They all have hidden attributes!

Upon seeing Uesugi Maya sitting upright on the sofa, her smile froze on her face, and she asked with wide eyes, "What are you doing here?"

"I'll tutor you," Maya Uesugi said matter-of-factly.

"Ah, good evening, Uesugi-nee."

Hanakawa Kaori greeted Uesugi Maya calmly, then sat down on the sofa across the coffee table: "Did my brother ask you to do this?"

"I have no experience in learning, so I'll leave it to Maya."

Makoto Takahashi walked over, put his hand on Hina Nekoya's shoulder, and made her sit down on the sofa: "Do your best."

"Judging from the atmosphere, it seems impossible to refuse."

Hanakawa Kaori observed Nekoya Hina's expression with amusement, barely suppressing a laugh as she said:

"Yuna-nee, do your best! Otherwise, if you fail the exam, it's better to hand over the badminton club captaincy to a second-year student."

"I see!!!"

Hina Nekoya put on a self-deprecating expression, turned her head and looked at Maya Uesugi with a determined look in her eyes: "Please, I have a reason why I have to pass!"

"Looks like you're prepared."

Maya Uesugi picked up a disposable paper cup, filled it with unsweetened bitter coffee, and handed it to her: "Drink up, and then we'll start explaining kanji."

Hina Nekoya took the coffee, pinched her nose, and gulped it down in one go, her expression instantly contorting.

"It's so bitter," she complained.

"Sister Yangcai, you'll succeed at everything you do!"

Hanakawa Kaori gave a thumbs-up in admiration, then looked up at Takahashi Makoto: "Brother, let's not disturb Hina-nee's studies."

“I think so too.” Makoto Takahashi nodded in agreement.

"Can I go to my brother's bedroom to take a look? Hmm, Chun Ke asked me to find out about my brother's hobbies."

"No, but I can let you take a look around the art studio."

"It should work, right? By the way, I haven't been to Ikebukuro yet." With that, Hanakawa Kaori stood up from the sofa and looked around.

"Let's go together later, it's been a long time since I've been to a bookstore."

Makoto Takahashi gave Maya Uesugi a meaningful look, telling her to get along well with Hina Nekoya, before leaving the apartment with Hanakawa Kaori, feeling reassured.

"Keep up the good work, and don't hesitate to ask for anything you need. Just treat yourselves to your own home."

With a resentful expression on Nekoya Hina's face, her self-righteous opportunity turned into a date where Hanakawa Kaori could indulge in her coquettishness. She could only watch helplessly as Takahashi Makoto and his "little sister" left, while she faced the tedious and headache-inducing tutoring sessions.

Maya Uesugi is responsible enough, and strict enough.

When Makoto Takahashi and Kaori Hanakawa returned late at night, she and Hina Nekoya were still having a study session.

As a result, because it was too late, Nekoya Hina and Hanakawa Kaori did not go home and stayed overnight on the sofa in the apartment.

November 2th, Wednesday.

When Makoto Takahashi woke up, the three of them had already gotten up, washed up, and were sitting around the coffee table in the living room eating breakfast.

While taking a big bite of a meat bun, Nekoya Hina held a card with Chinese characters written on it to memorize.

Hanakawa Kaori yawned and mechanically stuffed tamagoyaki into her mouth with chopsticks, probably because she had stayed up late again last night;

Maya Uesugi sat gracefully on the sofa with her knees together and her hands slightly bent, holding a white porcelain cup in her hand, drinking coffee since morning.

Although I'm not used to the apartment being so crowded, this morning is still nice.

With these thoughts in mind, Makoto Takahashi went into the bathroom to wash up, ate breakfast, and then took the streetcar to school with the three of them.

During lunch break, Kashima Reiko delivered the bento to the classroom of Class 1-C as usual, and informed them that Tachimi Yuki was absent today. Takahashi Makoto simply invited her to have lunch with him.

"Could you have lunch with me alone?"

Kashima Reiko's gaze passed over Takahashi Makoto's face and landed on Nekoya Hina and Hanakawa Kaori sitting together. She subtly took his hand.

"I don't know your plans, and I'm a little anxious."

As she said this, unease flickered in her emerald eyes.

The day after tomorrow is Kashima Reiko's birthday. As time slowly passes, she inevitably feels pressured in the face of uncertainty.

Makoto Takahashi was at the center of the pressure.

Even though he chose Kashima Reiko's birthday and decided to confess to Tachimi Yuki on that day, he was still not at ease facing their interrogation in an extreme environment.

"Go to the student council?" he asked tentatively.

"..." Kashima Reiko shook her head gently.

Makoto Takahashi read complex emotions in her eyes. In the increasingly heavy atmosphere, he hesitated for a moment, then snatched the bento from Reiko Kashima's hand.

"wait for me."

After saying that, Makoto Takahashi turned and walked towards Haruna Nekoya and Kaori Hanakawa, placing two bento boxes on the table: "Help me ask for leave this afternoon, and don't forget there's a study session tonight."

Under the astonished gazes of the two, he took Kashima Reiko's hand and walked towards the stairs.

"Where to?" Faced with this sudden turn of events, Kashima Reiko was thrown into confusion.

"If I remember correctly, we once agreed to go to Ginza together, right?"

Makoto Takahashi turned to her and smiled, then walked up the stairs to the shoe cabinet: "In the end, it turned out that Sachi and I went shopping together and bought quite a lot of things."

"..."

"Let's take advantage of today's day off and go on a date."

"Aren't you bored with me?" Kashima Reiko asked.

Makoto Takahashi put on a serious expression of recollection, thought for a moment, and replied, "I have never felt bored with Reiko."

"You skipped class yesterday," she kindly reminded him, then suddenly realized that saying such a thing was a bit of a mood killer, and lowered her eyes in annoyance.

"Attendance is sufficient, no need to worry."

Makoto Takahashi kicked off his indoor shoes, his face completely unconcerned: "Besides one English class this afternoon, there's a long class meeting. I'm confident in my grades."

"Physical education and art class." Only then did Kashima Reiko feel relieved enough to change her shoes.

As they stepped out of the teaching building, the midday heat swept past them, dispelling their unease.

Makoto Takahashi sent a message to Maya Uesugi, telling her that he had plans for the afternoon, and then called the driver downstairs at his apartment building, asking her to drive them both to Ginza.

In any case, you should always inform your girlfriend.

While waiting in front of Tsurumizawa's door, Makoto Takahashi casually asked, "What are your plans for your birthday?"

"Taking a vacation, but I have to take an exam."

Kashima Reiko held his hand tightly and replied expressionlessly, "My mother will give me a gift. I'll receive the gift in the classroom during lunch break, and after the exam, I'll go home to prepare dinner and wait for you to come and celebrate together."

"Remember to go to the community office after school."

"it is good."

"Speaking of which, has Sachi always believed that love equals possession?" Takahashi Makoto asked.

"That's how it used to be."

Kashima Reiko nodded noncommittally, adding, "The young lady has a strong desire for control, which is one of the reasons why Uesugi fell out with her."

"I see." Makoto Takahashi sighed softly.

After a moment of silence, a white sedan drove up from the end of the street.

Kashima Reiko suddenly let go of his hand and asked him, "Now, can we go back?"

Accustomed to a fixed rhythm of life, she instinctively felt a sense of retreat when faced with unknown changes, and the desire to escape overflowed from her beautiful eyes.

Just like in the past, I used to envy other people's varied lives, but I never tried to change them and stayed at Lijian's house.

Makoto Takahashi grasped Reiko Kashima's slender wrist, looked firmly into her hesitant eyes, and asked with a smile, "Can you trust me?"

"..."

"I know that saying this won't give you any guarantee, but no matter what happens, I will take full responsibility for you."

After a long silence, the car stopped in front of the two of them.

Kashima Reiko hesitated for a long time, pursing her pink lips, before finally nodding.

Makoto Takahashi immediately opened the car door, got into the back seat with her, and instructed the driver to set off for Ginza.

In the afternoon, the two wandered aimlessly around Ginza. Kashima Reiko was initially not used to aimless wandering and kept anxiously checking the time on her watch.

Makoto Takahashi had no choice but to make full use of his limited dating experience and start shopping.

After having dinner out, he took Kashima Reiko back to the Tachimi family home.

When they returned to the apartment, Maya Uesugi and Hina Nekoya had already started their study session, while Hanakawa Kaori sat on the carpet next to them, playing a music game on her phone.

Today's tutoring subjects are math and geography. Looking at Nekoya Hina's drowsy appearance, Takahashi Makoto couldn't help but feel worried about her and the badminton club.

To study, Nekoya Hina and Hanakawa Kaori have also decided to stay overnight.

The next day, the four of them went to school together as usual to prepare for the opening exams.

Amidst the tense atmosphere of the exam, time approached Kashima Reiko's birthday.

Chapter 124 A Gift for the Maid (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Friday, October 4th.

A little after 3 p.m., the sparse chirping of cicadas seeped into the stuffy air of the classroom, intensifying the tense atmosphere. The pencil tip scratched against the paper, making a clear but faint scratching sound.

Maya Uesugi sat upright in the front row by the window, her expression focused, and wrote down the answers to her social studies subject in a smooth and flowing manner. She checked them three times to make sure there were no mistakes.

Ha, you stole my number one spot in the whole school?

Thinking of Takahashi Makoto's lazy expression, a disdainful sneer curled at the corner of her lips.

After last night's study session, that pest dared to provoke me and say some arrogant things. Uesugi Maya wanted to take this opportunity to teach him a lesson, so the two made a deal: the loser would have to grant the other a request.

As long as you get full marks in all subjects, you will never lose.

Maya Uesugi is confident in her academic abilities, but she also needs to consider various possibilities.