They all have hidden attributes!

......

In the afternoon, the rain temporarily stopped, and a ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds, making the cedar forest, covered with raindrops, shimmer.

Now, there was no longer any reason to use the rainy season as an excuse for not practicing archery. Thinking of this, Makoto Takahashi felt a sense of weariness.

As he stepped through the gates of Tsurumizawa, Nekoya Hina, walking beside him, nudged him with her shoulder: "Is there something important, Makoto? Are you going to stay at the academy this afternoon too?"

"Go back to the Kendo Club to get your instrument case, then go to the Archery Club."

"You need to train, Acheng. Are you going to participate in the national selection in August?"

"No, it's guidance."

Thinking about meeting with Tachibana Yuki in the afternoon, Takahashi Makoto rubbed his temples with a headache, feeling as if someone was hitting his head with a hammer.

After meeting him twice, he felt that Tachibana Yuki was unfathomable. No matter how he thought about it, the so-called "gentle and considerate angel" was just an illusion.

Although there is no concrete evidence, if one had to say something, it would probably be something like "spider-sense" or "keen sense of smell," but he insists on this belief.

"Ah, Makoto is going to instruct Kashima-senpai's friend in archery. Is the other person a girl?" Nekoya Hina suddenly remembered this and turned to give him a worried look.

"Yes, and perhaps a little too considerate."

"Then I'll go with you."

She made the suggestion without hesitation, and Makoto Takahashi turned his head to look at her, suddenly meeting her gaze with eyes filled with sincere emotion.

"Are you alright?"

He coughed twice, then turned to look at the road ahead: "What about the badminton team's training?"

"No problem, Kashima-senpai made a special training plan for me, and I can practice extra tonight." Nekoya Hina patted Takahashi Makoto's shoulder hard, raised her neck, and showed a confident expression to reassure him.

With his good friend around, the atmosphere eased somewhat, and Takahashi Makoto didn't refuse again.

When they returned to the kendo club, Uesugi Maya had not yet come back. Perhaps she was hiding somewhere eating lunch alone, or perhaps she was finishing up a commission to submit her artwork.

After taking the violin case, the two left the building where the student council was located and went to the first floor of the special building.

In front of the archery club's gate, Kashima Reiko, dressed in a white and green color-blocked tracksuit, leaned against the wall, standing in the corridor beside the door, staring blankly at the opposite wall.

The atmosphere was cool and refreshing.

Hearing footsteps, she turned her head expressionlessly. Takahashi Makoto saw a hint of pity flash in her blue eyes, as if she were pitying him.

—Because Kashima-senpai is always so composed, this rare emotion of hers was all too obvious.

"Good afternoon, Kashima-senpai."

Good afternoon, Kashima-senpai.

The two greeted Kashima Reiko in unison. She nodded indifferently, handed the bookstore paper bag to Takahashi Makoto, and said in a completely emotionless tone:

"The book you requested, and also the 'Living Together, It's Just Natural to Do That Kind of Thing with ■■' series that I recommend."

Upon receiving the heavy paper bag, Takahashi Seiichi was speechless for a moment, unsure of what to say.

The fact that Kashima-senpai, who remained completely silent, shared the same interests with him was truly difficult to assess.

"Thank you, senior. I will cherish this opportunity." He chose to express his gratitude politely.

At that moment, Hina Nekoya came over and reached for the light novel in the paper bag: "What is it? The name sounds weird."

Her face was full of curiosity, and she seemed not to understand anything. Makoto Takahashi quickly moved away to prevent Hina Nekoya from misunderstanding his relationship with Kashima-senpai.

It's still too ahead of its time for a senior female student who has only known her for a short time to give a junior male student an 18+ light novel.

"What? Makoto, that's so stingy!" Nekoya Hina grumbled, giving him a reproachful look.

"It's just a light novel."

"Then why are you hiding?"

"secret."

"I want to see!"

She lunged to grab it, and Makoto Takahashi could only lift it high. Seeing the two of them playfully fighting, Reiko Kashima coughed lightly to draw their attention back.

She swept her gaze coldly over Hina Nekoya, her tone slightly harsher: "Is the training plan complete?"

"No, I plan to continue tonight. I'll spend the afternoon with Makoto." Nekoya Hina smiled brightly, reached out and hooked her arm around Makoto Takahashi's neck, pulling him close to her.

Did she go a little too far with physical contact today?

Makoto Takahashi suddenly realized this, as Nekoya Hina would not normally come close to him without any precautions.

"I'll play some coaching with you this afternoon."

Kashima Reiko stepped forward and separated the two without a word, then said to Takahashi Makoto, "My friend only likes one-on-one interactions, so I'm taking the cat house with me."

"Huh? Kashima-senpai, Makoto—"

Just as Hina Nekoya was about to explain, Makoto Takahashi shook his head, stopping her from continuing: "Hina, it's okay, don't waste the opportunity."

If Tachikami wanted to be alone with him, she had a hundred ways to get rid of the other person.

The fact that Kashima-senpai, who has a human-like personality, is now taking such a stern stance suggests that the sense of danger she felt in the student council office this morning was most likely not an illusion.

There's no way to escape.

Instead of struggling, it's better to first see what Tachimi Yuki is really up to, then analyze it with Uesugi Maya, and finally decide what to do.

Makoto Takahashi, lost in thought, took out his phone and sent a text message to Maya Uesugi, explaining that he and Yuki Tatsumi were in the archery club, and at the same time said to Reiko Kashima:

"Kashima-senpai, I'm leaving Hina's matter to you."

"Acheng, are you sure you're okay on your own?"

"No problem." He reassured Nekoya Hina with his eyes, then waved and watched Kashima Reiko pull her away.

After the two left, Makoto Takahashi took a deep breath, mentally prepared himself, and then suddenly pulled open the wooden door of the archery club.

In any case, we cannot lose in terms of momentum, and we cannot allow Li Jianxing to dominate the atmosphere again.

Chapter 20 An Unhealable Pain? Or...?

The semi-open shooting range was quiet, with sunlight slanting across the wooden floor and a breeze from the azure sky carrying a refreshing scent of moisture.

Dressed in hakama, Tachimi Yuki stood in the shooting range, facing the 28-meter archery path, but without a bow or arrows in his hand.

The upper body is white with tube sleeves. The loose style, designed to ensure a smooth and unrestricted bow-drawing motion, looks slightly tight on her, leaving no doubt about the necessity of the woman wearing a bra.

The lower garment is a skirt-pants style called "ondan hakama," which looks like a black pleated long skirt that completely covers the legs, only revealing the part below the ankles with white tabi socks.

The sash tied around her waist made her waist look exceptionally slender, especially against the backdrop of her full chest, highlighting her alluring figure and reminding Takahashi Makoto of terms like "snake waist."

Hearing the powerful sound of the door opening, Tachibana Yuki turned around, her short golden hair fluttering lightly, shimmering like gold in the sunlight.

She narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly and revealed a sweet smile: "Greetings, junior Takahashi. Please take good care of me this afternoon."

Hearing the sweet, coquettish voice, Takahashi Makoto nodded politely, "Good afternoon, Ritsumi-senpai. I am..."

Before he could even finish greeting him, Tachibana Yuki had already stepped in front of him. The strange gaze and the soft, delicate fragrance made Takahashi Makoto swallow back the polite words he was about to say.

She put her hands behind her back, leaned forward, and slightly stood on tiptoe to meet Takahashi Makoto's gaze, smiling as she softly asked:

"Hey, Takahashi-kun, you don't seem surprised at all to see me?"

"What a perceptive woman," Takahashi Makoto swallowed hard, then lied without batting an eye:

"Actually, I was a little distracted just now. Senior Li Jian is so beautiful. Please don't get too close to me, it's not good for your heart."

"Is that so? I'm happy to hear you say such nice things."

When she said this, Tachibana Yuki's beautiful blue eyes were filled with sincerity, making people unconsciously believe that this was not just empty talk, but that she really thought so.

Makoto Takahashi looked away from her beautiful face, walked to the wall, took off his violin case, and placed it under the wooden shelf hanging on the wall along with the bookstore's paper bag.

Judging solely from her appearance, Yuki Tachimi does indeed live up to the nickname "Angel."

Perhaps because of her foreign heritage, her blonde hair and blue eyes give her a noble air, and her beauty is in no way inferior to that of Hell Girl, making it hard not to like her.

That's why I feel nervous and pressured when I'm alone with her, probably because I'm afraid of doing something embarrassing or saying something rude that will make her dislike me.

"How many kilograms of bow does Senior Ritsumi use?"

He looked at the bows and arrows on the wooden frame. Apart from the one he usually used, the rest were all well-maintained—because no one else would practice with them.

"How are you used to it, junior Takahashi?" Tachikami asked.

15 kilograms.

"Then of course I want 15 kilograms too."

Her matter-of-fact way of speaking is baffling; is there any necessary connection between the two?

"What about the length of the arrow?" Takahashi asked.

"Just like junior Takahashi."

"No, that definitely won't do." He turned around and saw that Li Jianxing was still smiling and watching him, his lips twitching slightly.

This person's purpose is definitely not to practice archery, and it's hard to say what she's really thinking.

At times like this, all you can do is pretend to be oblivious, right?

If I say something strange out of self-righteousness, and my senior suddenly changes her expression, I'll definitely look like a clown.

Think about it carefully. Just because a girl talks to you a few more times, or because she has a good personality and is gentle to everyone, you might presume that she likes you. This kind of thing only applies to middle school.

Makoto Takahashi took out several arrows of different lengths from his quiver, walked up to Yuki Tachimi, and faced her: "Tachimi-senpai, please open your arms."

"Good."

The length of the arrow is almost equal to the length of the arm, but this is not absolute. Everyone has different habits. Since Tachikami Yuki did not specifically mention it, let's follow the most conventional way.

After selecting the appropriate arrows for her, Makoto Takahashi put the other arrows back into the quiver and took a 15-kilogram Japanese bow from the wall: "Are you sure you want 15 kilograms?"

Generally speaking, girls would choose lighter weights. Could it be that Senior Li Jian is a hidden superhuman with super strength?

Because strange and unusual thoughts always pop into his mind, he finds strange women difficult to deal with. He worries that if he accidentally says something rude, it could hurt her and cause a lot of trouble.

"No problem, what's next?" Tachimi asked with a smile.

Her sweet voice, coupled with the peculiar verbal tic of a young lady, and her delicate tone made Takahashi Makoto feel lightheaded.