manga artist Kirito

Page 188

With a slight flush from vigorous exercise, the maid appeared expressionlessly behind Alice. The red gauntlet on her right hand had been replaced with the original accessory.

The maid held a tablet in her hand. "There's no connection whatsoever, but that will make it easy for people to forget about you."

Alice lowered her head, her expression growing increasingly somber.

"Anything is fine..."

The boy let out a soft breath, then stepped forward and opened his arms to the girl. "Welcome back, Alice!"

The girl suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with surprise and joy. She opened her arms and rushed over, hugging the boy tightly in her arms, her delicate chin resting on his shoulder. Her emotions seemed to have completely returned to their original state.

She smiled gently, "Little Tongtong, you should say—Welcome back, my Alice!"

"Whatever, I'm happy right now, so I won't hold it against you."

With a slight exertion, as if trying to merge Kirito into her body, she spoke again, "I'm back!"

"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."

Kirito smiled slightly; he really hadn't expected this turn of events.

"Miss, your opponent this time... is very strong."

After removing her combat gauntlets, the butler stood beside Asuna, adjusting her newly put-on white gloves. Since both of them had stopped fighting, they had no reason to continue. Besides, such a fight was indeed too shocking to ordinary people.

And then there's the cost of repairing the damaged site afterwards...

"Just like what they said, whatever happens is fine... But, as for the opponent..."

Asuna tilted her head at a 45-degree angle, a smile playing on her lips. "I think you're overthinking it, Shinichi. That's impossible."

"hope so."

The butler looked at the young man and woman embracing in front of him, smiled slightly, which was his way of responding.

"So this kind of farce is really frustrating, but if you think about it a little more, it's not entirely incomprehensible."

"Looking at it from the opponent's perspective? Miss, I don't think that's right..."

"Of course I know it won't work. Anyway, I've already won, so what's there to be afraid of?"

Asuna smiled radiantly, seemingly without any worries whatsoever.

At this moment, the two who were embracing each other separated.

Kirito looked at the girl in front of him, "Just got back?"

"No, I've been back for two days."

Alice shook her head slightly, then smiled. "In the past two days, I found a place to stay and took care of the rest of the formalities. I was planning to come see you last night, but I ran into some unexpected people in Tokyo, and my father had to attend some event, so I put it off. I contacted Ryunosuke this morning to get your address... Hmm, you're not home yet."

"Well, the AI ​​that Ryunosuke, that good-for-nothing, created is pretty good. It can pinpoint your exact location, so I came here."

As she spoke, she pursed her lips, looking somewhat dissatisfied. "Who knows? You already have a girlfriend, are you trying to have your cake and eat it too? I might not mind, but your girlfriend might not."

"...As expected! Alice, you've really changed a lot!"

Kirito felt inexplicably guilty. "Besides, you weren't this good-looking before, and you weren't this strong-willed either."

"Who do you think this is all because of? How can someone who isn't good-looking be worthy of you? Weak... I'm not Kato, I can't do anything for you."

Alice took two steps forward and hugged Kirito's arm, smiling broadly.

Asuna raised an eyebrow, "Blue Belk..."

Pulling Kirito around, Alice looked at the girl she had seen countless times in the files and smiled faintly, "Just call me Alice."

"Please have some self-respect..."

"Really? But for me, this is perfectly normal behavior. As long as the object is Xiaotongtong, I can do whatever I want, given my relationship with Xiaotongtong."

Alice blinked, seemingly in a provocation, causing Asuna's forehead to crease in surprise.

Is this guy... planning to use his childhood friend status to do this kind of thing?

Asuna clenched her fists, annoyed. Why didn't she get a punch in the face during the fight?

"Really? Looks like I'm making a fuss over nothing. But even if you're childhood friends, without a special relationship, it would seem very unladylike."

"Ladylike manners are only for self-discipline, but when facing certain people, it's okay to forgo so-called ladylike manners. After all... they're not very useful in themselves, and more often than not, they just become obstacles, aren't they?"

Alice blinked with interest, as if waiting for Asuna's response.

However, this confrontation did not make Kirito happy at all.

He looked at Shiina Mashiro and gave her a supportive look.

Shiina Mashiro tilted her head, looking rather adorable.

Kirito immediately panicked. If Shiina Mashiro couldn't break the awkward atmosphere, things would really be bad. Did he have to pray that one of his few friends would come to the rescue?

However, Shiina Mashiro immediately showed a look of realization. She nodded slightly and then silently held up three fingers.

Kirito's eyes twitched instantly; he was genuinely angry and declared that he would beat Asada Shino to death as soon as he turned around.

But helplessly, faced with Shiina Mashiro's expressionless threat, he could only agree, so he nodded.

Shiina Mashiro reached out and pinched her pretty face, seemingly about to make some kind of expression, though it was of no use. She got up and walked quickly over, grabbed Kirito's hand and walked out without any pause, leaving Asuna and Alice, who were still trying to come up with something to say in response, stunned.

Then, Asuna couldn't help but smile, silently giving Mashiro a thumbs up in her heart, "Well done!"

Alice was speechless. The atmosphere she had worked so hard to build up was completely ruined. Who was this guy who suddenly appeared?

"Shiina Mashiro, my cousin."

Asuna regained her usual gentle demeanor, took two steps forward, and extended her right hand. "Yuuki Asuna, Kazuto's girlfriend. Nice to meet you."

"So that's how it is, so it's my cousin."

Alice nodded, then extended her hand to shake hands with Asuna. "Alice Qingbelk, Tongtong's childhood friend and... future wife, nice to meet you."

Then, the two of them started to exert their strength at the same time.

Behind the two, the butler and maid looked at each other speechlessly, some of them wanting to cover their faces.

Yeah, I feel embarrassed.

…………

"Hello? This is Asada."

"Hmm, it's you. You wait, I'll come and kill you later!"

"Alas!!!"

The girl lying on the sofa reading a book suddenly widened her eyes, her face full of bewilderment, having no idea what was going on.

She looked at the call that had ended abruptly after the conversation; the caller ID showed an unknown number, which meant it might have been a threat.

Wait, that voice sounded familiar, especially the angry tone... Uh, Kirito?

She pushed up her glasses, her expression slightly ambiguous. "Well, I'll just wait and see."

…………

After putting down his phone, Kirito handed the three Baumkuchen cakes to Shiina Mashiro and earnestly instructed her, "Mashiro, I'm telling you, never talk to Asada Shino again. She'll corrupt you, understand?"

Shiina Mashiro tilted her head, then handed the Baumkuchen back to Kirito, maintaining a blank expression.

Kirito's face grew increasingly dark as he covered his forehead with one hand. How did things turn out this way?

Then, Shiina Mashiro's next move completely stunned him.

Shiina Mashiro's words were very calm: "Seven days, she brought me a Baumkuchen, woke me up in the morning, helped me get dressed, and tidied my room."

"...I'm not going to say anything more. I'll take a taxi to the Asada residence right now."

P.S.: Cultivating immortality isn't good, everyone should go to sleep early.

410

【NO.406 Take it slow】

In the afternoon—or more accurately, after Shiina Mashiro saved the day, when I was about to take a car to kill Asada Shino, Shiina Mashiro unexpectedly stopped me, saying that we should go after lunch.

I think there's nothing wrong with having more energy after a good meal.

In addition, it's a rare break, so it's only right to eat something good—come to think of it, it feels like I just ate not long ago?

Well, whatever, since I've really been starving for nothing—yes, that's what I'm thinking.

"Okay, then let's choose a restaurant around here?"

Kirito suppressed his urge to kill Asada Shino, looked around, and finally dealt with the invading Yui's suggestion to choose a unique restaurant nearby.

"...So, what do you want to eat? Japanese food? I think Kobe beef is good, and it's been a while since I've eaten out. Lobster is also quite cheap."

"Hmm... ordinary food."

Seemingly thinking that Kirito was exaggerating, Shiina Mashiro tilted her head and pondered for a moment before giving a very ordinary answer.

"Don't worry about saving me money. I don't have much of anything right now, except for money."

Kirito has never cared much about money, and even if he were truly poor, he wouldn't be too bothered.

"Aha! I think Kobe beef is pretty good. Of course, it would be even better if Xiaotongtong made the dish herself."

Suddenly interrupting the conversation, Alice quickly grabbed Kirito's arm, took his right side, and chuckled, "But, since she's Yuuki's cousin, we can't skimp on her—foie gras and truffles?"

"Don't flaunt your rich-man attitude! How come I never noticed you were such a nouveau riche before?"

"Idiot! You just weren't paying attention!"

Alice, who made a dashing entrance, hummed softly, then felt Shiina Mashiro's slightly unfriendly gaze. "Eh? What's wrong?"

"Shut up! Foie gras and truffles don't taste as good as ramen from a roadside stall."

"Oh! Are you hungry again? Let's go get some food then. I happen to know a pretty good restaurant nearby—hmm, Alice, are you coming too?"

As before, Asuna arrived and quickly took Kirito's left side, casually taking his arm.

...Hey, if I'm being pulled along by both my childhood friend and my girlfriend at the same time, what type should I be judged in the FFF group?

I'm certain I'll be burned to death; at least I can feel the burning gazes of the pedestrians all around me.

Yes, I have absolutely no doubt that, given the chance, these single people with envious and jealous looks would definitely pounce on me and burn me alive.

"...How about you guys go, and I'll go back to the game room to play games?"

Kirito always felt that as long as Alice and Asuna appeared in the same place, the atmosphere would instantly turn into a chaotic scene—by the way, the dining table is the place where a chaotic scene can evolve into its most intense and terrifying form, and Kirito didn't want to see these two flip the table later.

“If Xiaotongtong isn’t going, then I won’t go either. After all these years apart, I have so much I want to say to you.”

"So why didn't you even leave me your address in the first place? Is it wrong for you to write me a letter once in a while?"

"...Uh, well...how should I put it..."

"Okay, you don't need to say anything more. I don't care, really!"

Kirito's expression remained calm, but Alice seemed a little flustered. She clung tightly to Kirito's arm, "B-but I'm really bothered by this. You probably think I did it on purpose, that I deliberately didn't write to you or contact you by email..."

"No."

"Yes, you are. Look at your expression, you're definitely faking it!"

"...Bring me a mirror so I can take a look."

With a blank expression, Kirito felt his nerves were about to snap. "In short, we'll talk about this later. Asuna, Alice, you two better hurry up and get to work!"

"Alright, you'll have to listen to me later!"

Alice stared at Kirito's profile, looking like she wouldn't let go until he agreed.

In contrast, Asuna was much more obedient. She let go of Kirito's hand as soon as he finished speaking, her gentle expression remaining on her pretty face. It wouldn't hurt for the two of them to have a little chat, after all, they were childhood friends who hadn't seen each other for many years. It would be too petty to be so strict about such a small matter.

Yes, you need to be gentle enough.

Although... I still really want to give Kazuto a super over-the-shoulder throw.

As a result, Asuna's smile gradually grew even brighter.

"Isn't this a matter of course? If I refuse, I'm afraid you'll beat me to death here. I'm no match for your maid."

Kirito, who was finally able to move around freely, shrugged, expressing his helplessness.

"Young Master, you're overthinking it. Even if you were staring at my absolute territory with lecherous eyes before Alice spoke, I wouldn't feel angry at all. Besides... Young Master is surprisingly a perfect match for my criteria for a partner."

Tenjouin Ryouki pressed down on her skirt with one hand and pushed up her pink-rimmed glasses with the back of her hand. "Okay, Alice, don't look at me like that. I just want to date a younger woman..."