They all have hidden attributes!

First, there's the badminton club. Their crushing defeat in the national tournament fueled their competitive spirit, and the younger generation, inheriting the will of the third-year students, trained even harder under the leadership of Hina Nekoya.

Hanakawa Kaori was practicing her guitar nearby, preparing for her performance back in Izu the next day. The melody was mixed with the passionate atmosphere, the sound of her playing, the sound of her shoes rubbing against the ground, the sound of her hitting the ball, and the sound of her short breaths all blended together, exuding the vibrancy of youth.

In the art club, Shiraishi Junka hid alone in her small studio, not daring to make any rash moves because Uesugi Maya was there.

Other members exhibited various award-winning works, and Makoto Takahashi also saw a replica of "Spring Thunder".

Out of respect for Shiraishi Junka, he didn't hold it against the fact that he had never joined the art club.

After wandering around a few clubs, Makoto Takahashi stopped at the stairs and looked at Maya Uesugi's back from behind: "I feel like you can handle patrolling alone."

Maya Uesugi, who had taken two steps, stopped and turned gracefully to face him, her skirt swaying: "Okay."

"Should I go to the student council and wait to handle the emergency?"

"I'll make the coffee and then come find you."

"Okay." Takahashi Makoto turned and left.

Maya Uesugi watched his figure recede into the distance, a hint of doubt appearing in her caramel-colored eyes.

Based on her understanding of Makoto Takahashi, she knew he would never allow her to act alone unless he deliberately sent her away.

After a moment's thought, Uesugi Maya took out her phone to call Hanakawa Kaori while quickly walking to the elevated walkway on the third floor, where the entire atrium was on full display.

After the call connected, she immediately hung up and sent a text message to inform Takahashi Makoto of his whereabouts and to arrange for Hanakawa Kaori to follow him.

Upon receiving the task, Hanakawa Kaori immediately dropped her guitar and jogged to catch up with Takahashi Makoto, who was walking leisurely, and arrived at the parking lot on the side of the student council building.

She took a picture from afar of Takahashi Makoto getting into the back seat of a white sedan and sent a copy to both Takahashi Makoto and Uesugi Maya.

Since having dinner at the Uesugi's house, Hanakawa Kaori has decided to remain neutral between the two, but slightly favors Takahashi Makoto because he won't be harsh with her.

When Uesugi Maya saw her old car, she instantly understood. She continued to patrol the club, unconsciously humming a song.

Hell Girl was in a good mood today, which relieved the anxious leaders of various clubs.

On the other side, Makoto Takahashi sat upright in the seat that Maya Uesugi used to occupy. In any case, her psychological fastidiousness meant she didn't mind sleeping on her own sofa, and she would never ride in this car again.

Beside him sat a man with familiar caramel-colored eyes and a composed demeanor.

"Mr. Tomoya Uesugi."

Makoto Takahashi extended his hand politely to strike up a conversation, and Tomoya Uesugi turned his gaze toward him, giving a faint, wry smile: "Long time no see, Mr. Takahashi."

Tomoya Uesugi gives off a somewhat cold and hard impression, the kind of person that makes people not want to play Werewolf with him.

“Thank you so much for accepting my hasty request. Although I was the one who made the suggestion, I didn’t expect you to agree,” said Tomoya Uesugi.

"Just get to the point. Is it about buying a painting, or about Maya?" Takahashi Makoto tried his best to be friendly.

Because of the painful expression on Uesugi Maya's face, he harbored a thorn in his side towards the Uesugi family, but they readily relented at the charity gala and haven't bothered him recently.

"Both are possible."

Uesugi Tomoya's face showed regret as he said with a wry smile, "My good-for-nothing brother really likes your work, and Ms. Saionji also hopes to have a piece to represent the association. Of course, just one piece is enough, and don't worry about the price."

Makoto Takahashi doesn't mind exchanging a painting for a cat.

"Is there anything else?" he asked, adopting a gentle yet firm tone.

"Well, actually, I'm quite concerned about how that child is doing... I guess it's because I'm a father."

Uesugi Tomoya's tone sounded concerned, but Takahashi Makoto immediately turned cold and asked sarcastically, "What's the use of caring about her now? In her eyes, you're a complete outsider, not a blood relative."

Perhaps because he spent too much time with Uesugi Maya, he learned without being taught how to hurt people with words.

Faced with Makoto Takahashi's hostility, Tomoya Uesugi simply accepted his gaze with a calm expression: "...Yes, I have nothing to say. As a father, I may indeed be terrible."

"Now that you know, don't think you have the right to see her again."

"..."

"There are some things that I, an outsider, should not say. For both reason and emotion, I should not interfere with your father-daughter meeting."

Makoto Takahashi let out a soft breath, controlling his emotions as he said:

"However, for me, she has only just begun to heal herself. If she were to inflict new wounds at this point, I would make the person who made the mistake pay a price she would never forget."

The voice was calm and cold, yet it exerted a squeezing and kneading pressure on one's heart.

Looking at his face devoid of any smile, and his calm black eyes filled with unwavering determination, even though there were no threatening words, Uesugi Tomoya could only show an expression of calm acceptance of everything.

“I don’t think Mr. Uesugi has the right to be angry, nor is he the kind of person who is unreasonable.”

Makoto Takahashi did not want the father and daughter to meet, and his attitude had never been so firm in his life.

"You cherish her very much."

Uesugi Tomoya slowly exhaled, a guilty expression on his face: "...Well, I originally wanted to see her now."

“Since we don’t plan to see each other again in the future, there’s no need to do so now.” Takahashi Makoto remained unmoved.

Silence fell in the car. After a long while, Uesugi Tomoya asked, "Is that child happy now?"

"You'll have to ask her yourself, but she smiles more than before. I'll make her happy without anyone having to ask."

"I see. Then I'll leave the child in your care."

"The painting will be sent to the Uesugi family." Takahashi Makoto finally said this in a clearly barbed tone before getting out of the car.

Composing himself and reverting to his usual nonchalant demeanor, he strode toward the student council gate, where he encountered Uesugi Maya carrying a hardcover book.

Hanakawa Kaori, who had originally intended to follow, immediately retreated back to the badminton club, fearing she might get caught between the two.

"So, tell me, what did you talk about?"

Maya Uesugi stopped and looked over with a tense, icy expression. Makoto Takahashi, sensing the chill in her voice, feigned ignorance and said, "Huh? What?"

"Hanaori told me."

"Just buying a painting."

“I asked Ritsumi, and he said he wants to marry Ms. Saionji.”

"I thought he had a terminal illness, what a pity." Takahashi Makoto rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on, and decided to give Tachibana Yuki a good talking-to tomorrow.

Seeing his furrowed brow and troubled expression, Uesugi Maya's lips suddenly relaxed, a smile appeared on her face, and she turned and walked into the building where the student council was located: "Let's go, to the student council."

Her sudden change of expression left Takahashi Makoto somewhat bewildered.

The two walked upstairs to the sound of the brass band practicing their melodies. When they arrived at the student council president's office, Makoto Takahashi took off his uniform jacket and threw it on the sofa. He and Maya Uesugi sat opposite each other on either side of the coffee table.

"He felt that as long as he gave money, he had fulfilled his parental obligations."

Maya Uesugi sat on his uniform jacket, her legs crossed, and opened the hardcover book in her hand: "I still don't know how to view him. I guess he's just an outsider with blood ties."

She spoke her true feelings calmly, and her composed and calm demeanor put Takahashi Makoto at ease.

“Even if I reach out, no one cares about me, so it’s only natural to stop expecting anything.”

As she spoke, Uesugi Maya slowly raised her delicate face, casting an ambiguous gaze upon me: "Now, I'm looking forward to you falling in love with me."

"..." Takahashi Makoto had a bad feeling.

"No matter what happens, you'll support me, right, Cheng?"

"..."

"You will always be by my side, someone I can rely on at any time."

"I have a girlfriend."

Faced with his curt attitude, Uesugi Maya's smile gradually turned bitter, and she blinked frequently, on the verge of tears.

She sighed softly, without shedding a tear or making a sound, but her slender body trembled like a reed swaying in a storm.

"Please don't leave me alone," Maya Uesugi pleaded softly.

"...I see."

Makoto Takahashi concealed his pounding heart, leaned back on the sofa, looked at the ceiling, and said, "I won't let you be alone."

As soon as she finished speaking, Uesugi Maya immediately put on a vengeful and malicious smile.

"Great, I'm not alone."

She toyed with the strands of hair that fell beside her face with her fingertips, emphasizing each word: "Even as an immediate enemy."

Makoto Takahashi closed his eyes, his face filled with despair.

In every sense, Maya Uesugi is Hell Girl.

Chapter 129 The First Night in Izu

A light, misty rain fell from the dim, yellow sky.

At 3:40 PM, the first day of the Tsurumizawa Cultural Festival successfully concluded.

Without any incidents, Makoto Takahashi and Maya Uesugi were able to pass the time peacefully in the student council president's office, chatting, drinking coffee, and reading.

Once the van carrying the musical instruments entered the academy, Makoto Takahashi ran back and forth between the ground floor and the top floor of the special building several times, loading all the instruments onto the van before getting into the back seat of the luxury white sedan.

"Let's go to Tsurumizawa Shopping Street first," he said to the female driver as he closed the car door.

Maya Uesugi, sitting beside him, glanced at him unexpectedly and asked in a casual tone, "What do you want to buy?"

"Art supplies, too lazy to go home."

Makoto Takahashi agreed to sell a painting to the Uesugi family, and considering his celebrity status, he decided to complete the painting at a hot spring inn in Izu.

The band members were to stay at the Hanakawa family's hot spring inn, Takeya, a traditional and well-regarded hot spring inn.

Hearing that her granddaughter's friends in Tokyo were coming, Hanakawa Kaori's grandparents closed their business a day early, cleaned the place inside and out, and booked the entire place for free.

“I plan to paint the mountains and fields of Izu at the hot spring inn, and I will replicate it from the window angle. That way, Grandpa and Grandma Hanakawa’s hot spring inn will definitely have no shortage of customers.”

Makoto Takahashi doesn't have the habit of getting things for free, but he also finds it hard to refuse, so he can only pay in other ways.

Hearing him say that, Uesugi Maya pursed her lips and looked out the window: "Hanakawa doesn't care, and he only went to perform for her sake, so there's no need to consider these things."

In her view, this was a matter of course.

Moreover, Makoto Takahashi is always thinking about these boring and trivial things, and the other party may not appreciate it. It would be better to use this energy to focus on himself or other valuable things.

Uesugi Maya thought to herself, crossed her arms, closed her eyes, and pretended to doze off: "Whatever."