manga artist Kirito

Kiritani shook his head resolutely, "No, you are a burden I cannot bear."

Looking at the little girl who barely reached his chest, Kirigaya laughed heartlessly, but it sounded so grating to the little girl—some things are very much about compatibility, like Kirigaya and Asuna, which is a perfect example.

Kiritani-kun and Ayano-chan are probably like Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri – they get along alright, but I always feel like teasing her.

"Grind, grind, grind!" The little girl Ayano tried her best to endure the sound of grinding her teeth. "Then, hug me and let me sit on your arm."

"What exactly makes you think that my shoulders can't bear your weight, but my arms can? Do you think I have superhuman arms, or did you transplant Baozi's left hand?"

"Hehehe!!!" Ayano, the little loli, glared hatefully at Kiritani-kun.

So cute!

It's so cute when little girls throw tantrums!

Even though she's glaring at someone in anger, the addition of her puffed-out cheeks makes her look like she's trying to be cute.

Ah, speaking of which, I think I went to the park with Kato near the dojo last time, and we probably took some photo booth pictures there... I think?

"The background is ready!" Sinon smiled slightly, then pulled the little girl in front of her and picked her up with great difficulty.

"Um, are you okay?" Seeing Sinon's strained expression, Kiritani couldn't help but feel a little worried. "If you really can't manage, I'll take over. I was just joking earlier..."

"I don't want you, you pervert, to hug me!"

"If someone's nice to you, you're like a brother; if they're not, you're a pervert. I really wish you could learn how to absorb carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen!"

At the same time, Shiina Mashiro silently walked to Kiritani's side, hugged his arm, and rested her head on his shoulder, clearly preparing to take a photo in this pose.

As the synthesized sound began and the flashbulbs went off continuously, Kiritani-kun uttered this remark.

...Indeed, it feels subtly strange.

"Alas……!"

Looking at the photo, Kirigaya's expression became somewhat puzzled. Asada Shino was holding the little Ayano, while Kirigaya stood beside her, his arm tightly clasped by Shiina Mashiro...

It should have felt like a family gathering.

However, the problem lies in Asada Shino's expression, that forced smile—like a wife who has witnessed her husband's infidelity, especially since her cheating husband is flirting with his mistress right next to her... She can only hold her child and force a smile.

So real!

Kiritani's lips twitched slightly; sometimes, he really didn't want such a strong ability to make connections.

Fortunately, apart from the first one, none of the subsequent photos have such a strong artistic conception.

This is... so melodramatic.

"What are your plans after this?" Kiritani asked, casually picking out a few photos and handing the rest to Sinon, whose face was inexplicably flushed.

"No, I just wanted to take a walk around the park." Shino looked at the photo booth picture in her hand, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"I see..." Kiritani nodded thoughtfully.

"So, does Kiritani-san have any other plans?"

"Well, it's getting late, we should go home."

Forced...awkward conversation?

Seeing Kiritani's matter-of-fact expression, Sinon's eyebrows twitched slightly. How did this guy... find a girlfriend?

This kind of communication style clearly leads to a life of being single forever!

"I'm curious, Kiritani-san, how did you manage to win over Yuuki-san?"

"what?"

What is the problem?

Kiritani looked completely bewildered, especially after noticing that Shiina Mashiro was also giving him a puzzled look, which made him feel incredibly awkward.

"There's no need to overthink things like this—of course, they just inexplicably ended up together."

Kiritani recalled the past, "We didn't go through a lot like in those romantic comedies in light novels. It was a simple encounter, a period of time spent together, and occasional arguments, but they never lasted long... Looking back, it does feel a bit inexplicable, but nothing really needs a reason, especially love—you just like someone!"

"……I see."

With an expression that said, "I still don't understand," Asada Shino gave a reluctant response.

P.S.: I haven't been feeling well lately, and I'm experiencing writer's block...

Chapter Two will be later...

239

【NO.236 Placement Play】

Although I feel like I've already said it, I'll say it again here.

In fact, love is made up of trivial things.

Unnecessary inner turmoil, unnecessary anxiety, futile struggles, a pointless ending—but who can say those are all pointless?

Life, in fact, all comes together from those meaningless things...

…………

We parted ways, even though it was still early.

However, Kiritani-kun didn't have the energy to play anymore. Although Ayano was cute, she was a bit temperamental—the soft and cute Silica was definitely better.

Of course, it's not that Kirito-kun dislikes this cute little girl, but he feels that her growth in this way is consistent with Eriri's personality.

Ah, I haven't seen any tsundere side in her yet. Compared to Eriri, she's incredibly frank.

On his way home, Kiritani stopped by the supermarket. Although he was forbidden from entering the kitchen, there were still some things he needed to buy. Kiritani didn't need to worry about the ingredients, since Asuna was used to preparing them before going home. However, sometimes she would forget to buy some seasonings.

In addition, even if we don't have many guests, we still need to prepare some tea and such...

After finishing his shopping, Kiritani-kun saw that talkative middle-aged woman again, and as always, she launched into a long-winded explanation as soon as she saw him…

Trying to let this nonsense go in one ear and out the other, Kiritani remained silent, showing no intention of saying a word...

To be honest, I've never really liked talking too much with older people—not that I hate it, but I just feel that my left ear is closer to my heart, and if I accidentally cause their heart to stop beating, that would be a huge problem.

"Ah, what a coincidence, with you, my lord!"

"...Yes, it was a coincidence."

Just a few steps out of the supermarket, Kiritani Kazuto heard a familiar voice, and the greeting he had heard twice today.

To be honest, I usually go out alone and come back alone, except when I'm with Asuna. I never run into anyone I know along the way. But this summer... does that mean I can call myself a person with a lot of friends now?

Kato Megumi is a girl who knows how to dress well, although her presence hasn't increased much because of it—this is evident from her past.

Of course, Kato Megumi's presence has indeed increased a lot recently, and her outfits have become increasingly cute—it has nothing to do with the added pleats on her clothes, but simply because her personal expressions have gradually become more expressive.

As you can see, in that instant when she turned around, Kiritani-kun clearly saw the smile on the girl's pretty face.

"Didn't Kato go home?"

"Although it's summer vacation, it's still early." With her hands behind her back, Kato Megumi's smile gradually faded, returning to her usual expressionless face as she walked slowly with small, quick steps.

"Besides, even Kazuhito didn't go back."

"I have other things to do later, so I don't have time to go home for now." Kiritani looked at Kato Megumi's current state. "Hmm? You're out for a walk... You're really something with this hot sun."

"No~!" Kato Megumi shook her head slightly. "I came to the supermarket with my relative's child, but she seemed to have run into a classmate, and then I was left behind... Well, I've run into a classmate now too."

A relative's child...?

It seems like that's what she always said when I bumped into Kato Megumi before, right?

Wait a minute, have we bumped into each other before?

"I'm heading home now. Would you like to come over for a bit?"

“Okay.” Kato Megumi walked to Kiritani’s side and nodded slightly. “Speaking of which, although I know that Kazuto lives nearby, I really don’t know where he is.”

...What you're saying makes me think you're here specifically to wait for me.

By the way, what I just said was just a social nicety; I didn't expect you to actually agree.

"The apartment ahead... well, you can think of it as the student dormitory of Soubu High School. All the students living on my floor are Soubu students." Kirito followed Shiina Mashiro, who was silent and walking ahead. "You probably know the students living there: Yukinoshita, Hachiman Hikigaya, Ryunosuke Akasaka, and then it's me, Asuna, and Mashiro."

"Ah, that's great. With so many classmates living next door, I'm sure I won't be bored."

No, no, no, you're wrong, completely wrong!

The last time we ate together was around the time Suguha first came to the apartment… no, it should be Shiina Mashiro first came… anyway, it was hundreds of thousands of words ago.

We've never even sat down to chat together, not even as neighbors.

Seemingly sensing what Kiritani was thinking, Kato Megumi pursed her lips and said, "...Hmm, thinking about it, that makes sense. Both Yukinoshita and Akasaka are weirdos, it would be strange if they were all sitting together chatting."

...The weirdo concentration camp is alright.

Back at the apartment, after entering, Kiritani took a new pair of shoes from the shoe cabinet, unpacked them, and threw them at Kato Megumi's feet—actually, Asuna had bought them as an extra when she moved in... well, just in case.

"Huh? Don't you usually have guests at Kato-kun's house?" Kato Megumi subconsciously took a step back. She had seen very clearly that there were only three pairs of shoes in the shoe cabinet, as well as this pair that had not yet been opened.

"Guest? Are you talking about yourself?" After helping Shiina Mashiro change her shoes, Kiritani-kun carried the things into the kitchen. "Just treat this place like your home. I won't treat you like a guest. If you want tea, pour it yourself—oh right, you can't go into the bedroom. You can do whatever you want in the study. Don't scream if you see anything inappropriate. There are H books. If you want to read them, just look through the drawers in the study. There's at least one in there... Hmm, I don't think you're that kind of girl."

"What?!" Kato Megumi pouted slightly, but it was actually hard to dislike this kind of treatment.

"If you're looking for BL (Boys' Love), then I'm sorry, I can't draw it, so it's destined not to be available."

“…Nani yo!” Kato Megumi raised her voice slightly to show her displeasure.

Shiina Mashiro casually placed her things on the table, glanced indifferently at Kato Megumi, then pulled out her sketchbook from under the coffee table, nestled on the sofa, and began to draw.

"I ate a lot of snacks at noon, but I still didn't eat lunch. Maybe it's a bit early to cook now... Hey, Kato, I made some for you too." After putting away the seasonings and such, Kiritani took out a bunch of eggs from the refrigerator, but when he saw that there was only one tomato left, his eyebrows twitched slightly. Ryunosuke... He's only been on vacation for two days and he's already coming to get tomatoes again.

I really want to change the door key.

It's fine to eat dinner early; we can just make a late-night snack when Asuna gets back.

But Kato shouldn't dislike eggs, right?

After cracking open the eggshell and starting to stir, Kiritani decided to make an omelet rice dish with large chunks of meat.

While Kiritani-kun started cooking, Kato Megumi sat on the sofa, looking somewhat at a loss.

No, it's more accurate to say she was at a loss. A normal person would at least offer some hospitality when inviting a classmate to their home, but Kiritani-kun was different. Not only did she not offer any hospitality, she also told her to treat the place as her own home—if only it were that simple.

There's not a single arrangement made!

It's very impolite to wander around without being told what to do, even though Kiritani-kun said I could go to the study... I still feel awkward.

Especially since Shiina Mashiro would occasionally glance at him like that, Kato Megumi began to wonder if she shouldn't have arrived at this time.

Hearing the sounds coming from the kitchen, Kato Megumi raised her head somewhat bewilderedly, tilting it to look inside. She couldn't help but feel strange; even though she hadn't visited many classmates' homes, she had never felt anything like this before…

After a moment's thought, Kato Megumi walked towards the kitchen under the watchful gaze of Shiina Mashiro's slightly narrowed eyes.

...It seems that the usual methods are not applicable at Renjun's house.

His expression remained calm, but his eyes held a strange glint in them. "Although..."

"Ah, feeling embarrassed?" Kiritani glanced at her sideways. "I don't think you'll feel too embarrassed... Well, since you can't sit still and don't seem to be planning to look through my study, then come and help me out. I'm a bit clumsy when it comes to chopping vegetables."

Kiritani tossed the apron hanging nearby into Kato Megumi's hands and continued preparing the ingredients.

"call……"

Kato Megumi let out a soft sigh of relief, finally understanding. Kiritani-kun was never quite normal to begin with, so it was truly strange that he was now trying to see her as a normal classmate…

But honestly, you're not just bad at chopping vegetables, you even washed all the bean sprouts into tiny pieces...

To be honest, this was the first time Kato Megumi had seen something that Kiritani-kun wasn't good at.

"Let me help wash the vegetables." Kato Megumi put on an apron and pushed past Kiritani-kun, who was almost washing the bean sprouts to pieces. "Really, you're completely unsuited for the kitchen!"

"Don't use exclamation on me." Kiritani grinned. What do you mean I'm not suited for the kitchen? Kasumigaoka Utaha has praised my cooking skills before.

"I'm just stating the facts~!" Kato Megumi said calmly, her hand movements exceptionally skilled, far surpassing Kirito-kun's.

"What if I suddenly want you to stay in the 'play-free' state?" Kiritani-kun took two steps back, looking at Kato Megumi who had completely taken over the table, feeling a little annoyed.

"Kimi, you can't wear your glasses while cooking, the heat will make the lenses fog up," Kato Megumi kindly reminded him.

"Ah—! I got it, the kitchen is yours, do whatever you want with it!" Kiritani-kun resignedly took off his apron and walked out of the kitchen.

"You really are like a little kid."

The corners of the girl's mouth curved slightly into an arc.