manga artist Kirito

Page 36

"Yeah, just like plants that are everywhere... Ugh!!"

Kirito looked at Kato Megumi with slight surprise. That analogy just now... was very true.

A girl named Kato Megumi does exist, but she is like a plant that can be seen everywhere; ordinary people may notice her, but they would never pay attention to her.

However, the way she said it...it just didn't quite feel right.

"I know," Kato Megumi nodded slightly, appearing very serene.

“That’s true. No one knows you better than the person in question.” Kirito chuckled softly. “For example, when I’m not talking, who would know that I’m an erotic artist who’s always spouting dirty jokes… most people would still think I’m a well-read scholar.”

Incidentally, a notebook is also a type of book.

Then... the air fell silent.

A problem! This is the first time Kirito has encountered such a situation, and he can't find any topics to talk about.

Although he wasn't quite familiar with Kato Megumi yet, in terms of eloquence, even Kasumigaoka Utaha and Yukino Yukinoshita, those two vipers, couldn't compare to Kirito. However... Kirito really couldn't find any topics to chat about with Kato Megumi right now.

"Is it hard?"

Terrible lines.

"...It's alright." Kirito finished the remaining half bottle of coffee. The feeling of not knowing what to say was really, really, really uncomfortable, but it also showed how powerful Kato Megumi was.

"It seems that Kirito-san's memory is really bad." Kato Megumi shifted her gaze, looked at Kirito for a moment, and then looked away. "I reminded Kirito-san not to forget my name last Sunday."

Wow! He actually said so much in one go!

Speaking of which, last Sunday... was when Asuna held her book signing event, right? Kato Megumi did seem to show up, and she even asked me to write something on the pages while she was signing...

"Feel sorry!"

"Well, that's just how Kirigaya-kun is, so I guess I should get used to it."

His tone and expression remained unchanged, still as calm as water, but Kirito sensed a hint of helplessness in his voice.

"...Uh, I'll remember this time." Kirito scratched his head awkwardly, feeling that Kato Megumi was really amazing.

"Oh right, just call me Kirigaya, or Kazuto. Of course, you can call me Kirito if you prefer."

“Okay, Kirito-kun.” After a few seconds of silence, Kato Megumi nodded almost imperceptibly, then took out her phone from her pocket to check the time. “Well then, I look forward to seeing you again next time, Kirito-kun, and hoping you’ll still remember my name.”

"...I'm not so quick to forget."

"Goodbye."

A girl named Kato Megumi gradually disappeared.

094

[NO.92 Tiger Tooth Tears Are More Effective (Fifth Update)]

Physical education class is far from over...

Aside from a few people who wanted to put a sack over the PE teacher and beat him up, Kirito actually quite liked PE class. After all, he could watch the boys and girls exuberantly displaying their youth, and the girls who wore clothes that revealed their snow-white thighs and whose panties would be exposed with just a little exercise...

Of course, you can ignore some thick legs; cute little chubby legs can sometimes be quite nice, whether or not you're wearing white stockings.

Sometimes I really wonder if the chairman designed the sportswear this way on purpose.

Kirito enjoys sports, so his fingers are very dexterous and his nerve reflexes are incredibly sharp—yes, we're talking about games here.

Perhaps one day you'll feel like taking a break, having some tea and contemplating life, or going out for a walk, doing some outdoor exercise, or going up the mountain to see some special scenery... But in the end you'll find that, damn it, staying at home and playing video games is still the most fun.

By the way, I want to gain weight.

During the still-ongoing gym class, Kirito watched as Ryunosuke, who had run 500 meters in about three minutes and was eventually taken to the infirmary by several classmates, offered his condolences and added a touch of worry to his already distressed state. If he remembered correctly, those two gentlemen who had been hiding in the corner engaging in their "pure transaction" earlier were among them... He prayed that Ryunosuke wouldn't be harmed.

Kirito tossed the empty coffee can into the trash can and clapped his hands. "Strictly speaking, it's not like I don't know anything about sports. At least I'm pretty good at tennis... If I could wield two rackets, I'd be invincible. After all, I can execute Starlight Style combos with two wooden swords, so why couldn't I do it with two rackets!"

"But..." Kirito's expression returned to calm, but he looked somewhat worried. "I can't find an opponent who can match me. Life is truly as lonely as snow."

Kato Megumi just left, Ryunosuke was sent to the infirmary not long ago, and Eriri is even worse... She didn't even come to gym class!

Can I take a long leave of absence to be considered as being physically weak? Then why did Ryunosuke fall on the track? That's too much... I really want to stay in the infirmary and enjoy the air conditioning too.

"Speaking of which, why are all the gym uniforms in school green?" Kirito looked at the female classmates in front of him, who were spraying bodily fluids... I mean, sweating profusely. "Don't any of you like Shintaro's red gym uniform like me?"

"Hey, Kirigaya, wanna play tennis?"

"……what?"

Looking at the male classmate in front of him, Kirito made a disgusted face. Who are you? We don't think we know each other, do we?

"There are three of us here. Bring your flowers and we can start doubles mode."

"...Don't drag me along." Kirito smirked. "On such a hot day, only someone with a screw loose would go out and play tennis under the scorching sun."

While I'm confident in my tennis skills, I'm not gay, so why would I participate in a sport full of gay men engaging in ambiguous relationships? However, as a creator, I'm definitely a bit out of my mind…

After weighing the racket in his hand, Kirito gestured for his teammate to step aside and let the opponent serve, saying, "Come on, let's begin."

"Hey, Kirigaya, I've never seen you play tennis much before. Want me to give you a two-point handicap?"

Screw you! You invited me even though you knew I didn't play tennis much before?

"Let's let you win... Sorry, you only have three goals!"

"Is it that terrifying?!" The man jumped high and served the ball with the most standard form.

"Sure enough, it's still too sunny. Let's go sit in the infirmary for a while... But, it'll hurt a bit if I get hit, right?" Kirito took a wrong step and awkwardly swung his racket.

Then, the very outgoing classmate caught the tennis ball with his face... his forehead.

"...It seems quite different from what I imagined?"

……

Infirmary

"Teacher, is this student's forehead alright?" Kirito looked at the boy who had just invited him to play tennis with a very worried expression. If Kirito didn't not even know the boy's name yet, he probably would have believed that the boy was very worried about him.

"The forehead is just a scrape..." The female school nurse hesitated for a few seconds before taking her time to speak, "but the right calf seems to be twisted quite badly..."

"You must have accidentally fallen and bumped into something. You're so careless." Kirito shook his head slightly at his classmate lying on the hospital bed. "Don't play tennis anymore. It's too dangerous and not suitable for a good kid like you."

You might not believe it, but Kirito really didn't do anything. He didn't hit the ball on the forehead when the opponent was taunting him, nor did he hit the ball at the feet with the second shot. He fell down simply because he wanted to catch the ball with his face...

Do you think you're a great hero of the East?

"Well then, I'll leave this student to you, teacher!" Kirito walked slowly out of the infirmary and headed towards the manga club room. "The plan was to have him hit the ball back at me so I could sit in the infirmary, but I didn't expect him to be so kind as to catch the ball with his face... He really knows what I'm thinking."

Good people are safe for their lives!

"So, why are you here?" Before he could take two steps, Kirito saw Eriri sitting at the top of the stairs. At this moment, the loser looked like she had been bullied by a stray cat.

"Kasumigaoka Utaha, you actually mocked me on the chat app!" Eriri made a super fierce expression, but unfortunately, not only did it not show any intimidation, it also looked a bit cute... well, especially the fangs at the corners of her mouth.

There's a saying that tiger teeth can harm men, but in reality, tiger teeth can also be used for fighting.

So, Sawamura-kun, you can actually use your Tiger Fang advantage to fight Kasumigaoka Utaha; it'll give you a boost! For example, a bleeding buff...

The drawing board she was holding was pressed against her barren chest, and from Kirito's angle, you could see a tiny bit of cleavage—as expected, Yukino Yukinoshita had no chance of winning.

"It's strange, don't you know Kasumigaoka Utaha before?"

"Who, who would know her? This sharp-tongued woman... a fat woman in black stockings, with such a vulgar bust..." Eriri lowered her head and glanced at her slightly heaving chest, and the last sentence was spoken in a very soft voice, so soft that even Kirito couldn't hear it.

"I see..." Kirito raised an eyebrow with a slightly subtle feeling. According to Kasumigaoka Utaha's personality, she wouldn't reveal her venomous and cunning side unless she was very familiar with Eriri. But Eriri was now clearly saying that she didn't know her before... In other words, Kasumigaoka Utaha had become so familiar with Eriri that they could exchange chat numbers in less than two or three days after joining the manga club...

It seems... Eriri has quite the charm.

"The cherry blossoms are about to fade, and lilies are blooming at the foot of Brokeback Mountain... Young girl, you must learn to cherish them!"

"What nonsense are you spouting, you idiot!?"

095

[NO.93 I Want to Eat Eriri (Sixth Update)]

"The wind is quite noisy today..."

"..."

Seeing that Eriri ignored him, Kirito didn't pay much attention and continued, "Have you noticed how strange you've been lately? For example, when you're in the club, you're drawing and you're doing it perfectly fine, then suddenly you act like someone saw your panties and hurriedly put your sketchbook away. Is there something in there that you're ashamed to show..."

"Who, who, whose panties were seen? Shut up!" Her pretty face inexplicably turned red, and Eriri grinned, revealing sharp fangs. "I, I, I just... I don't want anyone to see me drawing doujinshi in the club!"

"Is that so..." Kirito smiled noncommittally, "But since you're determined to draw doujinshi during club activities, then don't worry about being discovered. Your club is full of people in the industry anyway, and besides... why worry about being discovered when you're drawing doujinshi based on your own skills?"

"You dare to spout nonsense? Do you not want to see the manuscript anymore or what?"

"...Shut up, mind your own business!" Eriri turned away, not daring to look at Kirito's face. "I just don't want you guys to see me drawing doujinshi, is that so wrong!?"

I can't exactly tell you that I saw a work on Twitter that was perfect as the protagonist of a doujinshi, so I tore up the script and artwork that I had been preparing for a long time, and then drew the artwork while doing club activities in order to meet the deadline.

Although there's still plenty of time left for the CM convention, everyone has their lazy moments, and this is especially true for creators... One lazy moment might cause them to fall behind on their manuscripts.

"It's not like we didn't see you drawing it." Muttering to himself, Kirito yawned slightly. "By the way, which work is this doujinshi you're preparing?"

Since it was still during class time, apart from the students in the classroom having PE class, there were no other people around. Therefore, Kirito didn't deliberately lower his voice too much when he was talking to Eriri about doujinshi.

"...What do you want to do?" Eriri held the sketchbook warily, her expression becoming increasingly strange, as if she had done something wrong and was about to be discovered. Her eyes kept shifting, and she dared not look directly at Kirito.

"You!" Kirito answered without hesitation, "You've been acting weirder and weirder lately, you're definitely preparing something bad..."

"Uh, wait a minute..." Kirito's eyes showed a hint of fear. "You...you don't have an addiction to drawing tentacles, and now you want to draw Cthulhu? No wonder...no wonder you've been acting strange lately, it's because your sanity has dropped."

"Who, who's addicted to drawing tentacles?! You pervert! Don't talk to me about these weird things at school!" Even sitting on the steps, Eriri's furious outburst didn't hinder her from unleashing her ponytail slash.

Eriri's golden twin tails lashed out at Kirito's face like streaks of light, but he calmly leaned back, perfectly dodging her combo. However, Eriri did not give up on killing Kirito and continued her pursuit.

"..." Aki Tomoya, who came out from around the corner, watched Eriri chase Kirito away with her sketchbook. His face was ashen, as if he had been punched in the face. Normally, he could talk non-stop for an entire afternoon, but at this moment, he couldn't utter a single word.

Seemingly somewhat unwilling, Aki Tomoya clenched his fist, let out a breath, shook his head, and walked to the side.

……

"What's this?" After stopping the playful chase, Kirito grabbed a piece of drawing paper that had flown out of Eriri's sketchbook and asked curiously.

"Eek! Give it back... You pervert! Give it back right now!" Her face instantly turned as red as if her period had just started, and Eriri reached out to snatch the drawing paper back, only to have Kirito press her head down with one hand...

Eriri is the school's undisputed beauty, inheriting her mother's petite figure, as well as her mother's small breasts... cough, with her short arms and legs, she is currently being held down by Kirito, unable to reach the hand that Kirito is raising high.

"Eh, this character design looks so familiar..." Although the sunlight made it a little blurry, Kirito was absolutely certain that he recognized her. "Wow, Eriri, you... you actually... you're planning to make Kasumigaoka-senpai the heroine of your doujinshi?!"

Yes, the figure on the drawing paper bears a striking resemblance to Kasumigaoka Utaha, at least 70% similarity, and is wearing black stockings while stepping on the eaves... unfortunately, not panties.

"Society is truly treacherous... Kasumigaoka-senpai is just habitually sarcastic, I never expected you to draw her as the protagonist of a doujinshi... I never knew you were like this, Riko!"

"...Huh?" Eriri stared blankly at Kirito, blinking in confusion. "My protagonist is Kasumigaoka Utaha?"

What does it have to do with her?

"Please forgive my previous disrespect!" With a very sincere expression, Kirito released his hand from Eriri's head, then solemnly bowed to Eriri, holding the drawing paper in both hands. "Please let me see the doujinshi first after it's finished—Eri-sama!"

"...Riri, Riri, what Riri God, call me by my name properly!" Eriri's eyebrows twitched, but for some reason, she didn't riot. She just raised her voice, snatched the drawing paper, and quickly put it back in her sketchbook.

Seeing Kirito's sincere expression, Eriri slowly breathed a sigh of relief. What a close call... she almost got caught.

"While I've also considered drawing doujinshi of my senior, it's just a thought. To draw something you want to draw just like that... is truly admirable. Please allow me to call you 'Pear God'!" Kirito declared righteously. Let me wait and see. After Kasumigaoka Utaha discovers you, will you be tormented by a two-headed dragon or by those long, black-stockinged legs?

I'm getting more and more excited...

"...Uh, no way!" Eriri, clutching the sketchbook tightly and fearing a repeat of what had just happened, refused Kirito's request without hesitation. "This is my secret weapon, the weapon I use to win against you! How could I let you see it before I win against you?"

Well, Eriri's feelings are really complicated right now, especially after Kirito said that the drawings in the sketchbook are a secret weapon... It seems like she's been infected with a bit of his shamelessness...?

"That's such a shame..." Like a believer who couldn't get divine favor, Kirito shook his head in disappointment, but actually... he wanted to eat Eriri!

What a disgrace! There's no stakes in this competition, why are you so concerned? If you had bet your virginity, I could understand why you're so worried, but you didn't bet anything!

096

[NO.94 Illustrators and Writers (Seventh Update)]

A person's bottom line is like the sun; at certain times, it will suppress the moon and slap it down. But when that bottom line is almost exhausted, it will let the moon take over...

Similarly, as a doujinshi artist, Eriri may be tsundere, but she actually has an unfathomable bottom line—why does this sound weirder and weirder?

It is known that Eriri actually did not intend to draw any doujinshi featuring Kasumigaoka Utaha. Kasumigaoka Utaha would at most annoy Eriri, but not to the point that Eriri would be so angry as to draw a doujinshi of her to vent her anger. Even if she did draw it... Eriri would never sell it.

What I mean is—this drawing of Kasumigaoka Utaha was just something Eriri drew because she was too bored during class. Actually, you can tell from her normal attire that it's just a sketch.

As for the doujinshi used to win the CM exhibition... Eriri wouldn't be so stupid as to expose it to Kirito if she were a pineapple bun.

However, every argument with Kasumigaoka Utaha ends with Eriri stomping her feet in frustration. But what can she do? Eriri isn't an artist like Kirito who's good with words, so she can't even compete with a writer when it comes to verbal sparring...