They all have hidden attributes!

Arriving at the abandoned hospital illuminated by blue lights, Nekoya Hina tugged at Takahashi Makoto's hand and kept backing away, clearly wanting to go home.

So it turns out they're not only bad at screaming things, but also at haunted houses?

Makoto Takahashi gripped her hand tightly and whispered, "It's alright, Hina, the tickets are free anyway."

"No, no, the ticket is too expensive."

Hina Nekoya swallowed hard, forcing herself to say, "It's just an abandoned hospital where terrible experiments were conducted, it's...it's okay."

Before we even entered the room, she was already in character, hugging me tightly.

"Let's go then, let's go see the opening movie first."

Makoto Takahashi put his arm around Haruna Nekoya's shoulder and walked into the waiting room. The haunted house was very well made, and the cold air had the feel of a real hospital.

"Acheng, you absolutely, absolutely can't let go, drag me in if you have to." Nekoya Hina bit her lip, her shoulders trembling, her ears bright red.

"Yes, yes." Makoto Takahashi smiled as he watched the short film, took the flashlight, and the journey officially began.

"...How scary."

"It's okay to hold me tight, just don't touch me randomly."

"I didn't!"

"Aren't you afraid now?"

"very scary."

For nearly an hour, Nekoya Hina clung to him the whole time. Perhaps because the two of them were so sweetly attached to each other, the vengeful spirits that appeared in the middle of the time seemed to have much gentler expressions.

Chapter 242 Birthday (Part 1)

Nekoya Hina was quite resilient; the two didn't emerge from the amusement park until dusk.

On the express train back to Tokyo, exhausted Hina Nekoya was fast asleep next to him. Makoto Takahashi bought souvenir photos from the haunted house, and as he looked through them, he held her hand tightly. After a while, he also closed his eyes.

It was raining in Tokyo when I arrived at Shinjuku Station.

As I stepped out of the station, the green light flickered in the blurry rain, and people around me hurriedly ran out, splashing through puddles.

Makoto Takahashi and Hina Nekoya stopped and waited, as if they were standing on the shore.

The green light turned red, then turned green again. After this quiet period, Nekoya Hina yawned as if she had just woken up.

"Acheng, you guys are going to Tokyo Dome tomorrow."

“Yes, the theme is Spring Night. I don’t know why, but Yoru thinks I really like spring,” Takahashi Makoto said, looking at the traffic lights.

“Tokyo Dome, a year ago I thought it was a very distant place, an unrealistic goal,” Hina Nekoya said with a touch of emotion.

She was present when the light music club was first established, and at that time, Maya Uesugi said that she would perform at Tokyo Dome within a year, but no one believed her.

"What? The national team seemed so far away to you a year ago, right?"

"Yes, to be honest, I can't recall how I felt when I lost to Hanaori at all. I just remember feeling very disappointed."

Hina Nekoya paused briefly, and the traffic light turned red again: "A-Cheng, do you like bands now?"

"Well, how should I put it? After all, a band is like multiplication, it's quite fun."

Makoto Takahashi turned to her and smiled, saying in a cheerful tone, "The members influence and resonate with each other, weaving together a unified sound, so the music they create is several times stronger than that of an individual."

"I'm just glad you're having fun. But honestly, I feel a bit excluded," said Hina Nekoya with a bitter face.

"It's hard to imagine you worrying about something like this."

In Makoto Takahashi's memory, Hina Nekoya was able to quickly build good relationships with everyone and occupy a prominent position in the group.

"I'm not saying I can't fit in, I mean, what if it's like before?"

It's understandable that Haruna Nekoya would be worried. Last year, the badminton team was always lagging behind the current version, and if she enters the national A team, the same thing could happen again.

She wasn't a fool who didn't learn from her mistakes; she had deeply absorbed the lessons of the past.

"No way?"

Makoto Takahashi's voice sounded uncertain, and Hina Nekoya's eyes widened immediately: "See, you can't even give me a definite answer. I knew I was right!"

"No, definitely not." Takahashi Makoto said with certainty.

"I've made up my mind."

"what?"

"After joining Team A, I won't participate in international competitions. Anyway, the sponsorship is from you, and the prize money isn't much. I'll only participate in the Los Angeles Olympics next year."

Nekoya Hina took a slow, deep breath, filling her lungs with moist air: "If we can win the gold medal, we can get into the university we want without taking the entrance exam. Then we can go to the University of Tokyo together."

“I’m not going to Tokyo University with Aya, I’m definitely not going to study,” Takahashi Makoto said.

"I know, what does it matter?"

Hina Nekoya was somewhat resentful, but she calmly continued, "I want to study in the Faculty of Education so I can become a physical education teacher, including a badminton coach. I'm sure there are many others like me who dream of winning the national championship."

"That sounds great."

Makoto Takahashi gazed at her profile with admiration, her chestnut-brown ponytail swaying gently in the wind: "Such a clear career plan must not have come from your own mind."

"How did you guess?" Hina Nekoya looked at him as if he were a god.

"Aya?" Takahashi Makoto asked tentatively.

"......Yes."

Hina Nekoya kicked the pillar beside her twice in a fit of despair, the sound gradually softening but remaining firm:

"I think the so-called professional badminton is too cruel. It's not as fun as when I used to play badminton. The key is that A-Cheng is also very important."

Makoto Takahashi put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his arms: "Don't worry, I will support you as always."

"It's a promise, okay?" Nekoya Hina snuggled closer, closing her eyes to feel his body temperature.

The March rain was gentle and continuous. In the damp night wind, a black sedan rolled over a puddle and slowly stopped in front of the two people.

Makoto Takahashi took the umbrella from the driver and helped Haruna Nekoya into the back seat of the car.

Arriving at his apartment in Roppongi, he took the elevator upstairs and stood in front of the top-floor apartment. Makoto Takahashi took out his key and opened the door.

As soon as the door was pushed open, a firecracker exploded with a "bang," scattering colorful ribbons everywhere.

"Happy birthday!" Hanakawa Kaori said with a mischievous grin.

Makoto Takahashi's face was covered in confetti, and the smell of gunpowder filled his nostrils.

"I really want to thank you, but my birthday is tomorrow," he said, wiping the confetti stuck to his face.

Hanakawa Kaori, who had been excited since early on, paid no attention to any of this. She took a golden paper crown from beside the entrance and stood on tiptoe to put it on Takahashi Makoto's head.

"What does it matter? It's just after midnight tonight. If you ask me, my brother's birthday should be celebrated for three days and made a public holiday."

It sounds like the work of a fanatic blindly worshipping.

Makoto Takahashi bowed his head and offered her the crown, refusing the quirky glasses decorated with candles, and stepped into the apartment.

The birthday party was held in Roppongi because the place is ridiculously big.

The living room is at least 50 square meters in size, with an entire wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, a huge and comfortable L-shaped sofa, and a glass tabletop that shines as brightly as the floor.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, the table was filled with sukiyaki, fish and chips, borscht, puff pastry soup, burritos... and even caviar. The dishes that the group had worked together to make were so plentiful that it made one wonder if they had gathered food from all over the world.

"What a feast!!!" Nekoya Hina swallowed hard.

"And this, ice-cold beer and cola." Hanakawa Kaori brought an ice bucket from the kitchen and placed it on the floor.

Makoto Takahashi took off the paper crown and placed it on Hanakawa Kaori's head: "You two play first, I'll go help in the kitchen too."

Stepping into the kitchen, Maya Uesugi, Junka Shiraishi, Reiko Kashima, and Yuki Tatsumi each had a clear division of labor, chatting and busily preparing dinner, creating an unprecedentedly harmonious scene.

"Do we need to prepare a lot more?" he asked casually.

"All that's missing are tempura, cake, and sandwiches. Get out," Uesugi Maya replied without even looking up.

"What's wrong with her? Is she in a bad mood?" Takahashi Makoto asked Tatami Yuki.

"Hmm~~~ Because Saya is sleeping in the guest room with Hanaori tonight," Tachimi Yuki said with a mysterious smile.

"Otherwise what?" Takahashi Makoto picked up a slice of strawberry, popped it into his mouth, and asked as he ate.

The apartment in Roppongi has many rooms, but it didn't originally have any guest rooms. Kashima Reiko recently prepared a few in case Hanakawa Kaori and Nekoya Hina came to eat there.

"The important thing is to be with Hanaori, okay? Makoto, please go out first. The kitchen is fine."

Yuki Tachibana subtly gave Reiko Kashima a look, and Reiko Kashima immediately put down her chopsticks, took off her disposable gloves, and pushed Makoto Takahashi out of the kitchen by pressing her hands against his chest.

"I've already written your speech for tomorrow."

"Does Aya have a problem with Hanaori?" Takahashi Makoto asked.

"No, they're so close they can sleep in the same bed."

Kashima Reiko averted her gaze, then took out her phone and abruptly changed the subject: "[NiceFold], [Youngest recipient of the National Honor Award], these kinds of terms have dominated social media searches, want to take a look?"

"You can take a look."

Takahashi Makoto was pulled to sit on the sofa by her arm. A little while later, Hanakawa Kaori ran over: "Brother, what board game do you want to play tonight?"

"The board game segment, where's Hina?" Makoto Takahashi looked up but didn't see Hina Nekoya, and asked instinctively.

"I was pulled into the kitchen by Chun Ke, and she locked me out."

Hanakawa Kaori pouted unhappily and complained, but the kitchen, now crowded with people, was probably not a good place for her.

Even Maya Uesugi probably doesn't want to stay in the kitchen right now.

How about "Plague Crisis Legacy" or "Industrial Revolution"?

Hanakawa Kaori snuggled up to him and acted coquettishly, her voice sweet and soft. Takahashi Makoto, as usual, patted her head and said, "That sounds a bit hardcore."

"Anyway, it's just to kill time, so I also brought a game console."

As night deepened, they all came out of the kitchen and had a pleasant party together. Afterwards, they played board games and video games in the living room.

The lively atmosphere chased away drowsiness, and even Nekoya Hina, who had been tormented by the amusement park all afternoon, was full of energy.

As time slowly approached midnight, Hanakawa Kaori's thoughts gradually shifted from the board game to the alarm clock ornament on the coffee table.