They all have hidden attributes!

Makoto Takahashi glanced at the gift box on the ground and tentatively asked, "Is there anything you want?"

After all, he receives 15 yen a month from Uesugi Maya, so he should at least show some appreciation on her birthday, otherwise he wouldn't feel at ease.

"Don't worry about it."

She said it softly, and it sounded like she was enduring pain.

After a while, Uesugi Maya resumed her usual indifferent tone and continued what she had just said: "Don't take it to heart. I don't celebrate my birthday. She's just here to annoy me."

So their relationship was really bad. But they used to be in a band together, right?

Makoto Takahashi glanced at the gift box on the ground again, somewhat concerned: "So, are you going to open it?"

“Of course.” Maya Uesugi took out a paper cutter and a compass from a hidden pocket in her skirt.

It looks like this was the dangerous contraption she planned to use last night to repel Nekoya Hina.

Chapter 15 The Cold Beauty Who Doesn't Celebrate Her Birthday

So it turns out some people choose not to celebrate their birthdays.

Makoto Takahashi watched as Maya Uesugi used a box cutter to make a slit in the side of the gift box, her movements as careful as if she were defusing a bomb. He couldn't understand why she didn't just untie the ribbon.

It wasn't until the gift box made a muffled "bang" that he truly grasped the reality that Uesugi Maya and Tatsumi Yuki were enemies.

The so-called "realism" means that trying to use the two assistance cards together is not realistic at all.

However, Kashima-senpai's assistance card is also good, with the advantage of a higher probability of triggering friendship training.

He was thinking to himself, then casually asked, "Is it a balloon?"

"Hmm, there might be some small animals inside."

Maya Uesugi handed the gift box to Makoto Takahashi, letting him hear the sound of the creature inside being startled by the balloons and hitting the inside of the gift box.

There was originally a balloon and an unidentified small animal inside.

Opening it directly shouldn't cause any problems, right? It's just that the romantic feelings between young ladies are a bit hard to understand. Tachibana Yuki is certain that Uesugi Maya will probe from the side.

Perhaps it's because I once delivered a scary box that popped out terrifying items when opened?

Makoto Takahashi, guessing in his mind, asked gossipily, "You used to be in a band with Tachimi-senpai and Kashima-senpai, right? Did you break up and become enemies?"

"Don't ask unnecessary questions. Aren't you going shopping?"

Maya Uesugi gave a look that refused to give a direct answer, put the paper cutter and compass back into her skirt pocket, placed the gift box on the ground next to the violin bag, and walked towards the door.

"I'm curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat, Takahashi-kun."

What do you think about me joining the student council?

Makoto Takahashi followed her out of the kendo club. As they walked out of the building, he glanced back at the staircase in the center of the hall and said, "Tachimi-senpai is quite pretty."

"Oh."

Uesugi Maya sneered, seemingly mocking his folly, then said in a confident tone, "She won't refuse you."

"She won't make me go to the sea, will she?" Makoto Takahashi asked cautiously.

He had heard plenty of stories about being thrown into Tokyo Bay or turned into fertilizer after angering a young lady.

"Don't worry, she's a kind angel to everyone," Uesugi Maya said sarcastically.

Although her expression seemed very trustworthy, and there was no need to lie to him, Makoto Takahashi decided to take his time to think about the student council matters later.

Perhaps we could ask Kashima-senpai for information first, to get a preliminary understanding.

Wait a minute, if this continues, won't Kashima-senpai really become an NPC?

Just as she was apologizing to Kashima-senpai in her heart, she heard Uesugi Maya's indifferent and aloof voice.

"Wait for me a moment."

Makoto Takahashi stopped and watched her walk towards the man in a suit waiting in the courtyard not far away.

The man was holding flowers and a gift box, while the elderly driver I had seen before stood behind him carrying a cake.

It looks familiar, like I've seen it somewhere before, but I can't quite place it.

Is it on TV?

He took out his phone, searched for "[Uesugi]" and related keywords, and quickly found a similar face.

No wonder Hell Girl runs rampant in the academy; if it were her biological father, no one would dare to mess with her.

Except for Rikami.

While Uesugi Maya was talking with her family, Takahashi Makoto sent a message to Kashima Reiko to discuss the matter of a mainstream shonen manga.

[Takahashi: Kashima-senpai, could you please play a match against Hina?]

[Takahashi: I want to help her recall the feeling of wanting to win the match.]

After the message was marked as read, a reply was received quickly.

[Reiko: Okay]

[Reiko: Exchange]

[Reiko: You're instructing my friend in archery, I'll help her train.]

According to Maya Uesugi, getting involved with Yuki Tatsumi is not dangerous.

Moreover, it was Kashima-senpai who took the initiative to offer it, so it seems that Tatsumi-senpai's attitude towards her is indeed quite friendly. After all, a rich heiress can't be without an archery teacher.

If you can become friends with her, the path to becoming a well-rounded warrior will be much easier.

Although Makoto Takahashi dislikes social interactions with a strong sense of purpose and doesn't want to make friends just to help Ka, he's willing to exchange benefits if it helps Hina Nekoya.

He readily agreed.

[Takahashi: Okay]

[Reiko: When is the match?]

[Takahashi: I'll confirm with you later]

Putting away his phone, and considering how to explain to Nekoya Hina that he had arranged a match for her, Takahashi Makoto looked up and saw Uesugi Maya smashing flowers and a cake on the ground.

The middle-aged man remained expressionless, yet exuded a palpable sense of sorrow.

So, her "lone wolf" lifestyle means she not only doesn't need friends, but also rejects family?

And it feels a bit inappropriate to make such a scene on a birthday.

Thinking about it this way, Uesugi Maya had been polite enough to Nekoya Hina and herself. If she usually got into conflicts with others without realizing it, this time it was intentional.

She even respects her own opinions.

Makoto Takahashi suddenly realized that Maya Uesugi was in a world he didn't understand, a world that belonged only to her.

This sense of mystery fuels a desire to explore.

Wait, something seems off.

Thinking about it carefully, isn't Uesugi Maya's style to arrange a match that Hina Nekoya couldn't win under the guise of doing what's best for her, without her knowledge?

—Completely disregarding the feelings of others.

"She's leading me by the nose again. No wonder she's called Hell Girl, she's so cunning," Makoto Takahashi thought to himself.

Seeing that the Uesugi father and daughter still had something to say, he walked to the shade of a tree, dialed Nekoya Hina's number, and asked for her opinion.

She probably didn't want to participate in the competition at all; saying "there's no reason" is just a way of putting it.

The call connected, and Nekoya Hina's lazy voice came through the phone, sounding like she hadn't gotten up yet.

"Acheng, what happened?"

Makoto Takahashi pondered for a moment, then asked softly, "Hina, would you like to have a match with Kashima-senpai?"

"Huh? Why? That's so sudden."

"Well, Uesugi-kun told me..."

He briefly recounted his conversation with Uesugi Maya in the kendo club, and then offered his opinion: "I think this might be helpful to you. I don't know what you think."

After listening to Makoto Takahashi's words, Hina Nekoya remained silent for a long time before finally speaking with a sense of relief.

"Thank you, Acheng."

Her voice, which hadn't been heard in a long time, carried a hint of laughter and a teasing tone: "I've decided, from today onwards, we're the best of friends in the world."

"Your best friend should be a dog, right?" Makoto Takahashi joked.

Nekoya Hina didn't want to continue the conversation, so she changed the subject directly, her tone somewhat wistful: "But I didn't expect Uesugi-san to be such a good person. I thought she didn't like me."

"The parts of me that I don't like are probably true."

Hearing his confident tone, Hina Nekoya muttered a few words to herself, venting her dissatisfaction, before finally making up her mind and saying, "Please arrange a time with Kashima-senpai this afternoon for me."

"it is good."

"Thank you, Cheng. This is the first time I've felt this way since coming to Tokyo... well, I don't know how to say it."

Tokyo is a huge, indifferent, and complex city, but it also has its moments of warm sunshine.

"After all, we're friends. I'll send you the lunch location later."

Makoto Takahashi smiled, turned his head and saw Maya Uesugi leaving him and the middle-aged man behind and walking away alone. He hung up the phone and ran after her.

Chapter 16: Unwavering Loyalty to My Best Brother

I prefer to be alone.

There was a hint of resistance in Uesugi Maya's voice.

She walked without looking to the side, the shadows of the trees on the street rushing past her feet. Her expression was as cold as ever, but her beautiful eyes were filled with unease and anxiety.

"Me too, don't overthink it, I just want to freeload a meal."

Takahashi Makoto lagged half a step behind Uesugi Maya, pretending not to notice her fleeing footsteps, and asked in a deliberately casual tone, "Was that man just now your father?"