Tokyo Soft Rice King.

"……what……"

She understood what the boy meant.

The girl with long, straight black hair raised her head again, and her eyes had regained some of their sparkle, as if she had been brought back to life.

"I can create my own place of belonging, is that what you're trying to convey to me?"

"Ah……"

Didn't that pull her back from that abyss of despair and self-doubt?

Sympathy? Comfort? Pity?

All those superfluous things that only weaken the human spirit are unnecessary!

All that's needed is a clear objective!

And the motivation for revenge!

"That's right! So you don't want to prove yourself to your family? Show them with your achievements that you can do without them! You can live a good life on your own! You don't need their support at all! You have your own territory! That's your 'revenge' on them!"

"Well……!"

The girl with long, straight black hair was truly smitten.

Even my breathing became rapid.

She realized that she didn't have to be the one who was abandoned, but rather she could become the one who abandoned.

She felt as if a fire had been ignited in her heart, illuminating her dark and gloomy future.

"If you want to do this... then give me half of your future life."

Kuroba Akira pointed his index finger at the sky and said.

"I'll help you reach the pinnacle of life."

By the way, take me halfway up the mountain too.

Chapter Seventeen: A Bottle of Milk Buys a High School Girl

"Shall I share half of my future with you?"

Is this... a confession?

Is it a confession?

wrong……

Is it a marriage proposal?

Her innate acting talent gives her the ability to remain composed, and her acting skills are still improving.

The girl, who appeared calm on the surface, was actually experiencing turbulent emotions inside.

The girl with long, straight black hair had been confessed to by boys and even girls quite a few times, which forced her to learn how to reject them in a formulaic way.

But now, facing this boy whose name she didn't even know, watching his impassioned speech, she inexplicably felt her heart race, and was even so nervous that she didn't hear the last sentence clearly.

Kuroba Akira failed to notice the girl's unusual behavior, assuming she was simply puzzled by the statement, and continued speaking.

"Yes, as I just said, I've come to the conclusion that you do have the potential to be a star, and this conclusion isn't just based on your looks. Besides, if it were just about looks, I wouldn't have needed to look at you for so long."

That's true. If it were just about his face, he would have seen it the moment he walked over; there was no need to keep looking at his hands.

So, what did he see through his hands?

Why look at hands?

Hands...fingers?

Could it be that……

Is he looking at his ring finger?

"Uh-huh……"

The girl responded, hiding her hands behind her back, and rubbing the base of her left ring finger with her right hand.

"When I first met you, what really piqued my interest was your appearance, but now I think appearance is just icing on the cake. It's nice to have it, but it doesn't really matter if you don't."

That's the absolute truth.

With her exceptional SSS-level talent, she doesn't need to rely on her looks to make a living.

"I can tell you clearly that even if you are disfigured, I will still choose you without hesitation."

"Ee-huh?!"

The girl gasped and let out a cute scream.

"Hmm...huh?"

After repeatedly pondering his words in my mind, I eventually felt puzzled.

He just said 'even if I'm disfigured,' right?

Does he think his face isn't important?

That's way too exaggerated.

The girl with long, straight black hair doesn't believe that men would really like ugly women, and that disfigured women are practically synonymous with ugly women.

Women may have many conditions when choosing a man, but men only ever have three conditions when choosing a woman: young, beautiful, and with a good figure.

I suppose I've taken all of those roles.

He must have just said those sweet words to make the girl happy!

The girl with long, straight black hair knew very well that the only valuable thing she had left was her face, and because of that face, she even lost her home... He was the same; if he really was a talent scout, how could he not care about appearance!

Therefore, she did not fall into the trap of sweet words, but instead asked tentatively.

"You mean... if I become an artist later, it's okay if I don't show my face?"

"Sure, then become a voice actor."

Kuroba Akira looked completely indifferent.

"...!"

He really doesn't care about his face!

Kuroba Akira really didn't care.

After all, talent is what matters, and those three S-level talents give the girl with long, straight black hair an exceptionally wide range of career options.

If she doesn't want to show her face, then she doesn't have to. As long as she doesn't give up completely, Kuroba Akira can let her freely choose her career path.

In the end, I still need her to feed me. There's no need to force her to do things I don't like. I should try to gain her favor more, so that I can get more benefits in the future.

Moreover, in Japan, a country with an abundance of voice acting needs, top-tier voice actors earn a lot of money.

Looks like I'll have to check how much top voice actors earn each year when I get home...

Anyway, it would be more than enough to support a gigolo, right?

Just then, Kuroba Akira changed the subject.

"But to me, you're actually a hot potato."

"Um……?"

At this moment, the girl with long, straight black hair was still hesitating about how to respond to the boy's feelings, but after hearing this, she realized that something was wrong.

Is he going to... start something and then abandon it?

"Because of your dazzling talent, you will definitely encounter many people in your future life who are jealous of you, hate you, ostracize you, frame you, covet your beauty, lust after your body, and want to devour you."

For example, you are, right? The girl thought to herself.

"Once you choose this path, you will not be leading to a fair world where talent determines success, but to a dirty adult world filled with underhanded tricks."

"..."

After hearing Kuroba Akira's words, the girl temporarily snapped out of her lustful state and realized that the boy was talking about something very serious.

You need to bear the malice from the world alone.

"..."

Malice.

She has experienced it.

She knows what it feels like to be disliked.

Especially being disliked by important family members...

It was a pain that felt like my heart was being pierced.

"No one will be your partner anymore. Your colleagues will be jealous of you, your seniors will make things difficult for you, and your juniors will betray you. They will only be respectful to you on the surface, but in reality, they would love for you to make a scandal and ruin your reputation, and pray that your career will be ruined."

At this point, Akira Kuroba realized that he had gone a bit too far and sounded too alarmist.

"Well, of course, if you're lucky, you might meet good people, but can you always approach them with kindness? Can you forgive them without holding grudges?"

"...I can't do it."

She is not a saint, nor does she want to be one.

She has come to a profound understanding that no matter how hard she tries, she cannot dispel the malice of others.

Even if you endure it, it won't end well; it will be torture for both of you.

So why not just make yourself more comfortable?

All I need to do is become a little more selfish.

“So it’s my turn here.”

Kuroba Akira arrogantly pointed at himself and started promoting his product.

"If you choose to entrust your future career planning to me, then you just need to give full play to your talents and let yourself shine. Leave the rest to me."

Then it's time to state the conditions.

Although he had already said it, Kuroba Akira emphasized it again.