They all have hidden attributes!

Although the two have different tastes in books, they surprisingly share similar preferences when it comes to movies.

Tonight's selection is "Love Letter," a story about unrequited love.

The projector beam shone on the white screen, reflecting a faint light, and the scent of the snow-covered forest from the movie kept filling my nostrils.

After meeting Maya Uesugi, Makoto Takahashi was always inevitably moved by the scent of cedar wood.

He turned his gaze away from the movie screen and calmly looked at Maya Uesugi, staring at her beauty from a very close distance.

She has fair skin, delicate features, and a dignified appearance.

Her cherry-colored lips were full and glossy, with a beautiful shape; her nose was small and straight; her beautiful caramel-colored eyes were framed by long, thin eyelashes; and she exuded a calm and composed demeanor.

What's most appealing is her long, black hair, as smooth and silky as silk.

Makoto Takahashi often touched her neck while pinching it, so he knew that Maya Uesugi's hair felt very nice to the touch—straight, smooth, and fine, without any tangles; it was beautiful long hair with perfectly straight lines.

Keeping such long hair shiny must take a lot of time to maintain.

He suddenly remembered that he often pressed down on Tachibana Yuki's hair when he slept. Even though she had short hair, it was still easy to press down on it. He didn't care about the length of her hair when he was in bed.

The buzzing of his phone interrupted Makoto Takahashi's thoughts.

Uesugi Maya turned her head and gave him a displeased look, blaming him for ruining the atmosphere.

Makoto Takahashi took out his phone, saw the caller ID showed Hanakawa Kaori, and hung up: "Kaori."

"Shut down." Uesugi Maya's tone carried a commanding tone.

Takahashi Makoto was worried that Hanakawa Kaori might have something urgent, so he sent her a text message to inquire, and received a reply immediately.

[My sister agreed to both the Christmas and winter break activities!]

is good news.

Although he didn't know how Hanakawa Kaori did it, she was very capable, and Takahashi Makoto thought that she should be rewarded in some way.

[Is there anything you'd like?]

After sending the message, I received no reply for a long time, and the gaze from my side gradually sharpened.

Makoto Takahashi and Maya Uesugi's shoulders were pressed together, and they could feel each other's every movement, especially when she impatiently tapped her arm with her fingers.

Makoto Takahashi turned off his phone, looked up, and continued watching the movie.

"How's the writing coming along?" he asked casually.

"Almost done."

"So fast?"

"Around April next year."

The "fast" that Uesugi Maya talks about is clearly not the same concept as the "fast" he imagines.

After watching the movie and returning to his apartment, Takahashi Seisai checked his phone, but Hanakawa Kaori still hadn't replied to his message.

His phone started buzzing after he finished showering and lay down in bed.

When the call connected, Hanakawa Kaori's voice still sounded very lively, showing no signs of wanting to sleep.

"Brother, are you asleep?"

"not yet."

Makoto Takahashi sat up in bed and asked curiously, "How did you convince Sachi?"

"It's a secret~ I can't tell my brother yet."

Hanakawa Kaori rolled over on her single bed in the college dormitory, hugging her pillow as she lay face down, her slender legs dangling back and forth:

"My brother asked me what I wanted. Is he trying to give me a reward?"

"I guess so," Takahashi Makoto nodded.

"I want too many things, it's better to save them all together."

Hanakawa Kaori's clear voice was filled with obvious joy, conjuring up a bright smile in one's mind: "Can I save this up until my birthday?"

After saying that, she quickened her pace and added rather urgently, "Brother's silence means he agrees!"

After hanging up the phone, Makoto Takahashi put down his phone, turned off the light, and went to sleep.

I was woken up by the system in the middle of the night.

A strange feeling slowly brought him back to his senses. He reached for his phone, instinctively squinting his eyes, which were not used to the bright light. It was just past midnight.

[Year-end performance review]

[Please select assessment items: physical fitness, intelligence, charisma, character, perception]

The system interface is locked, as if it cannot be used without making a selection.

After a moment's thought, Makoto Takahashi decisively chose [Charm], which currently had the highest value, as the assessment item.

[Prove your charm]

[Deadline: 1:0 on January 1st. Rewards will be distributed based on the score.]

How to prove it?

What are the evaluation criteria?

Since the system offered no explanation and there was no way to guess, Makoto Takahashi had no choice but to change all the assistance cards to those related to [Charm].

For any extra assist card slots, select the band card [NiceFold] to randomly boost their charm.

Maybe one day, Maya Uesugi won't need to spend time and energy taking care of her hair anymore?

Thinking about all sorts of random things, I closed my eyes and went back to sleep.

Thursday, August 24th.

Although it was Christmas Eve, classes were still held, and at the same time, the All-Japan Badminton Championships officially began.

Hanakawa Kaori and Nekoya Hina both took leave, while Takahashi Makoto sat alone in the 1st-C class classroom, studying and thinking about the [year-end assessment].

How can I prove my charm?

When he asked Uesugi Maya about it at breakfast, he only received a look that said "Don't mess around with other women" and a warning.

I have absolutely no idea what to do.

An annual performance review is definitely more important than a monthly one. If the rewards cannot be maximized, you will regret it until next year.

During the four classes this morning, we watched "Lamb Boiled in Goat's Milk".

During lunch break, Makoto Takahashi visited the Light Music Club office after a long absence and began selecting books from the entire wall of bookshelves.

My gaze swept over the rows of bookshelves. Judging from the names, Uesugi Maya indeed preferred European literature. Tachibana Yuki knew her far too well.

Finally, the gaze settles on "The Picture of Dorian Gray".

The title may seem a bit boring, but it's a work by Oscar Wilde, one of the most famous satirists in literary history.

Just as I was about to leave with the book, the door opened from the outside.

Makoto Takahashi looked up and saw Reiko Kashima walk in expressionlessly, carrying lunch boxes for two.

"Today's octopus sausage is purely made."

After moving to Roppongi, she started making her own lunch boxes, only having them delivered from the Tachimi family's kitchen in special circumstances.

"Why didn't you wait for me at the student council?" Takahashi Makoto pulled out a chair and sat down.

"I just happened to see you coming to the special building."

Kashima Reiko opened the bento box, pushed it in front of him, and handed him chopsticks: "Junko stayed at the apartment today to do some simple decorations. She's very proactive."

"Did you know that Hanaori looked for Sachi yesterday?"

Makoto Takahashi took the chopsticks, picked up an octopus sausage from the bento box, put it in his mouth, and asked questions as he ate.

"I heard he went to the company, but no one knows the specifics."

Kashima Reiko paused briefly, her emerald eyes looking at her with a hint of worry: "The young lady was in a good mood yesterday, but she told me she was going to teach you a lesson."

"Fine then," Makoto Takahashi sighed helplessly.

"I plan to make the fried chicken myself, as I'll be leaving school soon."

"Thank you for your hard work."

"No, lately I've been thinking that this kind of stable life is exactly what I want."

The two had barely exchanged a few words when Uesugi Maya pushed open the door and walked into the clubroom.

Seeing that the air conditioner was on and the heating was on, she closed the door behind her, took off her gloves and scarf one by one, and finally took off her coat and hung it on the back of the chair.

For Grade 1, Group A, the last period on Thursday morning is Physical Education.

Seeing that Uesugi Maya looked terribly cold, Takahashi Makoto advised, "Why don't you just take a day off? It's the last two days of the semester anyway."

"No, I've never missed a class since elementary school."

Maya Uesugi glanced at the book beside him, her brow furrowing almost imperceptibly before relaxing again. She turned to fetch a Belgian kettle to make coffee.

"I didn't go to PE class; I had other things to do."

"What?" Takahashi Makoto asked.

"You care about me a lot?" Uesugi Maya placed the Belgian pitcher on the table and looked down at him.

"curious."

"I'm not going to satisfy your curiosity."

Under Makoto Takahashi's watchful gaze, she began grinding coffee beans on her own, a defiant smile playing on her delicate face.

Amidst the dull grinding of beans, Kashima Reiko swallowed the food in her mouth and replied calmly, "Going to Roppongi to bake a cake requires a lot of things, and I don't trust Junko to prepare them."

"Tsk." Uesugi Maya's face turned cold, and she glanced at Kashima Reiko with a disappointed look.

Kashima Reiko continued eating her bento without showing any emotion, ignoring her condemnation.

The atmosphere became a little stiff. Makoto Takahashi turned his face away to look out the window. Sunlight filled the playground, and the floating clouds looked warm and soft.

Kashima Reiko is not Tachimi Yuki, and Uesugi Maya would not escalate the situation to the point of verbal sparring with her.