They all have hidden attributes!

"Here you go, wash it clean and then give it back to me."

He immediately took off his shirt, tossed it to Shiraishi Junka, and got up to walk towards the stairs: "Good night."

Shiraishi Junka held the T-shirt in both hands, slowly approached, pressed it to her face, took a deep breath, and then smiled happily, squeezing out a hoarse, muffled sound: "Mmm, goodnight."

8 month 18 day.

Awakened by the knocking on the door, before even opening his eyes, Makoto Takahashi mechanically sat up in bed, yawning as he got out.

After casually putting on his clothes, he stretched and opened the door. Uesugi Maya, dressed neatly, was waiting in the hallway outside.

"Meeting," she said coldly, arms crossed.

"what?"

Everyone else is waiting for you.

"Okay." Takahashi Makoto stretched his neck and perked up.

The two went downstairs together to the rehearsal room. The morning sunlight shone through the clean and bright windows, casting the girls' shadows on the floor.

Kashima Reiko was tidying up the drum set, Nekoya Hina was helping to organize the equipment, and Hanakawa Kaori was carrying a violin case on her back and also holding Uesugi Maya's violin case in her hand.

Junko Shiraishi was putting Makoto Takahashi's bass into its case, wearing the T-shirt he had taken off the night before.

"Is the training camp over?" Makoto Takahashi asked, turning his head.

Standing next to him, Maya Uesugi clapped her hands lightly, making a crisp sound: "The training camp ends today. The convoy is waiting outside. Pack up your equipment and head back to Tokyo. There's an invited performance tonight."

"Also, starting tomorrow, there will be no rest days. I will arrange everyone's work accordingly—"

Makoto Takahashi yawned, interrupting Maya Uesugi, and looked at her with sleepy eyes: "Maya, wait a minute, do you remember what you're supposed to do?"

A leader who acts arbitrarily cannot gain trust.

“I’ve already accepted the invitation to perform tonight. The band hasn’t had any activities for too long since our debut. Tokyo is our base,” said Maya Uesugi.

"What about the rest of the summer vacation?" Makoto Takahashi asked.

Meeting his gentle gaze, Uesugi Maya turned her face away to face the others, pursing her lips:

“There is a music festival in Chiba Prefecture that invited us to perform. I personally think this is a good opportunity to increase the band’s fame, and we also have new songs. However, the time is very tight, the practice intensity is very high, and we also need to arrange new stage costumes.”

If Makoto Takahashi hadn't asked, she would have agreed without asking, just like before, completely disregarding the wishes of others.

“Vote,” Makoto Takahashi said.

When it came to making the decision together for the first time, everyone was a little lost.

Seeing them exchange glances, Uesugi Maya felt a little nervous. This was the first step in gaining trust as the team leader, and it concerned whether her decisions would be accepted.

Noticing that Hagiwara was somewhat uneasy, Makoto Takahashi touched the back of her hand.

Chapter 113 Together Towards a New Goal

To fulfill Makoto Takahashi's expectations and become a respected "patriarch" of the band, Maya Uesugi must lead the band to take a crucial step and truly make a name for themselves.

Tonight's invited performance is not the key point; the core is the music festival in Chiba Prefecture.

NiceFold is on the verge of becoming a sensation. Without Makoto Takahashi's help, she needs to lead the group to a higher stage and gain everyone's genuine recognition.

Maya Uesugi's original plan was to take a firm stance, handle all the problems herself, and then let the band become a hit so that they would naturally recognize her.

Makoto Takahashi disrupted her plans, and now it's uncertain whether she will participate in the music festival.

A vote is undoubtedly a double-edged sword.

The successful vote shows that Uesugi Maya, as the leader, still has the most basic cohesion, and everyone will generally obey her instructions.

Having lost the vote, she needs to expend more energy communicating with everyone; simply consolidating her leadership position will take considerable time.

—For Maya Uesugi, who had previously organized a failed live performance, this was by no means an easy task.

Feeling the touch on the back of her hand, Uesugi Maya frowned slightly, and tried to persuade her with a cold attitude:

“This music festival is very large in scale. Not only will a large number of people gather from the 23 wards of Tokyo, but from the entire Tokyo metropolitan area. We have two performances, one during the day on the first day and one at night on the second day. The revenue is also very promising.”

Her tone was a little awkward, and she clearly wasn't used to communicating with others in this way.

Makoto Takahashi remained silent; Maya Uesugi had to face them alone.

After a brief silence, Kashima Reiko looked away from the backs of their hands, which had touched and then quickly separated several times, and raised her face expressionlessly to meet Uesugi Maya's gaze with her calm, turquoise eyes.

"I have no objection."

Kashima Reiko's vote of approval eased Uesugi Maya's anxiety slightly, but also surprised her somewhat.

Although the two have known each other for many years, their relationship is by no means good.

If I had to find a word to describe it, it would be "unfamiliar," and it was an "unfamiliarity" that Uesugi Maya deliberately created.

At this crucial moment, Kashima Reiko was the first to offer her support, while Uesugi Maya could only maintain an indifferent expression and turn to the others with questioning eyes.

“I’ll listen to Cheng.”

Junko Shiraishi posed the question to Makoto Takahashi, who still did not respond.

Of the remaining two, Nekoya Hina lacked assertiveness, while Hanakawa Kaori, seeing Takahashi Makoto's ambiguous attitude, hesitated to speak.

Maya Uesugi wanted to try her best to get the last two votes.

She placed her hand on her collar and said confidently in a clear voice:

"At this music festival, I will prove that I am qualified to be the head of the light music department. I hope that everyone in NiceFold can trust each other and become friends who share the same destiny."

"Well, I'm fine with it."

Hina Nekoya raised her hand and touched her head. She had said that she should get along well with Maya Uesugi during her time in the light music club.

Seeing this, Hanakawa Kaori's gaze darted back and forth between Uesugi Maya and Takahashi Makoto. If the two disagreed, even if it was just her and Shiraishi Junka with two votes, she wanted to side with Takahashi Makoto.

Seeing the anxiety in her expression, Makoto Takahashi smiled and waved his hand: "Don't worry about me, I plan to just practice biting lighters for the next few days."

“Then, I’ll trust Uesugi-senpai this once.” Hanakawa Kaori nodded emphatically.

The proposal passed unanimously. Uesugi Maya clenched her fists, as if an invisible sense of responsibility was pressing down on her shoulders, a feeling she had never experienced before.

Now that we have earned their trust, we cannot let them down.

"We're packing up now and heading out. We'll have breakfast on the way back to Tokyo. There are no new songs for tonight's performance. Everyone should go home to practice, rest, and get ready. We'll rehearse at the LiveHouse at 3 p.m.."

After saying that, Maya Uesugi took her violin case from Hanakawa Kaori, slung it over her shoulder, and turned and walked out of the rehearsal room with a flourish.

Makoto Takahashi picked up the heavy violin case and left the villa with her first.

Bright sunlight filtered through the dense branches, creating beams of light along the tree-lined path. The two walked through the scattered shadows and heard various birdsongs as they approached the entrance to the private beach.

"How do you feel?" Makoto Takahashi asked with a smile.

"Nothing special."

Uesugi Maya paused briefly, raised her hand to brush a strand of long black hair from the side of her face and tuck it behind her ear, and said in a cool and indifferent tone, "I already have an idea about the new book."

"My songwriting is terrible, but I have plenty of inspiration for my new book. That doesn't make sense."

Takahashi Makoto made a sarcastic remark, and she immediately glared at him with a murderous look, so he had no choice but to strategically shut up.

Maya Uesugi withdrew her gaze, her face cold, and said in a calm tone, "I just have an idea that I like. The book will probably be called something like [Wandering Guide]."

"roaming?"

"In a café on the banks of the Meguro River, a girl contemplating suicide overhears a boy gazing at the moon saying that in a certain place, there lives a precious butterfly."

“Meguro River? Oh, the coffee shop on the rooftop that the summer festival lent us.”

Makoto Takahashi suddenly realized that the coffee shop was incredibly shrewd in business; it was making an insane amount of money.

The publication of "Fireworks," Maya Uesugi's new book, and the official establishment of NiceFold are all related to the coffee shop in Meguro River.

He took out his phone and messaged Tachibana Yuki, asking her to buy the coffee shop in his name: "Anything else?"

"I haven't decided yet; the precious butterfly might just be a legend."

Maya Uesugi glanced at Makoto Takahashi, a smile playing on her lips: "In short, it's a great story that could win the Nobel Prize in Literature."

How precious are butterflies?

"I'll tell you when I've thought it through."

Makoto Takahashi suspects that Maya Uesugi is completely deceiving him into reading literary works, such as the best-selling book she wrote, but he has no evidence.

Upon arriving at the entrance to the private beach, the car that Maya Uesugi had arranged in advance was waiting by the roadside.

Makoto Takahashi loaded the piano case into the van and turned back to the villa: "I'll go help move the equipment and the electric piano."

"Heh, remember to get your clothes back," Uesugi Maya reminded him with a cold laugh.

This woman changes her expression so quickly, and her observation skills are as sharp as ever. Takahashi Makoto lazily yawned.

Halfway there, he ran into Kashima Reiko. After a brief greeting and being refused help, Takahashi Makoto returned to the villa and helped move the electric piano and synthesizer.

Hanakawa Kaori, carrying her guitar and holding Kashima Reiko's toolbox, left the villa with him.

"Brother, will staying up late really stunt my growth?" she asked with a worried and distressed expression.

"meeting."

Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Hanakawa Kaori pouted and said dejectedly, "No wonder I've only grown less than 1 centimeter taller than last summer, but my bust has increased by 4 centimeters."

Takahashi Makoto glanced at her subtly and asked curiously, "Don't you sleep at night? Aren't you sleepy during the day?"

"It's okay, I can just get a good night's sleep when I feel sleepy."

Hanakawa Kaori pouted and said nonchalantly, "Speaking of last night, my brother and Junko-nee really seemed like a couple. But Tatsumi-senpai might not be happy about it. Huh? I don't think I've seen Junko-nee at the beginning."

"It won't get lost, don't worry."

Makoto Takahashi has a kind of confidence that Jun Shiraishi will unexpectedly appear around him.

Upon arriving at the entrance, Kashima Reiko was chatting with Uesugi Maya, who was waiting for her breakfast delivery. When she saw Takahashi Makoto and Hanakawa Kaori approaching, Kashima Reiko hurriedly ended the conversation.

"I don't need your thanks. You're not the person I want to help."

After saying that, she walked towards Makoto Takahashi and helped move the electric piano, which made Hanakawa Kaori, who was helping Kashima Reiko move the toolbox, pout in dissatisfaction.

Meanwhile, taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, Shiraishi Junka successfully sneaked into Takahashi Makoto's room and collected the clothes he wore yesterday.