They all have hidden attributes!

The karaoke bar that Uesugi Maya booked was located on a shopping pedestrian street in Shinjuku. The three of them got off at the entrance and walked around. The shop windows on both sides were decorated in a very trendy style.

Hanakawa Kaori, tugging at Takahashi Makoto's sleeve, looked around, then suddenly paused, ran to the front of a shop, and pointed to the exhibits in the window:

"Brother, I want this to hang on my schoolbag."

Makoto Takahashi looked up at the graffiti-style sign; it was a gashapon (capsule toy) shop. Getting a pendant he liked probably wouldn't be easy.

"Is there enough room to hang your backpack?"

"Then hang it on the violin case," Hanakawa Kaori insisted.

Just then, Maya Uesugi's voice drifted from behind.

"Let her play by herself, we'll go to the karaoke first."

Makoto Takahashi turned around and looked at her with a helpless expression: "Yo, please don't do this."

"Is there a problem?" Uesugi Maya's eyes were sharp, and she seemed to have no room for doubt.

"Try to improve your interpersonal relationships."

"Tsk."

An expression of annoyance appeared.

As the cat language test entered its final stage, Makoto Takahashi patiently advised, "Take this opportunity today and give it a try. If you fail, I'll compensate you."

"Alright." Uesugi Maya reluctantly agreed and stepped into the gashapon shop.

Hanakawa Kaori looked surprised.

In her opinion, Maya Uesugi should have refused without explanation, and even pulled Makoto Takahashi away, leaving her alone.

"Let's go, we'll go to karaoke later."

"coming."

Takahashi Makoto waved, and Hanakawa Kaori jogged over and walked into the gashapon shop with him.

Uesugi Maya didn't go to the gashapon machine; she was talking to the clerk at the counter. As Takahashi Makoto approached, he overheard her trying to buy the pendant directly.

"I'm sorry, sir, we can't sell specific styles, and the purple clown is a limited edition." The saleswoman smiled apologetically, looking very embarrassed.

Makoto Takahashi quickly pulled Maya Uesugi to find the corresponding gashapon machine: "You'll be labeled a [rude customer] if you do this. Yes, I know this is the fastest way."

"Exactly, exactly! The fun of gashapon machines is not knowing what the next one will be." Hanakawa Kaori nodded in agreement like a chick pecking at rice.

"It's one thing to waste money, but it's another to waste time," Uesugi Maya insisted.

The three found the gashapon machine, which was empty at the moment, and from the outside, it looked like there were still many gashapon capsules left.

The price isn't expensive, 300 yen per time.

"Let me go first!"

Hanakawa Kaori took out her coin purse from her pocket, dropped in three 100-yen coins, turned the knob, and the gashapon machine started spinning.

Under her expectant gaze, about ten seconds later, a gashapon capsule fell from the exit.

Hanakawa Kaori couldn't wait to tear open the plastic seal, forcefully prying it open to both sides. Inside was a classic red and white clown, in a gothic suspense style.

Makoto Takahashi turned his attention to the comparison chart, probably because the series leans towards a dark theme, and the classic red and white version is actually extremely rare.

“I was lucky,” he said.

"I only like purple, I don't want this, do you want it, brother?" Hanakawa Kaori asked dejectedly.

“I don’t like clowns,” Makoto Takahashi refused.

"Maya-nee's violin case doesn't have any ornaments." Hanakawa Kaori squatted down and handed it to Uesugi Maya, who was standing next to her.

Makoto Takahashi felt that she probably didn't mean any harm, after all, it was an extremely rare item.

"Do I have to collect all the gashapon capsules one by one?" Uesugi Maya accepted the clown, wanting to finish as soon as possible and then go to the karaoke.

Makoto Takahashi then realized that Japan didn't have a [clown] culture.

"No way, Maya-nee, gashapon and horse racing are the same, this way it's more fun." With that, Hanakawa Kaori inserted another coin and turned the knob.

This time it's the regular yellow clown.

She put the clown on the ground and persistently tossed in a coin for the third time, but it still wasn't the limited edition.

After repeating this several times, Hanakawa Kaori turned her coin purse over and pitifully looked up at Takahashi Makoto: "Brother, I don't have any change."

Gashapon machines don't accept banknotes, they only accept coins.

Makoto Takahashi spread his hands, indicating that he was powerless to help.

Uesugi Maya, who had been observing coldly the whole time, sighed in annoyance and took out her coin purse from her pocket: "That's enough, go get some change."

"Yes, sir." Takahashi Makoto accepted the order and left to find a clerk at the front desk to get change.

When he returned with the 1 yen coins, he saw Uesugi Maya with her hands pressing down on her skirt, squatting in front of the gashapon machine with Hanakawa Kaori, their eyes focused.

Indeed, gacha pulls are the most evil thing ever.

If someone has something they want and is willing to invest time, money, and energy in it, even someone as rational as Hagiwara can easily fall for it.

Makoto Takahashi handed the change to Maya Uesugi and stood by watching the two of them play the gashapon machine.

After a while, he realized that things were starting to go wrong.

Even though gacha games have a pity system, the gashapon machines are gradually emptying, and clowns are scattered all over the ground, but the purple clown is still nowhere to be found.

No way?

Could it have already been taken by another customer?

The thought of Hanakawa Kaori not getting the purple clown and therefore looking like she was about to cry gave Takahashi Makoto a headache.

He crouched down and whispered to Uesugi Maya, "Maya, think of something. There might not be a purple clown in the gashapon machine."

"Tsk, what a nuisance." Uesugi Maya rolled her eyes at Takahashi Makoto, then got up and left.

Realizing that there might not be a purple clown in the gashapon machine, Makoto Takahashi's heart tightened as he looked at the gashapon that Hanakawa Kaori had broken open.

Unfortunately, he guessed correctly.

The gashapon machine made a blank sound. Hanakawa Kaori looked up, then lowered her head. Her gaze swept over the clowns on the ground that seemed to be mocking her, and tears quickly filled her eyes.

Before she could even cry, Uesugi Maya's cold voice rang out.

"What a waste of your time, here you go."

"Huh?" Hanakawa Kaori turned her head and saw a purple pendant being tossed over. She instinctively reached out and caught it.

After seeing the purple clown in her hand, Hanakawa Kaori asked in surprise, "Are there any other gashapon machines? I thought I had to go to another chain store to find them."

She actually planned to go to another store, and Takahashi Makoto's lips twitched slightly.

"Because there were no other gashapon machines of the same model, the staff were willing to sell me the exhibits after the machines were cleared out, provided that I bought the whole set."

Maya Uesugi handed the other clowns to Makoto Takahashi, adopting a lecturing attitude:

"Next time, I'll be smarter and just buy the styles I like online. They might be a bit more expensive, but at least it won't be a waste of time..."

"Ugh, Maya-nee~ I was already in despair."

Hanakawa Kaori didn't listen at all and rushed over to hug her. Uesugi Maya pushed Hanakawa Kaori's head away in disgust and glared fiercely at Takahashi Makoto.

[If the reward for improving your interpersonal relationships is getting your clothes dirty from crying, you're doomed.]

Makoto Takahashi read this meaning in Maya Uesugi's eyes, silently looked away, and picked up the dolls on the ground.

"What should we do with these?" he asked curiously.

"I'll save them to give to my new classmates when school starts; I still have plenty at home."

Hanakawa Kaori is far more mature than Uesugi Maya in terms of interpersonal relationships.

After Hanakawa Kaori composed herself, Takahashi Makoto used a paper bag he got from the shop assistant to pack the other clowns, and the three of them left the gashapon shop and went to a karaoke bar.

Guided by the shop assistant, they entered a private room. Hanakawa Kaori made room for the two of them, saying, "I want to buy a crepe for dinner first, and also buy the hand glue that Haruna-nee wanted."

"Crepes? Can that be eaten for dinner?"

Thinking about the time wasted earlier, Uesugi Maya frowned and said, "Come over for dinner tonight."

"Eh? Maya-nee..." Hanakawa Kaori's face was full of emotion.

Takahashi Seiya glanced at Uesugi Maya with considerable surprise, but she returned his gaze with indifference:

"Tsk, don't look at me like that. In any case, I also bear responsibility for what happened to Hanaori back then. Besides, I'm the one who started the band, so it's only natural for me to take care of her."

Makoto Takahashi tried to translate this into cat language: Even if we can't improve our interpersonal relationships, we can't ignore Hanakawa Kaori.

“Yoshi was too busy a while ago,” he said to Hanakawa Kaori, looking down at her.

Chapter 230 Haki Night's Independent Learning

"Darling, I want to look you in the eye."

"I want to travel the world with you, just the two of us?"

"Baby~ I want to be as infatuated as a child?"

In the karaoke room, the dim lighting illuminated the blue-green checkered leather sofa, and soft, melodious singing accompanied by the duet of guitar and bass.

On a high stool lay Takahashi Makoto's uniform jacket, and Uesugi Maya sat on it, head bowed, strumming her guitar and singing, her long, black hair obscuring her delicate face in shadow.

Listening to her melodious voice, as clear as a stream, Makoto Takahashi was unconsciously immersed in it.

After singing the last line, Maya Uesugi put down her guitar, brushed her hair aside, and looked up at him with a tense expression: "How was it?"

"I can tell you're nervous, but it's already very beautiful."

Makoto Takahashi met her gaze with genuine eyes, offering simple encouragement without uttering any obscure terms like "technique" or "breath control."

"That's probably why this type of song suits you so well; the feeling of being slightly in love is wonderful."

Because of Yuki Tatsumi, the band NoName was destined never to hold a formal live performance, so there was no need to hold Maya Uesugi to professional standards.

Hearing Takahashi Makoto say that, Uesugi Maya secretly breathed a sigh of relief, picked up the mineral water bottle on the table, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip.

"Should we call Hanaori over and try again?" Takahashi Makoto asked expectantly.