They all have hidden attributes!

"Good morning."

"Last night..."

She walked over, about to strike up a conversation, when the rehearsal room door was slammed shut, interrupting her with a forceful sound.

"You're late," Uesugi Maya said, frowning.

Shiraishi Junko turned her back to her, lowered her head, and intertwined her fingers, not daring to explain. Fear quietly surfaced on her gentle face.

“Reason.” Uesugi Maya’s voice grew even colder.

The air froze under her questioning. Shiraishi Junka lowered her head, fiddling with her fingers and remaining silent. In the hopeless silence, the atmosphere gradually became somewhat oppressive.

"Chunke, what happened?"

Makoto Takahashi put down his bass and was about to stand up when Reiko Kashima, who had finished reviewing all the basics, tapped the cymbals, producing a crisp sound.

She looked up and met Uesugi Maya's gaze, saying in a calm and expressionless tone, "Don't waste your time."

In Kashima Reiko's opinion, Shiraishi Junka wasted a lot of time by being late, and questioning her further would not change the outcome, so she might as well use the time to practice.

There won't be a next time.

Maya Uesugi glanced at Reiko Kashima and said to Junka Shiraishi, "Go back to your seats. Now, let's begin the meeting."

Upon hearing that a meeting was scheduled, Kashima Reiko's eyes dimmed.

"I'm sorry," Shiraishi Junka said softly, pursing her lips as she walked to the back of the electric piano in the corner.

Makoto Takahashi rubbed his temples in exasperation, but he didn't have any good ideas. Maya Uesugi had always been strict with the band, even forbidding Hanakawa Kaori from showing up, saying she was afraid she would interfere with rehearsals.

However, Shiraishi Junka's personality is unpredictable, and being late is indeed her fault. Even if there is a legitimate reason, her timid nature prevents her from speaking it out.

Uesugi Maya completely disregarded the feelings of the two of them and said to herself, "On the 30th, I have arranged a live performance, 15 minutes long, which is enough time to play three songs."

She made no mention of the [quota], her sharp gaze shifting between the three of them.

"I selected 10 currently popular songs, and I will start rehearsing and practicing them from scratch later. I will choose the 3 songs that will perform best on stage."

"Although this performance is short, it is NiceFold's debut battle, and I cannot allow any mistakes or flaws. Every detail must be polished repeatedly."

Is there a problem?

Kashima Reiko remained silent, rhythmically striking the drumsticks in her hand, seemingly urging Uesugi Maya to begin rehearsals as soon as possible.

Shiraishi Junka gave Takahashi Makoto an uneasy look, and the latter shook his head. She pursed her lips and lowered her head to stare at the black and white keys of the electric piano.

"Let's begin rehearsals now."

Maya Uesugi distributed the printed sheet music and parts to the three of them, turned around and picked up her guitar. As Reiko Kashima raised her hands, the drumsticks struck each other to create a rhythm, and today's rehearsal officially began.

Today's rehearsal, like the past few days, didn't go smoothly at all.

At the end of the first song, Junka Shiraishi naturally slowed down the tempo, arbitrarily modifying it into a freely extended, diminished ending, with Makoto Takahashi accompanying it with bass sounds.

Kashima Reiko immediately cast a dissatisfied glance at her: "Four beats too slow."

Shiraishi Junka remained silent, while Takahashi Makoto tried to lighten the mood: "But wouldn't the emotions be more intense this way?"

He didn't want the rehearsal room to become a high-pressure environment.

Upon hearing this, Kashima Reiko, unusually serious, emphasized, "If you improvise during the performance, the band will fall apart."

The drummer is the conductor of the band, and she will naturally feel dissatisfied if the keyboardist doesn't follow her lead.

“I can understand that you artistically talented people like creativity, but Kashima-senpai is right, uncertainty is the enemy of professionalism, and you must play strictly according to the score.”

Maya Uesugi warned Makoto Takahashi with her eyes not to speak up for Junka Shiraishi, then glared at him with a cold look, her attitude firm.

Shiraishi Junka's body trembled slightly, and she nodded timidly.

"Next song."

As Maya Uesugi's cold voice fell, Reiko Kashima immediately began to strike the drums.

The rehearsal proceeded with some stumbles and bumps. When lunch break came, the rehearsal ended, and Maya Uesugi put down her guitar, turned around and walked out of the rehearsal room with a brisk pace.

Based on Makoto Takahashi's experience, she should have gone to the clubhouse to make coffee.

Today, Uesugi Maya didn't bring her lunchbox. Kashima Reiko noticed that she had come empty-handed, put down her drumsticks, stood up, and asked Takahashi Makoto:

"Together?"

"Senior Lengzi, can we meet on the rooftop later?"

Seeing her nod, Makoto Takahashi put down his bass, glanced at Junka Shiraishi who was almost shrinking into the corner, and strode after Maya Uesugi.

This absolutely cannot continue.

Pushing open the office door, I found Uesugi Maya sitting by the window, intently reading a music theory book while grinding coffee beans.

The Belgian teapot sat on the table beside her, its metallic sheen gleaming in the sunlight.

Makoto Takahashi walked over, but before he could speak, Maya Uesugi turned her head and asked coldly, "Did the atmosphere during the rehearsal make you uncomfortable?"

"A little."

"Your mood is too easily affected by your environment."

"probably."

Makoto Takahashi pulled out a chair, sat down opposite her, and casually asked, "What do you want for lunch?"

"All the ingredients I prepared last night are wasted. We'll have to eat out or order delivery." Uesugi Maya's tone softened.

Compared to her icy tone and almost frozen aura in the rehearsal room, her expression now could almost be described as gentle.

"Let's order takeout."

Makoto Takahashi took out his phone, considering his lunch options: "What are your thoughts?"

"Don't forget my dessert."

"it is good."

When will you start selling tickets?

"tonight."

Maya Uesugi poured the ground coffee beans into the coffee pot, sealed it, and skillfully lit the alcohol lamp by sliding a match: "I want to perform in the nearby park. With you here, the effect shouldn't be too bad."

She had to admit that Makoto Takahashi's appearance was so outstanding that it could easily make women spend money.

Makoto Takahashi nodded in agreement, ordered the delivery, put away his phone, looked up at her, and said in a serious tone:

"If this continues, I'm afraid the band will disband before we even get to a live performance, just like Sister Xing said."

Upon hearing Tachimi Yuki's name, Uesugi Maya frowned unhappily: "Reason?"

"It's a matter of style; the band's highly instrumental approach will be very difficult for the two of them."

Makoto Takahashi paused for a moment, then continued, "I believe music should be a form of resonance."

Maya Uesugi rested her chin on her hand, turned her face to look out the window, and made a blatant expression of disgust: "I have no intention of empathizing with them."

Chapter 73 The Adjustment Period

Maya Uesugi is independent and unable to trust others; no one can deny that she wants to be alone.

Let alone resonance, their willingness to cooperate with others in the band has far exceeded Makoto Takahashi's expectations—he initially thought that the four of them would not even be able to cooperate in a basic way because of their different personalities.

Since she was adamant, Makoto Takahashi said no more and went to find Reiko Kashima before the delivery arrived.

He walked out of the office with steady steps, pushed open the door at the end of the corridor, and stepped onto the rooftop via the fire escape.

Under the clear blue sky of July, Kashima Reiko leaned against the handrail, gazing at the women's track and field team practicing on the field.

A strong wind blew, and her short black hair rose and fell slowly in the hot air, revealing her well-defined profile and small ears.

“The brass band has gone back.” Makoto Takahashi stood next to her.

"Ah."

"Senior Lengzi, don't you eat lunch?"

"I'll go keep the young lady company later."

Kashima Reiko turned to him and said in a calm tone, "I also need to report on the band's information. The young lady is very concerned."

"Don't make things difficult for her, after all, Sachi is also a member of the light music club." Takahashi Makoto turned his head and smiled at her, meeting her gaze in calm, turquoise eyes.

After a long silence, Kashima Reiko finally nodded woodenly.

She lowered her face and saw the glaring sunlight casting two shadows on the concrete ground. She shifted her feet slightly, and the shadows touched.

For Kashima Reiko, having her emotions properly taken care of is a rare experience, as rare as winning the lottery.

As a result, she forgot the topic she had thought of when she was alone, her expression gradually became blank, and the atmosphere became awkward.

Makoto Takahashi watched as Kashima Reiko's beautiful eyes, now clouded with shadows, dimmed in thought, his face full of confusion as he frowned, pondering how to ease the awkward situation.

He originally wanted to talk about the band atmosphere, but the current atmosphere between the two of them made it a little difficult to say.

After a moment's hesitation, Makoto Takahashi turned his gaze back to the playground and casually remarked in a gentle tone, "I don't think I've seen Hanori today?"

She said she wanted to go back to her hometown to visit her grandparents.

"Hometown?"

"Izu."

"Didn't the badminton club go to the Izu intensive training camp a few days ago?" Takahashi Makoto asked.

"The hot spring inn where I stayed, Bamboo House, is the ancestral property of the Hanakawa family."

Finally finding a decent topic, Kashima Reiko obediently started talking about the badminton club's gossip: "Coach Shirakawa is also from Izu, and she and her husband were childhood sweethearts. I heard they didn't divorce, but she changed back to her original surname. Rumor has it..."

As she earnestly chatted about gossip, Makoto Takahashi occasionally nodded in response, thinking to himself that the common traits of the girls in the badminton club, besides being superficial, were probably that they were extremely gossipy.

Just as the atmosphere was starting to ease, Kashima Reiko's phone rang.

She looked down and took her phone out of her jeans pocket, a hint of helplessness flashing in her eyes: "I have to go deliver lunch to the young lady."

“Let’s go together. I just ordered takeout and need to pick it up at the college gate.” Takahashi Makoto turned and walked towards the fire escape.

Tsurumi Sawa Academy was formerly a prestigious girls' school with a very high security level. Delivery services can only be picked up at the main gate by the student, which is unavoidable.