They all have hidden attributes!

"Lengzi will take you home. Remember to tell her the good news."

"..."

Makoto Takahashi waved to the person behind him and, following his memory of the way he came, ate chocolate as he walked through the long, winding corridor.

Upon arriving outside the old house, Kashima-senpai, who had changed into casual clothes, waited beside the black car. She wasn't dressed as a maid, but rather in ordinary blue jeans and a plain white T-shirt.

With her short, wolf-tail hair, side-swept bangs, and a slender figure without any curves, her long, straight legs exude a neutral and aloof style. The only feminine touch is her pert buttocks, accentuated by her tight jeans.

Makoto Takahashi walked over to her and said, "Kashima-senpai, Tatsumi-senpai has agreed to let you join the light music club."

Kashima Reiko, who opened the car door for him, narrowed her eyes slightly, a hint of surprise on her face.

"I was quite surprised too."

Makoto Takahashi sat in the back seat of the car and said casually, "I guess Ritsumi-senpai wanted to corrupt me with money and power or something? Anyway, she agreed."

"The beginnings in light novels always stem from some details and minor unavoidable circumstances, such as 'The Saintess of ■■■■'"

Kashima Reiko stood outside the car, holding onto the door, staring at his profile.

She appeared calm and composed, her usual stern demeanor unchanged, but the subtle undercurrent in her eyes revealed that her emotions were far from peaceful.

Makoto Takahashi casually rested his elbow on the central armrest, completely oblivious to the subtle glances exchanged.

"I'll be careful, and that's not the main point. By the way, the problem of Ritsumi-senpai releasing the arrow too quickly has been resolved."

"I understand." Kashima Reiko nodded slightly, closed the car door for him, and waved for the driver to leave.

The driver was also a woman. Takahashi Makoto couldn't strike up a conversation with a strange woman, so he simply said, "Please take me to Junkudo Bookstore in Ikebukuro," and quietly began reading "The Power of Art."

The name Impressionism originally came from Monet's "Impression, Sunrise," which critics ridiculed at the time, but later became the name of the genre.

When Makoto Takahashi saw that Van Gogh's self-portrait was a pair of boots, he suddenly realized that Maya Uesugi and Yuki Tatsumi had something in common: they both believed that they would become great artists.

That painting, "Fireworks," was already appreciated even before the paint had dried. Even if it didn't win an award at the Japanese Young Artists Group Exhibition, someone would surely be willing to spend money to buy it.

After getting off the train in Ikebukuro, Makoto Takahashi first went to McDonald's for dinner, where he wouldn't feel awkward going alone. Thinking that his new paintings might make him a lot of money, he ordered the most expensive Angus beef set meal.

While looking for Volume 1 of "After Taking the Girl I Like as My Maid" at the bookstore, I happened to see "The Girls I Had a Feeling For Back Then Are Now in My Class" and bought it in full.

Compared to hardcover books like "The Power of Art," light novels are definitely more relaxing.

On the train back to his apartment, Makoto Takahashi left all his random thoughts—archery competitions, art, bands, and [The Young Lady Wants to Fall in Love with Me]—on the tracks.

These trivial matters don't matter. All the answers will be revealed when summer vacation starts. At that time, you can just act according to your mood.

Even if things get worse, there's still a long summer ahead, so there's no need to rush to find an answer, especially since it might not even be correct.

—He was quite relaxed, but accidents always catch people off guard.

On Tuesday, July 14th, two things were closely related to Makoto Takahashi.

The first thing was the release of the results of the national mock exams.

Upon arriving at the academy in the morning, the bulletin board in the courtyard was crowded with girls concerned about their grades. As Makoto Takahashi passed by, a familiar-looking girl called out to him.

"Congratulations, Takahashi-kun."

A girl with long, slightly wavy hair ran over, swinging her arms, her tone quite urgent: "You're second in your grade and in the top 50 nationwide, that's amazing!"

"Thank you for telling me."

Makoto Takahashi smiled politely, which eased her initial nervousness and brightened her eyes.

"Is the first place winner Uesugi from Group A?"

"Uh-huh."

"I remember you're in the same class... Furuta-kun, right?"

“Ayako Furuta, that’s great! Takahashi-kun still remembers me.” Ayako Furuta’s expression immediately brightened.

"As long as you're charming enough, you'll be forgiven even if they only remember your last name," Makoto Takahashi thought to himself.

If it were an ordinary boy, he wouldn't even remember the names of his classmates, and he would definitely be scolded for being rude, and might even be isolated in the class.

Oh, it seems I've single-handedly isolated everyone except for Nekoya Hina. Oh well, it's alright now.

"I'll remember you since Hina mentioned you to me yesterday."

Makoto Takahashi said something nice to Hina Nekoya, then turned to look at the notice board and casually asked, "Have you noticed Hina's grades? She might need to retake the exam."

"Sorry, I forgot."

Ayako Furuta clasped her hands together with a "slap," turned around, and ran over again: "I'll tell Nekoya-kun, so please don't worry."

It's not that they've forgotten, but rather that they simply don't care.

As Takahashi Makoto thought to himself, he turned and walked towards the teaching building. When he arrived at the classroom of Class 1-C, he received good news from Nekoya Haruna—no retake was required.

She can only return to school tomorrow, and if she fails the exam, she will have to take a make-up exam on Friday, which is a bit too tight a schedule.

The morning's events were just a minor incident; the second matter was far more important than trivial things like exam results—tasting Hell Girl's lunchbox.

The last class in the morning was physical education. After warming up by running two laps around the track, Makoto Takahashi immediately said he felt unwell. Amid the worried looks and concerned voices of several girls, he went to the infirmary alone.

Five minutes before the end of get out of class, he left the infirmary and went straight to the Light Music Club.

When the bell rang, I arrived at the office just in time, pushed the door open—it was locked.

Makoto Takahashi waited in the corridor for a while. A few minutes later, steady footsteps came from the direction of the stairs in the corridor, coming from Maya Uesugi's black round-toed leather shoes.

She enjoys the privilege of not needing to change into indoor shoes; her light black summer stockings accentuate the elegant curves of her legs, extending all the way to her delicate ankles—a sight that never tires the eye.

When Maya Uesugi approached, Makoto Takahashi's gaze fell on the black and white insulated bag she was carrying. It looked very thick and must have a good insulation effect.

"Good afternoon," he greeted.

"That's really proactive."

Uesugi Maya said indifferently, slightly tiptoeing to reach for the key from the platform above the classroom door: "Next time, arrive early and remember to go in first and turn on the air conditioning."

"I think I'll come to the club office with you next time for PE class."

As she opened the door, Makoto Takahashi followed her into the clubroom: "I've convinced Tatsumi-senpai to agree to Kashima-senpai joining the light music club. Have you received the news?"

"How did you do that?" Uesugi Maya placed the insulated bag on the four desks that were pieced together, opened it, and took out a set of black bento boxes one by one.

Her expression was cold, suggesting she wasn't surprised; she was probably just curious.

Makoto Takahashi bent down, opened the small refrigerator in the corner, took out a can of Coke, and pulled the metal tab: "She wanted to corrupt me with money and power, and this is probably part of it."

Upon hearing this, Uesugi Maya slowly raised her face, her brows furrowed as she shot out a cold gaze.

"What kind of look is that? You seem to be under a lot of pressure."

Makoto Takahashi swallowed a mouthful of cola, still somewhat nonchalant: "A lot of pressure? Are you nervous?"

Chapter 47 The Young Lady Relentlessly Pursues Her

Maya Uesugi's reaction was completely beyond Makoto Takahashi's expectations. When she opened the bento box, her movements became visibly restless, like an old cat when a new cat comes to the house.

Makoto Takahashi pulled out a chair, sat down, took the dishes and rice packaged in several food containers, looked up into her eyes, and said:

"I thought you'd at least be a little happier if you found a reliable drummer."

"Kajima-senpai's responsible personality is indeed reliable, but I don't like her behavior of saying one thing to one person and another to another."

Maya Uesugi sat down, pressing her hands under her skirt, took a sip of the bitter coffee in her thermos, and said coldly, "Besides, it was you who insisted on having her as the drummer. I have always had reservations about whether this was the right thing to do."

"You didn't object, did you? And didn't Kashima-senpai promise you that she would at least be herself within the club?"

Makoto Takahashi used disposable chopsticks to pick up a croquette from the food container, took a bite, and carefully savored the taste.

After swallowing the food in his mouth, he gave Uesugi Maya a thumbs up and exclaimed sincerely, "Delicious!"

Although there are ready-made hot croquettes sold everywhere, Maya Uesugi makes her own, and the seasoning is absolutely amazing.

Moreover, making croquettes is far more troublesome than making omelets, making it arguably one of the most complicated home-cooked dishes.

First, mash the steamed potatoes, mix them with stir-fried beef, onions and other ingredients, season them, shape them and let them cool, then coat them with batter and deep-fry them.

"You really are a great cook."

After saying that, Makoto Takahashi reached into the food container with his chopsticks, picked up a piece of fried chicken that still looked crispy, and threw it into his mouth. It was delicious.

Because of Uesugi Maya's obsessive-compulsive disorder about cleanliness, his lunch wasn't served in a fancy bento box, but the insulated bag had thickened aluminum foil inside, so the taste wasn't too different.

Faced with Makoto Takahashi's praise, Maya Uesugi remained unmoved, her delicate face covered with a layer of frost, her tone unwavering in the slightest:

"Don't change the subject, what exactly happened?"

So he recounted the whole story of his visit to the Tachimi family last night, including his thoughts after the archery competition, which made Uesugi Maya's expression even more unpleasant.

She put down the chopsticks she had just picked up, crossed her arms, and spoke to Takahashi Makoto with a serious attitude.

"I don't recommend that you challenge your sense of morality. Almost no one can withstand the temptations of tycoons. Money, power, and beauty—countless people in history have fallen because of this."

“I thought you would be more concerned about the unfairness of the victory.” Makoto Takahashi took another bite of his croquette and looked her over with amusement.

Maya Uesugi frowned unhappily and stated without hesitation, "I only care about the result, regardless of her motives."

Simply put, all she wants is to win.

After a pause, Maya Uesugi added, "And I don't think Tatsumi would intentionally lose the match; there's nothing in this world she wouldn't want to win."

"No wonder you two are childhood sweethearts."

Makoto Takahashi swallowed the food in his mouth and smiled at her: "So, you don't believe I can stick to my beliefs?"

"I really want to believe you, but there are just too many facts that humans cannot overcome."

When she said this, Maya Uesugi's tone was tinged with a sigh, like a villain who was disappointed in humanity.

Seeing Takahashi Makoto savoring the sensation of the oil exploding in her mouth, seemingly unconcerned, she added, her fingers resting on the black bow tie at the collar of her white shirt:

"For example, because I was neglected for a long time in my childhood and my excellence was never recognized, while Li Jian was always surrounded by flowers and applause, I had to defeat her to eliminate my psychological shadow."

"To the point of being ignored and going hungry?" Takahashi asked.

"Yes."

What do you plan to do after defeating her?

"After verifying your abilities, break with the past, prove your self-worth, and find your own path."