Tokyo Soft Rice King.

Having prepared himself mentally, Kuroba Akira opened the door to Kobayashi's house, where the ever-present Shion greeted him with a smile and welcomed him home.

"Welcome back, Your Majesty. Go take a bath first; I've already prepared the water."

Even the option of asking three questions upon returning home was reduced to just one, and Kuroba Akira was directly told to go and wash himself clean.

Is this the start of a cycle where I'll be punished as soon as I get back?

However, Kuroba Akira dared not disobey the angry Lady Shion, and could only present the offerings and sweets before being obediently pushed into the bathroom.

In fact, before leaving the hotel, Kuroba Akira had already thoroughly washed himself and controlled himself, so as not to waste time repeatedly washing himself while he was washing with Makoto because he was too excited.

However, Shion insisted on washing Kuroba Akira clean herself, as if only by doing so could she feel that her boyfriend, who had been fooling around outside, had become 'clean' again.

When Kuroba Akira messaged her saying he would be back late tonight, she already knew what he was going to do, and she felt uneasy.

However, using intimidation to control a beloved man will inevitably backfire and lead to betrayal... so a wise ruler should be allowed to breathe.

So today it was really just a normal shower, maybe a quick back rub at most.

Even after returning to his room from his bath, Kuroba Akira had already obediently lay down, waiting for Lady Shion's punishment. But today, Shion gently stroked his face and said to him, "Akira-kun looks very tired. Don't overexert yourself today. I can bear it."

Kuroba Akira was deeply moved, feeling as if an angelic halo had appeared above the head of a succubus.

After leaving a mark on Akira Kuroba's heart with excessive punishment, even the slightest forgiveness would elicit tears of gratitude from him. Ms. Shion learned to use both kindness and severity in love, and thus mastered Akira Kuroba's psychology.

As mentioned before, men are drawn to contrasts, and for Ziyin, whose acting skills are top-notch, conveying contrasts is an easy task.

　Sometimes gentle, sometimes tough, capable of being both assertive and submissive, she switches between these roles with ease...

In the process of conquering her boyfriend and competing with other women, the ever-changing witch is undergoing a transformation and evolution.

Overjoyed at not being punished by going home, Kuroba Akira did not immediately lie down to enjoy the rare peace and quiet. Instead, he got up, dressed, took out his phone, and opened the laptop that Hijikata had given him.

He also needs to record the inspiration that came to him while watching the game today, otherwise if he forgets that sense of paneling after sleeping, the name of the comic will continue to be difficult to come up with.

Ziyin didn't sleep either, but stayed by Kuroba Akira's side to keep her beloved man company.

However, in order not to interfere with his work, Ziyin chose to lean back against her man, so that she could feel his body temperature and presence, and also feel a sense of security and reliance.

Sometimes, she felt that she didn't necessarily have to be so close to Kuroba Akira that there was no distance between them. Just being able to lean on each other like this, without being face to face, would also bring her a sense of happiness and satisfaction.

Can other women understand this kind of love?

They are probably still indulging in pleasure.

I've already moved past that stage.

As the woman who eats the most, Ziyin has begun to pursue a higher level of spiritual connection.

Even so, Shion has no intention of reducing the number of times she can have fun with Kuroba Akira. No matter how busy she is with work, she will make sure that they have time to share.

Hmph... You thieving cats, go ahead and scramble for the 'leftovers' that I've 'diluted'.

Although she had said some harsh words in her mind, Ms. Ziyin's attitude had actually softened compared to before, and it could even be said that she was "ceding territory and paying reparations".

Initially, she was extremely averse to even Anri Hitomi, and simply could not accept the disgusting thing that Kuroba Akira had been tainted by Anri Hitomi.

However, during the cultural festival incident, due to Hitomi Anri's plan, Ms. Shion was ultimately forced to sign a sharing agreement with her. She could only accept the polarized situation and, no matter how much she hated that woman, she could only acquiesce to her existence.

Even now, knowing that Kuroba Akira has the worst fetish for the women in the family, she can't change him because she knows she doesn't have the words to persuade him, nor can she make him give up the fatal temptation of 'collecting 1HP underwear'.

This face, which most women would envy... is ultimately not great enough.

At least for a wise ruler, appearance is not the most important factor and cannot be the most crucial 'winning opportunity'.

To put it more bluntly, she knew that Kuroba Akira didn't consider her his 'only true love'.

However, Ziyin has now accepted this fact that made her very sad.

Although she felt wronged at first, after all, Kuroba Akira was her only true love, and she never thought that she would fall in love with another man in this life.

He was her only one, but she wasn't his only one. This felt somewhat unequal and was hard to accept, but there was nothing she could do... Who told her to fall in love with such a bad man?

Moreover, after overhearing Kuroba Akira and Hongxiang's conversation, Ziyin was able to put herself in their shoes to some extent.

Ziyin didn't know much about other women, but she could understand Hongxiang's thoughts, who had always been by her side.

Actually, they are the same as me... Sister Hong and Xiao Hong, their feelings for Mingjun are also genuine.

Although they also harbored deep feelings for the wise ruler, they still prioritized their own feelings and chose not to fight for it, but rather to give themselves the lion's share...

Compared to this, wouldn't I seem like a narrow-minded woman?

Then, reflecting on this, Ziyin suddenly realized that Anli Tong was probably using her possessiveness to steal Mingjun's affections with a gentle embrace when he was being pushed to the brink, making his heart lean more towards her.

What a cunning woman!

However, having learned her lesson, Ziyin realized that cunning is a very important trait for women.

I'm still too straightforward, which is why I always suffer losses... As a woman, you need to learn to be cunning.

To broaden your horizons, you need to use more cunning methods to slowly 'nibble away' at the heart of the man you love.

Now that things have come to this, Ziyin finally realizes that love is a tug-of-war, and it depends on who 'occupies' more territory.

This is a tug-of-war involving multiple parties, and a winner cannot be determined immediately, so we must not be impatient for quick results.

However, as long as one gradually builds up goodwill, eventually making the wise ruler's affection for one greater than his affection for other women, then it is not impossible to go from 'special' to 'unique'.

Having grasped this principle, Ziyin's ambition in love rekindled, but this time she learned to 'lie low'.

Today's back-to-back meeting marks the beginning of a new start, and she vows not to lose any more of the wise ruler's favor towards her.

In the increasingly intense and fiercely competitive love war, Shion Murasaki's love brain has been upgraded, abandoning 'blindness' and acquiring 'scheming'.

Only at this moment did she finally catch up with Anri Hitomi's level of skill.

Originally, if things had continued in this tug-of-war, Hitomi Anri, who had a promise with Akira Kuroba to turn thirty, would have emerged victorious. However, Shion, one of the seeded players, has now evolved once again.

Next comes the evenly matched competition between the two sides.

As for Kuroba Akira, who was both the territory and the spoils of love, she was busy until late at night before finally finishing recording the inspiration she had gained that day.

The main task was to design the storyboards that he felt were the most important and impactful, much like the key plot points in a novel. By setting these as 'anchors,' other parts could naturally expand upon them.

After finishing, Kuroba Akira breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally settled the name within the week, so he could start drawing the manga next week. In the meantime, he also needed to work with Shiori to completely refine the second volume of "Imouto Yuu".

This period until the end of the year will be quite busy.

But Akira Kuroba felt very happy.

This feeling of moving forward together with his colleagues in their career gave him a real sense of accomplishment.

The main issue is that, on the other hand, when it comes to building the website, Kuroba Akira can only help in the initial blueprint stage. Once development begins, he becomes a mascot and is of no use at all, so he doesn't feel much involvement.

Recently, every now and then, Hijikata-san would come to report the progress to Kuroba Akira, the nominal chairman. I heard that everything is going smoothly. In any case, the traffic of the danmaku website is getting bigger and bigger, which is good for the future (double meaning).

Speaking of which, I promised to go to her house for two days this week, so I can check how many followers she has, how the reaction was to that live video, and about Winter CM.

But if I'm not home for the whole weekend, Ziyin will probably be angry...

Kuroba Akira closed his laptop and turned around, only to have Shion's body fall straight into his arms.

Seeing her with her eyes closed and breathing evenly, Kuroba Akira realized that it was too late and Shion had already fallen asleep.

Ziyin has been getting busier and busier with work lately. According to Hongjie, Director Fuyumi has already arranged for her to do voice acting for the next anime series, and is also considering having her do commercials.

It seems that the day when Ziyin officially appears in the public eye is not far off.

I have this illusion that Shion is getting further and further away from me... I hope it's just an illusion.

Kuroba Akira gently laid Shion down, looking at her peaceful sleeping face. He couldn't help but lean down and gently approach her, feeling her warm breath brush against his cheek.

In the stillness of the night, their heartbeats gradually synchronized.

Kuroba Akira gently kissed her lips. It was a tender and affectionate kiss, devoid of any desire, filled only with tenderness and love.

"Good night."

After turning off the lights and returning, Kuroba Akira lay down next to her on the lower bunk. To avoid waking Shion, he didn't hug her, but simply turned to his side and fell asleep, inhaling the scent of her hair.

After Kuroba Akira fell asleep, Shion's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes. Looking at her beloved's sleeping face, a faint smile appeared on her lips.

She had actually been pretending to be asleep the whole time, but her acting skills were so good that Kuroba Akira wouldn't notice.

Ziyin turned to face Kuroba Akira, tilted her head back and planted a gentle and careful kiss on him, filled with deep affection and sweetness.

She had just felt Kuroba Akira's love for her, and now her love was also welling up from the softest part of her heart. Their love intertwined, as if their souls were closely connected at this moment.

I really like you... Wise ruler...

I love everything about you, so much so that I'm willing to give anything for you...

After a long while, their lips parted. Ziyin was filled with reluctance. The touch between their lips intoxicated her, but she knew that if she didn't restrain herself, she would be tempted to use her taste buds to stir the mixture, which would wake the Emperor.

After pursing her lips, Ziyin gently rested her head on his shoulder, held his hand, her fingertips touching, feeling his body temperature and breath, and closed her eyes again.

This time I really need to sleep.

Although it lacked the warmth of our previous nights spent cuddling and falling asleep together, the tranquility of today is all the more etched in my memory.

When we've walked through every stage of life together, and look back, we'll remember nights like this, snuggling together...

Then, when they become an old man and woman, Mingjun discovers that they've been sleeping together since then, and it's been the same ever since they grew old...

At that time, I will feel the highest love and happiness.

Ziyin no longer sought fleeting pleasure; she began to pursue a more advanced form of love.

That was the heaviest kind of love...

Its name is: Eternity

I just want to be with him forever, until the end of time.

Chapter 319 Returning to Takanashi's Home

On Saturday morning, Akira Kuroba returned to Takanashi's house as if it were his own home.

After he skillfully opened the door with his key, Aunt Qiu, who was making breakfast, came out to greet him as he took off his shoes in the entryway.

Then, instead of saying polite words like "welcome to our home," Aunt Qiuzi greeted him as if he were her own husband who had worked all night. She said things like, "You're back. Breakfast is almost ready. Let's eat together later." These words, though not overtly caring, made him feel as warm as if he were back home.

Kuroba Akira had lost his initial awkwardness and politeness. After taking off his shoes and putting them in their proper place in the shoe cabinet, he followed Aunt Akiko into the Takanashi family's living room.

He knew that Aunt Qiu would prepare breakfast for him, so he came over without eating anything.

Before even reaching the dining table, the aroma of fried eggs and miso soup filled the air. After Akira Kuroba sat down, Aunt Akiko, wearing a light pink apron, placed the freshly fried salmon on Akira Kuroba's plate with natural and gentle movements, as if this scene had been repeated a thousand times.