manga artist Kirito

Although I don't know why the teacher's words sounded like she wanted me to disappear into thin air, but... if she doesn't explain it clearly, given Hiratsuka Shizuka's personality, I'm afraid I'll be disciplined.

"Um, Hiratsuka-sensei..."

"Alright, you don't need to say anything more. I saw everything! I'll discipline this guy, and I'll make him apologize to you afterwards, so don't worry." Hiratsuka Shizuka gently patted Kasumigaoka Utaha's shoulder, radiating an angelic glow.

“Uh…” Kasumigaoka Utaha opened her mouth slightly, staring blankly at the beautiful, generous, and eloquent female teacher in front of her. She didn’t quite understand why such a good woman couldn’t find a boyfriend!

Turning her head to look at Kirito, who was already a little confused, and then even more bewildered after being hit on the head with a painful blow, Kasumigaoka Utaha tilted her head and thought... "It seems... the relationship between my junior and Hiratsuka-sensei is quite good?"

"However, please don't take this to heart." The female teacher patted the student's shoulder firmly, a bright smile appearing on her lips. "After all, he's a teenage boy; it's quite normal for him to be interested in that kind of thing. Please be understanding..."

To reiterate, Shizuka Hiratsuka is absolutely a great teacher!

I'm cuter, give me a ticket too!

060

[NO.59 What did Kirito do wrong this time?]

Actually, Kasumigaoka Utaha was just planning to tidy up her room and clean up the accumulated trash, which is why she came to the supermarket to buy some tools. Meeting Kirito was completely unexpected, not to mention Hiratsuka Shizuka afterward.

From the fact that Hiratsuka Shizuka's eyes never left Kirito when she got out of the car, Kasumigaoka Utaha knew that Hiratsuka Shizuka's target was Kirito. That's why she said she would take off her stockings and give them to Kirito... She just wanted to play a little prank and didn't expect Hiratsuka Shizuka's reaction to be so decisive.

Hearing the sound of their foreheads colliding, Kasumigaoka Utaha felt a headache coming on. Especially when she saw Kirito's completely bewildered expression, Kasumigaoka Utaha thought... that headbutt might actually have made him stupid.

However, Ms. Hiratsuka, you're too strong! Everyone was stunned by your collision, but you seemed completely unaffected.

—A warrior race!

Kasumigaoka Utaha silently labeled Hiratsuka Shizuka with this tag.

"As a girl, especially a pretty one, I think you should practice Aikido or Karate, Kasumigaoka." The beautiful female teacher smiled, and if you ignored Kirito, whom she was carrying with one hand, Hiratsuka Shizuka would be quite charming at that moment.

Of course, the way she carried Kirito with one hand did make Kasumigaoka Utaha think that what she said made a lot of sense, even though she didn't intend to waste time learning it.

...But then again, I was planning to explain, right?

Looking at the female teacher who had inexplicably steered the conversation off course, Kasumigaoka Utaha was a little puzzled. She didn't know whether this generous and beautiful female teacher did it intentionally or unintentionally, but in any case, Hiratsuka Shizuka-sensei should not do such violent things again now, right?

"Well, it's best not to go to any of the supermarkets around here at this time every day. It'll be fine after mealtime." Hiratsuka Shizuka habitually took out a cigarette from her pocket and put it in her mouth. Perhaps because her student Kasumigaoka Utaha was still there, she didn't take out a lighter to light the cigarette. "I've left Kiritani to me. I need to talk to him about something."

Pulling Kirito toward where the car was parked, Hiratsuka Shizuka waved to Kasumigaoka Utaha without turning her head, "If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

"..." Watching the two walk away, Kasumigaoka Utaha opened her mouth slightly. Actually... I still have a lot to say. For example, Hiratsuka Shizuka-sensei, what do you plan to do to the student you beat up?

Wait a minute, why would I have this thought in this kind of situation?

Normally, shouldn't I turn around and go home...?

It was a very strange situation, but Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't overthink it. Instead, she blamed everything on Kirito. Spending even a little time with a pervert would inevitably lead to being infected by his unique twisted way of thinking.

Kasumigaoka Utaha made this judgment!

"We'll meet again tomorrow anyway, so let's ask the questions later."

……

……

To be honest, Shizuka Hiratsuka is a bit lacking as a woman.

Aside from her figure, which she could be proud of, and her long black hair that reached not just her waist but her knees... what else did she have that made her a woman?

Well, it wouldn't be wrong to consider her a beautiful woman with a rather bad personality, but unfortunately, her personality is just too much like an old man's. Not only does she like to eat meat, but she also likes extra-large portions—I mean any kind of food!

From the perspective of those unaware of the current situation, Kirito's current state is quite enviable. After all... with only the two of them present, it seems like a world for two, right?

But does Hiratsuka, the Iron Fist Saintess, the Killing Machine, Shizuka, even know what a world for two is?

"...If you don't want to love my fists, then shut your mouth, brat!"

"Yes, Teacher Jing."

Sitting in front of a ramen stall whose name he didn't know, Kirito watched the educator crack her knuckles and immediately shrank back. Although not much time had passed, Kirito still wondered if Hiratsuka Shizuka's forehead had some kind of steel-like quality, since it still hurt him terribly from the impact.

With a cigarette dangling from his lips and a nonchalant air reminiscent of a middle-aged man, Hiratsuka Shizuka patted the table and said to the approaching stall owner, "Same as always, and give this kid a glass of juice too."

"Okay, just a moment."

"So, aren't you going to explain?" Hiratsuka Shizuka turned her head to look at Kirito, who was still rubbing his red forehead, and said with a cruel smile... She guessed that she was planning to beat Kirito into a level nine cripple if he didn't give a reasonable explanation, maybe?

But to be honest, Hiratsuka Shizuka is quite charming sitting in a chair with an unlit cigarette in her mouth and her legs crossed. It's just a pity that she seems completely unaware that she has any charm at all.

"Although I know that your job might cause some personality issues, threatening your senior to take off her stockings for you in the street is really going too far!"

"Not at all..."

"Shut up and listen to me!"

"Okay, okay, you go first."

Just as he was about to retort, he saw Hiratsuka Shizuka raise her fist, and Kirito naturally chose to follow his heart.

Honestly, if I hadn't been without my wooden sword, I would have given you a Starburst Stream Slash combo right after that headbutt, you Hiratsuka Keine!

"As far as I know, don't you have a girlfriend?" At this point, Hiratsuka Shizuka's face suddenly darkened, making Kirito a little uneasy. "Or is it that, besides that special job and your identity as a hardcore gamer, you also have a hidden identity like a road pervert?"

"You're overthinking it. There's absolutely no such thing." Kirito rolled his eyes, finding it incredibly frustrating to talk to this woman. She clearly knew nothing, yet she made wild guesses. And Kasumigaoka Utaha, that woman, didn't even bother to explain herself... Enough already! She should really be thrown to Akane Kousaka so she can witness the terror of the Demon Leader!

Peeling a banana that was placed to the side, Kirito pursed his lips in annoyance.

"And also, what do you know about my true nature... my notebook... oops, I mean my job, what exactly is that? And what do you know about that?"

"It's just erotica... huh?!!"

"..." Looking at the banana peel that was left in his hand, Kirito blinked, a little at a loss.

You guys are so cute, please give me your vote!

061

[NO. 60 Female teachers are a great subject!]

"It's just erotic art... huh?"

Before she could finish speaking, Hiratsuka Shizuka saw the banana fly out of its peel, and before she could react, the slippery banana hit her face directly.

The air fell silent instantly. Hiratsuka Shizuka reached out and caught the falling banana, her slightly narrowed eyes revealing a hint of malice.

How to put it... the female teacher's eyes at that moment... were like waiting for a dying person to recite a verse, both mocking and expectant.

Wait, what the heck is this expectation?!

Kirito felt a sudden sense of panic when he saw the look in Hiratsuka Shizuka's eyes, especially given her bewildered expression. If this killing machine thought the banana incident was intentional, wouldn't a war break out soon?

...Or...why don't you think we could look for something nearby that can replace the wooden sword?

In fact, Kirito didn't mean it just now. As a teacher, Hiratsuka Shizuka would know something about Kirito, which was entirely within Kirito's expectations. But how could she possibly know about his identity as an erotic illustrator?!

Even her family members barely knew about it, yet Hiratsuka Shizuka was now saying it with an expression that said she already knew. How could Kirito not be surprised? At the same time, the banana he had almost finished peeling flew off the peel due to an unconscious exertion of his fingers, heading straight for Hiratsuka Shizuka's face...

...Since he didn't take action immediately or show a furious expression, there should still be room for negotiation, right?

"...If I didn't know you didn't do it on purpose, I would have let you taste some of my mighty punches long ago!" The female teacher glared fiercely at Kirito, speaking without any politeness. She looked down at the banana she was still holding, and her forehead immediately became covered with black lines.

Despite the oppressive tone of her words, Kirito felt a sense of relief.

Just as Hachiman said, aside from the taboo of talking about age causing Hiratsuka Shizuka to instinctively throw a punch, other jokes are fine... even if this isn't a joke.

Hiratsuka Shizuka is so kind and understanding, like a big sister!

Fortunately, Hiratsuka Shizuka clearly didn't see Kirito as a real pervert. Otherwise, if the banana had slipped from her hand and almost landed in her mouth, she would have crippled him to the point of being a level nine cripple!

"...I was just too surprised."

"What's so surprising?" Hiratsuka Shizuka said, a little annoyed. "Your reputation as an erotic artist is almost universal, and you're going to your girlfriend's autograph session... Fujiwara Echizen, huh?"

At this point, Hiratsuka Shizuka seemed to remember something, and she became unusually irritable.

"Uh, I almost forgot about that." Kirito scratched his head, looking rather embarrassed. "But I can explain what happened with Kasumigaoka Utaha!"

"Then explain yourself, what kind of pervert are you?" With her long legs crossed, Hiratsuka Shizuka tossed the banana into the nearby trash can, lit a cigarette, and gave the impression that her performance was about to begin.

"This is actually what happened..."

A minute later, Kirito stopped talking, satisfied. He looked up at Hiratsuka Shizuka, whose face was full of surprise, or rather, concern, and couldn't help but roll his eyes again. Needless to say, Hiratsuka Shizuka obviously didn't believe this explanation.

"and then?"

"I……"

These days, nobody believes you when you tell the truth!

“Actually, I’m not completely clueless.” Hiratsuka Shizuka sighed, her eyes suddenly softening, just like the radiance Kasumigaoka Utaha had seen back then. “I know you don’t have many friends… I’m actually quite happy that you can make friends with Kasumigaoka, but you should be a little careful about your quirky personality.”

Wait, why is it based on the premise that I've made friends with Kasumigaoka Utaha? Even if we're happy, shouldn't it be Kasumigaoka Utaha who's happy? I'm a senior who can help her!

But forget it, there's no point in dwelling on this issue any longer; it's better to change the subject sooner rather than later.

"Okay, Ms. Xiaojing, I understand!"

“…Good that you understand.” Hiratsuka Shizuka, who had prepared her lecturing words, paused for a moment, seemingly not expecting Kirito’s reaction. But after that, she nodded helplessly.

"It was just a slip of the tongue on my part, and I'll apologize to Kasumigaoka-senpai afterwards!" Kirito said with a serious expression, then changed the subject, "I completely understand how much Shizuka-sensei cares about her students. After all, I really love the teaching profession, and I've kept all the movies about teachers for the past few years!"

Kirito stared intently at her, his serious gaze making the usually carefree, or rather, somewhat conflicted Hiratsuka Shizuka feel a little flustered.

"I am very happy to receive instruction from Teacher Xiaojing!"

Please note that I am not a masochist!

“…Huh?” The female teacher, who frequently went to various matchmaking events but often failed due to her personality, stared blankly at Kirito. What was going on?

Just now...were those words...a confession?

No... that can't be right, can it?

A student confessed his feelings to me... should I be happy?

Should I be happy... my foot!

This guy has a girlfriend, and she's a kid...

Her handsome face, usually so full of spirit, flushed slightly, but Kirito couldn't see it clearly because of the lights already on in front of the stall.

"In short, I'll be relying on you from now on!" Kirito continued, seemingly oblivious to Hiratsuka Shizuka's current state of mind.

"...Uh, Kiritani, what did you mean by what you just said?" Hiratsuka Shizuka scratched her head, feeling conflicted, and asked. If the first part of what she said was fine, then the last part...isn't that something that boyfriends and girlfriends say after they've confirmed their relationship?

"It's nothing!" A faint look of relief flashed across Kirito's face as he feigned regret and sighed, but in reality, he was relieved... Shizuka-sensei didn't understand the meaning behind his words!

But then again, the films featuring female teachers are really good. How about we make a script with female teachers as the theme next time?

"That's it..."

Looking at Hiratsuka Shizuna's somewhat reluctant expression, Kirito blinked, puzzled. Could it be... that Shizuna-sensei had misunderstood after all, but was just pretending not to know?

"Well, let's get down to business now." Hiratsuka Shizuka flicked the cigarette between her fingers, and fine ash fell onto the ashtray. She said this with mixed feelings.

"She should have informed you..."

P.S.: I think my neighbor Remi has corrupted me; now I think every idiom is dirty...

062

【NO.61 Combat Editing】

"Edit...edit?"

“Yes, starting today, I’m your editor!” As if she had expected it, Hiratsuka Shizuka didn’t seem to care about Kirito’s surprise. She casually picked up the tonkotsu ramen that was already on the table and placed it in front of her, then pushed another bowl in front of Kirito. Before picking up the chopsticks, she looked hesitantly at the beer next to her.

Never mind, don't drink and drive!

"What's going on?" Without even complaining about why the tonkotsu ramen bowl was bigger than his head, Kirito stared blankly, gave up on his beer, and was somewhat annoyed as he was breaking apart disposable chopsticks.

"What's going on?" Hiratsuka Shizuka raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at Kirito with a puzzled expression. "Didn't you know I was coming to be your editor? You even blocked my number, isn't that because of that? Wait, could it be that Akane didn't tell you about this? Then why did you block me for no reason..."

"Wait a minute!" A barrage of questions came from Hiratsuka Shizuka's mouth. Kirito, feeling a bit overwhelmed, raised his hand to interrupt her, then rubbed his forehead with a pained expression. Shizuka-sensei mentioned Akane, which means she's actually the captain's old classmate. No wonder the captain said that even if I didn't answer the phone, the editor in charge of me could still find me—it was Shizuka-sensei…

But Akane Akasaka, you're really ruthless, you actually found Shizuka-sensei to be my editor.

As mentioned before, editing isn't exactly an easy job, but it's different here. Hiratsuka Shizuka's main job is teaching, and editing is just a side job, which she handles quite easily. This is because Hiratsuka Shizuka herself loves manga and reading. Kirito and Hiratsuka Shizuka had previously exchanged lines from manga, and when certain topics are brought up, Hiratsuka Shizuka inexplicably gets fired up...

Beyond that, the key point is...

Akane Kousaka knew that Kirito was prone to procrastination, and that he was the kind of person who would drag things out for as long as possible, and would never put his full effort into drawing unless he was locked in a dark room. But Shizuka Hiratsuka... was Kirito's teacher. Even putting aside their teacher status, Shizuka Hiratsuka was familiar with Kirito well enough, and she also knew a way to find him.

Hey! Akane Akasaka, you're really wicked! I was wondering why you didn't come to be my editor this time. Turns out you found someone even more ruthless, with more time... who can even meet with me from Monday to Friday—Shizuka Hiratsuka!