They all have hidden attributes!

Makoto Takahashi reached out and wrapped his arms around Maya Uesugi's shoulders, holding her slender, soft body in his embrace, breathing in the warm cedar scent emanating from her black hair.

“But I don’t like Titanic, I like Wu Song Fighting the Tiger. Ah Ye, you can always rely on me. I will not let anyone in the sandbox get hurt.”

"That's just artistic license, you idiot."

Uesugi Maya suddenly raised her voice, pushing hard against his chest with both hands, trying to break free: "It's better to jump off the observation deck than to watch yourself get eaten alive."

"Stop messing around, I'm thinking of some really cool lines."

Makoto Takahashi gently patted her back, released his hands, helped her close her eyes, and turned to slowly walk towards the brown bear: "Never mind, I didn't expect it. In any case, it left me with wonderful memories of the school trip."

Listening to his voice fading into the distance, Uesugi Maya strained to lift her heavy eyelids.

Using the dim light from the decorative lights on the observation deck, she watched as Makoto Takahashi took off his coat and slowly walked towards the brown bear, her heart aching as if it were being torn apart.

The premonition of losing someone important to me is like a sharp pain tearing through every nerve in my body.

He wanted to speak, but couldn't make a sound; he wanted to move his feet, but his body was as stiff as if petrified.

She could clearly hear the sound of teeth grinding, and she desperately tried to keep her eyes open, afraid of missing the escape opportunity created by Makoto Takahashi.

In Uesugi Maya's view, Takahashi Makoto was having such a foolish idea.

In reality, it's impossible. He would instantly lose consciousness and be unable to lure the brown bear away. The two of them would become food reserves for hibernation.

Li Jian would definitely go crazy, wouldn't he?

The moment the thought popped into her head, Maya Uesugi gave a self-deprecating laugh, and then her eyes slowly widened.

I finally have a way to explain this to my girlfriend.

With gratitude for the brown bear, Takahashi walked up to it, looked up and met its dark eyes, and nodded in satisfaction.

This is a big guy, looks very strong, is close to hibernation, and weighs definitely over 300 kilograms.

Seeing the brown bear raise its paw high, he stretched his neck and grabbed the skin on the bear's chest with one hand, his muscles bursting with powerful strength.

The brown bear flew in an arc through the air before crashing onto the stone bricks of the observation deck.

boom--

The stone bricks shattered, and the brown bear let out a mournful howl that echoed through the mountains. Makoto Takahashi stepped on its chest and punched it in the head.

Uesugi Maya could no longer remain calm, and the utility knife and compass in her hands fell to the ground.

She watched helplessly as the brown bear howled in pain under Makoto Takahashi's hands, the sound growing fainter and fainter. It took her a long time to react before she picked up her belongings and clothes from the ground and went over to it.

Humans in disguise?

Upon approaching, Uesugi Maya dispelled her doubts, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled to control her emotions.

The brown bear was in a terrible state; it was beaten until it foamed at the mouth and was unconscious.

This was something no human could do, Uesugi Maya was certain of, and thus cast a scrutinizing glance at Takahashi Makoto.

"I want to tame it and keep it as a pet in Ritsumi's house."

Makoto Takahashi, of course, would not admit that he was the one with the problem, and stubbornly said, "If the Russians can raise bears, so can I."

"I'll keep it a secret for you." Uesugi Maya subconsciously made a disgusted expression.

Does he think he's an idiot? Would he believe such nonsense?

"I only unleashed my potential for you, but I think I pulled a muscle, ouch—"

Makoto Takahashi's face contorted in pain as he rubbed his arm and gasped for breath. To Maya Uesugi, his appearance was not only funny but also incredibly stupid.

Knock out a brown bear with your bare hands, only to end up with a muscle strain?

Oh well, whatever.

If he wasn't human, wouldn't he already be someone else when I invited him to form a band?

Maya Uesugi let out a relieved sigh, then quickly put on a worried expression, her voice cold: "Should we go to the hospital?"

"No need, let's find a bar to rest for a bit."

Makoto Takahashi looked up and met her gaze, smiled, and took out his phone to arrange for the people from the Ritsumi branch family to handle the brown bear's funeral arrangements.

—He has just brainwashed the brown bear with [Mind Storm].

The taxi driver was completely unaware of the activity at the top of the mountain and was not bothered by the brown bear. After the two got into the car, he drove back to the city along the scenic road.

Maya Uesugi still looked absent-minded, so Makoto Takahashi didn't talk to her. An incurable silence enveloped the narrow car interior.

The taxi stopped at the end of a straight alley where no one was around. A bar sign was placed next to the orange lights on the steps of the mixed-use building.

The two walked down the steps next to the sign, pushed open the heavy iron and wooden door, and Uesugi Maya curiously looked around at the surroundings.

"It's so dark," she clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction.

The lighting was dim, and various bottles of liquor were displayed on the shelves behind the bar. There were no windows with a view, and the television, which had been muted, was broadcasting a football match.

"What would you like to drink?"

A female bartender in a white shirt and vest walked over, her heavily made-up face flashing a provocative smile at Makoto Takahashi. The air around Maya Uesugi suddenly cooled down as she ordered the recommended Hoegaarden beer from the menu in a cold, melodious voice.

The female bartender was quite frightened by her murderous aura. She opened two bottles of beer, placed them in front of the two people, and quickly went to chat with other customers.

"idiot."

Uesugi Maya cursed, picked up a beer, and gulped it down. Her long, disheveled black hair had somehow covered half her face.

She said this because the bartender, captivated by Makoto Takahashi's charm, failed to verify whether the two were of legal drinking age.

"Let's celebrate our survival." Makoto Takahashi gave a pleasant smile, raised his beer bottle, and clinked it against the glass bottle in her hand.

Uesugi Maya was quite frightened tonight, but he maintained a relaxed demeanor throughout, his voice sounding like the carefree and unrestrained feeling one gets in a classroom after school.

Watching Takahashi Makoto drinking with a smile, Uesugi Maya finally felt a little relieved.

"In TV dramas, after drinking beer, you should invite me to a love hotel to rest for a while." She swallowed another mouthful of beer.

"Just remember that you owe me a kiss."

Makoto Takahashi gazed happily into her caramel-colored eyes, a mixture of joking seriousness in them:

"Or remember that you owe me a love hotel experience. To be honest, I actually made a contract with the gods when I was born. By giving up a quarter of my life, I can briefly possess the power of the gods."

As he spoke, he poured the beer into the glass with a "glug" sound.

"It's actually quite profitable, otherwise we would all be finished tonight. A quarter of our lives were exchanged for two people to survive, and most importantly, it's worth it for you."

Maya Uesugi pursed her pink lips, unable to speak.

She had specifically researched the local customs and culture of Kirishima City in order to write the book, and Kirishima Shrine was indeed full of fantasy elements, so she believed Takahashi Makoto's explanation, which was the most reasonable of all the explanations tonight.

"How much is left?" Uesugi Maya asked.

Makoto Takahashi blinked blankly, then, seeing her serious expression, awkwardly touched his nose: "Three-quarters."

"You should cherish this opportunity. I will reflect on what happened tonight."

When Uesugi Maya said that, Takahashi Makoto felt even more embarrassed, since she was the kind of person who took things too seriously and would probably keep a very close watch on him from now on.

Oh well, this is fine too.

"Where were we? You said I care about my own little miniature garden." He tried to change the subject.

"Does anyone else know about this?" Uesugi Maya asked.

"......No."

"I'll keep it a secret for you, and as for the love hotel, since it's you, I'll remember it."

Maya Uesugi's dangerous words struck a chord deep within Makoto Takahashi's heart.

What does "since it's you" mean?

This emphasis made his heart beat faster involuntarily, giving him a feeling that there were no longer any boundaries or barriers between the two of them.

Makoto Takahashi downed his beer in one gulp, using the cold liquid to calm himself down, and then ordered a whiskey from the waitress.

In movies, powerful men often have a penchant for whiskey. He had just tamed a bear with his bare hands in front of someone important and protected her; he certainly deserved it.

Instead of going to the aquarium, the two sat on high stools in the bar chatting and slowly drinking a bottle of beer. At 5 o'clock, they took a taxi to the Ertiao Market to eat the freshest seafood.

Perhaps because it was nearing winter, the sunrise was late, and it was barely light when we returned to the hotel.

The teacher on duty in front of the elevator lobby had been replaced by Supervisor Chihaya. When I went to report to her, Chihaya Nana gave Takahashi Makoto a disappointed look.

As they boarded the elevator and the doors slowly closed, Makoto Takahashi let out a helpless sigh: "They definitely think we went to a love hotel last night."

"Let it be a misunderstanding." Uesugi Maya pressed the button for the restaurant floor.

Unlike Hina Nekoya, she doesn't rush to explain. Sometimes, misunderstandings and rumors can be quite useful.

"Didn't we have breakfast at Nijo Market?" Makoto Takahashi asked, puzzled.

"Your girlfriend hasn't tried it yet." Uesugi Maya crossed her arms, playing with the ends of her black hair.

The two visited in silence, neither uttering a word in the narrow elevator car.

As the elevator doors slowly opened, Makoto Takahashi resignedly walked into the restaurant with Maya Uesugi. At the square table by the window, Yuki Tachimi, wearing a white dress and a gray woolen coat, was enjoying breakfast with silver cutlery.

Her movements while eating were elegant, and her short golden hair shimmered with the soft morning light.

"When did you arrive?" Takahashi Makoto pulled out a chair and sat down beside her.

Uesugi Maya stood to the side, watching the two of them with cold eyes.

Yuki swallowed the food in her mouth, raised her beautiful blue eyes, and gave a troubled look: "Makoto-kun, may you please stand up?"

"What's wrong?" Takahashi Makoto stood up in confusion.

"Step back a little, please come to Xiaoye's side."

Following Tachimi Yuki's instructions, he stood next to Uesugi Maya, blinking blankly.

"Lower your head," Tachimi Yuki reminded him.

Makoto Takahashi looked down and saw that his shoes were exactly the same as Maya Uesugi's. He was speechless and had a splitting headache.

"I didn't bring any other shoes with me to Sapporo."

Seeing his innocent expression, Li Jianxing sighed helplessly and said, "Really, we can just go buy it together later."

"No."