manga artist Kirito

Page 208

"Then there's no problem."

Ultimately, the most important thing is still the drawing skills, and since Akane Kosaka found an artist, the drawing quality would definitely be acceptable, so Kiritani-san didn't have too many requirements.

Akane Kosaka held up two fingers. "I'll take care of the compensation, but there are two more things I need to tell you."

Kiritani raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"This assistant said she wants to learn drawing techniques from you, so guidance is necessary. However, she's still a student, so her time is a bit limited. But she lives in Chiba..."

"Wait, melon!"

Kiritani raised his hand to interrupt Akane Kousaka, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at her. "I'm saying, this assistant isn't actually a student at Soubu High School, is she? A first-year student? A second-year student?"

"...You'll know once you go in; you should recognize him."

At the entrance of the coffee shop, Akane Kosaka held the doorknob, smiled slightly, and then pushed the door open and went inside.

Kiritani-san rolled her eyes. But then again, with the pen name of the ecchi artist Fujiwara Echizen looming over her, if the applicant for the assistant position was the upright type, she might be in trouble. After all, the power of traditional manga ethics still exists, even now. Manga artists who have drawn ecchi works are like women who have worked in the adult entertainment industry; even if they reform, few people will respect them. And that's even less of a concern for manga artists like Kiritani-san who haven't completely "gone straight"...

Honestly, there are very few manga artists like him who can combine action and erotic elements.

Since they're students from Soubu High School, you can relax... my ass! They might be someone we know. At this rate, we're going to be in trouble sooner or later!

As I followed Akane Kosaka into the coffee shop, I was immediately enveloped in a wave of warmth. The street outside was blowing cold air, but the coffee shop was clearly heated. Moreover, the interior of the coffee shop was very upscale, far superior to the coffee shops I had visited in the past when I was discussing how to revise "Love Metronome" with Utaha Kasumigaoka.

However, when he saw the familiar figure ahead raise his hand, Kiritani's expression gradually faded. He pursed his lips slightly and turned to leave, but Akane Kosaka reached out and grabbed him, gently shaking her head and saying, "That's very impolite. You just want to leave as soon as you see someone... Well, it seems like you know them?"

No! I absolutely do not want to know her!

But then again, this guy really is an artist... wait, how come everyone I know has some connection to the industry?

I actually prefer Alice to be my assistant now!

As Akane Kosaka pulled her towards that direction, Kiritani gradually let go of her resistance. Whatever the outcome, at least for now, she couldn't let Suiri lose face, after all, Suiri had worked hard to find an assistant for her.

"Hello, I am Akane Akasaka."

"Hello, I am Fujiwara Echizen."

"Hello, I'm Ranbai, Asada Shino. It's nice to meet you, Fujiwara-sensei, Akasaka-sensei!"

Shino, who goes by the pen name Lanbai, smiled slightly and shook hands with Akane Kosaka and Kiritani, then gestured for them to sit down before continuing, "I think Fujiwara-sensei should know me, right?"

No, I don't know. I have no idea who Lanbai is, or who the guy who's so active on my Twitter is. I have no idea that Lanbai is actually a member of the Bamboo Forest Group, and one of the Seven Sages...

Kiritani-san smiled on the surface, but inwardly thought, "I've heard of it."

"You can find my representative works on Twitter, Fujiwara-sensei, why don't you take a look?"

The girl chuckled and pushed the notebook on the table in front of Kiritani-san. "After all, if you want to become Fujiwara-sensei's assistant, your drawing skills have to be at least up to par. Otherwise, it would be too bad if you caused him trouble later!"

No way! What masterpiece? You want me to openly read a book in a coffee shop?

And what I saw was a humiliation book named after Fujiwara Echizen?

—Go to hell!

P.S.: I mean, this Echizen is super cute!

437

【NO.432 The Seven Sages】

Kirito doesn't really like looking in the mirror because he knows he's already handsome and cute... Of course, it's okay to ignore that later.

Kirito knew he was incredibly eye-catching, far surpassing those pretentious and affected girls at school. Regardless of his inner qualities, no one could compare to him in terms of looks alone... well, except for Ryunosuke Akasaka and Saika Totsuka. It's best not to discuss things with guys who insist on calling women men, or you might end up being dragged down to the same level.

In the past, many people were watching him.

And the person who was paying attention to him was a girl.

It's not Megumi Kato!

It's Asada Shino!

"Can I refuse?"

Kiritani Kazuto looked at the girl who was about to become his assistant and felt a strange mix of emotions.

Asada Shino's drawing skills are undeniable. Although she can't compare to Mr. Kirito or Ms. Ichigo, she is much better than Eriri. Moreover, as an assistant, she didn't make too many demands... no, rather, she readily accepted most of the demands made by Kirito.

"Of course you can. After all, whether I can become Fujiwara-sensei's assistant or not ultimately depends on Fujiwara-sensei's decision."

Holding her free refill of coffee, she smiled faintly, "However, at this time, it might be a bit troublesome for Fujiwara-sensei to find another assistant, especially one like me. After all, I'm very familiar with Fujiwara-sensei's art style."

"Can I refuse?"

Kiritani-san said those words again, but this time he was addressing Kosaka Akane instead of Sinon-san.

"The decision is yours; I'm just here to help you find an assistant."

Akane Kosaka turned her gaze away from the window, glanced at Kiritani-san, and said with a slightly bored expression, "Well, if you refuse, that's fine too. I might send the strawberries to you."

Kiritani-san was stunned. "Hey! Is it okay to say something like that in front of Asada?"

Asada Shino waved her hand with a light laugh, "It's alright, it's alright! I know Kousaka-senpai, so it's not surprising that you would say something like that to my face."

"I always felt there was something fishy going on between the two of you."

With a scrutinizing gaze, Kiritani looked Kousaka Akane and Asada Shino back and forth, beginning to wonder if the two had known each other for a long time, otherwise Asada Shino wouldn't have acted so familiar with them.

But how should I put it, it's quite strange that Xigua has any friends, isn't it? Apart from classmates in the same club in college, can someone with Xigua's personality really make friends? Probably not!

Yes, it's definitely fake, it's all special effects!

"I think you're thinking something extremely rude."

Raising her hand to tap Kirigaya-san on the head, Kousaka Akane leaned back lazily in her chair, slightly raising her eyelids to look at Asada Shino. "If there are no problems, then it's decided. Asada, you can try it out first and see if you can cooperate well. Although we've talked so much, the final result still depends on actual skills. It just so happens that you're both in Chiba, and even at the same school, so you can have a good exchange later."

"Understood, Akasaka-senpai!"

Asada Shino smiled and nodded, her eyes brightening slightly as she looked at Kiritani-san.

What is Asada Shino trying to do?

Is he lusting after my good looks?

—This is how Mr. Kiritani suspected that Shino Asada wanted to become his assistant.

But how should I put it? It seems like nothing is impossible. In this world where looks matter, being good-looking is indeed cute and allows you to do whatever you want. Maybe Asada Shino chose to become my assistant because she saw this and took the opportunity to get close to me!

Watermelon, oh watermelon, do you know that you might be inviting even more troublesome opponents into your life?

I knew this beforehand; Asada Shino was hiding something incredible!

Watermelon, you were already at a disadvantage, and now you're even worse off. Are you really going to cry? I definitely won't comfort you!

"What are you looking at?"

Akane Kosaka noticed the subtle look in Kirigaya's eyes and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and ask, "And the malice is getting stronger and stronger!"

"No."

Kiritani shook his head decisively and turned his gaze to Asada Shino. "But speaking of which, we have class today. Did you take leave for this?"

"No, I took the day off on Monday. There were some things I needed to take care of in Tokyo."

As she spoke, she raised her eyelids, "Doesn't Fujiwara-sensei know that the Bamboo Grove Group is having an offline gathering in Tokyo these past few days?"

"No, I had no idea such a thing existed!"

Kiritani pretended to be calm, but in reality, he was cursing more than once. He knew that the Bamboo Forest Group that Shino mentioned was actually that group of perverts, and he couldn't imagine what terrible consequences such guys would have if they gathered together—just imagine a bunch of gentlemanly perverts squatting in a corner with lewd books, grinning lewdly... Sorry, I really can't imagine it!

Shino was taken aback. "I thought Akasaka-senpai had told you that."

Akane Kosaka silently turned her head away, pretending not to hear what she said.

No, no, no! My youngest daughter did tell me about your bunch of perverts having an offline gathering, but Watermelon didn't mention it. Besides, Watermelon, the way you turned your head away has already given you away! Tell me! Are you still connected to the Bamboo Forest Group?

Are you one of these perverts?

He squinted, his gaze toward Akane Kosaka becoming complicated, as if he had witnessed a pure young girl turn into a slutty, filthy slut with a mouth full of dirty jokes and a mind full of filthy thoughts in the blink of an eye!

"Well, although I think Fujiwara-sensei may have a prejudice against the Bamboo Grove Group, I have to say that the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove Group are all very skilled at drawing. Any one of them would be good enough to be Fujiwara-sensei's assistant."

Shino-san smiled and said, "By the way, the offline gathering just started yesterday and will last for three days. Would you like to go and check it out, Fujiwara-sensei? It's not just a simple gathering. There are actually quite a few things that Fujiwara-sensei is interested in."

"No, I have absolutely no intention of going, and I'm very busy."

Kiritani shook his head repeatedly, showing absolutely no interest in this kind of gathering. "There's still so much I need to do in the club..."

"Actually, all the affairs within the club have been assigned to people."

Akane Kosaka said calmly, "I happen to be quite interested in this offline gathering, so let's go check it out!"

An attitude that leaves no room for refusal.

Kiritani-san took a deep breath—Sushi, you are actually one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, right?

438

【NO.433 Calvin is really suffering】

The more you think you are excellent, the more you can see your own flaws. Whether it's Kirito, Akane, Mashiro, or even Alice, they all have all sorts of flaws—yes, Asuna is perfect!

Kiritani-san has a very bad habit: he refuses good suggestions without hesitation.

"But, I refuse!"

He said this, refusing to attend the offline gathering of that Bamboo Forest Group.

No matter which forum or Twitter, offline communication is essential. It's a way to increase connections between members, but the results are mostly disheartening. I think everyone knows that it's impossible to distinguish between cute girls and burly men online. There are burly men who like to whimper and groan, and there are cute girls who are like burly men. So, Kiritani-san has always felt that distance is beautiful because you can speak freely. You have no idea whether the person you're chatting with is a burly man or a real cute girl, so it doesn't matter.

But when we actually met, my image was completely ruined—I can't even imagine!

Moreover, Kiritani-san never really liked these guys who drew his doujinshi whenever they had free time.

While these offline gatherings are certainly no less entertaining than high-society parties, are they really just about getting together to discuss how to draw doujinshi (fan-made comics) well? Or which doujinshi are worth watching? And which ones are just too outrageous?

Whatever, this place is bound to gather countless gentlemen and perverts. I'm a guy with delicate features but not as burly as him. I clearly remember those guys shouting all day long, "Wouldn't it be better to have a big penis?" So if I were seen in person, I'm afraid I'd have to beat them all down before I could leave!

Don’t go, don’t go!

Never go to this awful place!

"Hey, if you're worried about those guys causing trouble, the girls in the Bamboo Forest Group are all prepared with spiked pepper spray and upgraded stun guns, so you don't have to worry about the consequences."

Your words make me feel even more insecure!

Bringing pepper spray and stun guns to offline gatherings is really something else. And there are actually quite a few girls in the Bamboo Forest group?

"No, in short, I'm not going."

Kiritani-san yawned slightly, "I'd rather go somewhere else with Sushi!"

"Then it's settled! Waiter, the bill, please!"

The moment she finished speaking, Akane Kosaka raised her hand to call a waiter, her words swift and terrifying.

Hey Watermelon, why do you look like you've been waiting for this for ages? Or were you just waiting for me to say that?

"Although I feel a little sorry that Fujiwara-sensei is not going to the offline gathering, there's nothing I can do about it. Ruining someone else's date is a crime punishable by death. Let's leave this meeting here for now."

Shino-san maintained her smile, "Let's meet again at school, Fujiwara-sensei. I already have your contact information."

I know I almost went to beat you up last time by the internet cable. I know more than just your contact information; I even know your home address!

Kiritani smiled blankly, "Okay, see you another day then."

And so, Shino Asada left.

Akane Kosaka smirked, "The important business is done, now..."

"Ah, you really look forward to it, don't you!"

Kiritani glanced at the watermelon. "But that's true. I haven't had much time alone with you since two years ago."

...While it could be said that Akane Kousaka, who had weathered many storms, wasn't moved or embarrassed by this, she simply glanced at Kiritani-san and silently raised a finger, "I'm not Asuna, how could you possibly have time to spend with me!"

"Moreover, if you continue to mess around like this, you're likely to run into trouble in the future."

"Even if you say that, there's nothing I can do. Besides, Watermelon, isn't it because you're starved for love that you say such things?"

"Why are you getting more and more dramatic?"

Akane Kosaka tilted her head and stretched out her hand with a smile, "Think about what your parents told me, that you deserved to be beaten!"

Kiritani-san silently took two steps back. "You can't beat me anyway!"