manga artist Kirito

A smile spread across Kiritani's face.

P.S.: Please feed them...!

234

【NO.231 Titles are such a hassle】

Coffee shops near the apartment...

Kiritani-san, clutching his head, slumped onto the table, looking a bit of a headache. Asuna sat beside him, chatting and laughing with Kasumigaoka Utaha, though their conversation was a little awkward.

—And it's a topic that Kiritani-san doesn't want to recall.

It was clear that Asuna's feelings were even more complex than Kiritani's at this moment.

Well, my boyfriend... cooked for another girl...

Isn't that strange?

Although Asuna doesn't really care about this kind of thing, she still feels a little uncomfortable... no, it's more accurate to say that she feels bad.

Of course, Asuna also knew that Kiritani-san had only promised Machida-sensei to help take care of Kasumigaoka and wouldn't have too many thoughts about it—if she did, she'd be dead!

Naturally, Kasumigaoka Utaha was also feeling particularly strange, with a strange sense of guilt, almost like someone who had reached out and stolen food from the table before the meal was served.

I'm so envious, she's so fair-skinned...

Kiritani-san reached out and patted Shiina Mashiro's head, who was sitting on his other side. A head that doesn't have to think about anything, a mind that doesn't care about anything, it's truly enviable...

Shiina Mashiro paused, looking up slightly with a hint of confusion in her eyes. After a moment's thought, she placed the half-eaten Baumkuchen in front of Kiritani-san. "Hey..."

"No need, you eat." Kiritani-san was deeply moved by the simple act of sharing the food—although Shiina Mashiro needed a lot of care, she didn't have to worry about her too much in many ways, which was really reassuring!

"Ah, why hasn't the blonde twin-tailed girl arrived yet? We've been waiting for so long." Taking a sip of her coffee, Kasumigaoka Utaha shifted her gaze to the window, changing the subject as she did so.

"Eh? Golden hair and twin tails... does that refer to Sawamura-kun?" Asuna looked at Kasumigaoka Utaha strangely. She had sensed it before; Kasumigaoka seemed to be like Yukinoshita-kun, liking to give others strange nicknames...

“Ah, that’s right, it’s her.” Kasumigaoka Utaha turned around and smiled gently. “After all, her defining feature is her blonde twin tails, it couldn’t be more obvious.”

"...That's a really strange way of addressing you." Asuna shook her head slightly, indicating that she didn't understand your sharp tongue.

"Ha...! So you're here. I'm exhausted!" The sound of hurried footsteps and the golden-haired girl panting heavily, her pretty face slightly flushed, leaning on the table, with fine beads of sweat on her forehead, made it easy to tell that she had come all the way... well, by bicycle.

Kiritani-san saw it; it was the car parked outside.

However, it seems that Eriri is planning to hide this confident bicycle... Well, Eriri-chan, who still maintains the demeanor of a young lady on the surface, probably doesn't want anyone to see her riding a bicycle, right?

"Wipe your sweat." With her usual gentle smile, Asuna handed Eriri a wet wipe. "Would you like something to drink? I'll order for you."

"Ah... um, thank you, a fruit... cappuccino." Eriri paused slightly, but quickly realized what she wanted and blurted out what she wanted to drink. However, she then remembered that this was a coffee shop, and it would be strange to order juice here. So, she changed her mind without hesitation.

—Never search for "cappuccino" or watch the movie called "Cappuccino".

"Okay," Asuna nodded with a smile, then called over a waiter to order Eriri a cappuccino.

"Tsk, really... you actually made so many of us wait for you for so long, even the young lady..." Kasumigaoka Utaha originally wanted to retort to Eriri as usual, but she realized that all the girls present seemed to be young ladies except for herself...

"Can you please have a little sense of time? It's common sense to arrive at the agreed location five minutes in advance. Doesn't our minister understand that? Making so many members wait for you here."

"I...I, that's not true!" Eriri-san had just sat down when she heard Kasumigaoka Utaha's words, and she immediately became annoyed. But what he said seemed to be true; Eriri-san was indeed a little late...

"I... my home is quite far from here, it takes a lot of time to walk here... I... I did leave early, but... I just took the wrong turn..."

The more Eriri talked about how great it was, the less confident she became, and her voice grew softer and softer.

Actually, what Eriri really wanted to say was that she just didn't want the housekeeper or her mother to bring her here. It took her quite a while to find an excuse to get past her mother, who always overthinks things. Also, Eriri always felt that her mother might be following behind her... Ever since Kiritani-san visited her house last time, Eriri's mother's gaze towards her has become increasingly subtle.

...Hmm, it was like seeing his daughter finally grow up, a look of deep emotion in his eyes.

"Don't do that, Kasumigaoka." Kiritani waved his hand. "There's no point in being sarcastic and tsundere. Even if it's funny, it'll waste a lot of time listening to her stammering. And then you have to consider that she's an idiot who gets lost in her own yard. How about you be a little more understanding?"

"Well, since you've said so, teacher." Kasumigaoka Utaha shrugged, acting nonchalant, but in reality, her eyes narrowed and her legs, clad in black stockings, began to tremble—didn't I say you can just call me Utaha?

You clearly promised...

"You...! Damn it!" Eriri gritted her teeth, glaring at Kirito and Kasumigaoka. If she didn't have to worry about her image, she would have kicked them right then and there. These two...

But then again, does Eriri really have an image?

"Kazuto-kun, Kasumigaoka-kun," Asuna said with a smile, calling out the names of the two people who were chatting happily.

"Here I am!"

"……what?"

"Let's get down to business."

"OK, all right."

"I see."

……

Seeing the two suddenly fall silent, Eriri twitched the corner of her mouth. What... is going on?

Did Yuuki defeat and take control of Kasumigaoka without anyone noticing? Why is she so obedient?

“Well…” Asuna pushed the cappuccino that the waiter had brought to Eriri, then tapped the table, “I’m sure you all know about why I called everyone out this time.”

"—Regarding our short comic 'Dark Souls,' we received a message from a JUMP editor yesterday, and we agreed to meet today to discuss the future plans for this work."

"I want to know what everyone thinks about this work."

The aura she exuded was quite powerful. Although it wasn't intentional on her part, but rather something that she unintentionally displayed, it was enough to show that Asuna seemed to be very skilled in this area.

But that makes sense, since within her own company, Asuna's methods and work attitude are enough to earn the trust of her subordinates.

As for the planning, Asuna may already have a set of ideas in mind, but it just needs to be verified with everyone.

Even if a plan is perfectly executed, it's still just a plan if it can't be approved by everyone...

...Actually, this kind of thing was originally prepared by Kiritani-san, after all, he was the one who initiated the short manga, and he must have had the plan in place long ago. But for some reason, he suddenly handed it over to Asuna—perhaps he wanted to increase Asuna's presence?

“I don’t know…” Holding her coffee in both hands, Kasumigaoka Utaha stared at the heart-shaped pattern on it, her eyes slightly lost. In the end, she shook her head.

"Passing the preliminary selection was beyond my expectations. After all, I know how well I wrote the script in the first round, even though you made some revisions later, Yuki... But it would have been best to just hand the script over to you or the teacher to prepare it."

Yes, Kasumigaoka Utaha was created. This short manga could actually do without her as the original author... or rather, it would be better if she didn't exist.

"Of course, I won't deny what I did, but you guys can figure out the planning—um, just don't forget to take me with you."

With a slightly forced smile, Kasumigaoka Utaha looked at Asuna and smiled back.

"...Uh..." Asuna opened her mouth slightly, looking at Kasumigaoka Utaha, unsure of what to say.

After a moment's hesitation, Asuna finally spoke, "It's best if we don't deny what you did. After all, without Kasumigaoka-kun, we probably wouldn't have come up with such an interesting script. Besides, our manga club... is a team!"

“…Hmm.” Kasumigaoka Utaha pursed her lips, and the way she looked at Asuna started to look a little strange.

"Ahem, my words..." Eriri's lips twitched at the strange atmosphere. It was like a team from a large company discussing the future direction of a major project... Asuna was the team leader, and Kasumigaoka was the team member who messed things up.

"There's no detailed plan yet... Hmm, I intend to beat this guy at the CM exhibition, outsell him, and then make a decision..."

Looking at the lazy Kiritani-san, Eriri paused slightly, "However, judging from everyone's thoughts, this work shouldn't be abandoned so easily, right?"

"Yes, although I feel the chances are slim, I think this work actually has great potential. It just depends on whether it can cater to the readers' tastes." Asuna tapped her fair fingers on the table, recalling similar works. The manga industry... hasn't been completely dominated by moe (cute/moe) content yet, as long as it has its own unique features.

Moreover, the flaws in this work might not necessarily be a bad thing—it should be possible to turn the bad into the good.

"Well then, the decision... needs to be made. We need to sit down and meet with the editor this afternoon."

"...Think about it again?"

235

【NO.232 So handsome】

"Walking in the cold wind of a winter night, the scattered and shattered things are all dreams..."

Ah, I almost forgot it's summer, and I wasn't dreaming...

With a rather melancholy expression, Kiritani walked down the bustling street, and the passersby around him looked at him as if he were crazy.

"Hey, why do you think this is? I should be the core of the team, so why did it turn out like this?"

Kiritani Kazuto feels like his girlfriend stole the spotlight today...

"Hmm, I'd rather die than leave Asuna than be with someone."

"...No way, at most...at most I'll become a level nine cripple..."

Looking at Shiina Mashiro, who had been pondering for a long time before finally speaking, Kiritani-san scratched his head, ultimately unable to refute her with a straight face.

...It's time to explain the current situation.

Previously, they discussed the plans for the sprint manga written by the club in the coffee shop, and the general plan was finalized. Everyone's goals can be said to be the same, although the final result will not be available until after the CM exhibition ends - yes, that's right, it's about Eriri.

In Asuna's words, since it's a team effort, the subsequent creation of this manga is naturally indispensable, and no one from the manga department can be missing.

Therefore, we need to wait for Eriri's final answer.

However, at this stage, Eriri's thoughts are the same as everyone else's.

Furthermore, the final evaluation of the Grand Prize will take time, and this time is just for everyone to think about the future path of this work.

...Speaking of which, it seems that everyone around me is from this circle...The world is not that small, but we all happen to have gathered here. Fate is truly a wonderful thing.

Incidentally, Asuna, Kasumigaoka Utaha, and Eriri have already met with the editors at JUMP. I'm a little curious about their expressions and feelings when they find out this bizarre work is a collaboration of several well-known creators. And then... the main manga artists, Kiritani and Shiina Mashiro, didn't go...

You must be feeling really strange!

Kiritani-san twitched the corner of his mouth. "Now it's just the two of us. Mashiro, where do you want to go?"

“…Hmm?” The girl slightly raised her eyes, looked at the bustling street, and remained silent.

“…Okay, I’ve had enough of thinking you’d be decisive,” Kiritani-san rubbed his forehead. Maybe Shiina Mashiro would chime in on certain things—even if they were things Kiritani-san had said before—but to expect her to be decisive like that…I was really too naive.

"Let Asuna handle the manga. As for us... let's go for a walk in the nearby park. Staying home all day drawing manga? That's not going to work. And now that your work has been selected, Mashiro, you should relax a bit. There's no use worrying. How well it goes depends on whether your mindset can align with the editors."

“I…I’m not worried.” Shiina Mashiro tugged at Kiritani-san’s sleeve, her expression calm but extremely serious. “I just…think that people are so good at drawing manga…I want to be that good too.”

"I see..." After a moment of stunned silence, Kiritani smiled and reached out to pat Shiina Mashiro's head. "Effort and reward may not be proportional, but without effort, there will be nothing—but it's important to strike a balance between relaxation and moderation in all things."

Ah, this word only means the surface meaning; don't overthink it.

I have no idea what kind of relaxation would allow the Tao to be fully revealed... That word is so vulgar.

"Shall we go to the park?"

"Okay."

"We don't have Baumkuchen."

"OK."

The enthusiasm, which was not very obvious to begin with, died instantly.

"Just kidding." Looking at the girl with slightly pouting lips, Kiritani-san smiled mischievously. "We do have Baumkuchen, but it might not be sold at the park, so we need to go to a convenience store or supermarket before we go to the park."

"I'll share with everyone," Shiina Mashiro said generously.

Sharing is, in Shiina Mashiro's opinion, the best way to express feelings.

"Hey! I was the one who bought the Baumkuchen, and I paid for it too. I should be the one sharing it with you." Kiritani-san felt that her eldest daughter might have gone astray, probably because she hadn't taken good enough care of her... or perhaps, she had taken too good care of her.

"I'll eat first, so it's mine." Shiina Mashiro walked forward with small steps, appearing quite self-righteous.

"...As expected, he's gone astray." Kiritani-san couldn't help but cover his face. Sometimes, having too strong a learning ability isn't necessarily a good thing.

My eldest daughter, you must have been too observant and meticulous, that's why she turned out so badly...

But then again, that's a good thing, isn't it?

There's a convenience store right next door, and it's not far from Chiba's park... Rather than saying it was a recent decision, it's more like I subconsciously had the idea of ​​bringing Shiina Mashiro here for a walk.

"Hello, a box of Baumkuchen."

Standing in front of the counter, watching Shiina Mashiro already eating a torn-open package, and sensing the slightly annoyed look in the shop assistant's eyes, Kiritani-san couldn't help but feel a pang of melancholy.

I knew a while ago that I had to pay for things before I could eat them, so why am I eating first and worrying about it later now?

With me around, there's no need to worry about those things?

No, that would be bad...

Kiritani-san gave an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry."

"It's nothing..." The shop assistant shook his head and handed over a box of Baumkuchen. "I know Shiina's habits, but I think you should keep a close eye on her."