manga artist Kirito

Page 153

It's so sad to go to a party alone!

"Well, then... let's do it this way."

Asuna didn't turn around, but looked out the window, three words silently forming in her mind—"Plan works!"

P.S.: Obsessed with Dragon Raja...

I hope to vent my frustrations after thirty...

340

【NO.336 Irecita, commonly known as Watermelon】

After seeing Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri off at the station, Asuna waited for the butler to drive over to pick up Shiina Mashiro and take her back to Chiba. Of course, it was inappropriate to leave Shiina Mashiro alone in the apartment, so Asuna called her neighbor Yukino Yukinoshita and asked her to take care of Shiina Mashiro.

Yukino-chan was definitely hesitant, but after some thought, she agreed. She didn't say much else, just asked Asuna for some things to note, and then ended the call.

...It was a bit of an unexpected situation, anyway. Kirito didn't expect Asuna to receive a call from Yukino-chan. He originally thought he would have to temporarily send Shiina Mashiro to Sakura-sou, to Shiina Mashiro's cousin's place.

It feels kind of weird for some reason!

But no matter what, Kirito is starting to feel a little sorry for Yukino. With Shiina Mashiro's erratic thought process, the always-right Yukino is probably going to be driven crazy. I just hope Yukino can get through this safely!

At this moment, Kiritani Kazuto and Yuuki Asuna strolled along a sparsely populated street. Although it was afternoon, the temperature was not only not hot, but also slightly cool, as it was already early autumn.

Because they were going to attend a JUMP awards ceremony tomorrow, Kirito and Asuna decided to stay in Tokyo. It would be much more convenient, wouldn't it? Going back and forth would be too much trouble, and they weren't too busy... Although the script production definitely needed to be expedited, was the script more important than their time together?

Walking slowly down the street, surrounded by noisy shops, music, and the sounds of bargaining, neither Kirito nor Asuna spoke, simply walking quietly.

Thinking back to that time, before high school life began, before Asuna asked Kirito to find something serious to do, before Shiina Mashiro arrived, before Kirito joined the manga club... Back then, daily life was very relaxed. There were no things to rush to do, not many things that required temporarily putting down the person next to you, and not... so many girls gathered around you.

Although during that time we would just wander around aimlessly every day, without any particular destination, it felt strangely warm and cozy.

Nowadays, there isn't much free time like that anymore.

School, comics, light novels, and various other things to take care of...

Ultimately, it was I who set the stage for all of this...

After an unknown amount of time, Asuna suddenly looked up and stared at the profile of the boy walking beside her, lost in thought.

"Hey, Kazuto."

"Ok?"

"Do people think I'm weird sometimes?"

"Well, Asuna can be quite strange sometimes, but being strange isn't necessarily abnormal."

The boy took off his glasses and hung them on his collar, his dark eyes staring straight ahead. "It's totally understandable, no, rather, if I couldn't understand it, I'd be incredibly stupid."

"Is that so...?"

The girl smiled silently, reaching out to touch her cheek. "Speaking of which, it's been a long time since we've taken a walk like this."

"It's been a long time... Rather, aside from the day last semester when Haruno invited us on a trip to Hokkaido, and the day we secretly ran away to watch the sunrise, we've rarely had time to be alone together."

The boy put his arm around the girl's and slowed his pace slightly. "There will always be more people coming."

"That's partly my fault too..."

The girl gave a helpless smile and gently took his arm. "I asked Mashiro to come. If I hadn't asked, Mashiro would probably be living in Sakura Dormitory now, or she would have already been taken back to England by Rita..."

"Hmm? A self-reflection complex?"

The young man smiled subtly, then revealed a hint of mischievousness. "Hey girlfriend, are you starting to worry about the girls around me? Ah, could it be because of what I said about that older single woman that you finally realized you're a threat?"

"Well, that makes sense, Mr. Boyfriend."

The girl lightly kicked him, a little annoyed but also amused. "However, I realized the threat a long time ago! My boyfriend is really charming, managing to make so many girls like you... So, my boyfriend, who's your favorite?"

"younger sister!"

Without hesitation, and without the slightest worry about whether it would displease the girl, the boy smiled and said, "Besides my girlfriend, my favorite person is undoubtedly the world's cutest little sister!"

The girl puffed out her cheeks. "Just as I thought, all the people of Chiba are die-hard siscon!"

However, this expression did not show any dissatisfaction; instead, it carried a hint of coquettishness.

"Don't say that. Actually, your older brother is also a siscon. Luckily, I acted quickly, otherwise who knows if your older brother would suddenly go crazy."

The boy said this, and then the girl slapped him on the back of the head.

"You're the one who's heartless! My brother doesn't have anything like that. He's found a girlfriend now, and she's really pretty!"

However, he's actually a siscon...

"I don't know who said they would break my legs if they saw me like that..."

The boy muttered to himself, then suddenly burst out laughing, "To be honest, I'm really a bit ruthless. Not only do I like my senior, but I also managed to win her over... Hmm, I'm really amazing!"

"Hey! Didn't you say I wasn't allowed to call you 'senior'?!"

"Okay, girlfriend, senior."

"Ugh!"

"Don't do that. When you puff out your cheeks in a huff, it's actually really cute and adorable. It would be troublesome if I couldn't help it."

The boy covered his nose, seemingly worried that it would bleed.

The girl turned her head to the side, clearly showing her dissatisfaction, "I'm going to get angry! I'm really going to get angry!"

...But it's completely impossible to tell if someone is genuinely angry.

"So what if I'm angry? My girlfriend can't live without me anyway."

His gentle smile and nonchalant tone, as if he had just finished speaking, did not make Asuna feel disgusted; in fact, she felt a sense of déjà vu.

"Pooh!"

She rolled her eyes, then broke free from Kirito's arm, stood to the side, and stretched out her hands, "Carry me, I'm tired."

"Wow, my dear lady, you haven't forgotten that I'm actually a complete klutz when it comes to physical strength, have you?"

Kirito complained in surprise, then obediently walked over to Asuna and squatted down. After Asuna climbed onto his back, he hugged her thighs with both hands and stood up, swaying slightly. "As expected, it's still a bit of a stretch."

"I'm telling you, Mr. Butler, you really need to exercise more. If I get fat, you'll be doomed if you can't carry me!"

With a slightly sarcastic tone befitting a young lady, Asuna pressed her cheek against Kirito's ear and said, "You can only carry me on your back!"

"This... I don't think that will work. Someone like Ye Zi, our eldest daughter, would be impossible for me to refuse if she insisted on carrying her."

"I don't care, you can only carry me."

"Wow, so capricious? Oh well, whatever, you're the one who decides anyway."

…………

Rouge en rouge

Akane Kosaka's office

Kirito was slumped on the sofa, looking like a salted fish about to die. He had walked from the station to here, carrying Asuna along the way. With his stamina, he would have collapsed from exhaustion long ago if he hadn't been pushing himself. Now that he was here, he had no desire to get up.

"Hey, you're being watched by younger people outside. Can't you at least have some manners?"

Sitting upright in her office chair, Akane Kosaka temporarily put aside her work. Rather, upon discovering Kirito's arrival, she immediately hid her work. If people found out that she wasn't resting properly and was occasionally working overtime, she would probably be scolded to death.

"The younger generation is meant to be taken advantage of. I'm not in the mood for that right now. Who cares if they die?"

Kiritani rolled his eyes. "I'm exhausted... Um, I'll be staying in Tokyo tonight, so could you please make some arrangements for me?"

"Huh? Why don't you just go to the apartment? You know the key is there."

"No way! Asuna and I might go out tonight, or do other things. What if you go back to your apartment then?"

Kiritani brushed aside his bangs, revealing a charming smile. "Want to bring you along like in an erotic manga?"

"If you want to usher in the end of bloodshed, you're welcome to give it a try."

With her eyes slightly narrowed, Akane Kosaka lowered her gaze and looked down at Kiritani's lower body. "Hmm, that's probably impossible. With your stamina, you want two at once? You'd probably be drained dry."

"Oh ho? So you admit you're a sexually frustrated old woman?"

"Well, at least it confirms that you're a short and weak brat."

"How should I put it, has anyone told you, Watermelon, that you're being really arrogant today?"

"You just said it yourself, I'm in a really bad mood right now. The kid I like brought his girlfriend here and even asked me to make arrangements for her. It's just too much!"

"...You like those little brats, fine, but you just like short guys like me... Holy crap! I'm not like that!"

Following Xigua's words, Kiritani finally discovered the trap and couldn't help but feel a pang of pain in his balls.

"Phew! Um, I'm going to the JUMP awards ceremony tomorrow."

"Well, I know about this."

Ireneza said, "I know everything about you."

"There's a motorcycle in the apartment's garage. It was originally meant to be a birthday gift for you. Go pick it up later. I'll have Yang Nai take care of the driver's license for you."

Kiritani immediately perked up, "Oh! Is it that black one?"

Akane Kosaka smiled mysteriously. "What do you think?"

P.S.: Emmm...

However, there were no complaints.

341

【NO.337 Giving out dog food?】

"Ah! It's the blue-black one..."

In the garage downstairs from the apartment building, Kirito pulled back the canvas to reveal a blue-black motorcycle. In terms of appearance, it was quite in line with Kirito's aesthetic sense, although it would have been even better if it were all black.

...A birthday present? That was quite a while ago.

Looking at the vehicle that should have been a birthday present, but which he was only able to see ahead of time because he had to stay here, Kirito couldn't help but feel a little... subtle.

Judging from the timeline, the car must have been purchased after Akane Kosaka was discharged from the hospital. After all, Akane Kosaka didn't mention it during her hospitalization. Moreover, having a car would undoubtedly have been much more convenient during that time, but Akane Kosaka didn't say anything, which proves that it was indeed purchased not long ago.

Hmm, it doesn't look cheap at all...

Kirito tossed the car keys in his hand, then inserted them into the lock. He reached for the two helmets on the car and handed one to Asuna, who was standing next to him. "Hey girl, wanna go for a ride with me?"

"of course."

With a light laugh, Asuna stroked her long hair, but the way she looked at Kirito made her feel inexplicably guilty.

Nothing happened, right? We didn't even define our relationship or anything, did we? It was just a regular birthday present, even if it was prepared a little early... Why are you so guilty?

Looking down at the helmet in his hand, Kirito couldn't help but recall what Akane Kousaka had said when he left the editorial department...

Hmm! Could this inexplicable guilt be stemming from here?

"Hmm, what's wrong? Did you remember something you're hiding?"

Asuna tilted her head slightly, staring intently at Kirito, her smile carrying a hint of meaning.

"No, what could I possibly be hiding? I think you couldn't possibly not know what you should know, Asuna, and as for what you shouldn't know... I think you know pretty much everything."

Kirito rolled his eyes, then put on his helmet, sat in the car, gripped the accelerator, and gestured to Asuna, "Go ahead, girl."

"Well, it's okay if you have any secrets with other people, but you'd better keep them from me and never let me know."

Sitting behind Kirito, Asuna leaned her face against his back, wrapped her arms around his waist, and spoke softly.

"You're overthinking things, aren't you? Be a little more confident, Asuna!"

Although the sound was a bit faint, Kirito heard it all clearly, and he was starting to feel a little annoyed. It was time... to find a solution. But, was it really easy to solve?

How could that be? If it were that simple, it wouldn't have dragged on until now... Ah, these guys are really persistent. I'm just an erotic artist... What's so great about that?

Unconsciously belittling himself, but then Kiritani realized that this was really bad. If there was really nothing good about it, wouldn't that mean that the girls who liked him were blind? Hmm, it really is because I'm too handsome. How can someone be so handsome?

The motorcycle engine emitted a pleasant, broken roar, and the moment it shifted gears, it began to surge forward. Although it was now able to control the speed, it still seemed a bit fast. Naturally, this caused Asuna to tighten her grip on Kirito's waist, and the soft touch became even clearer—it really felt great to ride a motorcycle with a girl, especially one with a large bust.

Of course, this wasn't the first time Kirito had driven a girl around. For example, there was Shizuka before, but that only happened once because he was too young... so it was limited to that one time.

Although driving without a license is a bit reckless, as long as you don't get caught, it's fine, right? Besides, Kiritani is a very skilled driver.

Although they didn't have a clear purpose at the moment, it didn't affect the mood of the young men and women. Asuna, who was tightly hugging Kirito, had a faint smile on her lips and looked very serene.

It's early now, but it's also quite late, since both of them only ate something this morning and haven't had lunch yet. But... it's still a long time before dinner.