manga artist Kirito

Hold me tight, don't be afraid.

523

【NO.514 is very painful】

"let me see"

Holding Kiritani-chan in her arms, Akane Kosaka first took out her phone, then pulled up Kiritani-chan's left sleeve and carefully examined his arm in the dim light of the phone. She frowned slightly and said, "It's a bit bluish. Go out and find something to wipe it off."

"My back... my back hurts the most... let's get out of here quickly."

"Want to turn back directly? You can't open the door from the inside. You can only walk through the haunted house and exit from the end of the passage."

Kiritani-chan has a weak constitution and her skin is relatively soft due to lack of exercise. So, pinching her hard will not only make her feel very painful, but will also make her turn blue very quickly. That is probably why Kiritani Kazuko exists.

Holding Kiritani tightly, she turned and walked down the steps, but the dark and cold feeling only intensified. Akane pursed her lips. She wasn't actually that scared, but Kiritani's hands were unusually cold, which bothered her.

After all, all Kiritani-chan could feel, besides the warmth from Akane Kousaka's palm, was the terror of the deliberately created atmosphere.

"Hold my hand, I will always be here."

"...No, you can't see any of them."

Never before had he felt such a strong feeling; never before had Kiritani Kazuto liked the woman beside him, who had been by his side for so many years, so much.

…………

The exit of the haunted house.

"Ahhh! I actually ran away! I actually ran away! I actually abandoned my senior and ran away first!"

Strawberry was filled with regret; she was practically banging her head on the ground, testing the wall's hardness with her forehead.

But no matter what, it was Ichigo who first thought of going to the haunted house after the movie, and it was also Ichigo who painstakingly chose this place to take advantage of the suspension bridge effect. But now it's not just a matter of all efforts going to waste. Who knows, the senior might get taken advantage of by the president inside... Even if that doesn't happen, their relationship will definitely heat up!

The chances were already slim, and now that we've finally created an opportunity, it's all gone to someone else—it's infuriating! I'm so angry!

"Who let you run away?"

Ling Yin, whose face was still a little pale, sneered. Why did she have to go to a haunted house? She wasn't particularly tolerant of such things to begin with, and now she actually wanted to show off and let her seniors see her cool side? Ha! She failed, didn't she?

"Isn't it all because of you?! If you hadn't screamed first, scaring me so much that I ran away without thinking, would I be like this?"

Strawberry glared at Lingyin with a hint of resentment. At that moment, Lingyin realized... that it really seemed to be true?

But what could I do? I was desperate too! Given the situation, I couldn't just hug him like you guys did, could I?

Besides, you've already grabbed all my arms, I can't exactly grab your waist, can I? You two would kill me if I did that!

...But honestly, if I had hugged them back then, I doubt they would have done anything to me in that situation.

Wait a minute, thinking about it this way, I feel like I've really lost out!

There was a clear opportunity to gain an advantage, but you stubbornly let it slip away!

Ouch! I'm so angry!

I've never hugged a senior before!

——Here’s what happened.

Although Lingyin wasn't a junior trained by Kiritani-kun, she was still considered Kiritani-kun's junior in terms of the length of time she had been in the industry.

Perhaps it's not as intense as Ichigo's feelings for Kiritani-kun, but it's quite normal to have feelings for a capable, handsome, cute, and occasionally playful senior, right?

"Lingyin! What are you thinking about?"

Seeing Lingyin's complexion gradually return to a rosy state from its paleness, Strawberry felt that something was not quite right.

"Ah...? No, it's nothing!"

Ling Yin's expression changed rapidly, and she smiled subtly.

"Hey! Lingyin, you didn't just develop feelings for that senior too, did you?"

Strawberry pointed, her eyes filled with doubt, "If it's true, please tell me. I'll try my best to figure out how to deal with my two rivals."

Stop it!

I do like my seniors, but it's nowhere near as much as it's to you, so please don't put me in the position of a love rival.

Besides, your senior is so amazing, and only the two of you like him right now. That's because the president is keeping a close eye on him. But if the president were to loosen his grip a little, then your so-called rivals would be much more than just one or two people.

…………

Do gods, Buddhas, ghosts, and monsters really exist?

Actually, it doesn't really matter. After all, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, it was forbidden to have spirits or superstitions. So, according to the theory of faith, gods, Buddhas, ghosts, and monsters were probably just so-so. And after that, let alone such shameful things as eight million gods.

Therefore, even if you feel scared in a haunted house, the terror itself only comes from the environment.

"One day, I will make all these ghosts and monsters vanish!"

When Akane Kosaka heard Kiritani-kun muttering to himself, she couldn't help but raise the corners of her mouth, her smile almost impossible to suppress.

After all, Kirito was really cute when he was being a chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) kid, and this kind of scene... was something that Kirito saw often when he was still young, about four years ago. After that, perhaps Kirito also understood what shame meant, so he didn't make any more chuunibyou-esque remarks.

"I'm not a chuunibyou!"

Seeing Akane Kosaka's expression, Kiritani-kun retorted seriously.

Although he was still nestled in Akane Kosaka's arms, he looked a little delicate and... and seemed a little shy?

"Stop messing around, I'll take you to find something to wipe it off, it's a little swollen when I looked at it earlier."

The passageway door to the haunted house opened at that moment. Akane Kosaka's face was as usual, except that her cheeks were slightly flushed. It was rare for Akane Kosaka to hug Kirito in public like this. Of course, if it were when Kirito was still a child, that would be a different story.

After all, the difference in the scene shouldn't be too great.

"Well...I'll listen to you."

Actually, the fear that Kiritani felt in the haunted house had been mostly eliminated by Akane Kosaka's comforting words, and he felt even less afterward—well, I won't say that Kiritani walked out with his eyes closed, guided by Akane Kosaka.

—As for whether anything particularly pleasant happened along the way.

Honestly, Kiritani-chan's worried face and pale complexion made her look so delicate that I really wanted to hug her and cuddle her.

—Yes, Akane Kosaka.

Get started.

Ps:

I had a headache while coding this part because I realized... the haunted house trope seems to have been used before!

—Indeed, if you write too much about daily life, you won't have enough plot points to use.

I need to come up with some new ideas as soon as possible—can you give me some suggestions?

524

【NO.515 You are my greatest adventure】

"Wow! What an amazing encounter! I never expected to meet you in a place like this!"

"That's about the same for me."

Holding a hot coffee in his hand, Kiritani looked up at the girl whose appearance was no less than that of a watermelon.

Could this be considered a chance encounter? Although such an encounter wasn't exactly pleasant, and meeting at this time and in this place... well, it really was a serendipitous event.

"I didn't expect you to come all the way to Kyoto. Weren't you going to help your old man? Or is it that university studies have become so relaxed that you don't even have to attend classes on weekdays, Yukinoshita Haruno?"

Wow?! They actually use full names!

As her name suggests, Yukinoshita Haruno always has a bright and sunny smile, and even when she expresses dissatisfaction, her expression doesn't change much.

"Kazunari, Mr. Kiritani Kazuto, may I ask what I've done wrong lately? That I've fallen to the point where you have to call me by my full name when we meet? Putting aside the issue of politeness, this is definitely going to lower your opinion of me!"

"Deduct points? Isn't that great?"

Yukinoshita, a close friend of Kiritani Kazuto.

If we have to categorize her as a close friend, a detailed analysis would place Yukino Yukinoshita in the "more than friends, less than lovers" stage. Judging solely from her looks and figure, Yukino Yukinoshita is indeed an impeccable young woman. In terms of her skills and interpersonal relationships, she is also quite adept. Anyone would definitely like a beauty like that.

However, the fake smile that's always on that face is still so unpleasant to look at.

"But then again, since you even have time to come all the way to Kyoto, shouldn't you be going to Soubu to see your sister, and then do some investigation into that dead fish-eyed guy who might be connected to your sister?"

Yes, Kirito had a bad feeling that this encounter was anything but a lucky one.

Yukinoshita Haruno always makes some preparations before doing anything. Compared to Kirito calling her "Watermelon" or Alessandra Kousaka Akane, Yukinoshita Haruno also has similar nicknames, such as "Tail-Tracking Haruno"...

So even if it was a deliberately arranged encounter, it doesn't seem that strange at all!

"Well, if it were Kirigaya and Kazuto at Soubu High, I might go there every day, right? But if you said it was because I missed you and my intuition told me I could run into you here, so I came, would you believe me?"

"I believe it! Of course I believe it!"

What you call intuition is just an intelligence network you casually use.

Looking at Yukinoshita Haruno, who seemed to symbolize trouble, Kirito tilted his head back slightly and drank the rest of his coffee, exhaling puffs of hot air.

Ah, if this continues, it probably won't be long before it snows, right?

—By the way, won't fireworks get damp in this kind of weather?

"Mmm, I miss you so much, but I won't go back to Chiba!"

"eventful"

"Oh? Are you shy?"

...To be honest, it doesn't take much time to get from Chiba to Tokyo. In fact, Chiba is the closest city to Tokyo. If Kirito really wanted to come, given Yukino Yukinoshita's incredible resourcefulness, he could easily imagine seeing her every day—it's a little despairing!

"But why are you the only one here?"

As she moved slightly closer, Haruno tightened her scarf, as if trying to warm herself against Kirito's side due to the cold. She gazed intently at the boy's profile, her unwavering expression somewhat endearing. Then, she softly remarked, "He's getting more and more handsome."

"...Watermelon is buying things at the shop behind. Strawberry was a little upset earlier, so she went to the rooftop of a nearby building to get some fresh air. Lingyin was worried that Strawberry might slip, so she went to the shoe store next door to buy Strawberry a better pair of shoes so that she wouldn't fall off the rooftop."

"...Sorry, I might not be very good at making sarcastic remarks with people."

The more I think about it, the more I realize how many flaws there are in these words, but I also feel that if I criticize them, I'll lose.

"and many more!"

Yukino Yukinoshita noticed the key point, and her pretty face subtly became serious, her eyebrows furrowing. "Sushi, buying medicine?"

"Yes, it's in the shop behind you."

"...What medicine?"

Don't ever tell me it's some kind of [beep] pregnancy drug!

If that's the case, I'll take you to court for bigamy!

...Wait, no, I should say expose your cheating on me on Twitter!

"...What kind of expression is that? It's disgusting! Are you some kind of mastermind behind this?"

"What's disgusting about me? I'm so cute..."

"Ha! You remind me of your self-proclaimed adorable little sister. Has she figured out lately whether it's the world's fault or hers?"

Kirito could only feel quite helpless looking at the girl who naturally clung to his arm, but Haruno seemed to be in an unexpectedly high mood.

"Hey, wanna take a walk together later?"

"...Where do you want to take him?"

From behind came Akane Kosaka's slightly off voice.

Looking back at her familiar friend, Yang Nai smiled faintly, "Oh my! Akane, I thought you were pregnant and was planning to take this guy to the vet."

—Yeah, go to hell!

Kirito broke free from Haruno's embrace, shoved the empty coffee can into her hand, then pulled up his left sleeve to reveal a bruised wrist. Akane Kousaka squinted at Haruno, then opened the packaging of the plaster in her hand, squeezed out a little bit of milky white substance, and applied it to the wound.

"Hey! You guys, you didn't actually do... this or that, did you?"

I believe in the saying "being near the water tower makes it easier to get the moon," but to do it without any warning is just too much! And to do it so intensely!

...All of the above is nonsense!

Two years ago, I thought I might like this guy, this guy named Kirito.

A year ago, I realized I really liked this guy, this guy named Kirito.