Tokyo Soft Rice King.

"By the way, Mingjun, I've already given the money you asked me to give to Professor Ohno. Then Professor Ohno said that you would be the president of the new club and asked me to think of a name for the new club."

"Oh? I'm going to be the club president?"

"Yes, everyone agreed."

"Well, that's fine too..."

This time, Akira Kuroba didn't make up an excuse to refuse, but accepted it quite readily.

The main reason is that this isn't the first time he's been put in a position of power. In another startup, he's also the nominal president, basically like a mascot, and he doesn't need to organize or manage anything.

In addition, the new club is basically an off-campus version of the arts and literature department, and the members and activities are not much different from the original... It's all about creative work.

Since they're all geniuses... how about calling it the Genius Club?

However, Akira Kuroba himself is not a genius, so he passed.

Kuroba Akira crossed his arms and thought for a moment. Since the new club wasn't a profit-driven commercial club, it would be better to emphasize free-spirited creation...

Come to think of it, his purpose has really changed completely... Kuroba Akira himself was somewhat emotional.

Initially, I just wanted to earn some easy money, but now I've become a supporter of pure creative work that doesn't seek profit...

Does this also mean that they value material interests far more than profit in their hearts?

"Ah……"

Kuroba Akira couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle.

"Then let's call it 'Original Aspiration Society'."

Actually, we originally wanted to call it Wenxin Society, but after all, the society doesn't just have novelists, but also painters, musicians, fashion designers, and even entertainers and professional voice actors... so it's best to choose a more comprehensive name.

Shiori, of course, knew the idiom, so she asked to confirm.

Does it mean "never forgetting one's original aspirations"?

"Yes, it was because of you that I rediscovered my original aspirations and the passion I had lost. So I hope that you can stick to your own ideas in the future and always be clear about 'what you really want'."

Only in this way can one live without feeling lost.

Everyone listened thoughtfully. For geniuses, what they want to do in the future or what kind of person they want to become seems obvious, but is that really the case?

Even if the general direction has been set, how to set individual goals, and whether career and love can be balanced... are all things that young women in their prime need to think carefully about.

Shiori's resolute words to everyone earlier also made the others rethink their own desires.

Kuroba Akira had already thought it through, so he moved on to the next topic.

"Since it's a club, shouldn't we have a club activity room?"

At that moment, Wei Lai's eyes lit up. He turned around from the sofa, raised one hand, and volunteered.

"Yes, yes, yes! Just use my house as our club activity room!"

Akira Kuroba also thought that Takanashi's house was a great location, since he came here every week anyway, so it would be very convenient to use it as a meeting point.

So he turned around and asked Akiko.

"Is it okay, Akiko? Won't it disrupt your daily lives?"

"No, no, we'd be more than happy if you guys came often. Besides, we're also members of the new club, so providing a venue for our activities is just our duty, haha."

No one else present raised any objections, because they couldn't think of a better place, and after visiting Takanashi's house a few times, they found... it really was fantastic!

It's top-notch in both aesthetics and practicality; it looks like a home, but it's actually a plot of land for building a house!

It also has a large bedroom, so you can sleep right away when you're tired from playing. It's also very convenient to get a silver card or something. I already tried it yesterday.

Kuroba Akira suddenly felt a soreness in his lower back... Had he walked right into a trap?

However, since the words had already been spoken, it was difficult to take them back. Kuroba Akira could only leave it open so that he could change locations if something unexpected happened to him.

"Let's stay here for now. We can consider moving to another place when we have more people and this place can't accommodate everyone."

Zhen Cheng, who was next to him, was stunned for a moment and asked in return.

"Hmm? Are we going to add more people later?"

This statement alerted everyone.

Because the new club is nominally a cultural and creative club, but in reality it is Kuroba Akira's harem club. Everyone knows this, except for Kuroba Akira, the master of the harem, because he never thought of it that way.

Therefore, the two sides have different perceptions of the new member.

Akira Kuroba felt that anyone, regardless of gender, could join a legitimate club, as it was a legitimate organization anyway.

And if there were other men around, they wouldn't blatantly harass her.

However, the other girls perceived the 'new member' as 'a genius chosen by Akira Kuroba, just like them (gender: female)', emphasizing that she was a woman.

In other words... the harem is going to continue to expand?

There aren't enough people to go around right now, and if we add more people, it will definitely be even harder to go around!

There are already nine people gathered! If Ohno-sensei and Momoko-senpai are also brought in, there will be eleven!

It's no longer possible for one person to work for a whole day; flexible scheduling is now necessary.

Therefore, at this point, regardless of the relationships within the group, a consensus was reached to unite against external forces. Just as Anri Hitomi had predicted, once there is a 'concrete organization,' exclusion is an inevitable phenomenon.

Makoto rolled her eyes and gave Kuroba Akira a friendly gesture.

"Tsk! Ming, you're really greedy, even I can't stand it anymore! Tighten up a bit!"

"what?"

Kuroba Akira opened his mouth, looking completely bewildered. Why was he being scolded?

"What a load of rubbish! Do you know how good Xiaotong is to you? She gave you a full-body massage, and so did Ziyin, her technique for washing your body is super skilled... Damn it! Ming, you're too lucky, aren't you? You're not satisfied with that, do you want to add more people?"

"No, no, no. First of all, the new members weren't selected based on my preferences, were they? What does it have to do with how they serve me? Secondly, whether or not to accept new members isn't a decision I make alone."

Anri Hitomi revealed a confident smile; she had been waiting for Kuroba Akira to say those words.

"In other words, whether or not to approve the addition of new members requires a democratic vote by everyone, right, wise ruler?"

"Of course, even if I am the president, the new club doesn't belong to me alone... In fact, without you guys, this club wouldn't exist."

"Ah That's good."

Anri Hitomi smiled and nodded, exchanging glances with her sisters, and everyone felt relieved.

New harem member? If you want to join, try convincing the 'seniors' first!

Just as they were talking, Makoto fed the last mouthful of porridge to Akira Kuroba.

Then Da Hongxiang stood up and gave orders to everyone.

"Alright, now that Amin has finished dinner, let's all get ready to set off."

After Shinichi wiped the corner of his mouth clean, Kuroba Akira asked in confusion.

"Hmm? So you guys were waiting for me to finish eating? By the way, where are we going?"

Shiori then answered him with an amused expression.

"Of course we're going to your house, Your Majesty's house! Aren't we supposed to go to the New Year's shrine together? It's already 7 p.m., and the New Year will be here in five hours."

"Oh? Are we going tonight?"

Hatsumode (first shrine visit) is usually done on the evening of New Year's Eve (December 31st) or on the morning of New Year's Day.

Many people go late at night for good luck, so only on this day of the year does the Japanese train run all night to make it convenient for people to visit temples or shrines.

However, it is usually young people who are away from home who can't sleep, or they go to Hōshū (the first shrine visit of the year) just after midnight after a year-end party.

If there are elderly people or children in the family, they usually watch the Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Song Battle) at home, eat buckwheat noodles, wait for the New Year's countdown, then rest, and in the morning the whole family goes to worship together.

Because Grandma Kobayashi was also going, Akira Kuroba was thinking of taking care of the elderly woman and going tomorrow morning, but he didn't expect that he would have to go in the evening.

"Yes, Hitomi said that the shrine you're going to is only open during this time?"

Shiori asked the class president, who was tidying up the chessboard, and the class president explained in detail.

“That’s right. In the afternoon, my grandma called me and said that she had prepared the kimono. She also told me that Xia’s family’s shrine is not open to the public this year, but they can make an exception and open it for us for a period of time around midnight.”

Kuroba Akira was even more surprised to hear this.

"The shrine is closed to the public during the New Year?"

"I'm not entirely sure about the specifics, it seems like it was Uncle Faquan who decided... But it's good that it's not open to the public, that way we don't have to worry about getting separated from the crowd."

It's really convenient, otherwise it would be incredibly crowded...

Could it be that the old woman activated her "Face Fruit" ability again and booked out the entire venue?

That's quite possible. After all, that shrine uncle was Grandpa Kobayashi's student. If it was Grandma Kobayashi who made the request, she would definitely agree to it unconditionally.

But it shouldn't be completely closed to the public... After all, New Year's worship is related to the gods collecting faith... This wave of lost faith must be equivalent to at least several thousand people, right?

So, since we're going to Kuroo's shrine, did Kuroo agree to it?

Or is it that Kuroo no longer cares about this little bit of faith during the New Year... No, this isn't a small amount; it's enough faith for so many people, and it's free, so Kuroo definitely won't miss it.

Could this be something Uncle Faquan arranged on his own initiative? If so, he's probably going to get scratched by Kurowei again...

I'd better wait until I get back to Kobayashi's house to ask Kuroo about the specifics.

"I've also contacted Professor Ohno and Momoko-senpai. I gave them their grandmother's address, and they'll drive there directly. We can set off together after everyone has changed into their kimonos."

Now there are ten people, plus two teachers, Miss Ruiqing who is in charge of driving, Grandma Xiaolin, and Uncle Yong and Senior Nishimura who should be at home, making a total of sixteen people, forming a grand group.

"OK, let's go then."

……

At 11:30 p.m., Kuroba Akira was playing Dou Dizhu (a card game) with two men in Kobayashi's living room. The TV in the living room was showing the end of the Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Song Battle). Kuroba was lying on Kuroba Akira's head, yawning listlessly.

The girls were still changing clothes in Grandma Kobayashi's room.

To be precise, I was trying on clothes.

Kuroba Akira originally thought that the old woman had prepared kimonos for each person, and that everyone could set off as long as they changed into the appropriate kimono. However, it turned out that Granny Kobayashi had brought a "cartload of kimonos".

Yes, it was a whole truckload!

They brought over all kinds of kimonos from the store, in all sizes and styles, even more complete than if you were shopping in a physical store.