They all have hidden attributes!

"Could you please contact me and provide me with a quiet place with a good view?"

Chapter 206 There's nothing love can't do.

dong dong——

The sudden knocking interrupted her thoughts. Uesugi Maya's hand, holding a pen, froze in mid-air. After shifting her attention from the draft paper in front of her, her gaze quietly fell on the street outside the floor-to-ceiling window.

It was probably close to 6 o'clock. The orange-red afterglow of the setting sun had disappeared, and the dim yellow light of the streetlights illuminated the pedestrians.

Even in winter, the banks of the Meguro River offer a famous sight: silly couples sitting at equal intervals.

boring.

After making this assessment in her mind, Uesugi Maya frowned at the closed door and said impatiently, "Come in."

A female employee wearing a coffee shop apron peeked her head through the crack in the door and asked timidly, "Ms. Uesugi, would you like to call the boss over?"

"Me? Why?"

"The boss sent me a message last night saying that if Ms. Jingu comes to the coffee shop, please let him know."

"Tsk."

Maya Uesugi clicked her tongue slightly, feeling that the coffee shop employees had some kind of misunderstanding about her.

So that's how it is. You've come to see yourself as Makoto Takahashi's lover.

"Just tell him, there's no need to mention that I'm here." She tidied up the manuscript she had written that day.

Only a few chapters left, but I'm still missing some ideas.

If the manuscript is submitted in February, it will be published around April. Although it can take advantage of the popularity of the literary prize, the timing is a bit awkward.

Shortly after the shop assistant left, her phone rang.

Maya Uesugi glanced at the caller ID, her icy gaze instantly melting away as she answered the phone and held it to her ear.

“Are you home? I’m on my way to the coffee shop. I’ll sit for a bit and then head to Kyoto,” Makoto Takahashi said.

Did they not intend to keep it from me, or was someone tipping me off?

A hint of doubt had just risen in Uesugi Maya's mind, but it vanished in an instant because of his next words.

"Didn't I say I'd tell you a secret a few days ago? Tonight's the perfect time."

"I happen to be here," Uesugi Maya said, her tone completely flattering.

"Ok?"

Hearing Takahashi Makoto's instinctive surprised reaction, she lied expressionlessly: "For research purposes."

"Okay, I'll be there right away, but I need to go to the rooftop to see the guests first, so that Miss Jingu doesn't find you."

"understood."

After hanging up the phone, Maya Uesugi stood up, picked up the thick coat that was placed on the chair, put it on, and carried the manuscript to the top floor.

Under the deep night sky, by the dim light of the streetlights, she saw the newly built main hall, worship hall, and water-washing station in the very center.

Perhaps to avoid attracting attention, or due to time constraints, there were no torii gates, approach paths, Kagura-den (hall of worship), guardian deities, or any of them.

What's going on?

Recalling the nights in Hokkaido, the word "chuunibyou" that had surfaced in Maya Uesugi's mind vanished instantly, replaced by a feeling of anxiety and helplessness that clung to her like a thin film under the moonlight.

Is it really so far out of reach?

Before she could think it through, heavy footsteps came from the stairs behind her. Uesugi Maya immediately hid in the shadows and watched quietly.

Jingu Mieko stepped onto the rooftop, looking dazed and disoriented, like a broken machine.

She was torn all afternoon, but finally, driven by her obsession, she came to this popular coffee shop. After telling the staff that she wanted a seat on the rooftop, she waited for a long time before being allowed to come up.

You must be joking about ghosts and spirits.

But if gods really do exist, shouldn't we give it a try?

Upon reaching the purifying station, Mieko Jingu washed her hands and rinsed her mouth according to etiquette, clapped her hands twice, and then closed her eyes in devout prayer.

A strong wind whipped up her black hair, making the cold winter night feel as warm and gentle as the spring sun.

Is this what gods are?

Mieko Jingu opened her eyes, looked up at the dark figure sitting casually in mid-air, propping its head up with one hand, and asked to confirm:

"Are you really a god?"

Is what's happening right before my eyes really not a movie or something, or am I dreaming?

Sitting in mid-air, Makoto Takahashi withdrew his gaze from Maya Uesugi, who was in the shadows, and looked down at Mieko Jingu. He casually raised his hand, and beautiful starlight drew a shogi board in the air between the two of them.

"Please go first," Takahashi Makoto said.

"2. Six steps." The infantrymen slowly advanced. Mieko Jingu covered her heart, which was pounding with tension, her eyes resolute.

Playing chess with a god is an experience not everyone can have; at the very least, you need to memorize the game records.

However, after a dozen minutes, she no longer had the energy to analyze the current situation, let alone memorize the game score, to the point that her steps became unsteady.

Having just finished a mentally exhausting match this morning, the pressure I'm facing now is unprecedented.

"How about this?" Takahashi Makoto asked listlessly.

"Wh-what—"

Jingu Mieko gasped in surprise as the situation on the chessboard suddenly changed dramatically.

After a few minutes of blank staring, she closed her eyes. The chessboard was still in front of her, and the situation that she couldn't understand before could be clearly felt.

This is talent?

The gods truly exist, and they have enhanced their own abilities.

Hope ignited in her eyes, and a smile appeared on Mieko Jingu's lips, but the next sentence plunged her into an icy abyss.

"So, what price are you willing to pay to acquire this talent?" Takahashi Makoto retrieved the three skill points he had just used from the system panel.

[Lv.1 Datafication], which I thought was a useless skill, can achieve godlike miracles when combined with [Lv.1 Bargain Trade] upgraded to [Lv.Max Free Trade].

But he wasn't a philanthropist; instead, he kept in mind Tachibana Yuki's words: what one is willing to give up is the proof of what one likes.

cost?

Sensing the loss of her talent, Mieko Jingu felt a little uneasy. Her income wasn't very high, and something as valuable as talent must be very expensive.

But, since we've finally got this opportunity, are we going to miss it?

Besides, if I can't become a professional Go player...

Thinking of this, Mieko Jingu adjusted her breathing, slowly knelt down on the concrete floor, and uttered the irreversible words:

"I cannot accept mediocre talent, so I will do anything."

"I see. Then I'll trade you my culinary skills." Makoto Takahashi's gaze fell on the other person's stats panel, where a special cooking skill of [Lv.5] was displayed.

Hearing his nonchalant tone, Mieko Jingu, her hands gripping the ground, felt her fingertips rub together and draw blood. "This..."

"How can you do this without sufficient awareness, young lady?"

"Yes, I understand."

The moment I agreed, I clearly realized that something was slipping away from me; the beautiful memories of my happy family life were gone forever.

In contrast, having gained the qualification to pursue the future, as long as one continues to hone their skills, they will surely become a professional Go player.

When Mieko Jingu raised her head again, only a deathly silence enveloped the rooftop.

Everything that had just happened seemed like an illusion. She took out her phone, opened the game record of today's defeat, and her pupils contracted slightly.

It wasn't a hopeless situation; in the end, I still had a chance to win. Moreover, my opponent's handling of the game in the middle game was clearly full of flaws.

Tears welled up in her eyes, but before she could wipe them away, Mieko Jingu turned and ran off the rooftop to find her lover and share her joy at gaining talent.

A faint sound emanated from the silent shadows.

"Get out of here, let go."

Uesugi Maya stomped hard on Takahashi Makoto's foot, who was hugging her from behind, and said through gritted teeth, "Are you out of your mind? Why are you helping her?"

In her belief in the lies, Makoto Takahashi had needlessly lost a quarter of his life.

"This is the secret I wanted to tell you; I was actually lying to you in Hokkaido."

Makoto Takahashi hugged Maya Uesugi tightly, his arms encircling her slender waist, and whispered in her ear, "This is training, training. This is my first shrine."

"Cultivation?"

"Yes, that's something we agreed to do in the future."

"Who made an appointment with you?"

Faced with Uesugi Maya's stubbornness, Takahashi Makoto skillfully recited a cat-taming spell: "This is a secret that I'm only telling you. Sachi knows nothing about it yet. How about we go downstairs for a cup of coffee and talk about it slowly?"

Upon hearing this, Uesugi Maya instantly became much more obedient.

It's always better to know the situation than to be lost and helpless alone.

"Let go! If you dare lie to me again, you're dead!"

"Actually, I didn't lie to you last time either," Takahashi Makoto immediately changed his tune.

Although lies will always be exposed eventually, their attributes are also improving day by day. Let's just make up a story for now and leave the other difficulties to our future selves to solve.

Go downstairs to the small room where Uesugi Maya was writing in the afternoon. Takahashi Makoto was drinking coffee and told her a story about [spiritual practice].

"By collecting faith, I can make up for the lost lives. This is one of my covenants with the gods."

"Which god?" Uesugi Maya looked him up and down with a suspicious gaze.

"The Great God of the Nation".

"..."

"Aya, you also think that Miss Jingu deserves help, don't you?"

Makoto Takahashi took a sip of coffee and shrugged indifferently: "The new era has its own way of finding love, and I don't think I did anything wrong."