They all have hidden attributes!

[Assistance Card: Abyss Party Invitation - Immediate Appearance]

[Constitution +5]

[Gained skill: Door-Opening Master Lv.1 - You can open a door more easily than an ordinary person]

After Tachikami Yuki left, the system panel popped up in front of Takahashi Makoto's eyes. His physique hadn't increased much, but he had gained a new skill.

It doesn't sound like a proper way to open the door, but skills, like money, are something you can do without, but you can't do without.

Only Makoto Takahashi, Maya Uesugi, and Reiko Kashima remained in front of the park.

"Shall we go to the coffee shop I mentioned now?"

Uesugi Maya, whose lips had been pressed into a "he" shape since just now, asked.

Makoto Takahashi shook his head in refusal, glancing at the vendors on both sides of the Meguro River: "It's a bit boring. I've been sitting in a family restaurant all afternoon."

"The whole afternoon?"

Maya Uesugi's eyes showed a hint of disdain as she asked in a dissatisfied tone, "Why don't you use it to practice bass?"

"We say we'll practice, but we never do. That's just how bassists are."

Upon hearing this, Uesugi Maya frowned, her eyes suddenly turning cold. There was nothing she could do about it, so she could only grit her teeth inwardly.

Makoto Takahashi took out his phone and glanced at the time. There was still a long time before the fireworks show: "Let's just wander around for a bit, I'm a little hungry."

So the three of them walked along the Meguro River, strolling and browsing the stalls, the aroma of fried chicken and yakisoba mingling and spreading everywhere.

Upon seeing the grilled squid and takoyaki, Makoto Takahashi stopped in front of the stall and asked Maya Uesugi, "Would you like some?"

"I've already had dinner."

"Didn't you have dinner, Kashima-senpai?" he asked Kashima Reiko again.

Kashima Reiko, her turquoise eyes fixed on the air, finally snapped out of her daze and turned to Takahashi Makoto with a blank expression, unsure whether she should nod in agreement, like an NPC in a game with no interaction whatsoever.

"I'll just buy a little more; I only had fries for lunch."

Makoto Takahashi walked up to the vendor and said to the owner, "I want three servings."

While waiting for the grilled squid, he chatted with Uesugi Maya: "It's one thing that you're hostile towards Tatsumi-senpai, but why do you say that Kashima-senpai is also a bad woman?"

With Kashima Reiko right beside him, this definitely doesn't count as talking badly about someone behind their back.

Do you think she's a good person?

"At least he's not a bad person."

"Oh, really?"

Uesugi Maya glanced coldly at Kashima Reiko, whose expression was calm and whose face was blank, and a mocking sneer curled at the corner of her mouth: "Kashima-senpai, you tell him yourself, are you a good person?"

"..." Kashima Reiko, who had been suddenly abandoned, remained silent.

She's actually been feeling quite lost lately.

Kashima Reiko has always been accustomed to a routine life.

In the Ritsuken family, there are rules that do not accept explanations, an orderly environment, and orders must be obeyed.

Kashima Reiko had been living a stable life centered around Tachimi Yuki, but starting last weekend, her regular routine was disrupted because of suspicion.

Before I could even adjust to a life without being trusted, just a week later, I received another vague order.

Compared to specific orders, the phrase "enjoy life" left Kashima Reiko unsure of what to do. She did envy others' varied and exciting lives, but when it came to her own, all she wanted to do was run away and return to a safer place.

Reiko Kashima is the kind of person who needs to see spoilers before watching a movie.

Seeing that she didn't know what to do, Uesugi Maya took out her flip phone from her skirt pocket and sent a text message to Tachimi Yuki.

A short while later, Kashima Reiko received a phone call, and Takahashi Makoto only heard her nod and say yes.

After hanging up the phone, Uesugi Maya immediately followed up with a cold laugh, asking Kashima Reiko, "Kashima-senpai, can you tell Takahashi-kun what your true colors are now?"

"I don't like light novels, and I don't have any otaku hobbies."

Kashima Reiko's tone was completely flat and devoid of any warmth: "I'm sending you an 18R light novel because I need to create a persona that makes it easier for me to approach you and serve the young lady."

"Then why did you recommend my sister-themed works?" Takahashi Makoto asked purely out of curiosity.

"Many positive reviews."

"Anyway, thank you for your expense."

"Reimbursement," Kashima Reiko explained briefly.

Makoto Takahashi paused for a moment, took the grilled squid from the vendor, turned and walked towards the yakisoba stall, then turned to Maya Uesugi and asked:

"So this is the hypocrisy you hate, wearing a mask? So now, Kashima-senpai, you can only tell the truth?"

“It’s about my own affairs,” Kashima Reiko replied.

"Senior, you haven't had dinner yet, have you?"

Seeing her nod, Takahashi Makoto asked the owner for two servings of fried noodles: "We'll eat together later. Anyway, Tachimi-senpai isn't here, so it doesn't matter if it's anything."

"You don't dislike her?" Uesugi Maya asked, frowning unhappily.

"It's just a way of life. Kashima-senpai must have had a tough time."

Makoto Takahashi shook his head dismissively, took out a grilled squid, and handed it to Reiko Kashima:

"Just like your calm and rational nature, I like to appear emotionally stable and polite, which is also a kind of mask. You have no empathy at all."

If the human heart is a labyrinth, Makoto Takahashi and Maya Uesugi are the type that are shrouded in mist, while Reiko Kashima shows different paths to different people, all without revealing the truth.

"Don't you think it's hypocritical?" Uesugi Maya crossed her arms, her fingertips unintentionally twirling the ends of her black hair.

"Then when you told me to fall in love with you, didn't you think you were being hypocritical?" Makoto Takahashi retorted.

He was certain that Uesugi Maya didn't like him, and making him fall in love with her was just a way to win.

Seeing Takahashi Makoto take out a skewer of grilled squid and eat it with relish, Uesugi Maya rested her chin on her hand and lowered her head in deep thought.

Only after the fried noodles were finished did she decide to reveal her true feelings:

“When I said I wanted you to fall in love with me, it wasn’t just because I wanted to win. The real reason I decided to do this seriously is that I once longed for deep and real love, just like you.”

"And now?" Takahashi Makoto ate the last bite of grilled squid with satisfaction.

"Now, I enjoy true and noble freedom—solitude."

Maya Uesugi proudly raised her neck, a calm confidence radiating from her delicate face: "If you fall in love with me, at least you won't have to worry about being deceived or hurt."

"I would never like your troublesome personality."

Makoto Takahashi swallowed the food in his mouth and said with certainty, "I will never fall in love with you."

"Your requirements are too high, too idealistic. No one but me can meet them."

As she spoke, Maya Uesugi gave her a friendly smile, but her eyes held no real mirth.

As expected, she's a cold beauty who never smiles; it's better if she doesn't smile at all. Takahashi Makoto ignored her, gave Kashima Reiko a portion of the packaged fried noodles, and went to buy a honeycomb cake.

He felt hungry because he smelled the sweet aroma of honeycomb cake as soon as he got off the bus.

After a while, Makoto Takahashi couldn't contain his curiosity and asked Maya Uesugi, "In your eyes, are there really people who aren't hypocritical?"

"As of now, no, so I won't rely on anyone, including you."

Disliking someone doesn't mean you can't get along with them or take advantage of them; in this respect, Uesugi Maya is quite genuine.

"So, as long as someone is sincere enough to you, you will no longer be alone?"

Makoto Takahashi cast an intrigued glance at her, only to see that Maya Uesugi's cold expression clearly wavered, and ripples appeared in her beautiful caramel-colored eyes.

What if the hidden attributes change? He suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

Chapter 39 Igniting the Flame

Compared to Tachimi Yuki's [M], Uesugi Maya's [Lone Ranger] seems to have more room for maneuver, and Takahashi Makoto is somewhat annoyed by her arrogance and condescension.

“I really want to unravel the labyrinth in your heart now. Just stepping into that mysterious realm would be enough sincerity for you, wouldn’t it?” Makoto Takahashi said in a voice devoid of any emotion.

Uesugi Maya stared into his indifferent eyes, and a contemptuous smile crept onto her lips as she thought of the powerful force that drew her in.

"I'd also like to know whether the part of you that you would never show to anyone is a gem to me, or a pile of junk."

The two locked eyes, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

Standing to the side, Kashima Reiko suddenly realized that the two people gave her a similar feeling.

Before she could think it through, a honeycomb cake was placed in front of her. She mechanically reached out and took it, then followed the two people to the next location.

"Kashima-senpai, was it a lie when you said you didn't like badminton last time?" Takahashi Makoto suddenly asked.

"No."

Upon hearing Kashima Reiko's answer, not only Takahashi Makoto, but also Uesugi Maya turned around to look at her in surprise.

"Why? I'm curious about the reason," Takahashi Makoto pressed.

"Playing badminton can cause injuries, bleeding, and fainting; it's very dangerous."

It's baffling that someone with such excellent athletic ability, who almost made it to the Olympics, would give up for this reason.

However, upon learning that Kashima Reiko had given up this year's national tournament and training camp because she genuinely disliked it, Takahashi Makoto felt relieved for Nekoya Hina.

"What are your hobbies, senior?" he asked curiously.

"A drum kit," Kashima Reiko replied immediately.

When Makoto Takahashi saw the pure, snow-like luster in her emerald eyes, various images of Reiko Kashima flashed through his mind.

When he said he would go with me to buy a bass in the archery club; when he told Hina Nekoya that he was envious in the gymnasium; when he said he didn't like badminton on the stairs of the school building.

"Are we missing a drummer?"

"You mean you want her to join the band?"

The two turned their heads and looked at each other at the same time, and spoke almost simultaneously.

After a moment of silence, Makoto Takahashi blinked, smiled, and asked, "How did you know what I was going to say?"

"Tsk."