They all have hidden attributes!

As he expected, after chatting for a while, the two girls quickly turned the topic to themselves.

The girl with black twin tails suddenly turned around and said, "Speaking of clubs, Takahashi-kun is the ace of the archery club, right? National champion, that's amazing."

"Because almost all the girls in the archery club join in order to avoid sweating," Makoto Takahashi replied awkwardly, looking at Hina Nekoya for help.

He had no other way of dealing with strange women besides being polite, including unfamiliar classmates.

“That’s right. Most of the girls who visited the badminton club with me when we enrolled ended up in the archery club because of the rigorous training,” Hina Nekoya chimed in, continuing Makoto Takahashi’s topic.

"Ah—no wonder the girls in the archery club have time to play every day."

"They'll be a great help if they just bring the arrows back on time."

Nekoya Hina deliberately controlled the atmosphere and steered the conversation, allowing Takahashi Makoto to finish his lunch in peace before immediately making his escape.

"Haruna, I need to go to the light music club."

After greeting Hina Nekoya and politely saying goodbye to the two girls in his class, he left the classroom through the back door and headed straight for the Light Music Club.

Pushing open the door to the club office, I saw Maya Uesugi sitting by the window, a laptop in front of her, and a neatly prepared bento box beside her.

She sat upright, and from the side, her waist was exceptionally slender, and her smooth, long black hair shone with a luster under the light.

A beautiful profile is incredibly attractive; even with a downturned mouth and an unhappy expression, one can still be captivated.

"Good afternoon." Takahashi Makoto closed the door behind him and stepped closer.

Upon hearing the greeting, Uesugi Maya nodded almost imperceptibly and asked in a cold voice, "What is it?"

"Regarding Hina, at noon today, two girls from our class came over and asked to share a table with us for lunch."

Makoto Takahashi stopped two steps away from her, glanced at her beautiful legs encased in over-the-knee stockings, quickly looked away, and stated his thoughts in a calm tone:

"If what you're saying is true, they won't come to me on their own initiative."

"That makes sense, but where's the evidence?"

"..."

How can I believe what you say?

Maya Uesugi turned to look at him, her voice tinged with skepticism: "I told you, the simplest and most direct evidence is the love letter."

"I did say that."

"Just remember that."

She gave me a look that said, "You can go now," and turned back to type on her laptop keyboard.

Makoto Takahashi was silent for a moment, then pulled out a chair, sat down opposite Maya Uesugi, and took out a workbook from the desk drawer.

"This isn't your first time in a band, is it?" he asked tentatively.

"No." Uesugi Maya admitted frankly, without any change in expression or attitude.

"With Kashima-senpai?"

After a brief silence, the sound of a laptop closing came through, which sounded very unpleasant.

Makoto Takahashi looked up and met her gaze without flinching. He saw that Maya Uesugi's face was visibly clouded with shadows, and her beautiful eyes were gloomy.

She sighed softly before continuing, "Yes, she's in charge of the drums, and I'm in charge of the guitar."

Why did they disband?

"It's none of your business."

Hearing the familiar answer, Makoto Takahashi changed the question: "Have you studied archery?"

These words were like opening Pandora's box. Uesugi Maya's aura suddenly turned grim, and her beautiful caramel-colored eyes were instantly covered with a cold light.

"No, I am skilled in swordsmanship."

"I didn't mean anything by it, it's just—"

Before Takahashi Makoto could finish speaking, she rudely interrupted him as if he had stepped on a landmine: "Here's a piece of advice: don't pry into secrets, especially women's secrets."

Maya Uesugi crossed her arms, her beautiful caramel-colored eyes growing even colder, perfectly embodying the term "cold beauty."

She wasn't incapable of smiling; the corners of her mouth, which had been pressed down, turned up slightly, revealing a faint, cold smile.

"I do not recommend that you continue to have contact with Kashima."

"Why?" Makoto Takahashi asked curiously.

Judging from Uesugi Maya's behavior, Kashima Reiko certainly doesn't seem to be her subordinate. So who was the one who fired the arrow so quickly?

There was an unlucky guy who was put under pressure for no reason; it was really tough.

"Curiosity killed the cat, Takahashi-san," Maya Uesugi advised, emphasizing each word.

Seeing that there was no way to learn about Kashima Reiko's hidden attributes from her, Takahashi Makoto decisively gave up and decided to try to find out from other sources.

As for the cat-killing incident, it doesn't matter; the Yamanote Line won't kill you anyway.

Seeing that he wouldn't have a chance to swipe his assistance card at noon, he stood up to leave, confirming with Maya Uesugi before he left:

"Once I receive a love letter, you'll admit that you were maliciously speculating about Hina and apologize to her, right?"

“I will confirm with the person involved. If you haven’t lied to me, I will reflect on my actions.” She nodded to confirm Takahashi Makoto’s statement.

"Confirming a love letter can be very embarrassing for the person involved."

"So what?"

Maya Uesugi doesn't care about anyone else. She lacks the empathy needed to interact with people, which makes Makoto Takahashi wonder if this is the main reason why her original band disbanded.

I don't think the new band will be very happy either.

Should we give her a little reminder, considering the 15 yen monthly "friendship fee"?

Makoto Takahashi wanted to make the money, but he didn't want to stay in such a depressing atmosphere.

Just as she was pondering how to bring it up, Maya Uesugi seemed to suddenly remember something and pushed her laptop closer: "I downloaded a TV series, 'Tomorrow's Girlfriend,' take it and study it carefully."

"Thank you, but no need. I'll figure it out myself," Takahashi Makoto politely declined her help.

He believed that as long as his charm was high enough, even if he had a withdrawn personality, he could become popular enough to make Uesugi Maya apologize to Nekoya Hina.

Chapter 9 If there is a perfect ending

If Kashima Reiko wasn't a maid in the Uesugi family, wouldn't the situation have become even more complicated?

Thursday afternoon's two classes are Basic Biology and Mathematics A.

During class, Makoto Takahashi could never concentrate well, his mind wandering to all sorts of random thoughts. He couldn't even trigger his normal intelligence boost, let alone his friendship training.

After school, since Nekoya Hina was on duty, Takahashi Makoto stayed behind with her to clean the classroom.

After tidying up the desks and chairs, while erasing the blackboard, Hina Nekoya suddenly asked him, "Makoto, is there anything you like?"

"For birthday gifts, I prefer light novels, games, or figurines," Makoto Takahashi said candidly, revealing his otaku hobbies.

"I mean things I'm interested in, hobbies, and the like."

“Yes, light novels, and comics too,” he replied without turning his head.

"It was a girl I had lunch with today who asked me to find out that otaku hobbies have become very vulnerable to attacks these days," Nekoya Hina kindly reminded me, her tone sounding slightly troubled.

"That kind of thing doesn't matter." Makoto Takahashi is very open-minded about this trend.

The outside world's attacks on otaku groups are simply because everyone needs an obviously bad guy.

Regardless of their education or social standing, that goal allows them to throw stones at each other at will.

If you become a popular character within the academy and gain popularity, it's only a matter of time before you become attacked.

He put down the blackboard eraser, turned to look at Nekoya Hina who was sweeping the floor, and casually said in a nonchalant tone, "If anyone is interested in me, let them write me love letters."

"I understand. They're waiting for my message, so I won't be going to the club with you today."

Hina Nekoya looked up and smiled, agreeing, "Leave everything else to me. Makoto, you should go to the light music club."

"To be honest, I don't really want to go; I'm already a bit annoyed."

Makoto Takahashi picked up half a piece of white chalk from the podium and wrote tomorrow's class schedule in the lower right corner of the blackboard: "But we should always have a sense of contract, after all, I accepted a friend's fee."

"I think Cheng will be able to make new friends, although Uesugi is not easy to get along with."

"I hope so."

After exchanging a few words, Makoto Takahashi threw away the chalk and walked alone through the elevated corridor to the Light Music Club's office.

Pushing open the door, the scene that greeted me was still Uesugi Maya operating her laptop, her posture exactly the same as during her lunch break, as beautiful as an ancient Greek sculpture.

Against the backdrop of leaden-gray clouds outside the window, her refined beauty shone exceptionally brightly. It was a pity that her personality was exceptionally troublesome; otherwise, even without the friend fee, Takahashi Makoto would have been willing to become friends with her.

After pulling out a chair and sitting down opposite Maya Uesugi, he took out a workbook from his desk and began to train his intellect.

He visited the club office in silence. After a while, noticing the somewhat heavy atmosphere, Uesugi Maya glanced at him intentionally or unintentionally a few times, and finally took the initiative to start a conversation:

"Have you bought the bass yet?"

"No."

"You don't like bass?"

"I think it's fine for the bassist to stand in the corner, right? I quite like that. Being too flamboyant doesn't suit me."

Makoto Takahashi put down his pen, looked up, and started talking about the band: "Why did you choose the guitar in the first place?"

As long as the topic of Kashima-senpai and archery is not brought up, Uesugi Maya doesn't seem to mind.

She closed her laptop, crossed her hands in front of her lovely face, and stared straight into my eyes: "Because the guitarist and vocalist are the soul of the band."

"Isn't it Bass?"

"why?"

"Because from a philosophical point of view, no one can prove that the soul truly exists."

Makoto Takahashi casually told a bass joke, and under his gaze, Maya Uesugi's calm faded, gradually turning into a look of worry.

Is he expressing his dissatisfaction with his arrangements in this way? He certainly has a serious personality.

Thinking this to herself, Maya Uesugi's expression gradually stiffened. Makoto Takahashi realized she lacked a sense of humor and quickly explained: