Am I being simulated by their love affair?

Page 624

The matriarch of the household, Lady Imokawa, snorted lightly, "So you slept in too, causing us to miss breakfast today?"

"Alright, alright." Natsumi Imokawa shook her mother's arm. "It's fine if we line up now and have breakfast after the first shrine visit."

"..." Miyamura Aya rolled her eyes. "If we queue now, it'll be quite a long wait until the Hatsumode (first shrine visit) ends, right?"

She pushed the boy next to her in front of her.

"How about Chun-ge stays with Imokawa-neechan in line, and I go buy breakfast with Uncle and Auntie? I'm hungry too~"

This guy… Jun Matsue put his right hand behind his back and gently twisted the back of the girl’s hand.

“Yes, yes…” Remi Imokawa looked at the boy in front of her with a smile.

"I just don't know if Matsueda-san will agree~"

Jun Matsue blinked. Before he could speak, he met Natsumi Imokawa's expectant, watery gaze.

The girl was wearing a pure white down jacket today. The thick, rounded coat concealed her usually eye-catching figure, giving her an endearing and innocent charm—it was simply irresistible to look at her tilting her head back and blinking her eyes like that.

“Yes, yes…” the boy mimicked the woman’s answer.

Before he could finish speaking, Akira Imokawa took his wife's hand and walked to the side.

"Then I'll leave Xia Shi to you. Let's go have breakfast first!"

"...But wouldn't that be a bit inappropriate?" Jun Matsue reluctantly uttered the second half of his sentence.

"Thank you for your hard work, Chun-ge~" Miyamura Aya patted his shoulder with a smile and followed the two of them.

"Tell me what you want to eat, and I'll bring it back for you later~"

Watching her skip away, Jun Matsue turned to look at the girl beside him—Imokawa was still gazing at him expectantly.

"...Shall we go line up now?"

Imokawa Natsumi nodded firmly, "Okay!"

Once again joining the end of the worship line, facing the excited gazes around him, the boy took a step closer to the person next to him, prompting her to look up in surprise.

"If you don't get close, people will try to chat you up, which is a hassle."

"Oh, oh." The girl pulled her neckline up as high as possible, completely covering up her wealth.

"...He wasn't hitting on Imokawa, he was hitting on me."

"Huh?" Natsumi Imokawa looked up and then noticed the menacing stares of the people around her.

She quickly raised her hand again and zipped up her down jacket all the way down to her chest—her full, rounded figure, covered by her close-fitting undershirt, quickly popped out, immediately scaring away most of the lingering gazes.

"...That works too." Matsueda Jun opened his mouth, "Imokawa, aren't you afraid of the cold?"

"I'm not cold!" The girl shook her wide-open neckline, her trembling chest swaying along with it.

"Down jackets are convenient and warm!"

"I never expected to run into Songzhi..." She glanced at the boy next to her, then at her down jacket and trousers.

"I should have dressed up before going out."

The boy smiled and looked up at the line in front of them—it was moving at a fairly fast pace, and they should be able to reach the temple within half an hour.

"I thought it was Aya-chan who notified you, it was really a coincidence that we met..." he said, glancing at his phone.

There's no news from my senior yet, which is normal—she won't get home that quickly.

"What a coincidence!" Natsumi Imokawa's voice rose a little. "I didn't even know I was going to Tokyo Daijingu Shrine when I left home this morning!"

A happy smile appeared on her face. "I ran into Matsue at Senso-ji Temple the year before last, and I didn't expect to run into her again this year..."

"Could this be considered a kind of fate?"

“I can’t argue with that.” Jun Matsueda nodded. “So you probably won’t need to draw a love fortune stick later.”

The girl didn't answer, but instead stood on tiptoe and stared at his face to observe him carefully.

"What's wrong?" The boy blinked.

"It feels like Matsue isn't happy at all, even though it's the first day of the new year?" Natsumi Imokawa said, frowning.

"Could it be my imagination?"

“…No, not at all.” Jun Matsue smiled. “I was quite happy at first, but something unexpected happened.”

"It wasn't exactly unexpected—I was mentally prepared, but it still had to happen on New Year's Day, so it was bound to be a bit disappointing."

“But this has nothing to do with Imogawa.” He looked at the girl in front of him. “I’m still very happy to see you, so I’ll try to get myself together with you for the shrine visit.”

“Oh…” Natsumi Imokawa nodded, then pulled her jacket zipper down a little further, and opened her arms—

"Would a hug make you feel better?"

"..." Looking at her pure and innocent eyes, Matsueda Jun sighed inwardly.

How could he not be happy?

Chapter 847 If you're used to companionship, how can you get used to loneliness?

Faced with the girl's selfless embrace, Jun Matsueda ultimately chose to "be deeply moved, and then refuse."

"I appreciate Yuchuan's kindness..." He reached out and pushed the girl's outstretched arms back.

"But if I hug you, I'll easily get distracted and lose my bearings. In order to queue properly, I'd better not."

"..." Natsumi Imokawa blinked, looking at the boy's serious expression, which was fixed straight ahead.

"Am I really that amazing? Is Matsugi thinking I'm too fat?"

Jun Matsueda glanced at her. "Where have you gained weight? I can't tell."

"Anyway, that's what my mom said—I ate too much and exercised too little during the Lunar New Year holidays." The girl's cheeks puffed out slightly.

"I secretly weighed myself and I've only gained two pounds..."

"Maybe it's just because they're wearing too many layers in winter?"

"No! I took my clothes off to get tested!"

The image of the sparse spring light he had seen at the Yuchuan Studio flashed through his mind. The boy shook his head and followed the crowd ahead.

"That's only two pounds, not fat, and it's easy to lose."

“Yes!” Natsumi Imokawa nodded. “I plan to do the same!”

"Dad told me not to stay home and watch movies during the New Year, but to go out and chase pine branches instead!"

"..." The girl struck another unexpected blow, and Matsueda Jun could only blink and pretend he hadn't heard it.

"Things haven't even settled down with my senior yet, so don't even think about Imokawa, who's barely even a couple of dates here..." he warned himself.

The small space between the boys and girls fell silent for a moment, with only the whispers of those around them remaining—the boys were used to the tacit and comfortable silence between themselves and Imokawa in the clubroom, but this time they felt a little uncomfortable.

Was it because he had just refused to hug her that she was hurt? Jun Matsueda turned his head away without showing any emotion.

Natsumi Imokawa was looking down at her phone, tapping her fingers on the screen as if she were sending a message to someone.

Before he could even get close, the girl looked up and spoke with delight.

"So it was my hug that made Songzhi's heart flutter, which is why you rejected me just now?"

"..." The boy glanced at her phone screen. "Who told you that?"

"Mom!" Natsumi Imokawa held up her phone.

"And she said that Songzhi would only use explanations to cover up her feelings, and told me not to believe you!"

Why is there still off-site assistance...? Matsueda Jun looked towards the gate of the shrine, feeling somewhat helpless.

"Should we stop sending them messages, Yuchuan?"

"why?"

"Because you have to date on your own," he said earnestly.

"If you ask others for help every time you encounter a problem, it's like buying a camera but handing it over to someone else to take pictures—what's the point?"

The girl blinked. "So, Songzhi really did have feelings for me just now?"

The boy nodded, and Natsumi Imokawa put her phone away with satisfaction.

"If Songzhi continues to be this honest, I won't need to consult my mother."

"..." Matsueda Jun looked at the undulating crowd on the steps in front of the hall, and the backs of the people in the first row bowing in worship were already clearly visible.

"How did you spend the New Year in Imokawa?" he asked casually, changing the subject.

"It's just an ordinary way of life—cleaning and decorating the room with Mom and Dad, sneaking a bite while they prepare the Osaka meal, and doing homework to prepare for exams..."

The girl used his coat as a fulcrum and stood on tiptoe to take a look.

"Then we'd just laze around on the sofa, eating snacks and fruit, watching TV shows and movies..."

"The New Year is here before we know it!"

The boy couldn't help but smile—it would definitely be nice to snuggle up on the sofa with the warm and cozy Imokawa to celebrate the New Year.

"Where's the pine branch?" Natsumi Imokawa turned her head. "You must be very busy, right?"

"Actually, it's not bad, just average, since I mainly spent my time in the orphanage..."

Jun Matsuoka spoke somewhat vaguely, because he remembered that the girl was no longer interested in listening to love stories that were related to her but not to her.

Moreover, the boy is now very clear that ever since he received that heartfelt photo album, he no longer sees Imokawa as just a good friend.

Telling her about his relationships with other girls in front of her would be a real mood killer.

“Looks like we’re all doing pretty much the same thing~” Natsumi Imokawa tugged at his coat and walked up the steps with the boy.

"But the new year will definitely be different—"

"Because of graduation?"

"Hmm!" The girl zipped up her zipper and lightly jumped up the steps with the slowly moving crowd.

"But it's not just because of graduation—"

"In the new year, shouldn't Pine Branch be ready to accept my side quests?"

The boy paused as he climbed the steps, glancing at the profile of the person beside him.

Natsumi Imokawa took out a mini camera from her pocket. The yellow camera, resembling a mission exclamation mark, was held in her hand as she took pictures of the crowd and the worship hall in front of her.

The girl's profile was illuminated by the rising sun hanging obliquely in the sky, her smooth skin painted with a magnificent luster that was somewhat dazzling.

"Why don't you ask when you draw your fortune later?" Jun Matsuoka said softly.

He really didn't know what to do about Imokawa, so he might as well try asking the gods who govern fate and see what advice they had.

"Really?" Meeting his gaze, Natsumi Imokawa blinked excitedly.

"Then I'll ask you, okay?"

Fifteen minutes later, Jun Matsue walked away from the window selling amulets, shaking the full paper bag in his hand.

"Imokawa really bought everything..."

“Of course!” Natsumi Imokawa, walking beside him, said enthusiastically, “Since it’s about blessing your love luck, the more the better, right?”

The boy, who had slowed his pace, muttered to himself, "The person you're praying to find love with is right in front of you..." as he was pulled down the steps by Imokawa.

"Where can I draw the divine fortune slip? I want to see what the gods will say!"

"I'll take you there—"

Arriving once again at the wooden box containing the fortune slips, Jun Matsue hesitated for a moment before drawing one slip each from the "Love" and "Normal" boxes.

He unfolded the ordinary slip of paper in his hand and received the exact same text as before.

"It's still Suekichi..."

His gaze fell on the other slip of paper in his hand. Before he even opened it, a soft exclamation of surprise rang in the boy's ears.

"It's a very auspicious sign!"

Jun Matsue turned his head, and the girl beside him leaned closer, cheerfully unfolding the note in her hand—

"Love Song:"