manga artist Kirito

Page 20

Yeah, if we could get Eriri involved, it wouldn't just be a matter of off-the-charts fighting power! This would be the ultimate strategy team in the manga world!!

But it's best to just think about it. Neither Eriri nor Asuna's relative is necessarily worse than me. Having them as my assistants... it just feels like a waste of their talents.

Hmm, it would be great if we could collaborate on a manga... Fujiwara Echizen, an artist with a unique and imaginative mind; Kashiwagi Eri, whose artistic talent rivals Fujiwara Echizen's; and... someone currently unknown, but whose drawing skills are definitely at the highest level of mastery—provided we can bring that unknown artist into the manga club! That way, we might be able to make our collaboration a reality.

Because he got into the zone and was extremely familiar with the story, Kirito's drawing speed increased dramatically in the middle of the story. He completed the storyboard sketches in about a morning.

I took two eggs and a tomato from the refrigerator and made some pasta. After eating, I continued to bury myself in my work, checking all the storyboards, making minor modifications to make the shots smoother, and then I started outlining. Outlining takes a lot of time, and usually, comic artists delegate this process of turning sketches into line art to their assistants...

Let's skip the topic of assistants for now.

After lunch, Kirito buried himself in his work until he finished ten pages of line art, which was around 5 p.m.

Kirito stood up and stretched vigorously. His stiff body, stiff from not moving for so long, cracked and popped. He rubbed his cheeks to try and perk himself up.

At this point in the manga, the death game Sword Art Online, and Shido Kurogiri's adventure, will officially begin...

Perhaps on a whim, Kirito changed the settings he had prepared earlier. The most brilliant part of the Sword Art Online script is that once you die, you really die. Opportunities? Forget about them!

Kirito felt that the chance to be resurrected might disrupt the storyline...

Well, the story exists; Kirito's role was simply to draw it. Creating too many obstacles for the protagonist is actually a bit counterproductive. The premise is set, the story's direction is clear, and how the protagonist navigates it is up to them!

"Well then, that's settled!" With a slight smile, Kirito picked up the manuscript of the third volume of "Love Metronome" that was placed aside and walked out of the study. He then heard sounds coming from the kitchen, indicating that Asuna had arrived.

After peeking into the kitchen and chatting with Asuna for a few minutes, Kirito sprawled on the sofa and lazily started reading "Love Metronome." However, as if remembering something, Kirito took out his phone and glanced at it, only to be dumbfounded.

36 missed calls...

Ninety-nine unread emails...

The caller and the sender are the same person...

——Shizuka Hiratsuka

"This woman... she really is sick!" Kirito scratched his head in frustration. She hadn't answered several calls in a row. If the owner of the phone hadn't missed it, she definitely didn't want to answer. But it was so obvious... Hiratsuka Shizuka, are you a pervert or just have low emotional intelligence?

Uh, that very important thing I forgot about before must be related to Shizuka Hiratsuka.

The guy who skipped Friday's appointment and then took a week off... Hmm, it seems like he's deliberately avoiding things!?

If only Hiratsuka Shizuka could forget about this, but that's clearly impossible.

It's said that fish only have a seven-second memory, and Hiratsuka Shizuka only has a ten-second memory. But if Hiratsuka Shizuka were to transform into a killing machine... she would absolutely not let go without delivering a crushing blow to her hostile targets!

Or, should I just take this leave and complete the entire high school term?

Please vote~

052

[NO.51 A series of twists and turns?]

Putting aside the matter of Hiratsuka Shizuka for now, there is no way to deal with this kind of woman unless you can completely defeat her both physically and mentally. For example, you could stab her in the heart with your words and cause the killing machine Hiratsuka Shizuka to be completely destroyed.

However, this method is not suitable for everyone. If Kirito uses this method, there is at least a 90% chance that he will be punished by the opponent's iron fist. Trying it on a girl should achieve the desired effect.

Silently adding Hiratsuka Shizuka to his blacklist, Kirito put aside the matter of how to deal with Hiratsuka Shizuka and turned his attention back to this recently very popular romance light novel. A large stack of manuscripts, densely packed with text, the style certainly had the sour smell of romance, but this manuscript was obviously rushed out by the author overnight, and Kirito even suspected that Kasumigaoka Utaha had not proofread it.

Judging from the feeling alone, this volume is much better than the second volume, but only by a little. In terms of writing style, the creator seems to have regained some of his creative passion, but that's not enough.

The plot of the third volume is far from enough to restore the popularity it enjoyed when the first volume was released...

"It seems like Kasumigaoka Utaha doesn't care much about this book. The foreshadowing in the second volume isn't mentioned at all in the third volume. Given the time interval between each volume's release, unless you're a die-hard fan, many readers will forget about these foreshadowings. And if she doesn't bring out the hidden plot lines soon... tsk, the second volume still seems incredibly boring."

Kirito pushed up his black-rimmed glasses and shook his head slightly. "However, there are some things she has to discover for herself. I'm only responsible for the illustrations; how the text is revised is none of my business."

"Hmm, revising a manuscript takes a lot of time, I feel like I'm just making things difficult for myself..."

"What's wrong?" Asuna came out of the kitchen carrying dishes and tilted her head to look at Kirito, who was muttering something to himself.

"Ah, I was thinking about work." After bookmarking his manuscript, Kirito rubbed his stiff neck, then smiled and walked to the dining table, casually reaching for the abundant food.

"Ah, it hurts."

"handwashing."

"They're so strict. I can already foresee the day I'll get bronchitis." Kirito muttered under his breath, but still went to the kitchen to wash his hands before returning to the dining table, and casually covered Asuna's face with his still-dry hands.

"...I'll hit you." She rolled her eyes at Kirito, then sat down to eat, and casually chatted with Kirito about what had happened that day.

Dinner didn't last long. Afterwards, Asuna tidied up and washed the dishes, while Kirito wiped the table. Once everything was clean, the two of them sat down on the sofa with the TV on.

However, the TV was on but no one was watching it. Kirito was still looking at the stack of manuscripts, while Asuna was looking at the manga he was going to draw in Kirito's notebook. She would occasionally offer some opinions or ask why the main character looked so much like her, and there was even a mention of Suguha's appearance.

Then, for some unknown reason, the topic inexplicably veered to things like, "Kihito-kun, are you planning to start a harem, and not even let Suguha go? I should break your legs first, so you can't go out and flirt with other women."

In short, all sorts of embarrassing questions arose, and Kirito had no choice but to explain...

Well, most of the protagonists created by the creators are a reflection of their own reality, or rather, a place they yearn to reach. Now that Kirito is creating a story with himself as the protagonist, plus the existence of Suguha, it would be strange if Asuna didn't think about it a little more.

However, only Asuna herself knows what she is really thinking.

For some reason, Kirito suddenly asked Asuna about Hiratsuka Shizuka's condition, and the response he received was extremely fiery. Hachiman, who was his neighbor, and Ryunosuke, who had asked for leave on his behalf, almost suffered the consequences. Ryunosuke, in particular, was probably going to get a good beating if he hadn't been physically weak.

Well, that's not incomprehensible, hahaha... An older single woman was stood up, and the person who stood her up didn't even show up the next day, without even an explanation.

You must be really angry!

Kirito was still a little worried. Ryunosuke, that traitor, had betrayed him once before. He wondered if Ryunosuke would betray him again under the pressure of Hiratsuka Shizuka's iron fist. He suddenly became worried.

“Oh, right, Kazuto.” As if remembering something, Asuna smiled and looked at Kirito with a slight upturn of her lips. “My brother came to school around noon.”

"Uh, and then?" Kirito's lips twitched a few times. This guy really is a perverted siscon. He hadn't seen his sister for only a day, and he couldn't even wait for her to finish school and come to school at noon...

"My brother asked me where you were, and he was very disappointed when he found out you weren't there." Asuna brushed a strand of hair that had fallen in front of her eyes, a helpless expression on her face. "The driver who came with us seemed disappointed too."

What could possibly disappoint your brother and the driver who came with you? You're so eager to see me… wait, are you planning to beat me up before we even meet? Should I be carrying a wooden knife with me from now on?

"Let me tell you, that driver is three times your size..."

Shut up! This isn't a driver at all! Is your driver a boxing champion?

"Then, it seemed some students were frightened by the driver, and Hiratsuka-sensei, unaware of the situation, jumped down from her office and quickly subdued the driver..."

Holy crap! Even the King of Fighters can't do anything to you? Kirito looked shocked. As expected of the killing machine, Hiratsuka Shizuka, she took down a King of Fighters in no time.

"Later I heard that the driver was actually Hiratsuka-sensei's junior apprentice..."

Wait a minute, does this have to be this dramatic? This whole thing could be made into a novel, right?

"The turn was too fast, I need to wash my face first before I can continue." Quietly pushing up his glasses, Kirito stood up and walked to the bathroom, taking out his phone to compose an email and send it out.

The reply came almost instantly. Looking at the string of numbers, Kirito opened his chat app, added the friend, and then edited a message: "[Let's take a look at your book later, and then we'll talk about the illustrations - Fujiwara Echizen]" and sent it.

Then, she opened her email and started browsing the messages sent by Hiratsuka Shizuka.

"You're dead meat, I'm telling you!" — Shizuka Hiratsuka

Taking off his glasses, Kirito revealed a pair of dead fish eyes; Hiratsuka Shizuka's junior brother was a force to be reckoned with, comparable to a boxing champion...

Being dismembered and sunk in Tokyo Bay is considered a relatively good treatment, right?

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Uh, it's the beginning of the month~ Requesting recommendations~ Requesting monthly votes~

By the way, today's update is a double update, full of sincerity!

053

【NO.52 Kasumigaoka Utaha】

The black-haired girl rested her chin on one hand, her wine-red eyes slightly narrowed, while her other hand turned the pages of the paperback book. Occasionally, she would slightly curl the corners of her mouth, revealing a faint smile, and at other times, she would frown slightly, deep in thought.

The image of a literary girl was perfectly portrayed at this moment, but unfortunately no one got to see it. However, the simple, even shabby, room was rather unsuitable as a backdrop for the literary girl.

Of course, when I say "simple," I don't mean the apartment is terrible, but it's about two or three levels worse than Kirito's apartment. However, it has all the necessary furniture and amenities, and it's relatively close to the school, which is enough for her to rent this small apartment.

If I had to say, Kasumigaoka Utaha's two-volume novels were enough to support her renting a high-end apartment like the one Kirito lives in. In particular, the second volume, despite being poorly received, actually sold surprisingly well, completely filling her savings.

Incidentally, there was a slight odor in this simple little apartment. For a girl's room, this odor seemed rather strange. In addition, there was some trash on the floor of the overflowing trash can, making it look very dirty and messy. Moreover, clothes were scattered all over the bed. One might think that some panty thief had broken in.

The desk lamp was on, casting a slightly glaring light. Kasumigaoka Utaha was flipping through a novel in a very lazy manner. Her laptop was on her left hand, and there were two instant noodle cups on her right. The instant noodles had obviously been eaten, and the odor emanating from them was not noticed by Kasumigaoka Utaha, who was standing right next to her.

She casually picked up a bread roll that was placed next to her, took a bite, and then put it back. Her cheeks bulged slightly as Kasumigaoka Utaha chewed the bread roll that could fill her stomach. Just as she was about to swallow, she turned her head to look at the bread roll that was mostly eaten, then tilted her head and blinked, seemingly a little confused.

But soon, her expression changed. She covered her mouth with one hand, quickly stood up, and rushed barefoot to the bathroom, followed by the sound of vomiting.

"vomit!!!"

A short while later, the pale-faced girl returned to her room, wiping her mouth with a tissue. Looking at the now-fuzzy bread, a cross appeared on her forehead. She was indeed furious, but ultimately it was her own fault. Really…

Looking at the messy room, Kasumigaoka Utaha scratched her head, opened her mouth, but said nothing.

To be honest, it's quite cute to see a pretty girl scratching her head, but this kind of action is rarely seen. After all, most people only do this when they're feeling resentful.

However, Kasumigaoka Utaha was not confused; she was simply puzzled—was my room really this dirty?

It's likely that if she hadn't suddenly eaten that moldy bread roll, she probably wouldn't have noticed the state of the room.

In fact, Kasumigaoka Utaha should be thankful that the apartment building is quite clean, and no cockroaches or anything like that appeared because of her messy room.

Well, it's understandable that Kasumigaoka Utaha's room is a bit messy, considering she was frantically working on her manuscript recently, seeing the keyboard at 5 a.m. every day, and also having to make sure her studies didn't fall behind because of her writing...

But honestly, this doesn't really look like a girl's room.

"Hmm, I should probably clean up a bit later." Saying this, Kasumigaoka Utaha rubbed her nose, then tidied up the things on the table, put them next to the trash can, and continued to sit down and read.

It's almost morning now, less than fifteen minutes until seven o'clock. In short, Kasumigaoka Utaha—the cultivator.

The book she was reading was actually her own work, *Love Metronome*. Two days earlier, Fujiwara Echizen, who was responsible for illustrating her new volume, somehow found her chat account and sent her the first message: "Take a good look at your book later!"

The strange message made her a little annoyed, especially when she replied to the other person's message, which was the same sentence again... It was obviously copied and pasted, was the other person too lazy to type it out?

However, Kasumigaoka Utaha had also heard a lot about the pen name Fujiwara Echizen from editor Machida. His real name was Kiritani Kazuto, and he was her junior at school. But that wasn't the main point. The main point was this junior's terrifying talent for scriptwriting. It's said that many popular games on the market had scripts written casually by Fujiwara Echizen.

He's a very capable person.

So, Kasumigaoka Utaha suppressed her dissatisfaction and calmed down a bit to look at the work she had created with great enthusiasm... The story takes place in an ordinary city, an ordinary school, and among ordinary people. The only thing that could be considered extraordinary is probably that the heroine is a beautiful girl.

Ha! This is a light romance novel. While it's not exactly overflowing with the saccharine scent of romance, some parts... have a strangely strong odor, like being late for school and bumping into a girl with a piece of bread in her mouth as you turn a corner, and the bread lands on your crotch, especially the side smeared with jam...

In fact, Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't really understand either, but she did know that the scenery that shouldn't have appeared had appeared, and she had also written down the things that shouldn't have been done at this time.

That's probably the problem, right?

Rubbing her slightly sore eyes, Kasumigaoka Utaha ignored the heavy dark circles under her eyes and turned to look at the time; it was almost 7:30.

"We agreed to meet at eight o'clock. If I walk slowly now, I should arrive early..." Muttering to herself, Kasumigaoka Utaha picked up two novels that were stuck in various sticky notes and put them in her bag before heading out.

The room, which had just fallen into darkness, lit up again in the next instant. The girl in her pajamas quickly ran back, put her things down, and went into the bathroom.

The almost-realized morning pajama journey was abruptly ruined, which is a bit of a shame!

"Hmm, I seem to be in a much worse state than usual today..." After wiping the water off her face with a towel, Kasumigaoka Utaha lazily yawned and then began to comb her somewhat messy long hair.

"That guy should have arrived by now..."

A second update full of sincerity~ Please recommend~ Please vote with monthly tickets~

There will be extra chapters! (??????)??

054

[NO.53 Xun Ge'er said it well...]

Although it was already summer, the morning temperature was still rather cool. It was peak time for pedestrian traffic, with many students and adults rushing to work walking on the streets. However, Kasumigaoka Utaha did not head towards the school, but instead chose to go in the opposite direction.

As the top student in the grade, the teachers usually turn a blind eye to her behavior. Even if she misses class, she might only receive a phone call from the teacher asking about it, which isn't a big deal. If I had to say something, the fact that there are two top students in the grade, and in the same class, is a little unsettling.

Covering her mouth with her fair hand, Kasumigaoka Utaha yawned lazily, her gaze sweeping over the students before shifting away. Recalling the location of the agreed meeting place, Kasumigaoka Utaha quickened her pace slightly.

It's almost time for the agreed time, and the other person is likely to arrive early, so Kasumigaoka Utaha doesn't want to waste too much time making the other person wait for him, since waiting for people is really annoying.

Before long, Kasumigaoka Utaha arrived at a coffee shop next to a family-run restaurant. As soon as she entered, she was greeted by the pleasant aroma of coffee. Kasumigaoka Utaha unconsciously reached out and touched her stomach. She had eaten around 8 p.m. last night, and it had been almost 12 hours since then. She was so hungry...

Taking a couple of steps forward, Kasumigaoka Utaha scanned the coffee shop. It was probably still early, as there were only two or three customers and the waiters. Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn't find that figure among the few people.

"...They're still not here?" Blinking, Kasumigaoka Utaha realized things were a little unexpected. Generally, whether it's making an appointment or being invited, the expected scenario is that the man arrives at the agreed-upon location first, while the woman arrives a little later...

But something seems off right now; that guy hasn't arrived yet...

My mood inexplicably turned a bit bad, especially since Kasumigaoka Utaha had stayed up all night because of it. Although the reason for staying up all night had nothing to do with the agreed time, it was entirely due to her daily cultivation habit. But, you know, reasoning with a woman... is a bit too much.

Ahhh!! At this point, it's definitely better to go back to the apartment, take a nice bath, and then have a good night's sleep.

Hmm, before that... how about having some breakfast?