They all have hidden attributes!

It felt like being called by my online name in person, it was so weird. I'll try calling Uesugi Maya that way next time, let her experience it.

Wait, Maya and Maya are pronounced exactly the same, so it's okay.

"Actually, I also think that Uesugi-kun doesn't need to hide it from you, since many people already know."

Before Makoto Takahashi could finish speaking, Junko Shiraishi's soft, voluptuous body suddenly threw herself into his arms.

A breeze blew in, gently lifting the curtains, the lush green leaves swaying, and the soft rustling of leaves enveloped the two of them.

The sweet scent of roses permeated the white linen fabric, swirling around her. Shiraishi Junka was already unrealistically beautiful, and the sweet and elegant fragrance emanating from her long black hair stripped away Takahashi Makoto's sense of reality.

"Wait, Shiraishi-senpai, what's going on?" He looked incredulous.

"do not know."

Shiraishi Junka covered her chest with both hands, desperately suppressing her unspeakable emotions. If it weren't for her alluring face, Takahashi Makoto would have thought she had a sudden heart attack.

It was an expression of happiness; in his wine-red eyes, there was nothing but joy.

He spoke as gently as if handling a fragile object: "Anyway, how about you let me go first, senior? We can talk things out slowly."

Holding a pretty senior in your arms isn't good for your heart.

Shiraishi Junka took two steps back, clasped her hands tightly in front of her, pursed her lips, and looked straight at him.

The summer sunlight streaming through the window cast a warm glow on her, and her restrained posture made her look as if she had done something wrong, appearing pitiful.

So she wasn't a cool and aloof senior, but a timid rabbit after all?

Her alluring appearance combined with her timid personality creates a rather endearing contrast.

"Senior Shiraishi, I didn't mean to blame you."

Makoto Takahashi raised his hand and scratched his head, looking bewildered and confused.

After a moment of silence, Shiraishi Junka's heartbeat returned to normal, and a soft, tentative sound escaped her pink lips: "Makoto?"

"Too fast, isn't it? I feel like the senior is a bit frivolous," Takahashi Makoto said, frowning.

"Only with Makoto."

She shook her head, raised her hand to her chest, and took a step closer to him: "I feel like crying."

As she spoke, Shiraishi Junka's eyes reddened, and tears actually welled up in her eyes.

Makoto Takahashi couldn't understand it and felt that she was a bit strange.

But it doesn't matter, everyone has some strange things about them anyway.

Chapter 65 The Beginning of Summer

Makoto Takahashi carried the electric piano and its stand in one hand as he walked up the stairs to the fifth-floor corridor of the special building. Outside the clean, bright glass windows, it was a dazzlingly sunny day, just as the word "midsummer" describes.

Once her emotions had calmed down, Shiraishi Jun followed him into the Light Music Club office.

Maya Uesugi sat by the window, holding a white porcelain cup of steaming coffee. A well-maintained, natural wood guitar sat against the wall.

"Too slow, are you a snail?" She frowned and gave me a disdainful look.

The cold words struck her, and Shiraishi Junka's legs trembled slightly. The sharp-eyed Hanakawa Kaori thought it was because the air conditioner was too cold, so she picked up the remote control to adjust the temperature.

Amidst the beeping of the air conditioner, Makoto Takahashi placed the electric piano flat on his desk and said dismissively, "I visited the art club for a while, and Shiraishi-senpai's oil paintings are very beautiful."

“Right, right, I think so too.” Hanakawa Kaori nodded in agreement like a chick pecking at rice.

Makoto Takahashi lowered her gaze and looked over. Perhaps because it was too hot on the rooftop, a layer of fine sweat appeared on her forehead, but she was still very energetic.

"Hanakawa is also very artistically talented," he joked.

"No, I just think she's very beautiful, as unrealistically beautiful as Shiraishi-senpai. Actually, I don't understand anything about her."

Hanakawa Kaori quickly waved her hands, her black twin tails swaying gently with the movement of her head:

"Takahashi-senpai is really amazing. The seniors in the art club all admire him and always talk about how great Mashin-sensei is."

"Speaking of which, what is Shiraishi-senpai's nickname? I might have heard of it."

Makoto Takahashi picked up the electric bass from the stand, sat down in his usual spot, and turned his gaze to Junka Shiraishi.

Her beautiful wine-red eyes looked straight at him. She pulled out a chair, sat down next to Takahashi Makoto, and said softly, "Junko."

Is it also a nickname that sounds the same as the given name?

"No, call me by my name."

Upon hearing Shiraishi Junko's sudden remark, Uesugi Maya took a sip of coffee and cast a questioning glance at Takahashi Makoto. Hanakawa Kaori, who was also curious about Shiraishi Junko's nickname, fell silent.

Makoto Takahashi coughed lightly, breaking the silence: "Never mind what I asked, let's talk about the band."

"Hanakawa, go next door and call Kashima-senpai over for a meeting," Uesugi Maya ordered.

"it is good."

Hanakawa Kaori ran out of the house as if afraid of missing a great TV drama, called out to Kashima Reiko, and then quickly ran back, staring at Shiraishi Junka, whose gaze was focused on Takahashi Makoto.

"This chores are too gossipy," Takahashi Makoto muttered, pressing his fingers to practice the strings under the watchful eyes of the three men, each with their own distinct meaning.

When Kashima Reiko pushed open the door and walked in, Uesugi Maya withdrew her scrutinizing gaze from Takahashi Makoto.

She cleared her throat to draw everyone's attention, then adopted a serious expression and said in a stern tone, "Let's begin the band's first meeting now."

"First, let me introduce our band and explain my ideas. Please don't interrupt me. If you have any objections, please raise them all at once at the end, and I will answer them carefully."

"My name is NiceFold, and my main activity area this summer is the Tokyo metropolitan area. My plans are..."

Maya Uesugi has put a lot of effort into the band, making meticulous preparations for everything, including the band logo, which looks quite professional.

"If you have no objections, I would like to start rehearsals this afternoon. I have selected a few popular songs that are not too difficult."

"Now, you can raise any questions you have." Her gaze swept over the people in front of her one by one.

Reiko Kashima only wants to play the drums; she doesn't care about the stage or the future of the band.

Shiraishi Jun had ulterior motives; she was content as long as she wasn't kicked out of the band by Uesugi Maya and had no interest in such matters. Besides, she didn't dare to talk to Hell Girl.

Hanakawa Kaori raised her hand, wanting to speak: "Um—"

“You’re not qualified to give advice on trivial matters,” Uesugi Maya interrupted bluntly.

She didn't care about being impolite at all; although she had wasted so much breath saying so much, Uesugi Maya only respected Takahashi Makoto's opinion.

—Only he has the ability to defeat Tachimi Yuki.

Makoto Takahashi glanced down at his watch; it was almost noon.

"I'm fine for now." He looked up and met Uesugi Maya's gaze.

No matter what kind of group it is, in the beginning, all you need is a voice, and the same is true for bands.

We can proceed with the activities according to Uesugi Maya's plan and address any problems as they arise.

He didn't know where NiceFold would ultimately end up, whether it could achieve Uesugi Maya's goal, or what it would mean for everyone present many years later.

But one thing is certain: this summer will definitely forge bonds.

Maya Uesugi was clearly unaware that Makoto Takahashi was gazing calmly at her delicate face, and suddenly felt a little like laughing.

Thinking of her troublesome personality, which makes her prone to conflict with others, and the fact that he might have to mediate conflicts within the band himself, Makoto Takahashi couldn't laugh anymore.

In short, summer has begun.

"The band is officially formed today, how about we have a celebratory lunch?" Takahashi Makoto suggested, not wanting to eat Uesugi Maya's leftover bento.

"I agree!"

Hanakawa Kaori raised her hand high and was the first to agree, saying excitedly, "There's an izakaya in the shopping district that I've wanted to try for a long time, but I've never had anyone go with me since I came to Tokyo."

"Listen to Cheng." Shiraishi Junko's hand wandered over.

Although she seems timid and somewhat cowardly, in some ways she is even bolder than Nekoya Hina.

Hina Nekoya is simply unguarded, while Shiraishi-senpai is highly aggressive; there's a big difference between being passive and being proactive.

Thinking of Nekoya Hina, Takahashi Makoto suddenly remembered that the two of them had agreed to come to the light music club to pick up the apartment key, so he decided to deliver it to the gymnasium later.

Seeing Kashima Reiko nod in agreement, he turned his gaze to Uesugi Maya: "Uesugi-san, the Light Music Club should still have club activity funds, right?"

"You can pay first, and I'll reimburse you later."

Maya Uesugi nodded slightly to Makoto Takahashi, took out her laptop from her desk drawer, and opened it: "You guys go ahead, I'm not interested."

It seems she plans to stay in the office alone and eat cold takeout.

What an insensitive guy. If you want to run a good band, it's obviously important for the members to get along well, Makoto Takahashi thought to himself.

After a moment's thought, he asked Uesugi Maya in a joking tone, "Are you planning to isolate us all by yourself?"

“I still have a lot to do. I have no ideas for the band’s original songs. Summer is the peak season for the band’s activities, and it is also troublesome to book a LiveHouse. Not to mention, I also have to manage the band’s online accounts.”

Hearing her say this, Takahashi Makoto realized that Uesugi Maya had single-handedly taken on all sorts of work for the band, big and small.

Bass players, drummers, and keyboardists really only need to practice and perform on stage.

Although it was a good thing for Makoto Takahashi to feel relaxed, he had a vague sense of unease.

There are other people around, so it's not convenient to talk right now. I'll talk to Uesugi Maya alone during dinner.

"Let's go have lunch first."

Makoto Takahashi stood up and asked Maya Uesugi, "Do you need me to pack it up for you?"

“No need,” she refused without hesitation.

The four exchanged brief glances and then walked out of the Light Music Club office one after another.

Stepping out of the special building, the summer heat hit me like a blast of flames. Under the scorching sun, even the noisy cicadas seemed listless.

On the playground not far away, the girls in the wind band were huddled under a sunshade, drinking water and resting. Wonderful notes drifted over, bright and melodious.

Takahashi Makoto walked towards the academy gate, stepping on the shadows cast by the cedar forest. Kashima Reiko and Shiraishi Junka followed behind him on either side, with Hanakawa Kaori bringing up the rear.

Logically speaking, Makoto Takahashi is the only one who is familiar enough with all three of them, so he should be the one to start a conversation, create a lively atmosphere, and help the other three get to know each other better.

Unfortunately, the system lacked any social skills, which he himself wasn't good at, and the weather was so hot that he didn't even want to talk.

Moreover, the only people they really don't know well are Kashima Reiko and Shiraishi Junka. As long as the band exists long enough, the two of them will eventually become familiar with each other.