They all have hidden attributes!

After grinding the coffee beans, she slowly brewed the coffee, planning to speak to Makoto Takahashi when it was just the two of them left.

The alcohol lamp burns quietly.

As the bitter aroma of coffee filled the air, Kashima Reiko packed up her and Takahashi Makoto's lunchboxes, said goodbye, and left the club office.

"Give me a cup." Makoto Takahashi opened the hardcover book and looked down at the delicate handwriting on the title page.

She took the disposable paper cup that Uesugi Maya handed her, quickly flipped through a few pages, and found many places in the book marked with her annotations, the black handwriting full of beauty.

"Aren't you going to eat lunch?" Makoto Takahashi turned back to the first page of his book.

"If I say I'm hungry, will you go to the shopping street to buy me lunch?" Uesugi Maya asked rhetorically.

"What's wrong with you today? You're talking strangely."

"On the way to Roppongi, I was thinking about the possibility of having a white Christmas."

She took a sip of her steaming coffee, her eyes reflecting the image of Makoto Takahashi reading a book, and her gaze softened slightly: "Then I remembered the movie I watched last night, the snow was beautiful."

"It rarely snows in Tokyo, right?" Makoto Takahashi said without taking the bait or even looking up.

"You probably don't have a crush on me, and I'm not as oblivious as the heroines in movies."

Maya Uesugi held her coffee in both hands, turned her face to look out the window, her gaze distant: "If you don't like me, there's no need to do so much for me, why bother?"

For example, making her friends with Nekoya Hina and agreeing to do New Year's cleaning together; there are many other examples like this.

Makoto Takahashi quietly observed Maya Uesugi. She didn't seem cold at all today; her every move exuded the unique charm of a female writer, and even her long, shiny black hair was imbued with a sensual allure.

"It's my own fault for not understanding. I only wanted to negotiate with you and make deals, thinking that this would make you fall in love with me."

"You think the Uesugi family is to blame for your misfortune again?" Takahashi Makoto suddenly chuckled.

"Yes, but it's not without its advantages."

Maya Uesugi nodded obsessively, a wicked smile curving her lips: "In this respect, I'm a lot like Shiraishi, and you have to take responsibility."

"And then?" Takahashi Makoto rubbed his temples, looking exasperated.

Although I knew the situation would eventually reverse, it came all too suddenly.

Although I know there will be a lot to do as the year draws to a close, one thing after another is really overwhelming.

Have you figured out how to convince me to help you achieve your 'ideal'?

Maya Uesugi emphasized the word "ideal" with a hint of irony.

Makoto Takahashi pretended to be calm, looking down at his book, and asked in a nonchalant tone, "Have you ever thought that I really only want to be friends with you?"

"Ha, then just consider me a woman who's deluding herself."

Maya Uesugi stared intently at him, a confident glint in her eyes: "You've been keeping quiet because you can't let go of other burdens."

"..." Takahashi Makoto was reading the book intently.

Next to Lord Henry's witty and counterintuitive remarks in the book, there are annotations written in Maya Uesugi's beautiful handwriting.

Original text: The allure of marriage lies in the fact that it forces both partners to lie to get by.

Note: Two negatives make a positive? It's just a way to escape.

"If you can't make me fall hopelessly in love with you, how will you achieve your dreams?" Uesugi Maya asked.

"What do you think?" Makoto Takahashi raised his face and met her gaze with gentle eyes.

Through their eyes, the two clearly realized that the other shared the same complex feelings.

They want to be with each other, but because of the conflicting desires they have, they cannot express their feelings and can only try to explore the rugged road ahead.

"I don't want to waste any time we spend together, no matter what."

Maya Uesugi swallowed a sip of coffee and slowly said, "I will change your mind and make you understand that I am enough for you."

"Disrespecting my wishes and only caring about satisfying yourself by forcing things?" Takahashi Makoto said in a deliberately disdainful tone.

Faced with his sarcasm, Uesugi Maya remained calm: "I am just that kind of wicked woman. Anyway, you can't get rid of any burdens, can you?"

"..." Takahashi Makoto was speechless.

"Please work even harder. As long as my eyes remain black, I will never change my mind."

She was using a proverb that means, "As long as I'm alive..."

Makoto Takahashi closed the book in his hand, stood up, and prepared to leave the club office: "Your eyes weren't originally black."

"Tsk, trash." Uesugi Maya clicked her tongue in disdain.

Takahashi Makoto ignored her and went back to the classroom to continue reading.

Chapter 167 Christmas Eve (Part 2)

Night fell silently, a cold wind swept across the bustling streets of Roppongi, and the colorful lights adorning the roadside trees lit up.

Makoto Takahashi breathed in the cold air, standing alone amidst the festive Christmas atmosphere, reading a book.

The wind is too cold; it's not suitable for the festive atmosphere.

As he pondered this, he turned a page of the book, his gaze searching for the neat, black handwriting that marked the passage. The biting wind quietly subsided.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, your delivery is here."

A motorcycle stopped in front of me, and a deliveryman wearing a blue helmet took out a pizza and a drink from his insulated box, handing them over with both hands while apologizing, "I'm so sorry to have made you come down to pick up the delivery in this weather."

"It's alright, it's a holiday after all."

Makoto Takahashi took out his wallet and generously handed over two extra 10,000 yen bills as a tip: "Merry Christmas."

Amid the deliveryman's thanks, he carried the pizza and drink, turned around, walked into the apartment, and took the elevator upstairs.

The floor numbers jumped rapidly and soon stopped at the top floor. With a crisp announcement, the elevator doors slowly opened to both sides.

The apartment building has one unit per floor, and the door is directly opposite the apartment.

Pushing open the door to the apartment, a warm atmosphere greeted him. Makoto Takahashi placed the pizza and drinks in the entryway, took off his coat and hung it up, then stepped into the living room.

In front of the floor-to-ceiling window, Shiraishi Junko lay lazily on a soft black leather sofa, her fair legs exposed to the air, and her elegant and noble long black hair covering half of her charming face.

She wore a very stretchy red and white Christmas outfit, with an off-the-shoulder, belted short skirt that accentuated her beautiful figure, making it hard to look away.

Her high, full breasts rose and fell gently with her breath, her shoulder blades and delicate collarbones cast three-dimensional shadows, and below her slender waist, the subtly long skirt made one want to peek under it.

Makoto Takahashi slowly squatted down to be at the same height as Junka Shiraishi: "The pizza has been delivered, and Reiko didn't seem to blame you."

"Hmm." Shiraishi Junka's long eyelashes trembled slightly.

Originally, there were ingredients prepared for baking pizza, but because she wanted to help, Maya Uesugi entrusted the task of baking pizza to Junka Shiraishi, but she messed up the oven's timer function.

Uesugi Maya's handmade pizza turned to charcoal, and she was unceremoniously kicked out of the kitchen with a few sarcastic remarks. That's how Shiraishi Junka ended up like this.

Her eyelashes cast shadows at the corners of her alluring eyes, making her look somewhat melancholy.

She's probably blaming herself for not doing anything right.

Makoto Takahashi reached out and pinched her cheek, pleadingly saying, "Could you please put the pizza and drinks on the table, cut some fruit, and play some Christmas music?"

Shiraishi Junka blinked as her face was pinched, then smiled happily: "Okay."

"Be careful not to cut your hand."

"Ah."

Junko Shiraishi went to the entrance to pick up the delivered pizza and drinks, while Makoto Takahashi went to the kitchen. The two figures wearing aprons were busy in the kitchen.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked the two of them.

"Do you think you can be of any help?" Uesugi Maya stopped what she was doing, raised the piping knife and looked over.

Makoto Takahashi glanced at the exquisite strawberry cake in front of her and frankly shook his head: "No."

"It would be much more comfortable for us to sit quietly in the dining room than to get in the way in the kitchen," Uesugi Maya said indifferently, continuing to work on the strawberry cake.

Kashima Reiko turned to look at the idle Takahashi Makoto, thought for a moment, and couldn't think of anything he could help with: "Please keep an eye on Junko."

"I'm quite good at this."

Hearing Takahashi Makoto say that, Uesugi Maya lowered the corners of her mouth and glared at him with a disdainful look.

As she watched him leave, Makoto Takahashi went to find Junka Shiraishi.

The spacious and luxurious restaurant was clean and tidy, with a dazzling view of Tokyo's night scene outside the window. A soft burgundy tablecloth covered the rectangular table, and "Yui" occupied the most central position.

The leaves are lush, and the hanging threads are covered with tiny white flowers. Bells and red ribbons are tied to the branches, and gift boxes tied with ribbons are piled up all around, which are the gifts that the four of them plan to exchange.

Suppressing his urge to unwrap gifts, Makoto Takahashi pulled out a chair and sat down at the dining table to read. Junko Shiraishi walked in with her tablet and sat down next to him, selecting Christmas-themed instrumental music.

After a while, Maya Uesugi came in carrying the tableware and placed it in front of Makoto Takahashi: "Go and set the table."

"Yes, sir." Takahashi Makoto got up to set the table.

It was on Tachimi Yuki's birthday that Uesugi Maya taught him how to arrange the complicated tableware, including stemmed glasses, water glasses, small plates, dinner plates, and spoons.

Just as I finished setting up a seat, the screen of my phone on the dining table lit up and started vibrating.

Maya Uesugi glanced down at the caller ID on the screen, picked up Makoto Takahashi's phone, and answered the call decisively: "It's me."

"What are you doing?" Takahashi Makoto's eyes widened, he put down his cutlery, and strode over to grab his phone.

"Ha, is there any need to explain to you?"

Maya Uesugi answered the phone with one arm crossed over her chest, stopping him with a look: "I was just about to get intimate with your boyfriend, don't call again."

From her tone of voice and cold expression, Makoto Takahashi knew that the caller was Yuki Tachimi.

He reached out and snatched the phone back, holding it to his ear: "Hello, Xing, I'm here."

"Chengjun, who was the person who answered the phone just now?"

Tachibana Yuki's sweet voice was devoid of any emotional fluctuation, yet it possessed a chilling sense of danger.

“It’s a cat.” Makoto Takahashi looked at Maya Uesugi with a helpless expression.

"Oh, it's just a cat. I thought you were going to be intimate with another woman tonight." Tachimi Yuki's smiling tone lacked any warmth.

When Uesugi Maya received a phone call from her boyfriend, Tachimi Yuki saw it as a very dangerous sign.

Even if Uesugi Maya didn't have the quirk of not answering the phone, the fact that she could answer Takahashi Makoto's calls without any hesitation shows that the two had an extremely close relationship. To put it bluntly, this was a privilege of a "wife".