Tokyo Soft Rice King.

"Whoa..."

Kuroba Akira stroked her chin; what she said was true.

Smart editors don't go against the author's wishes; instead, they guide the author with a mix of coaxing and deception, leading them to write works that conform to market trends.

There's no need to completely vilify the other person; otherwise, posting it online will only cause more trouble. If you really think they're bad, just let it go.

“I accept everything you just said, especially what you said about putting yourself and the readers on opposite ends of a scale… I think it makes a lot of sense, but it’s very difficult for me to straighten the scales on my own.”

"So you want me to be the one to help you correct your behavior?"

"Um, Kuroba-kun... no, Akira-san! Please teach me! About how to write light novels!"

Having already learned from her first experience, Shiori Shirai knelt down again cleanly and decisively, performing a standard dogeza (vertical prostration).

But this time, it wasn't a punishment for losing, but rather a means to 'become an apprentice'.

Moreover, she's not exactly in full kowtow anymore; she's at least wearing one... half an outfit.

Looking at Shiori Shirai's fair and smooth back and the unfastened bra clasp, Akira Kuroba sighed.

It seems I lost the bet with the class monitor.

Chapter 123 Let her be his ghostwriter

"I understand, Shirai-kun. Please get up first, okay? The punishment game is over, there's no need for this grand gesture..."

"I won't get up unless you agree!"

"Okay, okay, I promise you, I promise you, alright?"

"Really? You're willing to teach me?"

Shiori Shirai looked up with delight, and from Akira Kuroba's angle, she could just see the airport's taxiway.

So, you missed it again, Shiori...

Shiori Shirai was of course aware of Akira Kuroba's gaze, but she didn't care anymore that she had been seen.

I've already been seen naked, so what's a couple more glances? It just makes the urge to pee even stronger...

However, why do I feel the urge to urinate when he sees my body? Is it shame and nervousness affecting my bodily organs?

"It wasn't exactly a secret technique to begin with. Even just because we're both members of the Literature and Art Department, I'm willing to share content with you."

Kuroba Akira once again crouched down and reached out his hand to her.

After he pulled Shiori Shirai up, she picked up her school uniform shirt from the ground and put it on.

She felt there was nothing to hide, since he had seen the whole process of her undressing, and he had even taken off the last piece of clothing himself. Asking him to wait outside the room when she was getting dressed would seem a bit redundant.

Kuroba Akira sat back on her bed, propped her hands behind her head, and simply lay down like that. Looking at the ceiling would prevent her gaze from being drawn to Shirai Shiori's body, thus effectively controlling both her upper and lower body.

"Shirai-kun..."

"Just call me Shiori, and I'll call you Mr. Akira."

"Let's skip this title. It feels like I'm taking Kobayakawa-sensei's place. Just call me by my name. There's no need to be so polite."

The main reason is that the title "Mr. Ming" sounds very respectful, and the class monitor will definitely know that she has won when she hears it.

Kuroba Akira still wanted to make a last-ditch effort to get Shirai Shiori to be more casual with him, so that her attitude towards him wouldn't be either 'hatred' or 'admiration', and they could barely consider it a draw.

Can I take this to mean that you are unwilling to accept me as your apprentice?

"I think it's fine to have exchanges as peers, but if you really want me to be your mentor... I'm obviously not qualified right now, after all, I don't have a single published work yet."

"Hasn't your work already been accepted by Mori Keima, the editor of Hurricane Bunko? Publication is a done deal, isn't it?"

"The publishing itself is nothing to boast about. Before the first week's sales figures came out, I was just a prospective author."

"A wise ruler... really is results-oriented."

"Shirai-san... Shiori, the first thing I want to share with you is that minority opinions are irrelevant; only the majority of sales reflect the quality of a work."

Shiori Shirai pulled her school skirt up to her waist and answered while adjusting the zipper buckle.

"Sales volume equals quality... Okay, I'll remember that."

"Although you may think this is vulgar and full of money, for authors, having readers willing to spend money to buy your work is the highest recognition. Above that, if you can make readers feel, 'Buying this book is really worth it! I want to buy three more copies!', that is already a huge success."

"..."

Shiori Shirai glanced at her bookshelf and suddenly realized something.

He's absolutely right, because I'm living proof of it. I'll buy several copies of a book I like, including expensive hardcover editions, and I'll even queue up to attend book signings...

Put yourself in the author's shoes; you'd feel a great sense of accomplishment signing autographs for readers.

I learned something new!

Shiori Shirai urged excitedly.

"Then what? What else?"

"Also... well, there's no point in continuing with grand principles. Let me see your submitted work first."

"Okay! I'll get it right away!"

Shiori Shirai immediately ran to her desk, took out the original manuscript from the drawer, and gave it to Akira Kuroba. The copy she had sent to the publisher earlier was a photocopy.

Kuroba Akira took the manuscript, glanced at it, and asked a question.

"Is there no title to the work?"

When asked this question, Shiori Shirai seemed a little embarrassed and stammered with her head down.

"Well... because when I finished this work, there was very little time left, and I didn't want to just pick a name randomly... so the title was put on hold for the time being."

"Oh."

Kuroba Akira didn't say much, but he had already reached a preliminary conclusion.

If a light novel's title cannot be immediately extracted from the book, it's likely that it lacks appeal and has a fragmented plot.

As he continued reading, just as he had predicted, the most fatal problem with this work was its lack of a clear theme.

Shiori Shirai likely referenced many popular works and combined elements she considered appealing, but she didn't stitch them together well, resulting in a strong sense of disjointedness when reading.

However, her writing style is really good, and she is very experienced in story logic and character development, so the overall impression is acceptable.

After reading it, Kuroba Akira made a general judgment: Shirai Shiori's writing was not bad, but she lacked a sense of what was popular, the use of gimmicks, the combination of content elements, and the control of the story's pacing.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Shirai Shiori felt a huge sense of shame when Kuroba Akira looked through her work, much more shameful than when he had just seen her naked!

Is it because he is reading my mind?

Shiori Shirai's toes curled up involuntarily, her palms were sweating with tension, and her bladder was on the verge of bursting.

She felt a strong urge to go to the restroom, but didn't want to miss Kuroba Akira's evaluation. She was tormented, like someone waiting for the surgery results.

If creating art is like exposing one's inner self, then every time I show him my work, my inner self will be laid bare before him for his appreciation... and even for his evaluation, and perhaps even his reshaping...

"Um……"

Kuroba Akira's deep contemplation made her heart race, and an electric current surged from her abdomen throughout her body, almost causing her to leak.

"W-How is it?"

"First of all, the opening is not good. It fails to get to the point quickly and doesn't have a catchy enough gimmick."

"Well……!"

"In the field of traditional literature, the prologue serves to guide readers to understand the story's background, lay the groundwork for subsequent plot developments, introduce character relationships, and so on. However, in the field of light novels, the prologue serves only one purpose: to arouse the reader's interest."

"I see... Wait a minute, I need to take notes!"

After picking up paper and pen, Shiori Shirai spoke earnestly to Akira Kuroba.

"Alright, you can continue!"

"Um, what comes next..."

Kuroba Akira went on to list a whole bunch of 'flaws,' but actually they weren't really flaws, just that they weren't 'popular' enough.

Mori Keima's assessment of her was indeed not just polite talk; Shirai Shiori's light novel was indeed of publishing quality, though it was a bit 'outdated'.

When Kuroba Akira reads it, he always feels like he's reading a work from twenty years ago, which, in the context of the world, is a work that has been popular in recent years.

Shiori Shirai mainly imitated her predecessors this time, but what's commendable is that the core of this book is still her own.

She's different from me; she hasn't fallen into the trap of becoming a copycat writer...

Given time, she will surely surpass herself and become an author of her own kind.

At that moment, Kuroba Akira suddenly had a brilliant idea.

Under the guise of training, let Shirai Shiori be the ghostwriter for my light novel!

Chapter 124 The name is yours

Kuroba Akira already had ulterior motives, but on the surface he still spoke in a serious manner.

"However, what I said above is just my personal opinion, not an absolutely correct evaluation. You don't have to accept it all, and I hope you won't accept it all either."

"Huh? Why? I think what you said makes a lot of sense!"

Shiori Shirai, who was taking notes, looked up with a puzzled expression.

"Because I don't want you to become a slave to the trend."

"Popular slavery..."

"Yes, while sales are important, if you only look at sales, you'll just become someone who follows trends and loses their own ideas, turning into a second-rate author who just parrots others' work."

"what……"

Shiori Shirai completely understood what he meant, because she had also written things that sounded like they had been written by others, because she had borrowed too much and ended up with no originality in her work.

When Shiori Shirai was writing this work, she was reading light novels like crazy, absorbing their essence, and that inclination developed towards it when she started writing.

Fortunately, Shiori Shirai decided what she wanted to write before she started writing, so the work did not deviate from its core.

Looking back now, I realize I added too much irrelevant content, which distracted from the main appeal of the work.

"I think there's one great thing about your work: I saw what you wanted to express in this book. That sincere emotion is very infectious and is the soul of the book."

"Uh, th, thank you?"