manga artist Kirito

Page 110

…………

The sun sets in the west, and the setting sun is like blood.

On the street with only a few pedestrians, Kirito, looking somewhat tired, kept rubbing his right wrist. It had been a long time since he had felt such a heavy workload. Since meeting with Haruno, Kirito had been dealing with all sorts of things, especially after excluding Akane Kousaka from this project. The increased workload was simply making him feel like his head was about to explode.

However, he now knows exactly how Akane Kosaka lives her daily life.

Naturally, because it had been so long since I had worked at such a high intensity, some mistakes were made. Fortunately, they were discovered quickly enough and corrected in time; otherwise, I really don't know what kind of hidden dangers might have been left behind.

But, it seems like Akane Kosaka is... sulking?

That's a really strange performance.

Very unusually, Akane Kosaka's tasks in this project were taken over by Kiritani-kun, and he didn't even get to do any other work that afternoon. In addition, Kiritani-kun didn't have a fixed office, so he ended up squeezing in with her. As a result, Kiritani-kun was stared at by this woman all afternoon.

Yes, they're keeping an eye on it now.

"Don't your eyes feel sore?"

Kiritani waved his hand, looking at her with a hint of helplessness. "Don't be like that. It's just taking away your job, which is clearly a good thing... Think about it, when have I ever worked this diligently? So, there must be a reason for doing this. Just wait and see."

"Honestly, you're still acting like a child. My eldest daughter is more obedient than you."

"..."

Akane Kosaka closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. Actually, she should have been able to figure it out, since all these things happened after she returned from the hospital at noon. So... it must be the problem in that medical report.

Akane Kosaka isn't stupid; she can figure out things as soon as they start to emerge. She just doesn't understand what's on that medical report that would cause Kirito to make things this way.

As for pregnancy... don't be ridiculous!

"I'll take you somewhere tonight, a place where a lot of dramatic things will happen, and you'll be staying there for a long time... If I'm in a good mood, I might even take care of you."

Kiritani looked down at the woman who had suddenly quickened her pace, his gaze lowering slightly. This woman is really sick in the head…

The clothes were all dark-colored, but she wore white stockings. Didn't she know that it looked really weird?

Black stockings, huh? These suit you better, Qian.

"Akane"

"..."

Slightly surprised, Akane Kousaka stopped in her tracks. She had emphasized the importance of addressing her many times, but Kiritani had never called her so intimately before.

"obedient."

That hand was placed on Akane Kosaka's head, gently rubbing it.

P.S.: Titles are becoming more and more troublesome to come up with. Maybe I should just stop using titles altogether from now on?

251

【NO.248 Acceleration】

Timeline jumps...

Three days later, a weekend passed.

Hospitals are unpleasant places, but also places where many melodramatic plots can be triggered.

For example, in Korean dramas, many key plot points unfold in this place filled with the smell of disinfectant.

Of course, given Akane Kosaka's status, she couldn't have gone to just any ordinary hospital, not to mention that the arrangements were made by a young lady like Haruno.

The hospital room, with its luxurious interior decor resembling a high-end hotel room, had a long-haired woman lying on the bed with her eyes closed. Her once snow-white skin now appeared sickly pale, and a large number of medical instruments were placed around her.

Although the metal plaque in front of the ward reads Akane Kosaka, she is better known by the public as Akane Akasaka, whose name is almost identical in pronunciation. Akane is the president of the super popular circle Rouge en rouge, and has been leading the industry for many years since the doujinshi stage. She has personally worked on almost all otaku-related media such as manga, anime, and games.

Sales figures and reviews alike boast of their terrifying power, as if they were the ultimate embodiment of something extraordinary. Called a perverted creator, whether outwardly or inwardly a monster, she now lies in a hospital bed in her pajamas.

Yes, he's just a patient.

Etiology: Cerebral infarction.

Fortunately, it was discovered early and there haven't been any major problems yet. However, for now and for a long time to come, the woman named Akane Kosaka will have to spend her time in this hospital room.

Slowly opening her eyes, her listless gaze swept over the thin needle piercing her wrist. She felt weak all over, too tired to even move.

To be honest, Akane Kosaka wasn't quite sure what was going on. After being persuaded to behave herself that day, she was sent to the hospital in a daze. Of course, given her personality, she didn't really like this kind of place. But then, Kiritani Kazuto didn't say anything and made all the arrangements, putting her in the hospital.

Yes, Akane Kosaka still doesn't fully understand what illness she has.

However, it seems to be a rather serious illness, otherwise Kirito wouldn't have been in such a hurry to do these things.

Near the window, a boy with a ponytail was quietly writing and drawing a lot of things, almost as if it were being deliberately obsequious.

In addition, there were many things that looked like documents at his feet, but from Akane Kosaka's perspective, they were not very clear.

However, Akane Kosaka knew very well that this person was dealing with work-related matters.

...They shouldn't be here, after all, it's a hospital room. Although it's luxurious and spacious, even the slightest noise could disturb the patient's rest. But there's no other way—it's Akane Kosaka's request. If she stays here, then Kazuto Kiritani must stay here too.

Hmm...giving up on yourself?

It's not quite accurate, but her behavior is increasingly resembling that of a little girl who has suffered a mental breakdown. Helplessly, we can only agree.

Honestly, having to be so careful at work is really annoying.

However, we have to pay attention to this kind of thing.

"Hey, I'm thirsty."

Well, although Akane Kosaka agreed to Kazuto Kiritani's decision, she was still very unhappy, and that unhappiness was evident here.

"You're awake. Wait a moment."

Suddenly turning around, Kiritani Kazuto put down his paintbrush and then picked up a water glass to pour water for Kousaka Akane.

“Machida came by at noon, but seeing that you were resting, he left his things and went back… Oh, I ate those things for you too.”

After touching his lips to the water glass and briefly checking the temperature, Kiritani-san handed the glass to Kosaka Akane.

Quietly, Akane Kosaka just watched her, without reaching out to take it, or perhaps she was too tired to lift her hand to do so.

"Ugh, okay, you're such a bother, woman. Do I have to feed you myself?"

Kiritani propped her up with pillows, helped her sit up, and then fed her water.

"The project has just started and everything is going smoothly. I think we don't need you anymore. How about you stay here and live out your days alone?"

"Speaking of which, Miss Akasaka is so young to have suffered a stroke, can't she reflect on her attitude towards life a little and become a little more docile for the time being?"

Kiritani looked at the woman whose face was deathly pale. "I think you should know that I prefer gentle women, like Asuna. Not only do you not listen to me, but you even tried to hit me the night I sent you to the hospital. If you weren't Akane Kousaka, I would have pinned you to the ground and rubbed you in. Not to mention you cursed at me last night—do you want me to take advantage of your current inconvenience and give you a good workout?"

"You're all talk and no action."

Akane Kosaka raised an eyebrow dismissively. A stroke...?

Ha, what is this?

"Good to know. If I used my hands, you'd see I'm even more amazing."

"How much longer? How much longer do I have to stay here? I don't like it here."

"If you think you can fly, then you can go out."

Then, an unpleasant expression and a blurry look appeared on Akane Kosaka's face, something she hadn't shown before.

"Asuna arrived in Tokyo this morning and should be coming over tonight. Shizuka was planning to come too, but she had a social gathering there before, and it seems some relatives got married these past few days. She drank so much that she had a stomach hemorrhage and was sent back to Chiba Hospital. Haruno is arranging the rest of the things..."

Kiritani reached out and pinched her cheek. "Speaking of which, Ms. Kousaka, I've noticed that your social circle is really small. I didn't even see any of your family members come over during my three days in the hospital. It was a waste of my plan to pretend to be your boyfriend and then scam you out of money... uh, no, the scam didn't even work out."

"Oh ho? Aren't you afraid Yuuki will kill you if she finds out?"

Akane Kosaka subconsciously ignored the word "family."

"Well, so it's a good thing some things didn't work out."

Akane Kosaka's day is different from that of ordinary people. Her timeline and the way time progresses for ordinary people are different. In reality, the physical and mental consumption in 24 hours is equivalent to 1000 hours of labor, but the perceived time is one second. It is as if she is continuously locked in a room of mind and time for 24 hours.

Yes, Akane Kosaka firmly established herself in the industry through this arrogant strength and personality.

It was through this method that he was eventually sent to the hospital by Kiritani Kazuto—it's funny to think about it now.

“In the past, we always said that if you continued like that, you would die suddenly sooner or later… I never thought we were wrong. I never imagined that the final result would be that you would become mentally disabled.”

"Qian, no matter what, you'd better listen to me from now on."

Akane Kosaka turned her head away, pursed her lips, and remained silent.

P.S.: Well, let's speed up this plot and quickly move on to the CM convention.

However, the original work didn't describe this illness much, did it?

By the way, Eriri, who's been relegated to a background character, is coming back.

252

【NO.249 Yuki and Takasaka】

As Tagore once said, loneliness is temporary, for everyone, because you can always find the cell phone and computer that will accompany you for half your life.

Of course, while mobile phones and computers can be used to pass the time when patients are bored, these two things cannot be given to patients who are already workaholics.

"Is this your reason for showing this notebook to me, your patient?"

With a frustrated expression, Akane Kousaka threw the notebook in her hand at Kiritani's forehead. She really didn't know what this guy was thinking. Even if he used his phone or computer to participate in the work remotely for a little while and check the progress of various aspects, wouldn't that be a big deal?

—Is it really necessary to go to such lengths?

This is a notebook! Have you ever seen someone bring a notebook to a patient?

"Ahhh! I really want to leave here!"

"Bringing a notebook is something I personally think is very beneficial for patients like you. You know, cerebral infarction is ultimately a matter of blood clotting, so when you're in a rush of anger—reading more notebooks and stuff like that can help your health."

Okay, actually, Kiritani-kun had no idea what to bring her, so he just grabbed a yuri manga by Strawberry-san from the club...

"Ah, Watermelon, why don't you think of this situation as a prison play? That way you'll feel more excited—you can look forward to it, although I don't plan to do anything to you."

Kiritani-kun smiled happily because the opportunity was rare, especially given that Akane Kosaka was still sickly at the moment, he felt incredibly excited.

To be honest, while Akane Kousaka is usually very charming, she is just as captivating in her current sickly state. In fact, this contrast only amplifies the feeling I get from her.

Card wipe!

In the instant Akane Kosaka became angry, Kiritani-kun took out his phone, which he had prepared beforehand, and snapped a picture of her expression with lightning speed. It was very cute and adorable, but the only drawback was that the sound of the phone taking pictures was too loud, which completely ruined the mood.

...Sigh, this is all because there are too many voyeurs.

These guys really don't know what consequences they're going to cause. It would have been so much better if they had just quietly taken the photos.

"You guy..."

Akane Kosaka gritted her teeth inwardly. If she weren't physically unable to move, she would have loved to pin him to the ground, strip him naked, and film a documentary—huh? A documentary?

"What, you've noticed I've gotten even more handsome?"

"Yes, you're so cute. Long hair really suits you."

"Go to hell... Ah, someone's coming."

Just as he was about to kiss, Kiritani heard faint footsteps. He turned his head to look out the window. It was almost dusk, so the person coming was very likely Asuna.

"Most likely a doctor... Ah, Yuki..."

Akane Kosaka had only spoken halfway when Kiritani opened the door and welcomed Asuna in.

She was dressed simply, exuding a mature, wifely air, and was carrying a large bag that seemed to contain quite a lot of things.

With a slight smile, she slowly walked to the bedside, placed the things she was carrying on the table, and then greeted Akane Kosaka, "How are you feeling now? Are you feeling any better?"

Their greetings seemed familiar, and their words were very casual, but Kiritani-kun knew very well that they hadn't met that many times at all. How could they be this familiar?

What exactly happened between them without my knowledge?

"I'm much better now, although I'm still very uncomfortable."

Akane Kosaka smiled back, though it seemed somewhat forced against her pale face. "According to what Kazuto said, everything is going smoothly so far, and I estimate I'll be able to be discharged from the hospital soon."

...Well, Kirito-kun is still in a state of being utterly ignored.

"That's it..."

Asuna nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm, Kazuto has temporarily taken over the club's work, so he'll probably be very busy. I'll stay here for a while... um, to keep you company."

Kiritani opened his mouth slightly, feeling that there were many layers of meaning in those words.