Tokyo Soft Rice King.

Knowing all this and still remaining so calm... do you not take me seriously at all?

You're still as confident and arrogant as ever, thinking you have everything under your control, huh...

Hikawa Makoto sneered, grabbed Kuroba Akira's arm, and without saying a word to Anri Hitomi, pulled Kuroba Akira outside, saying, "Don't pay attention to that boring woman, come with me!"

The surrounding area erupted in another uproar.

Hikawa Makoto is declaring war!

This immediately caused a stir among all the students who were watching. They went home immediately without even finishing get out of class, which was a real bargain!

Ryota Sumitomo stared in disbelief at the scene. When did Akira Kuroba start hooking up with Makoto Hikawa?

Although Sumitomo Ryota and Hikawa Makoto weren't very close, she was, after all, his friend's younger sister, so he couldn't help but ask Anri Hitomi.

"Hey, Hitomi..."

As if she knew what he was going to ask, Anri Hitomi gave him the answer first.

"They were just going to watch the real orange game together."

"Uh... Zhencheng's competition? Oh, the National Women's High School Kendo Tournament."

Ryota Sumitomo remembered that Makoto Saionji had mentioned this before, but she hadn't invited them over to cheer her on.

It should be said that she never invited anyone to watch her matches. Saionji Machi cares a lot about other people's affairs, but she lacks concern for her own affairs, to the point of being indifferent to herself.

"Speaking of which, do you know why Makoto learned kendo? When she was little, she was probably more of an indoor pianist, so why did she give up playing the piano and start learning kendo instead?"

"Well... I don't know either. Zhencheng doesn't talk much about herself. Maybe she just suddenly became interested in a sport, like me."

"Yes, your physique has definitely improved since you started learning boxing."

"Really? Thank you for the compliment."

If it were in the past, hearing Xiaotong praise him would have made him happy for a long time.

But the fact that he can now respond naturally shows that he has indeed let go.

He had indeed changed... but Sumitomo Ryota didn't dislike the change. He felt that he was growing both physically and mentally, becoming stronger.

"Why didn't Xiaotong come along?"

"My reason for not going is the same as yours, Sumitomo-kun. None of us 'childhood friends' have been invited by her to watch the game, which means that what she needs right now is not our cheering."

"Uh……"

Is he still called 'Sumitomo-kun'...?

It seems that Xiaotong still hasn't forgiven herself.

However, he certainly deserved it for using the wrong methods.

"Sumitomo-kun, you probably don't care about such trivial matters. After all, you're the type who can make new friends quickly anywhere, so your childhood friend probably isn't that important to you. But for some of us, it's something we'll care about for a lifetime."

Ryota Sumitomo scratched his head and tried to explain himself.

"It feels like you're calling me heartless, Hitomi... I still keep in touch with my old friends, okay? I even play soccer with Souji sometimes."

And if we really want to get to the bottom of this, it was Xiaotong who chose to leave first, which led to the five of us who used to have such a good relationship becoming the kind of people who feel awkward when we meet now.

Although Sumitomo Ryota didn't say it aloud, Anri Hitomi had already guessed what he was thinking.

Although she felt she had let go, perhaps there was still a corner in her heart that couldn't let go of this matter, otherwise she should have forgotten it long ago.

"Well... if things go well with Mingjun, let's get together again after all this time. I want to apologize to you all in person then. No matter the reason, it was my fault for breaking off our friendship back then."

"..."

Ryota Sumitomo opened his mouth in surprise. He knew that Hitomi Anri was also the type who seemed gentle but was actually quite unyielding.

The fact that she never apologized for what happened in the past shows that she doesn't regret her choices.

But now Hitomi Anri has actually chosen to 'back down'.

Admitting that it was her fault and that she had caused a rift in everyone's relationship, and being willing to apologize properly, is completely unlike her usual style.

"Xiaotong, you've changed a lot too. Has he really influenced you?"

Have I changed?

“In the past, you wouldn’t have thought about making up for past mistakes; instead, you would have looked forward and let the past be the past.”

Anri Hitomi tapped her chin and thought for a moment. She realized that she used to be the type who wouldn't dwell on past mistakes, since there was no point in doing so.

"Well... actually, I didn't want to salvage anything this time. Even if I apologized to you, I didn't expect to get your forgiveness. I just wanted to put a proper end to this relationship."

"It doesn't necessarily have to be a period, right? We can still go out and have fun together in the future! We can also bring Ah Ming and other friends! The more people, the more fun it will be!"

"It's a period, because we can't just play together like we used to... But Ryota, you and Soujiro should still be able to play together like before, and Akira can probably play with you guys too, hehe."

"Oh yeah, then I'll invite Amin next time I go to play football."

"Then I suggest you don't, or you might be cursed by an unlucky woman, you know?"

"Uh...you're not the 'wolf in trouble' woman you're referring to, are you...?"

"Hehe... I actually wish I were the only one here."

The friendship between simple boys is natural and pure. Even if they haven't seen each other for a long time, they can still laugh and joke around like before.

That's truly enviable.

But relationships between girls are not so simple.

Whether it's Takanashi Mirai, Saionji Makoto, or Hikawa Makoto, they are all people who have reconnected with their past karma.

However, because he was afraid to face the mistakes he had made in the past, he pushed all these troubles onto Kuroba Akira, which caused fate to entangle him as well, and even turned into a 'marriage'.

I realized that I had unknowingly become dependent on him.

Hitomi Anri believed that Akira Kuroba would be able to resolve the issue with the twin sisters this time, just as he had resolved the conflict with the Takanashi family's matriarch...

But the consequence is that he will once again have some of his 'time' taken up by other women.

Kuroba Akira's time is limited. If the number of women continues to increase, even if he manages to marry Kuroba Akira and become his legal wife by the time he turns thirty, he will still have to dedicate most of his time to it.

No matter how powerful Kuroba Akira is, he is still just an ordinary man in terms of his physical structure, and it is impossible for him to handle so many women at the same time.

But those women who get their hands on the sweetness and then push their luck will want more time, otherwise they'll become unstable bombs and drag everyone down with them.

Hitomi Anri realized that this problem would inevitably become the biggest contradiction in the future.

In order to uncover Kuroba Akira's true feelings and extract his purest emotions, Anri Hitomi uses those women as nourishment for Kuroba Akira's growth. However, those women are not convenient beings who will lose their memories after being conquered. Instead, they become burdens hanging behind him, constantly draining Kuroba Akira's limited energy and time.

So sometimes, dark thoughts would pop into Anri Hitomi's mind, wishing that these women would disappear from the face of the earth immediately after they had done their job.

Unfortunately, there wasn't a convenient button to make someone disappear with a single press, and killing them all wasn't realistic either, so Hitomi Anri could only start thinking about how to 'clean up the mess'.

In fact, based on her 'experience' in the Literature and Art Department, she already had a pretty good idea.

That is to establish a 'cycle of karma' in Akira Kuroba's harem.

Simply put, the idea is to create more work-related connections between all the women who fall for Akira Kuroba, so that each of them will focus more on their own 'careers' and consequently spend less time with Akira Kuroba.

Just like Shiori Shirai and Moe Aizono, although they were best friends before, they didn't actually have much interaction in their respective fields of expertise before Akira Kuroba joined the Literature Club.

Now that we have a collaborative creative relationship, there will be more business exchanges in the future, the focus of our careers will increase, and the time for dating will decrease.

Furthermore, if both of them fall in love with Kuroba Akira, they will reach a delicate balance by taking care of each other, and neither of them will dare to break the status quo and take it any further.

They actually took advantage of the difficulty of balancing career and love to bring their romantic relationships to a standstill.

However, to implement this method, Kuroba Akira's assistance is still needed, and there will also be issues of feelings and compatibility in actual operation.

However, if the plan succeeds and the pairings are completed, she will become the 'only' person to stay by Kuroba Akira's side.

Of course, this is also an ideal result derived from the analysis of the current situation.

All I can say is, I hope there won't be another woman who tries to take even this close-up position from me.

If it still happens then...

Then we might really need to consider whether it would be better to 'remove' it.

Chapter 310 In the Dream of Selflessness

For some time now, Saionji Machi has felt like she's living in a dream, everything is hazy and indistinct.

Ever since that day when she held Akira Kuroba's hand in the movie theater, she felt like she was a 'different person'.

This is quite different from the feeling of being drunk. When you're drunk, you're actually talking nonsense out of control, not knowing what you're saying or doing, so you basically forget what you did after you sober up.

Saionji Machi, on the other hand, is fully aware of what she is doing and can see her own actions, but the 'instructions' are not issued by her.

It's like AI has taken over your computer; something has possessed you.

At first, she felt very scared and thought she had been given a suggestion, hypnotized, or brainwashed, but she soon found that she was acting in the way she "expected".

Moreover, she did a great job, better than me, she was practically a figure who only existed in theory.

So she quickly realized that her current "self-disciplined actions" in the outside world were based on the image of the "ideal perfect older sister".

They are able to offer care and support when others need it, whether it's a small trouble in life or a major decision, they will listen patiently and give sincere advice.

As a role model for students, he inspires those around him in both academics and extracurricular activities, demonstrating maturity and intellect.

They don't rely too much on others, can face various problems in their own way, and are strong while also having their own opinions.

They also have a good sense of humor, and their occasional jokes and relaxed way of getting along make everyone feel that they are an easy person to get along with, preventing the atmosphere from becoming heavy and easily defusing awkward situations.

That's right... just like my former sister and Hitomi Anri.

Those two were once the objects of Saionji Mato's admiration.

I don't even want to be able to keep up with them, let alone stand shoulder to shoulder with them... I really want to become as confident as they are.

Perhaps her older sister saw through her own thoughts, which is why she entrusted her entire life to her when her parents divorced.

From the beginning, my older sister has always understood my thoughts and was aware of my shortcomings and deficiencies. Even when I made mistakes, my older sister never criticized me. She would unconditionally tolerate me and stand by my side.

Sometimes even Saionji Machi felt that her older sister cared for her even more than her parents. Whatever she wanted, her sister was willing to share it with her.

However, this companionship also caused Saionji Mato, the younger sister, to gradually lose her own thoughts and become an incompetent younger sister who "can't do anything without her older sister."

I truly began to realize the 'gap' from the day I was separated from my sister.

Although her older sister said that as long as she used the name Saionji Mato, she could do whatever she wanted, she had no personality since childhood and had no idea what 'what she wanted to do' was, so she subconsciously imitated her older sister.