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Page 196
As for the students' stares, Alice seemed quite indifferent. The male students always took it for granted that there was nothing wrong with liking pretty girls, but Alice felt that they simply liked pretty girls—you guys should think carefully about whether that's true or not!
Uh, back to Kiritani-kun.
When Kirito truly entered the manga industry, or perhaps when he first started drawing Sword Art Online, Akane Kousaka did say something like this—
[Is it a comic? Is it a story you told before? Who wrote the script? Is it a slightly melodramatic, dark death game, or something even darker, the kind that would make someone want to stand guard at your door with a knife after reading it?]
[...the one that's a little bit chuunibyou (a Japanese term for someone with delusions of grandeur).]
The next answer came from Kiritani-kun, and the script he chose was "Sword Art Online." In other words, the new work he is about to draw is a dark script that could even make readers stand guard at the creator's door with swords.
However, to be honest, the plot wasn't particularly dark or brutal, but there were a lot of deaths.
Yes, a few people died...
Since it's not a slice-of-life romance manga, it's perfectly normal for people to die, right?
Scripts like those sci-fi war movies or fantasy futuristic worlds, where no one dies and the atmosphere is filled with the cloying sweetness of romance... sometimes they just seem really weird! What's wrong with a few characters dying? It's just a girl dying, right? It's normal!
Even though it was during class time, Kirito-kun didn't try to hide anything. Instead, he generously placed his drawing tools and sketchbook on the table and began preparing for the prologue. Of course, the first thing to do was to draw the character designs... Unlike typical manga, Kirito-kun's new work would reveal all the characters at the very beginning.
Of course, it's not feasible to dedicate an entire chapter of a manga to introducing the characters, but Kiritani-kun had already prepared for that. Right now, he just needs to focus on drawing the character designs and see if his newly mastered art style can achieve the level he envisions.
With everyone fully absorbed, time naturally flew by. Hiratsuka Shizuka, standing on the podium, noticed Kirito's actions and wanted to punch him, but she also knew that she couldn't easily disturb him right now, so she was conflicted... As for the other teachers, students with good grades had special privileges. In the last exam, Kirito didn't choose to do something boring like barely passing and directly took the top spot in the grade.
Yes, even Asuna's grades are slightly worse than Kirigaya's, which is why Kirigaya is so confident—just think of Kasumigaoka Utaha who sleeps in class every day.
Soon, the bell rang, signaling the end of get out of class and the start of lunch break.
After the teacher left the classroom, the class immediately became lively. Most of the students surrounded Alice and began asking this mysterious and bold transfer student all sorts of questions.
However, Kiritani seemed completely unaware of this, still immersed in drawing the character designs.
The new art style wasn't handled very well. It strayed far from the action and slice-of-life romance genres. Even though there had been many attempts beforehand, when it came to actually using it, the problems were still quite significant...
During the morning's lessons, Kiritani-kun hadn't even finished drawing the character designs for the main characters of his new work.
"Hmm? Character designs for the new work?"
After declining the invitations to lunch from the others, Alice walked up to Kirito and looked down at the pile of unfinished drawings beside her. The characters on the drawings were all unfamiliar to her. Alice had always followed Kirito's work and naturally knew about the manga "Sword Art Online," but the character art style of "Sword Art Online" was different from the ones she was currently drawing. So the only thing she could think of was the new work.
She held up her slender, white finger in front of Kiritani-kun and slowly said, "Although it's not good to bother you now, it's lunchtime, so we still need to eat lunch first, okay, Kiritani-kun~!"
"...Huh? get out of class is over?"
He looked up at his childhood friend standing right in front of him, scratched his already messy hair, let out a long sigh, and stretched. "Let's go to the manga club then, you already know them all anyway."
"Kaguya Houraisan, you five from your manga club."
With a light laugh, Alice helped tidy up the table. "Don't look at me like that. Xiaoqi told me all this."
...Could this top-notch butler have hacked into JUMP's internal systems? Speaking of which, wasn't she the one who caused the intrusion that Yui mentioned last time?
After taking the organized sketchbook, Kiritani glanced to the side but didn't see Kato Megumi. Eriri, who was sitting in the front row, had already left the classroom with her lunchbox.
"Let's go, Asuna and Mashiro should be here soon."
"Wait, let me get the bento."
…………
"So, this is the teacher's new script?"
With the back of her hand resting on her delicate chin, Kasumigaoka Utaha looked at the script Kirigaya-kun had sent her, pondered for a moment, and then looked at Kirigaya-kun, who was enjoying his lunch, with a subtle expression. "Teacher, what have you been through all this time? You've gotten so much darker-skinned?"
"No, no, no, this isn't about being evil. I just want to be a warrior of love!"
After swallowing the food in his mouth, Kiritani-kun took a napkin and wiped his mouth, his expression slightly serious. "This is a new attempt, and I might even fail miserably..."
"Although I really don't want to expect it, with a script of this caliber, as long as your animation doesn't have any problems, it's unlikely that it will be canceled, right?"
Even after only a cursory glance at the script, the plot was undeniably captivating. Coupled with the character designs she'd already seen, if it weren't for the sheer number of characters dying, Eriri would definitely be eagerly anticipating this new work. However…
She stared intently at the boy who had initially applied to join the manga club, who was the only one there. "But are you really okay with this type of thing?"
"How will you know if you don't try."
Taking out the coffee brought by Kasumigaoka Utaha, Kiritani-kun opened the tab. Before, when he hadn't drawn sword-themed works, which were a bit chuunibyou and hot-blooded, he was still wondering if he could pull it off.
"Hehehe! Putting everything else aside, I really love this script!"
Kasumigaoka Utaha squinted, her long hair flowing behind her without wind, and wisps of black energy spreading out.
Oh no! I forgot this guy is also a writer who aspires to create deeply depressing stories...
Eriri discovers that she might be the only one in the manga club who doesn't have this potential to turn dark...
"Hmm, it looks really interesting!"
Alice put down her tablet, a strange light flashing in her eyes. "I'm really looking forward to this work! Please, Tongtong, please finish the main artwork as soon as possible!"
Furthermore, Alice also reached an agreement with Kasumigaoka Utaha.
"Well, I think it's a bit depressing."
Asuna's forte is romance, and scripts that are a bit dark and cruel like this really don't suit her taste.
—A mystery novel with a mind-bending plot!
To be precise, this is a story about characters killing each other. The characters are unable to develop genuine trust, and even if they do, the system set up in the story will break it down, plunging everyone into a conspiracy where they can only kill or be killed, making the whole truth even more elusive...
"But from an objective point of view, this is undoubtedly a very good story and worth looking forward to!"
As she spoke, she gave a helpless smile, "But Kazuto, are you really sure it's okay? Besides the Sword Art Online serialization, you're also in charge of the illustrations for me and Kasumigaoka-senpai, and you also mentioned that you're starting to prepare the artwork for the winter commercial, plus all the other little things that come up from time to time... This new work?"
"A real man with cute big tits!"
Kiritani confidently gave a thumbs up, "My drawing speed increased a lot during the summer vacation. In addition, the story outline, character descriptions, and even plot scenes were all in my mind, so I could draw really fast!"
"If it's too tiring, we might as well wait a little longer. After all... we've been waiting since last semester, haven't we?"
"...Well, it's hard to say about creative enthusiasm. If we wait any longer, I might not even have the idea to paint anymore."
After taking a sip of coffee, Kiritani-kun feigned helplessness.
Asuna pursed her lips, then suggested, "Hmm, how about... we find an assistant?"
He did have the idea, but Kiritani shook his head. "While having an assistant would make things much easier, it's not easy to find one right now."
Alice immediately chimed in, "Me! Me! Little Tongtong wants me to be her assistant!"
Kiritani leaned back almost imperceptibly, then raised his hand and pressed it against Alice's smooth forehead. "We'll see, Alice. Can you imitate my art style?"
"...Hmm, I'll have to spend some time trying that."
Alice wasn't overly confident; instead, she decided to give it a try first. After all, if the cooperation wasn't good, her help would only make things worse, which would be counterproductive.
Kasumigaoka Utaha looked at Alice, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Teacher, why don't you ask if there are any new members in the club who need mentoring?"
Kiritani nodded in realization, "Oh! That's something to consider. I'll contact Natsume later and see."
Eriri pouted, "Actually, you could also post on your Twitter asking if anyone wants to be Fujiwara Echizen's assistant. I follow a lot of artists on your Twitter, and I often see posts with pictures, and the quality of those illustrations is quite good."
...Although these illustrations are all character designs, cute pictures, emoticons and the like, all named after Fujiwara Echizen.
Well, most of the doujinshi featuring the Bamboo Forest group only have their covers posted on Fujiwara Echizen's Twitter account; the actual works are sold privately—Eri has infiltrated the group before, and apparently there's going to be an offline gathering soon.
However, Kiritani's gaze towards Eriri changed instantly. "Looking for an assistant among my Twitter followers?"
No way! These guys who flood Twitter with nonsense every day are even more perverted than me. If I hire an assistant, we'll inevitably have to meet in person. What if I accidentally beat them to death?
"Done! Dad, I've finished writing the post and logged into my Twitter account. I should see replies soon!"
Yui suddenly appeared on the computer screen, her face beaming with a cute smile. While paying homage to Shiina Mashiro, she spoke again, "My maid is looking for me. Goodbye, Mom, Dad, and my sister!"
Asuna waved with a light laugh.
Alice, her face dark, hesitated whether to ask her maid to input a new program into the AI, calling her "Mom."
"..."
However, looking at Yui who had disappeared, Kirito looked blank and put his hand to his forehead.
My eldest daughter has gotten tanned, and now my youngest daughter is starting to act up... What should I do?
He opened his personal Twitter page, and the pinned post was a new post he had made just tens of seconds earlier, which had already received hundreds of replies in that short period of time.
[This is Echizen. I need an assistant, Christina, for my new project. The main requirement is—she must be good-looking, at least not worse than me. In short, big boobs and no brains preferred (omitting 300 words here)... That's all!]
What the hell is this?
Kiritani-kun's eyes widened in shock as he looked at the post. Yui's mischief was more than just playful; she practically wanted him to kneel on instant noodles when he got home!
"Oh! So people actually prefer big breasts and no brains?"
Asuna smiled serenely, "A brain is a good thing, unfortunately I have one too!"
After saying that, she patted Kiritani on the shoulder and gave him a meaningful look before leaving the manga club.
No, I didn't, I'm not!
"Well, actually, I can also be big-breasted and brainless!"
Alice looked down at her own size, then ruffled Kiritani's hair. "But even if I saw an assistant like that, I'd want to throw her off the building."
I...I have absolutely no interest in the big-breasted, brainless type!
"Wait to die!"
Eriri glared at Kiritani-kun and followed him out the door with disdain.
"I may have big breasts, but I'm sorry, teacher, I'm not smart enough!"
Kasumigaoka Utaha squinted, looking at Kiritani-kun as if he were a dead man.
"...Um, Kazuto, do you think I'm okay with you?"
Peeking out, Shiina Mashiro slowly opened her mouth.
"Stop talking, I want to be alone!"
Oh my god! My daughters have all gotten so tanned, it breaks my heart!
420
【NO.416 I'm going to beat you to death today】
Twitter is basically a place for bragging and chatting, and you can also use it to share stories you've just made up...
Okay, Kiritani-kun's personal Twitter is a bit out of place. At least on other ecchi artists' personal Twitter accounts, there would never be so many perverts thinking about drawing the author's doujinshi all day long. In other cases, you might be able to threaten them with ecchi doujinshi, but the Bamboo Forest Group here really does produce high-quality artwork. Plus, because there are so many of them, even if someone doesn't handle something well, they can directly contact the other perverts in the Bamboo Forest Group to collaborate on the creation.
That's absolutely disgusting!
What happened to the claim that erotic artists control the public's testicles?
Do we really have to focus on this aspect until we become the most powerful one in the erotic world?
Oh my god! This kind of thing... please spare me!
...Well, the place with the highest concentration of gay culture in Japan might not be Nico Nico Douga, or even Akihabara, but it's definitely very likely on Twitter. After all—ah, never mind, talking too much about this kind of thing will ruin my appetite. Anyway, just remember that there's no benefit to it.
Furthermore, Kiritani-kun wasn't actually in a very good mood right now, as he looked at the replies below the post—
【Red: ∑( ° △ °|||)︴Assistant, helper? Do you need help with laundry, cooking, or even just getting your sheets cleaned? If so, I'll do it!】
[The biggest slut in the Bamboo Grove Group: Wowowo! Big boobs and no brains perfectly suit my attributes. I don't even need payment, just let Fujiwara-sensei step on me every day! —I'll do it without complaint!]
[Ruri Shrine: I don't think this is as simple as it seems! (I'm forbidden to think, bamboo or loss)]
[The Bamboo Grove Team's Great Victory: It all started that night, that dark little bamboo grove... (Anything is fine, I can survive as long as Fujiwara-sensei has my lap pillow)]
[The Philosopher of the Undying Group: The girl with the milk tea-colored stockings and hood dragged Fujiwara-sensei, who was strolling home, into the bamboo grove (Wait, I remember Fujiwara Loli was male).]
[The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove: Then, the girl pulled out long, straight black hair from under her skirt, even bigger than Fujiwara-sensei's (wouldn't it be better if it were a man?)]
[Blue and White: Thus, the legendary Human Instrumentality Project begins (Go to Rei-niang's long black hair, you owe me vocabulary, and by the way, it would be even better if Fujiwara loli could come to the offline gathering too)]
[Fujiwara Loli: What the hell is this human instrumentation plan by two cute boys? Are you trying to block the back? You should at least think about what kind of position that is! (Editing information to submit an assistant application, I'm the kind of person who can survive on just used panties—wake up, how can a social butterfly associate with a single dog?)]
[Bili Hailington: Everyone upstairs, stand still (I want to be penetrated from behind)]
…………
What's going on? What should I do?
Kiritani looked at the idiots in the front row and his face turned as black as burning coals. He not only had a "f*** you" in his mind, but also wanted to yell in their ears!
Maybe those stories about men sleeping with women, fathering children, children inheriting their father's essence, and being attacked from all sides all originated from this kind of godforsaken place—I just wonder! Why didn't they come and arrest them and send them to a labor camp to pick up soap? These guys would definitely be happy to do so!