They all have hidden attributes!

"Younger and freer."

After sending the text message, Makoto Takahashi put away his phone and looked up to see neon signs and power lines dividing the night sky into irregular small sections: "The air is much more relaxed than in places like Shinjuku or Shibuya."

The air had a complex aroma, a sweet, creamy scent of crepes, a bitter smell of coffee shops, and a hint of alcohol; the sounds were also layered, the vibrations of a tram in the distance, the muffled beats of a LiveHouse basement, and the laughter of stylishly dressed girls.

"Want some crepes?" he asked Hina Nekoya.

"There's no training today, and eating too much will make me fat."

"I'll walk you home."

"Ah, I've got it."

Hina Nekoya suddenly exclaimed and nudged him with her shoulder: "I've thought of a way to get Hanakawa to play badminton with me."

Seeing her proudly puff out her conservative and reserved chest, Takahashi Makoto asked curiously, "What method?"

"Keep pestering her to be friends with you until she agrees."

"Only an idiot would come up with this idea," Takahashi Makoto thought to himself, twitching his lips in exasperation. "It won't work, will it?"

"It's okay to give it a try," said Hina Nekoya confidently.

After dropping off Haruna Nekoya back at her rented apartment across from the Botanical Garden in Bunkyo Ward, Makoto Takahashi took the train alone back to his apartment in Toshima Ward.

Arriving at Maya Uesugi's house, I raised my hand and knocked lightly. A few minutes later, the door opened.

Wearing black loungewear, Maya Uesugi leaned against the entryway wall, her face cold, and said, "I saw it, but I don't want to reply."

She was upset because she couldn't do it herself, which had originally planned to do it herself.

"This is a gift for my neighbor. Please take good care of me." Takahashi Makoto handed over the gift box, feigning politeness.

Maya Uesugi took the gift box but didn't open it; her beautiful caramel-colored eyes suddenly turned icy.

He gave a wicked smile and continued, "If the way you take care of me is with three meals a day, that would be best. I'm easy to please."

"Tsk."

Maya Uesugi's expression softened. She opened the gift box, took out a utility knife, and examined it in front of her: "There's only dinner."

With summer vacation approaching, a perfect opportunity for him to fall in love with her, Uesugi Maya is now somewhat afraid that Takahashi Makoto will take advantage of her.

"Dinner is enough."

"If you must give me a gift next time, please consider a knife or a whetstone."

Maya Uesugi put the utility knife into the pocket of her pajamas and said in a helpless tone, "I'll accept it this time. As a return gift, I'll buy you a set of bento boxes to distribute dinners."

"it is good."

Knowing when to stop, Makoto Takahashi took out his key and unlocked his own door: "Goodnight, Maya-kun."

"nausea."

Maya Uesugi slammed the door shut with a loud bang.

July 17th, Friday, the last school day of the semester.

During the graduation ceremony in the morning, Makoto Takahashi saw Maya Uesugi in the Class 1A group and went over to her, saying, "I thought you weren't coming back to the academy today."

“From my first day of elementary school until today, I have never been late or absent.” Her calm tone revealed a sense of pride.

Is your sprain feeling better?

"I can't tell."

True to his pride, Takahashi Makoto pursed his lips, then looked down and saw that Uesugi Maya's delicate ankles did not show any obvious swelling, which put him at ease.

After the graduation ceremony, back in the classroom, Supervisor Chihaya, with her adorable chubby face, tried her best to put on a serious and earnest expression. After repeatedly emphasizing the safety issues during the summer vacation, she announced the dismissal of the class.

Hina Nekoya told Makoto Takahashi that she was going to find Hanakawa Kaori, and then dashed out of the classroom, which displeased Supervisor Chihaya.

After declining several girls' invitations to a social gathering that afternoon, Makoto Takahashi left the classroom, walked through the elevated corridor, and headed towards the Light Music Club.

There was no drum sound in the fifth-floor corridor today. He opened the door to the club office and saw two people in the "L"-shaped classroom. He asked Uesugi Maya, "Who's this?"

A black-haired beauty wearing a loose white linen shirt and white straight-leg pants sat on the side of a desk that had been pieced together. When she heard Makoto Takahashi's questioning voice, she turned her head and looked over. Her wine-red eyes had a deep and alluring charm.

"Oh."

Uesugi Maya gave a cryptic sneer and introduced, "Shiraishi Junka, the art club president, a third-year student, who wants to join the light music club."

Chapter 56 The Easily Understandable Timid Senior

As some wise people say, the princess cut is the only true test of beauty.

Makoto Takahashi may not know if the person who said that was wise, but Junko Shiraishi with her princess cut hairstyle was indeed an absolute beauty.

Under the slanting sunlight, the fair skin seemed to have a stunning, translucent quality.

She was so beautiful that it was hard to look away. She had long hair that reached her waist, clear and serene wine-red eyes, a tall figure, and an excessively full bust.

Overall, it looks flawless, but if you look closely at the details, it's even more beautiful, exuding a comfortable and gentle aura.

"Greetings." Shiraishi Junko stood up from her chair, turned to face Takahashi Makoto, and nodded slightly in greeting.

Her proportions were perfect, and she was about the same height as Maya Uesugi, but the full curves of her linen shirt were more alluring than those of Yuki Tachimi.

The alluring, mature woman's voice sounded somewhat uneasy, as if she hadn't expected anyone else to suddenly come to the clubhouse.

From her peculiar verbal tic, Makoto Takahashi knew that Junko Shiraishi was also a young lady from a wealthy family.

He picked up the bass from its stand, pulled out a chair, and sat down by the window opposite Maya Uesugi. He casually asked, "The art supply store in the shopping district, I think it's called [Shiraishi]?"

"The Shiraishi family does run some art-related businesses, but they are most famous for their outstanding artistic talent. They have been deeply involved in the cultural field, and some of the more well-known family members include actor Masao Shiraishi, wind instrument player Mako Shiraishi, and violinist Maiko Shiraishi."

Maya Uesugi patiently explained, arms crossed, a rare smile playing on her lips, as she stared into Makoto Takahashi's eyes and said, "Shiraishi-senpai originally planned to pursue a traditional artist career in oil painting immediately after graduation, but that failed."

"So you're going to switch to playing in a band?" Makoto Takahashi hadn't yet realized the seriousness of the problem.

“I’m looking for someone,” said Junka Shiraishi.

"Looking for someone?" Takahashi Makoto looked puzzled.

Besides him and Maya Uesugi, the only other members of the Light Music Club are Reiko Kashima, Yuki Tatsumi, and Hina Nekoya, who has never left the club.

In a calm and unhurried tone, Shiraishi Junko said, "I wanted to find Mr. Shinnobu, but I couldn't afford to offend the Tatsumi family. After learning that it was Uesugi-kun who initially helped Mr. Shinnobu submit his work, I came to take a look."

As soon as she finished speaking, Uesugi Maya continued:

"Senior Shiraishi showed artistic talent from a young age and was hailed as a once-in-a-century genius in the oil painting world. After seeing Teacher Shin's paintings at this Japanese Young Artists Group Exhibition, she destroyed her own entry."

She had a completely spectator-like expression.

To Uesugi Maya's surprise, Takahashi Makoto's reaction was indifferent; he showed neither joy nor arrogance, nor was he bewildered.

He asked Shiraishi Junka in a gentle tone, "So, Shiraishi-senpai, you're not planning to join the light music club, are you?"

"I want to join."

What will happen to the art department?

"I don't know, I've never thought about it."

A hint of confusion flickered in Shiraishi Junka's eyes. She gently bit the inside of her lip and said softly, "It's not important, it should be."

Despite being older than her, she is surprisingly timid.

Makoto Takahashi frowned and thought for a moment before asking Hell Girl, "Did you threaten her?"

"No," Uesugi Maya replied coldly.

Seeing the doubt and disbelief in Takahashi Makoto's eyes, she took a deep breath and her voice suddenly turned cold: "She doesn't meet my requirements at all. If you think it's okay, you can give her a try first."

"any request?"

"You haven't seen the poster?"

"I've looked at it briefly. Where does Senior Shiraishi not meet the requirements?"

Seeing this vague reaction, Uesugi Maya immediately guessed that Takahashi Makoto hadn't been paying attention at all, so she kicked him lightly under the table: "Shiraishi-senpai has only studied classical piano, she has no idea what a keyboardist is."

Makoto Takahashi turned his head to look at Junka Shiraishi and confirmed.

Her beautiful face showed no extra expression, but a hint of frustration flashed in her eyes. After hesitating for a moment as if thinking, she nodded gently and said, "Mm."

Makoto Takahashi gave him a slightly strange look, unable to figure out what was going on with this senior.

After a moment of hesitation, he asked Uesugi Maya, "Are we still doing activities at the academy during summer vacation, or are we going to Shimokitazawa or somewhere else?"

"The college is free."

"In that case, wouldn't it be better to stick with the members of the academy?"

Makoto Takahashi secretly observed the expressionless Junka Shiraishi out of the corner of his eye. Her lively, wine-red eyes seemed to speak volumes, filled with joy.

It's somewhat easy to understand.

"Senior Shiraishi, we need to discuss this. Can I give you an answer later?"

Makoto Takahashi took out his phone and exchanged contact information with Junka Shiraishi: "You can also learn about keyboardists during this time. If you have a classical piano background, it shouldn't be too difficult."

"Thank you." After exchanging contact information, she stood up, bowed to the two of them, and thanked them softly.

After Shiraishi Junka left the Light Music Club, Takahashi Makoto put down his phone, flexed his fingers, and prepared to do some basic exercises: "Do I need to hide my identity?"

He had long forgotten the contents of the agency agreement, but Maya Uesugi certainly remembered.

"No need, but didn't you say you don't like being too high-profile? So I kept it a secret for you."

Did I say that?

Makoto Takahashi recalled carefully that when he first joined the light music club, he had said something like, "I don't like to show off, being a bassist suits me well." He never expected that Maya Uesugi would remember it.

"You're actually quite cute."

He smiled at Maya Uesugi and continued, "Another reason I like bass is that even if I can't make a sound, no one will notice during a performance."

"How many more boring bass jokes do you have left?" Maya Uesugi pursed her lips speechlessly.

“We bassists have two most distinctive characteristics, one of which is that we have a bad memory.”

"..."

"Hurry up and ask," Takahashi Makoto urged.