Tokyo Soft Rice King.

"Hmm... Kuroba-kun, do you want to collaborate with me on a doujinshi?"

The response has been lukewarm!

You mean, she's actually willing to draw comics!

She was clearly tricked into drawing doujinshi and used as a tool to make money. Isn't drawing doujinshi the thing that Aiyuan Moe Ei hates the most?

Has the emotional trauma healed with the passage of time?

Or is it that... for Mengmeng, Kuroba Akira is a special person, which is why she was willing to do so?

What surprised them even more was that Aiyuan Moe seemed to have 'accepted' the idea of ​​drawing doujinshi,' and even considered future exhibitions.

"If it's for the Winter Comic, there's still barely enough time..."

They even brought up Fuyu Comic Market, which is the winter Comic Market, or CM for short.

CM is the largest doujinshi (fan-made comics) convention in Japan and even the world, held twice a year, in summer and winter, each lasting three days.

Both events are held at the Tokyo Big Sight in Odaiba, Tokyo, and have been held more than 100 times, which is more than 50 years... making it a long-standing event.

The number 'CXX' that you see online actually represents which edition of the CM.

Aiyuan Moe thought that Kuroba Akira meant drawing doujinshi when he said "drawing comics". She thought about it and realized that Winter CM is usually held at the end of the year, that is, at the end of December, while it is now the beginning of November.

If we exclude the time spent contacting the printing factory, there are only about forty days left.

Assuming everything goes smoothly, there's still enough time; we just need to hurry.

If it were the old Kuroba Akira, he would probably have tried to 'bewitch' Aizono Moe into drawing doujinshi that would make people feel aroused, and then sell them like hotcakes at the Winter Comiket, making a fortune. But now he doesn't need to do that anymore.

Of course, Akira Kuroba will still go to CM as a regular participant. You know, CM doesn't just sell R18 doujinshi; there are also various self-made animations, games, music, and many cosplayers participate.

It's a place where enthusiasts of all kinds of subcultures in modern Japan gather together; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it an otaku carnival.

Kuroba Akira definitely needs to go and see; it will help him understand the current trends in anime and manga culture and various unknown works.

However, this time he asked Aizono Moe to participate not in a commercial, but in a 'more formal challenge'.

Why do I think of doujinshi first when I think about drawing comics...? Is it because I still consider myself an 'enthusiast'?

Aiyuan Moe tilted her head and asked, puzzled.

"Hmm...isn't it a doujinshi?"

Kuroba Akira chuckled as he flipped over the latest issue of Shonen BOOM, pointing to the short essay contest entries on the page.

"We're going to participate in this, the Shonen BOOM year-end short story award. The winning short comic will be published in the New Year's special issue, and the prize money is one million yen."

"one million!"

"No, that's not where the surprise lies... These are the usual prizes for short comic book awards, right? There are even five million prizes elsewhere..."

"That's true... that..."

Aiyuan Moe mustered her courage and said.

"If it's a story created by Kuroba-kun... I want to draw it."

It should be said that since the master has brought it up, the slave only has the option of 'accepting'!

"No! Please make sure I draw it!"

"Ah, I'm sorry, I might have to disappoint you... This time I'm not writing the story."

"Huh? That's..."

Aizono Moe looked at her best friends beside her, while Shirai Shiori's brain had already shut down when she saw 'Aizono Moe's dedication'. She had never seen such an enthusiastic Moe.

"No, it's not Shiori either, it's... whoever writes the best story uses it."

"Ah, so that means..."

"That's right, it's time for the Literature and Art Club's first official activity."

Kuroba Akira snapped his fingers and said.

"Come and submit your work!"

Chapter 286 The Slaves Begin to Awaken to Their Self

Competitive writing, to put it bluntly, is just a fight!

In fact, Akira Kuroba really dislikes competitive writing projects because many times, it ends up being a complete waste of time and effort.

Especially those competitive submissions that don't pay a fee are practically freebies, so Kuroba Akira only accepts commissions and immediately declines any submissions that require a competition.

Even within a company, competing for publications is a very inefficient process and a complete waste of human resources.

So why would Akira Kuroba bring up the issue of competitive writing when he clearly dislikes it?

It's simple, because he himself doesn't intend to participate.

To put it bluntly, Kuroba Akira intended to be just an observer this time, so he proposed this event with the mindset of a shameless entertainer who thinks, "I love watching women fight."

The head of the Arts and Literature Department hadn't heard her secret boyfriend mention this event beforehand, so she looked at him with a questioning gaze.

"A competition... does that mean everyone has to submit a story, and then the best story will be chosen as the basis for Mengmeng to turn into a comic?"

"What you said, class monitor, is mostly correct, but there is one thing that needs to be corrected."

"Oh?"

The other three looked at Kuroba Akira, waiting for his further explanation.

Kuroba Akira then raised one index finger to explain.

"Not everyone, because I'm not participating in this writing competition."

Kuroba Akira had already said that he wasn't writing the story this time, so no one was too surprised. However, Shirai Shiori still asked a question.

"You're clearly aiming for a short story award, Mingjun, aren't you planning to participate in the competition?"

Shiori Shirai felt that since they were participating in a manga magazine's call for submissions, Akira Kuroba was the most experienced person in the field of commercial creation.

Moreover, he himself doesn't know much about comics, but Kuroba Akira has a deep understanding of comics. No matter how you look at it, it would be better for him to create the story himself, so submitting a submission for competition is simply unnecessary.

Could it be that the purpose was not only to get Mengmeng back to comics, but also to improve her own creative abilities?

Shiori Shirai thought about it more and more and felt that this was a challenge her master had designed for her, so she was encouraged to work harder.

Kuroba Akira shrugged and spread his hands.

"Well, after all, I'm the organizer and the one who set the questions, so to be fair, I naturally won't participate myself."

At this moment, Anri Hitomi picked up the comic magazine on the table, glanced at it, and asked the question that had been bothering her.

"I don't see any restrictions on the subject matter for this short story submission event. As long as it's not R18 restricted, it can be submitted for judging. Mingjun, are you going to add any 'conditions' since you said you're the one who set the questions?"

Kuroba Akira nodded and said.

"Yes, I'm not telling you to go all out, since it's a short story submitted to Young Boom. But if you're a new writer submitting your work, it's best to stick to a safe and classic style."

In this world, the names of comic magazines have changed, but the core remains the same: the three essential elements of shonen manga are still friendship, hard work, and victory.

Moreover, this is the last golden age of the three major shonen manga series currently being serialized, and the editorial departments are probably more inclined to 'replicate successful models' rather than 'struggle for change'. This is reflected in the short stories, where the award selection will be more 'conservative'.

Therefore, doing something unconventional at this point might backfire and make you less favored by editors, unless it's a super amazing short story like Death Note.

In fact, it's just like the college entrance examination essay. There are 'formulas' for which themes, story modes, and storyboard styles are more likely to win awards.

Although the main goal is to rekindle Aiyuan Moe's passion for comics, we should also try our best to win an award.

Kuroba Akira wasn't after the prize money; rather, the 'winning' itself would be an 'affirmation' of Aizono Moe's talent.

This is the process of helping Aiyuan Menghui, who lacked self-confidence, rebuild her self-confidence.

"So this is a set topic essay, which is very similar to an event organized by the Literature and Art Club, right? I'm sure the senior members of the Literature and Art Club have organized similar events before."

The Literature and Art Department is not just about reading books and writing book reviews; it also involves creative work. As a club activity, assigned essays are just the right level of engagement.

Hitomi Anri also recalled the events before she took over as the head of the Literature and Art Department.

"Indeed... In the first half of the year, the senior students held a similar essay writing activity, although it was an argumentative essay specifically for university exams..."

　At this point, Anri Hitomi finally understood the purpose of Kuroba Akira's organization's activity.

Even if Aizen Moe is willing to draw comics, it's probably only because she wants to respond to her friends that she's reluctantly accepting it.

Therefore, if Akira Kuroba were to create the story himself, or if Shiori Shirai were to be specifically chosen to create the story, it would essentially give Moe Aizono a way to continue escaping.

Even if she starts drawing comics again, she still hasn't grown emotionally, and she can't take this behavior of obeying Akira Kuroba as her own dream.

That's why Akira Kuroba proposed holding such a small event within the Literature and Art Club, so that 'everyone can participate' and allow Moe Aizono to face creation again.

Moreover, although it is a competition for submissions, it is not a real job after all, but just a club activity. There are no conflicts of interest involved, just like the most popular program selection at the cultural festival, which is a relatively relaxed activity.

Then Hitomi Anri thought that this should also be Kuroba Akira's 'script'.

Regardless of whether they win an award or not, once the three girls from the Literature Club have each created a story, if Kuroba Akira were to be the judge, he would definitely choose Momo's story to help her rediscover her 'heart that wants to create'.

To put it bluntly, the entire arts department was just playing along with him in a show where everyone was fussing over Mengmeng.

Anri Hitomi, feeling that she had fully grasped Kuroba Akira's intentions, smiled knowingly.

"I understand, let's hold this event then."

"Great, thank you, Minister."

However, Akira Kuroba didn't actually think that much about it, or if he did, he didn't think that deeply. He just wanted to give Moe Aizono a chance to redraw her manga.

In short, after gaining the minister's approval due to Anri Hitomi's misunderstanding, Kuroba Akira took out a piece of paper and wrote down the topic for this competition.

During the previous midterm exams, the class monitor outlined the study materials for him; this time, it was Kuroba Akira's turn to outline them.

"Alright! Then this time the theme will be...sports!"

"Ah! Are you going to draw a sports comic?"

When sports comics are mentioned, the eyes of comic master Aiyuan Moe light up instantly, and her excitement is palpable.

"I know! Soccer has Captain Tsubasa! Basketball has First Slam Dunk! And there are things like Prince of Tennis... In short! There are so many famous sports manga!"

Aizen Moe's reaction was exactly what Kuroba Akira expected.

Because shonen sports manga is also known as BL (Boys' Love) introductory manga, it is very popular among female readers, so he guessed that Aizono Moe would also be more interested in sports themes.

"That's right! Sports have always been a popular and enduring theme in shonen manga. The current Shonen BOOM is definitely lacking a sports manga that can serve as its mainstay, so short sports manga are more likely to win awards."