manga artist Kirito

Page 129

292

[NO.289 Boys and Girls Still Striving (Part 4)]

I'm curious!

What exactly does "overwhelming" mean?

Does "absolutely" mean having a sure thing or victory?

Well, maybe I'm just being a bit fussy, but what I actually understand to mean is—overwhelming…

But in the former sense, Rita, facing Asuna... finally understood what overwhelming words meant.

Although the conversation lasted only a few minutes, the meaning of those words, though not particularly explicit, was more straightforward than what Kiritani-kun had said to her—of course, this doesn't refer to Kiritani-kun's comment that she was mentally challenged.

However, Rita now does feel that she is a bit mentally challenged. Choosing to start with Asuna is actually more difficult than starting with Kirito. Rita even has this feeling—even though Asuna is the same age as her, Asuna gives her the feeling of a mature woman who has experienced many things and understands all kinds of human relationships.

It seems... I've been completely seen through.

Asuna didn't point these things out directly, but Rita could sense it. During their conversation, Rita briefly appeared, wondering if she had come to the wrong place, or perhaps she shouldn't have come at all.

"Hey, what's with that existential-questioning look on your face?"

As Kiritani walked out of the study carrying a water glass, he looked at Rita, who was in a state of self-doubt, with a strange expression. "Could it be... that you took my panties and wore them?"

"—Why on earth did I wear your panties and then start questioning my existence?!"

Rita's mindset eventually changed, and she couldn't help but complain, "Is this all you can think of?"

Kiritani tried to imagine other things, "...So, do you have a problem with my only white shirt?"

With a gritted-teeth expression, Rita glared at Kiritani-kun. "No, I like it very much. This white shirt is mine from now on!"

...Are you crazy? You took my bed and now you're not going to give me back my clothes, and you're saying it so self-righteously...Do you think you're me?

Kiritani rolled his eyes, deciding not to talk to this woman. He silently poured himself a glass of water, then prepared to go back to his study, and then…

Then, Rita suddenly rushed over and grabbed him.

"Hey, are you so out of your mind from the change in environment? Do I have to give you a little hammer to punch you in the chest?"

"Brain deformity has absolutely nothing to do with the chest!"

Rita snatched Kirito's water glass, pulled him to sit on the sofa, and asked with a curious expression, "Hey, Shido, Yuuki... Yuuki Asuna, your girlfriend, can you tell me about her?"

"No, I suspect you have ill intentions towards my girlfriend."

Kiritani raised an eyebrow and flatly rejected the request. "Although I don't know what you and Asuna discussed before, I now suspect that you've been captivated by Asuna's charm and want to get more information from me so you can steal her away later!"

...It's not that strange, is it? There are so many gay people these days, and naturally there are plenty of cute girls who like yuri. Not to mention that Asuna is such a gentle girl, it's not hard to imagine that some girls would like her. By the way, Asuna... usually likes to watch yuri anime.

God knows whether Rita's sexual orientation is normal or not!

Rita's lips twitched, looking very unnatural. "...I just think Yuuki is amazing."

Kiritani-kun's expression was blank. "You also said I was very capable last night."

Ugh—I really want to punch this guy!!!

Although she might not be very good at mental things, Rita considers herself to be quite good at controlling her emotions. At least, not showing her emotions is very easy for her. But... that's when she's dealing with other people. Facing this guy in front of her... it's really hard to control her emotions. She's really afraid... that she might not be able to hold back and hit him someday.

Seriously, Rita has never seen such a despicable guy.

If we're talking about the good aspects, this guy isn't without his merits; Rita saw everything she needed to see last night. As for the bad aspects... wait a minute, besides those good points, what other advantages does he have?

"You women are really something, turning your backs on me after just one night."

Kiritani-kun curled his lip in disdain. "Isn't this the kind of person who's ruthless?"

"I'm not going to tell you about Asuna. If you want to know, go ask her yourself, whether it's Asuna or Mashiro... Finally, if you dare to try and take it from me, I'll lock you in the basement and rip your vocal cords out as a reward!"

"—Yes, that's right, that's the kind of person I am."

Kiritani Kazuto casually uttered a threat before returning to his study.

"...So, what exactly is going on here?"

On her second day in Chiba, Miss Rita was still bewildered.

Now, there's an added sense of... bewilderment.

Suddenly, a knock sounded on the door.

Rita looked around. She was the only one in the living room. Asuna had taken Shiina Mashiro out to sunbathe, and Kirito was still in the study...

Sure enough, it wasn't an illusion; everyone here was acting strangely.

Upon opening the door, I saw those dead fish eyes that I had seen once yesterday... and the girl standing behind those dead fish eyes.

"Yay! This is Komachi~"

With a cute expression, Komachi Hikigaya greeted Rita while casually kicking Hachiman's shin as a hint.

"...Yes, Hachiman Hikigaya, he's my neighbor...I met him yesterday."

His inner monologues could blow everyone away, but when he actually spoke, aside from his self-deprecating remarks, he was always halting and stammering, making his performance a bit... awkward?

"Hello, my name is Rita Einzworth, and I'm currently staying at Shido's place... Um, please come in."

Rita's expression was slightly strange, but based on their names, she could tell that the two were indeed siblings, or so it seemed?

"Hey! Rita-neechan, the Shido you're talking about... you wouldn't happen to be Kazuto-nii-san, would you?"

Komachi shoved the thing in her hand into Hachiman's, then quickly slithered to Rita's side, blinking her big eyes. "Could it be that you're with my brother... Oh dear, brother, what are you doing?"

Clutching her head, Komachi grinned, baring her fangs, and glared back at Hachiman, who had just given her a chop to the neck.

Hachiman looked at Komachi helplessly, "Don't talk nonsense. This... Miss Rita should be a friend of Yuuki or Shiina."

"That's right... I'm here to see Mashiro."

Rita retreated into the house, then beckoned the two of them to come in, "Come on in."

293

【NO.290 Interlude (VI)】

Communication... is actually very useful.

Then it goes without saying that those who are good at communicating can easily get a lot of information they want to know.

Right now, Rita is chatting with her neighbors, the Hikigaya siblings, about Kirito, Asuna Yuuki, and Mashiro Shiina.

Although they are neighbors, they don't actually interact much on a daily basis, but that doesn't stop Komachi from telling everyone she knows...

Rita really likes Komachi Hikigaya, not only because Komachi is cute, but also for other reasons. However, if Kirito knew, he would probably call her an idiot again.

Komachi may seem innocent and naive, but she's actually much smarter than Hachiman. She's a younger sister type character comparable to Suguha. Suguha alone is enough to give Kirito a headache, but if you add Komachi to the mix... it might explode.

During their casual conversation, the two smiling girls chatted, exchanging information they wanted to know.

Looking at the two girls, Hachiman felt a bit of a stomachache. He should have known better than to come over. The cookies he made last night wouldn't have gone bad if he left them a little longer. He could have just waited for Kazuto to come and get them. If he didn't come over... then it meant he didn't want to eat them at all, so there was even less reason to bring them over.

—By the way, if someone were to look down on Komachi's skills, Hachiman would consider having a heart-to-heart talk with Kiritani-kun.

Putting down what he was holding, Hachiman stood up without either of them noticing, walked to the study, knocked, opened the door, and went inside. He immediately saw Kiritani-kun leaning back in his chair, looking as if he had been burned out, with several sheets of drawing paper scattered around him…

"Cookies, here you go."

"Ah, please."

"That thing outside... it's very strange."

Hachiman is actually a very particular person. If Kirigaya-kun weren't one of the few people he could call friends, he wouldn't have acted so casually even when he came to the other person's house, and wouldn't have knocked on the door and walked in without waiting for a response... Although Kirigaya-kun is partly to blame for Hachiman becoming like this.

"You mean Rita? ... She's new here, so of course she'll be curious about everything."

Kiritani opened a drawer, rummaged around, then took out two cans of MAX coffee. He casually tossed one can to Hachiman, who was sitting on the sofa next to him, lazily pulled the tab, took a sip, and then, as if remembering something, chuckled and added, "But, in the end, she's still just a little girl..."

"You guy..."

Hachiman, who seemed a little flustered as he caught the can of coffee, shook the ahoge on his head. "Doesn't she know about you? She looked so curious just now... and seemed to be having a great time talking to Komachi."

"Huh! Komachi's here?"

Kiritani-kun's eyes widened slightly, as if he were a little excited. "Why didn't you say so sooner?"

"...Hey, Kazuto!"

His gaze turned slightly dangerous as Hachiman gripped the coffee in his hand. "Komachi is mine!"

"Tsk, what a siscon."

You have no right to talk to me like that.

"But I have never considered marrying my sister."

"That's because you don't love your sister enough!"

Hachiman didn't object to the marriage proposal to his sister. Instead, he proudly raised his eyelids, revealing his dead fish eyes that gleamed slightly. "Speaking of which, Komachi is perfect in every way. She's beautiful, cheerful, and lively. Everyone agrees she's very cute, and her little fangs are adorable... Of course, she's also excellent at studying, has many friends, and her little feet are very flexible..."

"Hey, did you just reveal something? I'm calling the police!"

Kiritani looked at his close friend with a look of pity in his eyes. Yes, he couldn't bear to see Hachiman suffer such a thing as three years or more... So, it was best to call the police and arrest him before Hachiman actually made a move, so that the incident could be perfectly avoided.

"Most importantly—Komachi likes me the most!"

While it might not be appropriate to say such things with deadpan eyes, some traits are ultimately unavoidable, yet even so, Hachiman still seems very real.

Incidentally, Komachi seems to have been talking to Suguha a bit too much, and she's become a little sarcastic now—yes, right, the Komachi of the past wasn't sarcastic at all.

...I apologize for subconsciously ignoring this matter, since Yukinoshita rarely shows her sharp tongue when Komachi is interacting with her.

"abnormal."

Kiritani summarized Hachiman with two words, then put down his coffee. "...Hachiman, you have something to tell me, right?"

"Ah... um, it's nothing really."

Swirling the coffee in his hand, Hachiman shifted his gaze slightly, finally looking up with a hint of helplessness. "You...have a good relationship with Yukinoshita's older sister, right?"

"Oh, you want to ask about Yang Nai? That explains why you suddenly came to chat with me. After all, even if it's something really important, you wouldn't bother others..."

Kiritani smiled gently. He didn't think there was anything wrong with being troubled by his best friend; on the contrary, he thought... this feeling was normal.

I've only known Hachiman for about half a year, but when it comes to helping each other, there really isn't anything... For example, my childhood friend Ryunosuke has never bothered Kiritani-kun with anything—ah, we can ignore things like tomatoes.

"Let me guess... Haruno must have asked you about what happened between you and Yukino, right? Well, I think you should be able to understand. After all, Haruno is a siscon too. It's already good enough that she didn't break your legs when you went after someone else's sister."

His ahoge (antenna-like hair sticking up) stood up, and Hachiman raised his voice slightly, "I didn't."

"You don't need to worry about that lunatic, Haruno. As long as you don't take away your feelings for your sister from Yukino, you'll be fine."

"...I said it wasn't like that."

Kiritani smiled broadly, "Well, you don't need to worry about Haruno. After all, she has some mental issues. If there's anything wrong, just have her come to me."

Hachiman stood up with dead fish eyes. "I feel like there was no need to come looking for you. I'm going back."

Kiritani pressed on, "Hey, you still haven't told me whether it was an avalanche or a total wipeout!"

"I have Yukinoshita Haruno's contact information. I'll send you an email later and tell you to look for her."

Hachiman opened the door and went out, leaving those words behind before closing it.

"What the hell... You're not Hachiman at all!"

P.S.: Although it's a mix of Oregairu, it seems like I haven't really written much about it other than Haruno and Shizuka...

294

【NO.291 Interlude (Part 7)】

As it turns out, Hachiman Hikigaya was just a hypocrite.

...A man's arrogance is not cute at all.

—Kirigaya Kazuto affirmed this.

Having finished his tasks for the day, Kirito stretched and walked out of the study, where he immediately saw Asuna, Shiina Mashiro, and Rita, along with Komachi and the others who hadn't yet returned home, sitting around the coffee table, chatting about something. Overall, they all seemed to be in good spirits...

Well, okay, Shiina Mashiro remained expressionless, not even glancing at Rita sitting in front of her.

...This is what it means to be emotional.

I glanced at the clock; it was almost four in the afternoon… Sure enough, when you’re engrossed in your drawing, you really don’t notice the passage of time.

Even so, Kiritani noticed that his remaining motivation had almost completely burned out.