Tokyo Soft Rice King.

However, the person he was waiting for this time was not the members of the Literature Club, but Saionji Machi, whom he hadn't seen in a long time. The two had agreed to meet here.

At exactly 8:30, Saionji Machi appeared at the stairwell right on time. Today she was wearing a knitted sweater and a coat, a very mature style, and she didn't look like a JK (high school girl) but more like a JD (female college student).

Before Kuroba Akira could even greet her, Makoto had already spotted him and was waving as she walked toward him.

Kuroba Akira took out the hot coffee he had just bought from his pocket and handed it to her. Makoto took the coffee, thanked him, and sighed.

"Thank you... It's so cold, but there are still so many people."

"That's an extraordinary number. I estimate that around 500,000 people will gather here over these three days."

"That's an astonishing number... But does that mean so many people have come together because of a shared hobby? That's amazing..."

As a model student, Saionji Mato rarely goes to karaoke, let alone such a large-scale doujinshi convention held twice a year. She had probably only heard of it before, but never thought that she would participate in it herself one day.

Although it was also Kuroba Akira's first time at CM, he knew quite a lot about it, not from a proper investigation, but from reading novels like "Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend" and manga like "Genshiken".

However, he worked in Shanghai in his previous life and attended many anime conventions. He also went on business trips to the Tokyo Game Show, so compared to Zhencheng, he can still be considered a veteran.

"Let's go then, let's go to East 1 first."

"Aren't we waiting for the others?"

"Your sister and her group went there early as exhibitors, and they should be setting up their booths now, probably already selling their products."

"Then why didn't you go and help, Kuroba-kun?"

"Well... haha, it's just because I'm lazy."

Kuroba Akira chuckled awkwardly and scratched his head, coming up with a shameless excuse, but the real reason was that he felt that if he went alone, they might investigate his 'escape on Christmas Eve'.

After Christmas, Mirai kept inviting Kuroba Akira to come to her house to play and stay every day, and even asked Akiko to come over as a babysitter and act as a go-between, but Kuroba Akira declined with various excuses.

On the one hand, I wanted to give my body and my little brother Xiaoming a good rest, and on the other hand, I wanted them to cool down and calm down.

Zhencheng, being quick-witted, realized that Kuroba Akira was using her as a shield when he asked her to go with him.

Although Makoto didn't know exactly what happened on Christmas Eve, the fact that Kuroba Akira didn't send any messages to report, and that his sister was sullen for the next few days, indicated that nothing had happened between Kuroba Akira and his sister that day... He hadn't chosen his sister.

A man as 'busy' as him must find it difficult to make a decision on a day like Christmas... Zhencheng is a little curious about who Kuroba Akira chose as his night partner on Christmas Eve.

Is it Hitomi? Or is it Murasaki no Miyako? Anyway, it's definitely not her older sister, otherwise I would definitely have a feeling about it.

Will my sister be able to win next time? Will she be able to snatch the meat from those two's mouths?

The next day that will cause such 'disputes' will probably be New Year's Day, and the one after that will be Valentine's Day.

However, given her personality, she certainly wouldn't wait until a specific holiday to take action. Even if there's no opportunity, she would actively create one to steal a man.

Especially now that it's winter break, she'll definitely ask Kuroba Akira out to play every day.

However, there have been no reports or messages of affection from Zhencheng in the past few days, which means that Kuroba Akira must have been hiding from her sister and the others.

Makoto used silence as a means of interrogation, and Kuroba Akira was a little at a loss under her gaze. In the end, he slumped his shoulders, sighed, and confessed.

"Well... okay, to be honest, actually, on the day of the Christmas party, I had a little conflict with your sister and the others, and then I was afraid it would escalate into a 'big conflict,' so I ran away first... This was the first time I'd seen them since Christmas. I just remembered Makoto saying that even though you declined the Christmas party, you could come help out at CM, so I asked you to come along..."

Kuroba Akira held up his palm to her and said.

"I've already bought you coffee, so please, Zhencheng, help me draw some of the fire later... otherwise they'll definitely complain to me about why they haven't come out these past few days..."

Hearing that Kuroba Akira was willing to be honest with her, Makoto smiled happily and nodded.

"I understand, I will help you, Kuroba-kun, but please don't try to fool me anymore."

"Oh, thank you so much... Since you helped me, I'll help you if you need anything in the future. For example, it seems like your transfer to another school hasn't been finalized yet? I can act as a go-between for you."

Kuroba Akira volunteered, as he was quite confident in his persuasive abilities.

But Zhencheng shook her head and refused.

"No need, I can manage on my own. My mother's attitude has softened, and I think I can probably transfer schools in my second year of high school."

"Oh, then it went very smoothly?"

"Well, if I had to say there's anything I need your 'help' with, Kuroba-kun... I hope you can comfort my sister a bit more."

"what?"

“She’s been very unhappy these past few days. She’s been complaining to me that you keep rejecting her invitations.”

"Ah... as I just said, this is exactly why I need you, Makoto, to help me shift the focus of my attacks..."

"So, Kuroba-kun, why don't you comfort my sister more? Is it because you don't have time?"

"To appease your sister, neither sweet words nor buying her things will be very effective. You have to treat Makoto to what she wants to eat and make her feel comfortable... well, my ammunition is running low..."

Kuroba Akira rubbed his forehead, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"Although men can't say no, the constant back-and-forth can really give you a feeling of going to heaven..."

"Men have it tough too."

Thank you for your understanding.

"But even if it doesn't require ammunition, I still hope that you, Kuroba-kun, can spend some time with your sister. If you talk to her directly, just like you did with me, she won't make things difficult for you. Even if it involves using this..."

Makoto took Kuroba Akira's hand and squeezed it, saying...

“Using your hands is fine too, I promise she won’t be angry.”

"Uh... okay... then I'll try it later?"

Kuroba Akira looked at him strangely. Was Zhencheng encouraging him to mess with her sister?

Why? Does she have some kind of unusual fetish? Or does she actually still hate her sister and want to get revenge...?

Zhencheng's concern for her older sister carried a strange undertone of wanting to corrupt her, which Kuroba Akira couldn't quite understand.

In fact, the reason is very simple.

After getting used to it, Zhencheng has started to use empathy as a way to relieve stress.

Her body has now been 'modified' to the point that even with several towels underneath, the sheets still get soaked, much more so than before.

This is all because Makoto, after leaving her childhood, developed a taste for it and would frequently meet up with Akira Kuroba after club activities. She would also join in when Hitomi Anri met up with Akira Kuroba to play games together.

As a result, the oranges that were affected were 'poisoned'.

Then it suddenly stopped. Makoto was just sullen, but her sister was already experiencing withdrawal symptoms.

Zhencheng felt empty and lonely inside, and even began to experience emotional anxiety, but she managed to hold it in.

But last night, after receiving a message from Kuroba Akira inviting her to CM, Makoto finally couldn't resist taking the plunge for the first time, making her hands dirty and even forgetting to put down a towel, leaving the bed covered in messes. She had never had this need before.

It's all Kuroba Akira's fault... or should I blame my older sister...? No, actually I should thank my older sister, because thanks to her, I was able to experience that kind of pleasure ahead of time...

But if you understand this kind of pleasure, won't you become addicted? How could you possibly resist?

In case I become sexually frustrated in the future and want to truly experience the temperature of a human body...

Makoto clenched her hands, one holding the coffee and the other holding Kuroba Akira's hand. Comparing the two, the palm of the hand she was holding felt warmer, and her gaze toward Kuroba Akira became intense.

She realized that her reason for wanting to transfer schools wasn't just for her sister, but perhaps also for the man in front of her.

They wanted to join them, get involved in the battle, and ultimately gain the right to share the spoils.

When her 'older sister personality' disappeared, she used Kuroba Akira as material to fill the emptiness in her heart, which turned her into a love-obsessed person similar to Shion.

It's just that Saionji Mato is more reserved and obedient, so she has a hidden love mind and doesn't express her feelings directly.

For example, during her previous outburst, she said that Kuroba Akira should take responsibility for her and her sister's lives. It seemed reasonable, but in reality, she was just talking nonsense in a serious manner.

She just wanted to tie her and her sister's lives together with Kuroba Akira.

Kuroba Akira, unaware of the hidden gravity field emanating from their surroundings, walked hand in hand with Makoto toward the exhibition hall, continuing to explain along the way.

"In short, in the morning it's Moe and Shiori, two of us from the Literature and Art Club, and in the afternoon it's your sister and the class president... that is, Hitomi, the two of them are looking after the stall together."

"Is the stall so small? Are two people enough?"

"Well, you'll see when you get inside. Everyone's booth is about the same size, about a meter long and half a meter wide. After all, the exhibition fee is only 10,000 yen... However, although it's very easy to participate, you need to be famous to get a prominent location."

"I see, so location does indeed play a role in sales."

"Yes, and thanks to the future, they helped us get a good position this time. Otherwise, we might have been assigned to some remote corner."

"Mirai-chan... Come to think of it, she wasn't among the people I just mentioned. Isn't she coming?"

“I contacted her yesterday, and she said she would come over as soon as she woke up. It seems that her biological clock has been reversed since the start of winter vacation, so she probably won’t wake up until the afternoon.”

A reversed day-night cycle is the future norm for Takanashi; they're a guy with a vibrant nightlife.

Actually, Kuroba Akira's nightlife is quite rich. He really wants to go to bed early, but the women around him won't let him go to sleep early.

"What about Murasaki no Miyako-san?"

"Ziyin is at a crucial stage of her upcoming debut, so she won't come to places like this. It's not really appropriate for her to come to events with so many people, since even makeup can't hide her appearance."

"really……"

After learning about the situation of the others, Zhencheng nodded and said.

"I can help watch the stall, since I don't really have anything I want to buy."

"It's okay, if you don't have a destination, just wander around. It's actually similar to you girls shopping for clothes."

Kuroba Akira had never been to a doujinshi convention like CM in his previous life, but he had been to many large-scale comic conventions in various cities and had even set up a booth as a participant, although he was just looking after the booth and not participating in the creation process as a creator this time.

Moreover, Kuroba Akira had no ulterior motive this time, because he didn't know enough about the works in this world, and he still didn't.

This year, Kuroba Akira read quite a few works from this world, mostly from the Literature Club's bookshelf, and also from Takanashi's family.

However, he wasn't watching it simply for entertainment; he was comparing it with other comics he remembered, using it as a reference—you could say he was drawing inspiration from them.

So even though he came to CM, Akira Kuroba didn't have any works he was particularly interested in, and his mood was probably similar to that of someone outside the industry.

To outsiders, it's like a Halloween party with demons dancing wildly; they can't understand why these people are so enthusiastic.

"Doujinshi conventions are basically huge free markets where everyone comes to buy what they like. However, the booths of famous artists are like supermarket sales days, with a huge crowd and items selling out very quickly. So if you want to buy something, you have to go early to queue up."

"I hope that your group's works will sell very well, Kuroba-kun."

Kuroba Akira scratched his cheek and said.

"I'm quite confident in our work, but objectively speaking, because it's an original comic, its popularity will definitely be much lower than those doujinshi. If we don't sell out today, we'll probably have to come back tomorrow..."

Today is the second day of CM, mainly selling doujin games and some game fanfiction, as well as shonen manga and novels.