Tokyo Soft Rice King.

In response to Hitomi Anri's question, Makoto rolled her eyes and said...

"Where's the happiness? If I hadn't come and helped, we wouldn't have finished drawing at all, right? Tsk, honestly, I shouldn't have interrupted..."

Makoto joined the manga team in early December to help with the artwork. She was mainly responsible for drawing passersby and minor supporting characters, as well as designing the heroine's swimsuit for the character.

On one hand, the overall progress was somewhat behind because Moe took time out to draw the illustrations for the second volume of "Sister's Journey". On the other hand, when Makoto was looking at the finished product, she inadvertently said, "Wouldn't it be better if the shadows here were a bit thicker?"

Then Moe discovered that it was indeed true... and curiously asked Makoto if she was also good at drawing?

Makoto mentioned that she had previously helped draw some costume design sketches, so it seems that her talent in styling design not only helps with 'seeing' but also with 'drawing'.

Most design talents enhance artistic skills to a certain extent.

Although Makoto had already transferred this talent to her younger sister, her previous experience was still there, so she could still draw. Therefore, Akira Kuroba asked her to come and help draw so that they could catch up on the progress they had fallen behind in, and thus they were able to complete the two manga before the final deadline.

Upon hearing Makoto's words, Shiori pouted and said with a resentful expression.

"Wouldn't it have been better if Makoto had joined them? In the end, I was all alone... It felt like I was the only one left out..."

I'm clearly Mengmeng's best friend...

Menghui quickly offered words of comfort.

"Shiori, you've already done the most important work! Without your story, we wouldn't even be able to start drawing, so you're the biggest contributor!"

"Alright, alright, Mengmeng, you don't need to comfort me. Who told me I'm the only one who can't draw? I'm at most a third of the original work... Everyone knows that you and Mingjun are the biggest contributors."

Aiyuan Moe knew that she could never have completed the manuscripts of the two short comics to such a high quality by herself, and her heart was filled with gratitude for everyone.

This reminded her of her past experiences in the manga club where her seniors would force her to draw manga... In contrast, it was the arts club, which wasn't in the manga club, that actually helped her fulfill her dream... This brought tears to Aizono Moe's eyes.

"But it would have been impossible for me to draw such a wonderful comic by myself... I really, really thank you all..."

Kuroba Akira patted Moe's head on behalf of everyone.

"Alright, it's good that you finished... Now we'll see the results!"

"Um...! I... I'll put both of your names in the credits! And everyone else too!"

Anri Hitomi said with a smile.

"We don't need to write our names. After all, we're just assistants. You two think so too, right?"

Future nodded in agreement.

"Yes, yes, the credits usually only include the original author's and the comic artist's names! That's common knowledge in the industry!"

Makoto frowned as she spoke.

“Writing everything would be too much, and I don’t care anyway… If you’re going to remember anything, just remember Akira and Shiori’s names. They’re the original authors, right?”

Akira Kuroba and Shiori Shirai exchanged a glance and smiled at each other, sharing the same thought.

Shiori Shirai took out a sample copy of the second volume of "Imouto Yuu" and pointed to the cover.

"Let's use the same 'Bai Zi' in the original work. This pen name can represent both me and Mingjun at the same time."

"it is good!"

Moe nodded in agreement, and Makoto then remembered that the author of that light novel was Shiroko, so it turned out to be a joint pen name of the two of them.

That novel was indeed co-written by the two of them...

However, Shiro and Shirai Shiori are understandable, but what does she have to do with Kuroba Akira? Black and white? Got it?

Then Shiori smiled and thanked Makoto for helping her with the polishing.

"I also have to thank Makoto. Not only did she help me polish it, but she also pointed out several emotional changes in the characters that I hadn't noticed. Thanks to you, I was able to finish the manuscript of the second volume smoothly."

Kuroba Akira gave the two of them two thumbs up.

"That's right, you two did a fantastic job! Editor Mori raved about Volume 2, even giving it a higher rating than Volume 1. If it becomes a bestseller, Makoto will definitely have a share of the credit! And you'll get a cut of the royalties too!"

"No need... I've already gotten what I wanted anyway."

Makoto hadn't been praised like this in a long time. To hide her shyness, she took out the new guitar that Akira Kuroba had bought for her, strummed the strings, and began to play a cheerful celebratory tune.

It's clear that she was actually quite happy to have successfully completed her first large-scale event as a member of the Arts and Literature Department, but she just didn't show it like the others.

This guitar was bought for Makoto by Akira Kuroba when they went on another date together.

It wasn't a particularly expensive guitar, but it was the one she carefully auditioned and chose as the most suitable for her. Makoto loved it so much that she carried it to school every day, completely transforming into a band girl.

But because of Makoto's icy demeanor, people get the impression that the guitar case she carries every day doesn't contain a guitar, but a sniper rifle, and that she is actually an assassin for some organization... Everyone is talking about this, and it has even become a hot topic in the news department for a while.

Later, everyone discovered that the Literature and Art Club would occasionally play beautiful music, and the performer was none other than Hikawa Makoto. Then everyone remembered that she was also the one who performed on stage on the first day of the cultural festival.

The main reason is that Shion's concert on the second day of the cultural festival left such a deep impression that most people forgot that Makoto replaced Mirai on the first day... It turns out that she really loves music.

Later, even more people tried to poach Makoto, but Hitomi Anri chased them away.

Another reason why Makoto loves this guitar so much that she carries it with her is... every time she sees this guitar, she recalls the wonderful experience of playing the guitar in harmony with Akira Kuroba at the love hotel after buying it that day.

I go to those places that specialize in doing that kind of thing, not for any other reason than to have fun! Just enjoy it!

The whole process can be summarized as follows: forging ahead against the current, hitting it off immediately, seamless collaboration, complementing each other, echoing each other, harmonious and eloquent, flowing smoothly and endlessly, leaving a lasting impression...

In the end, Makoto couldn't even walk anymore, and Akira Kuroba carried her home.

Then, on his way back to Kobayashi's house, Kuroba Akira received a text message from Makoto. Her tone was still polite, but there was a sense of urgency in it. She also bluntly told him that he must inform her before going on a date with her sister, and not to "ambush" her or "do such reckless things" again.

Akira Kuroba sensed that Makoto might be referring to his and her sister's trip to the love hotel, but he was also puzzled as to how Makoto knew. Had she been following them the whole time? And the warning was rather subtle...

After showing it to Makoto, the older sister confidently declared, "My little sister is definitely lonely by herself! Let's all go together next time!" Kuroba Akira, however, felt that this was not the case at all.

However, he eventually followed Makoto's rule and would always inform her before arranging a roster with her, and only go to see her after she replied, "Okay, I understand, please be gentle."

And, Makoto actually did suggest a threesome to Makoto, the kind of date that would end with them going to a love hotel... but Makoto righteously refused, saying that 'being responsible for life doesn't mean being responsible for physiology,' which Kuroba Akira thought made a lot of sense.

He was thinking that if Shinran agreed, wouldn't they be having a sister-on-don? But Kuroo's power-up hadn't arrived yet, and he was a little overwhelmed...

Whether it's fortunate or regrettable... in short, we didn't get to eat it in the end.

Mother or sisters, you can only choose one?

Chapter 339 A Christmas Party at Takanashi's House

Incidentally, during their date, Akira Kuroba asked Makoto how she felt about losing her talent. Makoto replied that it didn't have a big impact on her daily life, but she did feel a significant change.

For example, she might feel that her eye for detail is not as sharp as before, and she can no longer spot any discord in the other person's overall image at a glance, nor can she immediately imagine the most suitable outfit in her mind.

However, after losing this ability, Makoto said that she actually felt more relaxed because her obsessive-compulsive disorder was cured.

Before, when she saw someone dressed inappropriately on the street, she would frown, as if there was a stain on her white shirt. She would feel extremely uncomfortable, which would also worsen her mood, which is why she always had a stern face. But now she doesn't have that kind of trouble at all.

In fact, her aesthetic sense hasn't declined, because her past experience and proficiency are all accumulated by herself, so her personal style is still very fashionable. It's just that without the added advantage of talent, she will probably start to hesitate when choosing clothes in the future.

But she said it was good this way, because shopping used to be so boring. When buying clothes, she could spot the ones that suited her best from the pile of clothes at a glance, and then she only had to consider the price and budget.

Now you can shop around like any other girl, enjoying the fun of choosing items and deciding which one to buy.

After hearing this, Kuroba Akira thought that Makoto was incredibly optimistic. Only someone like her could think that the benefits outweighed the drawbacks after losing her top-tier talent.

Finally, Makoto 'threatened' Kuroba Akira, saying that if he wanted to buy clothes again in the future, he could still ask her for help, but it would definitely take much longer than before. Since boys generally don't like shopping, if Kuroba Akira didn't want to waste time, he should ask Makoto out so she could help him, and of course, Makoto would come along too.

Kuroba Akira knew that Makoto's true intentions were not what they seemed, and that she hadn't given up on her plan to drag her sister into the mess.

It seems that ever since she got involved in a date with the class president, she developed an interest in group sex... While other girls prefer to have their own, Makoto prefers having more people, feeling that just the two of them aren't exciting enough.

Actually, the reason why Kuroba Akira went on a date off-campus with the class president was because of Makoto. Although, ever since that chaotic scene at lunchtime, Makoto, just as she said, stopped causing trouble for the class president during lunch break.

However, what followed was that the students, who were just watching the drama unfold, once again turned their attention to Kuroba Akira and Anri Hitomi, the couple who should have been a model school couple.

Normally, when Kuroba Akira and Anri Hitomi are together, they unleash a barrage of high-flash bombs, so everyone stops paying attention to this silly couple, giving them the opportunity to secretly run wild all over the school.

But the addition of Makoto as a third party this time reignited the previous rumors of a love triangle, and then everyone was under scrutiny, so it was no longer possible to have casual dates at school like before.

Then, because she had to help with drawing in the art club after school, and her weekends were divided up by Shion and Takanashi's family, Anri Hitomi didn't have much time to be alone with Kuroba Akira, and a lot of pressure accumulated in her heart.

Anri Hitomi knew that if she chose to keep it to herself, she would only feel worse and worse. Kuroba Akira's time and energy were no longer enough for him to notice the changes in her hidden feelings. So even though she felt a little ashamed, Anri Hitomi still took the initiative to ask Kuroba Akira out on Friday. Moreover, she told him from the beginning that this was a special date with a very clear purpose.

Then Makoto caught him.

Makoto insisted on coming along, and in the end, the class president couldn't do anything about it. He said that she could come in and watch, but he wouldn't give her any Xiaoming, because this was her turn, and Makoto would have to wait until her turn if she wanted it.

Originally, this was meant to discourage her, but Makoto actually agreed and followed me to the love hotel. She then watched the whole thing and eventually took care of it herself.

After that, I don't know what kind of fetish Makoto developed, but even if it wasn't her turn, she would still go with them every time... Maybe seeing the class president's dazed yet joyful expression made her discover a new world.

Later, after Kuroba Akira and Anri Hitomi finished bathing together, Makoto, before they checked out, demanded to have her turn, insisting that Kuroba Akira continue. She then deliberately provoked Anri Hitomi by saying, "It's my turn now. Unrelated people, please leave. Or... Hitomi, are you going to just 'watch' from the sidelines?"

Hitomi Anri stared at Makoto with a smile as thin as a soybean, unsure whether to leave or stay.

It can only be said that Makoto really understands Hitomi Anri and knows the best way to anger her, which is to retaliate against her in the same way that Shion used to retaliate against Akira Kuroba.

In the online culture that Kuroba Akira is familiar with, this is generally referred to as a 'boomerang slap in the face'.

Kuroba Akira originally wanted to refuse, but his little Akira wouldn't listen to him, and Makoto was making particularly rapid progress in this area, and was also very open-minded, able to do all sorts of things, which amused Akira so much that he didn't want to go home.

This situation is like eating a bite of rice followed by a bite of vegetables, one bite after another, and you just can't stop.

What's even more surreal is that, because he had promised Makoto that he would notify her in advance when he made a date with her sister, Kuroba Akira had to send a message to Makoto while being served by Makoto to ask if he could humiliate her sister. Meanwhile, the class president was watching Makoto squatting in front of Kuroba Akira, sucking and taking liberties, but she couldn't stop her, since she herself had made the rules.

Kuroba Akira felt like his brain was turning to mush. On one hand, he felt great, but on the other hand, he felt very strange...

Because incorporating identity terms creates a situation that is incomprehensible to ordinary people.

When he was in a hotel with his girlfriend, he wanted to bring his friends along, but they weren't allowed to join. After he finished with his girlfriend, before he even checked out, one of his friends said he wanted to join the game. He also wanted to report this to his friend's sister. Meanwhile, his girlfriend was watching helplessly as her boyfriend started a new game.

Then, the girlfriend, the volleyball player, and the volleyball player's sister—these three were childhood sweethearts.

?

What the hell?

Finally, Kuroba Akira couldn't stand the strange feeling that made him feel so good, so he told them he wanted to go home.

Knowing that Kuroba Akira would fall into Shion's arms upon returning home, Anri Hitomi had no choice but to stop her confrontation with Makoto and reach a temporary agreement with this troublesome rival: from now on, the three of them would go on dates outside of school together.

This is why the relationship between Hikawa Makoto and Anri Hitomi has improved; it's because they've truly become best friends.

In addition, since she had already obtained the musical instrument, Makoto quit her part-time job at the bookstore, which is why she had so much time to help draw manga.

After receiving the original manga manuscript from Aizono Moe, Kuroba Akira said this.

"Then I'll send it to the editorial department. How about we call this baseball manga submitted to Shonen BOOM 'Soul Battery'?"

"Battery" refers to the pitcher-catcher pairing in baseball, and "soul" means soul. The literal translation is "soul pitcher-catcher," which is abbreviated as...SB.