They all have hidden attributes!

As the end of the month approaches, pay more attention to news about various competitions, even club-organized archery competitions are somewhat acceptable.

Thinking about becoming the strongest on Earth, Makoto Takahashi finished washing up, put on Tsurumi Sawa's Western-style uniform, took his schoolbag and the umbrella he borrowed yesterday from the entrance, and went downstairs to the convenience store to buy breakfast.

Stepping out of the apartment building, the dampness of the rainy season hit me, and amidst the pleasant sound of rain, I heard a cold, indifferent voice that made me feel terrible.

"Good morning."

"Good morning." Makoto Takahashi stopped and looked in the direction of the voice, meeting the gaze of beautiful caramel-colored eyes.

Chapter 4 Friend Fee

The sky was covered with dark gray clouds, and the surrounding scenery was gloomy. A tall and slender figure held a black umbrella and stood face to face with Takahashi Makoto.

The clean white shirt was without a single wrinkle, and the black pleated skirt accentuated her slender waist. Below the skirt, her long, slender legs were encased in black over-the-knee stockings.

A breeze carrying the scent of damp rain swept by, lifting her long, flowing black hair. Her slightly upturned face was expressionless, her beautiful eyes staring straight at her.

After a brief morning greeting, Maya Uesugi said in a calm voice, "I reflected on myself last night. How about we talk some more?"

This person actually reflected on himself, Takahashi Makoto felt a strange sense of emotion.

Although the idea of ​​a beautiful girl waiting for him downstairs at his apartment to go to school together seems like something out of a romantic comedy, he felt no joy whatsoever, since she was a troublesome person.

"At least, let's see my sincerity first." Uesugi Maya stepped aside to give way to the view, her calm tone no longer revealing the unyielding force of yesterday.

Behind her, in the blurry rain, a black sedan was parked on the side of the road, its two bright white headlights illuminating the falling raindrops.

“Just hitchhiking isn’t enough to sway me,” Makoto Takahashi said.

"Let's chat on the way; it won't waste your time."

After all, taking a private car is more comfortable than taking a tram, and walking to the tram stop takes time. In this terrible weather, there was really no reason to refuse her.

Besides, even if she refused, Uesugi Maya would still pester her at the train station.

Makoto Takahashi had a deep understanding of her persistence, so he walked to the black sedan and sat in the passenger seat.

The driver was an elderly gentleman with gray hair and a ruddy complexion. After Takahashi Makoto greeted him politely, Uesugi Maya, who was sitting in the back seat, extended her fair hand and handed him an envelope.

“I’ve done my research. Your monthly income from your part-time job is 12 yen. If you join my band, I’ll give you 15 yen a month.”

Makoto Takahashi took the envelope, opened it, and counted the 10,000 yen notes; there were a full 30 bills.

As expected of a young lady from a wealthy family, she showed great sincerity.

Even if you have no interest in the band, you should still give money the respect it deserves.

He put away the envelope, turned around and looked at Uesugi Maya, asking with slight surprise, "Are you serious?"

"Of course, apart from that, the promise I made to you yesterday still stands."

With her hands folded on her knees and sitting upright, Uesugi Maya said in a calm tone, "To prevent you from feeling too burdened, I'm willing to become your friend and help you build normal interpersonal relationships."

“I was just joking yesterday,” Makoto Takahashi explained.

"In my opinion, even jokes have a serious element to them; you need ordinary friends."

"..."

"From today onwards, we are friends."

Maya Uesugi solemnly confirmed the information, then took out a pre-prepared card from the pocket of her pleated skirt: "This is my phone number and email address."

"Generally speaking, we would add each other as Line friends."

"I don't have that kind of thing. Also, please don't call, I won't answer."

"I understand." Makoto Takahashi stuffed the card and envelope into his bag.

The young lady is indeed troublesome: she's a germaphobe, doesn't answer the phone, and is a riddle-maker... but she's beautiful and pays a friend's fee every month.

If all I have to do is play house with her, there's no problem at all, after all, 15 yen is not a small amount.

Makoto Takahashi's perception of Maya Uesugi has improved considerably, since she is not at all the aloof and unreasonable person he had expected, and she simply and decisively solves the problem by spending money.

If we have the opportunity to study together, Uesugi Maya's rating could be raised by another level.

With that in mind, he summoned the system, loaded all three assistance cards, and then reconfirmed the attributes of Uesugi Maya's assistance card.

The two, who had just become friends, still had some distance between them; at least they weren't in a relationship where they could immediately chat about all sorts of trivial topics.

The atmosphere was tense and silent the whole way. After more than ten minutes, the vehicle drove directly into the gate of the private Tsurumizawa Academy and slowly stopped in front of the teaching building.

After politely thanking the driver, Makoto Takahashi opened the car door, held up his umbrella, and walked towards the school building with Maya Uesugi.

It was my first time going to school with a beautiful girl, but the gazes from the girls around me were a bit strange, making me feel slightly uncomfortable.

To ease the awkward atmosphere, Makoto Takahashi took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Maya Uesugi, saying, "Uesugi-kun, you know I've never learned a musical instrument before, right?"

"It's okay. All great bands started as beginners. For example, the Beatles didn't even have a drum kit when they were first formed."

She looked up at the steps ahead, her calm tone leaving no room for doubt: "The club office is on the 5th floor of the special building, the door number is Light Music Club. Come at noon to fill out the club application form."

"Do I have to participate in club activities every day? I also have the archery club."

"You must come to the community office immediately after school; you can arrange the rest of the time yourself."

Uesugi Maya's attitude hardened again, but her tone softened slightly when he nodded in agreement: "If you think my request exceeds 15 yen, you can negotiate with me for more money."

"I understand." Takahashi Makoto didn't dislike her attitude.

The two walked into the teaching building together. Takahashi Makoto returned the borrowed umbrella to the public umbrella lending area, and then went to the shoe locker to change into indoor shoes.

Throughout the entire process, Maya Uesugi stood quietly to the side, waiting for him to go upstairs together.

"Aren't you going to change into indoor shoes?" Takahashi Makoto looked down at the curves of her calves, which were firm, smooth, and without excess fat.

“No change,” Maya Uesugi said matter-of-factly.

Thinking back to when they first met in the classroom yesterday, she wasn't wearing indoor shoes. Takahashi Makoto thought that this must be a privilege of the young lady, so he took out the returned exit survey guide from his bag and handed it to her.

"Could you please give this to Supervisor Chihaya for me?"

Maya Uesugi took the folded A4 paper, unfolded it, glanced at the contents, nodded expressionlessly, and offered no comment.

"Thank you, you've been a great help." Takahashi Makoto didn't think his dream needed any changes.

"I'm not trying to help you, but I believe everyone's dreams deserve respect."

She turned and walked towards the stairs, her leather shoes clicking crisply on the steps: "Go to your class first, I left my book at your seat last night."

"it is good."

"Being friends with the young lady will definitely be very convenient," Takahashi Makoto thought to himself as he went upstairs with Uesugi Maya and arrived at the classroom door of Class 1-C.

The gloomy weather of the rainy season did not affect the noisy atmosphere in the morning. Under the light of the incandescent bulbs, the classroom was noisy and filled with the laughter and conversation of the girls' group.

Makoto Takahashi pushed open the classroom door and walked in. Hina Nekoya, who was chatting with several girls, noticed him immediately and waved to him with a smile.

Good morning, Acheng.

"morning."

He walked straight to his desk, hung his schoolbag on a hook on the side of the desk, picked up the book "Crime and Punishment" that was lying on the desk, and turned to leave.

The others then noticed Uesugi Maya waiting at the classroom door. The air inside the classroom suddenly fell silent until she left and Takahashi Makoto returned to his seat, at which point the girls began to whisper among themselves.

"Acheng, do you know Uesugi-kun?"

Hina Nekoya immediately broke away from her small group of chatter and walked over confidently, her hips, encased in both her school uniform jacket and pleated skirt, resting against the edge of the desk: "She was following you yesterday, wasn't she?"

"Let's consider each other friends for now." Makoto Takahashi didn't mince words, taking out a card from his bag and writing down Maya Uesugi's phone number and email address in his contacts.

Hearing this, Nekoya Hina glanced around at the people looking at her and said with some concern:

"Although Acheng may hate this kind of talk, appearing with that person might lower your social value."

"How much am I worth now?" Makoto Takahashi asked jokingly.

The social value can be converted into a monthly friend fee of 15 yen, which seems like a good deal no matter how you look at it.

As the only boy in Group C of Year 1, he didn't care about things like air or cliques; compared to cash, they were completely meaningless.

"Well, since A-Cheng doesn't care, then it's fine."

As she spoke, Hina Nekoya breathed a sigh of relief and changed her expression. With her left hand, which was wearing a wristband, she grabbed the collar of her shirt and fanned herself inside: "I didn't expect the rainy season in Tokyo to be so hot and humid from the morning onwards. Ah—I'm going to die."

This unintentional action is quite irresistible; even if she's a male friend, you can still feel her feminine charm.

"We could switch to a bow tie; it doesn't feel as restrictive as a necktie," Makoto Takahashi said, somewhat troubled.

Unlike the other girls, Nekoya Hina didn't wear a black bow tie; instead, she wore the same black tie as him, probably as proof of their friendship.

"But I'm not suited to bow ties. In this weather, it's a good thing I quit the club, otherwise I'd still have to train."

"Speaking of clubs, I promised Uesugi-san that I would join the light music club and play in a band with her."

"what?"

Hina Nekoya looked shocked. After a moment of silence, she leaned forward dramatically and approached him: "Shinichi, do you want me to come with you? Are you okay on your own?"

Her tone sounded worried, and Makoto Takahashi looked up in surprise, seeing the concern written in Hina Nekoya's brown eyes.

Is he genuinely worried about himself?

What image do I have in her heart?

"What are you talking about?" Makoto Takahashi asked.

"Hell Girl is prone to conflicts with others. A-Cheng is not good at dealing with strange women, nor is he good at handling conflicts, and he is also very troubled by interpersonal relationships."

Hina Nekoya's face was full of sincerity, and there was not a trace of pretense in her eyes.

He did say things like interpersonal relationships are harder to handle than corpses. So it turns out that not only Uesugi Maya, but also Nekoya Hina felt the same way?

Makoto Takahashi immediately began to seriously reflect on himself, wondering if he had gone too far with some of his jokes.

Seeing that he remained silent, Nekoya Hina straightened up, raised her hand to scratch the back of her head, and added with a cheerful laugh, "Don't worry about owing me a favor. I also want to find some new things to do. Playing in a band with A-Cheng should be a lot of fun."

"I forgive you for running away yesterday." Takahashi Makoto nodded seriously.

Hearing this, Nekoya Hina's smile froze on her face. After a moment of silence, she slammed her hands on his table: "You're still holding a grudge?!"

"It's hard not to hold a grudge, isn't it?" Takahashi Makoto guiltily looked away, turning his head to look at the blurry scenery outside the window.

During lunch break, Makoto Takahashi and Hina Nekoya walked through the elevated corridor to the 5th floor of the special building, where the Light Music Club was located in a corner at the end of the corridor.