manga artist Kirito

Page 190

Shiina Mashiro picked up the half-eaten Baumkuchen cake and completely ignored Haruno, who wanted to find trouble—why not add a senior—Asada Shino between her girlfriend and childhood friend?

“I think we can discuss how to deal with Asada Shino, who hasn’t even shown her face in these chapters, yet has left a deep impression.”

"I think it's OK."

Yang made a suggestion, and then received a consistent response.

…………

Kirito's chat logs while the others were arguing.

[Fujiwara Echizen: Hey, watermelon, aren't you also around the shopping mall?]

[Akane Kousaka: Yes, I met up with two kids today. I'm thinking about how to train them, but obviously, the old, exploitative training methods aren't working well for them.]

[Fujiwara Echizen: This doesn't matter at all. I just want to know if you knew I was here too.]

[Akane Kousaka: I saw it this morning and thought I was seeing things. Then Haruno messaged me saying she'd regret it if I didn't show up today.]

[Akane Kousaka: There was just one more little girl, and since Haruno was there too, I didn't go.]

[Fujiwara Echizen: ...So you guys are all so weird, can't you even consider my feelings for a moment?]

Akane Kousaka: Well... I'll come to your room tonight.

[Fujiwara Echizen: Shut up! Tell me your location right now]

[Akane Kousaka: Turn around, look up, the coffee shop across the street, second floor, window seat]

Kirito did as Sushi said, and then he saw Akane Kousaka waving gently at him.

—Damn it, and you still say you don't care!

412

[NO.408 and 6789]

What is a winner in life?

You have a girlfriend, a sister, money, and a house. You are always surrounded by multiple girls, and all of them have special feelings for you.

In front of them, several girls were staring at each other, sparks flying, electricity crackling, and bilibili (a Chinese video sharing website).

The girls' gazes met, and the words "radiating murderous intent" could almost be used to describe it.

Honestly, this atmosphere is really not good, at least in Kiritani Kazuto's opinion.

But to be honest, this situation is not a coincidence, since they happened at the same time. However, rather than jumping off a building, Kirito should be thinking about how to deal with this delicate situation.

Asuna, of course, goes without saying, since she came along. Shiina Mashiro is in the same boat.

Alice was able to find this place accurately only with the help of Ryunosuke, that traitor, and Maid-chan; there was absolutely no surprise involved.

As for Yukino Yukinoshita, that stalker goes without saying. I reckon that guy put the tracker back on sometime after I removed it last time. Even if she did show a surprised expression, I absolutely cannot believe it.

But, well, it seems that the watermelon was... a real surprise?

According to her, she only came here to discuss a collaboration with someone these past two days, and coincidentally, she also met up with two kids here. She planned to go shopping and buy some things after the meeting... Well, let's just take it as fact.

[Fujiwara Echizen: Are you sure you're not coming? There won't be another chance for you all to get together like this.]

[Benisaka Akane:...]

Akane Akasaka: Do you... really think it's okay for me to go there, or do you really want me to go?

[Fujiwara Echizen: If you don't want to come, fine, it's just a meal anyway]

[Akane Kousaka: I've already gone downstairs. Is it alright if I take those two brats with me?]

[Fujiwara Echizen: I'm inviting you to dinner, understand?]

[Akane Kousaka: Okay, I'll make other arrangements for them.]

Kirito pressed the lock screen button, casually tossed the screen onto the table, rubbed his forehead, and looked at the girls who happened to be looking over. He said helplessly, "Well, let's all have a meal together. Someone else is coming over later."

"Oh! Is that Xiaoqian? I knew it, she wouldn't be at ease, but she still decided to come."

Yang Nai smiled and nudged Kirito's arm with her elbow, showing no surprise whatsoever. Perhaps in her mind, Akane Kousaka would definitely not fail to come.

"She was talking to someone about work at the coffee shop across the street, so I just stopped by to call her."

Kirito slapped Haruno's hand away, feeling that this kind of turn of events was something most people would never encounter.

"Hey, Haruno-senpai, is the Akane you're talking about Kosaka-senpai?"

Asuna peeked out slightly and asked with a hint of curiosity.

Why didn't you just ask me?

Kirito stared at me wide-eyed and asked, "Wouldn't it be better for me, the person involved, to do this?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's Akane. Although Akane did participate in the last school festival, I heard that there was a problem with a certain project afterward, and she rushed back the next day, so she didn't get to play much... It must have been a real shame."

"I see. That explains why Kosaka-senpai left so suddenly. And according to what Kazuto told me, the day Kosaka-senpai came, he actually stayed in the infirmary watching over Kazuto for most of the day and didn't go out for a proper stroll at all..."

"Wait, wait! Who is this Kosaka-senpai you're talking about? I want to know too!"

Then, Alice began to insert the conversation between Asuna and Haruno.

It's really strange!

It only takes a few words to go from mutual hostility to the atmosphere of best friends who have known each other for years... I really don't understand what you guys are thinking!

In contrast, Kirito, who was silently exchanging glances with Shiina Mashiro, and the butler duo, who were calmly enjoying their tea and desserts, were both incredibly quiet. However, Asuna and the other two were constantly discussing various things about Kousaka Akane, including how she met Kirito, how they interacted at a certain point in time, and even what Kirito's parents thought of her. — By the way, Haruno, did you know that your information gathering was this good?

It's such a pity you weren't born in the Warring States period!

If there had been such skilled intelligence agents back then, would those powerful figures during the Warring States period have been able to betray their country due to insufficient intelligence and excessive arrogance?

"Kazuto, what do you think of me?"

Suddenly, Shiina Mashiro raised her head and said those words to Kirito in a monotone tone.

Kirito's lips twitched violently. Before the others could even grasp the terrifying words Shiina Mashiro had uttered, he grabbed a snack from the table and shoved it into her mouth, then picked up his phone and started operating it...

Damn it, it really was you!

Asada Shino, why are you so keen on causing trouble lately?

We've barely even met, okay? Please give me a break.

I really don't want to sink you into Tokyo Bay, you bastard!

Looking at the chat history between Shiina Mashiro and Asada Shino, Kirito silently hacked Asada Shino's account.

And then, Akane Kosaka arrived.

"Oh, you've met someone."

With a calm smile, exuding a mature and powerful businesswoman aura, Akane Kosaka walked slowly towards us.

Kirito intended to greet her, but following behind Akane Kousaka were people he hadn't expected—Utaha Kasumigaoka and Eriri.

Oh my god! Should I just jump off a building instead?

Of course, Eriri is fine, but Kasumigaoka Utaha is a bit more complicated, at least... that's the truth.

"Oh, what... I mean, those two brats you mentioned, you wouldn't happen to be Kasumigaoka and Sawamura, would you?"

Kirito raised his hand and waved as a greeting. As all the girls' eyes were focused on Akane Kousaka, Kirito spoke with a puzzled expression.

"As you said, Kasumigaoka and Sawamura are the little guys we're talking to this time."

Akane Kousaka glanced at Asuna and the others, nodded to Asuna and Haruno, and then found a seat to sit down. Unlike Haruno, she didn't insist on sitting next to Kirito, which was a bit shameless.

"Well, you recommended Kasumigaoka and Sawamura to me several times before. I happened to run into them when I went to the Soubu Academy Festival last time, and I asked them some questions... Of course, they are the kind of people with good potential."

Kousaka Akane glanced at Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri, then accepted the black tea offered by Tenjouin Shoki, nodded her thanks, and continued, "I haven't drafted a plan for the two of them yet. How about... I hand it over to you? Logically speaking, you've been with them for a while now, so you know them better than I do."

"Whatever, if you think it's okay, then it's fine."

Kirito shrugged. When he had recommended these two to Suiko many times before, Suiko had looked down on them, but now she suddenly wanted to recruit them... Could it be that Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri had done something remarkable during this time?

After staring at the two for a while, all Kirito could see was Kasumigaoka Utaha's constantly trembling thighs and Eriri's gradually bulging veins on her forehead. So he looked away. "Sit down, then introduce yourselves. I'll go order more..."

The butler stood up. "Young master, you can leave this to us."

The maid held up a tablet. "I've already selected the most suitable dishes based on the ladies' tastes, so there's no need to trouble you, young master."

Seeing the "we're professionals" expressions on the butler duo's faces, Kirito's mood gradually darkened. Ugh! These two are so annoying! I'm not thinking of running away or anything, I just want to get some fresh air outside... Hmm, it would be even better if I could have a cigarette.

It perfectly complements my current weathered and melancholic expression!

Yeah, if you want to die, just take two steps forward—yes, that's right, standing on the rooftop with a cigarette in your mouth.

"It's true... there's never any boredom around Kirito-kun. If you don't mind, let me participate in what everyone is talking about."

Kasumigaoka Utaha sat beside Kosaka Akane, holding a cup of black tea that the maid had just poured. Her smile was unusually subtle, as if she already had some understanding of the situation.

Regardless, Kirito knew that Kasumigaoka Utaha was planning to get involved in the matter, judging from the fact that she changed her way of addressing her.

Normally, Kasumigaoka Utaha would usually address Kirito as "Teacher" or "Junior-kun," which are terms she uses exclusively. But if she wanted to show the relationship in a more subtle way, she would have to use a term that would sound very intimate to everyone, such as "Kirito-kun!"

Before Kirito could speak, Kasumigaoka Utaha looked at Alice, whom she had no prior recollection of, and said, "Hello, my name is Kasumigaoka Utaha, Kirito-kun's student. I look forward to working with you."

Alice laughed, a somewhat sinister laugh, simply because Kasumigaoka Utaha's pronunciation of the word "student" was slightly off.

"Me? I'm Xiaotongtong's childhood sweetheart, and also her future wife!"

Asuna raised her beautiful eyebrows. "Hey! I can't pretend I didn't hear that!"

Yang narrowed his eyes. "Similarly, I can't ignore that statement either."

Kasumigaoka Utaha put down her teacup with slight surprise. "Really? There's such a thing..."

Kirito pressed his forehead with one hand and leaned on Shiina Mashiro's shoulder, while Shiina Mashiro gently stroked his hair.

Akane Kosaka smiled at everyone without saying a word, her expression calm and composed. Even the topic they were discussing didn't change her expression at all.

"Wait a minute! Childhood friend... Kiritani's, isn't it Kato?"

Eriri blinked, somewhat confused.

As a result, everyone's attention was focused on Kiritani Kazuto, who was being gently comforted by Shiina Mashiro.

…………

…………

…………

Author, I'm going to kill you!

413

【NO.409 Malice from the World】

Time: 2:27 PM

Location: Upscale restaurant

Characters: ...There are too many to list here.

Scene: The most brutal battleground in history

Note: Why was only the topic being targeted, and not Kiritani Kazuto?

…………

This is the worst-case scenario.

Why is this happening?

Sitting by the window on the first floor of an upscale restaurant, Kirito leaned back in his chair, looking worried.

What was originally just a simple shopping trip to prepare for the approaching winter turned into a nightmare when her childhood friend, Haruno, whom she hadn't seen for years, appeared, along with Akane Kousaka, who had been eyeing the area but ultimately chose to come, and Utaha Kasumigaoka, who inexplicably showed up... Eriri could be ignored, but in this situation, her ability to cause trouble seemed even stronger than Haruno's.

But speaking of which, does anyone remember that Eriri, who was once a top contender, hasn't been featured on her own for a long time, and even the original cover featured a cute dog?

Regardless of the circumstances, the situation has now descended into complete chaos.

Furthermore, Kirito could sense that the way the waiters and customers around him were looking at him was very strange and hard to describe. However, the only thing he could clearly perceive was the raging flames.

Restaurants, especially those located in shopping malls, are bound to have couples around. They've seen all sorts of scenes and situations unfold, and they've seen plenty of couples dragging each other along. After all, they're seasoned veterans, and even as members of a group, they can still eat their dog food without batting an eye—that's a necessary quality for waiters.

However, the number here... let's exclude the butler and the maid for now. Judging from their appearance, they don't seem to be involved, but even so, the number still reaches a terrifying seven, damn it!

Aren't you afraid of dying from exhaustion?