Tokyo Soft Rice King

"I see... can you see specific talents and proficiency levels... it's an amazing ability."

"...I'm sorry to disappoint you."

"No, it's just that after getting the answer, I understood a lot of things... For example, the reason why you're not interested in me, Mingjun, is because I have no talent."

"No! Class monitor, you are talented too!"

Besides, it’s not like I’m not interested in you!

Now I... to you...!

"Don't get excited, Mingjun. I don't really care whether I have talent or not... It's just that in the process of getting along with you, I gradually realized that I'm actually a very boring person because I don't have anything that can be called a dream."

"Dream..."

"Yes, I'm just doing what I'm supposed to do, following the planned path... But even so, I have something I want to do now, so that's why I'm investing in your business, Mingjun?"

What the squad leader wants to do is definitely not to make money.

Making money is just a way to escape the control of the Asato family.

So, what does the monitor really want to do?

Under Kuroba Akira's curious gaze, Asato Hitomi confessed to him.

"What I want to do is to help you, Mingjun, accomplish what you want to do."

"Uh... I just want to make money..."

"Is that really the case? What you did to Shiori, Mengmeng, and the one at home, did you really just want to gain benefits from them?"

"...Squad Leader...you really see through everything..."

That was another emotion that Kuroba Akira noticed.

If I have 'admiration' for the class monitor, then I have 'admiration' for them.

“I want to witness with my own eyes the moment their talents blossom and their dreams come true.”

Chapter 237: Cultural Festival of Romantic Events Part 9

At first, it was just because he 'happened' to get this type of plug-in, so he thought of 'taking advantage' of the buried genius to gain benefits for himself.

That's why Hei Yuming wanted to increase their favorability while maintaining an appropriate distance, all so that he could end the relationship cleanly after cashing in on their talents.

Up to this point, I have thought very well, and it is all for myself.

However, I was attracted by them unconsciously.

The key point of a buried genius is not the genius, but the fact that it is buried...that is, 'not favored by others' or 'no one knows'.

So wanting others to recognize them, wanting people to know their value, and wanting them to be "the focus of the world" is the selfish desire of being a "fan".

Just like Shion, Kuroba Akira is not only her 'producer' who guides her, but also her 'number one fan'.

That's why I want to help her realize her dream.

Even whether or not one possesses sufficiently advanced talent is no longer a barrier to one's dreams.

After meeting a "master" like Akiko Takanashi, who relied solely on her rare talent to climb to the top of a single specific field, Kuroba Akira felt incredible and overturned her previous thinking framework.

For example, Shiori Shirai's talent is 'memory', which has no direct connection with the dream she pursues.

However, Kuroba Akira still wanted to see her write works that would surpass his imagination, and wanted to see her become a literary giant who would go down in history, rather than just a small light novel writer.

For example, Moe Aisono. Kuroba Akira initially only regarded her as a tool to draw illustrations for his light novels, but after learning that she had been exploited in the past, he wanted to try to help her return to the field of comics that she loved most, because that was her original dream.

After seeing the light (dreams) and enthusiasm (passion) they emit, how can we not be influenced by them?

This is also something that Hei Yuming has lost for a long time.

He once graduated from 'youth' to 'adulthood' when he completely said goodbye to his first love.

At this point, the appearance of my first love in my mind has become very vague, but the feeling at that time has not been completely forgotten. It was just thrown into the most marginal corner by him.

That is pure admiration and longing.

So this is the reason why I fell in love with my first love.

It's not just because she is beautiful, but also because she is a shining girl chasing her dreams, and I was infected by her at that time.

Isn’t the reason why I chose to work as a screenwriter and copywriter because I wanted to realize my dream with her?

What disappointed Hei Yuming the most was that she abandoned the promise to realize their dreams together and even forgot his name.

That's why I feel discouraged.

Being forgotten by her is more painful than being explicitly rejected by her.

Hei Yuming did not resent her. He felt that he was being too sentimental. In the end, it was his fault that he did not manage the relationship well. They had no contact for many years, so it was natural that he was forgotten.

But in the end, you will feel very regretful.

Because I was not able to work with her again, because I was not able to support her, and because I was not able to see her realize her dream...

These are all black...Bai Yuming's regrets in youth.

After crossing into this world, he has been thinking about his own affairs in an adult way.

And Anri Hitomi allowed him to experience the feeling of youth again and helped him find his original youthful heart.

So this longing was also revived.

Although first love is no longer in this world, there is still a chance to make up for this regret.

However, after hearing Kuroba Akira's declaration that he wanted to help others realize their dreams, Asato Hitomi showed a regretful expression.

She dug out a corner of Hei Yuming's heart and guessed this possibility, but when she really heard him say this, she couldn't help but ask.

"So, what about you, Mingjun?"

"Myself..."

There are things I want to do.

For example, if you want to get enough money to retire.

For example, I want to meet my parents in this world.

For example, I want to try to explore the origin of cheats and the truth of time travel...

But these cannot be called 'dreams'.

"Like you, monitor, I also want to support others."

"I see……"

It seems that we are really a good match...

Anri Hitomi held his hand tighter, pursed her lips into a straight line, and the reluctance in her eyes spread to every corner of her face.

"What a shame... I was thinking, if you had given a different answer, Mingjun, today would have been a 'relationship anniversary' worth remembering for a lifetime..."

"Hey? Squad Leader, what do you mean..."

Hitomi Asato looked out the window. Makoto Hikawa's singing voice echoed throughout the campus. The song she was singing was called "The Most Beloved," and the lyrics were full of longing and longing.

"Mingjun, we are not dating. No matter what others think, you and I know very well that we are just friends."

"We can be more than just friends."

"If I confess to you now, will you accept it?"

"I think I will... No, I should be the one to confess to you."

Thank you for supporting me and for everything you have done for me. I hope you will continue to be by my side.

Kuroba Akira wanted to say these words of confession to her.

But Anri Hitomi did not give him the chance to confess. She looked seriously into Kuroba Ming's eyes and asked a more realistic question.

"Even if this will prevent you, Mingjun, from continuing to realize your dream?"

"Uh, there shouldn't be any conflict, right?"

"There will be a conflict. Once our relationship is made public, they will no longer consider you a reliable partner. They might even become your enemies."

"..."

Hei Yuming fell into a brief silence.

It would be fine if they were all men, like the business he, Hijikata Isami, and Nishimura Ryuya were doing together, which was not affected by emotions.

However, Hei Yuming now supports only girls. Once he becomes openly involved with the class monitor, his relationship with other girls will definitely deteriorate.

Especially for Shion, Kuroba Akira was even a little worried that she would become depressed. If the situation got out of hand and turned into a "either you die or I die" situation, and then the squad leader stood up for him, I'm afraid the BGM of "Sadness, So Much to Say" would start playing.

However, even so.

Hei Yuming also didn't want to let go of the hand he was holding at the moment.

He didn't want to miss it again.

“…Even so! I can…”

"that's not allowed."

"...Hitomi!"

"I've already said that I don't want the wise ruler to make sacrifices."

Just like Asato Hitomi didn't invite Kuroba Akira to dance with her because she didn't want Kuroba Akira to be forced to make a choice.

"If you give up yourself for me, then everything I do for you will be in vain."

"Doesn't this make you a sacrifice for me?"

After thinking for a moment, Anri Hitomi shook her head and denied it.

"Hmm... From my perspective, I don't think it's a sacrifice. As I said earlier, all I want to do is help you, Mingjun, accomplish what you want to do. So, I'm actually satisfying myself."

"So, dating me isn't something you consider self-satisfaction?"

"Yeah, maybe it's because I don't really care about status. I've always felt that the difference between friends and girlfriends is just a matter of title, and dating isn't a very solid relationship, unless it's a 'dating with the intention of getting married'... but even that kind of relationship has a lot of uncertainties, and even marriage isn't absolutely reliable."

"If you say so, there's no reliable relationship at all..."

"Yeah, that's why I didn't take this formal relationship seriously before...but recently I've changed my mind and now I understand the difference between a 'girlfriend' and a 'friend'."

"Oh?"

"The girlfriend status isn't for internal use, but for external use. It's a way of announcing to others that 'we're dating,' so they won't want to get involved. Marriage is the same; it's essentially a form of 'identity branding.'"

"Identity brand... maybe that's the case."

"That's why I say it's a pity. Because what you want to do, Mingjun, is to support their dreams. If I brand you with this identity, they will distance themselves from you, and I will become an obstacle on the road to your dream, which will make me regret it."

"Uh……!"

"Because I was just curious about you, Mingjun, at first. Then, as I got to know you, I was attracted to you. And now, I want to witness your 'ending'."

Only then did Kuroba Akira realize that the feelings that Asato Hitomi had for him were the same as the feelings he had for his first love.

Her feelings for her love also stem from longing, and perhaps also curiosity.

Now Kuroba Akira has made it clear that what he wants to do is to help them realize their dreams, so Asato Hitomi will continue to help him.

So in fact, she didn't want Hei Yuming to sacrifice for her because she felt sorry for him, but when he gave up the dream he was pursuing, Anri Hitomi would lose interest in him.

What I like is 'you who pursues your dreams', not 'you who compromises with reality'.

Kuroba Akira's sacrifice was not allowed by Asato Hitomi.

Once he did that, he would no longer be the person she liked.

At this moment, Hei Yuming felt that it was fate that was playing tricks on him, and he felt that he was such a fool. Why didn't he think carefully before answering the monitor's question?

But...if what I said wasn't true, the squad leader would definitely be able to tell...

"Don't show that expression, Mingjun. Even though we haven't confessed our feelings to each other yet, and we haven't been dating, at this moment, we have already figured it out, right?"

"That's true though..."

"And it's not possible to just 'openly date', but as long as you are willing, I can maintain a 'secret' relationship with you."

This proposal made Hei Yuming's heart beat faster again.