Tokyo Soft Rice King.

Aizono Moe gave a wry smile, and Shirai Shiori remained silent. In the end, the only person who could answer him was the class president.

"The Literature and Art Club is currently suspended, Kuroba-kun."

"Huh? The activity is suspended? What does that mean? Has it been banned by the student council?"

"The student council hasn't openly interfered with the arts and culture department, but the reality is that we in the arts and culture department can't find anything we can do."

"what?"

"Actually, the Arts and Literature Department used to have a lot of activities, such as making campus newspapers, drawing blackboard newspapers, making promotional posters for other clubs, organizing book clubs, etc. But I heard that in the last century, due to disagreements within the Arts and Literature Department, some members left the department and formed the News Department. Then the above activities were taken over by the News Department. Whenever the Arts and Literature Department wanted to do something, the News Department would take the lead."

Kuroba Akira took a sip of tea, rolled his eyes, and complained.

"Isn't this just being sidelined... so the Literature and Art Department is just an empty shell now?"

"It can be said that after the split incident, the Literature and Art Department was severely damaged. It has not been abolished to this day, partly because there are still some remaining members, and partly because the Literature and Art Department has a long history. I heard that it was one of the first original clubs that existed when the school was founded."

"No wonder the student council is targeting it. For a club that is more symbolic than functional, allocating funds is a complete waste. So as long as there are too few members and no new people join, the arts department can be completely abolished on the grounds that it has been outdated by the times..."

In this light, even without Ryota Sumitomo's interference, the newspaper club might still be hindering the literature club's recruitment efforts.

Even if they manage to recruit people, the news department will likely continue to target them, and the student council is probably biased towards the news department, so they may have already been bribed.

"Squad leader, you've really taken on a hot potato..."

"Is that so? But Kuroba-kun, you'll help me, right?"

"Yes, I will. Who told you to get me pregnant?"

"Hehe, I'm really looking forward to your performance. If you can completely solve the problem of the Literature Club, then I can continue to make you lunchboxes next year, and even the year after... I can take care of all your meals for the three years of high school, that's not out of the question, is it?"

"Your Highness, Squad Leader! I am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse!"

Shiori Shirai watched their interaction and felt certain once again.

There's clearly something between these two!

Chapter Fifty-Six: Let Me See Inside

The Literature and Art Department is currently mired in a quagmire.

Whether it's finding new members to avoid the department being disbanded, or resolving the historical issues with the traitorous news department, these are not things that can be resolved in a short time; they require long-term planning.

So there's not much else to do right now, but at least the Service Department still has to accept commissions.

The current position of the Literature and Art Club may be similar to that of the SOS Brigade, with its existence itself having an unclear meaning. It can be said that it can only continue to operate because of Hitomi Anri's personal wishes.

Even the SOS Brigade frequently encounters supernatural events due to the leader's unique personality, but the squad leader is just a god in Kuroba Akira's heart, not a real god.

Are we supposed to play Othello here every day? That would turn it into a games club!

It would be better to go home and give Murasaki no Miyabi voice acting training...

But it wouldn't be good to leave so soon, so Kuroba Akira decided to finish his tea first.

"So what do you guys usually do here? Just chat?"

The class monitor poured tea for the other two, and then answered while taking out some snacks.

"After all, it's the Literature and Art Club, so we do some literature-related things. As for our daily lives, we also exchange ideas about creative processes, because Shiori's dream is to become a professional writer."

"Hitomi! Don't say things like that so casually!"

Hearing her best friend reveal all her secrets, even the aloof Shiori Shirai became a little flustered, her cheeks flushing red, as if her diary had been read by someone.

If it's not someone you know well, it can be a bit embarrassing for them to know that you're writing a novel.

In fact, there are generally two types of people who treat writing novels as a hobby. One type doesn't want anyone to read them and uses them only as a means to express their inner thoughts. Kafka, for example, never published any novels during his lifetime. Before his death, he asked a friend to burn his manuscripts, similar to asking a friend to destroy his hard drive. However, his friend read them and thought, "Wow! This is amazing!" and then published them. As a result, they became famous overseas and became world-class masterpieces. But for Kafka himself, this must have been a nightmare.

Another type is someone who really wants to show their work to others. They write a little something and then go around asking people to read it, wanting to hear their opinions. They mainly want to get emotional feedback from it, and at the same time, they are venting their desire to express themselves. They hope to gain recognition and attention from others, so if they don't get emotional feedback or only receive negative feedback, they will easily give up writing.

As for Shiori Shirai wanting to become a novelist, Akira Kuroba didn't find it strange at all. After all, it's very common for people who love reading to eventually want to write books.

Because the ultimate goal of reading is writing, after reading many excellent works, one's own desire to create will also arise.

Kuroba Akira knew this all too well, because he had been through it himself.

Seeing that Kuroba Akira didn't seem to want to laugh or mock her, and even nodded in agreement, Shirai Shiori's sense of shame dissipated.

Although he is a bit lecherous, Akira Kuroba doesn't seem to be the kind of person who is frivolous.

That makes sense. Anyone who can catch Hitomi's eye, regardless of whether they are influenced by romantic feelings, proves that Kuroba Akira is not a superficial person.

After her opinion of Kuroba Akira changed slightly, Shirai Shiori's expression returned to normal, and seeing this, Anri Hitomi smiled and made a suggestion.

"I think Shiori, you could show your work to Kuroba-kun. We're just readers, so we can't offer much feedback, but Kuroba-kun also writes novels. As a fellow creator, his perspective might be different from ours."

"Uh……"

This put Kuroba Akira in an awkward position.

He did write novels in the library before, partly to practice writing while learning the language, and partly to prepare for copying books in the future.

Memories fade over time, and he didn't know how long the novel plots he remembered would remain in his mind. Maybe in a few years he wouldn't even remember the plot anymore.

However, as mentioned before, after the discovery of cheat codes, copying books has become an obsolete plan. Who would be willing to work hard to write novels and only earn that little money?

Kuroba Akira seeks no fame, only profit.

The world is full of goodwill, and the world is all good.

Moreover, there is an even more uncertain factor: even if you plagiarize those wildly popular works from your previous life, it doesn't necessarily mean they will become wildly popular in this world.

You must know that this is a foreign land in another world.

Popularity, culture, history, people's thoughts, preferences, and values ​​have all undergone subtle changes.

Even in the past life, the things that were popular ten years ago and the things that are popular ten years later are vastly different. Some works may have been very popular at the time, but after a few years, they are found to be mediocre.

The reverse is also true; many painters lived in poverty during their lifetimes, only for their works to become incredibly valuable after their deaths.

Creative work is inherently limited by the times and influenced by the masses.

Moreover, how could Kuroba Akira, who had only been in the world for half a year, possibly gain a deep understanding of this world and this era?

"My writing isn't presentable... but I can certainly help take a look."

Akira Kuroba's hobby is reading stories, but not limited to books, novels, comics, anime, movies, and TV series. He will read anything he finds interesting.

Shiori Shirai hesitated. She wanted to hear Akira Kuroba's opinion, but she didn't really want to show her novel to this person she had just met.

After much hesitation, my inner conservatism prevailed.

"I didn't bring the original manuscript today, let's talk about it next time."

"Ok."

Kuroba Akira didn't bother to figure out whether what he said was true or just an excuse.

But the fact that the girl is already calling what she has written a 'manuscript' shows that she is already aware of herself as a writer, and it must have been something she wrote seriously.

Since there were no novels to read, Kuroba Akira turned his attention back to the two newly acquainted girls.

Having admired their appearance, it's time to explore their 'inside'.

Don't misunderstand, it refers to inner potential, that is, talent.

"Since you're just killing time anyway, would you like to have your palm read?"

Kuroba Akira used the same old excuse, because women are more receptive to divination.

Shiori Shirai frowned again, looking at his palm.

Only shallow people would be interested in such unfounded superstitions. In the end, those who seem to be very accurate in their divination are just using psychological knowledge.

And this guy, even though Tong is still around, he uses this method to flirt with girls... He says he can read palms, but he's just making up an excuse to touch girls' hands!

His intentions are as clear as day!

Don't even think about touching my hand, you pervert!

Chapter 57 Let's create a light novel!

Shiori Shirai was still wearing gloves and showed no intention of taking them off, coldly turning her head away in refusal.

"I am not interested."

At this point, Hitomi Anri stepped in to smooth things over.

"Shiori, don't rush to refuse. Kuroba-kun really can read palms, you know? It's not just an excuse to touch hands."

Shiori Shirai remained silent, still showing no intention of participating.

In the end, Aizen Moe, with her soft heart, couldn't bear to see the atmosphere become awkward. She suppressed her timidity when facing the boy and mustered up the courage to extend her hand.

"Um... well... then I'll trouble you, Kuroba-kun, to take a look for me..."

The way she reached out her hand was just like a death row inmate being led to the gallows, which made Kuroba Akira give a wry smile.

"Then let's look at the right hand first, then the left hand."

"Okay, okay! Please help me!"

Aiyuan Moe was so nervous that she started using honorifics. She was surprised that a boy would ever touch her hand. She felt shy on one hand and a little scared on the other... afraid that he would dislike her hand.

Because she knew her hands were 'dirty'.

Seeing her nervousness, Kuroba Akira stopped touching her hand, moved his chair closer to her, and crossed his arms as he spoke.

"If you don't want me to touch your hands, just put your palms up in front of me."

"OK……"

The fact that they didn't need to touch each other eased Aizono Moe's tension a little, and she placed her hand in front of Kuroba Akira.

"..."

This statement made Shiori Shirai turn her head back.

Is it really not about touching hands? He just wants to have his palm read?

Shiori Shirai was a little confused. Unlike the boys her age who wore their thoughts on their sleeves, Akira Kuroba was truly unpredictable.

He's clearly a womanizer, yet he's also very discreet... What exactly is his purpose?

Meanwhile, Akira Kuroba had focused all his attention on Moe Aizono's palm.

Talent, yes.