They all have hidden attributes!

"Yes, it's convenient to shower outside. I originally wanted to shower at the gym today, but the water heater broke down."

Hina Nekoya removed the wristband from her left wrist, picked up the toiletries, and asked him, "Where's the bathroom?"

"Turn left."

Makoto Takahashi pointed to the corridor, and after she went into the bathroom and locked the door, he went to the dining room and simply tidied up a place big enough for the two of them to eat—he just wiped the table and chairs clean.

After ordering hot pot delivery, he went back to his bedroom to get a light novel and read it while waiting.

The rain was pattering outside the window, and I couldn't hear anything from the bathroom. Even if I could, it wouldn't matter. My buddy taking a shower is nowhere near as interesting as watching Hell Girl.

—That was what Makoto Takahashi initially thought, but he soon realized he was wrong.

A short while later, Nekoya Haruna walked into the restaurant.

"Hey, Cheng, aren't you turning on the air conditioning? It's so hot."

Hearing her complaints, Makoto Takahashi looked up in the direction the sound came from. Nekoya Hina was standing against the door frame, wearing only shorts and a low-cut sleeveless vest.

Her chestnut-brown hair, usually tied up, cascaded over her shoulders. The slightly immature curves were particularly attractive under the tight vest. Her fair and beautiful legs, after a shower, had a lewd feel to them, full of elasticity.

Compared to his usual good buddies, the woman's allure was so overwhelming that it almost blew away Takahashi Makoto's rare rationality, leaving him somewhat dazzled.

"The restaurant has no air conditioning."

"Isn't there a standing air conditioner in the living room? Can't we use it?" Haruna Nekoya asked.

"Too lazy to clean up."

"I'll clean up for you before I leave, and take the trash with me."

Since she had said that, Makoto Takahashi couldn't refuse, so he got up and went to the living room.

"Are you planning to wear this home later?" he asked curiously.

“How could that be? Of course I have to wear sportswear.” Nekoya Hina rolled her eyes at him and said matter-of-factly.

"Then why aren't you wearing it now?" Takahashi Makoto asked.

"It's so hot, Tokyo summers are so hot."

It sounds like what she's trying to say is that there's no need to hide their relationship.

Upon entering the living room and turning on the standing air conditioner, Makoto Takahashi sat down on the sofa. Haruna Nekoya then placed her backpack on the floor and, at a perfect angle so that her underwear was not visible, smashed it onto the sofa opposite him.

Then, as if to cool down her soft thighs, she casually picked up the light novel that was tossed on the sofa and began to fan her shorts.

The air conditioner blew in from the corner, seemingly mixed with the scent of Nekoya Hina's shampoo. Apart from her somewhat dashing and beautiful face, her flushed neck and delicate collarbone after showering were also very charming.

For a moment, Takahashi Seiichi didn't know where to look, and blurted out his inner thoughts: "Goodbye, rainy season, hello, man's beastly nature."

—Adapted from the light novel he's been reading recently, "Playful Relationships"

Upon hearing this, Nekoya Hina suddenly perked up.

"Huh? Ah Cheng."

She gave a mischievous smile and asked in a teasing tone, "Now, in your eyes, am I finally not some kind of hamster or other small animal?"

“You can eat way more than a hamster.” Makoto Takahashi looked away.

As if she had discovered the truth, Nekoya Hina pouted unhappily and said, "So, Makoto has never really seen me as a girl, has he? That's why he's feeling guilty."

"I ordered hot pot delivery, and there was a lot of beef in it."

"Hot pot can be ordered for delivery?" Nekoya Haruna asked in surprise.

After successfully diverting her attention, Makoto Takahashi immediately delved into the topic, making Hina Nekoya completely forget her guilty behavior from earlier:

"Sure, speaking of which, Haruna, you really like beef."

"We've waited so long, of course we have to eat to our hearts' content!"

Hearing this, Makoto Takahashi paused for a few seconds, looking at her with some confusion: "What are you talking about? I don't think I quite understand."

“Isn’t that how it is in Tokyo? You can’t eat beef before going to university. That’s how it is in my family,” said Haruna Nekoya.

Beef is very expensive in Japan, and it is generally only affordable for families with sufficient income. Obviously, the Nekoya family's economic situation is relatively ordinary, which is why this statement exists.

"I think my parents mentioned it when they were alive, but that rule didn't exist after I went to Yamanashi Prefecture." Takahashi Makoto vaguely brushed off the topic and started talking to her about the academy.

As we chatted and sipped our drinks, the air in the living room gradually cooled down. Suddenly, the doorbell rang; the hot pot delivery had arrived.

Chapter 31 Handsome men are the most ambiguous concept in the world

The leaden-gray clouds hung low, and the low air pressure made the air so stuffy that it was hard to breathe.

The living room, separated by a window, was brightly lit. The cool air from the air conditioner carried the aroma of meat, and the hot pot was bubbling away, steaming with various ingredients such as fatty beef, radish, green onions, and fish balls.

Makoto Takahashi and Haruna Nekoya sat facing each other on either side of the coffee table, neither of them speaking, their chopsticks moving up and down as they devoured the food.

The meal cost nearly 3 yen. The beef was of high quality, and the restaurant even gave us a lot of beer as a gift.

It's quite normal for university students in Japan to secretly drink alcohol, since the age limit is 20, which is higher than 18. Many of them specifically go to pachinko parlors to buy it.

—If you exchange your money for small steel balls first, and instead of putting them into the machine, you choose to exchange them directly, you can buy a lot of strange things.

Neither Makoto Takahashi nor Haruna Nekoya were outstanding students in the traditional sense, but they enjoyed their hot pot meal immensely.

After a hearty meal, Nekoya Hina downed the last beer in one gulp, put down the can, and leaned back on the sofa.

"I'm so full. Eating meat after exercising is definitely the best."

Her handsome face flushed a lovely red, and her tipsy tone sounded like she was being coquettish, creating a subtle contrast.

Makoto Takahashi smiled and continued to scoop the remaining food from the pot with his chopsticks. He said gently, "Thanks to joining the light music club, I feel like I won't have to worry about money before graduation."

If Tatsumi Yuki truly falls hopelessly in love with herself, she probably won't have to worry about money for the rest of her life.

"Speaking of the Light Music Club, has anything interesting happened lately? I'm a member too."

Nekoya Hina did not leave the club, and the current light music club has four members.

"Senior Lijian has joined."

Takahashi Makoto scooped all the ingredients out of the hot pot and put the last few pieces of raw beef into the pot: "Uesugi-kun wants to play a slave game with her and insists on dragging me along."

"Huh? A slave?"

Hina Nekoya, who was staring at the ceiling, suddenly sat up straight and looked at him with concern and care: "Makoto, you weren't bullied by them, were you?"

"I haven't decided to join yet, we'll see." Makoto Takahashi shrugged indifferently, picked up a can of beer, and took a sip.

It's not as good as Coke. If I had known a drink would be given away for free, I would have mentioned it beforehand.

"Does A-Cheng like playing with them?" Nekoya Hina relaxed again, this time lying on her side on the sofa, completely unguarded.

"I'd be happier with you, these two always give me a headache."

At this point, Makoto Takahashi suddenly remembered that the band didn't have a name yet. He took out his phone and sent a text message to Maya Uesugi: "I've got it, the band name."

"what?"

"Let's just call it Migraine. No matter who the drummer is, I feel that Uesugi-kun is a real headache."

He received a reply immediately. Maya Uesugi respected his suggestion and explained that the name wasn't rock-and-roll enough, and that he would make changes based on it.

"Doesn't A-Cheng have any other feelings for them? Like caring, liking, or having a crush on them?" Nekoya Hina tilted her head and looked over, her arm hanging lazily at her sides.

"I don't feel anything. If we consider worldly matters and interests, in many people's eyes they might be good potential partners."

Makoto Takahashi paused for a moment, and after thinking it over with his slightly drunken mind, he gave the most essential answer: "I believe that love is something that should be predestined, and has nothing to do with status, wealth or wealth."

"Although Uesugi gave me relationship advice and spoke very eloquently, to me it was really just a feeling, like the sense of destiny that comes with falling in love at first sight."

Unconsciously, Hina Nekoya's smile turned somewhat dejected: "I see."

Sensing the slight bitterness in her tone, Makoto Takahashi paused briefly, then, after confirming that it wasn't his imagination, gave her a strange look.

Bro, you're not lusting after me, are you?

Before he could even confirm, Nekoya Hina quickly composed herself, the helplessness in her smile vanishing in an instant, replaced by her usual cheerful demeanor.

"But most people don't do that. People are attracted by certain qualities, get closer to each other to see if they are compatible, and then consider dating."

Upon hearing this, Makoto Takahashi recalled his conversation with Yuki Tachimi at the art museum, and she was also subtly reminding herself to be more realistic.

It seems that only Uesugi Maya understands her and believes that she should adhere to an idealistic view of love.

He swallowed a mouthful of beer, scooped the last piece of beef out of the hot pot, dipped it in chili oil, and ate it: "Let's start packing up. I'll take a taxi to take you home later."

"Ah, I'm so full I don't want to move at all."

"I won't let you come to my house next time."

"I'll get ready right away." Nekoya Hina jumped up from the sofa, ran into the bathroom, and came out in less than two minutes dressed in a full tracksuit.

As she tidied up neatly, she asked Takahashi Makoto, "Makoto, if you fall in love, will you still support me like you do now?"

"of course."

Faced with his offhand answer, Nekoya Hina became even more uneasy: "But, Makoto, if we do something like asking Kashima-senpai for help again, won't your girlfriend be unhappy?"

"Anyone who doesn't understand me doesn't deserve to be my girlfriend." Makoto Takahashi helped put all the beer cans into a trash bag.

"To be frank, Acheng, I don't have much of my own opinion. Sometimes I have to think for a long time about what to eat for lunch, especially when it comes to important matters. I just go with the flow."

Nekoya Hina was wiping the coffee table with a tissue, her expression obscured: "I still really need a close friend. Makoto said he's happy to hang out with me, right?"

"Am I really that important to you?"

Takahashi Makoto's tone revealed a playful smile, which made Nekoya Hina look up at him unhappily. After a while, she also smiled with relief.

"We're best friends."

"Just friends? If you have other feelings for me, it's better to say so directly. I will still consider your feelings."

His blunt remarks only earned him a glare from Hina Nekoya.

"It's just Ah Cheng, who's been staring at me the whole time, hasn't he? If you beg me, I might let you touch him."

"Yin Cai, this roundabout way of speaking is not like you."

"None of your business."

The two tidied up the living room amidst their bickering. Makoto Takahashi then went downstairs with her to throw out the trash and flagged down a taxi to take Haruna Nekoya home.