manga artist Kirito

Page 195

He raised his hand and scratched his head, pondering for a moment as he tried to recall where he had thrown the script for his new work. Alice noticed that Kiritani-kun's expression was off and subconsciously asked him.

"What's wrong? Doesn't it taste good? I told you I'd make breakfast today. I've completed my bride training, after all; breakfast is a piece of cake for me!"

Quite naturally, Alice began to criticize Asuna's cooking skills, stating that her own skills were better than Asuna's.

New...what new kind of spiritual practice?

"...No, I just forgot where I put something."

Kiritani slapped his forehead. "As for bride training... to be precise, it's housekeeping skills. Apart from someone like Mashiro who has no common sense, even if she's terrible, she shouldn't be unable to handle housekeeping..."

So, if we calculate it this way, wouldn't that red-haired old lady have... completed the legendary bride's training? — I couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Then, Kiritani-kun saw Alice's face gradually lower...

Oh no! I completely forgot, Alice used to be completely incapable of doing this kind of thing, which is why she needed this bride training?

Although I don't really want to say it, Alice, Asuna didn't go through any bride training. She's been taking care of me for a long time, and it's all been through practice!

"It's almost time, time to go to school."

After finishing the last of the milk in his glass, Kiritani casually picked up a hairband and tied his long hair up, making him look somewhat unkempt, yet exuding a strange charm.

Perhaps this is what it means to be a big shot.

As soon as he stood up, Alice smiled and began tidying the table, like a gentle and virtuous wife, which gave people a very familiar feeling... However, it was a little inappropriate to have this feeling coming from two girls.

Yes, Kiritani-kun would rather Alice be a useless person like Shiina Mashiro or him, after all... it's just too subtle. This harem phenomenon makes Kiritani-kun gradually begin to suspect that Asuna might pull out a wood-chopping knife from a hidden place and swing it around a couple of times at any time.

The blonde girl's lips curled up slightly, as if she quite enjoyed doing this kind of thing... no, it should be said that she wanted to show this kind of attitude in front of the person she liked.

While Kiritani was happy, he couldn't help but feel a bit of a headache.

Afterwards, Asuna and Shiina Mashiro also came out of the washroom, looking helpless at Kiritani's unkempt appearance, but they didn't say much. They just picked up their backpacks and came over to take his hand...

"Then let's go out."

"It's raining outside, take an umbrella."

"Oh, I almost forgot, this rain has been falling since early morning and hasn't stopped yet..."

Stepping out of the apartment, I didn't run into any of my neighbors who were also on their way to class... Come to think of it, what Shiina Mashiro and Asuna said when they moved in has completely come true. The entire floor where Kirito lives has been rented by students from Soubu High School, and it does really feel like a student dormitory now.

The gloomy sky was drizzling with rain. Although it was just a light rain, the long and continuous rain made the temperature drop a bit. Kirigaya opened the black folding umbrella and placed Shiina Mashiro on his wrist to prevent the child from walking out of the umbrella's coverage area.

Shiina Mashiro, on the other hand, held a Baumkuchen in one hand and grasped Kirito's wrist with the other, pressing it slightly against his side.

Behind them were Asuna and Alice, each holding their own umbrella... Actually, Kiritani did this on purpose. After all, girls are naturally very thoughtful. If Asuna were to share an umbrella with Alice, the strong-willed Alice would not only be very unhappy, but even Shiina Mashiro, the eldest daughter, would be very upset... To put it simply, Shiina Mashiro unexpectedly disliked Alice for completely ignoring her when they first met.

But if he chooses to go with Alice, Asuna, whose mood has been quite off lately, might just get jealous and rush over to give him a super over-the-shoulder throw...

Therefore, Shiina Mashiro is still the best choice!

Well, that's probably the advantage of a group of four; even a simple choice requires so much thought.

"Are you cold, people?"

"..."

Kiritani-kun didn't want to answer. He suspected that when he said he wasn't cold later, Shiina Mashiro would ask him to say she was cold and needed a coat... Don't doubt it, Shiina Mashiro is capable of saying such things now.

Therefore, Kiritani-kun chose to change the subject.

"Speaking of Mashiro, when Asuna is busy at school, do you usually hang out with Asada-kun?"

"No, Shino is sitting right next to me."

"what?"

"Shino is a very good artist, and she often tells me that the dialogue in manga needs to be written from a different perspective..."

"so?"

Shiina Mashiro looked at Kiritani-kun and blinked lightly. "And then, Sinon became my friend."

I see, I see.

This friend's visit was quite reasonable, but it's surprising that Asada Shino can also paint.

Aside from Eriri, the former art club genius, I haven't heard of any other people in the art club with exceptional drawing skills!

However, since Shiina Mashiro said that her drawing skills are very good, she must be at least at the level of Eriri. And Asada Shino also said that she has been following me for a long time... Does that mean that Asada Shino is a very good erotic artist?

Uh, it feels a bit strange to just label someone as an erotic artist like that... Although, Kiritani-kun has some doubts about whether what Asada Shino said to him before was actually a lie.

"Oh, by the way, those things Asada taught you..."

"It was originally a dialogue used in comics."

Shiina Mashiro offered the last bite of the Baumkuchen to Kiritani-kun, and after he ate it, she continued, "Shino told me what kind of atmosphere and setting to use to say it... Hmm, was I wrong?"

Chewing on what should be the most delicious Baumkuchen, Kiritani gently shook his head, his gaze full of affection. "It's not that you're wrong, Asada-kun is actually right. It's just that it's okay for others to say such things, but it's strange for Mashiro to say them. It will ruin her image."

"For example, would someone suddenly strike a pose like JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, which would be a disruptive image?"

She blinked and gave a very special example.

Kiritani opened his mouth... If I were to strike a JOJO pose like this, it would definitely ruin my image, wouldn't it?

"Pretty much... In short, as long as Mashiro does things the way she always has, there won't be any problems."

"I see...but..."

Sticking out her pink tongue, she gently licked the cake crumbs left on her fingers, and tilted her head. "But, didn't people say... we should learn more common sense?"

"It's okay, Mashiro was cute even before!"

Kiritani nodded seriously, "Besides, Mashiro is better than Super Black no matter how you look at it!"

"You're the one who's dark-skinned, Kurogiri Shido!"

"No, Mashiro should call Kurogiri 'Papa'!"

"...I'm not some eldest daughter!"

Shiina Mashiro glanced at Kiritani-kun silently, then turned her head away to look at the pattering rain.

Kiritani thought Shiina Mashiro was sulking for no reason, but after a few seconds, she suddenly turned around and said very seriously.

"I'm so happy!"

"what?"

Kiritani paused, not quite understanding what Shiina Mashiro meant.

Although her expression didn't change much, her posture was very light and cheerful, clearly showing the happiness she expressed.

"It's been a long time since you've spoken to me like this."

"..."

It seems... that's indeed the case.

When they first met, Kiritani-kun had a negative impression of Shiina Mashiro. However, after getting to know her personality and behavior better, he realized she was like a little girl and started treating her like his own daughter. But as they met more people, things became more complicated. Most of the time, Shiina Mashiro would quietly draw her manga or stay by Kiritani-kun and Asuna's side. She wouldn't do anything unnecessary, and she would only say things when the situation was right...

Seriously, Kiritani-kun has indeed been neglecting this girl who doesn't talk much.

Although, Shiina Mashiro is now a little more talkative than before.

"Hmm, I overlooked that. My apologies!"

Switching the umbrella to his right hand, Kiritani chuckled and gently ruffled Shiina Mashiro's hair. "But Mashiro, sometimes just waiting isn't enough. Taking a little initiative is good, especially with someone like me who can be a bit neurotic sometimes. I might forget something..."

"Mmm," Shiina Mashiro nodded slightly, her eyes half-closed, enjoying the long-lost touch.

"So if you have something to say to me, don't hold back, just say it."

"Ah."

Okay, this kind of awkward conversation always happens when I'm talking to Shiina Mashiro.

After that, they chatted about something... Perhaps it was Kiritani who was talking, while Shiina Mashiro listened silently, occasionally responding, but mostly listening with her eyes half-closed.

Perhaps Shiina Mashiro simply felt that having Kiritani-kun by her side, constantly nagging, was enough.

As they entered the school, Asuna and Alice followed behind, chatting and laughing. The four of them stood together, attracting most people's attention even on a rainy day.

Even though Kiritani-kun is a male among them, in terms of appearance... isn't that better?

In a world where looks matter, you can attract everyone's attention even without doing anything.

Of course, the appearance of a beautiful girl like Alice made many students feel that spring might be coming soon, however...

"The manga club~"

"See you at noon!"

After putting away her umbrella, Asuna pulled Shiina Mashiro along towards the classroom.

Kiritani-kun turned around and looked at his childhood friend, whose expression was slightly complicated. "Alice, you should go to Shizuka-sensei's office first, right? Shall I take you there?"

"Okay!"

She tilted her head and smiled.

P.S.: I will write the side story I mentioned before. It's a bit troublesome to think of the scenes, but I will finish writing it in the next two days.

Please feed me! A tip of razor blades or anything else is fine!

419

【NO.415 New work】

As the saying goes, a class committee member who dares not face the teacher's questioning gaze and claims to have collected all fifteen homework assignments is not a good class committee member; a student who dares not slack off in class is not a good student. — Kiritani-kun is committed to drawing the prologue to a new work in the quiet and lovely classroom. This is not slacking off, this is dedication!

Yes, to dare to waste study time drawing comics, what a dedicated spirit that is! —Although Kiritani-kun has always loved studying.

It's class time now, and the first thing we're doing is the weekly class meeting. But because of the mysterious transfer student, the whole class is a little noisy. But that's okay. Jing Ke'ai opened the door and walked in, and the legendary mysterious transfer student followed behind her, with dazzling blonde hair and a serene smile.

"Ahem, new transfer student... please introduce yourself!"

"Alice Zimbelk".

Alice wrote her name on the blackboard with chalk, greeted her classmates, and then turned to look at Kiritani-kun, who was deep in thought, holding a paintbrush.

"Just so you know, I came here following Xiaotongtong, so please don't get in our way!"

She smiled sweetly, raised her slender finger, and pointed at the completely unaware Kiritani-kun, saying this.

Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!

Jing Ke'ai glared angrily, with numerous black lines appearing on her forehead. Her tightly clenched right hand seemed to be radiating intense heat, as if she could unleash a Super Fireball at any moment!

Although it's not exactly a show, the "real-life" plot is still too hurtful, damn it!

Kiritani felt the gaze on him and looked up to see Alice's upturned lips. He smiled faintly, then turned his head away, looking at the classmates who were still whispering among themselves, his face full of confusion.

He seemed to be chatting and laughing, but all the dozens of students in the class, regardless of gender, were staring intently at him. Kiritani thought he might have grasped the reality of being condemned by everyone. Although he was still a kid, the increasingly dark gazes... Sure enough, he might be ambushed by these guys later. It seems he'll have to carry a wooden sword for self-defense.

Of course, even though he was so engrossed in the new script that he didn't hear Alice's words, the eyes of these classmates were so familiar to Kiritani-kun—yes, they were filled with envy, jealousy, hatred, and the spirit of the "Go Die, Go Die" group!

It's fine to just give up thinking about it; Alice must have said something during her self-introduction that caused a misunderstanding... Uh no, since it's Alice, it's not a misunderstanding at all for her.

In short, all these guys can do is try to kill me with their eyes.

"Hey, dating is forbidden in school, so you guys better tone it down a bit!"

Ugh! I wish all you damn social butterflies would just explode!

Yes, that's Jing's lovely thought, but as an educator, she can't say it like that; even if she's angry, she has to keep smiling.

"Okay, Jing'er! We all understand, Jing'er!"

The students below the stage nodded in unison, their words echoing throughout the classroom.

"Aaaaah! That's enough, all of you!"

Ms. Xiaojing's pretty face flushed slightly, and she slammed her hand on the blackboard in exasperation. "Now everyone be quiet, and then let's begin the lesson! — Qingbei Ke, you'll sit behind Kato."

"Okay, Jingke'er!"

Alice walked down with a smile, seemingly oblivious to the unpredictable emotions swirling on Jing's lovely face.

But Kiritani-kun was different. He saw the look on Shizuka's face that made her want to strangle him on the spot—even though I was the one who called him that first at school, it wasn't me who spread the word. I only called him that twice on the school festival stage...

Kiritani grinned, then, under Shizuka's watchful gaze, took out his textbook and focused his attention back on his new script.

Alice had met Kato Megumi earlier that weekend, and although their relationship wasn't great, they could at least talk to each other a little. What I mean is, Alice wasn't pretending to be a good student at all; she was very open in asking Kato Megumi some questions. But judging from Shizuka's nonchalant attitude, they were probably related to her studies.