Tokyo Soft Rice King.

Even if he could tell from the marks on her hands that Mengmeng could draw, he couldn't conclude that Mengmeng could draw illustrations. Although Shirai Shiori couldn't draw, she knew that there were many different styles and fields of drawing. For example, the difference between an oil painter and a manga artist might be much greater than the difference between a traditional novelist and a light novelist.

Moreover, even Hitomi admitted that he could read palms... So perhaps it wasn't that Hitomi blindly believed what he said because of love, but rather that Kuroba Akira really did have some skill in this area.

After spending nearly a month together, Shiori Shirai also realized that although Hitomi Anri was very close to Akira Kuroba, the two were not actually in a romantic relationship.

The main problem is that Kuroba Akira doesn't say any cheesy sweet nothings to Hitomi, doesn't deliberately show affection, and doesn't ask her out. He always addresses her as "class monitor" and treats her very casually, which is not the kind of attitude one should have towards a girlfriend.

Then Hitomi is not much different from before. Her IQ and EQ have not decreased because of love. She just says more witty things and is more lively when talking to Kuroba Akira.

Then Shiori Shirai realized that Hitomi Anri really only regarded Akira Kuroba as a friend who was just as important as herself, not as a boyfriend.

It was only because she had never seen Hitomi interact with a real male friend before that she mistook her cheerful behavior for romantic feelings.

Shiori Shirai felt quite disappointed that she didn't even understand her best friend well enough.

Kuroba Akira was a little puzzled. He didn't hesitate to take off his underwear, but he had to think for so long to take off his gloves.

Isn't it a bit strange that you're so concerned about certain things?

"I said, Shirai-kun, if you really don't want to, let's just stop here?"

Shiori Shirai snapped out of her daze and saw Akira Kuroba raise an eyebrow; her abdomen felt like it was on fire.

Since he's already seen everything, both what he should and shouldn't have seen, how can we give up halfway through!

"continue……!"

Shiori Shirai extended her trembling hands to him.

Looking at those hands, Kuroba Akira couldn't help but feel a little emotional... As expected, she only seemed strong, but she was still afraid inside.

No matter what, she was alone with a boy in a private room, in a situation where they needed to be completely naked. If he really used violence, her reputation would be ruined for life.

But having had the experience of getting carried away with Shirai Shiori once, Kuroba Akira was able to let reason take over when facing her.

I am no longer a child at heart; I must consider the consequences of my actions, and committing crimes is something I would never do.

So Kuroba Akira simply pinched the tips of her middle fingers and pulled hard, removing the last piece of clothing from her body—those long white silk gloves.

And so, Akira Kuroba finally saw the palms of her left and right hands.

He took in her entire being, both inside and out.

Shiori Shirai is indeed talented.

But it's not a talent for writing.

"Memory Ability B"

She simply saw more and remembered more than others.

Her proficiency with her left hand is a testament to her hard work.

"Writing Level 3"

Despite having no talent for writing, I've still managed to get my proficiency to level 3, and the progress bar is already halfway through.

She didn't win the award because of innate talent, but because of her extensive reading experience, meticulous observation, accumulation of materials, imitation, and diligent writing practice.

Yes... I should have realized it sooner; I lack the relevant skills in creating content.

Shiori Shirai is just like me.

She was just a pure-hearted girl who was passionate about stories.

Chapter 121 True Heartfelt and Physical Admiration

However, the execution of the bet was not yet over.

Simply taking off one's clothes isn't enough; one must also perform a full kneeling ceremony to be considered complete.

Shiori Shirai, given her current state of being born, must utterly surrender to Akira Kuroba.

This might be even more unacceptable to her than being naked.

This is true.

Shiori Shirai desperately wanted to kneel down so she could put her clothes back on and at least not feel so ashamed.

But my knees felt frozen; I couldn't bend them no matter what I did.

She bent over and pounded the front of her thighs, clenching her teeth and trying to make her body obey, but her legs wouldn't listen.

Why……!

I've already taken all my clothes off... so why can't I do a dogeza (kowtow)?!

Has my heart not yet given in?

I never imagined I'd be so competitive...

How embarrassing!

Shiori Shirai felt ashamed of her stubbornness and was about to look up at Akira Kuroba and say that she would give herself a little more time and that she would fulfill her promise no matter what.

But just then, she heard Kuroba Akira's voice coming from above.

"Did you know, Shirai-kun? Actually, for authors who put their heart into their work, the act of creating itself is a process of exposing their inner selves. So, people who like to write novels are actually exhibitionists."

This is actually outrageous.

Akira Kuroba is not a pure creator; he prioritizes 'what readers want to see' rather than 'what he wants to write'.

However, this statement applies to Shiori Shirai.

It was precisely because she wanted to express herself so much that her ego betrayed her at this moment, making her refuse to admit defeat.

"I want to lay bare my inner thoughts to others, I want to gain their approval, I want to receive praise... but the more I think like this, the more I stray from the essence of creation."

Shiori Shirai listened attentively to his words, her mouth slowly opening.

How could he understand my feelings so well?

It was as if he could see through not only the body, but also the soul.

No, he doesn't understand himself, but rather the author.

Because he himself is also an author.

Moreover, they are 'seniors' who have gone much further than I have.

"The so-called creation is actually about placing yourself and the reader on opposite ends of a scale and trying to keep the scale balanced. But your scale has already tilted, Shiori Shirai."

The scales have tipped...

I did indeed overlook the readers' feelings.

He was simply determined to write an excellent work.

But I never considered who this light novel was for...

Is this the reason for my failure?

As if answering her inner question, Kuroba Akira continued to talk about the plot of a novel.

"I once read a novel called 'Idiot, Come Here with Quan Ke,' which tells the story of a college student who meets a man named Quan Ke at a hot pot restaurant, and then, with the help of this strange man, rekindles his dream of writing novels..."

"I've never heard of a novel like this before..."

Was this a novel he conceived himself?

Or perhaps he just made up a story on the spot to comfort himself...

"Let me finish."

"……it is good."

"In short, with the help of this strange man, the 'I' in the novel begins to get to know the female protagonist, a popular female college student writer, and even becomes her apprentice. In fact, the female protagonist is the culprit who almost made the male protagonist give up writing novels, because he heard her evaluation of his submission: worthless."

"..."

"She believes that it is futile for people without talent to try their best."

Shiori Shirai thinks this statement is correct, but... it is indeed too cruel.

Because she knew that she actually had no talent.

Because I am not as inspired and creative as those genius authors, I need to rely on extensive reading to absorb the essence of other people's books and make up for my lack of talent.

Kuroba Akira... he's the real genius author, isn't he?

"That idea is ridiculous."

"Hey?"

"I am not a believer in hard work alone, nor do I believe that hard work will always bring rewards, but creation is definitely not a simple field where success can be achieved solely through talent."

Kuroba Akira looked at his right hand. Without the copied talent, he would have been a talentless person.

"Because I'm not as talented as you, Shirai-kun."

"……you!"

Saying I have no talent...!

I'm the one who has no talent!

You've already beaten me, haven't you!

You are not allowed to belittle yourself!

In that case, wouldn't I become a laughing stock if I lost to you?

“I’m telling you, I’ve spent most of my life watching all sorts of content, chasing after what’s called ‘interesting,’ not only to find spiritual nourishment but also to accumulate experience. It’s this experience that made me beat you.”

"you……"

So he was just like me...

"But actually, I didn't care about winning or losing against you at all; I just wanted to make money from light novels."

"...!"

shallow!

This was Shiori Shirai's first thought.

But... is he really superficial?