manga artist Kirito

Page 127

As for Rita herself...

Well, Kiritani-san thinks she and Haruno would get along very well, since they're both so hypocritical on the surface...

Of course, if I had to say, Kiritani-san still prefers Haruno... She's hypocritical, but her silliness is also adorable.

Besides, as mentioned at the beginning, there is no such thing as being idle. No matter how talented you are, if you can't use that talent for what you like or to do what you want to do... then it's really useless, right?

What's important is the desire to do it, isn't it?

It's obvious that Shiina Mashiro really loves manga; if she were just suddenly interested... she would have given up long ago.

Of course, Kiritani-san has also seen Shiina Mashiro's masterpieces, but he doesn't know how to evaluate them; they are indeed great.

Before Kiritani-san had seen Shiina Mashiro's paintings, he didn't know whether she put more effort into them... or not.

However, what I see right now... Shiina Mashiro is very happy when she is engrossed in drawing manga.

Isn't this enough?

288

[NO.285 Give up, you can't beat me in terms of beauty (Part 6)]

A friend might only be able to lend you a hand, but the only one who can truly pull you up is your girlfriend...

This wasn't said by me, nor by any famous person. Are you satisfied now?

To be honest, I personally dislike the old British scoundrels because they're annoying, and I don't want to die at Asuna's hands like this.

...Now, it's after dinner.

Although Shiina Mashiro had finally met her old friend after a long time, her feelings were like the old saying goes, "When fellow countrymen meet, they stab each other in the back"—not that kind of gun, after all, Mashiro had no idea if she liked anal sex, and she didn't have the tools for it.

It's probably because... I really don't want to see Rita like this, or rather, I don't want to see Rita say anything about wanting her to go back to England with me.

Kiritani-san thinks that Miss Rita probably doesn't know that forced relationships are never sweet, and only knows that this can quench her thirst... otherwise she wouldn't be so foolish as to make decisions for others.

Ah, maybe it's because...she used to make decisions for Shiina Mashiro?

In that case, Shiina Mashiro's growth was clearly beyond her expectations.

Sitting by the window, Kiritani-san felt the cold wind blowing, his heart filled with hesitation.

A slightly damp, cool breeze swept in, lifting the long hair that cascaded over her shoulders, adding to Kiritani-san's charm.

"...Should we draw a draft or not?"

That's terrifying! Just now, that perverted killing machine, Jing Ke'ai, sent over thirty more emails, with the threats gradually increasing in intensity...

While Shizuka might not actually do what she said in the email, she certainly would take action... and Asuna... is actually on Shizuka's side!

Very angry!

"Ugh! It's cold..."

The bathroom door opened, and a girl wrapped only in a towel stepped out. Her dazzling blonde hair seemed to have dimmed slightly, and her soft breasts... estimated to be at least a D cup, and her fair thighs...

Well, there's not much to say, Miss Rita doesn't like stockings.

Anyway, when we met, Kiritani-san had already seen those legs; they were long, strong, and impressive!

"Shido, could you please close the window? It's a bit cold."

With a smile on her face, Miss Rita held the corner of the bath towel, her long legs pressed together, looking somewhat awkward.

...Really, Kiritani-san doesn't really like people who won't listen to reason.

Besides, does the name Shido have any special meaning for you? Replacing it won't cost you anything!

"The hair dryer is broken. Asuna is in a bad mood today, so I don't dare to use the hair dryer over there."

Stroking her still-damp hair, Kiritani-san slowly walked into the bathroom. After confirming certain things, she quickly returned to the window.

With a look of shame, she said, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have suspected you of using my panties as a spellcasting tool."

"...If anyone's going to use something, it should be my panties!"

This guy... honestly makes you want to throw a teacup at him.

"I'm very unhappy right now because Asuna was dragged over there because of you. I should be enjoying Asuna's lap pillow at this time."

"Do you want me to compensate you? Sure, you can."

A slight smile bloomed on Miss Rita's pretty face as her fair fingers traced her snow-white thighs, gradually moving downwards. "I shouldn't... be inferior to Yuuki, right?"

"Yes, yes, you can't beat them."

Kiritani-san never refused Asuna's praise, because it was only natural.

"But you're being strange. Why aren't you wearing clothes? Are you trying to get Asuna to come and cripple me, or do you just want to experience what it's like in the living room?"

Are all British scoundrels like this?

"Alas!"

"But I'm sorry, I'm not interested in you right now."

"As expected... is it more to Shido's liking to be half-covered up?"

"I can lend you... uh no, I can just give you a pair of panties or an erotic book. Don't worry, they're all mine, you can use them as you please."

“I think… Yuuki might have some issues with you, Shido.”

Smiling, Rita tightened the towel wrapped around her body. "Your mind is full of filthy thoughts... Well, you're a teenager after all, I can understand. But it wouldn't be good if your girlfriend heard you, she lives right across the hall."

"...You're overthinking it."

Kiritani picked up the phone that was lying next to him. Yui, who was nestled inside the screen, glared at Rita with hostility. There was also an audio connection message displayed.

"Asuna is listening over there. If you dare to do anything reckless... Asuna could easily break your legs."

"..." Rita was completely bewildered. Was this even possible?

Seemingly remembering something, Kiritani bent down, took a large box from the cabinet next to him, and pushed it in front of Rita.

Speaking of which, this outfit was a gift from those perverts in the Bamboo Forest Group. I never had a chance to use it before, but now... well, it can be considered to have some use.

"There's a gothic dress inside. It's a bit strange to wear this at night if I'm not going out, but I don't have any spares... Hey, where are you going?"

Before Kiritani-san could finish speaking, Rita walked towards Kiritani-san's room... But Kiritani-san wouldn't have acted like this. The problem was that she didn't take the clothes from the box at all, and simply pushed open the door and went inside.

"Get dressed. I thought I could go back today. I didn't bring any clothes with me. Shido's build is about the same, so it should be fine for him to wear it."

Soon, Rita emerged from the room wearing a white shirt, her chest bulging with obvious protrusions.

She stretched wearily, her shirt riding up slightly with the movement, revealing her snow-white skin underneath... She was indeed wearing a breastplate, but she was also wearing panties, though they looked somewhat familiar.

But then again, when did I ever own a white shirt?

Even though it would be perfect as pajamas, my clothes are usually black, right?

"It's a bit tight...not very comfortable."

"How about we cut it?"

Kiritani-san raised his dead fish eyes. He had to admit that Rita's figure was quite good, comparable to several women he knew. It was just... was this old British rogue really that open-minded?

“That won’t do. This is something very important to Shido.”

With her hands cupping her breasts, which appeared even larger, Rita smiled at Kiritani-san, "Besides, Shido has been staring at them the whole time."

...Okay, I admit, this woman is even better than Yang Nai in some ways.

At least, at least Haruno never said that to me—that's right, Haruno never let me feel her heartbeat.

Although, I think... I did leave my fingerprints?

"Kirigaya Kazuto-san, could you please draw the manuscript? I need to see at least two chapters by tomorrow morning!"

Asuna's sweet voice, tinged with a kind smile, came from the phone.

P.S.: I want to eat chicken.

289

[NO.286 Boys and Girls Still Striving (Part 1)]

Well... life is indeed unpredictable.

If I hadn't been so bored that I stole my eldest daughter's Baumkuchen, I wouldn't have gone out to buy more, I wouldn't have met this woman, and I certainly wouldn't have had this woman in the house who insisted on calling me by a fake name I made up...

Indeed, even the smallest events can be connected to some important things.

Even if I don't go out, this woman will come looking for me sooner or later.

Right now, I, Kirito, am obediently holed up in my study drawing manga because of my girlfriend's orders... Of course, I have no motivation. The deadline may be looming, but what can I say about a creator who is afraid of even the deadline?

In short, twenty-seven minutes and thirty-six seconds after entering the study, I still hadn't drawn a single line, even with my paintbrush in hand...

...Well, if I really wanted to draw the design, I could actually do it very easily, it's just that I don't have the motivation.

Unlike ordinary creators who need to think deeply about every part of the plot before drawing and writing, and then clearly consider every detail and line of the work, trying their best to make it reasonable, Sword Art Online is a story... no, rather than a story, it is more like another personal experience of mine. These images and impressions that have long been deeply imprinted in my mind can be easily described as long as I pick up a paintbrush.

Sometimes I really envy that kind of colorful life.

Hmm, how many more years will it take to achieve full-scale underwater technology here?

Forget it, I'd better get the sketches done sooner rather than later... Two chapters' worth of content, starting now... it'll probably be three or four in the morning by the time I finish. Asuna, Asuna, why did you set a goal of two chapters right away? One chapter would have been much better...

The paintbrush touched the drawing tablet, connecting to the content of the previous chapter. Scenes that were enough to make one's blood boil appeared in the mind. The paintbrush moved quickly and rhythmically, and lines, sometimes clear and sometimes blurry, were outlined. The characters in the story gradually took shape. Since he never had an assistant and the time was a little tight, Kiritani-kun chose to finish the drawing until there were no problems before starting to draw the next drawing...

Perhaps it feels slower this way, but for a creator like Kiritani who makes almost no mistakes in every drawing, it's actually much faster than drawing all the drafts first and then moving on to the next task. And... the satisfaction of seeing the drawing completed makes one more immersed in the process.

The story doesn't progress much, after all, the story is quite long... If it were written as a light novel, a large part of the content would definitely be omitted. Simply put, there would be a blank period in the story, so it wouldn't seem too drawn out. But that's a light novel, and the presentation of text is somewhat different from that of a manga.

Of course, even in manga... Kiritani-kun often considers removing some less important, or less interesting or even less watchable parts, in other words, skipping a timeline—this takes a little effort.

Not only does it need to be reasonable, but it also needs to be connected to the subsequent plot, otherwise it will seem too abrupt.

...Well, creators of stream-of-consciousness writing probably wouldn't worry about this.

After all, stream-of-consciousness writing... to use a friend's words, it's like the ramblings of a mental patient—I told him afterwards that she had a mental illness, but I don't know why she didn't believe me, even though she's clearly a stream-of-consciousness writer...

—What are you looking at? I'm talking to you, Remy!

Let's set aside the issue of mental illness for now.

The speed at which he finished drawing gradually increased, even showing signs of breaking his previous record for fastest completion. The reason for this was that Kiritani-kun was drawing a very cool scene. As he became more proficient in the hot-blooded art style, he became increasingly skilled at drawing such scenes, just like when he used to draw doujinshi and could casually produce cold, heartwarming romance...

However, while Kiritani was engrossed in his drawing, Rita, who had been staying in the living room wearing only a white shirt and panties, cautiously opened the door and peeked in. Her blue eyes swept over the brightly lit study, finally settling on Kiritani, who was slightly bowed, looking serious and fully focused on his drawing...

Artist...

With her mouth slightly open, Rita looked at Kiritani-kun's current state, a moment of confusion flashing in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a different expression.

...You're very focused.

She carefully entered the study and then closed the door. The whole process was done without making any noise or disturbing Kiritani-kun, who was engrossed in his drawing. After all, this was something Rita was trying her best to avoid.

Of course, if you really want to avoid disturbing Kirito-kun, it's better not to come in at all. After all, there are many things that you can't avoid just because you want to. As for saying that I'll be quiet and definitely won't disturb others... well, that's just talk.

Rita didn't think too much about it, but... she felt inexplicably lost. She wanted to observe more about how the artists who usually spent time with the genius Shiina Mashiro lived, and how they differed from Rita Einzworth... who had once been by the side of the genius painter Shiina Mashiro.

Whether Rita likes painting or not is a trivial question.

However, even though they were both by the side of the genius Shiina Mashiro, the results seemed to be more than just huge.

Walking on tiptoe, she slowly came up behind Kirito. Her blue eyes rolled slightly as she browsed the other drawings on the table. The quality was very high... Although they were from different fields, Rita still had the basic ability to distinguish between them. The passionate art style and the characters' dialogue... It seemed she was starting to get interested in this work.

Rita knew this, though she might not have consciously tried to learn more about him before they met. But in the time since Kirito entered the study, Rita had spent enough time learning about Kurogiri Shido... uh, no, to be precise, the name Fujiwara Echizen. He was a genius erotic artist who debuted at the age of eleven or twelve—calling him a genius is no exaggeration.

Even though they're not in the same field, she can certainly be compared to the genius painter Shiina Mashiro, right?

Rita watched quietly as the boy continued to work hard.

P.S.: Ah, as I mentioned yesterday... well, the power went out before 7 a.m. and didn't come back on until around 11 p.m.... Of course, the power came back on an hour earlier than expected, but I was getting ready to sleep then... so I didn't write anything.

However, the perfect attendance record is still there, so you can confidently send razor blades—although there aren't any.

290

[NO.287 Boys and Girls Still Striving (Part 2)]

All our dreams can come true if we ha~ve the courage to pursue them.

This is said to be a famous quote, and that's certainly true, but... there are always more cowards than courageous people, aren't there?

By the way, I really like this saying: The smallest difference between people is IQ, and the biggest difference is perseverance!