Tokyo Soft Rice King.

Then he hugged Kuroba Akira again, and even deliberately pulled off the shoulder straps to make the front panel of the breastplate have a bigger hole.

"Oh, my poor little brother Amin, seeing you getting thinner and thinner breaks my heart!"

Da Hongxiang is completely biased towards Kuroba Akira, but Xiao Hong feels that this is biased.

Although she was very shy, she still chose to stand up for Ziyin and thus replaced Da Hongxiang with someone else.

Kuroba Akira felt the tightness of Hongxiang's embrace weaken. When he looked up, he saw that her expression had changed from bold to shy. It turned out that someone else had taken her place.

Xiao Hong felt her heart beating faster and faster, and her body was trembling, but she still tried her best to muster up the courage to speak.

“Um… Senior Bai, please don’t blame Ziyin too much… We were the ones watching over her when you weren’t around, so I can understand Ziyin’s reaction… She really worked so hard for you…”

Kuroba Akira was too embarrassed to continue pretending to be a baby, so after helping Xiao Hong pull up the shoulder strap, he said with a wry smile.

"I know she works very hard, but now I actually wish she wouldn't have to work so hard..."

"Hey?"

If you try too hard, you might get swallowed up by an S-rank talent.

Until someone can help share the burden of her talents, Akira Kuroba hopes that Shion's progress can be slowed down a bit.

That's why Kuroba Akira gave Shion whatever she wanted, wanting her to immerse herself in the sweetness of love, and this was also advice from her mother.

"With Ziyin's talent, it's only a matter of time before she becomes famous. The problem is that, given her current momentum, she might reach the peak too quickly."

"Is there... a problem with this? Isn't it better to be more famous?"

“If this is what she is pursuing, then there is no problem... but right now she is just in a hurry to beat the game, and she is not ‘enjoying the game’.”

Then, if you blindly pursue efficiency and are led by the nose by karma, then there is a serious problem.

Seeing that Xiao Hong was frowning and seemed not to understand, Kuroba Akira decided to explain from the beginning.

"Xiaohong, are you familiar with Maslow's hierarchy of needs?"

"Yes, I've heard of it. I remember it being divided into five levels..."

"That's right. The most basic are the first level of physiological needs and the second level of safety needs. That's what it means, so I won't go into too much detail. Above that is the third level of love and belonging. Although I'm a little embarrassed to say it myself... I think I should be able to give Ziyin love and belonging."

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about. I also feel that you, Senior Bai, are Ziyin's true love and her destiny."

"But this is only the third level. There is a fourth level of respect needs. This is actually easy to understand. As long as a person achieves success and is recognized by those around them, they will naturally gain self-esteem and self-confidence from it."

Xiao Hong thought of the unfair treatment she received at her previous company and said with a gloomy expression.

"Respect...it's very difficult to gain respect from others..."

"Yes, it's difficult, but it's not difficult for Ziyin because she has the strength to earn respect from others."

Of course, having ability alone does not guarantee respect from others. Those who lack virtue will also be ostracized, and those who are neither talented nor virtuous will be despised by everyone. However, as long as one has overwhelming strength and relatively good character, that is called having both virtue and talent, and people will naturally give them respect.

Although Akira Kuroba felt that Shion should not care about the opinions and evaluations of those around her, part of the reason was Shion's innate personality, and another part was because of the influence of Akira Kuroba, which could also be described as 'couple's resemblance'.

However, Akira Kuroba thinks that Shion would still care more about the people around her or those with blood ties, such as her parents.

However, after Kuroba Akira met and talked with Murasaki Kazuhiro, he realized that this concern was no longer an insurmountable problem.

“I originally thought that Ziyin was kicked out of the house because she did not receive respect from her parents, but that is not the case. I will go home with Ziyin to meet her mother later... so the fourth level of needs is not a problem for her.”

Everything is fine up to this point, but the most crucial part is the final fifth floor.

Having laid the groundwork, Xiao Hong roughly understood Hei Yuming's meaning and said, stroking her chin.

"The fifth level... I remember it's 'self-actualization'."

"That's right, it's self-actualization!"

The need for self-actualization is the full development of an individual's talents and potential in a suitable social environment, the realization of personal ideals and aspirations, and the achievement of full personality development and harmony of character.

There is a strong correlation between fully developing one's talents and realizing one's personal ideals.

This is something that Kuroba Akira only recently figured out: the root cause of being devoured by the karma of talent.

The conclusion is actually very simple, which can be summarized in four words: "not what I wanted".

Even if someone possesses a certain talent, if they cannot realize their dreams through that talent, or are forced to walk a path they do not want to take, they will inevitably be devoured by karma and become a puppet of their talent.

This isn't entirely speculation; it's actually the same principle as 'doing work you don't want to do'.

Kuroba Akira used to love playing games, so he was full of hope and enthusiasm when he first entered the game industry. But reality slapped him hard, telling him that work was just a bunch of defenses.

People are alienated by repetitive, mechanical labor, gradually losing their individuality, and eventually becoming soulless zombies.

So it's not just talented people who get swallowed up by karma; ordinary people are also swept away by the torrent of life, which is called being worn down by reality.

Talented people are often more prone to this predicament, just as powerful effects are often accompanied by strong side effects, which can be considered a kind of 'balance'.

"To be honest, at first I just wanted to make a lot of money by using Ziyin... I was despicable and treated her as a cash cow."

"But does Senior White no longer think that way?"

"Well, it has nothing to do with whether I make money or not. It's just that after I fully accepted Ziyin's love, I paid more attention to her 'mental and physical health'."

After the class monitor exposed his true feelings, Kuroba Akira found what he really wanted to do, and after accepting the feelings directed at him, he became more attentive to their thoughts.

It was only because he had shown them more care than he had for himself that Hikawa Makoto pointed out that his 'excessive gentleness' would lead to Kuroba Akira's self-destruction.

He is now seeking a balance between himself and women.

At this moment, Kuroba Akira also realized that Shion was actually in an 'extreme state' just like herself before, and that the man who was too biased towards her was Kuroba Akira.

This is probably due to the influence of an ancestral tendency to be obsessed with love.

"Just like Xiaohong said, Ziyin is working so hard now all for me. Whether she wants to become a famous voice actress or even a big star, it's all to 'make money for me'... and her current 'unhealthy mentality' is actually my fault."

Kuroba Akira's misguided guidance led Shion into a blind pursuit of money.

These were like sharp thorns, deeply embedded in his heart.

He now wants to make amends for his mistake.

"But Shion seemed really happy when she was chosen for the lead role, didn't she?"

"She's not happy about her achievements, but rather because getting important roles means earning more money and becoming famous faster."

"Hmm...that does seem to be the case..."

When Xiaohong recalled her time at Shiki Agency, the conversations between Shion and Saotome Fuyumi revolved around how much money they could earn.

She originally thought that Ziyin was concerned about the payment because she was responsible for sharing the profits with Senior Bai, but now it seems that Ziyin was just trying to earn money because she didn't want to disappoint Kuroba Akira's expectations.

"However, there should also be a small part of her heart that she feels happy because her voice acting skills, which she has worked hard to improve, have been recognized by the animation director... What I want to do now is to amplify this part and hope that she can focus more on self-realization."

"I see……"

"But from my current position, I can't directly tell Ziyin that I no longer need you to help me make money... If I say something like that, she will think that she is no longer needed, and she won't listen to any further explanations. She might even have a complete breakdown, which would be a big problem."

Xiao Hong nodded in agreement. She could imagine the expression on Zi Yin's face when she heard Hei Yuming say those words. It would definitely make her feel more desperate than if she had discovered that Hei Yuming was having an affair with another woman.

"So it may still be necessary to have some kind of opportunity... an opportunity that will allow Shion to 'enjoy' it."

Once she finds her goal, she'll surely be able to handle even an S-rank talent.

This is also another plan besides finding a buyer to transfer the talent.

This aligns with Akira Kuroba's work style; he doesn't just think of one solution, but rather multiple backup plans, as long as one of them achieves the goal.

After recounting all of this, Xiao Hong finally understood that Kuroba Akira was genuinely doing what was best for Shion.

He no longer uses Ziyin as a collaborator or cohabitant, but as her man, he cares about her physical and mental well-being.

Just as Da Hongxiang said, Kuroba Akira has changed...

They became less 'selfish'.

Kuroba Akira truly fell in love with her, not just because of her appearance, her talent, or her obedience, but because he fell in love with Shion Murasaki no Miyako.

Xiaohong thought it was great, very romantic, and it matched her imagination of a beautiful love.

At this moment, Da Hongxiang thought to herself, "Xiao Hong, don't just think about blessing other people's love, think about your own happiness too!"

Then she continued, "His love for Ziyin hasn't reached the point of 'reckless abandon'! Because of the interference of other women, he's actually in a state of 'philanthropy' right now. He'll think about everyone he's involved with, while also satisfying his own desires. You could say that Amin is currently in the 'best state to conquer'! So Xiaohong, you'd better stand up straight!"

Even if another version of me said that...

Xiao Hong, who had never been in a relationship and even struggled with normal communication, had no idea how to "make an advance".

Fortunately, at this moment, Kuroba Akira took the initiative to show concern.

"Speaking of which, Xiao Hong, what about you? What is your dream?"

"I...I don't know...and I've never thought about it...dreams are too much of a luxury for me..."

"What about Sister Hong?"

The question was given to Da Hongxiang, and Xiao Hong switched personalities to let her answer the question herself.

However, when faced with this question, Da Hongxiang was not as clear as before, and she crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows as she spoke.

"Hmm... I don't know either... After all, after losing my sight and being disfigured in my past life, just trying to survive was already difficult enough... If my dream was to regain my sight, I've already achieved that now... As for other things, I just hope that Xiaohong can overcome her social anxiety. As for what I want to do myself, I haven't really thought about it much..."

"Haha, actually I thought the same thing not long ago. I was just thinking about making money and lying down. After all, we were all losers in our original world."

The fact that he'll remain single his entire life is already quite sad.

"But since we've been lucky enough to get a second chance, I think we should live according to our own wishes to make the most of this second life. Like Grandpa Kobayashi, who started a family in this world and lived a magnificent life."

"really……"

"On the other hand, there is actually a 'role model' right beside us."

"Oh? Ah... do you mean Mr. Yong?"

"Yes, look at Uncle Yong, he's full of energy right now. Once the company goes public and he pays off his debts, he'll be able to bring his wife and daughters back from this world. When the family is reunited, he'll find his place again, thus reaching the third level of his needs. After that, he might want to make a comeback and realize the ideals and ambitions he couldn't achieve before."

"Looking at it this way, Mr. Hijikata is the one among the three of us who has the clearest goals; he has very specific objectives for his efforts..."

"After all, Uncle Yong is different from us. He has merged with himself in this world, so he doesn't have the same sense of loss as us, like that he doesn't belong to this world..."

Kuroba Akira also envied Hijikata Isamu. At first, he envied Hijikata Isamu for not having to learn Japanese himself, but now he envied Hijikata for having very clear life goals.

I wonder if the original Kuroba Akira had any dreams... Speaking of which, Kuroo has never said where his other self's soul went, so it seems there's still a secret hidden.

In short, we should first help Black Tail gather faith, and once she regains her human form, we must use this to force her to reveal the whereabouts of her other self.

Even if you're gone, you still need to know how that other version of yourself died!