They all have hidden attributes!

The progress is frustratingly slow.

Most importantly, Tachimi Yuki suddenly began to keep a close watch on Uesugi Maya, and Takahashi Makoto couldn't find any opportunity to be alone with her.

Perhaps it's because Tachibana Yuki wants to solidify her position as the "older sister."

After getting dressed, Takahashi Makoto went to the bathroom to wash up first, since it was a rotating breakfast-making process. Just as he squeezed out the toothpaste, his cell phone rang in his pocket.

When the call connected, Hanakawa Kaori's energetic voice came through the phone.

"Brother, something terrible has happened!"

"When I woke up this morning, Haruna-nee had already left!"

"And she was acting strange last night. She ate very little for dinner, didn't talk much, and seemed very listless."

Judging from how much meat a cat eats is generally a reliable way to gauge its mood and mental state.

After a moment's thought, Takahashi Makoto made the arrangements methodically:

"Don't worry, I'll send a car to pick you up. Come to my house for breakfast, and then we'll go to the gym together. Please help me and Supervisor Chihaya ask for leave."

"Understood," Hanakawa Kaori readily agreed.

After hanging up the phone, Makoto Takahashi quickly finished washing up, went back to his bedroom, told Yuki Tachimi that he wasn't going to the academy today, and hurriedly went down the stairs.

Stepping into the kitchen, Uesugi Maya was brewing coffee in a Belgian kettle, the bitter aroma of roasted coffee filling the air. Beside her, various ingredients were neatly categorized.

Seeing Takahashi Makoto's worried expression, Uesugi Maya brought him an apron and helped him tie it, then frowned and asked, "What happened?"

"It's nothing. Haruna's selection process might not be going too smoothly. I'd better go with her today."

Makoto Takahashi shook his head slightly and skillfully picked up an egg and cracked it open: "Hanaori is coming for breakfast today."

"I understand." Uesugi Maya crossed her arms, a hint of helplessness appearing on her delicate face.

After staring at Makoto Takahashi for a while, she suddenly said, "It seems like there's some misunderstanding among the coffee shop staff. The manager messaged me saying that someone asked about the rooftop's opening hours."

"I don't have time, I trust you," Takahashi Makoto said without looking up, appearing ready to slack off.

"Tsk." Uesugi Maya clicked her tongue lightly, her beautiful caramel-colored eyes reflecting a wonderful color.

Chapter 211 Sister and Little Devil

Wow~ What a feast!

Hanakawa Kaori, holding a knife and fork, sat in a chair, stretched out her legs under the table, and swayed them from side to side.

Her crystal-clear purple eyes stared at the sumptuous breakfast, reflecting her dilemma of not knowing where to start.

"If you like, I'll bring you a bento box too."

Makoto Takahashi patted her head, and Hanakawa Kaori immediately squinted her eyes comfortably: "Two portions! I'll keep one for dinner."

"Alright then." Takahashi Makoto agreed with a hint of helplessness, went back to the kitchen, and packed the remaining breakfast into a food storage container to make a bento box.

After he left, Hanakawa Kaori took a big bite and ate the whole piece of fried bacon, enjoying it immensely.

Yuki Tachimi and Maya Uesugi sat opposite and to her respectively, eating breakfast quietly and elegantly, the scene as harmonious as a family portrait.

By the time Makoto Takahashi returned, Hanakawa Kaori had almost finished eating.

Because he was worried about Nekoya Hina, he only ate a couple of bites before preparing to go out with Hanakawa Kaori.

"I'm going out." Makoto Takahashi stepped towards the entrance.

"Be careful on the road." Tachimi Yuki smiled naturally.

Maya Uesugi looked up and nodded, indicating that she had heard him.

Hanakawa Kaori waved to the two of them and skipped after Takahashi Makoto as they ran towards the entrance.

"It feels so homey! My brother is amazing," she whispered.

"It's only been a few days since the ceasefire, and neither Aya nor Sachi is willing to concede to the other."

Makoto Takahashi shrugged and put on the shoes placed in the entryway: "It's precisely at times like these that we can't let our guard down."

"Don't worry, brother, I'll let you know as soon as anything happens."

Hanakawa Kaori put on her light purple down jacket, patted her chest confidently, and said with a "thump-thump" sound: "I recently heard that there's a new urban legend circulating in the academy, at the Meguro River café."

"I already know that."

"And another thing, because of the new regulations from the administration office, all the kitchen knives in the home economics classroom have been locked in the cabinet."

"The student council is responsible for carrying out the work."

"The art club has disbanded, my brother definitely doesn't know!"

"When did this happen?" Takahashi Makoto asked in surprise.

"Yesterday, Sister Chunke submitted her resignation procedures."

Hanakawa Kaori smiled smugly as she went out with him: "Junka-nee said that we should have left the club when we entered the third year, but no one has been able to take over as club president, and there still isn't one."

"I see." Makoto Takahashi knew very little about the art club.

Stepping out of the courtyard gate, Hanakawa Kaori ran ahead of him, opened the car door first, and pouted, saying:

"And here's another big piece of news: although we'll be starting mixed-gender schools next year, because of my brother's popularity, there are so many outstanding girls applying, so..."

She drew out her words mysteriously, and Makoto Takahashi got into the back seat of the car and patted the seat next to him:

"Don't worry, I'm content with just having you as my sister."

"Hehe." Hanakawa Kaori squeezed next to him, closed the car door, and leaned her head in a good mood.

While the two were heading to the badminton team's youth training group, the two who stayed at home were leisurely eating breakfast.

Uesugi Maya swallowed the food in her mouth, wiped her mouth with a napkin, picked up her coffee, and glanced at Tachibana Yuki with a discerning eye:

"Help me investigate someone."

It wasn't a request, but it wasn't a command either.

For [Hell Girl], this consultative attitude is rare enough, and it wouldn't be wrong to call it "gentle".

"No, Xiaoye."

Li Jianyu calmly folded the fried bacon into three layers with his fork, a sly glint in his azure eyes: "You understand, right? This is an invasion of privacy."

“…” Uesugi Maya slowly ground her teeth.

Before formally getting to know Takahashi Makoto, Tachimi Yuki spent a lot of time and manpower conducting investigations. Now, using the excuse of "personal privacy" to refuse is not convincing at all.

Stay calm, this is a trap.

Uesugi Maya took a sip of warm, bitter coffee and spoke clearly, "This is something he asked me to do."

"Then you mustn't let Chengjun down." Tachimi Yuki raised her innocent face and put pressure on her with a sweet smile.

"..." Uesugi Maya stared at her coldly without saying a word.

"To live without depending on anyone?"

"..."

"Speaking of which, Xiaoye has actually made quite a few friends. How about asking them for help? Nekoya, Junko, and Ryoko~"

As Tatsumi Yuki ate the bacon and chewed slowly, Uesugi Maya frowned and fell into deep thought.

Should I tell her about Makoto Takahashi's secret?

His older sister, Makoto Takahashi's lover, his responsibilities and feelings... Considering all these factors, it's better to reveal a little bit of information indirectly, no matter how you look at it.

In case Takahashi Makoto confesses one day and Tachibana Yuki is caught completely off guard.

"I can exchange information with you."

After a long period of deep thought, Uesugi Maya broke the silence with her clear and pleasant voice: "Regarding his secret, although I haven't figured it out yet."

"I know."

Tachibana Yuki looked directly into her eyes with a beaming smile, her expression one of great satisfaction with her well-behaved and sensible younger sister.

“Makoto never intended to hide anything from me, whether it was from the branch family, in Hokkaido, or at the shrine in the coffee shop. I just didn’t want to get involved.”

Uesugi Maya, at a loss for what to do, remained calm: "Just say it, what do you want?"

"You're being too formal. I don't want to refuse you, though."

Tachikami affectionately toyed with the ends of her loose golden hair, her helpless tone sounding as if she were complaining that her hair was growing too slowly. The ring on her hand sparkled in the sunlight as she played with it.

This composed demeanor struck a chord deep within Uesugi Maya.

Uesugi Maya's eyes suddenly sharpened. Not wanting to betray Takahashi Makoto's trust, she could only grit her teeth and whisper, "Sister...sister..."

The faint sound was unusually clear in the quiet restaurant.

Tachibana Yuki was very satisfied, even her sweet voice was filled with laughter: "Alright, tell me, who do you want to investigate?"

"Hitomi Ikeda, nicknamed [Oni no Ryou], is a triple crown winner in women's football."

"Okay~ Go tell Lengzi, I've given my permission."

"Tch." Uesugi Maya held a deep grudge.

While Tatsumi was educating her younger sister, Takahashi Seiya learned about Nekoya Hina's situation from Mrs. Igarashi.

Yesterday, they suffered two defeats.

Despite having defeated an opponent once, they have lost two consecutive matches, bringing their total losses in the round-robin to three.

Based on the remaining matches, if Nekoya Hina loses just one more match, she will lose her chance to advance on her own and can only hope that her opponents lose even more matches.

Today she will face her opponent from the first match she lost to, Mizuno, who is currently undefeated.

The price of defeat is heavy.

After hanging up the phone, Makoto Takahashi couldn't help but worry about whether Haruna Nekoya could withstand such pressure.

Upon arriving at the familiar stadium, Mrs. Igarashi was already waiting by the roadside. Under her guidance, Makoto Takahashi and Kaori Hanakawa arrived at the athletes' preparation area.

"Won't this cause trouble? I mean, it seems like everyone here is a girl," Hanakawa Kaori asked cautiously.

“Each person has their own preparation room. Sometimes the individual qualities and abilities of the athletes do not match. We have learned this lesson before.”