Tokyo Soft Rice King.

"You don't need to worry about that. If I really lose, I will definitely keep my promise and will never go back on my word."

Shiori Shirai also slightly raised her chin to look at Akira Kuroba and said provocatively.

"I do hope that you, Kuroba, can act like a man and keep your promises, instead of resorting to shamelessness when you lose."

Kuroba Akira slammed his hand on the table and shouted.

"I, Bai... Hei Yuming, keep my word! A man's promise is his bond!"

"Then let's wait and see who wins."

Shiori Shirai cut off her own escape route, and at the same time, she also cut off Akira Kuroba's escape route.

Neither side had any way to back down; a loss is a loss, and there are no excuses.

Kuroba Akira, who possesses the mindset of an adult, doesn't actually want to go too far. Only impulsive children would make bets beyond their capabilities, and if they lose, they would be completely unable to swallow their pride.

However, since Shirai Shiori is so serious...

Akira Kuroba decided to respond to her determination as well.

"Then I must tell you, Shirai-kun, I've already decided what to write and I've already started writing, so you'd better speed things up."

Shiori Shirai frowned slightly, not expecting Akira Kuroba to be making such a fast pace. They had just made a bet yesterday, and he had already started writing today... Did he not even write an outline?

No, perhaps he had already decided what to write beforehand.

That explains why they were so eager to invite Mengmeng to draw illustrations... That makes sense.

Shiori Shirai's suspicions about Akira Kuroba lessened a bit, but at the same time, she felt a sense of anxiety about falling behind.

However, the most important thing about creating is not to rush it; the more rushed you are, the worse your writing will be...

He said it on purpose, clearly wanting to influence my mindset!

Just like his own shoes yesterday... Shameless scoundrel!

"Hmph! You don't need to worry about it. I will create at my own pace. This is not a competition to see who can write the fastest. Kuroba, you should worry more about the completion of your own work."

"Hehe, that's what I'm doing right now."

Now that he had borrowed the book and the bet with Shirai Shiori had turned from an impulsive act into a fair duel, and there was nothing else he needed to do in the Literature Club, Kuroba Akira decided to go back and continue writing.

"Well then, squad leader, I'll head back now. See you tomorrow."

"Kuroba-kun, are you leaving already? Won't you stay a little longer?"

"Anyway, there are no formal department activities right now, so I have nothing to do if I stay. Besides, Shirai-san is still here, so I should try to avoid writing novels in front of her."

Shiori Shirai rolled her eyes and exclaimed.

"I wouldn't plagiarize your ideas! I wouldn't look at them even if you showed them to me!"

"I'm not worried about that, it's just that you need a familiar environment to calm down and get into the zone when you're creating. You must feel the same way, right?"

"……snort."

Shiori Shirai agrees with this statement. Indeed, as Akira Kuroba said, it is difficult to concentrate on writing in a noisy school. Therefore, she only reads books at school and only starts writing in the evenings after returning home.

"Hitomi, I'm going back now too."

As if to get ahead of Kuroba Akira, Shirai Shiori greeted him, picked up her schoolbag, and headed towards the outdoor activity room.

"Ah! Wait for me! Shiori, let's go back together... Hitomi-chan, I'm leaving too... See you tomorrow!"

After hurriedly saying hello, Aizen Moe quickly caught up with Shirai Shiori, who had gone ahead.

Kuroba Akira shrugged, stuffed the comics and novels into his schoolbag, waved goodbye to the class monitor, and quickly slipped away.

Hitomi Anri was left alone in the Literature and Art Club.

"Seriously... in the end, I'm the only one left..."

Anri Hitomi gave a helpless smile; she could only enjoy the tea she had brewed herself.

She admired the members who were able to forge ahead towards their goals without hesitation.

Fortunately, she now has something she wants to do.

When it comes to the ability to make money... Anri Hitomi can only think of one person: the most shrewd businessman she has ever met.

Her mother, Anri Megumi, is the de facto head of the Anri Zaibatsu.

Ever since Anri Hitomi was forced to sever ties with her childhood friends because of her mother's words, her relationship with her mother has plummeted to rock bottom. When they meet, they only exchange greetings and have no further interaction.

Anri Hitomi secretly vowed in her heart that no matter what happened, she would never ask her mother for help.

But now... I might have to break this vow.

Anri Hitomi took out her phone, found the number she had never dialed before, took a deep breath to calm herself down, and finally pressed the dial button.

"...Hello? It's me..."

"Who is it? I wouldn't know unless you tell me your name... Oh dear, could it be my rebellious daughter? Huh? But my daughter never calls me... Ah, I know, this is a 'It's me, it' scam, right? Hehe, I won't fall for it!"

A soft, gentle voice came from the other end of the phone.

Hitomi Anri's impression of her mother is still from her childhood. Back then, Anri Megumi was as cold and ruthless as an iron lady, meticulous in everything she did.

However, she also knew that her mother had changed a lot in the past few years, to the point that she was almost unrecognizable.

Perhaps it was the nourishment of love, or perhaps it was the birth of her second child, but she became more tactful, gentler, and more approachable, always wearing a smile...

In fact, Hitomi Anri's smile was learned from her mother.

This shift in personal style spread and influenced the entire Anri Zaibatsu, but internal cohesion increased rather than decreased. Under Anri Megumi's leadership, the Anri Zaibatsu repeatedly broke its highest profit record.

As the iceberg melts, the steel virgin's outer shell opens, revealing a smiling bodhisattva.

As the third-generation president of the Anri Zaibatsu, Anri Megumi's control has reached an unprecedented level.

“Mother, please don’t joke with me. Only Father and I know this phone number, right? I am your daughter, Anri Hitomi.”

"Wow... Mom, I'm so excited right now! Really so excited! This is the first time my daughter has spoken to me on her own initiative in eight years and ten months. I still remember the last time you spoke to me, you said, 'I won't call you Mom anymore, I'll call you Mother.' Waaah... Mom, I cried so many times that I soaked my pillow... Although it's all my fault... It's all my fault... Back then, Mom was such a stubborn fool!"

"..."

Is this still the mother who once instilled fear in her?

Although in my memory, my mother changed after she had a big fight with my father because of her own parenting style, and then they made up...

But even at that time, Hitomi Anri didn't expect her mother to become like this... so uninspiring.

Is this the power of love?

Can a woman undergo a complete 180-degree transformation after truly falling in love with a man?

"I would like to ask you for advice on how to make money."

The voice on the other end of the phone was interrupted for a while, and then Anri's voice came through again, and you could tell that she was serious now.

"I think Hitomi knows what this means... Mom, can I ask you for your reasons?"

"Hmm... I have someone I care about, but he only looks at people who are capable of making a lot of money."

"Oh, I see... My Tong is that age too... Hehe, that's great, that's great! No problem, let Mom teach you step by step. Whether it's how to manipulate the market or how to manipulate men, Mom will teach you everything she knows."

"Thank you... Mom."

The mother-daughter relationship in the Anri family began to be repaired because of this opportunity, and Anri Hitomi's heart was also filled with vitality and enthusiasm.

Please wait for me to grow up, Kuroba-kun... I want to prove to you that I can also shine!

……

Meanwhile, Kuroba Akira returned to Kobayashi's house earlier than usual, having run all the way back.

As soon as he got home, Kuroba Akira couldn't wait to take off his shoes. He didn't even bother to give a perfunctory welcome to Murasaki no Miyako, and went straight to turn on his laptop.

Seeing his energetic demeanor, Zizhigong sat down next to him and asked.

"My lord, you seem to be in a good mood. Did something good happen at school?"

Kuroba Akira took out the original manuscript and asked a question in return.

"Oh? You can tell that?"

"Yes, it's quite obvious. They seem very motivated."

Murasaki nodded. She was very good at reading other people's expressions and feelings, and she could judge Kuroba Akira's mood just by sensing the atmosphere he exuded.

"Well, how should I put it... maybe it's because I've found a good opponent?"

Although he only wanted to earn his first pot of gold by writing novels, Shirai Shiori helped him rediscover the excitement he had when he first started writing novels.

Creating is a painful yet joyful process, and competing with others is even more enjoyable!

Damn it! It's on fire!

Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Body is Being Modified

A week has passed just like that.

On Saturday afternoon, Kuroba Akira was working on his manuscript in the living room as usual. The first volume of "Sister's Journey" was in its final sprint, with only an epilogue left to finish.

Factors that determine the sales of the first volume of a light novel include the cover, illustrations, gimmicks, character design, and opening plot, and then whether the plot of the first volume is attractive.

The opening scene of the prologue features a suggestive and overly fan-service-oriented storyline, which is essentially about a brother playing with an eroge made by his sister.

By the end, the older brother thought to himself that this was the best indie eroge he had played in recent years. Unable to contain his excitement, he took off his pants to play it again and admire the CGs, only to find that the credits after completing the game contained only one name, and it looked strangely familiar.

Just then, the younger sister barged into the older brother's room. The older brother looked at his sister, her real name flashed through his mind, and then he equated it with the sister's online name on the list of producers in front of him. A storm raged in his mind, his thoughts racing, and in the end, he was so shocked that his jaw dropped, leaving his own brother in awe.

Meanwhile, the younger sister watched as her brother's little brother drooped his head and became listless, and at the same time, she saw the scene of her hidden identity being exposed, which shocked her own sister.

The story officially begins with the brother and sister's mournful duet.

Isn't it quite interesting?

However, whether the novel can maintain its sales after publication and release depends on the ending of the first volume.

Simply finishing the first volume of the story wouldn't work; it would give readers the feeling that the story could end here, and they wouldn't have the urge to buy the second volume.

So you either need to introduce a new character, a new conflict, or an unexpected twist... In short, you must leave a hook that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat and maximize their anticipation.

While it's a bit premature to consider sales before publication, a knowledgeable editor who can discern the intention behind the ending could certainly appreciate its merits.

However, this requires Kuroba Akira to also prepare a detailed outline for Volume 2 in order to smoothly connect the content of Volumes 1 and 2.