Tokyo Soft Rice King

"I was sleep deprived and went to catch up on some sleep. The monitor just accompanied me. Nothing happened. If you don't believe me, you can go and ask Mr. Ohno for confirmation. I swear I didn't do anything."

No...actually I still did it, using my knees as a pillow and massaging my feet.

But, that doesn’t count, right?

Well, it's just mutual care between friends.

"Humph……"

It's best to do nothing.

If something really happened, Shirai Shiori would have the urge to castrate Kuroba Akira.

How dare you touch Tong in school... Even if you want to be intimate, you should go to a love hotel or her home!

Shirai Shiori, who has a rich imagination, began to uncontrollably imagine the scene before Kuroba Akira and Asato Hitomi entered the main show.

……

"Squad Leader...you are so beautiful."

"That's annoying, Kuroba-kun...don't call me squad leader now...isn't that a disguised name for others?"

"I understand, Tong, my beloved Tong... Come, today we will reach the other side of happiness together."

"Ah... Hei Yu-kun... Ming-kun... Don't... Don't look at me... I'm so shy..."

"Don't be shy, let me take a good look at you. I will memorize every detail of your body...I will never forget it until I die."

"Well... I'm willing to show you... So... you have to keep looking at me... and make me happy, okay?"

"I will make you the happiest woman in the world."

"Mmm...ah...Mingjun...I love you...I love you the most..."

……

"Shiori? What's wrong with you? Your face is a little red... Is it too stuffy in the room? I'll go open the window."

Asato Hitomi's concerned voice brought Shiori Shirai back to her senses.

She banged her head on the table with a thud, feeling extremely ashamed.

Ah ah ah ah ah!

What am I thinking!

Yet it is possible...it may even have happened!

It is indeed unforgivable!

Tong... was tainted!

Hei Yuming...!

I hate you!

Chapter 97: A Fair Showdown

Anri Hitomi went to open the window of the Arts Department to ventilate. The weather was not very hot today and there was a breeze.

The enthusiasm of Shiori Shirai gradually faded away.

Although she didn't really feel hot, her body and mind were hot because of her overly stimulating delusions.

To actually presume to know a friend's secrets without permission... is totally wrong!

It must be because I read too many erotic novels recently. Although I just wanted to learn how to portray and describe desire... I didn't expect it to have such a strong impact on me.

It seems I need to read less adult literature in the future. It’s very easy to get caught up in it and fill my head with terrible delusions.

After calming down, Shiori Shirai was ready to say what had been brewing in her heart.

These words must be said. If you don't say them, you won't feel comfortable. If you just brush them off, it may become a knot in your heart, or even a heart disease.

Shiori Shirai doesn't want to face her friends, but when she faces herself, she still has such a stone in her heart, which is a torture for both of them.

"Kuroba-san, I have something to tell you."

"Ah I?"

Hei Yuming pointed at his nose, looking puzzled.

What's going on? Why are you so serious?

It can't be a confession, right?

That's too terrifying, and it will make Hei Yuming suspect that this world may have a mysterious power that can rewrite common sense.

"And Mengmeng too."

"Shiori..."

In fact, Shirai Shiori had already apologized to Moe Aizono yesterday and obtained her forgiveness, but those words only affected Moe Aizono. The person she should really apologized to was Kuroba Akira.

One thing is one thing...You have to take responsibility for what you say.

"I want to apologize... I'm sorry! I shamelessly belittled something you love!"

Shiori Shirai faced the two of them and bowed very formally at a 90-degree angle to apologize.

She lowered her proud head to the man who was at loggerheads with her yesterday and whom she still hated at this moment.

Hei Yuming half opened his mouth, was a little dazed at first, then raised his eyebrows and looked back at the squad leader, and found that the squad leader was looking at him with a proud smile.

As if to say: "See? That's why Shiori is my good friend."

I see……

Shiori Shirai is indeed a character.

Hei Yuming spoke seriously for once.

"That's not necessary, Shirai-san. Everyone has the right to evaluate a work. There's no need to feel wronged if you don't like it."

But Shirai Shiori did not accept this statement and continued to speak while maintaining the bowing posture.

"No, after I calmed down, I realized that was something I shouldn't have said. Everyone has their own preferences, but I shouldn't use my own preferences to judge others' preferences. I can say I don't like it, but I can't say light novels are low-brow... That's absolutely wrong."

She made the distinction very clearly.

You can say that you don’t like light novels, but you can’t say that light novels are rubbish.

This is an insult to all those who love light novels and is the most tasteless double standard.

"It was my limited knowledge that made me say such arrogant words. Without understanding, I have no right to speak. I shouldn't have the right to comment on a genre of novel I haven't read."

If you have actually read those boring youth novels that you brought to school, you can give a sharp review.

But you haven't read the light novels carefully, so why do you conclude that light novels are low-quality novels?

You obviously like books, but you categorize books you haven't read into different levels... That's too arrogant.

Shiori Shirai feels ashamed of her outrageous remarks.

"So I went back yesterday and borrowed some light novels from Mengmeng. I read them all night. Although I haven't finished them yet...but from what I've read so far, I think they're well-written and very interesting."

At this time, Shirai Shiori finally straightened up and looked directly at Kuroba Akira in front of her and said.

"But... because of this, I'm even more certain that, Kuroba-san, if you say you want to publish a light novel, you're really overestimating your own abilities."

Shirai Shiori has changed her opinion on light novels, but she is still dissatisfied with Kuroba Akira's attitude of looking down on creation.

Hei Yuming shrugged.

"Well, trying won't get you pregnant... well, what I mean is, trying doesn't guarantee success, but if you don't even dare to try, then there's no chance of success, right?"

"But you were so sure yesterday that your novel would be published, otherwise you wouldn't have made that bet with me."

"..."

Hei Yuming was indeed confident.

At least I am much more confident than ordinary new authors.

It comes from decades of reading experience in previous lives and professional experience in the content industry.

"Shirai-san, I don't think you know me very well, so maybe my attitude yesterday caused you to misunderstand..."

Kuroba Akira looked straight into her eyes and said seriously.

"But I can tell you clearly now that I'm not joking, nor did I just want to write a light novel on a whim. I'm not just boasting when I say it can be published. Just like when you won a short story award, I have confidence in my heart."

"Oh? So you came to Mengmeng for your own work?"

"That's right. Illustrations are an essential part of light novels. You could even say that without good illustrations, a light novel wouldn't be considered excellent. That's why I cordially invited Aizono-san yesterday. But if this made you think I had bad intentions towards Aizono-san, I apologize."

Hei Yuming also bowed his head to her and apologized, but he didn't bow to the full extent of ninety degrees, he just leaned forward slightly.

"..."

Shirai Shiori was also surprised at this time.

Kuroba Akira's frank words made her realize that she might have misunderstood his original intention.

So that's how it is, he is serious too.

Like me, I seriously want to become a professional writer.

Are you a fellow traveler...?

Maybe he was just acting, just wanting to leave a good impression in front of Tong and Mengmeng, and also to please himself...

At the very least, before you get the final confirmation, you must not be deceived by his appearance and become his companion.

Even Shirai Shiori hopes in her heart that Kuroba Akira is a man who is consistent in his appearance and character.

Hei Yuming looked up, scratched the back of his head and asked.

"So, is the bet void?"

Now that the misunderstanding has been resolved, Hei Yuming feels that yesterday's bet is not that important anymore.

There is no need to embarrass Shiori Shirai, she has already realized her mistake.

But Shirai Shiori did not intend to retract her words. She still wanted to verify whether Kuroba Akira's words were sincere.

"No... Let's continue the bet. I want to see if you really have the ability to publish a light novel. Only then can I believe that what you say is true."

"Then the content of the bet remains unchanged?"

"to not fix!"

"Hmm... Shiori..."

At this time, Aizono Moeie, who had been watching from the side, couldn't help but worry about her and clasped her hands in front of her chest.

She felt that the bet was too much, and taking off all her clothes was really... embarrassing just thinking about it.

However, Shiori Shirai also has her own unique self-esteem, which is the self-esteem as a creator.

Now she no longer just wants to tear off Hei Yuming's disguise and reveal his true face, but wants to have a real fight with him.

Hei Yuming also saw what she was thinking, so he spoke.

"Yesterday I heard from a friend that Shirai-san won a prestigious short story award."

“…Just luck.”

"Don't be so modest. I know winning an award in the literary world is not easy. I heard you even broke the record for being the youngest person to win the award."

"It was just that the editor of the publishing house revealed my real age without my consent."

Shiori Shirai was actually very unhappy about this, because there would be some publishing houses that gave awards because of their youth, not because of the excellence of the work itself.

So since winning the award, Shiori Shirai has not submitted any more papers. On the one hand, she felt that her level was not high enough and she wanted to settle down for a few more years. On the other hand, she wanted to get rid of the dual halo of being young and a student and win the award with her real ability.

Hei Yuming brought up this matter not to compliment her, but just to change the content of the bet.

"What I'm saying is, since light novels aren't your forte, then you don't have to write them. Yesterday's bet was 'whoever's work gets published first wins,' and there were no specific rules for genre or subject matter, so just write the kind of novels you're good at."

Then he added another sentence.

"Of course you can also submit your manuscript to a publisher you're familiar with. I don't care anyway."