Tokyo Soft Rice King

Shizumiya looked in astonishment at Hei Yuming, who seemed more indifferent than ever.

He knew, he always knew, he was not slow at all, he knew exactly what he was thinking.

He clearly saw it all, but he just acted like a bystander and never expressed anything.

Murasaki became fragile because of Hei Yuming's cold gaze. His words touched her nerves, causing her to collapse at any time.

"I took you in because I was impressed by your talent, and you stayed with me because you have nowhere else to go now."

"..."

"I know you have feelings for me, and you also feel a sense of belonging to Xiaolin, the man who took you in... but days like these won't last forever."

"Mingjun...will you leave?"

Leaving the warm Kobayashi family... and leaving me too?

Don’t do that kind of thing…!

Why! Why do you have to leave?

Can't you stay with me forever and stay here forever?

However, Hei Yuming ruthlessly wiped out her hopes.

"Oh, I'll leave."

Even Kuroba Akira himself was surprised that the answer was given so simply.

"Because I'm not your only choice."

Chapter 176: She takes off her disguise and becomes proactive

"What does that mean?"

She doesn't understand.

Or maybe they don’t want to understand.

Because that is a way of thinking that is completely opposite to the love brain.

She only likes one person, only cares about one person, and lives for one person... There is only room for him in her eyes. Zizhigong Ziyin was originally prepared to accept this way of life.

But Kuroba Ming denied this way of life.

"That's exactly what it means. It's not just me. Actually, everyone living in the Kobayashi family is temporarily accepting the help from Grandma Kobayashi because they have no other choice."

Hei Yuming put his hands behind his head and looked at the bathroom ceiling and said.

"Once we've gotten over our own difficulties, everyone will go their separate ways... I feel a bit lonely, but just like students eventually graduate from school, that's reality."

Then Hei Yuming pointed at Zi Zhigong and said.

"Same to you, Ziyin."

"Me too...?"

"Yes, the Xiaolin family is only a 'temporary residence' after all. When you, Ziyin, become independent, you must start over and find a new home that belongs to you..."

Hei Yuming's expression made a shape that looked like a smile, but there was no sadness or joy in his eyes.

"Instead of me being the only one left for 'you now'."

"..."

The corners of Zi Zhigong's eyes drooped slightly, revealing an unspeakable sorrow in her eyes, and her lips trembled slightly, as if she wanted to tell the pain in her heart, but didn't know where to start.

In fact, she had also thought that after her debut, the time she could spend with Kuroba Ming would be less... There was nothing she could do about it.

So what Mingjun said is right...such good days will not last forever.

When I am busy with work, these memories will slowly fade away...By then, will I still be able to maintain this love?

Even if it still exists, it will surely cool down and won't be as intense as it is now...

However, this is the feeling in reality.

Because it will cool down, the love brain will continue to hypnotize itself, adding fuel called "self-sacrifice" to love, and give everything to the other person without reservation.

But Kuroba Akira does not accept this self-destructive love.

"That's why I said I can't give you an answer right now. Ziyin, you chose me because I'm the only one you can choose right now. You're afraid of losing the belonging you've gained, so you're trying every way to please me and keep me..."

A bitter arc appeared at the corner of Hei Yuming's mouth as he said regretfully.

"Honestly, there's no need to treat yourself like this. I don't want you to choose me for this reason."

"I……!"

I'm not!

Although she wanted to refute like this, the words were stuck in Zizhimiya's throat.

Because she realized that she had no room for rebuttal.

Objectively speaking, she has nothing now. It is because of Hei Yuming's appreciation that she was able to make an exception and live in the Kobayashi family. Otherwise, Kobayashi's mother-in-law would not have accepted her as an "outsider".

Then, Zi Zhigong understood that the obstacle to her love was not the outside stealing cat, nor the difficulty of conquering Hei Yuming, but...

The "favor" owed since the beginning when Kuroba Ming took him in.

As long as the element of gratitude is still mixed in, then my feelings for Hei Yuming are not pure.

Even if Hei Yuming accepted this impure love, he would not open his heart completely to her because he would think that "this is just repaying a favor."

Since the favor has not been repaid yet, even if I forcibly take possession of him here, I can only get his body.

His heart...will never belong to me!

However, Shizukiya did not fall into despair because of this. After hearing what Kuroba Akira said, her inherited love brain became less blind and immature, and more awakened and mature.

If you want to obtain Hei Yuming's body and mind, the conditions are not met at this stage.

"In other words...Mingjun, do you think that even if I like you now, I might change my mind in the future?"

Hei Yuming shrugged, returned to his usual frivolous look and spread his hands.

"Who knows, maybe, maybe not, but I think the more likely scenario is... you'll feel like that person wasn't that big of a deal, and you might not even remember their name."

This is also a matter of experience... Hei Yuming recalled the bitter memories again.

However, Murasakimiya refuted very firmly.

"No, I will never forget you, Mingjun. Unless I lose my memory, I will never forget you until I die."

“Haha, should I be happy about this…”

"Anyway, when I can stand on my own two feet and help you make a lot of money, I won't need your help anymore, and you're no longer my only support. Then I'll get your answer."

"Well, if by then you truly think you can choose me, I will seriously consider it and give you an answer."

"Well... your words are enough."

This way I know which direction to work towards...

Zi Zhigong showed a relieved smile, that smile was pure and bright, as if it could dispel all the haze.

"But I still want to thank you, Mingjun, for letting me experience the feeling of 'liking'."

"Uh... I think this is a mistake..."

It proves that I failed miserably in controlling Zi Zhigong's favorability... Fortunately, it wasn't to the point where it was irreversible.

Otherwise, Hei Yuming felt that he might be soaking in a bathtub of blood.

"This is by no means a mistake. It's also a valuable experience for me. Voice actors who haven't experienced the emotions of love will lack that flavor when dubbing a girl in love."

"What you said makes sense... I'm actually glad to see you think this way. This way, all your experiences will become experience points, helping you to constantly transform yourself until you reach the top."

Kuroba Akira pointed to the ceiling with relief, then scratched his cheek and said awkwardly.

"Well, can you please leave now? I need to continue taking a shower..."

But Zi Zhigong did not turn around and leave. Instead, he stepped into the bathtub and spoke.

"Oh, I almost forgot... I'm here to help you rub your back, Mingjun."

Zi Zhigong lied without changing his expression.

Now that you're here, how can you leave without getting any benefits?

What's more, now that everything has been said, he already knows my feelings, so there is no need to be reserved in front of him.

"Uh...if you were going to scrub my back, why did you have to get in the tub...shouldn't I be the one getting out?"

Zi Zhigong put both feet into the bathtub and said as he sat down.

"I just stood outside for too long. I also want to warm my body with hot water. Just a short soak will be fine."

"Then I'll go out first...you continue washing..."

Hei Yuming pressed his hands on the edge of the bathtub and wanted to get up and leave, but Zi Zhigong held his hands down forcefully.

"It's okay, Mingjun, I don't mind bathing in the same tub with you."

"But I mind..."

"Oh? What are you fussing about? Mingjun, you are my producer, right? What's there to be shy about?"

Miss Ziyin asked Hei Yuming a soul-searching question with a calm smile.

Now she has dropped her disguise, taken back the initiative, become bold and fearless.

Chapter 177 She is really good at it

"Uh……"

I'm a man too!

Purple Palace Ziyin! Don't go too far!

Just as Hei Yuming was about to say this, he saw Miss Ziyin step on the space between his two knees...a position that made Hei Yuming subconsciously shrink.

This is a strategic intimidation, as if to say: If you move again, your next kick will miss.

Murasaki's expression at this moment replicated the expression on Asato Hitomi's face that she had just met. It was the kind of smile that made it impossible to read her true thoughts.

"Mingjun, you just said, 'You absolutely must not attack the artists you're responsible for. This is the minimum requirement for a producer. If you can't even do this, you can't call yourself a producer.'... Is that correct?"

Repeat word for word.

She has become very skilled at memorizing lines.

Although the bath water was still warm, Hei Yuming felt his body getting cold.

"……Yes."

Since he was the one who said it, Hei Yuming could only accept it with a pinch of his nose.

Shizumiya knelt in the middle of the bathtub, moved the hands that were holding down Kuroba Ming's hands to his shoulders, and then moved her face close to Kuroba Ming, and the long black hair hanging down became his eyes.

Hei Yuming's vision was forcibly limited to: she was the only one in his eyes.

At this extremely close distance where one could even feel the other's breathing, Zi Zhigong's stunning face blossomed into an intriguing smile, so gorgeous and full of temptation that Hei Yuming couldn't help swallowing.

"In that case, even in this 'looking very bad' situation, as long as the person I'm with is a wise ruler, I'm 'absolutely safe', right?"

"...Yes, I will never hurt you."

Veins popped up on Hei Yuming's forehead and his eyelids twitched. He found it very difficult to bear.

It seems that I am not far from enlightenment...

Form is emptiness, however, emptiness is not different from form.

"Well, I also believe that you are a 'responsible producer', Mingjun. So why did you run away?"

"..."