Tokyo Soft Rice King.

There are only four people in the Literature Club right now, and the last person hasn't been decided yet. If Haruka Tomita transfers over, the Literature Club will be full.

"Um, that..."

Haruka Tomita was still somewhat hesitant. Besides being reluctant to part with her current friends, another important reason was precisely because of club activities.

Hitomi Anri stepped forward to explain to Haruka Tomita, who looked troubled.

"Alright, Mingjun, don't make things difficult for Xia. She's the ace of the first year in the Baibaihe Academy swimming team. She won third place in the Tokyo area at the comprehensive sports competition in August this year, so she still has to represent the school in the competition. She can't transfer here now."

"Wow! You qualified for the regular team in your first year? That's amazing!"

No wonder she has a healthy tan; she's from the swimming team, and her morning runs are probably to improve her lung capacity.

When you talk about swimming, you think of school swimsuits (Shikkyuu), which are considered as sexy outfits in the old-fashioned JK three-piece set, along with bruma (gymnastics shorts) and sailor suits.

However, for swimming, one should probably wear a racing swimsuit.

High-slit racing swimsuits are also quite sexy... and they go really well with tights.

Although serious swimmers probably wouldn't wear stockings with their swimsuits.

"Hehe, it's alright... and it's a bit of a pity that I still couldn't break through to the national level... So, um, Xiaotong is right, I want to continue participating in this year's and the competitions from earlier this year..."

After listening, Kuroba Akira turned to the class monitor and asked.

"Class monitor, does our school have a swimming club?"

"Of course there are, but the results don't seem to be very good. The boys might be a bit stronger, but the girls definitely can't compare to Bai Baihe Academy. In all the women's events, Bai Baihe Academy is ranked among the top in the country. For example, the kendo club that Zhen Cheng is in has won the national championship for three consecutive years."

"Amazing..."

Saionji Mato, is she actually a kendo girl?

In short, if you want to seriously participate in club activities, strive for good rankings in national competitions, and obtain a recommendation for a sports major at a prestigious university, then staying at Baibaihe College is indeed a better option.

However, Akira Kuroba has already confirmed it.

Haruka Tomita has no talent for swimming or any other sports.

Her progress is destined to be slower than that of geniuses.

Even if you become an ace through hard work now, as talented newcomers rise in the future, watching yourself being surpassed by one successor after another will definitely lead to self-doubt, and you may even become discouraged and give up.

But what right did I have to advise her to give up?

Should we give up on things we love just because we can't succeed at them?

Do you choose to escape because you will feel pain?

No... that doesn't make sense!

Kuroba Akira, who originally wanted to further persuade Tomita Haruka, suddenly decided not to say anything more.

He just smiled and said.

"Alright then, I wish you good luck with your ranking."

But Kuroba knew perfectly well that he could never catch up no matter what...

Looking up at the insurmountable wall...

That feeling of despair.

This made him feel sympathy for Tomita Haruka, this "incompetent person" who was "in the same boat".

So he spoke up again, being the talkative person he was.

"However, if... I mean, if, assuming Qingxia, your ranking isn't ideal, I hope you won't blame yourself too much. Try to change your mood and environment... We, your friends, will help you."

"Yes, I understand, thank you."

Haruka Tomita gave a wry smile. She knew what Akira Kuroba meant; she just didn't want to let down her coach and seniors.

When is the next match?

"There will be a county-level high school swimming competition in November. If I can successfully break through, I can participate in the national competition. Then there will be the under-18 individual competition held by the National Swimming Federation in February next year..."

"Okay, we'll come cheer you on then." We can also catch a glimpse of high school girls in swimsuits while we're at it.

"Huh? Um, you don't need to come all this way to cheer me on. If I disappoint you..."

Haruka Tomita is the type of person who feels more pressured than happy when friends cheer her on.

Kuroba Akira laughed.

"Don't be disappointed, because if you, Qingxia, don't get selected, it'll be a good thing for us, right? That way, you can transfer to our school."

Tomita Haruka listened in a daze and said.

"Ah...I see...that's true..."

Although it sounded like a hurtful remark that was cursing someone to fail, it actually reduced Tomita Haruka's stress.

Yes, it's okay to fail, because there are still others who will accept you...

"Well, it's getting late, we should go now, Xia."

I originally just came to pick up some props, but I didn't expect to chat for so long.

Anri Hitomi glanced at the time; there wasn't enough time left to go anywhere else.

Although it wasn't a date, she had originally planned to take this opportunity to hang out with Kuroba Akita, but unfortunately it was already time to go home.

She said goodbye to Haruka Tomita, who nodded and waved goodbye to the two of them. Dressed in a shrine maiden outfit, she gave off a completely different impression than usual, appearing energetic yet reserved, and very quiet and shy.

Goodbye, Xia.

"Okay, see you next time, Hitomi, and see you tomorrow, Kuroba-kun."

"Oh, see you tomorrow."

Hitomi Anri noticed the detail in the farewell: she said "see you next time" to herself, but "see you tomorrow" to Akira Kuroba.

Because the two of them go for morning runs together, they see each other every day, even on holidays.

Although her morning run wasn't long, Tomita Haruka, like Murasaki no Miyako, was the person closest to Kuroba Akira.

She probably looked forward to seeing Kuroba Akira every day, just like I did.

Hitomi Anri noticed that Haruka Tomita had feelings for Akira Kuroba, but she wasn't surprised.

Everyone who has met Akira Kuroba has a good impression of him. Even Ryota Sumitomo, who was initially his enemy, now treats him like a brother, which is enough to show that Akira Kuroba does have a unique personal charm.

Even though they are all acting in their own self-interest, they still manage to consider the feelings of others, which gives people a sense of genuineness and makes them very comfortable to be around.

However, when the girls who were close to him all wanted to develop a special relationship with him, Anri Hitomi found that she seemed to be the only one who was out of place.

Anri Hitomi's frustration at not being noticed by Kuroba Akira made her want to try to regain his attention and make him look at her.

As for whether or not she should seriously date Kuroba Akira, she actually felt that "either way" was fine, which is why she told Kuroba Akira that if he liked someone else, he could dump her, his "fake girlfriend."

Because all she cared about was whether the relationship could last, she didn't care about any undeserved title or status.

Whether they're friends or lovers... what difference does it make?

Hitomi Asato was a little confused. She knew that the two were completely different in concept, but because her definition of friends was distorted to the point of "being able to do anything for each other", she could not find the "necessity of becoming lovers".

The promise she made with Kuroba Akira to graduate as a virgin wasn't just a joke; she truly believed she could graduate as a virgin with Kuroba Akira.

If it were Kuroba Akira, she wouldn't mind giving him her virginity, and she would even be willing to maintain a physical relationship with him in the future to satisfy her primal desires.

Those benefits that seem excessive from a friendship perspective are only possible because of this mindset.

She felt that it didn't matter since the object of her affections was Kuroba Akira; she didn't find it annoying, and seeing how much he liked and enjoyed it made her happy too.

But there are some differences.

I am fundamentally different from other girls.

They have something that I don't have...

what exactly is it?

After returning home, Kuroba Akira played around with Shion for a while, extended the massage time, took a relaxing shower, and finally fell asleep holding the beauty.

However, because the ammunition wasn't completely removed, his underwear was ruined when he woke up in the morning.

In the past, Kuroba Akira would usually sneak into the bathroom to destroy evidence, but because his relationship with Shion had reached the point where he no longer needed to avoid the distinction between men and women, he simply changed his clothes and went for a run as usual.

Then, Ziyin got Hei Yuming's original boxer briefs for the first time, which still had the residue of the seed liquid she had long been interested in...

Simply smelling it was no longer enough to satisfy the girl's growing excitement, so she began to taste the amine compounds by licking them.

And after just one time, she became completely infatuated with the scent of photinia, which should have been particularly unpleasant.

Because she loves everything about the person she likes, Ziyin has become almost obsessed with her.

The reason why Shion Murasaki is able to make great strides in her love life is because she has something that Hitomi Anri lacks.

Exclusive desire.

What they are pursuing is 'unique', 'one of a kind'.

You can have many friends, many lovers, and many mahjong partners who aren't lovers, but...

In the end, only one woman could follow the surname 'Kuroba'.

Chapter 205 He Doesn't Belong to Me Alone

On Sunday, Akira Kuroba went to Takanashi's house again and played games all day.

Today, Hitomi Anri only dropped Akira off at Takanashi's house, then stayed for half a day before leaving in the afternoon, saying she had to go to school for a meeting about the cultural festival.

At noon, she and Akiko Takanashi cooked lunch together and shared their cooking tips.

Akiko was very surprised that Hitomi Anri's cooking skills were already on par with hers at her age, even though she had been cooking for more than ten years to reach her current level.

Cooking is a skill that requires a lot of practice. If you are still cooking by looking at recipes, you are just a beginner. You can get started by mastering the amount of various seasonings, the heat, and having basic knife skills.

Then, on top of that, if one can consider nutritional combinations and the mutual substitution of ingredients, and no longer stick to recipes, it means that this person's cooking skills are already better than most people.

Looking back, when Akiko Takanashi was the same age as Hitomi Anri, she had just arrived in Kyoto and lived alone in a room that was less than three tatami mats in size. She was a complete culinary idiot, let alone cooking.

When I first entered the voice actor training school, I was already working my hardest just to keep up with the pace, and I didn't have time to take care of my life. I would just eat whatever was convenient.

She remembers a time when she ate boiled bean sprouts in salt water for a whole week and even grew vegetables in flowerpots... because she was so poor that she couldn't even afford rice balls from the convenience store.