tone was very serious.

"That might disappoint you, but I'll probably be sitting on the sidelines with you for forty minutes."

"That's better." Mochizuki Haruka's voice sounded happy.

At 5:15, the boys, dressed in basketball uniforms, gathered in the center of the field, and the cheerleaders on both sides entered the field one after another.

The loud sound of saxophone echoed in the stadium. Although the game had not yet started, the players felt the blood pumping from their hearts to their bodies.

"Our wind band is clearly better! We've already won!" the managers on the bench said proudly.

At 5:20 exactly, after the opening players on both sides jumped high with the thrown basketball, the audience's excited shouts resounded throughout the stadium.

On the bench of Tottori Johto High School, the boys in jerseys were looking at the guy who stood out from the crowd on the opposite bench.

"That guy was wearing his jersey, but he didn't even do pre-game warm-ups, and now he's even putting on his jacket?"

"He wasn't even watching the game, he was chatting with the pretty girl next to him!"

"What's going on with this guy?"

Chapter 166: The First Girl's Gift

"It was an easy win." Jun Matsueda looked at Ken Sakamuro who returned to the sidelines to drink water.

"Our goal is the main arena, how could we fall here!" Sakamuro Ken high-fived his teammates who were leaving the field.

"National-level competitions are so exciting, Matsueda. You won't have a chance to play next time." Shiroo Jō said to Matsueda Jun with a smile. He is a classmate of Tsushima Kou, and Matsueda Jun would occasionally play against him during training.

After the game, the players from both teams shook hands, and the girls in the stands blew the Haneda school song.

"Beside the window in April, waiting for the wind of freedom~"

The boys sang in unison, shoulder to shoulder. Only the winners could play the school song on the field.

In the audience seats across from them, the girls from Tottori Johhoku High School put down their golden instruments and wiped away their tears silently.

Even by plane, it takes three or four hours to get from Tottori to Tokyo, and many students even took buses and transfers all the way here. And now, after just less than an hour in the auditorium, they were on their way home.

They are not even qualified to play the school song.

"Sports competition is such a cruel thing." Tomatsu Tomoka put down the saxophone and looked at the backs of the people leaving the audience.

At noon on the 24th, the last exam was over. The afternoon sun shone through the windowpanes, leaving behind dazzling circles of light. The teaching building was bustling with activity, like a fin-de-siècle carnival. The corridors were bustling with people, and from time to time, someone would brush against Jun Matsueda's shoulder as they ran past.

It was not until the door to the rooftop was closed that the noisy sounds finally faded away.

"How did Matsueda-san do in the exam?" The girl on the rooftop turned around in the golden sunlight.

“Try hard to get a scholarship.”

Jun Matsueda walked to Yamami Maki's side. This was the place where he and another girl had stood during the trilateral talks. The trash can pattern on the concrete fence was still there.

The girl had her hands behind her back and her body swayed slightly, looking in a good mood.

"How are you planning to spend Christmas Eve, Matsueda-san?"

"Just spending it like any other normal day. I'm not one to care about Christmas. Maybe a cake?"

He leaned against the railing and looked down at the campus. Students, bags in hand, were leaving the school gates in groups. With the holiday and Christmas Eve coming up, everyone was planning to get together and relax. The karaoke bars around the school should be doing good business this afternoon.

"It seems that I have to add a sense of ceremony to Matsueda-san's Christmas." The girl handed the bag on her back to Matsueda Jun.