Though Kuroba Akira had already formed a wicked scheme inside, he still appeared completely earnest as he spoke:
"But all those things I mentioned earlier—they're just my personal thoughts. Not some absolute truths. You don't have to accept everything fully, and actually, I hope you don't."
"Huh? Why? Everything you said made perfect sense!"
Shiroi Shiori paused her note-taking, lifting her head in confusion.
"Because I don't want you to become a slave to trends."
"A slave… to trends?"
"Yeah. Sales figures matter a lot, but if you chase after sales alone, you'll end up just copying what's popular, losing your own voice, and become a second-rate author scavenging after other people's leftovers."
"Ah…"
Shiroi understood exactly what he meant. She'd experienced times when everything she wrote felt like something others had written before—because she'd borrowed too heavily, leaving no trace of herself in her work.
When writing this particular novel, Shiroi had devoured countless light novels to absorb their essence, and now, looking back, she'd indeed leaned too far in that direction.
Fortunately, she had started writing after clearly deciding what she really wanted to convey, so the core of the story remained intact.
But reflecting now, she'd certainly added too much irrelevant content, scattering the novel's focus.
"What I find especially good about your novel," Akira continued, "is that I can clearly see what you genuinely wanted to express—the sincere feelings within. It's very powerful. That's the soul of your work."
"Oh… T-thank you?"
After listening to him point out countless flaws, suddenly receiving praise made Shiroi Shiori feel strangely bashful.
She thought she'd grown numb to others' compliments after winning her award.
Perhaps it was because the approval of those people meant nothing to her—but Kuroba Akira's acknowledgment pierced straight into her heart.
Ah… So this is what he meant: finding even one person who understands you is already incredibly fortunate.
This sense of mutual understanding—it felt different from friendship somehow.
Shiori quietly savored this newfound emotion, silently hoping she'd gain even more of his approval and praise in the future.
"You can't create while detached from reality, detached from life—even fantasy stories exist to patch up the imperfections of reality. And right now, what you're lacking most is grounding."
Saying that, Akira suddenly added a teasing line, eyes glinting mischievously:
"So, I'll also get 'stripped' now!"
"Huh? EHHHH?! W-Wait! Hold on! Why are you stripping too?!"
Shiori cried out in shock, utterly unable to comprehend Akira's sudden decision to remove his clothes.
Was it because she'd stripped, so he wanted to return the favor?
But he was the winner… Was he trying to make her less embarrassed?
She indeed hadn't seen a boy's naked body before, so there was a tiny shred of curiosity… but at a moment like this, wouldn't stripping clearly suggest that kind of thing?!
Her mind raced wildly, confusion and panic mixing as she hastily covered her eyes with her arm, shrieking nervously:
"If you strip too, it'll really turn into doing that! Wait—do you really want to do it with me?!"
"Heh, what nonsense are you imagining? Just open your eyes and take a look first."
Feeling paper gently tap her forehead, Shiori cautiously peeked through her fingers.
She saw Kuroba Akira grinning wickedly at her, holding out a stack of manuscript pages he'd just taken from his bag.
"Here. Have a look."
"What's this?"
"My novel manuscript."
"Oh…"
Shiori immediately understood. His "stripping" meant he was showing her his work.
Akira explained further:
"Ever heard of this? There's a unique form of exchange between very close friends—drawing each other naked, as a way of exposing your true selves openly and honestly."
This must strictly be between friends, not lovers.
When lovers stripped naked, they'd end up doing just one thing. Only friends could strip without ulterior motives, purely to face each other's true selves.
"I've heard something like that… So you're saying exchanging our manuscripts is something similar?"
"Exactly. But not just for exchange—more importantly, it'll serve as a reference for you."
"A reference…"
"Mm. Just take a look first. You don't need to read it all—just the prologue and first chapter are enough."
Shiori nodded, swallowed nervously, and began reading Kuroba Akira's manuscript.
"…This is so entertaining! It's incredibly fun!"
Having finished only the first chapter, Shiori couldn't help but exclaim aloud.
Precisely because she'd read countless light novels lately, she could better appreciate how thrilling this one was—it far exceeded any she'd read before.
"Although some parts are a little… erotic… still! Even those parts are really great! They create such a tantalizing feeling!"
"Oh-hoh? You really understand, huh?"
Akira had thought Shiori might frown upon reading the borderline erotic scenes, never expecting she'd praise them so enthusiastically.
Shiori quickly regained her composure, putting her fist by her mouth, coughing lightly before explaining in a serious voice:
"Ahem… Many literary classics have erotic elements to depict human desires, after all… But in your book, those scenes dramatically heighten the story's tension! It's amazing…!"
Shiori had never imagined a novel could be written this way—like riding a roller coaster, exciting, gripping, utterly addictive.
Had Akira not previously instructed her to stop after the first chapter, she'd have eagerly read the whole thing in one breath.
"But my novel also has a major flaw," Akira admitted.
"Mm…"
Shiori nodded, having noticed it herself.
Indeed, this was the one regrettable point she had felt as well.
The prose was somewhat lacking.
Actually, the dialogue was fine. But when it came to narrative descriptions, there was an awkwardness, like translated literature. She'd encountered a similar feeling while reading novels from the country next door, where inadequate translation degraded the original text.
Fortunately, this particular novel mainly relied on character dialogue, so it didn't significantly harm the reading experience.
Seeing that the stage was finally set, Akira laid out his hidden intentions openly, wearing a gentle smile.
"So, here's my proposal… Shiori, how about you complete this novel for me?"
"Eh?! Me?"
"Exactly! Right now, you need to master popular elements and narrative pacing. Meanwhile, my novel lacks exactly what you excel in—good prose. If we collaborate to finish this work, you'll grow stronger as an author, and my light novel will improve significantly. Isn't that a perfect win-win?"
"…"
Shiori genuinely felt tempted.
Truthfully, she adored Akira's novel. If she could help make this novel even more captivating, even as a reader, she'd be overjoyed.
But… would this really be okay?
This story was his heart and soul… If she interfered, wouldn't it be akin to stealing his achievement?
Unaware of her inner struggle, Akira assumed Shiori's hesitation revolved around authorship credit. Proud authors inevitably cared deeply about their reputations; naturally, she wouldn't want to labor without recognition.
Thus, he decisively unleashed the killer move he'd prepared.
"Heheh, I know exactly what you're hesitating about… So, when this novel gets published, I'll give you full authorship credit!"
Kuroba Akira only cared about profits. Fame meant nothing to him. So, he'd generously gift it all to her!
Shiroi Shiori, the name itself—I'll even give it to you!