They all have hidden attributes!

It wasn't the kind of dress you'd find in a maid shop or adult store, but rather an elegant black long dress paired with a white head hat, apron, and white gloves.

She also wore a women's watch with an emerald green dial and a leather strap on her wrist, which made her bowing gesture appear more professional and elegant, with a meticulous beauty.

"Good afternoon, Kashima-senpai."

After greeting everyone, Makoto Takahashi shifted his gaze from Reiko Kashima to the solid wood desk in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, and asked Yukito Tachimi, who was sitting and writing, "..."

"Senior Lijian, what's wrong?"

"Makoto, we've reached an agreement, haven't we?" Tachimi Yuki said without looking up, his short golden hair gleaming in the sunlight.

"Senior Sister Xing," he immediately corrected himself.

“The driver who took you home last night told me about the light novel you bought, and I happen to have a maid outfit,” Kashima Reiko explained.

Upon hearing this, Makoto Takahashi's lips twitched slightly, and he raised his voice somewhat helplessly to express his dissatisfaction.

"Does this mean I'll have absolutely no personal privacy from now on?"

"There's nothing we can do about it; this is Tokyo, after all."

Yuki Tatsumi put down her pen, looked up at him, and said with a mischievous smile, "After you marry into the Tatsumi family, you can do whatever you want too~"

Only a fool would believe this woman's nonsense. The young lady is too controlling; she would never have the chance to act recklessly.

Judging from her words, you can tell she has ulterior motives. Yesterday it was "dating," and today it's become "marrying into her family."

At Kashima Reiko's prompting, Takahashi Makoto walked to the sofa set next to the terrace and sat down, refusing, "Forget it, this isn't free love at all, I don't like it."

“Makoto, sometimes we have to sacrifice some unimportant things in order to achieve our goals.” Tachimi Yuki got up and walked over, sitting down opposite him across the black slate coffee table.

Her beautiful legs, encased in white stockings, were crossed, creating an uneven skin tone and just the right amount of softness.

Makoto Takahashi withdrew his gaze from her beautiful legs and said seriously, "For me, free love is very meaningful."

"So, compared to free love, many things can be sacrificed, is that right?"

Li Jianxing interlaced his fingers and placed them on his waist, a sly glint in his eyes: "That's what I wanted to say, sometimes we have to make choices."

Makoto Takahashi wanted to say, "[This is sophistry]," but he realized that he was no match for Yuki Tachimi in terms of words, so he gestured for her to continue.

"For Cheng-kun, it doesn't matter which he chooses, art or a band."

As she spoke, Tachibana Yuki turned to look at Kashima Reiko, who was brewing black tea, her beautiful blue eyes brightening slightly: "Could it really be for Reiko?"

Makoto Takahashi nodded in agreement with her statement, and after a moment's thought, asked in return:

"Why is Senior Sachi so insistent on making me quit the light music club? You agreed to let Senior Kashima join, so you shouldn't care about this make-believe band."

To this day, the light music club remains a child's play; they haven't even had a single rehearsal, let alone performed.

Moreover, the name NiceFlod doesn't sound like a band; it sounds more like a card game club or a board game cafe.

"I really didn't care at first, after all, with Xiaoye's personality, how could she possibly succeed in forming a band?"

Tachibana Yuki raised her right hand to examine it, still smiling, but her sweet voice carried a hint of coldness: "But Yoru is too immature, she has to be taught a lesson, for example... stealing her companions or something."

Whether it's band rehearsals or performances, teamwork among members is crucial, and Tachibana Yuki knows all too well whether Uesugi Maya's guitar is capable of collaborating with others.

—They used to be in a band together.

However, compared to the band, Makoto Takahashi focused on the word "companion".

So, this is how Tachimi Yuki sees it?

He accepted the black tea offered by Kashima Reiko, thanked her softly, and then said to Ritsu Miyuki:

"I don't really care about the light music club or art, but because I hate my senior's style, I really want to go against her."

"If I had to choose between the two, I would choose the light music club, which is not in Yuki-senpai's best interest, and I would even work hard with Uesugi-kun to make this band a success."

If he doesn't strongly resist Tatsumi Yuki's actions that distort his will, Takahashi Makoto fears that one day he will choose NiceFold, just like Uesugi Maya.

Faced with his bluntness, Tachibana Yuki showed no anger whatsoever, and said in a sweet, coquettish tone, "Oh, I see."

The conversation abruptly ended, and just then, the sound of the wind band practicing downstairs, which had been paused for a long time, drifted in from outside the window.

Yuki Tachimi recalled her mother telling her that her current style of doing things would easily make enemies. At the time, she didn't understand why, but Makoto Takahashi's reaction provided an explanation.

Gazing at the complex man before her, Tachikami Yuki took out a piece of chocolate from under the coffee table, unwrapped it, took a bite, and used the sugar to stimulate her mind and reorganize her thoughts.

Her goal was, of course, to slowly infiltrate Makoto Takahashi's life. Since her previous methods only aroused resentment, she decided to change her approach and not rush things.

I'm not afraid of trial and error, and failure doesn't matter. As long as I keep analyzing and reviewing, I will definitely be the winner in the end.

She gave Kashima Reiko a look, then gave Takahashi Makoto a gentle smile: "Since Makoto-kun doesn't like exchanging favors, how about we cooperate?"

"cooperate?"

Seeing his furrowed brows in confusion, Li Jianxing explained, "I really like Cheng-kun's paintings and want to collect them all. Cheng-kun probably doesn't want to sell them to outsiders at a low price, right?"

"so?"

"With Reiko acting as Chengjun's agent, all paintings must be sold to the Lijian family first at the same price. The apartment will be used as a signing fee."

Compared to things like "having lunch with a rich girl," signing an artist's contract is entirely a matter of "equal cooperation."

Makoto Takahashi doesn't need to worry about how to take care of Hina Nekoya's feelings; as long as there are no traps in the agreement, it's a good thing.

He picked up his slightly cooled black tea, took a sip, and said to Li Jianxing, "You should discuss this with my current agent. I'm only in charge of the painting."

"No problem, let's go find her now."

Yuki Tatsumi smiled and nodded, then said to Reiko Kashima, who was serving her, "Reiko, change your clothes and let's go to the light music club. Remember to bring the drum set."

Kashima Reiko nodded slightly and bowed, then turned to leave, giving Takahashi Makoto a subtle look.

Makoto Takahashi was completely oblivious, leisurely savoring his black tea.

As the heavy wooden door opened and closed, only Makoto Takahashi and Yuki Tatsumi remained in the student council president's room. The cicadas that had been chirping noisily outside the window suddenly stopped, and all that could be heard was the dazzling solo sound of an unknown instrument.

At this moment, Tachikami Yuki put down her crossed legs, stood up from the sofa, walked to his side, and sat down close to him.

She suddenly and abruptly closed the distance, causing Makoto Takahashi's arm to feel a soft touch, which made his heart skip a beat.

Tachibana Yuki reached out and grabbed his tie, leaning closer in an ambiguous manner, forcing Takahashi Makoto to look him in the eye, and said with a smile:

"Chengjun, I like you even more now."

"Why?" Takahashi Makoto swallowed hard.

"If I had to give a reason, it would probably be because of [need]."

Tachibana Yukichi's pure face slowly drew closer until she could feel his breath: "I originally wanted to suppress the newspaper club and force them to serve the student council, but now I've changed my mind."

Her original style was based on exploitation, coercion, threats, and bribery, completely disregarding the feelings of others. It was for this reason that Tatsumi Kotoha believed that Tatsumi Yuki was not a qualified leader.

Through her interactions with Makoto Takahashi, Yuki Tachimi has grown considerably. She decides to adopt a different approach to incorporating the newspaper club into the student council, in order to avoid provoking their resentment and hostility.

The two locked eyes, and the atmosphere suddenly became somewhat ambiguous.

Takahashi Makoto braced himself on the sofa armrest and leaned back to move away from Tachibana Yuki, but she persisted and tried to press her body against him.

After the allure of money and power, is beauty the next temptation?

How could any normal, healthy man not be lustful? But this might just be a way for the young lady to control herself.

As he was torn between raising his hands in surrender and taking the initiative, pondering the potential consequences of either option, Tachibana Yukimi suddenly sat up straight, moved away from him, straightened her wrinkled uniform, and smiled brightly:

"I'm sorry, Makoto, although I really want to kiss you, this is something we can only do after we're dating."

"If I still have the freedom to break up after we start dating, I'll consider it then." Makoto Takahashi stood up from the sofa, feeling that his clothes were covered in her perfume.

I must be careful about the distance between myself and Tachimi Yuki when we are alone in the future. Uesugi Maya was right after all. There are too many things that humans cannot overcome, and physiological limitations are one of them.

"Of course not."

Tachikami Yuki's smile became unrestrained, and she was genuinely happy.

First, although she didn't get Makoto Takahashi to leave the light music club, she still achieved her goal: the connection between Makoto Takahashi and Maya Uesugi, which was formed through the oil painting, could be severed directly at this opportunity.

Because of Maya Uesugi's awkward personality, even if she didn't want to relinquish her authority as a [manager], she would never be able to say it out loud, just like how she would specifically call on Sunday nights.

Secondly, Tachimi Yuki successfully established a new connection with Takahashi Makoto and also exploited his weaknesses.

It turns out that in some ways, all men are the same.

Finally, she thought of something interesting.

Chapter 49 The Young Ladies' Open and Covert Struggles

Li Jianxing has a clear understanding of himself.

She knew her strengths lay in money, beauty, and power, and naturally, she also knew her weaknesses were her lack of emotional intelligence and her excessive coldness.

After his father's death, he and his mother would always argue after just a few words. He was also cold and distant towards Uesugi Maya when he was young.

This is also one of the reasons why Uesugi Maya initially wanted to defeat her through a slave game.

As for Kashima Reiko, from the very beginning, Tatsumi Yuki knew that she was the daughter of a servant and would become his servant in the future.

This way of thinking is not heartless, but rather a reflection of family education.

Therefore, Tachimi never hoped that Takahashi Makoto would fall in love with her; she was content as long as she got everything she liked and wanted.

Makoto Takahashi's view on love is very idealistic. From a psychological perspective, such people often have a high degree of mental fastidiousness and demand a very high level of loyalty from their lovers.

Yuki was confident she could do it, but that wasn't her main concern.

The key question is: if Makoto Takahashi falls in love with someone but is forced to protect that person or assume necessary responsibilities by marrying him and becoming an adopted son-in-law of the Tachimi family, how would he act?

On his way to the Light Music Club after leaving the student council office, Tachimi Yuki kept thinking about this question.

No matter who he eventually falls in love with, once he encounters an insurmountable chasm, the so-called "pure love" will naturally cease to exist. At that time, Makoto Takahashi will only be able to balance his ideals and reality on his own.

Thinking of this, Yukito Ritsuki couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth.

—By exploiting his idealism and fastidiousness, we might be able to control him.

The sun had just begun to slowly set, and the air was still very hot. Suddenly, the young lady walking beside Takahashi Seimi grinned mischievously, and a chill ran through his heart.

Is she plotting something against me? Very likely.

After becoming more vigilant, he moved a few steps away from the shadows cast by the cedar trees on the road, lest Tachimi Yuki suddenly try to stage an accident on him.

Upon entering the special building and arriving at the fifth-floor corridor, Makoto Takahashi heard a faint drumbeat, its rhythm crisp and powerful.