They all have hidden attributes!

When it was his first time entering a LiveHouse, Makoto Takahashi was a little curious and wanted to wander around, especially the layout of the backstage area.

But Uesugi Maya stood to the side with a grim expression, and he was too embarrassed to bring it up, so he could only sit on the sofa and look at the music theory book he found on the light music club's bookshelf.

With [Special Talent], understanding music theory is incredibly easy, and my bass skills have improved rapidly lately. I'll start learning the six-string bass tomorrow.

As Makoto Takahashi thought this, an incurable silence perpetually enveloped the small rehearsal room.

Shiraishi Junka sat uneasily beside him, struggling to resist drowsiness and the oppressive atmosphere;

Kashima Reiko lightly tapped the snare drum with the drumsticks, looked up at the ceiling, probably just wanting to end the performance as soon as possible;

Maya Uesugi stood with her arms crossed in the center of the rehearsal room. Under the cold white light, her face appeared slightly pale, and her beautiful caramel-colored eyes were calm to the point of cruelty.

Thump, thump—

A sudden knock on the door shattered the silence.

Maya Uesugi opened the door, took the suitcase from the staff, and turned to the three of them, saying, "I've ordered costumes for the performance."

A unified style of clothing can create a strong brand image, which she considers essential.

"I want to wear my own clothes," Shiraishi Junka murmured softly, fiddling with her fingers as she looked down.

Unexpectedly, Maya Uesugi didn't scold anyone anymore. She simply said in a calm, even emotionless tone, "Is that so? I understand."

"That's enough, Maya."

Makoto Takahashi stood up, staring into her increasingly vacant eyes: "Just one failed live performance and everything will collapse. Even though Reiko-senpai really loves the drums, her condition—"

"Shut up, I haven't lost yet." Uesugi Maya clenched her fists, but her beautiful legs peeking out from under her black skirt were trembling slightly.

She is not only stubborn, but also afraid of failure.

Makoto Takahashi rubbed his temples, looking helpless, and sighed, "Maya, as agreed, I'm going to pretend to be Sachi's boyfriend on her birthday, so you have to pretend to be my girlfriend for a day too."

Chapter 78 Abandoning the Cat, Girlfriend, and Haki Night

Under the cold white lights of the rehearsal room, the air felt so thick it could drown you.

Unable to breathe, Uesugi Maya closed her eyes, concealing the pain within them.

She saw the band crumbling slowly and irreversibly, like a castle without a load-bearing structure. If tonight's live performance failed, they would disband in the next second due to the distribution of responsibility.

How could it possibly succeed?

Junko Shiraishi has been dozing off all day, and Reiko Kashima's drumming has no vitality whatsoever.

With only one hour left until the live show, canceling the performance now would not only cause trouble for the LiveHouse, but would also be tantamount to admitting defeat.

A sense of powerlessness spread from the shadow beneath her feet, creeping up her skin. In the suffocating feeling, Uesugi Maya recalled her past, a past that no one cared about and no one saw.

Then she heard a gentle yet powerful voice.

"Maya, it's 5:05 PM now. For the next 24 hours, please fulfill your duties as a girlfriend."

Gentleness is sometimes useless; only strong, heartfelt expressions of emotion truly reach out to those who have fallen into the mire.

Maya Uesugi stood in the center of the messy, cramped rehearsal room, opened her eyes, and saw Makoto Takahashi looking down at the cobalt blue watch on his wrist, the dazzling light emanating from him making her feel that he was out of reach.

"Reiko, could you please talk to the owner here and find any idol group from Lijian's company to replace the band's original performance time? Under no circumstances should it cause trouble for anyone else."

Tachimi Yuki's promise gave Takahashi Makoto confidence, allowing him to quickly take control of the current dire situation.

"Junko, the band is resting tomorrow. Remember to come to the light music club after you wake up the day after tomorrow. I hope Hanaori can come too, okay?"

Seeing Shiraishi Junka nod obediently, Takahashi Makoto extended his hand to Uesugi Maya and smiled playfully: "I want to go on a date now."

Uesugi Maya's personality is really like that of an abandoned cat. It's impossible to get her to come into the house on her own. You have to grab her by the scruff of her neck and carry her away forcefully.

"I understand."

A fair, slender hand was extended, softer than Makoto Takahashi had imagined.

He led Maya Uesugi out of the rehearsal room, through the backstage corridor, out of the LiveHouse via the emergency exit, and into a messy alley.

When Makoto Takahashi saw a calico cat perched on a green metal trash can under the worn-out shed, he suddenly remembered an interesting saying he had seen online.

To determine whether it's okay to pet a cat, don't just look at whether it exposes its belly, because it might be using all four paws to make it easier to hit you. Only if you touch its belly and don't get hit can you be sure the cat likes you.

Haki Night is quite cute.

"Mayo, so you can't sing on stage yet, and you ended up buying all 40 tickets yourself, right?"

Makoto Takahashi slowed his pace, glanced sideways at Maya Uesugi walking beside him, and his expression instantly darkened. He continued in a cheerful tone:

"As it turns out, neither love nor being in a band can be done by one person alone."

"Even if we fail and disband today, I can form a new band." Uesugi Maya glared at him impatiently, her gaze slightly forceful.

"Now, you're my girlfriend, and my first love, so it's okay for you to act cute and affectionate."

Makoto Takahashi forced her to hold his hand and led her out of the alley: "You can rely on me too. I'll take care of the band's affairs."

Strolling along the retro shopping street in Shimokitazawa, the two were no different from any other couples on a night date around them.

In the air thick with a mingled scent, the faint sound of a tram could be heard.

Uesugi Maya glanced up at his profile and read a hint of malice in his smug smile.

Despite being unable to take care of herself while living alone, she still dares to say such things, but... perhaps she can be trusted.

"Band, what are you planning to do?"

She looked away to see the water droplets dripping from the air conditioner unit outside the convenience store. All the sounds in the world suddenly stopped as if the tide were receding, leaving only Makoto Takahashi's voice.

"The main focus is on creating bonds, with division of labor and cooperation, and everyone working together towards the same goal. The band should convey a resonance of the soul."

"How idealistic," Uesugi Maya thought to herself, but she didn't say anything sarcastic, not wanting to dampen Takahashi Makoto's enthusiasm.

“I know where my problem lies, but if we’re together, there’s absolutely no problem,” Makoto Takahashi continued.

Maya Uesugi stopped and turned around, meeting his gaze.

In an instant, she realized with the clarity of a superhuman that from this moment on, the two of them would be living in the same world.

"Hakiye, you're actually quite capable on your own. You're good-looking, have literary talent, impeccable guitar skills, and you're also good at academics, kendo, cooking... It's also amazing that you don't feel lonely when you're alone. I sometimes think that if it weren't for your lack of empathy and teamwork, there's probably nothing you couldn't do."

Makoto Takahashi turned to face her, raised his hand to stroke her delicate profile, and said earnestly, "But it's better this way."

"Don't call me that, it's disgusting."

Maya Uesugi slapped his hand away and deliberately put on a cold face, saying, "I don't plan to continue playing in the band."

“I don’t intend to ask you to trust them,” Makoto Takahashi said.

"He would definitely say that," Uesugi Maya thought to herself.

"But you can rely on me, after all, we are friends."

Then, I would like to say, "Please take care of me in the future," but I haven't had time to prepare a gift yet—Uesugi Maya lifted the strands of hair that were blown by the evening breeze and tucked them behind her ear, her fingertips accidentally touching the burning tip of her ear.

A warm feeling inexplicably welled up from the depths of my heart.

She turned her face to the side, took a deep breath, and with an expression of resignation, stiffly and slowly raised her hand.

Makoto Takahashi smiled and pulled Maya Uesugi into his arms, accepting the embrace he hadn't received that night.

She has a wonderful fragrance, like a pine forest covered in snow. Her slender body is firm yet supple, embodying feminine grace from head to toe.

Especially where their bodies touched, the sensation was far more wonderful than what they would normally see, and Hell Girl ruthlessly eroded their rationality.

On the bustling streets of Shimokitazawa, countless lovers hold hands and embrace.

In this hazy, indistinct moment as dusk approaches, love blossoms.

"hiss--"

The ambiguous atmosphere in the air shattered with a gasp from Takahashi Makoto. He looked up, his face full of innocence, and met Uesugi Maya's gaze.

"This is not within my scope of obligations."

Uesugi Maya pushed his head away with a cold face and frowned as she touched her neck.

Just now, when Takahashi Makoto wasn't paying attention, his breath, through the strands of hair falling over her shoulders, gradually approached her neck, so Uesugi Maya stomped on his foot hard.

"What does your scope of obligations include?" Takahashi Makoto asked.

Seeing his pained expression, Uesugi Maya smiled and said, "Holding hands, hugging, cooking, and housework are all fine. As for the other parts, if Tatsumi does them for you, I will make it up to you."

“Okay, tonight I want beef, eel, fried shrimp, and sushi,” Makoto Takahashi said.

“Okay.” Uesugi Maya took his hand and walked towards the train station. The gentle evening breeze made her feel good.

"Regarding the band, I'll be writing lyrics for a song tonight. I don't know much about music theory yet, so I can only tell you the general melody. I'll leave the sheet music to you, the most basic version."

"You can write lyrics?" Uesugi Maya asked with a skeptical look.

"We've already thought of a name."

Makoto Takahashi looked up at the bright sky and said with a smile, "Let's call it 'Running Towards the Night,' maybe our band will become famous overnight."

What does "most basic version" mean?

"As for specific improvements, let Chun Ke handle them. She—ugh, why is she stepping on me again?"

"Has no one told you this, boyfriend?"

Maya Uesugi's smile gradually turned cold as she narrowed her beautiful eyes and said, "Don't mention other women in front of your girlfriend, or the consequences will often be tragic."

“It seems like, Sister Xing told me that.” Before he could finish speaking, Takahashi Makoto was kicked by her again.

Back at the Uesugi family apartment, Makoto Takahashi confirmed that there were no problems with the LiveHouse and that Junka Shiraishi had returned home safely. On the balcony, he rewrote the lyrics of "Running Towards the Night".

Maya Uesugi tied her long, straight, black hair into a ponytail, put on a white apron, and went into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Fried shrimp tempura is the most time-consuming and energy-intensive dish, and it's quite troublesome even for housewives, but she still fries it without changing her expression, showing no sign of disgust.

"You can't go without vegetables."

In the kitchen, out of Makoto Takahashi's sight, Maya Uesugi suppressed her smile, muttered to herself as she picked up a cleaver and chopped the eggplant and green peppers into small pieces.

Her chopping motion suddenly stopped, the world before her eyes began to fade, time seemed to rewind, as if she had returned to the day she first stepped into the kitchen.

Is it really possible?

Makoto Takahashi is a trustworthy person.