manga artist Kirito

Page 220

"How about we go out for ramen tonight?"

"Okay... Ah, the light's green now, I'll contact you again!"

Then, the female teacher left in a hurry.

The girl shook her head. "Phew! Work..."

—A day in the life of a young girl, perhaps?

P.S.: I really want an assistant too...

It's good that I don't know anything!

461

[NO.456 The legendary Valley of Hell]

"Hmm~!"

On the train to Hokkaido, Kiritani-san opened his eyes sleepily, looking languid.

"woke up?"

"Hmm, it's quite comfortable, but the seat cushion isn't very good."

"Then please lift your head... and wipe your mouth while you're at it."

Holding a cup of hot milk tea, Shino glared at him with some disdain. When Kiritani sat up straight with a sullen expression, she took the blanket that she had been using as a pillow from Kiritani's shoulder and placed it on her lap. Just as she was about to drink her milk tea, Kiritani reached out and snatched it away.

"Was this prepared for me?"

"I just drank..."

"and then?"

Kiritani-san licked his lips. "...Mmm, it's even sweeter!"

Shino smiled expressionlessly. In fact, she had just received the milk tea and hadn't even tasted it yet.

"Hey, why did Mashiro sit here?"

I hadn't paid much attention to it before, but when I turned my head, I saw Shiina Mashiro sitting near the aisle, and she was intently drawing in her sketchbook... Hey, isn't that me?

It's just a sketch, but the outline is already very clear. In the sketch, Kiritani-chan is sleeping with her head resting on a shoulder, and there's a folded blanket on that shoulder—hey, isn't this the scene from earlier?

Of course, what Kiritani-san was more concerned about was whether Shiina Mashiro would draw the owner of that shoulder, namely Sinon-san, on the drawing. Probably not, right?

Well, you can't guess what Mashiro is thinking.

However, Shino-san is indeed very thoughtful. Worried that it wouldn't be comfortable to rest her head on his shoulder, she even put a folded blanket under it. No wonder she slept so comfortably.

"Thank you."

"Fortunately, I slept quite comfortably."

The girl smiled demurely, completely unlike the usual scenario where she would blush upon hearing the words.

Hmm, what a pure and unpretentious girl!

By the way, without you knowing, Shino-san captured a CG of Kirigaya-san with sleepy eyes, the kind with a little drool at the corner of his mouth.

Seemingly sensing the meaning in Shino's eyes, Kiritani unconsciously wiped the corner of her mouth to check if there was any drool... What the hell! I already licked my lips after drinking the milk tea, okay? How could there still be any?!

Shino couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Don't worry, I wiped it off for you when it was about to drip on the blanket, but you were surprisingly sleeping soundly."

Kiritani sniffed and decided not to talk to her for the time being.

After things quieted down, all that could be heard was the frequent scratching of pen tips on drawing paper. Soon, Kiritani-san saw the sketchbook handed to him. Shiina Mashiro leaned forward, pressing her body against Sinon-san's thigh, looking at him with bright eyes. "Hey, Kazuto's sleeping face is so cute!"

"It's a very good drawing..."

Although it's just a sketch, it's incredibly lifelike, and Kiritani-san in the drawing is indeed as cute as Shiina Mashiro described.

However, Kiritani-san was somewhat relieved that Shiina Mashiro hadn't used any strange drawing techniques, such as Cubism. Picasso was the originator of this bizarre style. Last time, someone in the manga club suggested that they wanted to see Shiina Mashiro's artwork, and then Shiina Mashiro took her easel and started drawing in the manga club. Using Eriri as the model, the messy patterns not only had strange colors but also extremely uneven shapes, giving people a strange feeling of falling into another dimension.

To those who know how to appreciate art, this is a work of art.

But in the eyes of both Kiritani-san and Eriri, it was just scribbling, and extremely so. Kasumigaoka Utaha had hung the drawing behind the door of the manga club room, and she was a little worried that she would feel like she had seen a ghost when she saw it while entering the manga club.

However, Shiina Mashiro is not best at this Cubist style of painting.

However, both Kiritani-san and Eriri felt that any style was fine, as long as they stopped drawing paintings that would look like ghosts to ordinary people like them.

—The manga department simply can't accommodate such a genius!

No wonder, Shiina Mashiro was praised by the blonde number two as a great painter whose fingers contain countless possibilities for the future and whose paintings will be remembered for thousands of years!

This is indeed a very rare evaluation, considering that many painters only become famous after they die—probably because they no longer have new paintings to release.

However, despite Shiina Mashiro's terrifying innate talent, this drawing genius prefers manga, a genre she is not very good at. Her reason is simply that she feels manga brings more joy. Compared to works of art, Shiina Mashiro puts in far more effort into manga, often staying up all night to perfect her work. Kiritani-san may seem indifferent, but he actually feels a little sorry for her.

However, as things stand, Shiina Mashiro's ongoing manga is doing better and better, simply because she knows more and more, the story is becoming more and more exciting, and the story in the manga... is gradually starting to deviate from the reality of the manga club and is developing in a more beautiful direction.

This is what growing up is all about!

If, after such a long time, Shiina Mashiro can only draw manga devoid of emotion and story, then she is truly unsuitable for manga, and Kiritani-san will completely cut off any possibility of her continuing down this dead end. After all... we can't just watch her step into an abyss with no future, can we?

However, her growth has exceeded expectations. Apart from forbidding her from staying up late to draw manga, Kiritani-san no longer interferes with her manga. It is her manga, the story she wants to create.

"Who is being drawn here...?"

Shiina Mashiro pointed to the blank space, winked at Kiritani-san, her calm eyes filled with a hint of expectation, as if she were waiting for Kiritani-san's answer.

"Who do you want to paint? -- How about painting my eldest daughter?"

Kiritani ignored the disdainful look that Shino gave him and responded with a light laugh.

"It's not the eldest daughter, it's Zhenbai!"

She puffed out her cheeks slightly in rebuttal, but at the same time nodded, confirming that the shoulder Kiritani-san was resting on was hers.

…………

The journey from Chiba to Hokkaido by Shinkansen doesn't actually take long, especially after a nap.

However, Hokkaido is very cold!

Hokkaido is the northernmost of Japan's four main islands. If there's one best time to visit, it's definitely summer, which is the peak tourist season in Hokkaido. Although Hokkaido is located at a high latitude, the temperature difference between winter and summer is significant due to ocean currents. August is the height of summer, with an average temperature of 28.9 degrees Celsius. From late November when the cold winds begin to blow until the end of April of the following year, it is a harsh winter.

It's almost November now, and the cold winds are about to blow...

However, it must be said that Hokkaido has many tourist attractions.

It was already a relief that it hadn't snowed as autumn was approaching, and the group had come to soak in the hot springs precisely because it was cold.

Noboribetsu is a small town in southwestern Hokkaido, famous for its numerous hot springs, including Noboribetsu Onsen, Carolus Onsen, and Noboribetsu Rinkai Onsen. Among them, Noboribetsu Onsen is the most representative hot spring area in Japan, boasting the highest quality and greatest popularity, often referred to as Japan's No. 1 hot spring. —Kiritani-san could foresee that the prize money he won from *Dark Souls* would likely be completely spent during this short three-day trip.

Hmm, there might still be some shortcomings?

But in reality, he didn't care too much. At the age of sixteen, he had already earned enough money to live a lifetime and never run out of money. Why care too much about these material possessions? Perhaps, this is the mentality that Togashi had when playing mahjong? Besides, Togashi is really old, and he has long since earned enough money. Comics are just objects that carry his past youth.

—But supposedly, this guy is planning to come back and fill in the gaps?

So they arrived at the legendary resort.

Although it is famous for its hot springs, the temperature outside is still quite cold. However, as soon as you step out of the station and look up at the sky, you can see a hazy gray expanse with white mist rising from many places and gathering into the sky. In the hazy white mist, there are also many canyons and mountains, making for a very beautiful scene.

Cities aren't necessarily better than small towns.

Of course, the best place is always your own home.

Kasumigaoka Utaha squinted her eyes halfway and said, "It's a very nice place."

Eriri looked excited and couldn't help but agree, "Yes."

"The hotel is already booked, let's just take a taxi there."

Compared to their composure, Kiritani-san subconsciously tightened his scarf, especially when he saw that he was the only one doing so. He couldn't help but wonder - don't you all feel cold?

His expression was as bizarre as if he had eaten Häagen-Dazs in the dead of winter, with durian mixed in with it.

Asuna came over and adjusted his scarf, pulling his ponytail outside the scarf, which made Kiritani-san feel even warmer.

Sinon pushed up her glasses. "This is actually a good location for research."

Instantly, everyone's attention was drawn to it.

She sensed something was off and couldn't help but ask, "Could it be... that I said something wrong?"

"No! It's absolutely right!"

Eriri smiled brightly, quickly walked over, and grasped her hands tightly. Exhausted, she said, "Asada, you've only just joined the manga club, so you might not know this. Although it's a club activity, these guys are mostly here to have fun; nobody's even thinking about researching! I'm so glad you think that way! I, as the manga club president, am so proud of you!"

Yes, it was because of that one sentence that Shino gained the most favor from Eriri!

Eriri was already getting impatient. "Let's hurry to the hotel, and while we still have time, let's go find a place to gather information, shall we?"

Shino-san nodded gently, "I think it's a good idea. Anyway, according to everyone's planned itinerary, Noboribetsu is just the first stop, and it's more suitable to soak in the hot spring at night."

Asuna concluded, "Let's go to the hotel first, and then everyone can split up."

Just then, Alice, who was on the phone nearby, walked over and smiled, "The car that Xiaoqi arranged has arrived. Let's go outside and get in."

Hey! You're not going to show up again, are you, you rich dog's maid?

…………

Finally, just before midnight, they arrived at the hotel they had booked in advance.

Fortunately, neither Asuna's butler, Izayoi Kamichi, nor Aobelk's maid, Tenjouin Ryouki, showed up. Otherwise, the Kirito War might have happened again, just like before. It's best if these guys who can easily crack the ground don't show up again, or Kirito-san will be tempted to have Uncle Hai act as his bodyguard for a couple of days.

"Alright, everyone, it's time to get off!"

Asuna turned around and said to everyone, "Alice booked a double room this time, while Kazuto will be staying alone. I need to take care of Mashiro, so it'll be just Mashiro and me in one room. As for the rest... you'll have to choose your own roommates."

Without a doubt, Eriri and Kasumigaoka Utaha would never live together. She went over and hugged Sinon's arm, making her intentions clear. Alice, on the other hand, shrugged casually. Rather, the girl who had lived in England for the past few years was originally going to live with Eriri, who also had British heritage.

Of course, it would be best to share a room with Kiritani-san!

"I'm going to Hell Valley later. Besides Sinon-san, is there another one there?"

The conversation with Shino on the train had reached the point where they could address each other by name. It has to be said that someone like Eriri, who doesn't have many friends, really gets along well with someone, and their affection for each other can indeed rise very quickly.

"no!"

Although Jigokudani is just a few minutes' walk from Noboribetsu Onsen town, Kiritani-san really had no intention of going there. He smirked, "You look more like a captain rushing to Hirasaka. Are you even organizing the team now?"

"No Road Race!"

Eriri's face turned bright red as she angrily retorted, "You're the dead one! You're the captain of the Dead Man's Squad!"

"Ah! Sawamura-kun is so cute, it reminds me of the painting hanging behind the clubroom door!"

Kasumigaoka Utaha seemed to be smiling in a daze, but in reality, she was full of sarcasm.

"Shut up, you fat woman in black stockings!"

Eriri stomped her feet in anger, almost as frequently as Kasumigaoka Utaha was shaking her legs.

"You two continue, we're leaving now!"

It wasn't peak tourist season yet, and although it was almost early winter, the hotel had an incredibly small number of guests, which even made Kiritani Kuwata have the illusion that the Aobelk family had probably booked the entire hotel.

Then, he looked at Alice.

Alice looked down at the ground, as if it contained some universal truth.

—Really?! You didn't actually book it all, did you?

P.S.: Finding the information was still a bit of a hassle, and I've never been to Japan...

When I was writing the title, I almost couldn't resist writing something weird and supernatural in the main text (hold back! Echizen, you can't do that!)

Actually, I'm currently on a plane heading to Nanjing...

462

[NO.457 An awkward yet polite smile.jpg]

To paraphrase Kiritani, if a charming young man is afraid to walk with multiple girls, it must be due to nervousness. So, in such cases, he should just go with more familiar people. After all, for most people, the more familiar they are, the less nervous they will be!

Yes, all of the above is nonsense!

The more people there are, the more troublesome it will be, and the more intense the tension will be.

Of course, having a large group can reduce tension, but if all the acquaintances are girls and they all have some inexplicable emotions, then it will definitely lead to another kind of tension. Moreover, there are six girls in a group of seven. If you were to lead these girls around the tourist attractions, what kind of looks would you get, and what kind of comments would you receive? — Let's put Kiritani-kun in the position where it is obvious at a glance that he is a boy.

--evaluate?