Tokyo Soft Rice King.

And so, carrying the high hopes of the two, Kuroba Akira was sent out of the Literature and Art Club activity room.

Let's find Aizen Moe first. Anyway, let's check the restroom area first... But after only a couple of steps, he saw Aizen Moe peeking out from near the stairwell, waving at him.

"Kuroba-kun, over here...!"

The call was extremely soft, as if afraid of disturbing something, carrying a sense of caution.

After Kuroba Akira walked over, she nervously covered her mouth with her sleeve and said something.

"Um, Kuroba-kun... um, shall I buy you a drink?"

Kuroba Akira clasped his hands together in a gesture of deep respect to her.

"Thank you for your kindness, Lord Aiyuan."

Kuroba Akira would never refuse any opportunity to freeload; anyone who offered to treat him was a good person.

"No, no need to thank me. On the contrary, I should thank you, Kuroba-kun, for understanding what I was trying to convey..."

"Actually, it's pretty easy to understand. It just means 'see you in the toilet.'"

"It's not just about the restroom... I... I've never been in the men's restroom before, and Kuroba-kun can't go into the women's restroom either, right? So I just wanted to call you out, Kuroba-kun, and also because I didn't want Hitomi-chan and Shiori to find out... So it might be a bit abstract... Ahahaha..."

Aiyuan Moe gave a dry laugh.

However, it was still discovered.

And they even told me all your triggers.

Poor Mengmeng, her best friends saw right through her underwear...

Kuroba Akira, of course, wouldn't reveal this, but simply went along with it.

"So, Moe-kun, what are you trying to tell me, something you can't say to the class president and Shiori?"

"Um... Actually, I didn't want to tell you this, Kuroba-kun... but if I didn't tell you, I felt it would be fraud... so I wanted to tell you in person."

"Okay, I'm all ears."

If he hadn't received prior instruction from the other two, Kuroba Akira would definitely have reflexively said, "Is it really that bad?"

But now he understands that for Aizono Moe, this is comparable to mustering up the courage to confess to someone she likes.

Arriving at the familiar vending machine outside the teaching building, Aizen Moe bought a bottle of orange soda and handed it to Kuroba Akira, then asked...

"Kuroba-kun... what color is this bottle of orange soda in your eyes?"

"It's orange."

"Yes...but to me it would be closer to yellow, even a bit greenish, and also a bit dark..."

"I knew it..."

Kuroba Akira, who had already guessed this outcome, was not surprised.

"Meng Hui, you are colorblind, right?"

Aiyuan Moe admitted it with a bitter smile.

"Yes... I'm sorry, Kuroba-kun, I've been keeping it from you all this time..."

This is not color blindness, but a visual deficiency called 'color weakness'.

The structure of the eyeball is similar to that of a camera. Light enters the cornea, passes through the lens, and is projected onto the retina. The retina then transmits the sensory nerves to the brain, which is how humans can see.

The photoreceptor cells in the central part of the retina are related to color vision, and people with congenital abnormalities in their photoreceptor cells will see colors very differently from ordinary people.

In fact, people's perception of color varies from person to person, but the differences are very obvious for some people. Aiyuan Moe belongs to this special group.

Her ability to distinguish colors isn't just 'a little bad,' it's 'significantly bad,' which is why she tries so hard to hide this weakness.

The inability to distinguish colors is a fatal flaw for a painter.

If you can't distinguish colors, you'll naturally doubt whether the world you see is the 'real world'.

They are completely unrelated to what is right, always doubting themselves, which is why they become very insecure and blindly follow others.

This is the root of her inferiority complex.

"I didn't want Hitomi and Shiori to worry about me...that's why I haven't told them...I don't want to receive any more special treatment..."

Kuroba Akira could understand her feelings, just like when he first transmigrated, he received special care from Kobayakawa Motoko. Of course, this care was still ongoing, but it wasn't as obvious as it had been at the beginning.

However, Akira Kuroba simply felt annoyed, while Moe Aizono felt guilty.

Because they are good friends and besties, Aiyuan Moe doesn't want to owe any more favors.

She didn't want to be constantly looked after by her friends, nor did she want to feel inferior in front of them. Instead, she wanted to stand shoulder to shoulder with them, hand in hand, and get along with them without any psychological burden.

Kuroba Akira stroked his chin, recalling some little-known facts he had read before.

"But I remember that mild color blindness doesn't seem to have a big impact on daily life, right? You can still take the driving test normally, right?"

"Yes, it doesn't really affect my daily life, but... well, it has a huge impact on my painting... Although the doctor said there's only a slight difference, I don't know exactly what that 'slight difference' means..."

Every morning after opening her eyes, drawing back the curtains, and looking at the sky outside the window, Aiyuan Moe can't help but think about it.

Is the sky really blue today?

She wasn't sure.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I should have told you from the beginning... but..."

Just because,

I've been invited.

They were valued.

I was praised.

and so……

They got carried away.

In the end, however, it was all just an illusion before the bubble burst.

"I got carried away with my success..."

"He clearly can't distinguish colors, yet he shamelessly accepted your invitation..."

"But I'm not the illustrator that Kuroba-kun expected..."

The more she talked, the more inferior she felt. Aiyuan Moe seemed to be pulled down by an invisible force, her head drooping and her shoulders slumping, bearing a sorrow that no one could understand.

Her hair fell gently, partially obscuring her face, making her appear lonely in the light and shadow, yet possessing a unique and poignant beauty.

"Please...replace me...oh?!"

Not wanting her to sink any further, Kuroba Akira roughly pinched Aizen Moe's chubby little face with two fingers, turning her words into strange cries, and then forcefully made her raise her head to look directly at him.

"I won't!"

Kuroba Akira's lips curled into a wicked smile, announcing her fate.

"Dear Aiyuan, my lovely Mengmeng, have you forgotten that you have agreed to become my exclusive illustrator?"

"Um...but...!"

"No buts. Now that you've agreed, do you think I'll just let you off the hook?"

Don't even think about escaping my grasp!

I'm definitely going to use you!

Chapter 162 Aiyuan Moe is a Borderline Personality Disorder

However, it must be said that Aiyuan Moe's little face is quite soft to touch.

Perhaps because she has a round face, her cheeks are quite full, so when you press her with your fingers, her skin feels very soft and smooth.

And if you pinch her, she'll pout, her pink lips opening and closing like a goldfish, which is quite amusing.

Kuroba Akira squeezed his hand a few more times before letting go, leaving a faint blush on the spot where he had pressed.

Aiyuan Moe raised her hands and touched her face; the feeling of being pressed still lingered in her cheeks.

She remembered that when Shirai Shiori was angry, she would pinch her cheeks and pull them apart, but because Shirai Shiori was too weak, it didn't hurt at all.

But this time it wasn't pinching; Kuroba Akira simply pressed down on both cheeks, and I could already feel a slight pain.

Kuroba-kun's grip is so strong... Is this what male strength is like...?

She suddenly remembered a scene she had seen in a shoujo manga: the domineering male protagonist pinned the submissive female protagonist against the wall, and the female protagonist, thinking she was about to be kissed, nervously closed her eyes, only to be pinched on the cheek... When she opened her eyes, she saw the male protagonist's mischievous smile, and the female protagonist blushed with embarrassment.

Kuroba Akira's face now wore that wicked, seductive smile.

Thinking of this, Aiyuan Moe suddenly felt a little shy. Even after the marks from being pressed faded, her cheeks were still flushed, and the blush slowly spread, exuding an aura of shyness and unease.

To cover her embarrassment, she covered her face and explained.

"Um... I know that suddenly telling Kuroba-kun that I'm colorblind would be like making an excuse for my poor coloring skills..."

"This isn't an excuse, it's the truth. It's actually affecting your coloring performance!"

"Well……"

Aizen Moe was speechless after being rebuked, and as usual, she wanted to lower her head, but Kuroba Akira pressed a finger against her forehead.

"Don't be disappointed yet. Whether or not you need it is up to me. It's too late for you to say you don't want to draw it now."

"But I'm really bad at coloring... Um, I don't want to say anything discouraging, but... even if I try my best, I probably still won't be able to meet your requirements, Kuroba-kun..."

"My demands? I haven't even stated what my demands are yet."

"Well……"

Kuroba Akira waved the orange soda in his hand and said.

"I was a bit too polite just now because the class president and Shiori were both here. Now that they're not here, let's talk about what's wrong with your coloring."

"Okay, okay! Kuroba-kun, please feel free to speak! I'll listen carefully to your opinions!"

Just as Shiori said, harsh criticism actually cheered up Aizono Moe.

For people like them who genuinely love creating, they would rather receive valuable criticism than praise, because it gives them direction and motivation to continue improving.

So Kuroba Akira didn't mince words.