They all have hidden attributes!

An incurable silence enveloped the classroom, and Uesugi Maya opened "Crime and Punishment" as usual.

Before long, she gradually felt uneasy, unable to calm down, and even began to feel some pressure.

A few minutes later, Maya Uesugi looked up at Makoto Takahashi sitting opposite her, her feelings complicated.

In her opinion, Makoto Takahashi was a serious guy, because their few conversations were filled with heavy words like "life," "a lifetime," and "anything is possible."

And just before I came in, he kept looking out the window. Could he be so lonely that he wanted to jump?

Being in the same room with this guy, who didn't say a word, made her feel uneasy, especially since he was an important member she had recruited.

"Say something."

Maya Uesugi let out a sigh of relief, putting down "Crime and Punishment" and taking out her notebook and "Building a Band from Scratch" from her desk drawer.

"You said you'd give me an answer later at noon," Takahashi Makoto said without looking up.

"I thought about this matter carefully this afternoon."

Maya Uesugi pushed the club activity funds into his hand, her calm tone devoid of any emotion: "Take this money and go find a PR person. Learn how they trick women into spending money on you."

"what?"

Makoto Takahashi looked up, pointed at himself, and asked incredulously, "Me? Go to a PR person? And a guy? Are you serious?"

"This is the simplest way to prove that she did not take advantage of unspoken rules."

Where is the logic?

"There is no doubt that this is the result of my rational thinking."

Maya Uesugi habitually toyed with her long black hair that fell over her shoulders, and patiently explained, "You should understand that in this academy, there are no shallow people who fall in love with someone just because of their appearance."

After all, it was formerly a prestigious girls' school, so Makoto Takahashi will tentatively agree with her statement.

"Therefore, if you want to become a popular character, certain interpersonal skills are indispensable. As long as you are popular enough and receive love letters, you can prove me wrong."

If Hina Nekoya intentionally exploited unspoken rules, it would be almost impossible for a girl to risk being ostracized from her group and confess her feelings to Makoto Takahashi. Conversely, if it were not, it would indicate that Hina Nekoya was innocent.

"If I have to go to that kind of place for further studies, why not just go and get a job?" Takahashi asked.

“If you go to work, you will be expelled from school, or even face a bigger crisis. I don’t want to lose my only member.”

"Where's Yangcai?"

“I haven’t accepted her yet,” Maya Uesugi said matter-of-factly.

Although he really wanted the 20 yen budget, Makoto Takahashi had no intention of hiring male escorts and decisively pushed the money back in front of her: "Isn't there any other way?"

Uesugi Maya rested her chin on her hand, pondered for a moment, and looked up at him: "You can also learn by watching TV dramas. I will help you. This is also what I promised yesterday."

"I choose this one."

"I'll bring my laptop tomorrow."

The brief conversation ended there, and Makoto Takahashi continued practicing his problems, hoping to trigger the Friendship Training.

Sensing that the atmosphere had eased, Maya Uesugi breathed a slight sigh of relief and began to work out the band's development plan in her notebook.

As the club activity was nearing its end, the system panel finally popped up in front of Makoto Takahashi.

[Friendship Training Triggered]

[Assistance Card: The Cold Beauty Who Never Smiles - Uesugi Maya]

[Intelligence +4]

[Constitution +4]

He used his mind to shut down the system, put away the problem set, and prepared to say goodbye to Uesugi Maya before heading to the archery club to wait for Nekoya Hina.

Looking up, he saw her notebook filled with neat handwriting and asked curiously, "What is this?"

"My band development plan is to perform at the Tokyo Dome within a year."

Hearing this, he couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

"what?"

"Is there a problem?" Uesugi Maya raised her face, her caramel-colored eyes revealing seriousness.

Tokyo Dome, a top-tier entertainment venue, can accommodate approximately 55000 people and is considered a symbol of an artist's status and influence.

Michael Jackson, Madonna, Taylor Swift, and many others have performed here.

Even though Makoto Takahashi had never known anything about the band, he knew it was an incredibly faraway place.

"Does our band have a name?" he asked curiously.

"Not at the moment."

"Where are the members?"

"A drummer, bassist, and guitarist—the simplest three-person setup is enough to form a band."

Maya Uesugi opened the book "Building a Band from Scratch," pointed to the page with the band lineup, and said, "I'll be the guitarist and vocalist, you go learn bass."

"Hiss—" Takahashi Makoto gasped, momentarily unsure whether she was joking.

If performing at the Tokyo Dome were so easy, so many people wouldn't consider the Budokan as their ultimate goal.

"Why do you want to play in a band?" he suddenly asked.

"It's none of your business."

Why are you looking for me?

"It's none of your business."

"I wanted to say this yesterday, I'm the person involved."

"So what?" Uesugi Maya asked indifferently.

Seeing that she didn't think there was anything wrong with what she was doing, Takahashi Seiichi regretted accepting the friend's fee. The cold beauty's personality was more troublesome than he had imagined.

Is it too late to get a refund now?

Just as he was about to say something, Maya Uesugi handed him 20 yen in club activity funds, saying casually, "Take this and buy a bass. Start learning as soon as possible."

Makoto Takahashi thought for a moment, then put the envelope in his pocket: "Actually, I think we can discuss this, after all, we are friends."

"Is it necessary?" Uesugi Maya frowned unhappily, her eyes slightly cold.

Makoto Takahashi gazed at her beautiful face, and the semi-transparent system panel popped up before his eyes again.

You realize that she lacks empathy and teamwork skills.

[Reward: Lv.2 Painting]

[Lone Wolf: When triggering Friendship Training that does not provide benefits, gain a Charisma boost]

Makoto Takahashi mentally shut down the control panel, looked directly into Maya Uesugi's caramel-colored eyes, and, considering that the other woman respected his dreams, kindly offered his advice:

"If the band wants to reach the point of performing at the Tokyo Dome, at the very least, the members need to understand each other."

“I said that yesterday.”

Seeing her nod in almost imperceptible approval, Makoto Takahashi continued, "Therefore, matters such as the band's development plan and club affairs need to be discussed and decided together by the members."

"There's no need for that. Discussion will only waste time. You just need to practice your bass, and I'll take care of everything else."

His tone was resolute and left no room for argument.

Makoto Takahashi felt a headache coming on, and a sense of helplessness, since the other party had always been this kind of person, as verified by the system.

Forget it, it's just a make-believe band at best.

He put the workbook into the desk drawer, stood up and said goodbye to Uesugi Maya: "I have to go to the archery club, so I'll take my leave now."

"Don't forget to buy a bass."

"Yes, yes," Takahashi Makoto replied perfunctorily, and quietly closed the door after leaving the light music club.

Chapter 7 The Allure of Hidden Attributes

In Uesugi Maya's eyes, she was probably an essential tool, or a necessary piece of the puzzle to achieve her goal.

Although I don't know why she thinks that way, that's the truth.

Forget it, Uesugi Maya comes from a prestigious family, is beautiful, generous, and can trigger friendship training. It doesn't matter if she has a strong purpose.

Although he has a troublesome personality, at least his attitude is friendly.

Come to think of it, she's always alone. Doesn't she ever feel lonely or isolated?

Maya Uesugi herself has said that she has no interest in socializing, and that she probably only has one friend whom she made by paying money.

As Makoto Takahashi pondered, he climbed the steps to the first floor of the special building. The wooden door to the archery club was open, and warm yellow light streamed into the corridor.

Stepping inside, I saw Nekoya Hina sitting on the wooden floor of the shooting range, watching the rain with a bored expression.

Beside her, a paper cup of coffee steamed with white vapor, giving a warm feeling.

"Have you been waiting long?"

Makoto Takahashi walked to the wall, picked up the bow he usually used for practice, and put the arrows he used yesterday back into the quiver.

"Where did A-Cheng go just now?" Nekoya Hina turned her head and asked unhappily.

"Light Music Club".

"Is Hell Girl harder for you to deal with than a corpse?"

Faced with her questioning, Makoto Takahashi nodded, picked up the arrows and bow, and stood in front of the shooting range: "That's right, but she paid for it."

Upon hearing that she had been given money, Nekoya Hina's expression darkened further: "How much money did she give you this time?"

"20 yen, let me buy a bass."

"Treat me to a meal!"

"No problem, it's club activity funds anyway, I'll buy you a drum set while I'm at it."

Seeing that Makoto Takahashi readily agreed, she didn't feel happy at all. She picked up her coffee and held it in her hands, her tone slightly dejected: "I feel so bored after I stopped going to the badminton club."

"Didn't I join the band?" Makoto Takahashi breathed slowly. With the system's skills, chatting didn't affect his ability to concentrate.