Tokyo Soft Rice King.

"By the way, I heard from Peach that your ability requires you to look at your right hand?"

"Ah, yes, I can see that person's talent through his right hand... if he has any."

"If you can see it, then please take a look for me."

As he spoke, he extended his right hand.

"This one……"

Kuroba Akira looked a little embarrassed, because when she and Mirai clapped hands earlier, he had already seen Junko Ohno's right palm, which had no writing on it.

Junko Ohno could tell the outcome just by looking at him, and said dejectedly.

"As expected, I have no talent... me."

"Don't be so discouraged, teacher. It should be said that most people don't have any talent."

"I know, I've known for a long time that I don't have the talent, which is why I chose to become the organizer. I've already given up... but don't give up halfway like I did."

Junko Ohno forced a smile, and neither of them knew how to comfort her. Then Junko Ohno said she needed to go out for some fresh air, and the conversation ended abruptly.

Thanks to the help of cosplayer Motoko Kobayakawa, the booth still attracted a long queue in the afternoon, becoming one of the most popular booths in the entire East 7 district.

They were sold out before 4 p.m.

After hanging up the 'Sold Out' sign, the busy afternoon sales time finally came to an end.

Finally, Shiori, who was in charge of bookkeeping, began to calculate the sales figures.

Because it has a lot of pages and also includes color pages, it's priced at 1500 yen, which is considered relatively expensive.

If you want to go for the 2000 yen price range, you'll need to include on-site bonuses such as postcards and shikishi (art boards).

Then there are some deluxe edition art books, the kind with special craftsmanship, which are even more expensive.

Akira Kuroba was quite confident in his work this time, so even though it was his first time exhibiting, he still printed 1000 copies. Then, thanks to Junko Ohno's support, he printed twice as many copies, bringing the total to 3000 copies, which is already the scale of a large club.

In the end, not a single copy remained; the entire stock was sold out.

So he earned a total of 450 million yen.

It seems like a lot, but actually, after deducting printing and shipping costs, the profit is only about 60%.

Let's round it up and say I made 300 million yen.

It earns more than the royalties from light novels, but this time it requires much more manpower than writing novels. If Junko Ohno is included, and the seven people share the earnings equally, each person earns about 40 yen.

Taking time costs into account, the income is actually only twice that of the average office worker.

However, while the monthly salary of office workers is stable, comic conventions are not held every month, and CM is the largest doujinshi convention held twice a year. Other smaller doujinshi conventions cannot reach this level of sales.

However, if you frequently participate in various doujinshi conventions, you can actually make this your main source of income to support the entire club.

Actually, Junko Ohno exaggerated what she said before. To become the top seller in CM, you need to sell at least 10,000 copies.

It sounds like an incredibly exaggerated number, and it is indeed quite exaggerated. After all, a single event that can sell over a million yen is already considered a popular group.

Those clubs that can achieve sales of tens of millions of yen or more in a single event are top-tier clubs, and you can count them on two hands.

These top-tier societies earn more than some small businesses, making them the elite in the industry.

However, for a newly established group to sell out its first event, especially with original comics, is truly a remarkable achievement.

"This is the first time in my life I've received so much money..."

After counting the money, Shiori Shirai held a thick bundle of banknotes in her left hand and a large number of coins, all of them 500 yen, in her right hand, which her coin purse could not hold.

Everyone felt a great sense of accomplishment looking at the money.

Previously, royalties were deposited into his bank account, so he didn't really feel them. But now, seeing banknotes after so long, Kuroba Akira felt a bit emotional.

He recalled that half a year ago, on the last day of summer vacation, he was all alone and penniless, so poor that he had to check the bottom of a vending machine to find a lost coin.

By the end of the year, he had gathered so many people around him and earned a considerable amount of money.

"Great! Then... let's all go out for a meal together!"

Next, it will be time for the banquet.

Now we can drink to our hearts' content!

Chapter 360 Losing consciousness means being at the mercy of women

"Thank you all for your hard work this time! Cheers!"

Cheers! x9

At Akira Kuroba's suggestion, everyone raised their glasses in a toast to celebrate the huge success of Winter CM.

The six members of the Literature Club are: Akira Kuroba, Hitomi Anri, Shiori Shirai, Moe Aizono, Mirai Kotori, and Makoto Hikawa.

In addition, there's Hikawa Makoto's younger sister, Saionji Makoto, Takanashi's future mother, Takanashi Akiko, and teachers Ohno Junko and Kobayakawa Motoko (Momoko).

There are ten people in total, including one man and nine women.

The number of participants is quite large, and not only are they all beautiful, but they also cover different age groups and body types, from lolis to mature women to sophisticated women, with cup sizes ranging from A to G. It can be said that they have everything, and even the lineup of beauty magazines is not as luxurious.

The location was a private room at a robatayaki izakaya in Ginza, Tokyo.

The waitresses at the izakaya were amazed when they served this group; they thought it was an idol group they didn't know having a meal together.

Then, after inquiring with the proprietress, they were even more astonished to learn that the young ladies were from prominent families. They were extremely careful when receiving them afterward, afraid of neglecting any of the arrogant and willful young ladies and being vanished without a trace... It seems they've watched too many yakuza movies.

But what puzzled the waitress most was the only boy among them… He looked quite young and even a bit cute. Was he an assistant? Or an attendant? Judging by his build, he probably wasn't a bodyguard…

Could it be... a 'pet' that these young ladies are raising together?! Wow... they really know how to have fun...

In a sense, she was right.

The celebration party was originally planned to be held at Takanashi's house, just like the previous Christmas party, with the main purpose of trying to capture Kuroba Akira again.

That night, Kuroba Akira made an excuse to escape, so there's no way I'm letting you go home today!

Leaving aside the others, Makoto and Mirai, with the idea of ​​absolutely keeping Kuroba Akira alive, started plotting something sinister.

However, due to the arrival of Junko Ohno and Motoko Kobayakawa, Akiko Takanashi suggested changing the location at the last minute.

After all, having a teacher come to your home feels like a home visit, and neither the student nor the teacher feels comfortable. Also, the plan to sleep with the teacher might be discovered... So we need to get rid of Mr. Ohno and Ms. Momoko in one go!

Although most well-known shops in Tokyo don't accept reservations, this is where the real rich girl comes in handy.

First, Akiko Takanashi called Fuyumi Saotome to ask her which shops were suitable for large gatherings. After selecting the nearest shop, Hitomi Anri and Makoto Saionji called home to ask their families to make reservations.

So, thanks to the greetings from the two great families, the Anri and Saionji families, the usually overcrowded restaurant was able to 'sensibly' make room for a private room.

This is the power of influence and connections!

That's really realistic. Kuroba Akira never thought he'd get to be a privileged dog like her. These young ladies are so generous!

Then, since Akiko drove over and Motoko Kobayakawa also drove over, they were able to squeeze in a little and get everyone on board in one trip.

In particular, Takanashi Mirai and Ohno Junko are both small in stature, and were held in the arms of Kuroba Akira and Anri Hitomi respectively, enjoying the treatment of children.

Although it was an izakaya, most of the people present were minors, so they ordered fruit-flavored drinks.

After drinking a glass, Kuroba Akira felt a slight astringency in his mouth... Was it because it was freshly squeezed juice?

Mirai, who was sitting next to him, immediately filled Kuroba Akira's glass.

After thanking everyone, Kuroba Akira asked them a question.

"Oh, thank you... By the way, are you all free during the New Year?"

As Hikawa Makoto raised her glass to Kuroba Akira, she asked him a question.

"Why are you asking this all of a sudden? Do you have any plans for the New Year?"

Kuroba Akira clinked glasses with her, drank half a glass, and then spoke.

"Well... my wife told me that if you want to wear kimonos, you can come to my house and she will prepare kimonos for you. Then we can all go to the shrine together."

Upon hearing that it was related to her grandmother, Anri Hitomi added a piece of grilled fish to Kuroba Akira's plate and asked with a smile.

"Did my grandma say that?"

What Anri Hitomi was most proud of was that when Kuroba Akira called Grandma Mika "old lady," he added "my family" before it, which practically made it seem like they were family.

Then Kuroba Akira's next words poured cold water on her.

"Yes, the old woman specifically mentioned you and Ziyin."

"Really……"

Anri Hitomi's smile faded slightly. Even though I'm Grandma's granddaughter, Grandma doesn't seem to be taking her side...

Does it mean you snatched it yourself? That sounds a lot like Grandma's style. Anri Hitomi has heard the story of Grandma snatching Grandpa away countless times since she was little.

This is probably one of the reasons why Grandma and Mom still don't get along, after all, Mom 'got' such a good man as Dad for free.

Upon hearing that Shion would also be wearing a New Year's kimono, the future Shion imagined it in her mind and immediately exclaimed with shining eyes.

"What would the goddess look like in a kimono...? It must be absolutely gorgeous! I want to see it too!"

While holding the cup, he didn't forget to serve Kuroba Akira a new cup.

Makoto clinked glasses with Kuroba Akira again, and after drinking half a glass together, she asked a question.

Who is the goddess?

"True Orange answered on behalf of the future."

"You mean Murasaki no Miyako, right? She performed with Mirai during your school's cultural festival, or did you skip the performance because of you?"

When her past mistakes were brought up again, Makoto downed a glass of alcohol to cover up her embarrassment.

"Tsk! Let's not bring that up again. I've already reflected on it... But calling her a goddess is a bit of an exaggeration, isn't it?"

Makoto is the only one among the girls who hasn't officially met Shion yet. Seeing her in person is a different experience from seeing her in a video. She admits that Shion's voice is indeed heavenly, but her appearance is really not that beautiful, is it? Although she hasn't seen her up close either.

"Hey, Mirai put her hands on the table, leaned out, and emphasized to Makoto."

"It's no exaggeration! Goddess Sister is now my only supporter! She will definitely become more famous than Tsukimi Ran-i!"

Shiori Shirai recalled the time she saw Akira Kuroba in front of his house and said, resting her chin on her hand.

"I think I'm pretty good-looking, but Murasaki-no-miya is even more 'beautiful' than me... I guess you could say it's a difference in temperament... Anyway, she gives off a dreamy feeling and has an overwhelming presence, like a 'female lead'."

Aiyuan Moe held the cup in both hands and said.