manga artist Kirito

Page 246

Nonsence!

Kiritani-kun is slightly better off.

As I said a long time ago, his ambitions weren't grand, and his demands weren't high—a decent house, a stable job, a beautiful wife, and a best friend he could sell at any time—he could basically achieve all of that now. Kiritani-kun was rich; he could buy a house whenever he wanted. As for work, he had easy creative opportunities. Even if he stopped drawing, he could write some scripts, or go back to the club and continue being the second-in-command who was good at talking, or even take a leisurely and decent position at the Kousaka Group. All of these would be good options.

My beautiful wife... is still my girlfriend, but in a couple of days, we'll be able to settle down and start a family.

My best friend is someone I can sell at any time, like Ryunosuke Akasaka, and Hachiman Hikigaya is practically one too—thinking about it this way, I really don't lack anything!

Hmm, what a wonderful life! This kind of life must be quite enviable, right?

Soaking in the still-warm water, Kiritani-chan had half her face submerged, lazily blowing bubbles. Her body felt incredibly comfortable in the warm water, as if all her pores were open. Of course, it wasn't quite as pleasant as when she stayed at the Noboribetsu Onsen Ryokan.

...Hmm, how about after we get married, we find a bigger place, build a bigger house, and have an artificial hot spring underground? After all, soaking in a hot spring after work can help relieve fatigue.

"Well, that's it."

As for who to ask for help with this matter, Kiritani-chan is having some trouble figuring it out right now.

"Ah, it's quite cold!"

Stepping out of the still-steaming warm water, the temperature difference was immediately apparent. Kiritani-chan pursed her lips, quickly grabbed a towel to dry herself, loosely tied her wet hair with the towel, put on her pajamas, and began brushing her teeth…

"The temperature is getting lower and lower; it looks like it's going to snow in the next couple of days."

However, getting married when pure white snowflakes are falling sounds pretty nice too.

—Yes, yes, right now all Kiritani-chan has on her mind is marriage and what happens after marriage. Everything else probably doesn't matter anymore, right?

fnnndp!

So what if I'm getting married? Does getting married mean I don't have to update? Missing deadlines is a serious offense!

I guess if you posted your wedding announcement on Twitter, you'd probably get this kind of response most of the time.

Kiritani smiled, opened the bathroom door, and stepped out. She was greeted by Asuna, whose cheeks were slightly flushed. Asuna was sitting in a corner, drying her hair with a hairdryer. When she saw Kiritani, the blush on Asuna's cheeks deepened.

The first thing you see is a girl who sparkles like a fairy. When she looks over with her cheeks slightly flushed and her usual gentleness and shyness, her maturity and cuteness increase dramatically.

It's truly captivating!

If someone who has never believed in love suddenly starts believing in love again after seeing a certain girl, it may seem like love at first sight, but it's really just lust, and they want to use the name of love to fight for mating rights.

Kiritani-chan is different. There's no such thing as love at first sight. It's just a gradual and natural progression, warm and peaceful... Damn, the love stories in TV dramas are really twisted. Don't they feel incredibly pretentious?

"Asuna looks especially cute when she blushes~~~"

This is a very special question, and if the person being asked is upset and asks a question like, "Am I not cute normally?", it's a very difficult question to answer.

Of course, Asuna wouldn't feel that way. She would only feel a little shy—not too much, of course. After all, she was often praised, and she had just gotten used to it. It would be better to always be a little shy.

That's part of Asuna's charm!

The girl silently turned off the hair dryer, maintaining a gentle smile.

Kiritani walked over on her own and sat down in front of her with her back to her. Asuna reached out and untied the towel tied to Kiritani's hair, then began to dry her still wet long hair—what a virtuous wife and loving mother!

Soon she'll be a true wife and mother... Isn't that a bit too early? Although Asuna is already seventeen, isn't it a little too early to have a child in high school?

"Hey, Kazuto, I just talked to my mom about something."

Amidst the whooshing noise of the hairdryer, Asuna raised her eyebrows and asked with a light laugh, "If Kazuto hadn't met Akane-nee, hadn't met me, and hadn't skipped a grade to attend Soubu High School because of me, then... how would you view the future? And what choices would you have made regarding your wife?"

"This kind of question is rather profound—"

After thinking about it for a moment, Kiritani-chan still felt it was better to tell the truth.

"If that's the case, I'd probably still be just as laid-back as I am now, right? I rarely dream about the future or look back on the past. If I really can't find a partner like you, Asuna, whom I like the most and who is the most ideal, maybe my partner will be someone who is more talkative, more generous, and has some similar interests with me?"

"At least, we won't argue every day over trivial things anymore."

"Hmm, but... it could very well be Ye Zi?"

Kiritani tilted her head slightly, but Asuna, in this world where there are so many dirty jokes and so few serious ones like me, I'm really happy!

I don't believe in predetermined fate, but I believe that since Kirito in that world was able to meet and fall in love with Asuna Yuuki in that world, I'm sure that I, in this world, can also meet you!

—I'm sorry, Asuna, I just answered your question on the spot.

Kiritani turned around, placed his hands on Asuna's arms, pressed his forehead against hers, and looked directly into her eyes—

"But there's no need to think about these things. Just like now, whenever I'm with you, I feel happy and relaxed. So I absolutely can't live without you, and I will always love you, just like I do now!"

"Yes, I look forward to working with you in the future, my fiancé, Mr. Kiritani Kazuto."

Leaning against Kiritani-chan's forehead, Asuna slowly closed her eyes, her face full of a happy smile.

Ps:

I guess I'll be able to get the hang of it this time? I think I've figured it out. Before, when I was writing during the day, I was thinking about games and just wanted to finish writing as quickly as possible. I didn't put that feeling into the words at all... Hmm, it's much better now.

507

【NO.498 The Main Character's Best Man Group】

A wedding is a response to a beautiful love story.

The word "marriage" should have been quite distant for Kirito Kazuto, since he hadn't even turned sixteen a week ago. He even said that he was still a high school student. Although he had a girlfriend a long time ago, they were both still quite young and had never thought about getting married so early.

But now, less than a day after Asuna uttered the word "marriage," Kiritani-kun is already facing the so-called important matter of marriage.

Of course, if things had followed the original trajectory, they would probably have gradually entered into marriage as lovers after graduating from high school, and eventually become husband and wife. However, the fact that the marriage was decided so abruptly is bound to make people feel uneasy—yes, nervous!

It's like being hesitant and timid when meeting someone's parents.

The wedding arrangements might not be a big deal for Kiritani-kun, as they've all been handed over to his parents for preparation. That's what they say, but who says he's not nervous? Try getting married and see for yourself.

Ah, of course, first you need to have someone to marry.

"So, I'm the best man?"

As the students began making some preparations at the already decorated Tiger Dojo, Ryunosuke Akasaka, who should still be attending classes at Soubu High School and had taken Kirito's place to lend a helping hand at the Sports Festival, stared expressionlessly at Kirito, whose expression was somewhat subtle.

"...Me too?"

Yes, yes, besides Ryunosuke Akasaka, there's also Hachiman Hikigaya.

As for the best men, although there are many handsome guys at the Tiger Dojo and you can choose any of them, Kiritani-kun still thinks it's best to invite close friends, and Akasaka Ryunosuke and Hikigaya Hachiman are undoubtedly the best choices.

"Yes, you're the only ones we can turn to."

Kiritani-kun was still looking at the invitations and feeling a headache coming on. He rubbed his temples. "Let's not talk about Hachiman for now. He's really getting along well with Yuki-onna and Yui right now. Besides, I'm inviting you to my wedding to be my best man. Komachi will definitely be very happy, right? She might say something like, 'That's great! So my brother is now a friend of Kiritani-nii-san. I'm not alone anymore.'"

"Kiritani, you traitor! And now you're talking to me about Komachi?"

"……what?"

Don't say things that are easy to misunderstand, okay? I was never a member of the "Go Die Go Die Group" from the beginning. It's just that you subconsciously regarded me as a senior member.

Looking at Mr. Hikigaya's increasingly deep-set dead fish eyes, Kirito, who was gradually getting to know the people on the invitation, showed a somewhat helpless smile. In response to this smile, Mr. Hikigaya and Ryunosuke both gave Kirito the middle finger.

"Don't worry, the groomsmen don't really have much to do. At most, they'll just take some bullets. As for things like dismantling doors... our Tiger Dojo students know more about them than anyone else."

Finally, Kiritani-kun raised the corners of his mouth, "Who knows, you might even find a suitable one from the bridesmaid group?"

"It doesn't exist!"

Ryunosuke Akasaka, who suffers from gynophobia, responded without hesitation.

"Ha...don't joke around."

Hachiman sneered with dead fish eyes, "Love is impossible! Here I want to emphasize one point, or rather, this is a fact known to everyone—my sister, Hikigaya Komachi is the flame of my life, my light, my everything!"

Ah, yes, yes, your sister is like a [beep] product, making you deeply fascinated.

So, can I call the police now?

"Hachiman, your expression looks disgusting."

"fnnndp!"

Hachiman immediately glared at him, "How can something like what happened to my sister be considered disgusting?"

“Hmm,” Ryunosuke interjected, a rare occurrence. “Komachi is indeed very good to Hikigaya and trusts him quite a bit. For example, Hikigaya would never trust any of his other friends. It’s almost a miracle that we became friends with him.”

"Shut up! Komachi would never say something like that to me!"

"No way? Komachi has said that so many times!"

"No matter what, you're definitely going to be best men, along with Kenshin and Lee Shun-saeng!"

Love is such a subtle emotion. Kiritani-kun still doesn't quite understand it, even though he's about to enter the hall of marriage. But it's absolutely beautiful and sincere, unrelated to anything else, just a simple liking that gradually intensifies into an inescapable deep affection. Perhaps this is what love is?

Well, I like you, and you happen to like me too, does that count?

Slightly bittersweet, yet with a hint of refreshing afternoon sunlight amidst the decay—this complex emotion is perhaps what it means.

This isn't the kind of impulsive, clueless, or bewildered romance, nor is it the kind of story that's always looking towards the future. It's just... a story about cherishing the present even more. As for what will happen in the future, who can say for sure? Most first loves become beautiful memories, and those that don't become memories are the beautiful stories.

Yes, at this moment, Kiritani Kazuto is so convinced and offers his sincerest blessings for his dearest friend's future.

"...Wait, shouldn't we be wishing you well? And what's with all these names you wrote? Gen Urobuchi? Yoshihiro Togashi? Tite Kubo? Touko Amano?...Hey, are you sure these people are okay?"

"Of course, no problem. They still owe me a few meals in Ginza. If I treat them to a meal now, they might come running over in no time."

"Then you'll have to prepare a mahjong table for them."

"No, the most important thing is what we should do now? I'm so confused... no, I'm so bewildered! Should we just sit here?"

"Don't even mention it, I don't really know what to do either. Just sit here with me for a while."

Before the wedding, the bride is to be brought out from her parents' home. That is to say, at dawn, Asuna was taken back to the Yuuki family mansion by Kami, waiting for the wedding the next day when Kirito-kun led the wedding procession to pick her up.

Some things that should have been discussed and decided by the two of them together, but after Asuna went home, these things could only be decided by Kiritani-kun—yes, it was painful!

"...Kiritani, your phone is ringing."

"...Hello, this is Kiritani from the Tiger Dojo."

Seeing the unknown caller ID, Kiritani raised an eyebrow slightly before answering the call. Under the gazes of Akasaka Ryunosuke and Hikigaya Hachiman, his expression gradually became strange and surprised.

"Huh? What did you say? So you're at the airport right now, waiting for me to pick you up? Come on, sis, what are you doing here at this hour?"

Perhaps they're here to cause trouble?

Ps:

That's terrifying! I didn't wake up until 4 a.m. I'm so worried that the guy with perfect attendance will die!

508

[NO.499 The premise is that I am the bride]

Chiba Airport.

Kiritani-kun, who should have been busy decorating his home as the groom-to-be, arrived here in the long-awaited motorcycle that Akane Kosaka had given him as a birthday gift.

Then he saw the blonde girl waiting at the bus stop.

"Yah hello! Long time no see, Shido!"

There is only one girl who would call Kirito-kun that. If you still can't remember, you can use being pushed into the river as a memory to recall this blonde girl.

Yes, Kiritani-kun spoke to her on the phone just two days ago.

"...Why did you come so suddenly?"

"I don't really want to attend Shido's wedding, but isn't it only natural for me to come to such an important event? Besides, who knows, I might just get carried away and team up with others to stage an impromptu wedding-crashing show?"

Rita von Einzbern.

"Wrong! It's Rita Eindsworth!"

The girl glared at him, and with great dissatisfaction, threw the hug she was carrying at Kiritani's side. The force was considerable, as if she was venting something, but Kiritani's arm completely blocked the damage.

Before Kirigaya could speak, Rita sat on the back of the motorcycle, leaning close to him and wrapping her arms around his waist, a beautiful yet bittersweet smile playing on her lips.

However, from Kiritani's perspective, he couldn't see it at all.

"Let's go, to your house!"

"Huh? What are you doing at my house? Didn't you come to see Mashiro?"

"Although my main purpose is still Mashiro, it's still early, and I'd like to visit your house!"

"You're such a hassle, woman!"