They all have hidden attributes!

"Cheng-kun is getting more and more skilled lately, I like it."

Yuki Tachibana picked up the black tea and held it to her nose to savor its elegant aroma: "And it really understands my preferences; the water temperature and steeping time are both perfect."

"After all, we've been dating for six months."

After moving his chess piece, Makoto Takahashi picked up a chocolate with a liqueur filling, popped it into his mouth, and casually remarked, "Besides, black tea is so high-class, I don't want to waste it."

"How should I put it? No one who isn't serious could ever do something like this."

Why date if you're not serious?

"There are people like that, Cheng-kun is great."

Tachibana Yuki would always sincerely praise him to his face, making Takahashi Makoto always feel somewhat insecure.

For example, right now, even though she knows that bringing up the idea of ​​spending the night at Uesugi's house tomorrow night will ruin the atmosphere, she still has to say it, so she can only let it slide without leaving a trace.

After a hard-fought loss, Makoto Takahashi casually placed the Go stones and said, "Wouldn't it be better if I skipped my afternoon Latin dance class to spend time with you?"

"Just do what you promised." Tachikami Yuki's calm voice carried a hint of jealousy.

Makoto Takahashi looked up and, as expected, met a reproachful gaze.

"If you were unhappy, why did you agree in the first place?" he asked casually.

"Because I promised you that I am an angel most of the time."

Makoto Takahashi was touched by his girlfriend's tolerance, but these were just words. Just as the real reason why Yuki Tatsumi accepted Junka Shiraishi and Reiko Kashima was not because of their good personalities.

The young lady is not the kind of soft and submissive girlfriend who always gives in.

“You care about Yoru more than I thought,” Makoto Takahashi said.

"Second only to you, Mother, and Reiko."

"It seems like Lengzi's ranking has gone up?"

"Yes." Tachimi Yuki swallowed a sip of black tea in a good mood.

As the warm, fireplace-like atmosphere spread, Takahashi Makoto stroked her calf, his fingers sliding upwards along her delicate skin:

"Actually, I also promised Aya one thing."

"I don't really want to hear things that need to be told to me."

"Let's shower and spend the night together tomorrow night—ouch...it hurts."

As if in a fit of pique, Tachibana Yuki pinched Takahashi Makoto's side with his fingers, exaggerating the pain and contorting his expression.

"Cheng-kun, that's really going too far."

Tachikami released his grip, glaring at him with an angry expression: "I'm not talking about what's going on between you and Saya, I just wanted to tell you this specifically."

"I think it would be better to say hello to you."

"If that's the case, does that mean you'll refuse if I disagree?"

“Of course,” Takahashi Makoto replied without hesitation.

Although he's recently been immersed in an ambiguous relationship with Maya Uesugi, he'll immediately back off if Yuki Tachimi or anyone else suffers because of it.

Currently, Hina Nekoya has decided that she is a jerk, and the relationship between the two has not changed at all.

Hanakawa Kaori has many hidden thoughts; there's no need to pay attention to them.

Although Shiraishi Junka and Kashima Reiko were hostile towards Uesugi Maya, they never explicitly expressed their resistance, nor did they ever subtly whisper in her ear.

Only Rimi Yuki's opinion is the most important, and it must be listened to.

A silent visit ensued, and an incurable stillness enveloped the living room.

In the warm air, Tachibana Yuki crossed his arms, rested his cheek on one hand, and looked at Takahashi Makoto with a helpless yet slightly reproachful gaze.

Unable to detect any falsehood in his eyes or expression, Tachibana Yuki once again revealed her gentle smile:

"I trust you. No matter what, you're mine."

"I promise I won't do anything out of line," Makoto Takahashi said, raising his hand to swear.

"That's not important, Makoto. As for Sayo's personality... um~"

Tachibana Yuki lifted her bangs, sighed in resignation, and suppressed a look of slight headache as she suppressed the corners of her mouth.

“I’m not afraid of her taking you away; I’m afraid that if she loses, she’ll choose to give up, and you’ll suffer because of that.”

Even now, she is still considering Takahashi Makoto's feelings.

“This has nothing to do with whether it’s out of line or not. It’s actually a bit too late to say these things now.” Takahashi Makoto’s eyes were clear.

As the bonds deepen, even close friends can get hurt, and neither he nor Uesugi Maya have a choice now.

"Saya is a very heartless person; she doesn't even care about her family," Tachimi Yuki advised, sounding somewhat resentful.

"The Uesugi family?"

"It's me. I give her a birthday present every year, but she doesn't care about me at all."

Speaking of birthday gifts, Makoto Takahashi recalled his first meeting with Yuki Tachimi and asked curiously, "What gift did you give Yoru for her birthday this year?"

"My pet, she looks so lonely all by herself."

What kind of pet?

"Reptiles?"

Tachikami Yuki grinned mischievously, while Takahashi Makoto rubbed his temples, his head aching, and continued playing chess with her: "If you're not happy, I'll just refuse."

"If you insist on my stance, then let's put it this way."

Tachibana Yuki picked up a chocolate with a liqueur filling, popped it into his mouth, and stared straight at him with her deep blue eyes, her mischievous smile widening:

"If it's Xiaoye, I really want to bully her, so I don't need any qualifications."

"I feel a little jealous." Makoto Takahashi bit into the chocolate, the rich, sticky taste of alcohol spreading on his tongue, it was too sweet.

"Who told me I didn't want to be a bad guy?" Tachimi Yuki dragged out the last syllable meaningfully, secretly planning to let Uesugi Maya discipline him while he disciplined Uesugi Maya.

In Makoto Takahashi's view, no matter what bad intentions Tatsumi Yuki might have had, she was excessively lenient towards Uesugi Maya.

Perhaps they also have thoughts like, "I don't need her"?

He wondered to himself, while secretly letting out a sigh of relief, and looked at Tachibana Yuki with bright eyes: "I often think, are you spoiling me too much?"

"Hmm~ I don't want to argue with you about this kind of thing, the so-called ideal marital relationship."

For some reason, Tachibana Yuki's smile was dazzling.

"After all, we've been dating for six months, so I can barely understand your thoughts."

Lingering in the warmth of the angel, Takahashi Makoto finally left the Tachimi family home in the afternoon to attend his Latin dance class.

During her break, she couldn't help but ask Uesugi Maya about their past.

"I heard that Xing gives you a birthday present every year?"

"I've said it many times, I never celebrate my birthday and I don't need gifts."

Upon hearing the name Tachimi Yuki, Uesugi Maya's expression instantly turned ugly, and her tone became cold and harsh.

Judging from her cold attitude, Uesugi Maya seems to have some aversion to gifts themselves, and she never used to celebrate Christmas or other gift-related holidays.

"Don't you like the octopus I gave you?" Makoto Takahashi stood by the window, gazing at the white expanse of Tokyo, his attitude casual.

Upon hearing him mention the octopus doll, the negative emotions surging in Uesugi Maya's eyes disappeared.

That was the first time she had received a gift for no reason, and it was a doll that her delicate girlish heart needed.

Receiving no answer, Makoto Takahashi turned around and saw that the shadows on Maya Uesugi's delicate face had faded, and her caramel-colored eyes were shining with a soft light.

"What gifts has Xing given you before?" he asked curiously.

"Ugh, that awful guy, he's terrible."

Maya Uesugi crossed her arms and mentally opened her grudge book: "Because no one has ever celebrated my birthday, I've always felt there's nothing worth celebrating, so I've never told anyone."

"Fortunately, it's an exception." Takahashi Makoto said with certainty.

"I only mentioned it to her."

"and then?"

"She asked me what gifts I received and how I celebrated."

Maya Uesugi took a deep breath and said through gritted teeth, "Later, on my birthday, she gave me an envelope with ten 10,000 yen bills inside. I would have preferred to receive just a pretty envelope."

The young lady is not only uncompassionate, but also pragmatic.

Makoto Takahashi could hardly imagine how desperate Maya Uesugi must have felt at that time, her only hope collapsing.

“From then on, I didn’t need any gifts.”

Uesugi Maya coldly tossed her long black hair, turned her face away to look at the snow scene outside the window, trying to hide her feelings.

"[Until I met you]," she silently added the second half of the sentence in her heart.

“Didn’t we exchange gifts this Christmas? Let’s celebrate our birthdays together next year,” Makoto Takahashi suggested.

"I only need you to celebrate my birthday."

Uesugi Maya adopted a dismissive attitude, her cold yet pleasant voice revealing an unyielding firmness: "Anyway, we can't go back now."

With the same awareness, the two welcomed the last day of the year.

December 31st is the day of great darkness.

[Nekoya-Nekoya: Acheng, look!]

[Nekoya-Nekoya: (Photo)]

[Nekoya-Nekoya: Next year, I will definitely, definitely, definitely not be confused anymore!]

The photo shows a wooden pillar with a three-stroke character [正] carved below it, along with the name of Nekoya Hina. After those three strokes, Takahashi Makoto left Yamanashi Prefecture.

Although the specific meaning of her engraving her name is unknown, the fact that Nekoya Hina was not crushed by failure allows Takahashi Makoto to welcome the New Year with a relaxed attitude.

When he received the message from Nekoya Hina, he had just said goodbye to Kashima Reiko and Kashima Maki, and had just bought desserts at a dessert shop in Jiyugaoka. Then Uesugi Maya sent him another text message.

[Going home, buying lunch on the way]