manga artist Kirito

"Ah, that's hard to say." The blonde girl with twin tails looked slightly familiar to Kirito, and then he suddenly realized, "Oh, it's you, twin-tailed girl."

Eriri Sawamura, of British and Japanese descent, is the daughter of a British diplomat and a Japanese mother. Petite with blonde twin tails, she is a strikingly beautiful princess, no less so than Asuna. Furthermore, she is Kirito's classmate.

Although he recognized her, Kirito wasn't familiar with her, and in all the time since the start of the semester, he hadn't spoken a single word to her. However, he was aware of her background; he vaguely remembered that Eriri was very talented in art.

"Who's the twin-tailed girl?!" Eriri's pretty face was full of displeasure as she revealed her small fangs. "You... Kirito... Kirito! What are you doing here?"

She was originally drawing characters for a doujinshi (fan-made comic book), but she didn't expect someone to come at this time, since she was the only member of the manga club. When she heard the knock, Eriri had already quickly started erasing the characters from the blackboard… but she almost tripped and fell, leaving one character's drawing unerased before Kirito came in…

Kirito raised an eyebrow slightly. Changing the subject? That's quite a clumsy technique!

"I saw a notice on the bulletin board recruiting members for the manga club, so I came to take a look, and then... Twintails, what were you doing just now? ...

"Shut up!" Eriri glared at her. "Forget everything you just saw!!"

"Don't be nervous, I won't tell anyone." Kirito smiled slightly. Who hasn't fantasized about the adult world? It's just drawing doujinshi, there's no need to make such a fuss. Even if someone tells, so what? Is drawing doujinshi shameful?

"No! It's extremely embarrassing!"

"How did you know what I was thinking?" Kirito stepped back slightly. "A psychic?"

"You've already written all your thoughts on your face!" Eriri was practically going crazy, shaking her head violently, her twin tails lashing out at Kirito like two whips.

However, this is of no use.

Kirito simply took a step back and dodged Eriri's amazing attack.

"Keep your voice down. If you keep arguing, I doubt anyone will know what's going on without me having to explain."

"Ugh...!" Eriri glared at Kirito with a defeated look, clearly very unhappy.

"I'm here to join the comics club."

"Get out, you're not welcome here!"

"Is that so?" Kirito said nonchalantly, calmly looking around. Paper with drawings was scattered all over the floor, making the spacious clubroom look very messy. Apart from Eriri, there was no one else there.

"Hey, I'm saying, you're the only one in the manga club, right?" Kirito asked Eriri. "A club needs at least three people when it's first established, and at least five later on, but right now it's just you... This is the legendary club crisis! Eriri, do you have any thoughts about stepping up and becoming an idol to save the club?"

"you……"

"Alright, you don't need to say anything more. This kind of idol-style light novel formula is clearly not suitable for you." Kirito interrupted Eriri, who was about to speak. "However, it's a waste for you to use such a big classroom by yourself. How about I join you?"

"Hmph! This is the manga club. Can you even draw manga?" Eriri wrinkled her nose. "You don't look like someone who can draw manga! If you can only draw, you should probably go back. Manga and simple drawing are not even in the same league."

"Ah, of course I know." Kirito nodded in agreement. Eriri was right. "I won't talk about the drawing; the most important things in manga are the plot and the paneling..."

"So what if you know? Can you actually do it?"

"Of course I would, otherwise why would I be here?" As he spoke, Kirito's expression gradually became subtle. He couldn't very well tell Eriri that he used to be an erotic artist, and that he only reformed after almost being discovered by Asuna, could he?

However, Eriri is clearly not a normal artist... her art style, tsk tsk...

"So, if I draw it for you, will I be able to join?"

"Then let's draw it?" With her arms crossed, Eriri looked smug. She had only posted the recruitment flyers to try her luck, since not many people would want to reveal their love for manga, let alone Eriri, the president of the manga club.

"Sure. But right now you can only draw simple things, right?"

Drawing comics takes a lot of time. Even though Kirito's hand speed is very fast, the details that need to be handled in comics are not as simple as making a typo in a light novel, which can be deleted and corrected. The level of trouble is completely different.

In particular, the process of turning storyboard sketches into line art is a time-consuming and mentally taxing process. If a manga artist is meticulous, it may take three to four hours or even more to complete the line art for a single shot. Therefore, many manga artists will delegate this process to their assistants. As for Kirito now, let alone a capable female assistant, he hasn't even mastered a normal art style.

Wait, this seems like we've gone off-topic.

In short, Kirito can't possibly come up with the character designs and plot in such a short time, and he can't possibly draw the beginning. So, he can only draw some simple things to let Eriri see how good his drawing skills are.

"Then draw what you're good at..."

006

[NO.5 Eriri, the female protagonist of this book]

"That's what I'm good at..."

Kirito's expression was somewhat subtle, but he didn't say anything.

"Okay, can I use the art supplies here? I didn't bring anything except my computer."

"Sure, but could you please hurry?" Eriri was curious to see if this gaming otaku in her class had any real talent. If he was just like everyone else, here for some silly reason, Eriri wouldn't mind kicking Kirito out.

"Slow and steady wins the race, what's the rush?"

Uh, I really should hurry, I'm so hungry...

Kirito felt terrible thinking about not having eaten lunch. He'd only had a piece of bread for breakfast, and it was a miracle he'd made it to lunch break, let alone now that get out of class was over. He'd better finish his drawing quickly and get something to eat.

In the center of the classroom, amidst a jumble of discarded objects, stood a long table. Kirito casually moved a chair to the side, then placed his backpack on the floor. His gaze swept over the art supplies laid out on the table; there were quite a few…

"Hmm, let's just do a sketch, it's quick and easy."

Kirito picked up the sketchbook beside him, flipped directly to the last page, sat down with the sharpened pencil in his hand, and glanced at Eriri standing next to him for a while, which earned him a glare from her.

Kirito smiled slightly and took a deep breath. It's been a long time since I've drawn anything... This time I'll try to be a little more normal. Good luck, newbie!

Completely absorbed in the blank sketchbook, following the image that formed in his mind, Kirito began to create once again...

It wasn't really a creative work, since Kirito had already used Eriri as his model. It wouldn't be wrong to say he was drawing from her. However, Kirito is good at ecchi manga, and even if he wanted to draw something more normal now, the influence of habit is very powerful. Without complicated plots, relying on a beautiful and practical art style, two faint figures quickly appeared on the sketchbook...

I once heard of a legendary figure in the comic book world who, at his peak, could simultaneously serialize 30 comics, sleeping only four hours a day and completing 50 pages of comics within that time—an absolutely terrifying drawing speed, while maintaining extremely high quality. That legendary figure is simply unbelievable!

Kirito's hand speed was fast, but the details slowed him down considerably. However, he didn't let his guard down at all. Since Eriri wanted to see something good, he had to come up with something nice...

The one-page manga, with not much plot, changed the scene where Kirito opened the door and saw Eriri wiping the blackboard to Kirito opening the door and seeing Eriri getting dressed... well, pulling up her panties with both hands, her face full of shyness...

In comics, character movement is often expressed using lines, primarily through the use of motion blur. Since there are always many action scenes in a work, the characters cannot all be static. To express a sense of movement, hatching techniques are used to outline the characters. At the same time, the colors of the characters' clothing and hair, as well as the shadows and shading on their bodies, all need to be achieved using hatching...

As Eriri watched the image gradually become clearer in her sketchbook, a blush crept onto her pretty face, and anger welled up within her. Honestly, Eriri truly hadn't expected Kirito to change that manga, turning it into an erotic manga...

Eriri, who is hiding her identity as an erotic illustrator, can naturally see the uniqueness of the art style, but so what? The heroine in the illustrations looks exactly like her. The erotic illustrator has been used to transform into the heroine...!

boom! !

Eriri slammed her pale hand on the table, the pain making her wince and a few tears welling up in her eyes, but she couldn't care less about that now.

"You bastard!! What are you drawing?!"

"...What? You scared me!" The sudden drawing startled Kirito so much he almost rolled over. Looking up at Eriri, and understanding her expression, Kirito couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. Drawing someone like the female lead in front of them... Ha! Normally, he'd be beaten to death, right?

"Cough, you made me draw what I'm best at."

"So, your specialty is erotic comics?" Grabbing Kirito's collar, Eriri leaned in close, staring intently into his eyes, her anger practically spitting fire.

"Ah... that's definitely true. Otherwise, why do you think I wanted to join the manga club?" Kirito shrugged helplessly. "I'm also envious of normal art styles. I've already come up with several manga story outlines, but the art style just doesn't fit, so I wanted to ask the seniors in the manga club for advice. Who knew you'd ask me to draw what I'm best at right away... Besides, Riko-kun, what you just drew was pretty much the same as mine."

"Say your name properly, you pervert!" Eriri gritted her teeth, pulling hard on Kirito's collar.

"Have you ever seen a pervert like me?" Kirito asked in surprise. "Also, you should let go now. The door isn't closed yet. If some classmates who happen to be passing by see this, they might think you have designs on me, or they might think I'm planning to do something to you. Even if you're not afraid of trouble, I am."

Honestly, do you believe me if Asuna is the black belt of karate?

"Hmph!" Releasing Kirito's collar, Eriri's gaze wandered around the classroom, seemingly searching for something handy to give Kirito a good whack... or something?

Seeing Eriri's actions, Kirito's lips twitched, and he casually tore off the last page with the sketch. "Don't be angry. It's normal to use a known pretty girl as the heroine in an erotic novel! Artistic creation is supposed to be close to reality, isn't it? Besides, I didn't draw you as an ugly monster or anything!"

"You...go to hell!!" Eriri clenched her fist, instinctively wanting to punch Kirito.

"I'm so, so sorry!" Kirito said, burying his head on the table and narrowly dodging Eriri's punch. He apologized with a very serious attitude.

Okay. Kirito completely understands Eriri's feelings about being drawn as the female lead for no reason, especially in front of her. So, Kirito apologized directly. After all, it was indeed his fault, and it's normal for Eriri to be angry.

It would be abnormal if Eriri, who was so angry that she didn't throw a punch.

"Sawamura-kun!" Kirito looked up and grabbed Eriri's hand as she tried to pull it back. "May I join the manga club?"

"Let go of me!"

007

【NO.6 Ugh, this is infuriating】

"I would never let someone like you, who fantasizes about classmates, join the manga club!"

Eriri directly rejected Kirito's request.

"Wait, shouldn't you be reluctantly agreeing to let me join the manga club at this point so that I'll let go?" Kirito was shocked. Why wasn't this person following the script?

"Where do all these novel tropes come from? If you don't let go, I'm going to scream." Eriri turned her head to look at the door that wasn't closed, her mouth wide open, as if she was about to shout out loud at any moment.

“…You’re ruthless!” Kirito rolled his eyes. Eriri’s actions were against the rules. How could they play like this?

"Hmph!" Eriri looked at Kirito with disdain and pouted, "Don't even dream about it, I'm not letting you join..."

"Look at my superb drawing skills. Although it's an erotic depiction, it truly captures your beauty, doesn't it?" Kirito praised. "I wouldn't normally draw her if someone asked me to..."

The main problem is that not many people know I'm an erotic artist...

"So, I should feel honored to be drawn into your erotic comics?"

An expression that looks like he wants to hit someone

"No, no, no, you misunderstood. I didn't mean that at all," Kirito shook his head. "I meant..."

Damn, what should I say?

"I mean, only goddess-level people are qualified to have me draw them... Yes, that's it!"

Asuna, please forgive me!!

"According to you, goddesses should be drawn in erotic comics and watched by those otaku uncles playing League of Legends?"

A murderous expression

“Fine, there’s no point in arguing with this.” Kirito felt a headache coming on. “Even if those otaku and middle-aged men are fantasizing about their goddess LOL, isn’t that an affirmation of their goddess? I don’t think it’s an offense, but rather an affirmation of the goddess.”

"That's the truth."

Anyone who enjoys looking at characters from League of Legends in doujinshi does so because they like the characters drawn in doujinshi, and Eriri, being an erotic artist herself, naturally agrees with this.

"Besides, I have no intention of selling what I draw, so please don't take it to heart." Kirito really didn't expect Eriri to agree with this. Could it be that Eriri has a hidden otaku identity that no one knows about?

That makes sense, otherwise why would he be the head of the comics department?

"How could I not take it to heart..."

“Then let’s make a secret exchange.” Kirito unleashed his ultimate move. “I’ll forget what I saw when I came in, and in return, let me join the manga club. I’m not a blabbermouth, so you can rest assured about my confidentiality.”

"By the way, since I don't have many friends, you can rest assured that I won't tell your friends things like, 'I'm only telling you because we're best friends.'"

"...Hmm." With a thoughtful expression, Eriri's anger had disappeared, replaced by a calculation of gains and losses, wondering whether she should let Kirito join the manga club.

Although I really dislike Kirito, his drawing skills are indeed quite good, and he seems to be very knowledgeable about erotic content. Also, Kirito seems to really enjoy playing games...

"Deal?" Kirito asked tentatively.

“Deal!” Eriri nodded. “But it has to be kept a secret! Otherwise, I’ll tell everyone that you’re drawing erotic comics.”

"Of course, I don't want Asuna to look at me with utter despair again." Muttering to himself, Kirito looked at Eriri with interest. "Speaking of which, Sawamura-kun, you must be quite good at this too, right? You've sold doujinshi before, haven't you? What's your pen name?"

"Shut up!" The conversation had finally ended, and Eriri didn't want to bring up anything else.

"Your World: All the Best!

The name "Eri Kashiwagi" slipped out as Eriri stared intently at Kirito. The offer of a complete set of all the premium Minecraft items was simply too tempting to refuse!

"Give it to me now! If you're lying to me, I will never forgive you!"

"What's the rush?" Kirito rolled his eyes. "Who brings so many games to school? I'll give them to you when we go to school tomorrow. We're in the same class anyway, I can't run away."

"But I really didn't expect it. Kashiwagi Eri is you. Tsk tsk... You can't judge a book by its cover."

"Eh, you know me?" Eriri was taken aback for a moment, but quickly realized that Kirito was obviously an experienced person, so it would be strange if he didn't know.

Eriri may not be considered a top-tier player, but she is still somewhat famous.

"Ah, I know. I'm just a little surprised that Kashiwagi-sensei is a high school student... Well, it doesn't seem wrong. Students at this age can create better works."

"You talk like you're so great. Do you have any famous works?" Eriri pouted. By the way, Eriri didn't like Kirito's tone of "[Eri Kashiwagi is just so-so]".

"I think you're really just a hardcore gamer... no, you could barely be considered a hardcore gamer who can draw!"

Suddenly he's being sarcastic...

"No, it should be 'a gamer who wants to be a manga artist but is actually an erotic artist'." Kirito stroked his chin. "As for his works... his best-selling work seems to have been from two years ago... oh, the name is 'The Secret of the Bride's Wedding'."

"..." Eriri's expression changed upon hearing this, and she even showed a look of wanting to kill Kirito. "Your pen name is Fujiwara Echizen?"