They all have hidden attributes!

Unless you acquire the relevant skills, Tokyo Dome isn't much of a challenge.

"You're referring to Hina Nekoya, right? You think I'm treating her differently?"

Uesugi Maya walked to the sword rack, put down the bamboo sword, picked up the half-empty bottle of mineral water from the ground, and unscrewed the cap: "Or rather, you really intend to let her join the band?"

"What do you mean?" Takahashi Makoto didn't understand her subtext.

Seeing that he genuinely didn't understand, Uesugi Maya swallowed a mouthful of mineral water, her caramel-colored eyes shooting out a disdainful look, and remained silent.

Meeting her icy gaze, Makoto Takahashi felt a surge of annoyance once again. Hell Girl really knew how to provoke people; it would be strange if there wasn't a conflict.

Just as I was about to take a deep breath to calm myself down, I heard sharp words.

Do you consider her a friend?

“Of course. What else?” Takahashi Makoto’s tone was firm, with a hint of barbs.

"As a friend, are you planning to help her keep running away?"

Uesugi Maya raised her face, took another sip of mineral water, and said indifferently, "Those who only run away will never move forward. I will never approve of such a person."

She knew about Nekoya Hina's crushing defeat at the regional tournament, and so did Takahashi Makoto, but their opinions were completely different.

Or rather, Maya Uesugi opened up new avenues of thought for him that he had never considered before.

“I come to the college playground to run every morning without fail, rain or shine, and so does she, she didn’t miss a day until yesterday.”

"She always wore a wristband, which means she hasn't given up badminton."

"If I were you, I wouldn't help her avoid failure."

Upon hearing this, Takahashi Seiichi was speechless for a moment, his anger instantly extinguished as if doused with a bucket of cold water.

He had thought about paying more attention to Nekoya Hina, but he didn't even realize such an obvious thing. Instead, he wanted to get her to play in a band with him.

I have to admit, Maya Uesugi woke me up.

Since she is so intelligent and is playing the role of my friend, I'm sure I'll get the right answer if I don't hesitate to ask her questions.

Makoto Takahashi took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and said in a composed manner, "Hina said there's no reason for her to continue playing badminton."

"Then does she have a reason to play the drums?"

Uesugi Maya's lips curled into a cold smile, her tone dripping with sarcasm: "What reason do you need to win? The desire to win is the best reason. When you're standing on the archery range, facing a 28-meter arc, would you want to lose?"

"will not."

"So you should do something for her instead of distracting her with other things and using the band to help her escape reality."

“I understand.” Makoto Takahashi nodded thoughtfully.

Seeing him standing there motionless, Uesugi Maya finished the rest of the mineral water, threw the plastic bottle into the trash can, and picked up the bamboo sword again.

The sound of wind breaking through the air rang in his ears again, and Takahashi Makoto suddenly realized that he was being led by the nose by Uesugi Maya.

He came over intending to invite Uesugi Maya out to play and trigger their friendship training, since there was no room for change in the choices made each day.

"Could you come shopping with me or something?"

"Why?" Uesugi Maya glanced at him with an impatient look.

"Because I sometimes want to go out with friends on weekends."

"Tsk."

"I can wait until you finish practicing, since you need to eat lunch anyway."

"it is good."

Finding an opportunity to practice his friendship skills, Makoto Takahashi sat down at the edge of the training area and watched Maya Uesugi practice her kendo.

After a while, he picked up the violin case leaning against the wall, took out the bass, and began to play with it in his arms.

Not long after, he got bored again, so he decided to chat with Maya Uesugi about the band.

“Regarding the band, I don’t think it’s a good idea for the drummer to hire a professional substitute,” Makoto Takahashi chimed in.

"reason?"

"Although you think you don't need companions, harmonious interpersonal relationships are essential if you want me to play in a band seriously."

He had a clear understanding of Uesugi Maya's thoughts. Regardless of whether she had a strong purpose or needed him, it all ultimately led to the fact that she needed his help.

"So, if you want me to perform at my best, as my bandmate, you should at least treat me as a friend, right?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the air in the kendo club suddenly froze, a biting cold wind swept in, and the skin felt a faint, knife-like pain.

Maya Uesugi exuded a chilling aura, mechanically turning her head to look at him with a dangerous glint in her eyes, and coldly asked, "Do you think you can threaten me?"

Even though she only said she wanted to be friends, why did she feel like she was being coerced and was planning to destroy everything?

Makoto Takahashi raised his hands in surrender and explained, "I didn't mean anything by it, I just think my comrades are important."

"I'm already pretending to be your comrade."

"You yourself said it was an act, what I meant to say was—"

"Find a drummer you can be friends with, I get it."

She abruptly interrupted Makoto Takahashi, displaying an almost unimaginable resistance to the idea of ​​joining the future band's bond: "Don't interfere with my choices."

"Ultimately, humans are social animals. There's a saying that goes, 'A person is the sum total of their social relationships.'"

"I don't need it, so I am just me."

Uesugi Maya seemed to have lost her motivation to practice. She put the bamboo sword back in its place and walked towards the changing room: "Stop talking nonsense. I'll go out with you when I get back."

Her attitude made communication impossible, so Makoto Takahashi had no choice but to temporarily abandon his original hopes for the band.

Let's wait until we truly become friends with Maya Uesugi before taking the band seriously; otherwise, we'll just be playing house in the clubroom forever.

Why did Hina Nekoya think she and Maya Uesugi could become friends?

You can ask her when you have time. For now, let's first confirm what Haruna Nekoya thinks about badminton.

If she's really not reconciled, as a friend, I should try to help her cheer up. Takahashi Makoto thought to himself as he took out his phone and sent a message to Nekoya Hina.

[Takahashi: Hina, do you still want to play badminton?]

[Nekoya-Nekoya: Why are you suddenly asking this?]

[Nekoya-Nekoya: I don't know]

[Takahashi: It's nothing. Want to hang out this afternoon? I'll pay for everything.]

[Nekoya-Nekoya: Yeah! ]

[Nekoya-Nekoya: I'm coming to find you right now, where are you?]

[Takahashi: Currently in the academy's kendo club, with Uesugi-kun]

[Nekoya-Nekoya: You darn A-Cheng, come find me again after you two break up!]

The last sentence sounds like that of a resentful lover, and also somewhat like that of an incompetent wife.

Makoto Takahashi chatted with her for a while, and before long, Maya Uesugi, who had changed her clothes, came out of the dressing room.

He stood up from the ground and humbly asked, "How can I help Hina understand her own inner thoughts?"

Hell Girl doesn't hold back her wisdom and immediately provides the answer.

"I suggest you let her play a match against Kashima. It doesn't matter if she loses; the most important thing is to remind her of her desire to win."

Maya Uesugi crossed her arms, twirling a strand of black hair between her fingers, a glint of wisdom appearing in her beautiful caramel-colored eyes: "Although she doesn't qualify for the national individual tournament, the Tsurumizawa badminton club does qualify for the team tournament, so Kashima can make the decision."

"It sounds a bit like a classic shonen manga, where you learn about each other's resolve through matches." Takahashi Makoto said this, but his hand obediently opened the chat box with Kashima Reiko.

It's only right to do what you can for your friends. If Nekoya Hina chooses to give up badminton altogether after the match, that's fine too.

I can ask her to play in a band with me again later, without feeling any pressure.

Just as he was pondering how to approach Kashima-senpai, the wooden door of the kendo club opened from the outside. Takahashi Makoto subconsciously looked up and saw a semi-transparent panel of the system pop up in front of him.

[Received a new assistance card]

[Charm: Abyss Party Invitation - Immediate Fortune]

[Young Miss: During the assessment, you can specify a skill for specialized upgrade, with a very small chance of a permanent improvement]

[String Sound: When triggering other assist cards' friendship training, gain the same amount of charm boost]

[Hidden Attribute: Not Yet Unlocked]

Upon seeing the [String Sound] attribute, Makoto Takahashi's heart skipped a beat.

So it turns out that Ritsumi-senpai really is the friend that Kashima-senpai mentioned who suffers from shooting arrows too fast. And, isn't the value of this assistance card outrageous?

If Yuki is present when Friendship Training is triggered, you will receive a synchronized Charm boost. If paired with Maya Uesugi's [Both Literary and Martial Arts], it's equivalent to boosting three attributes at once.

Makoto Takahashi shut down the system and fixed his gaze on the beautiful senior who walked into the kendo club. She was a gentle and pure-looking beauty.

Yuki Tachimi, a senior from Class 2-A, is the student council president.

Her beautiful short blonde hair was bright and had a luxurious feel to it. Her bright blue eyes and delicate features reminded people of cherry blossoms falling on a slightly overcast spring day.

The white shirt of the college uniform had a full and charming chest, like the buds of cherry blossoms in early spring, while the waist was very slender, giving it a charming look.

With a sweet smile on her rosy lips, she nodded slightly to Makoto Takahashi, greeted him, and then walked straight to Maya Uesugi.

Makoto Takahashi noticed that Maya Uesugi's face visibly darkened, but Yuki Tachimi didn't seem to care at all. He handed over the red gift box he had brought with both hands, the green ribbon tied into a bow that looked very carefully made.

"Happy birthday, Yoru." Tachimi Yuki offered her a sweet smile.

"..." Uesugi Maya hesitated for a moment, her lips parted slightly, but no sound came out.

She didn't reach out to take it; her expression was even colder than when Makoto Takahashi had said "we should be friends." Her caramel-colored eyes were filled with an icy chill, as if she had received not a blessing, but a vicious curse.

"Honestly, you're not cute at all now. You used to cling to me and call me 'sister'."

Tachibana Yuki sighed slightly helplessly, bent down to put the gift at her feet, and turned to leave: "Never mind, I still have work today. Hey, if no one is celebrating your birthday with you, you can come find me tonight."

After saying that, she scratched her fingers at Makoto Takahashi, opened the door and walked out of the kendo club, leaving only the sweet fragrance lingering in the air.

A few minutes later, the silence remained in the kendo club, with only the faint sound of the brass band playing.

Uesugi Maya stared coldly at the door where Tachibana Yuki had left, motionless like a statue, her eyes swirling with emotions.

Is today your birthday?