I became the emperor in the comic book series.

She opened it, glanced at it, closed it again, and handed it back to him, saying with emotion, "Four years have passed, and you've actually graduated."

"What else? Stay at school with you?"

“That won’t do.” Amakusa Shino waved her hand. “I still have several years of school to go, you can’t afford to accompany me.”

The two stood there for a while, watching people come and go on the playground, graduates and their families hugging, taking pictures, crying, and laughing.

"What you just said, was it from the heart?" Amakusa Shino suddenly asked.

"Which?"

"The part about poor pregnancy."

Higashino Akira thought for a moment: "Half and half."

"Which half?"

"We are indeed hiring, and we welcome people. As for the rest..." He paused, "it depends on fate."

Amakusa Shino glanced at him sideways: "You're getting more and more sassy with your words."

"I learned it from you."

"I didn't teach you that."

"Improved through constant exposure."

Amakusa Shinobu was taken aback by his words, but in the end, she couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Chapter 156 Picky Eating Leads to Malnutrition

After leaving the playground, Akira Higashino went to his counselor's office.

The old man, who would be retiring in two years, looked up and saw Akira Higashino, and the smile on his face faded.

It wasn't that I was angry, I just couldn't stand the students teasing me. It was mainly because I was concerned about my image. This scoundrel of a student said in front of so many people that he liked rich girls and wanted to be a kept man.

It can be said that this speech had no impact on him in academia, but it has damaged his reputation in the education sector.

He could already imagine that for a long time to come, when he met his old friends again, they would tease him with things like, "Oh, so-and-so is your student, right?" "I have a beautiful daughter, how about we play matchmaker?" "Hey, I know a young lady who is my student now, how about I introduce her to your student?" and so on.

"You've arrived? Have a seat."

Akira Higashino sat down in the chair opposite the desk.

"Did you get your graduation certificate?"

"got it."

"Let me see it."

Higashino Akira handed over his ID. The teacher opened it, carefully examined every word on it, as if confirming something, and finally nodded in satisfaction, closed it, and returned it to him.

"Four years have passed, and you are the most surprising student I have ever met."

"An accident?" Higashino Akira raised an eyebrow, smiling as he expertly rummaged through his mentor's office and found the old man's treasured tea leaves, brewing a cup for both of them and presenting them to him. "Was that a good or bad accident?"

“Okay.” The tutor took off his glasses, wiped them, and put them back on. “When you entered the university, your grades weren’t outstanding, but they weren’t bad either. Your family background was ordinary. You were the kind of person who wouldn’t cause me too much worry. At that time, I thought that your career prospects after graduation would probably not be very optimistic. I had even prepared to use my connections to arrange a decent job for you so that you could live a stable life.”

"Of all the students in the class, the reason I valued you the most was because you were the most naive. You came to study this major without any connections or background. At the same time, you were also the most reliable person in the class, making me feel at ease."

"And now?"

“Now?” The tutor leaned back in his chair, took a sip of tea, looked him up and down with a complicated expression, “Now I feel that you are not the kind of student I can teach.”

Higashino Akira didn't speak, waiting for him to continue.

“I had someone look into your Yunmeng Group,” Sato said, his tone carrying an indescribable meaning. “It’s quite large, and its direction is very interesting—social welfare… You’re doing even better than what’s written in the books.”

"You taught me well."

"Don't give me that." The instructor waved his hand. "Do you think I don't know what I'm teaching? I haven't taught any of that stuff."

Akira Higashino smiled and did not deny it.

Sato sighed, his tone becoming serious: "To be honest, Higashino, I was deeply moved after seeing what you did. We've been doing social welfare research for so many years, and very few of us have actually put the theory into practice. You not only did it, but you did it on such a large scale... It's not easy."

The tutor paused for a moment, then said half-jokingly, "But the way you are, you look more like a socialist spy than my students."

Akira Higashino paused for a moment, then smiled.

"You think too highly of me."

“I was just saying it offhand.” Sato laughed and waved his hand. “But if you’re really investigated, don’t say you’re my student.”

"Don't worry, I can handle it."

"It's not that you can't say it, but just acknowledge that tendency. In your current position, there are some things that are inappropriate to say. Don't express your opinion lightly. As long as you don't say it, whatever you do will at most make people call you an idiot."

The mentor's expression faltered slightly, and he quickly added a sentence.

Although this kid has a rather unconventional personality, his teaching achievements are genuine. Just kidding, how can we just deny it?

After teaching for so many years, I originally planned to finish steadily and peacefully. Unexpectedly, as I approach retirement, one of my last students has emerged as an extraordinary individual.

It's unacceptable to just make some sarcastic remarks about your own students and then let them go, only to have them lost or snatched away by other mentors.

After saying that, the professor looked at the rascal across from him, paused for a moment, and then asked the question he had asked many times before: "Are you really not going to continue your doctoral studies? I can hold on for a few more years, so delaying retirement by two or three years is no big deal."

Akira Higashino shook his head, a relaxed smile on his face: "Doing research in the community is the same."

The mentor looked at him, his eyes filled with regret, relief, and something else he couldn't quite put his finger on. Finally, he nodded: "Alright, you have your path, I won't stop you."

"Thank you, teacher."

"Don't thank me, I didn't help you with anything." The tutor stood up, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Do a good job, just embarrass the school, but don't embarrass me."

"I will try my best."

What does "as much as possible" mean?

"That means it definitely won't be lost."

The teacher was amused by him and waved his hand: "Alright, get lost. I'm annoyed just looking at you. Don't bother this old geezer anymore. Go find your beautiful lady and young lady."

Akira Higashino came out of his mentor's office and walked down the corridor.

His phone vibrated. He picked it up and saw it was a message from Amakusa Shinobu.

"Want to grab a drink tonight? To celebrate your graduation."

He was about to reply when he heard hurried footsteps behind him.

"Higashino-kun! Please wait a moment!"

Akira Higashino turned around and saw the teachers from the Academic Affairs Office jogging after him, panting heavily.

"What's up?"

"The principal said..." the teacher took a breath, "You are now a representative of outstanding graduates, and we would like to ask you to give another speech to the freshmen."

Higashino Akira raised his eyebrows: "Now?"

"Right now. The freshmen have just finished their meeting and are waiting."

"...Are the new students also in this auditorium?"

"In another hall. Not far away."

Akira Higashino glanced at the time on his phone, then at his suit, and remained silent for two seconds.

"Row."

On the way, Higashino Akira sent a message to the older, single female club president who was always spouting dirty jokes: "The principal is addicted to stand-up comedy and wants me to give another performance."

"???"

Higashino: "You know I never lie."

"Has that old man lost his mind? Could it be that he's taken a liking to you and wants you to be his grandson-in-law?"

Higashino: "That's impossible, I don't eat other men's wives."

"Being a picky eater can lead to malnutrition."

Higashino: "Eating everything will only lead to overnutrition."

Along the way, we met some junior female students who came over.

"Senior Higashino, can we take a group photo together?" A junior girl came over, holding up her phone, her face slightly red.

Higashino Akira glanced at her and readily agreed.

Chapter 157 The Girl-Chasing King of Shimokitazawa

The second lecture was addressed to younger students, and Higashino Akira was a bit more serious, with more valuable content, and it wasn't just a stand-up comedy routine.

That evening, we had one last dinner together with my classmates. No one knew how many more chances we would have to meet again, and then we went our separate ways.

Akira Higashino completely ended his lifelong academic career, bid farewell to his student status, and returned to the rhythm of daily life.

However, the graduation speech video went viral online in just two days after someone uploaded it.

The comments and bullet screens were all completely off-topic.

"Hilarious! This is the first time I've seen someone so openly admit to wanting to be a kept man."

"What the heck is this postpartum care for domestic pigs?! Hahahaha!"

"Is this guy serious? Is he starting a business just to become the husband of a bunch of rich girls?"

"The Young Lady Terminator!"

"The Neon Heiress's Lifelong Enemy".

"The professional ethics of a gigolo!"

Soon, some people with a penchant for entertainment dug up his identity and business, and made a derivative video titled "Because I wanted to live off women so badly, I chose to start a business and became invincible," which got more views than the original video.

Even along with the successful overseas expansion of the game "Omizome Story", it has gained considerable popularity abroad.

Even more outrageous, some netizens actually followed the internet to dig up his company's employee list, and what they found was:

Yukino Yukinoshita, the eldest daughter of the Yukinoshita family, works in his group.

Toyokawa Shoko, the eldest daughter of the Toyokawa family, is preparing for the debut of a commercial band under the management of a famous entertainer's daughter, Wakaba Mutsumi.

The comment section exploded instantly:

"???"

"Are you serious, bro?"

"I thought he was on the fifth level, but it turns out he was in the atmosphere."

"What 'ladies' magnet'?"

"Teach me, please, please teach me!"

Fortunately, Yunmeng Group's public opinion risk control department intervened in time to guide the direction of public opinion. Soon, people's focus gradually shifted away from "wanting to live off women" and "liking rich girls".

Someone then dug up information about his company's employee benefits and then fell silent.

The base salary is significantly higher than that of the industry average, with full social insurance and housing fund benefits, shorter working hours, and discourages overtime except for necessary positions and stages. The company even provides subsidies for education, medical care, and living expenses for employees and their children, allowing employees to receive support from the company's related industries in all aspects of life, including clothing, food, housing, transportation, aging, illness, and death, at a lower cost.

"Wait, is this really a Japanese company?"

"They didn't use labor dispatch?"

“I checked, and this company’s profit margin was ridiculously low last year; all the money was distributed to the employees.”

"This isn't a capitalist, this is a philanthropist..."

"So he's serious? He didn't just waste his time studying 'social welfare'?"

The wind shifted subtly.

.........

In the rehearsal room after the band finished, Kita Ikuyo was curled up on the sofa scrolling through her phone when she suddenly widened her eyes.

"Ee ee ee!!!"

Hongxia came over: "What's wrong?"

"Higashino-kun! Higashino-kun is trending!" Kita held up his phone. "Look!"

Hongxia took it and flipped through it, her expression changing from confusion to surprise and then to a subtle look: "So... his initial motivation for starting the business was to... live off a woman? No, wait, the employee benefits at his company are too outrageous, aren't they?"