They all have hidden attributes!

"Congratulations, I've had the gift delivered right to your door."

Makoto Takahashi glanced at the down jackets hanging on the clothes racks on the two of them, sat down next to Junka Shiraishi, and asked in a worried tone, "Is it okay to drink here?"

"Don't worry, don't worry, all the college students in the neighborhood come to this shop to drink secretly."

Nekoya Hina waved her hand dismissively, turned to ask the waitress to serve the food, and then excitedly gave a thumbs up:

"Moreover, the selection of wines here is very complete, and the food is also delicious, receiving rave reviews."

After saying that, she downed the entire glass of draft beer in one gulp, displaying a bold and unrestrained spirit of not leaving until she was drunk.

"You're quite suited to drinking from such a big glass." Takahashi Makoto picked up the draft beer in front of him and took a sip.

"Eh, really?" Nekoya Hina slammed her wine glass on the table and awkwardly scratched her head with her other hand.

“Yes, really.” Makoto Takahashi nodded in confirmation.

His glossy chestnut hair was casually tied into a ponytail, and his handsome face was adorned with a hearty smile. Coupled with the large wine glass, he exuded a wonderfully innocent and carefree feeling.

"Hehe, drinking like this is so much fun!" Nekoya Hina blushed shyly.

At this point, the waitresses began serving the dishes.

The two stopped chatting. Makoto Takahashi quietly drank his beer, waiting for the food to be served before continuing. Haruna Nekoya also looked away.

The private room suddenly fell silent, with only the sound of Hanakawa Kaori eating potato chips remaining. The previously lively atmosphere turned subtly awkward.

The main course was eggplant casserole, with large chunks of eggplant soaked in a perfectly thick sauce that looked delicious. There were also a variety of other dishes on the table.

After the waitress left and the door to the private room was closed, Shiraishi Junka spoke up for no apparent reason: "Hina, it's a bit... dangerous."

"Hmm?" Takahashi Makoto turned to look at her.

"My brother wouldn't understand the emotional distance between us."

Hanakawa Kaori put down her potato chips, picked up a Calpis, and held it above the table: "Alright, congratulations to Hina-nee on joining the youth training team, cheers everyone~"

The clinking of glasses dissipated the wonderful atmosphere, and the lively and cheerful feeling made people relax unconsciously.

"So, how did you get into the youth training group?" Takahashi Makoto asked casually, reaching for the eggplant casserole with his chopsticks.

"During the recent tournament, Mrs. Igarashi from the national team recognized my talent and called today to invite me to join them."

Hina Nekoya straightened her back triumphantly, even her eyebrows were raised with joy: "As long as I perform well in the youth training group, I can be selected for Group B."

Group A is the main team, representing the highest level of Japanese players; Group B consists of strong reserve players; and the youth training group is the potential team, focused on development, and internally divided into age groups.

"What about Hanaori?" Takahashi Makoto asked.

“They called me too, but I turned them down.”

Hanakawa Kaori, with a piece of fried chicken in her mouth, mumbled, "It was supposed to be doubles, but after I refused, Hina-nee could only play singles, and the other person said it was no problem."

"It sounds like... Hina has a bright future ahead of her."

Makoto Takahashi noticed Hanakawa Kaori's doubts and felt something was amiss, but seeing Nekoya Hina's positive attitude, he didn't want to discourage her directly.

Let's be happy for her for now.

Makoto Takahashi gave Hanakawa Kaori a look, putting his possible worries aside, and raised his glass, saying, "Good luck, Hina. This opportunity is hard-won."

"Of course! I'll work even harder after I report for duty tomorrow." Nekoya Hina clinked glasses with him again in high spirits.

"Is it okay to drink so much tonight, given that you have a report tomorrow?" Takahashi Makoto asked with a worried look.

"Don't worry, don't worry, there won't be any problems."

"There's one more thing to celebrate, brother."

Hanakawa Kaori swallowed the food in her mouth and interjected, "The band's account already has 300 million followers, and many people are urging us to release new songs every day."

"I'll resume activities once school starts; the new album is already written," Makoto Takahashi said.

"300 million! That's enough to go to the martial arts dojo!" Nekoya Hina exclaimed, her mouth agape in shock.

"The musician with the most fans right now has 7 million YouTube subscribers. We might even break 10 million!" Hanakawa Kaori proudly raised her face.

"Makoto, you're really good." Shiraishi Junko picked up a piece of beef tongue with her chopsticks and brought it to Takahashi Makoto's mouth.

"What about your studies? What are your plans?" Takahashi Makoto asked as he bit into a piece of beef tongue.

"It's alright, there are even younger players in the youth training group, but things will get busy."

Nekoya Hina swallowed the food in her mouth with beer, then picked up the shochu and poured it into a large glass with a "glug" sound: "Don't worry, Makoto, I'll be fine."

The celebration took place in a lively and cheerful atmosphere, with plenty of drinks, making it the most relaxing time to spend with close friends.

Because Nekoya Haruna is going to report to the youth training group tomorrow, the four of them disbanded early.

Despite having drunk a lot of alcohol, Nekoya Hina's head remained clear, while Shiraishi Junko, exhausted, slumped limply in Takahashi Makoto's arms, probably partly due to staying up all night.

After sending Nekoya Hina and Hanakawa Kaori home, Takahashi Makoto took Shiraishi Junka to the Tachimi main house. On the way, Shiraishi Junka fell asleep with her head on his shoulder.

Makoto Takahashi was a little worried about Haruna Nekoya, so he took the opportunity to call the person in charge of the Tachimi family sports club.

In the doubles matches of the tournament, it's obvious who the main players are.

Moreover, Nekoya Hina had never achieved any results in singles, and her sudden selection into the youth training group even made Hanakawa Kaori suspicious.

I hope I'm just overthinking it.

When the call connected, Makoto Takahashi asked directly, "I have a friend who has been selected for the national team's youth training group. The contact person's surname is Igarashi. What's his reputation like?"

"Mrs. Igarashi, she—"

"Speak your mind."

"As you know, some things may not be written down, but they are deeply ingrained, especially certain conventions that have a significant impact on an athlete's career."

The voice on the other end of the phone sounded somewhat guilty, with a trembling tone beneath its respectful demeanor.

Makoto Takahashi tapped rhythmically on the car door armrest with his fingers, his voice flat: "Unspoken rules? Tell me about them."

"Most directly, the two recommendation slots from the coaching staff are very flexible and there are no specific standards. There are also issues with the participation system. For professional athletes, international competition slots are actually a resource."

"In addition to these issues, there are problems with seniority and peer dynamics, discipline and individuality, match-fixing and corruption scandals, and Watanabe, a two-time Olympic medalist, even resigned from the national team..."

In summary, it all boils down to money.

Without sufficient financial support, even if you get into the youth training group, you won't get resources or competition slots, let alone coach recommendations.

In addition, participants not sent by the association must pay for their own participation and are subject to various restrictions on commercial sponsorship.

Haruna Nekoya's family situation is not well-off financially; they certainly cannot afford to support a professional athlete.

"You mean, this Mrs. Igarashi selects many people every year around this time to amass wealth, and hardly any of them actually stay?"

Makoto Takahashi asked directly.

"Yes, after all, there are too many young people with dreams."

After receiving an affirmative answer, he decided to lend a hand to Nekoya Hina.

Otherwise, given her personality and family situation, it would be difficult for her to focus her time and energy on training in the youth training group.

"Give the Badminton Association a heads-up, make sure my people are taken care of, and arrange the sponsorship properly."

"clear."

Upon arriving at the Tachimi family home, Makoto Takahashi carried Junka Shiraishi to Kashima Reiko's room to rest, covered her with a blanket, and then went into the young lady's bedroom.

Under the warm yellow light, Tachibana Yuki, wearing a light and airy nightgown, leaned against the headboard and sat on the clean white bed.

She held a tablet computer in her hand, her slender and long legs stretched out, dazzlingly white, making it impossible to look away.

On the third day of the new year, she has to start work. The young lady is really working hard.

Thinking about how he would treat her well tonight, Makoto Takahashi sat down on the edge of the bed and put his arm around her slender shoulder: "Was Aya more troublesome when she was little than she is now?"

"I bet Xiaoye is talking badly about me."

"It's not exactly bad, it's just that you accused her for no reason, it was the kind of targeting with clear hostility, around the time when Shizuko had just resigned."

After a moment's thought, Tachibana Yuki threw the tablet aside unhappily: "Seriously, she still remembers that kind of thing?"

Seeing her angry expression, Takahashi Makoto said with amusement:

"A-Ye is very vengeful and has a strong desire for revenge."

"It was clearly me who guided her to stay in the circle and prevent her from being ostracized."

As if offended, Tachikami Yuki showed an angry expression: "Makoto-kun, is that reasonable? As the older sister, even though Saya is not sociable, I have never changed my attitude towards her. On the contrary, I take care of her as my mother instructed."

In Tachibana Yuki’s view, it was because Uesugi Maya was ungrateful and disobedient that he had to adopt that sharp attitude.

And yet, Uesugi Maya has held a grudge ever since?

"Perhaps, Aya doesn't need this kind of 'I'm doing this for your own good' care?"

As soon as Takahashi Makoto finished speaking, Tachibana Yuki immediately reached out and pinched his ear: "Then tell me, if I weren't here, would she even know you? You're just being biased."

Moreover, Tachibana Yuki put a lot of effort into Uesugi Maya, otherwise it would have been difficult for her to grow up peacefully.

"I'll think of a way to make Aya understand your good intentions." Takahashi Makoto took the opportunity to pull her into his arms and lower his head to kiss her moist pink lips.

Tachikawa pushed his chest twice with force, offering a token resistance before her pink lips were silenced, leaving her only able to let out an angry groan.

Chapter 198 Girlfriend and Cat - Moving

On January 4, Makoto Takahashi moved to an apartment in Roppongi for temporary accommodation.

I learned piano with Junka Shiraishi in the morning and Latin dance with Maya Uesugi in the afternoon. My winter vacation was spent in leisurely time, but fortunately I successfully completed an oil painting about the sea.

After handing the oil paintings over to Reiko Kashima, I finally had a completely leisurely life.

Besides conceiving the oil painting to give to the young lady, the only thing left to care about was Nekoya Hina. Takahashi Makoto asked her twice and received satisfactory answers.

January 10th, the last day of winter vacation.

The leaden-gray clouds looked like a wet blanket covering the city; it was probably the coldest day since the beginning of winter.

Listening to the cold wind outside the window, Takahashi Makoto didn't want to get up at all. Lying on his back in the warm bed, Shiraishi Junko timidly rested her head on his left chest.

The soft blanket only covered the two people's tightly intertwined lower bodies. In the dim light of the bedside lamp, long black hair could be seen lying messily on their smooth, fair skin.

A sense of weariness permeated the air.