They all have hidden attributes!

Only Haruna Nekoya contacted me, saying that badminton club training had resumed today.

After washing up and changing his clothes, Makoto Takahashi came to the living room and put away the drawing paper stained with delicate colors.

Oil painting "Spring Thunder"

The painting uses delicate, multi-layered colors and exquisite light and shadow to depict the view of the academy that Makoto Takahashi saw when the thunder sounded yesterday.

After the skill specialization assessment was completed, he didn't know his actual level, but the system description for Lv.5 used the word "[Peak]" to summarize it, so it probably wasn't too bad.

Although only the lighting and color levels reached the master level, the exhibition he participated in was only at the level of a newcomer's debut.

Takahashi Makoto rolled up the oil painting and stuffed it into a paper tube. He then picked up his phone and sent a text message to Uesugi Maya, telling her that the painting was ready.

[Kendo Club]

After receiving a brief reply, Makoto Takahashi left with his laptop and drawing tube.

Chapter 18 Her gaze seemed a little off.

As the light rain of late June fell straight down, Makoto Takahashi, holding a transparent umbrella, walked hesitantly through the wet streets and entered the gates of Tsurumizawa Academy.

The raindrops tapping on the cedar forest made a soft "rustling" sound, and the air was filled with the smell of fresh earth.

The rain, which started yesterday afternoon and has continued until now, has blurred the view.

He gazed at the red roof of the student council building in the distance, wondering if he should join if the opportunity arose.

Now that things have come to this, it seems there's no need to dwell on it too much.

Even if she doesn't join, Tachimi Yuki will come to the archery club. She has already gotten involved with Nekoya Hina in order to help them, so it's pointless to consider whether she can handle it now.

Although it may seem a bit too utilitarian, upon closer examination, purposeful social interactions are not necessarily a bad thing.

A friend as intelligent, trustworthy, and generous as Uesugi Maya would never pay a friend's fee or use her privileges to take care of me if she didn't have a strong ulterior motive.

The sound of the brass band practicing brought Makoto Takahashi back to his senses. He walked into the detached building where the student council was located, turned left in the lobby to the kendo club, and pushed open the door to find Maya Uesugi practicing kendo alone.

"Good afternoon," Takahashi Makoto greeted her.

Uesugi Maya composed herself, walked to the edge of the arena, put down her bamboo sword, and picked up a bottle of mineral water to drink.

Why are you ignoring me today?

Makoto Takahashi didn't remember offending her; it couldn't possibly be because he arrived close to lunchtime.

He put down his laptop bag and said, "I've watched the video, and I feel it's not very useful. I will stick to my own style."

"understood."

"I'll leave the painting tube here. I'll be leaving now if there's nothing else."

Just as he was about to turn and leave, the mineral water bottle in Uesugi Maya's hand made a squeaking sound as it was being crushed. Takahashi Makoto saw her beautiful, artistic eyes shooting straight at him with a cold gaze.

The air seemed to freeze, a heavy pressure falling on his shoulders. Feeling uncomfortable under his intense gaze, Takahashi Makoto raised his hands in surrender.

"I'm a piece of trash, I'm going to jump off the Yamanote Line right now."

Upon hearing this, Uesugi Maya choked on her mineral water, coughed violently twice, and wiped the water from the corner of her mouth.

She suddenly remembered that Makoto Takahashi was a serious guy, so after taking a deep breath, she calmly asked, "When do you plan to start learning bass?"

Makoto Takahashi glanced at the bass that had been left by the wall of the kendo club last night and hadn't been taken home, and thought to himself, "So that's why."

Maya Uesugi's tolerance for him was clearly not without limits. Apart from certain bottom lines, what she valued most was his bass practice and the band.

"No rush, the band doesn't even have a name yet, and there are only the two of us members." Makoto Takahashi spread his hands, showing an innocent expression, and said this on purpose.

He hates being under pressure.

"You can name any conditions you have, and I'll take responsibility for resolving any difficulties you encounter." Uesugi Maya said earnestly, without a hint of joking.

Considering that she had already helped him a lot and that he had recently had time to learn bass, Makoto Takahashi picked up his guitar case, waved goodbye, and said, "I will do my best. Also, it would be better if the band had a name. See you tomorrow."

The answer to why Maya Uesugi is so devoted to the band and herself can probably be found in the student council.

After leaving the Kendo Club, following the notes played by the brass band, I arrived at the third floor. Turning right in the corridor, I found the student council office at the end, its heavy wooden door looking very grand.

Arriving at this hour shouldn't be a problem, right?

After all, Kashima-senpai only said yesterday that it was fine to come today, without specifically emphasizing any inconvenient times. Speaking of which, what exactly did she mean by saying yesterday that she "envies Nekoya Hina"?

As Makoto Takahashi pondered, he raised his hand and knocked on the wooden door with his bent knuckles. After a dull thud, a sweet voice came from inside.

"Takahashi-kun? Please come in."

Upon hearing Lijian's voice, the air instantly tensed.

This was not what Makoto Takahashi had expected. The person he had arranged to meet was Kashima-senpai. Compared to someone he had spoken to a few times and was relatively familiar with, he inevitably felt a little awkward facing a senpai he had never met before.

Moreover, unlike Uesugi Maya, Tachimi Yuki is a genuine heiress of a zaibatsu (financial conglomerate).

Nevertheless, there was no room for retreat now. Makoto Takahashi took a light breath, pushed open a wooden door, and walked into the student council president's office with his violin case on his back.

A delicate and elegant floral fragrance wafted over.

Before me was a spacious office. In front of the floor-to-ceiling window facing the door, I saw Senior Sister Li Jian sitting behind a heavy solid wood desk, propping her head up with her left hand and lost in thought.

The bright light cut out the layers of her short, golden hair, highlighting her fair and radiant skin. Her delicate features were soft and beautiful, and her eyes were as blue as the clear sky, giving her an overall very pure and innocent look.

As Takahashi Makoto entered the office, she stood up gracefully, her pure and lovely face revealing a gentle smile that was completely unpretentious: "Junior Takahashi, I've been waiting for you for a long time. Please have a seat."

The voice was sweet and clear, reminiscent of the vibrant hydrangeas of early summer, evoking a gentle, breathtaking feeling.

"Sorry, Ritsu-senpai, I've kept you waiting." Takahashi Village said politely, stepping towards the direction she gestured.

Next to the small balcony on the side of the office, there is a set of soft black leather sofas, and the bookshelves next to it are filled with all kinds of trophies and certificates. Outside the small balcony, the trees, which have absorbed enough water during the rainy season, are lush and green.

As soon as I took off my violin bag and sat down on the sofa, I saw my senior sister bring me some black tea and bend down to place it on the coffee table in front of me.

"Here, please use it."

She poured herself a cup of black tea, then sat down on the sofa opposite her, knees together, across the black slab coffee table.

The simple and neat off-white dress is well-tailored, outlining the elegant curves of the body. The ladylike posture gives people the feeling of "this is how a young lady should be".

Makoto Takahashi was momentarily lost in thought for a few seconds before pulling his gaze away from the pleated design at the neckline of her dress.

Yesterday's meeting was brief, and he didn't fully experience the young lady's charm. Today, he'll probably have a chance to learn more about her.

"Takahashi-kun seems a little nervous. Why don't you introduce yourself?"

Tachimi Yuki took out two pieces of [Black Thor] chocolate from under the coffee table, held out her fair hand, and calmly said, "My name is Tachimi Yuki, second year, class A, Yuki as in lucky, and my hobby is chess."

His tone was calm and approachable, making people feel at ease, as if they were old friends.

Nevertheless, Takahashi felt a little breathless. Her hand, which was offering the chocolate, remained frozen above the coffee table, as if she would stay in that position forever unless she reached out to take it.

The seemingly gentle attitude actually creates a sense of tension that makes it impossible to refuse, as if you are forcing someone to accept it.

Makoto Takahashi reached out and took the chocolate, placing it on the coffee table in front of him: "Thank you, senpai. I had originally arranged to meet Kashima-senpai."

"Hmm~ I know. Junior Takahashi wants to learn about the student council, but Reiko had something come up today and couldn't get away, so she asked me to introduce it to you."

Tachibana Yuki nodded slightly to him, picked up his black tea and took a sip, a look of satisfaction in his eyes: "Does Junior Takahashi want to join the student council?"

Makoto Takahashi hesitated.

He was somewhat skeptical of Tachimi Yuki's explanation, after all, Kashima-senpai's true identity was a maid.

Moreover, ever since Tachikami Yuki warmly welcomed him, the atmosphere in the student council office has been subtly changing. He is now under her control, and as long as he goes along with the atmosphere, he will be easily pulled into the student council.

It feels like a lamb entering a tiger's den; maybe I shouldn't have come today.

Makoto Takahashi thought this for no reason, but he still maintained a polite attitude: "I'm sorry, senior, I just want to learn a little bit, I don't plan to join directly."

"Ah—Is that so?"

Tachikawa raised her hand to cover her pink lips, gasped in surprise, then put down her teacup, her gentle smile now tinged with apology: "I should apologize, it seems I did something unnecessary."

Makoto Takahashi saw her take an A4 sheet of paper folded twice from the pocket of her dress.

"Because of the misunderstanding, I've already obtained the career path survey guide from the school. I was hoping to get to know him better," Tachimi Yuki said with a smile.

Makoto Takahashi swallowed awkwardly, feeling a chill run down his spine.

It's one thing for someone unfamiliar to see this, but it's quite another for someone else to take it out and examine it in front of them. And it's completely unexpected; you could say it's a sudden social death.

Seeing that he remained calm and his eyes were fixed on the road survey guide in his hand, the smile in Li Jianxing's eyes became even more cheerful, but it never showed in his eyes.

She unfolded the A4 paper with her slender fingers, glanced at it, deliberately creating a tense silence for more than ten seconds before slowly speaking:

"Junior's dream is to become the strongest creature on Earth, hmm... it doesn't seem to be because of the Straw Hat Pirates."

"The belief that sustains dreams, the desire not to let life fall into a miserable state, hmm... I understand."

"I see. It's because you have no one to rely on and nowhere to go that you think that way."

Suddenly, Tachikami Yuki raised her face, her azure eyes gleaming with a soft light as she looked at him with understanding and care, giving off a warm and inclusive feeling.

That's right.

Makoto Takahashi nodded in agreement with her statement, but a sudden sense of crisis welled up in his heart.

He sensed something was wrong, but couldn't quite put his finger on it. He just felt like something dangerous was enveloping him ever since he stepped into the student council office.

The spider sense never lies; I should reconsider joining the student council.

“I understand you perfectly, Takahashi-kun.”

Tachimi Yuki put away the guide to finding a way out, placed it on the coffee table, and then picked up a piece of chocolate and unwrapped it:

"It's painful to have nowhere to go. How about joining the student council? We are a very loving and inclusive family."

"Senior, I don't know much about the student council yet, so joining right away would be a bit difficult," Takahashi Makoto said tactfully.

"The student council has a very simple structure. I am the president, Lengzi is the vice president, and there are 8 disciplinary committee members and 1 accountant. They are all second-year students."

Yuki Tachibana took a small bite of the chocolate, revealing an incredibly gentle smile, even the upturned corners of her eyes conveying a sense of warmth:

"Originally, I had no intention of recruiting new people. After all, a simpler structure is more efficient, and Tsurumizawa only has less than 600 students in total."

"Since I don't have that plan, I'd better not cause you any trouble, senior." Takahashi Makoto immediately prepared to get up and take his leave.

He remembered that he had a righteous ally, Uesugi Maya.

She is intelligent, has the best grades in the country, and needs his help. Even though she has just been put under pressure, it doesn't affect her reliability.