manga artist Kirito

Page 25

"Oh! The train has arrived!" Upon hearing the announcement that drowned out the noisy conversations, Kirito, who was gesturing towards the cherry blossom tree next to him, immediately relaxed.

As we all know, waiting is very difficult, so most people will find something to do while waiting, such as playing games or reading books, to pass the time.

However, Asuna, who was leaning on his shoulder, was engrossed in reading a book, and it was the one that was supposedly abandoned, "Black Album." Kirito found it strange that Yoko and Asuna both liked reading this book. It was just a work that focused on the study of appearances, and there were already works that focused on seasonal themes.

However, since Asuna is focused on reading, the task of keeping an eye on the station's passenger exits must be left to him.

Before hearing the station announcement, Kirito happened to notice that the cherry blossoms falling at a speed of five centimeters per second were quite a beautiful sight. If he hadn't forgotten his sketchbook, he probably would have drawn the scene by now. For this reason, Kirito could only gesture with his hands and forcefully memorize the scene.

Okay, I know what you're wondering is—why not take pictures, right?

For artists, the sense of presence in a painting is completely different from painting a landscape they have seen in person, rather than taking a lot of photos to copy. Perhaps to others it is just a trivial matter, but for artists, more artists still choose to paint on the spot.

Of course, if we're talking about what's reasonable and effective, taking photos is indeed more convenient.

But no matter who someone is, they will always have a kind of persistence that is incomprehensible to ordinary people.

Having roughly internalized the image, Kirito pinched Asuna's cheek and gently tugged at it, immediately earning a glare from her. "What do you want to do?"

"Are you hopelessly obsessed with the study of appearances?" Kirito took the book from Asuna and placed a bookmark on the current page. "Just now, the announcement said that the train carrying Shiina Mashiro had arrived at the station, but you didn't seem to hear it at all... Careless? How can anyone entrust their daughter to you if you're so unreliable?"

Wait a minute, something feels off about this. Is it just my imagination?

"Oh, didn't I tell you?" Asuna tilted her head slightly, a little puzzled. "I just texted Mashiro, telling her which way to look after she exits. And I also told her to call me when she gets off the train."

You never said that! Looking at the mischievous look in Asuna's pretty eyes, Kirito grinned slightly. I think Asuna might have gone astray. I really shouldn't have let her watch those "face studies" videos.

"Besides, I'm the most reliable girl among the younger generation in our family. No one will worry if I take care of Mashiro."

Huh? Is that so? Kirito opened his mouth, though he didn't really want to criticize his girlfriend, but Asuna, you're probably the most unreliable one, right? Think about how old we were when we met, and how long have we been dating...

If Shiina Mashiro's family found out that you rented a room right across from your boyfriend, they might send someone to take Shiina Mashiro, the ultimate painter, back home right now.

……and many more!

Suddenly, Kirito inexplicably thought of a doujinshi: an innocent girl who trusted the person who helped her, after staying at the house of the person who had helped her... was forced to spend day and night!

Wow! Art really does imitate life. If it weren't for Asuna, wouldn't Shiina Mashiro, with her twisted logic, be getting slapped day and night?

"Ouch!" Kirito snapped back to reality at the slight pain in his forehead. At that moment, Asuna, with a slightly raised eyebrow and a hint of displeasure in her eyes, was also staring at him. "You're practically oozing malice. Watch your step!"

Sure enough, women have a high chance of having superpowers. For example, Hiratsuka Shizuka has superhuman strength, Akane Kousaka has mind-reading ability, Eriri has the ability to cut her ponytail, Kasumigaoka Utaha... Well, this one doesn't have superpowers, she just has a bad temper, and Asuna probably has the legendary seventh sense!

With a helpless expression, Asuna pinched Kirito's arm, not too hard, and then her gaze shifted to see a familiar figure walking out of the passenger exit. However, she was a little surprised to find that someone was with her.

Mashiro...made a friend!?

Asuna's feelings were a bit complicated, a mixture of happiness and a little worry.

"...So you didn't come alone." Kirito narrowed his eyes slightly, glanced at Asuna's somewhat complicated expression, then took out his phone from his pocket and took a picture of Shiina Mashiro's location. His main target was actually the older woman next to Shiina Mashiro. Then he frantically pressed the buttons on his phone, and a series of garbled characters appeared.

So, we'll figure it out soon enough.

"Let's go over there!" As the expressionless girl walked over, Asuna grabbed Kirito's hand and quickly walked over.

Her eyes were so clear, and her face was so expressionless, she looked like a porcelain doll... I don't think she's very suitable to be the female lead in a novel, she looks too easy to break.

Sigh, my thoughts just wandered off instinctively, please don't mind it.

"Long time no see, you're so fair-skinned!"

Seeing Asuna let go of his hand and hug the girl who seemed indifferent to everything tightly, Kirito felt a strange toothache. He could also see that this girl, who possessed many attributes, also had the attribute of being emotionless and detached.

"Mmm," Shiina Mashiro nodded slightly, her voice rising and falling slightly, probably from the joy of seeing a long-lost relative.

Well, Kirito isn't unfamiliar with girls who seem to have a "three-no" personality (no emotions, no feelings, no attitude), but the one he remembers most clearly is Qin Xin... I mean, Kato Megumi!

Both had expressionless faces and monotone voices, but Kirito still thought Kato Megumi was cuter because... Kato Megumi had expressions!

Kirito remembered that when Kato Megumi was unhappy, she would puff out her cheeks slightly.

As for Shiina Mashiro... let's wait until she shows an expression before we talk about it.

Seeing Asuna smiling and rubbing his head after they parted, Kirito wondered if her maternal instincts had kicked in.

At that moment, Shiina Mashiro tilted her head and looked at Kirito.

"Hello, I'm Kiritani Kazuto!"

Kirito: Your name...

P.S.: Asuna seems to be under a lot of pressure...

Okay, I'm super cute, please give me a vote!

066

[NO.65 First impressions are often the opposite of reality]

Subtitle: Mashiro-chan's Low-Scoring Start

Instead of the expected answer, the girl simply tilted her head in surprise at Kirito's outstretched hand.

As a result, the atmosphere became awkward.

Kirito can say with absolute certainty that he would never assume the worst about someone he has just met or is about to meet. But you neither respond nor extend a hand, which puts him in a difficult position! However, given that the other person's thought process might be like a magical circuit of ribbon cables, Kirito feels there's no need to say something like, "You can't even pay attention to basic manners, and you're unwilling to die, which makes me very dissatisfied!"

Since no self-introduction was given in the first place, Kirito felt that continuing would only make things more awkward. So he reiterated—I, Kirito, am not a masochist!

First impressions are very important between people. Even though Kirito already knew a little about this girl, it didn't stop him from giving the genius painter a low rating. It wasn't that Kirito lacked tolerance.

Some might say that geniuses are different from ordinary people, whether in their way of thinking or their behavior. But can someone who can't do anything but draw, and doesn't even understand simple interpersonal communication, really be compared to an ordinary person?

Ordinary people may not have the same level of expertise as geniuses in certain areas, but there is something called compatibility, like a memory card. A genius's memory is already occupied by what they are best at, leaving no room for anything else, while ordinary people can add anything to it, no matter what kind!

Having no social experience, no interpersonal communication...

Kirito is putting this out there—if Shiina Mashiro can actually draw good manga, I will absolutely never create any more erotic works again!

Withdrawing his hand, Kirito straightened his clothes, turned his head to look at Asuna, whose face was full of helplessness, and gave her a very direct look—it's not that I'm being rude, it's just that I haven't yet learned how to talk to someone with problems with their magic circuits.

Honestly, it doesn't seem like Asuna is getting a very worthwhile cat owner. Even if you have a cat, at least you get to pet it, stroke its fur, and squeeze its chubby paws...

However, before Asuna could speak, Shiina Mashiro, who had been silent and staring quietly at Kirito, slowly asked, "What color are you?"

His voice was magnetic and very pleasant to listen to.

"Bai!" Out of basic politeness, Kirito decided to forgive her for the time being and answer her inexplicable question.

I feel it's necessary to clarify that the "shiro" mentioned here is not Kirito mocking Shiina Mashiro.

Really, believe me!

She gave a barely perceptible nod, her face remaining expressionless, and then looked Kirito up and down again. "Why?"

After a moment of silence, just as Kirito was hesitating about whether to change his radio frequency to confront Shiina Mashiro, he received a look from Asuna. He pursed his lips slightly, thinking, "If you ask 'why' again later, I'll send you a hardcore humiliation doujinshi by the genius erotic loli Eriri."

"White! It may be easily covered by other colors, but rather it has a stronger inclusiveness, which can blend many colors together, and will cover all colors when needed! For example, if you give a painter a blank sheet of paper, he can give you a lifelike world!"

Give me a blank sheet of paper, and I can make you stain it with a muddy white color.

"Understood!" To Kirito's surprise, Shiina Mashiro's voice carried a strange firmness this time, but Kirito now clearly understood how troublesome this girl was and had no intention of getting entangled with her any further.

Honestly, if it were someone like Hiratsuka Shizuka, Eriri, or Kasumigaoka Utaha, Kirito could talk to them for ages using all sorts of grammar, without even taking a break. But the girl in front of him just doesn't fit his mindset, and her personality means she can't joke around... because she probably doesn't even know what a joke is, or worse—what do you mean?

Like a server that needs maintenance, Kirito is in this situation now. Not only can he not get rich by maintaining it, but he has also reached the point where the server wants him dead, and he has no choice but to die.

Life... don't keep raping me!

“…Hmm, let’s go back.” Asuna, who hadn’t been able to get a word in edgewise, sighed softly. She knew Shiina Mashiro and Kirito’s personalities very well, so she naturally understood what had just happened.

That awkward personality of his is showing again...

"Okay," Kirito said as he walked to Asuna's side. He reached out and pulled the suitcase that Asuna had somehow ended up in her hands. He had no idea what was inside, but the weight was astonishing. Luckily, the suitcase had wheels, otherwise Kirito would have to carry it all the way back... Let's calculate how much it would cost to take a taxi.

As Kirito pulled up his suitcase, Shiina Mashiro stared at him, her expression quite inexplicable. Confusion and contemplation flashed in her eyes from time to time, as if Kirito's words just now contained a huge amount of information. She only looked away when Asuna took her hand to go home.

Since the apartment wasn't too far from the station, only a ten-minute walk, the three of them didn't take a taxi and chose to walk back slowly. Asuna would often remain silent, only turning around to nod or give a curt "hmm" when Asuna was introducing some areas to her.

It's hard to imagine that someone as gentle as Asuna could have such a good relationship with someone whose personality is completely opposite... complementary?

Raising his eyebrows slightly, Kirito followed behind the two girls, pulling his heavy suitcase. His steps slowed again, because the girls ahead were just too slow... Time is money, my friends! Do I have to stick two red horns on your heads before you'll cherish time?

He took out his phone and tapped the screen. A cute little girl, who looked like a desktop pet, seemed to have discovered something. She suddenly pressed her face against the phone screen and slightly raised the corners of her mouth. However, after seeing Kirito's expression, which was no different from usual, she pouted.

With the occasional appearance of intelligent AI like Maid-chan when Kirito is engrossed in drawing, Kirito has long been accustomed to seeing animated characters when he turns on his phone or computer.

"Any progress?" Kirito asked the AI ​​he had created, keeping his voice as low as possible.

"Yes~"

Kato Megumi is too strong, let's weaken Mashiro.

Please feed them!

067

[NO.66 Kirito: I might be a good person]

To be honest, Kirito felt that the apartment building he lived in was getting stranger and stranger, especially this floor. Before Kirito moved in, there were only Hachiman and Yukino Yukinoshita. Yes, there were only the two of them on this floor. But ever since Kirito brought Ryunosuke in, this floor has become a bit like the student dormitory of Soubu High School - the kind of super luxurious suite.

Now with Asuna and Shiina Mashiro added... Sure enough, this place will become Soubu High School's student dormitory sooner or later, right?

Kirito glanced sideways at the girl sitting opposite him, staring at him expressionlessly. He twitched his lips. Had this girl figured something out? Staring at me like that... was she thinking about when to get rid of me from Asuna's side?

Speaking of which, Asuna is still the top yuri author in Shinazugawa Bunko. Although I don't know why Asuna doesn't write normal stories, Shiina Mashiro is Asuna's childhood friend, plus that peculiar thought process... maybe it's really possible?

No! I'm definitely overthinking it!

It was after dinner time. Although Akina had planned to host a welcome dinner for Shiina Mashiro and invite her neighbors, or rather, Shiina Mashiro's future classmates and seniors, over to meet them, Hachiman, Yukinoshita, and Ryunosuke had already eaten dinner and only came over for a short while before leaving.

After all... it's not that there's nothing to say, it's that there's simply nothing to say.

Ryunosuke is alright; he suffers from gynophobia, so he'd be more than happy if Shiina Mashiro didn't talk to him. Yukinoshita and Hachiman are also incredibly awkward people, so it's impossible for them to use their enthusiasm to move Shiina Mashiro and get her to talk more, whether from the former or the latter perspective.

However, while this place can be considered the student dormitory of Soubu High School, it can also be seen as a concentration camp of oddballs in some ways. Kirito's peculiar personality, lack of morals, and unfathomable bottom line go without saying. Ryunosuke... Hachiman's pursuit of the power of solitude, Yukino Yukinoshita's absolute correctness, and Shiina Mashiro's oddballism.

What to do? It seems like I'm the only one who isn't weird! — Yuuki Asuna

No, perhaps Asuna wasn't quite normal when Kirito started drawing her doujinshi, after all, having a boyfriend who draws her doujinshi... that's quite unusual too.

Oh right, you might not believe it, but that doujinshi was actually a yuri doujinshi featuring Asuna and Suguha.

Pushing up his black-rimmed glasses, Kirito straightened up from his slumped position and sat on the sofa, casually closing the paperback in his hand. Asuna was currently packing or arranging the things from Shiina Mashiro's suitcase into the closet, and had gently told Kirito before she started.

"—Let's get along well!"

I'm sorry! It's not that I don't want to, it's just that people who can't communicate normally are really too difficult to get along with.

Perhaps the emotionless type is cute, but the gentle type like Asuna is definitely more likable.

Yes, that's always been Kirito's opinion.

"...Undoubtedly, I am very handsome, maybe even cuter than you, but that's no reason for you to stare at me." Kirito placed the paperback on the coffee table and said with some emotion. "However, there's one thing I need to tell you: in the future, when you stare at someone, your eyes should at least show a slight flicker of emotion, whether it's something you don't understand, or shyness... well, you wouldn't understand anyway, so just blink a couple more times and roll your eyes when you're staring at someone."

"...Why?" Shiina Mashiro tilted her head expressionlessly, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes.

"Just like you need to have tissues and batteries when watching a movie, if you've been staring at someone for so long, at least do something to make them feel satisfied."

"Ah."

Kirito stared indifferently at Shiina Mashiro, his expression gradually turning serious. "You might not believe it, but being a man of few words is utterly useless. Someone like you won't get fed!"

"Feeding?" Stunned, this somewhat unfamiliar term struck her as odd. What did being sparing with words have to do with feeding?

"Yeah, if you don't talk much, who knows if there's something wrong with your mouth? If so, you won't be able to eat the good food you're given." Kirito looked seriously at Shiina Mashiro, who finally showed some expression. "So, you should go up to people and say something..."

"What should we say up there?"

A voice so gentle it was almost frightening. Kirito smiled calmly, turned around, and immediately saw Asuna's kind face. Without hesitation, he said, "Of course—please feed me, yes, don't pat me!"

"Ah~ That's great!" Asuna gently rubbed Kirito's head with a smile that contained an extremely terrifying intimidation. "When we first met, you were clearly looking down on this kind of rude and airheaded person, but now you can talk to him so quickly."

No, no, no! It was far from a conversation; it was more like I was educating her about the dangers of society and... the great terror of words!

For example, why do we pat the baby when feeding them? If we adjust the baby's position so that they are facing away from us, since a person has more than one mouth, we can feed them from above and below—then we can perfectly understand why we need to pat them while feeding them!

Yes, please don't pat the other person's butt! Life is like that, so please don't ask others to feed you. Of course, she doesn't mind if you do whatever you want.

Although Asuna's caresses were gentle, Kirito didn't feel any enjoyment because the subsequent taps were quite painful.

"...and people don't like me."

In a very strange turn of events, while Kirito was pondering when Asuna had started hearing him speak, the usually silent girl surprisingly uttered a sentence that was longer than five words.

It's absolutely shocking!

Furthermore, even literally speaking, Shiina Mashiro's words are highly... misleading.