manga artist Kirito

Page 145

"clear."

With dead fish eyes, Kirito nodded blankly.

Seemingly having discovered something, Jing pointed at Kirito's eyes in surprise, "You, your eyes really look like dead fish eyes..."

Seeing Hiratsuka Shizuka pull out a lighter, Kirito blankly raised his hand. "Shizuka, do you remember what I told you before?"

"Hey! Call me teacher properly!"

With a puppy-like whimper, Jing Ke'ai bit her lip and stuffed the lighter back into her pocket. Then she picked up her composition book and held it in front of her. "You... your eyes are disgusting."

nausea?

What a joke!

Although I was indeed thinking about what I would do when I put my hand in your mouth later, whether to play with your tongue or try to see how far I could go in... ugh, that's really disgusting.

Unable to bear the disgusting look in his eyes any longer, Jingke waved him away, "Get out, get out, take your composition book and get out of here."

Kiritani's eyes instantly sharpened. "That's your composition book..."

"Make me disappear before my eyes with the slightest friction!"

…………

"So, is Kazuhito trying to provoke Hiratsuka-sensei again?"

In the corridor, Kiritani Kazuto and Kato Megumi walked side by side. It was lunch break, and most students had either gone to the convenience store or found a place to eat their bento boxes... By the way, why was Kato waiting for me outside the office?

"I just heard it, Hiratsuka-sensei's roar."

Kirito chuckled lightly, his smile faint but his expression smug. "No, it's just that older single women tend to have short tempers."

Kato Megumi naturally knew that Kirito was targeting Hiratsuka Shizuka, "There must be more to it than that."

Kirito stopped smiling and looked at her with an expression as if she were an idiot.

Kato Megumi was momentarily confused at being seen, "What?!"

"How rude of you, Kato! You're too scheming!"

Kirito clapped his hands, seemingly about to do something shady. "Being your childhood friend is probably going to be a nightmare. You actually told me a second-grade essay topic. Were you standing outside the office thinking you could collect my corpse?"

"No way!"

With her cheeks slightly puffed out, Kato Megumi said that Kirito's guess contained far too much malice.

Kirito raised his slightly delicate eyebrows and said indifferently, "If there's a next time, believe me, I'll make sure your face is covered in Mengniu milk."

Kato Megumi shrank back sheepishly. "I didn't mean to, I just remembered it wrong..."

"Is it that all-powerful relative of yours again?"

"What the hell? Kazuhito-kun isn't listening to me at all."

"No one likes a girl who is too scheming."

"Screw you, mind your own business!"

As he descended the last step, looking at the rather crowded convenience store in the distance, Kiritani patted his cheeks. What a terrible day. Knowing I wasn't planning to come to class today, Naka didn't prepare a bento for me tomorrow... fried noodles and bread, it feels a bit too much.

"Hey, Kazuto-kun, are you going to the convenience store to buy bread?"

Leaning slightly forward, the girl's hands remained behind her back, her calm and pretty face radiating a slightly cheerful expression.

"...So, Miss Zhuge Hui, what scheme have you come up with this time?"

"What Zhuge Hui? My name is Kato, Kato Megumi!"

With a pout of dissatisfaction, Kato Megumi tilted her head. "Come to think of it, I've been calling Kazuto by his name for so long now, and he still hasn't called me by my full name... Hmm, from now on you can just call me Megumi~!"

"Yes, Miss Sima Hui, may I ask what brings you here?"

...Changing how you address someone isn't a big deal. For example, Kiritani-kun and Yukino Yukinoshita aren't actually that close, but he still calls her Yukino-chan like Haruno does... Yes, Kiritani-kun is always very casual about how he addresses people, he just calls them whatever feels comfortable—Huh? Why does that sound so strange?

"Kazuto-kun is talking about these incomprehensible things again."

Don't say that. Your words remind me of that short anime series about someone who can't understand a thing their husband is saying at all...

"But, shall we eat lunch together with the King?"

With her hands behind her back, she held the lunchbox wrapped in a tablecloth in her hands, her posture serene as she extended an invitation to the boy beside her.

So, the reason you were waiting for me outside the office was to invite me to have a bento box?

"I didn't bring it today..."

"It's okay, I accidentally made a little too much when I was making bento this morning... Um, could you please help me finish the rest?"

With a smile, the girl spoke in a soft, cute voice.

Kirito's face was blank. "So, did you accidentally bring an extra pair of chopsticks?"

"It wasn't an accident..."

----Book Recommendation----

Book Title: You Might Die If I Strike You with My Staff

"How should I allocate skill points for a mage? I need help urgently!"

—"Put all attribute points into Strength, skill points into Melee Weapon Mastery, Parry, Charge, Whirlwind, and Armor Penetration. For spells, just put any point into Holy Light."

"Thank you so much, expert!"

Strength: 999 Intelligence: 9 Class: Mage

A mage skilled in silencing (physical)

—Wow, that's a really long introduction…

324

[NO.321 Zhuge Hui as Always (Part 2)]

I'm curious.

How exactly do you get a girl who doesn't have many friends and is even less likely to have a boyfriend to bring an extra pair of chopsticks when she packs her lunch?

—I've suspected that Kato Megumi might like me…

Sigh, just pretend you didn't see this sentence. After all, everyone experiences the three great illusions of life.

Under the shade of a tree near the playground, Kato Megumi sat on a bench, quietly dividing the food in her bento box into two portions with very gentle movements.

Beside him, Kiritani reached out and forcefully patted the vending machine, which seemed to be malfunctioning. It made a clattering sound but still didn't dispense any goods. He expressionlessly glanced around, and after confirming that no one was paying attention, Kiritani calmly raised his right leg, placing it in the air at a 45-degree angle...

Then, two cans of beverages appeared at the shipping outlet.

Let me make it clear beforehand, Kiritani-kun hasn't kicked it yet.

Kato Megumi, who had finished distributing the bento boxes, looked over and said, "Kazuto-kun, this won't do. If they see this, the school will definitely come after you."

Kiritani-kun calmly shrugged, "As long as I wasn't seen, that's fine."

Kirigaya sat down next to Kato Megumi, placed the drink between them, and took the bento and chopsticks that Kato Megumi handed him.

"Thank you very much."

"It's really unlike Kazuhito-kun to express his gratitude so earnestly."

Kiritani-kun rolled his eyes. If I'm too rough, you don't like it; if I'm too gentle, you feel it's incongruous. Kato Megumi, tell me, are you a masochist?

The food in the bento box was quite good; you could tell that Kato Megumi must have spent a lot of time preparing it… She’s usually a girl who doesn’t seem to care much about plants, but she does care about certain things.

The bento box looks so nice, but there's no one to eat it with... isn't that a little wasteful?

Lost in thought, Kiritani picked up his chopsticks to start eating, but Kato Megumi, sitting next to him, stopped him. "Kizuto-kun, manners are a must!"

"..."

...How come I never realized you had such a meddlesome side before?

Quiet and submissive has always been your most prominent trait! Pay a little more attention to your public image!

Well, add that scheming side, and if anyone marries you, they'll probably be kneeling on instant noodles until the noodles are all crushed...

Although it was a bit of a disappointment, it was all thanks to Miss Zhuge Hui's generous sponsorship of this lunch.

Kiritani-kun clasped his hands together and said, "I'm starting."

Kato Megumi smiled slightly. "I'll start eating."

While eating his food without any hesitation, Kiritani calmly placed a green pepper into Kato Megumi's bento box. "From now on, don't boil green peppers anymore. Try a different way to cook them. Not only will they not be bitter, but they will also taste delicious."

"That's it..."

Kato Megumi nodded thoughtfully, and did not resist Kiritani-kun's gesture of picking up all the green peppers. She then quietly began to eat.

"Speaking of which, Kato, what have you been doing lately?"

"Playing games~! Eriri and Kasumigaoka-senpai lent me a lot of dating sims, although some of them have some weird elements mixed in..."

Gently smoothing her loose hair, Kato Megumi smiled faintly, a smile so subtle it was almost invisible unless you looked closely.

I see, I see.

No wonder his expressions have become more varied and his scheming has become more profound after such a long time apart.

So it's because there are too many dating sims... Wait a minute, so Kato, are you identifying with the female lead or the male lead?

If you were the male lead, with your cunning... you'd be truly formidable! — Zhuge Hui, the Queen of the Harem!

To save countless young girls from their suffering, we absolutely cannot let Kato sink into this love game.

"Kato, you're such a shut-in..."

"I'm just trying to understand the feelings of the heroines in dating sims, and what kind of expression they should make at what time, just like what Kazuhito said."

Kato Megumi put down her chopsticks, tilted her head, and thought for a moment, "For example, when I'm sulking..."

I got stood up on my date—that's the narration.

Kato Megumi puffed out her cheeks and turned her head away, "What the hell? I'm never talking to you again!"

...Isn't this Eriri's signature tsundere personality?

Besides, your soft, cute voice is completely unsuitable for these kinds of lines!

"This way of speaking is completely useless."

"Huh? Is that so? That's what Eriri told me..."

With her eyes slightly widened, Kato Megumi revealed a hint of surprise.

When did your relationship with Eriri become so close that you can call each other by our first names?

Could it be that they've really been proselytized?

"Although it's not very useful, you've really gone to a lot of trouble."

Kiritani pushed up his glasses. "But the plan I made for you before wasn't useless, was it? At least compared to that plant that was everywhere before, you're more like a flower now."

"Is this a compliment? Well then, I'll accept it with gratitude."

Although that's what they say, Kato Megumi was clearly not very satisfied with this description, or rather, she didn't like the description of plants.

During their casual conversation, Kiritani learned that Kato Megumi was actually present at the fireworks display that night, but she didn't go with Eriri and the others because she had to take care of her relatives' children...

But how should I put it, Kiritani-kun had a feeling that Kato Megumi wasn't really tied up because she had to take care of her relatives' child, but rather that she was secretly observing—no, I don't have paranoia, and my intuition has always been very accurate.

Just like when I first met Rita, I understood her complex emotions. That's a kind of intuition... So, Kato, were you spying on me?

"thanks for treatment."

Kiritani-kun never eats slowly, but he usually takes longer because he has to take care of Shiina Mashiro... Of course, it's also important to show affection during those times, so don't forget.

"Leave it to me to clean up."

Speaking softly, Kato Megumi took a tissue out of her pocket and handed it to Kiritani-kun.

Kato, you've really gone to great lengths to prepare, but this only makes me more convinced that you have ulterior motives towards me.

"Then... I'll leave first?"

"Ah."

Kiritani-kun carried the opened drink and walked towards the classroom, while Kato Megumi watched quietly.