They all have hidden attributes!

Uesugi Maya hesitated for a moment, then nodded almost imperceptibly.

“I called her.”

Makoto Takahashi took out his phone and made a call. Hanakawa Kaori had already bought the hand glue and was at the self-service beverage station in the karaoke bar.

As soon as she hung up the phone, she pushed open the door to the private room with both hands, only peeking her head in to cautiously observe the environment inside.

"What are you looking for?" Makoto Takahashi asked, puzzled.

"That's cuter."

Hanakawa Kaori took a step sideways and walked in, handing over a crepe: "What flavor would you like, brother? We have strawberry, mango, and sea salt."

Before Makoto Takahashi could even consider it, Maya Uesugi reprimanded him sternly:

"Didn't we say you were coming over for dinner tonight? Why did you buy this kind of thing?"

"This isn't dinner, it's a snack, afternoon tea," Hanakawa Kaori argued.

Uesugi Maya stared at her with cold eyes without saying a word, while Hanakawa Kaori pouted and lowered her head: "I want to eat it."

The scene looks a bit like a TV drama, with a strict mother scolding her child for not eating snacks before dinner.

"Never mind, Yoru, what flavor do you want?" Makoto Takahashi played the role of a "doting father" perfectly.

Uesugi Maya turned to him with the look she gave him when she saw some kind of pest, telling him to shut up.

"I promise it won't affect dinner." For some reason, Hanakawa Kaori raised her hand high.

Uesugi Maya closed her eyes with a headache, her brows furrowed slightly. After a while, she said in a helpless tone mixed with a sigh, "Fine, give me sea salt."

“I was just about to say I wanted sea salt,” Makoto Takahashi said.

Hanakawa Kaori's gaze lingered between the two of them. After a moment's thought, she jogged over to Uesugi Maya and handed her the sea salt crepe.

In the end, Makoto Takahashi only got the mango crepes left by the two of them, which shows that establishing the authority of the "parent" is very important.

After finishing her crepe, Hanakawa Kaori obediently sat on the sofa, placed her hands on her knees, and waited respectfully to listen to the music.

Makoto Takahashi and Maya Uesugi exchanged a glance and simultaneously began playing the intro, as the melody flowed through the air and led to the verse.

Maya Uesugi's pink lips moved slightly, but no sound came out.

Makoto Takahashi did not stop playing. He looked up at her with a questioning gaze. Maya Uesugi opened her mouth several times as if she wanted to say something but did not make a sound.

She stopped playing the guitar first, and Takahashi Seiya protected the strings. The room fell silent, and the atmosphere slowly became still.

"Huh? If I were here, wouldn't Maya-nee be able to sing it?" Hanakawa Kaori asked, pointing to herself.

"This is none of your business; it's my problem."

Maya Uesugi handed the guitar to Kaori Hanakawa and took a deep breath to calm herself down: "Try again."

"it is good."

Makoto Takahashi and Kaori Hanakawa played a duet, and when the melody reached the verse, Maya Uesugi didn't say a word this time.

"Hanaori, that's enough."

After he called a halt, Hanakawa Kaori cast a worried look at Uesugi Maya: "Maya-nee, you don't look well."

"I have some psychological issues," Maya Uesugi answered frankly.

Hearing this, Makoto Takahashi nodded slowly and looked at her with gentle eyes, saying, "I'm relieved that you can find the problem yourself. Would you mind telling me more about it?"

Maya Uesugi's rationality is truly convenient.

In most situations, she can identify problems, propose solutions, and solve them on her own, which is why she once dared to say that she would "live without relying on anyone."

A silence fell. Maya Uesugi rested her chin on her hand, pondered for a few minutes, then raised her face and spoke clearly:

"First of all, I don't want to be judged. Singing is not like chatting; the pressure of being scrutinized can easily trigger feelings of shame."

"Is that so?" Hanakawa Kaori looked completely bewildered.

Uesugi Maya ignored her and continued, "Secondly, it might be that I have an overly strong sense of self, and singing makes me focus intensely on myself."

"In addition, in my opinion, singing is an act of projecting emotions to the outside world, which exposes a kind of inner insecurity."

Finally, I don't want to be the center of attention.

After explaining clearly, Uesugi Maya turned her attention to Hanakawa Kaori and added, "Kaori's presence definitely had an impact. I would subconsciously compare myself to her, and it would probably be the same for other singers."

The problem is quite complex, and it will likely take a considerable amount of time to overcome each of these challenges.

Makoto Takahashi took Maya Uesugi's words to heart and asked seriously, "Have you ever received any negative comments about this before?"

"No, and even if I did, I wouldn't care," Uesugi Maya replied without hesitation.

Since it's not psychological trauma, this "shame" is perfectly healthy; it's simply a manifestation of her high sensitivity and strong sense of self-esteem.

After reaching this conclusion in his mind, Makoto Takahashi put the bass into its case, saying as he tidied up:

"Then let's go home and have dinner first. Staying here won't solve anything. Or is there anything I can help you with right now?"

"I'll think about it and let you know anytime." Uesugi Maya packed up her guitar, slung her guitar case over her shoulder, and went out with him.

Hanakawa Kaori, holding her phone, skipped and hopped behind the two, the purple clown pendant temporarily hanging on her phone case swaying along with her twin ponytails.

As I stepped out of the karaoke bar, it wasn't completely dark yet.

The three of them followed the route they had taken and headed towards the intersection of the shopping street and the main road.

Upon seeing the white sedan, Maya Uesugi suddenly asked Makoto Takahashi, "Why did you give the middle finger to the audience at the music festival? I mean, don't you feel ashamed?"

Makoto Takahashi thought for a moment and answered frankly:

"I was indeed very afraid of making a fool of myself at the time, but I thought that the more I made a fool of myself, the more I would grow."

"Wow—brother is amazing!" Hanakawa Kaori clapped her hands lightly, applauding his eloquent speech.

“From this perspective, performing in public doesn’t seem so difficult.” Uesugi Maya rested her chin on her hand and nodded in approval.

Makoto Takahashi didn't know how much help his words would provide for her, or whether they would help Maya Uesugi overcome her psychological barriers.

However, his suggestions for improving interpersonal relationships had an immediate effect.

Perhaps because of her lack of family, Hanakawa Kaori doesn't dislike Uesugi Maya's strictness and lecturing at all; on the contrary, she finds a sense of security in them.

In the following days, she became increasingly fond of clinging to Uesugi Maya, though she remained wary, but only when it came to stealing time from Takahashi Makoto.

In the second week of March, as graduation approached, the atmosphere throughout the college became tense.

Since Makoto Takahashi didn't receive chocolates on Valentine's Day, the girls at Tsurumizawa naturally didn't look forward to White Day. The heavy pressure of the post-graduation exams dominated the atmosphere in the school.

Even Nekoya Hina temporarily gave up training and returned to the academy to avoid failing the promotion exam and having to repeat a grade, which would make her too ashamed to return to Hokkaido.

With the exception of the Light Music Club, besides NoName, NiceFold also began rehearsals and preparations for the performance.

Makoto Takahashi's art exhibition is well prepared. The paintings he sent to Yuki Tatsumi and Maya Uesugi have been temporarily borrowed for the exhibition, and all the invitations sent to world-class painters have received replies.

In addition, on his birthday, he will be awarded the National Honor Award in front of the whole world, and a press conference will be held at that time.

Thursday, August 11th.

A light rain began to fall in Tokyo in the morning, the sound of the dense rain permeating the air.

The last class of the morning for Group A in Year 1 is Physical Education. Today's lesson is Kendo, and the members of the Kendo Club have already started training for this year's Jade Dragon Flag.

Uesugi Maya stood at the back of the class, her gaze sweeping over her defeated opponent, unusually without revealing a contemptuous sneer.

She couldn't remember the last time she held a bamboo sword. Her most vivid memory of the kendo club was when Makoto Takahashi came to her for help in submitting an oil painting to a competition, saying he was going to jump off the Yamanote Line.

Looking back, it wasn't that he had a heavy personality; he genuinely felt that jumping wouldn't matter.

He deceived me.

Having found an excuse to skip class, Maya Uesugi immediately asked the teacher for leave, turned around and left, thinking about how to get revenge.

The kendo club is located on the first floor of the student council building. Uesugi Maya hates the feeling of getting wet, so she sends a message to Takahashi Makoto and heads towards the stairs, intending to wait in the student council president's office.

The corridor was dark and quiet on a rainy day.

Pushing open the heavy wooden door to the student council president's office, warm yellow light permeated the floor, and on the sofa on the balcony, Shiraishi Junka watched the rain alone.

Those sleepy, wine-red eyes were almost devoid of emotion, giving the impression of a doll. Her fair skin, as if she had never been exposed to sunlight since birth, further enhanced the doll-like feeling.

Uesugi Maya originally didn't intend to pay attention to her and was about to walk towards her desk when Takahashi Makoto's corresponding decision to "optimize interpersonal relationships" came to mind.

Optimizing one's relationship with Shiraishi Junka will undoubtedly help in winning over Takahashi Makoto's heart.

Driven by this thought, Maya Uesugi tried to greet Junka Shiraishi in a nonchalant tone:

"Good afternoon. Are you waiting for him to arrive?"

The sudden sound startled Shiraishi Junka; her shoulders jerked, and she turned to look at him, nodding slightly with a completely expressionless face.

"Yes, good day."

"Don't you get bored watching the rain?" Uesugi Maya walked to the tea cabinet, took out a can of coffee beans, and poured them into the hand-cranked grinder.

"No." Shiraishi Jun continued to stare at her, appearing somewhat wary because of the sudden attack she had suffered last time.

Shiraishi Jun was terrified of Uesugi Maya before, and still feels lingering fear. Except when Takahashi Makoto is around, he is reluctant to get involved with her at other times.

If it were anyone else, sensing Shiraishi Junka's distance, they might not have continued to approach her.

However, Uesugi Maya's characteristics are that she does things her own way, is unscrupulous, and pursues efficiency. Her goal is very clear, so she simply brought over a coffee pot and sat down across the coffee table opposite Shiraishi Junka.

"Would you like some coffee?" Maya Uesugi asked.

"Thank you."

"Can I ask you a question? I lack relevant experience."

I don't know if I can help you.

Shiraishi Junko was reserved but didn't refuse. Uesugi Maya, while grinding coffee beans, asked directly, "Is there any way to make him love me more?"

Shiraishi Junko ran her fingertips across her moist, soft red lips, her gaze unwavering as she stared into Uesugi Maya's eyes, uttering the answer she had been waiting for:

“Here, Makoto’s expression becomes happier, both before and after.”

The squeaking sound was so delicate that it was almost drowned out by the sound of rain, as melodious as the sound of breaking glass.

Maya Uesugi nodded slightly and continued, "Is there a more conventional way?"

"Hmm?" Shiraishi Junka made a cute nasal sound, tilting her head in confusion as she silently gazed at her.