They all have hidden attributes!

Makoto Takahashi quickly looked away, closed the light novel in his hand, stood up and asked, "Are Reiko and Junko coming too?"

"Mmm, Chun Ke is going back to her room to change into her pajamas, and Leng Zi is helping her older sister with her hair." Hanakawa Kaori was completely unaware of the wardrobe malfunction she had just experienced and was busy counting the banknotes in the Monopoly game.

That was far too unexpected.

Thinking to himself, Takahashi Makoto stepped out of the room and said, "I'm relieved that you two can get along well. I'm going to take a shower."

"Ah good."

Hanakawa Kaori tightened the ribbon of her bow, stood up, and ran over to follow him: "I'm going downstairs to get some snacks and drinks."

"Did Maya take a bath with you guys too?" Takahashi Makoto asked.

"No, Uesugi-nee said she would never bathe with her older sister."

The relationship between Hanakawa Hanaori and Uesugi Maya can be discerned from how they address each other. Her way of addressing Tachimi Yuki quickly escalates and becomes increasingly intimate, while she remains at the stage of addressing Uesugi Maya by her surname.

Walking through the corridor and downstairs, Hanakawa Kaori ran to the beverage counter, where Takahashi Makoto happened to run into Tachimi Yuki and Kashima Reiko coming out of the changing room.

Both of them were wearing disposable bathrobes provided by the hotel, which perfectly accentuated their graceful figures.

"Cheng-kun, come back soon so we can play together," said Tachimi Yuki.

“Okay.” Makoto Takahashi nodded and stepped into the untouched acidic carbonate spring, which is said to have skin-whitening effects.

After taking off my clothes, showering, and wrapping myself in a towel, I dried myself off after soaking in the hot spring and changed into a disposable yukata. None of the scenes that you'd expect from a light novel happened.

There's really no need to have any expectations. Uesugi Maya will probably just soak in the private hot spring in the room, while everyone else has just finished and is having a pajama party together.

So, what exactly am I expecting?

Makoto Takahashi moved to his room door, saw the light coming from the next room, withdrew his hand from the door he was about to open, and walked over quietly.

He didn't knock, but opened the door a crack and slipped inside, feeling inexplicably guilty.

Under the warm yellow light in the room, there was a cozy scent of cedar wood.

Maya Uesugi sat in a light-colored wooden chair in front of her desk, wearing a black dress-style nightgown, writing on a piece of paper with a pencil. Her delicate profile was fair and flawless.

Turning her head, she saw Makoto Takahashi quietly closing the door. She sighed helplessly, weighed down the manuscript with a hardcover book placed to the side, and got up to walk towards the water bar.

"What's the matter?"

"I practiced archery today."

Takahashi Seiichi didn't know where to begin, but seeing Uesugi Maya take out a coffee pot he had never seen before, seemingly preparing to make coffee, he simply sat down cross-legged at the low wooden table near the window.

"What is this?" Makoto Takahashi asked curiously.

"French-pressed teapot".

"It looks much more convenient, and it's lightweight and compact."

"Do I look like I don't know?" Uesugi Maya glanced at him disdainfully, opened the coffee bean canister, and poured the beans into the grinder.

She operated the machine skillfully, her movements elegant and concise. Makoto Takahashi always found watching Maya Uesugi make coffee a pleasure, and he never found it boring.

Actually, watching pretty girls do anything is never boring, he thought to himself, as he glanced at the large blue octopus doll out of the corner of his eye, which was lying obediently on the neatly made bed and pillow.

After waiting quietly for a while, Maya Uesugi came over with a hot coffee, bent her knees, and sat down opposite Makoto Takahashi.

With hips resting on the ankles, back straight, and posture impeccable, he exudes a serious and rigorous aura.

"You shot an arrow today, and then what?" she asked indifferently.

"It's nothing, you might not know much about archery."

Takahashi Seiichi was momentarily at a loss for words. Uesugi Maya stared at him for a few seconds, then a chill suddenly flashed in her caramel-colored eyes: "About [Straight Shot]?"

"[A direct shot will always hit the target]" is a motto in archery, emphasizing the necessity of correct action.

Although Makoto Takahashi has never agreed with this theory, he knows that his current behavior is not correct. In this situation, he has solved his problems in archery without relying on the system, which makes him somewhat confused.

"probably."

Makoto Takahashi picked up a disposable paper cup from the table and handed it to him. Maya Uesugi poured him half a cup of bitter coffee and asked, "Is there anything else about Shiraishi?"

"Did you put a camera on me?" Makoto Takahashi asked in surprise.

"Observation: You and Shiraishi disappeared for a long time this afternoon."

"They haven't disappeared; they've just separated from you and are now acting independently."

"Does it matter?" Uesugi Maya asked coldly.

She swallowed a mouthful of coffee, her caramel-colored eyes continuing to gaze sharply at him. Takahashi Makoto felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze and picked up his paper cup to take a sip.

After carefully considering his words, he softened his tone and said, "Back in Kamakura, you asked me if I could build my ideals on Shiraishi's suffering. I can't."

"Tsk." Uesugi Maya's face visibly darkened.

She unconsciously played with her long, black hair, radiating an invisible pressure. In the quiet room, the sounds of Hanakawa Kaori playing next door could be faintly heard, making the atmosphere a little strange.

"I originally wanted to reject Chun Ke, but that didn't align with my ideals. I couldn't bear to see her looking pained."

Hearing Takahashi Makoto say this, Uesugi Maya showed a genuine look of disgust, frowned and asked, "Is your justice to abandon morality?"

"You actually thought I was righteous before?"

"In my opinion, taking care of other people's feelings and pursuing harmony in the atmosphere around you are both righteous acts."

"To be honest, you're giving me a bit too much credit."

"Is that right?"

Uesugi Maya paused briefly, carefully choosing her words, before adopting a calm tone and saying, "Our first summer festival was at the Meguro River."

"Watching fireworks from the rooftop of a coffee shop." Makoto Takahashi certainly remembered.

"You weren't familiar with Kashima at the time, so why did you invite her to join the light music club?"

Uesugi Maya stared intently into his eyes, a scrutinizing glint in them: "I told you that if world peace could be achieved with just a little effort, you would definitely do it."

"Why 'just a little effort'?" Makoto Takahashi asked, puzzled.

"If I had to describe it, it would be because of your lazy sense of justice."

Maya Uesugi held the disposable paper cup to her pink lips, swallowed another sip of coffee, and explained, "You don't need to worry about things you can't see, and you'll find things troublesome, so you don't want to put in the effort."

Those who strive for world peace will actively move towards their goals; Makoto Takahashi only needs world peace around him so that he can live a peaceful life.

"What does this have to do with Junko?" Takahashi Makoto asked.

Don't you feel like you're under too much pressure lately?

Maya Uesugi pinpointed the problem incisively; she had been observing Makoto Takahashi closely, her gaze never leaving him.

"At first, I just wanted to try a little harder, but new problems arose, and the pressure gradually accumulated. Now, we have to add Junka Shiraishi to the mix."

"All these things combined are beyond what can be solved with just a little effort, aren't they?"

"I told you to be realistic a long time ago, what are you going to do now?"

"Breaking a promise, or being crushed by the last straw?"

The voice was clear and calm, without any emotional outburst; it simply pointed out the problem, allowing the listener to think calmly.

Makoto Takahashi lowered his eyes thoughtfully to look at the coffee in the paper cup, unable to refute it.

As interpersonal relationships increase and change, the effort required to maintain harmony also increases.

"I suggest you break up with Lijian immediately and start dating me."

Maya Uesugi raised her head, her fingers resting on her collar, a confident expression on her delicate face: "I will help you handle all your interpersonal relationships."

"I guess your approach is to avoid seeing it and not worry about it," Takahashi Makoto said, giving a wry smile.

“Simple and efficient.” Maya Uesugi frankly admitted that she believed Makoto Takahashi had enough on his own.

"I've decided to listen to you."

Makoto Takahashi stood up. Before Maya Uesugi could even feel happy, she heard him continue, "Follow your own path. That's the advice you gave me before."

"Tsk, it's not worth it for being a womanizer."

"I just suddenly realized that the impact of a little effort from an ant and an elephant is different." Takahashi looked down at her, a relaxed smile playing on his lips.

If you're strong enough, you can bring world peace with just a little effort.

Uesugi Maya pinched the bridge of her nose with a headache, sighed, looked over with a disdainful gaze, then turned her face away and sighed again.

After swallowing a mouthful of coffee, she raised her face and glared at Makoto Takahashi with icy eyes. Finally, as if giving up, she let out a third deep sigh.

"I was too lenient with you before, and I must correct your wrong thinking from now on."

"Correction? Or are you planning to twist my will?" Takahashi Makoto asked.

"It seems lively next door, let's go back together."

Uesugi Maya did not answer his question. She drank the remaining bitter coffee in the paper cup in one gulp, stood up, and straightened her nightgown with both hands.

“I feel much more relaxed after talking to you, thank you,” Takahashi Makoto said.

"What I need is not thanks, but your appreciation."

"There's a little bit, but you might use it all up tonight."

"Your favorite things are just consumables, how useless." Uesugi Maya glanced at him with disdain and kicked him.

In the time it took to exchange a few words, the two had already arrived at the door of Takahashi Makoto's room.

Upon opening the door, four people—Tachimi Yuki, Hanakawa Kaori, Shiraishi Junka, and Kashima Reiko—were sitting around a low wooden table. On the table, besides the Monopoly game, there was also steaming hot black tea emitting a fragrant aroma.

When Tachibana Yuki looked up, she saw Takahashi Makoto and Uesugi Maya walking in together. His innocent face still wore a smile, but the warmth of the smile gradually turned cold, and a dangerous aura was revealed in his eyes.

“It’s all used up,” Makoto Takahashi said.

"Ah, an elephant."

Uesugi Maya sneered, crossed her arms, and met Tachibana Yuki's gaze with a mocking look, her aura no less imposing than his.

Hanakawa Kaori, who was sitting on a duck-like position, glanced back and forth between the two men. Reminded by a look from Takahashi Makoto, she immediately stood up and asked in a lively voice:

"Uesugi-nee, do you want to play with us?"

"Give it to her." Tachikami Yuki's smile remained unchanged.

"Actually, I have no reason to play with you."