manga artist Kirito

Page 130

The atmosphere in the living room was so pleasant that Kirigaya didn't want to disturb it. However, Shiina Mashiro saw him and quickly walked over, grabbing Kirigaya's sleeve. Her calm and composed eyes seemed somewhat deep and complicated at that moment...

"Ok?"

"I... lost to someone."

With her lips slightly pursed, the blonde girl gazed into the boy's eyes, and finally... lowered her head slightly, seemingly somewhat disappointed.

"……what?"

With a bewildered expression, Kiritani-kun was completely baffled by Shiina Mashiro's statement, unable to understand what it meant by this seemingly random remark.

Reluctantly, he turned his gaze to Asuna, who sighed with a complicated expression and shook her head at the end.

...What's going on all of a sudden?

Helplessly, looking at the pretty face so close to his eyes, Kiritani reached out and ruffled Shiina Mashiro's hair. "It's okay, just do what you think is best."

Although I still don't understand what happened, but... this answer should be fine, right?

Ms. Shiina nodded. "Mm."

Smiling, Kiritani turned around and casually took out his phone, intending to ask Yui what was going on, but instead saw three missed calls and a new email. The callers and the emailer were both from Sushi... Uh, could it be that the newcomer award rankings have ended?

This was just mentioned last night...

Just as Kiritani-kun had suspected, the new email revealed that Shiina Mashiro's submission, "This Manga Club Has a Problem," had won second place in the Newcomer Award!

Bridge Bean Sacks!

Second...?

Ah, no wonder Shiina Mashiro made such a strange statement as "I lost," so that's why.

I remember when Shiina Mashiro first came here, she repeatedly said she would win when it came to manga submissions. Now that she hasn't won the championship... it's fair to say she lost. After all, only first place can leave a lasting impression; second place is just background, and not even as good as third...

Of course, for Kiritani-kun, Shiina Mashiro reaching second place was truly beyond his expectations. Kiritani-kun had seen all of Shiina Mashiro's drawings, and he and Asuna were responsible for the proofreading and suggestions, so he was quite familiar with the work.

But let's not even talk about the top three. I think it would be difficult for this work to even make it into the top five. After all, apart from the excellent character designs, the plot is at most just interesting. The visuals and art style are naturally beautiful... Uh, wait a minute, is it because my standards have become higher now?

Or is it that I think this work doesn't have the potential to be in the top three because of its plot?

...Based on the summary just now, apart from the slightly weaker plot, both the visuals and character designs are the best. It's not impossible for it to be second, right?

Kiritani-kun's feelings were a bit complicated for a moment.

Of course, this refers to the manga aspect, and it doesn't have much to do with Shiina Mashiro's affairs.

"However, even this is not something that can be done easily. If you want to do better... then you have to work even harder."

No one praised me...

Kiritani patted Shiina Mashiro's head. "You won't have any reference points for this part of the summer vacation storyline. You'll have to solve everything yourself, from the plot to the character interactions... If you feel like you can't come up with anything and your drawings are still the same dry, tasteless style you used to create, then go back and look at the drawings you've done recently—remember, look at those drawings from the perspective of a reader, and try to understand the feelings behind them."

"Yeah, I remember."

Shiina Mashiro nodded heavily, and Kiritani could clearly feel that firm and stubborn will.

Besides, Kiritani-kun can also imagine what Rita's expression and feelings would be upon hearing this news.

But some things have to be said. Rita is really amazing. She can still laugh so happily right now. Not everyone can fake this. At least... Kirito-kun thinks that if Haruno, who is also a master of hypocrisy, found out that Yukino-chan had given away her sister's feelings to someone else, her expression and mentality would definitely collapse instantly!

Yes, yes, these two things are almost equal, and there is no exaggeration at all.

"Mashiro-neechan is really amazing!"

Komachi gripped the back of the sofa with both hands and said excitedly, "Second place in the Newcomer Award! To get such a ranking among so many people, it must be so difficult... Ah, if only Nii-chan were as good as Mashiro-neechan, then I wouldn't have to put so much effort into this."

...I know, Komachi, the master of assists, Hachiman is definitely very grateful to you, so grateful that he might even want to have sex with you.

With a broad smile, Kiritani's gaze swept over Rita, whose expression gradually became complicated, before finally settling on Asuna. "Hey Asuna, a celebration... isn't that necessary?"

"Of course!"

Asuna nodded happily, "These things were prepared when we were notified, but we were just thinking about where to take Mashiro tomorrow... You know, it's really hard to figure out what Mashiro wants to do."

Kiritani rolled his eyes blankly. This was more than just difficult. Besides drawing, Mashiro-san probably didn't have anything else she wanted to do.

But since we're on the topic of going out to play...

Shiina Mashiro had never been exposed to the outside world before, so I guess even if it's something very ordinary, she could have a lot of fun with someone by her side.

So, starting from the basics... isn't that a bad idea?

"It's decided, Shiina-san's destination tomorrow...!"

295

【NO.292 Chiba Holiday (Part 1)】

That's right, it's to celebrate Shiina Mashiro's good ranking in the Newcomer Award.

But neither Kirito nor Asuna Yuuki really knew how to celebrate, since nothing like this had ever happened before. In addition, neither of their families particularly cared about celebrating any awards they received, so things ended up being a bit uneventful.

To be honest, Suguha has won the national youth kendo championship many times. Apart from having a good meal together on the first day, there's nothing special to celebrate afterwards.

Ah, if this were at Shiina Mashiro's cousin's place, in that place called Sakura-sou, it might have been a very grand affair. But here, we'd just invite the neighbors and editor over for a meal and chat about it... Yes, that's all.

…………

Today is a beautiful day; the temperature is just right.

The plan might be a bit old-fashioned, but there's no other way; Kiritani-kun really can't think of any other fun places to go.

Amusement parks should still be quite new to Shiina Mashiro. She used to be a pure and innocent girl with no common sense. Even though she seems to know quite a lot of common sense, an amusement park... yes, she has never been to one before.

So, Kiritani-kun decided to bring her to the amusement park.

To be honest, Kiritani-kun has only been to amusement parks a few times. Not to mention his parents, even his current parents haven't taken him. If I think about it carefully, it seems like he's only been to amusement parks with Asuna, Suguha, and Suigi, which is no more than five times in total.

Amusement parks, places where people gather, aren't actually as bad as you might think, provided you don't mention going to haunted houses... Kiritani-kun genuinely dislikes that kind of atmosphere.

However, now Kiritani-kun can proudly tell those "normies" (people who are popular with their partners) – I'm also a "normie" who's been to amusement parks with multiple girls.

Although, guys who already have girlfriends should have been classified as "normies" long ago.

In fact, Kirito and his group are quite eye-catching, after all, there are several cute girls involved. If this were some kind of overpowered protagonist novel, there should be a villain who makes a fool of himself by now. But unfortunately, this is ultimately just a slice-of-life novel that occasionally sprinkles some sweet moments...

Standing under the shade of a tree, Kiritani-kun tugged at his side ponytail, which he wondered if Asuna had tied up like that on purpose today. His mind was inexplicably a little dazed, especially when he noticed the gazes directed at him, and his lips twitched involuntarily.

Although it was supposed to be a celebration, and Hachiman, Komachi, and Yukinoshita were invited, Yukinoshita was picked up by Haruno, who wished to remain anonymous, last night. Hachiman said that amusement parks, being gathering places for popular people, weren't suitable for him. As for Komachi…

Here's the thing—ah, Komachi really wanted to go with them, but she was worried about that idiot Nii-chan. Without Komachi, Nii-chan would die... So I'm sorry!

Ah, what a wonderful younger sister! Hachiman is so lucky...

Therefore, in the end, only a family of three and Ms. Rita, who was new to the amusement park, came to the park.

Huh? You mean Ryunosuke?

Stop living in a dream. How could this homebody possibly go out during a holiday like this? If it weren't for the threat of the Iron Fist Judgment, he wouldn't even go to school.

"Almost...we can begin."

Actually, there weren't too many people in the amusement park today. At least we were still within a safe area to move around in, so it wasn't crowded. On the other hand, the amount of PDA from those couples who went out together was much more obvious.

"So, where should we start playing?"

The difficulty in making choices may seem nonexistent on the surface, but in reality, almost everyone experiences it to some extent. To avoid this, the best option is to choose everything!

"Just try out all the attractions."

Asuna understands Kiritani-kun very well, and with a light laugh, she helped him solve the problem.

This amusement park is similar to a theme park, with a circular area divided into four zones: Standard, Water, Adventure, Show, and a rest area in the middle.

After passing through the ticket gate, the first thing you arrive at is the rest area. To the right are the standard amusement park rides, such as roller coasters, pirate ships, and Ferris wheels. Further to the right is a water park-like area with all sorts of attractions... Although it's still quite far, Kiritani-kun can still clearly hear the sound of water over there.

Naturally, what's even more obvious... is the scream right on the right.

On the left is the adventure and performance area. As for the adventure area... it's the haunted house that Kirito-kun least wanted to visit in the amusement park. The main theme is horror. The performance area isn't just about circus and stage plays; there are also game booths here... It's a pity there's no performance of breaking a boulder on one's chest.

Come to think of it, I hadn't realized before, this amusement park is freaking huge...

I just said I was going to explore the whole area, but now it seems like I won't be able to see everything in a single area in less than two or three hours, not to mention there are still four areas to go.

Kiritani suggested, "Personally, I think...we could try something like a roller coaster or a pirate ship first."

"Eh, starting with the standard area... I thought Shido would be eager to go to the water park area."

Rita put down the map and amusement park attraction information, her expression somewhat sarcastic. "I even prepared a swimsuit for this, what a pity..."

Asuna raised her eyebrows slightly, but did not speak.

Kiritani-kun calmly pulled down his hat brim. "You still have a swimsuit? You've been wearing my clothes for the past two days, and you have the nerve to say that? Besides, what's so great about a water park?"

Finally, Kiritani smiled at Asuna, earning a speechless eye roll in return.

"But today... I think it's better for Mashiro to make the decision."

Asuna smoothed the hair behind her ear, her expression remaining as gentle as ever, so gentle that Rita felt a chill run down her spine.

"We're out having fun today because of Mashiro, so letting Mashiro take the lead shouldn't be a bad idea, right? As for her opinions... Mashiro is capable of making decisions on this kind of thing."

"makes sense."

"Then let Mashiro decide."

"Oh……"

Ms. Shiina opened her mouth slightly, tilted her head to look around, and finally locked her gaze on the right, on a... somewhat subtle project.

...A carousel!

"this!"

Kiritani and Asuna exchanged a glance. Ah, they really have a childlike heart...

296

【NO.293 Chiba Holiday (Part 2)】

Some say that a carousel is a game that witnesses the love between two people. As long as two people who truly love each other sit on the carousel at the same time, the carousel will carry them to a perfect paradise, and their love will last forever.

However, Kiritani-kun doesn't understand what's going on with this statement that sounds like something out of a Korean drama.

In this world where angels are more terrifying than demons, and they're always threatening to send you to heaven... what a load of bull, a perfect heaven.

Watching the children frolicking on the carousel, Kiritani's smile gradually became forced. It's good for young people to have a childlike heart, but if he actually rode it, someone might take a picture and post it on social media... Well, Kiritani thought that such a ride wasn't really suitable for him, and he hesitated whether to make up a story about getting dizzy from riding it.

...Let me preface this by saying that I don't think it's embarrassing. After all, I'm already pretty good-looking, and playing this kind of game...it wouldn't be good if it attracted too much attention, hahaha...

However, people are often in situations where they have no control over their own lives, like Kiritani-kun is now.

With his clothes being tugged and feeling his eldest daughter's gaze, Kirito could only nod helplessly. Putting aside the feeling of being stared at, just the aura of "I'll be unhappy if you dare to refuse" that he didn't even know if it existed, Kirito simply couldn't find any reason to refuse.

"Okay, let's play this first."

Very good... Hmm, it's absolutely necessary to satisfy the eldest daughter's playful nature, which is a very rare occurrence.

Kiritani convinced himself with this subtle reason, and then followed him inside. Asuna quickly followed and walked on the other side of Kiritani, gently taking his arm.

Behind them, Rita looked at them with a strange expression on her face.

It's strange, okay? Mashiro, who knows nothing but drawing... is actually starting to face herself and... things other than drawing?

Rita had only been in Chiba for three days, but she had already received quite a few surprises in those three days. At first, she was refused when she asked Mashiro to go back to England with her... she could say that she had a bit of a premonition. But then came the seemingly joking but actually very serious threat. In Rita's memory, Mashiro would never say such a thing.

However, on that day, although Ms. Shiina had no expression, her performance was exceptionally skilled.

And now they're even showing what they call their own opinions...?

All told, Mashiro had only been studying at the school in England for a few months, but the changes in Shiina-san were... terrifying.

"Hey, you over there, Golden Retriever Number Two, aren't you coming to play?"

From afar, Kiritani's voice came, bringing Rita back from her reverie. At the same time, the corner of her mouth twitched unnaturally. Although she didn't know what this so-called "golden-haired loser number two" meant, she was very annoyed by this nickname!

Even when you're very angry, you must remain elegant.

Smile, smile

Don't bother arguing with this guy who has a problem with his thought process.

Rita took a deep breath to calm the pain from breastfeeding, then quickly walked over there.

...While it may seem romantic, a carousel doesn't actually give you any special feeling at all. If you want me to give a similar example, it's probably like those shameless machines that used to shout "Kids, come and play!" in front of supermarkets when I was a kid.

I'm serious!