Tokyo Soft Rice King.

"Hmm... writing a story... Although I often get high marks in Chinese composition, this is the first time I've seriously written a story. I don't know if I can do it well..."

"..."

Aiyuan Moe remained silent with her head down.

Seeing her like this, Kuroba Akira stood up and placed his hand on her head.

Although touching a girl's head without permission is very impolite, Kuroba Akira has completely ignored this concern because the girls around him have all crossed the line of normal social distance. As long as he doesn't touch the heads of girls he has just met, it's fine.

Moreover, he always felt that Aizen Moe would be more receptive to this kind of comfort, like a distant cousin who needed his care.

This form of comfort was indeed very effective. When Kuroba Akira placed his large hand on Aizono Moe's soft hair, she felt a strong sense of security and belonging. Even her uneasy expression relaxed, and she even unconsciously wanted to chuckle.

Finally suppressing her silly laughter, Aizono Moe raised her head slightly, rubbing her curly hair against Kuroba Akira's hair, gazing at her owner like a puppy.

"Kuroba-kun..."

"Moe, you don't have to force yourself to do things you're not good at. If you really can't think of a story you want to create, then don't think about it. As a substitute... just 'have expectations'."

Aiyuan Moe looked at her master's smile, her big eyes filled with a hint of doubt.

"With...expectations?"

"Yes, it's like the anticipation you feel when you're eager to see the latest chapter of the comic you're following. Aren't you curious about what kind of stories your 'best friends' will create?"

Hearing what Kuroba Akira said, Aizono Moe looked at her two best friends and immediately became interested.

"...Curious! I want to see! The story written by Shiori and Hitomi...I'm so curious!"

"Hehe, that's right, so Moe, you just need to keep this sense of anticipation going."

Kuroba Akira could understand her feelings very well; in fact, he was guiding Aizono Moe according to his own mindset.

Akira Kuroba felt that the person most similar to him in the Literature Club was Moe Aizono, because they both had a strong interest in stories of different forms.

To put it simply, they are very 'omnivorous'.

It is precisely because they lack such a strong personality that they are 'acceptable to everything', have a wider range of interests, and are more down-to-earth and in line with popular aesthetics.

Actually, Mirai Takanashi is another omnivore, but Mirai's thought process is more unique, and her creations are more focused on music and fan art, rather than story-driven works like comics and novels.

Therefore, in terms of creation, Moe Aizono and Akira Kuroba are the most compatible, just like Makoto Moritaka and Akito Takagi in Bakuman. They are simply a perfect match made in heaven.

Therefore, Akira Kuroba knew very well what 'Aizono Moe would be interested in'.

Is there anything more exciting than reading stories, especially stories written by friends?

After all, a story created by a person can reflect part of that person's personality and thoughts, so it feels a bit like peeking into a friend's diary, tense and exciting.

When Aizono Moe gets along with her best friends, she is always very passive because she feels that she is in a position of being taken care of and helped by them.

However, when they are authors and readers, their positions are equal.

Kuroba Akira provided just such a way to bring Aizono Moe back to an equal footing with them, allowing Aizono Moe to better understand her best friends.

Moreover, this time Aizono Moe was the one who made the choice, so it's actually a bit like a 'TP swap' in yuri, where the weaker Aizono Moe gained the stronger power.

Aizono Moe, who had just felt inferior because she realized she had no ideas, had her mood completely improved by just one sentence from Kuroba Akira. This made her 'affirm' once again that as long as she had her master, she could cheer up.

It's like the master holds a rope connected to the collar around your neck; as long as the master pulls the rope, you, as the slave, can crawl to his side and walk with him...

This sense of 'traction' makes Aiyuan Menghui feel at ease.

If only the hand above my head wasn't on my head, but was gripping my neck instead... Aizono Moe was lost in a somewhat dazed state of mind.

The other two could see that Mengmeng had the expression of a girl in love.

However, neither Hitomi Anri nor Shiori Shirai felt the slightest bit of jealousy towards Moe Aizono.

After all, they knew that for Mengmeng, being able to like someone was already a very rare thing, and who knew how many hurdles she would have to overcome to reach the confession stage.

So for now, it's best not to do anything unnecessary and just let things develop naturally.

However, in reality, Aizono Moe's feelings for Kuroba Akira are different from romantic feelings; most of them are 'subordinate'.

In Aizono Moe's mind, once the affiliation was established, she had already determined her identity and her attitude towards Kuroba Akira—to obey.

She then had only two options: either further erase herself and become 'something belonging to the master'.

Alternatively, they may retain a certain degree of autonomy, becoming servants who are devoted to their masters and, if necessary, even "overthrowing their superiors."

The role she ultimately plays is actually related to the outcome of this literary department's writing competition.

Yes, this competition is not only a contest of creation between the two 'contributors', Shirai Shiori and Anri Hitomi, but also a comparison of choices between the two 'voting parties', Kuroba Akira and Aison Moe.

When Akira Kuroba's choice aligns with Moe Aizono's choice, it proves that the master and servant are of one mind. Moe Aizono can then completely relinquish her own will and simply obey Akira Kuroba (her master) completely from now on. This is definitely the path to the greatest happiness.

But if...

If one truly develops thoughts different from those of the master...

Aiyuan Moe may be able to rediscover the 'self-will' that she lost during her childhood due to her mother's influence.

Then, they were reborn and transformed.

……

Akira Kuroba originally planned to wait for Editor Mori's call in the Literature Club and then tell everyone about the sales figures. However, after the competition was proposed, Shiori Shirai said, just like when she made the bet with Akira Kuroba last time, that she wanted to go back and think about the story properly. So today's club activity was disbanded early.

Last time, Shiori Shirai simply didn't want Akira Kuroba to influence her train of thought, but this time, she really wanted to go home and think things through.

This is because... I want to take my clothes off.

Perhaps it was because Kuroba Akira said to Shirai Shiori, "Authors are all exhibitionists," that Shirai Shiori went through a series of embarrassing moments, including a complete nude prostration that she'll remember for the rest of her life...

For all these reasons, Shiori Shirai has completely fallen in love with the feeling of being completely naked. It's no longer just about taking off her full armor to sleep naked; she locks her room door as soon as she gets home and can't wait to return to her virgin state.

The feeling of her whole body being exposed to the air made her mind feel clear and sparked her inspiration.

Moreover, it's very convenient not to wear it, so you don't have to worry about getting your clothes dirty. If you get stuck, you can vent your frustration anytime, anywhere. When you're holding a pen in your right hand, you can also play with the pen in your left hand, so you can use both hands without any problems... I've already developed a new XP.

However, I can't let even my parents and best friends see me like this... It's too embarrassing!

But if it's Master (Kuroba Akira), it's fine to show it to him... He's already seen it all anyway.

And if he saw it, I feel like I'd get even more excited... I actually kind of want him to see my 'clean' state?

Shiori Shirai thus went further and further down the path of no return as a 'perverted nude author'.

Geniuses all have peculiar quirks... Perhaps after she becomes famous, future generations will judge her in this way.

In short, after the group disbanded, Akira Kuroba went to 'Rainbow Bookstore', the bookstore where Makoto Hikawa worked. It was located to the left of the bridge at the end of the morning run. The first place was a cat cafe, and the second place was the bookstore.

Many customers buy books and then go to the cat cafe next door to read, forming a good symbiotic relationship.

Seeing that Kuroba Akira had come over to "borrow" books again, even Hikawa Makoto, who was organizing the books, couldn't help but complain.

"Kuroba Akira...are you really that free?"

"Oh? A little."

Ever since he bumped into Makoto Hikawa here, Akira Kuroba has come here every day after the Literature Club activities.

There are many reasons. First, I want to delay going home as much as possible to avoid being overwhelmed by Ziyin as soon as I get home. Second, I can read new books here, and since the staff are people I know, I can read books for free without much concern.

Next, I'll check the sales of "Sister's Journey" and finally, I'll try to build a relationship with Hikawa Makoto, hoping to get some information about her sister out of her.

However, Kuroba Akira was well-versed in the art of fishing. He knew that if he tried to talk to a cold, aloof beauty like Hikawa Makoto, she would definitely ignore him. So Kuroba Akira chose to be a "show-off," appearing in her field of vision every day to make his presence known, until she couldn't help but come over and talk to him.

Although it took a week to catch it, it finally took the bait, didn't it?

However, Kuroba Akira didn't show his joy on his face, and instead asked with an innocent expression.

"Is there something you need, Hikawa-kun?"

Hikawa Makoto pulled her hand out of her apron pocket, pinched the bridge of her nose, and said.

"...I'm also a shop assistant here, so I have to warn you, don't look around for too long if you're not going to buy anything."

"But aren't you always reading books too?"

"I'm a staff member here, so I can look at any book as long as it's not a brand new, unopened one."

"How cunning!"

"..."

Hikawa Makoto rolled her eyes. She was going to say, "What's so cunning about this? You can come and work here if you want to see it too." But then she thought that this guy might actually come and work here, and then they would become colleagues... It didn't seem so bad, did it?

After all, Kuroba Akira wasn't like other annoying guys who would come over to chat. Although he came every day, he wasn't there to flirt with him; he was just reading a book...

Hikawa Makoto confirmed that Kuroba Akira was indeed not pretending to read, but genuinely reading, and occasionally glancing up at the bookshelf displaying the light novels created by their literature club, probably also checking the sales figures.

Thinking of this, Hikawa Makoto said.

"If you're here to check the sales figures for your light novel, it's already sold out."

"Oh, if even this place is sold out, it means the work must be selling pretty well, right?"

"It's pretty good..."

However, it's more than just good...

In fact, last week, the store had several times more customers than usual, and most of the new customers came specifically for this light novel. They had sold out at other major bookstores, so they came all the way to this remote little bookstore to buy the novel.

The bookstore district in Jimbocho is located in Chiyoda Ward, where all the latest and secondhand books flow. If you can find this inconspicuous little bookstore, it means that even there, they have no stock left.

This is actually a very impressive thing.

The last time Makoto Hikawa witnessed such a sales boom was when a certain literary giant's new work was released after a three-year hiatus.

Given its strong sales, it's almost certain that it will be reprinted.

A light novel that can sell this many copies can truly be called a 'phenomenal work'.

In other words, it should be possible to make a lot of money.

Hikawa Makoto remembered that there were only four people in the Literature Club, otherwise she wouldn't have come to ask her to join.

Even if this is a collaborative work by the Arts and Literature Department, and the money is split among four people, each person would probably still receive a lot of money.

She's still just a student... and she's already financially independent?

That's amazing...

Hikawa Makoto began to admire the last members of the Literature and Art Club. She had previously thought that the Literature and Art Club was just a small fry that had been defeated by the News Club and was on its last legs.

It now appears that the Literature and Art Department has not only been revived, but has also forged a sharp sword with its pen as a hammer.