manga artist Kirito

Sigh, being a dad is really not easy. He even has to put a napkin on his daughter before meals.

"I see." Asuna chewed her food carefully, nodded slightly, then seemed to remember something and squinted her eyes slightly as she said, "I was just saying, this fan's voice sounds a lot like yours, and... I vaguely remember this level of enthusiasm."

"...Huh?" Kirito paused, his hand holding the food in his chopsticks. He blinked. This guy had annoyed Asuna before? If that's true, shouldn't he go and say something to this guy? Oh my god!

"Kazuto, you've probably forgotten, the first reader at the signing event was this incredibly enthusiastic fan. If it weren't for the rule that readers and creators can't interact for too long, this fan could have talked to me nonstop for an entire afternoon." With a slightly troubled expression, Asuna seemed to be not good at dealing with people like Aki Tomoya.

But it's okay, Kirito is still here.

“However, ‘The Lonely Queen of the North’ has already ended, so I reckon even if he sees me, he won’t have much to say to me. Besides, he already said so much at the signing event.” Asuna, who never assumes anything malicious about others, smiled brightly, but only for a moment. “But, you know, people who talk too much can be annoying.”

"Talkative, so annoying!" Kirito smirked, then laid the napkin he used to wrap the bento box on Shiina Mashiro's lap, immediately drawing Mashiro's attention. Without saying anything more, Kirito went straight back to the previous topic.

"But it is precisely because the story has ended that he has more to say to you, the creator, such as asking about the unclear endings for certain characters, or other more general questions."

"...I don't think so, do you?"

"It's hard to say, but right now he's busy with Kasumigaoka Utaha, so he probably won't have time to bother you."

However, these kinds of people are actually quite easy to deal with. If Kirito were to handle it, he would simply give them a mysterious code: "Want the treasure from the story? Go see for yourself! I've put everything inside."

Kirito picked up a piece of tomato and held it to Asuna's lips. Kirito's action immediately made Asuna's pretty face blush slightly. Although she was worried that Shiina Mashiro was right next to her, she was used to being fed like this, so Asuna still... well, she ate it with a little shyness.

"To be honest, Asuna, your cooking skills are so much better than Shizuka-sensei's." Recalling the noodles Shizuka made for him that day, they were not only dry and sticky, but also had a strange taste... If he hadn't been really hungry at the time, Kirito wouldn't have eaten Shizuka's noodles even if he had made them himself.

Yes, Hiratsuka Shizuka might be a caring older sister figure, but she definitely wouldn't have the qualities of a wife! — Both in meaning and in words.

"...It's alright." Asuna shook her head with a smile. "If Shizuka-sensei heard you say that, she'd probably make you noodles every day until you said they were delicious."

"How terrifying... This must be the legendary torture!" Kirito was terrified just from imagining the scene.

"stare--!"

"Actually, for someone like Teacher Xiaojing, it was already quite good that she was willing to cook that day."

"Maybe it's because he's practicing for blind dates... I guess it's still going to fall through."

People who can't beat her will never want her, but if they can... why would they want her?

"stare--!"

"So, just say what you want to say. Why are you staring at me like that? Even if you think I'm tempting, I won't give myself to you... Ouch! That hurts!" Kirito took a deep breath and turned his head speechlessly to look at Shiina Mashiro, who was staring at him. But before he could finish speaking, Asuna gave him a flick on the forehead... What's going on here?!

"Kirito, you're not serving me any food." With her usual calm voice, Shiina Mashiro stared at Kirito and said.

You're being really strange. Don't you know that it's very impolite to serve food to others unless the relationship is quite close?

Besides, our bento boxes are all the same, okay? I'm just tired of eating tomatoes, sis!

Rubbing the spot where Asuna had tapped him, Kirito looked at Shiina Mashiro, who seemed to be staring at him instead of feeding him, and a look of annoyance crossed his face. Ah! He almost forgot, Shiina Mashiro grew up abroad, so she might not actually know...

But do you think you can't eat because you're staring at me?

Ha! That's a joke! None of the erotic artists are thin-skinned! Even if you sprayed my face with a bottle of Mengniu milk, I could still elegantly smear the milk so that no one else got sprayed... Hmm, supposedly this stuff helps with skincare.

However, at that moment, Asuna picked up a piece of meat and handed it to him. Perhaps because he was not in a very good mood, Shiina Mashiro ate the food that Asuna had picked up a while later.

...Hey, what's with that really unhappy look?

When did I become so popular? And also, you're supposed to have no expression, so how exactly do you manage to project your dissatisfaction?

Then, Asuna leaned close to Kirito's ear and whispered something, making Kirito a little embarrassed... Are you a child? When you see others have something, you want it too?

"It's strange to be with people." For no reason at all, Shiina Mashiro said again.

You have absolutely no right to say that to me! Kirito's lips twitched slightly. I think I should have been more forceful and just shoved the thing into her mouth.

I guess I'll have to find out where the book "How to Communicate with Geniuses" is.

And hey, you guys with glasses over there, getting louder and louder, don't you know the saying "one shouldn't talk while eating or sleeping"?!

Kasumigaoka Utaha, why did you just give him an R right away?! Aren't you annoyed?!

Huhu——!

Mark Twain once said that if you find someone annoying, treat them like a vegetable you don't like. Although Xun Ge'er doesn't like them, he won't bother with such a creature.

"Asuna, can I rest my knees on them for a bit later? My heart is so tired."

P.S.: Slap!

stare--!

079

[NO.78 This comic book department has a serious problem]

After his afternoon nap, Kirito felt refreshed and full of energy.

Of course, he didn't drink any kidney tonics or use his "big sword" (a euphemism for sexual enhancement), he just enjoyed Asuna's lap pillow during his lunch break—he was fully charged!

My irritability, which had been building up because of the irritable weather, improved, and this good mood lasted until school was over.

During club activities, the moment the teacher disappeared from the classroom, a noisy commotion erupted. As usual, no one bothered Kirito. Even Ryunosuke quietly packed his things to attend the Homecoming Club's activities. Meanwhile, Eriri, who was in the same class and club, wore a fake smile and rejected all the classmates who invited her to go home together.

Kirito is sure that Eriri is thinking right now—why aren't these guys leaving yet? So annoying!

Well, I'll go to the manga club first. Anyway, Eriri looked like she had something to say to me this morning.

Kirito picked up his backpack and strolled leisurely toward the manga club. Just as he was leaving, he saw Kato Megumi float past him, but in the blink of an eye, she was nowhere to be seen. This kind of operation... she must be a master assassin!

A young king once said: "Trading is everywhere. If there were no pure trading, then we can only say that the world is not far from destruction."

Kirito chuckled as his gaze fell upon the two perverted classmates squatting around the corner, exchanging notebooks. If he wasn't mistaken, those must be Eriri's humiliation-themed doujinshi. It really was... Luckily, I was the one who noticed, or I would have turned around and yelled "pervert!"

When Kirito arrived at the manga club, he saw Hachiman arguing with Yukinoshita in the service club, along with three dumplings: a pink, fluffy one on top and two white, chubby ones below...

Upon seeing these three dumplings, Kirito instantly labeled her as someone who understood people's hearts. Even if the dumplings looked silly, no matter how silly they were, a girl with three dumplings on her body was definitely better than Yukinoko Yukinoshita!

Seriously, seeing Yui suddenly hug and rub against Yukinoshita, Kirito was sure that Yukinoshita's heart was in a lot of pain right now—dribbling and ramming someone can sometimes not only be used as a substitute attack, but can even torture the other person's mind.

"This dumpling is a formidable enemy of Yukinoshita!" Leaning against the door of the manga club room, Kirito's expression gradually turned melancholy.

To be honest, if it were a scene of cherry blossoms fluttering in the air, coupled with Kirito's current expression, he would definitely look like a literary girl... a literary boy.

Maintaining this state, Eriri slowly walked over a few minutes later. As if on purpose, Eriri's eyes held a hint of hostility, but when she saw Kirito's melancholy expression, which was inconsistent with his usual demeanor, her eyes immediately became somewhat puzzled.

"...What's wrong with you?"

"It's nothing." Kirito sighed softly, offering no explanation. Eriri, seeing the strange situation, was puzzled but also took the club room key and opened the door.

Following Eriri into the clubroom, Kirito's melancholy vanished, replaced by a blank expression. "Bullshit! She didn't even give me a key... Eriri, do you not consider me a member of the manga club?"

Of course, this wasn't because Yukinoko Yukinoshita would be overwhelmed by three times the number of dango; Kirito simply discovered that he didn't have a key to the manga club room.

"Hey you, you didn't even tell me you'd been absent from class for a week. Don't you know the student council vice president came to see me?"

I'm not your panties, how could I possibly know that you were approached by the student council vice president? Besides, even panties wouldn't know, since they're worn under a skirt.

"Because the members of the manga club don't meet the requirements?"

"That's right, exactly!" Eriri put her bag on the table, grinning unhappily, her canine teeth peeking out. She tried to mimic the student council vice president's tone, "Sawamura-kun, before you took over the manga club, it was already in a state of discontent and on the verge of disbanding. And after two weeks, no one has joined. So, if we can't recruit enough club members next week... the manga club will be finished—ugh! So frustrating!"

"And also, you haven't filled out your club application yet!"

"……what?"

……

For straightforward people, if they get angry, they either roll up their sleeves and fight it out, or they vent their anger by banging their heads on the ground and swearing.

Eriri is a tsundere loli, not a straightforward person.

So usually when she's angry or dissatisfied, she'll make her emotions out in the open. At this time, if you just say a few nice words to coax her, it might not only eliminate her anger, but also increase her favorability...maybe?

Perhaps possessed by Psy today, Kirito calmly apologized to Eriri and handed in his club application. Although he didn't quite understand why Eriri was acting like a cat with its fur standing on end, which was such a small matter, the way to deal with a cat is actually very simple: just poke it with a cotton swab... I mean, soothe it.

Next, they began to consider recruiting members.

A club needs three members to start, and at least five later on, but the manga club currently only has two. Coupled with a warning from the student council, they must recruit the remaining three members within a week. Furthermore, Eriri doesn't want her secret otaku identity to be discovered, so she'll likely be selective in recruiting members…

Incidentally, Kirito believes that Eriri's identity as a shut-in has long been exposed.

Eh wait...

As Kirito paused in putting on his gloves, a smile appeared in his eyes. "Isn't there two more members of the manga club already?"

Yes, that's right. It's Asuna and Shiina Mashiro. Anyway, they weren't originally in a club, but now that they've joined the manga club, they can go home together.

Although Asuna can't draw manga, she's still decent at art, at least she's a not-so-qualified assistant. As for Shiina Mashiro, needless to say, she would definitely join if Asuna joined.

After that, all that's needed is to recruit one more member...

"Sawamura-kun, the manga club... doesn't necessarily need everyone who knows how to draw manga, right?" Kirito pulled down one corner of his glove, slipping it on his hand, and smiled at Eriri. "For example, a light novel author who can write scripts, would that work?"

"Hmm?" Eriri looked at him with slightly narrowed eyes, puzzled.

Click—the sound of the door being pulled open.

Kirito glanced over there, then pointed to the doorway, "For example, her..."

Please feed them, yes, you need to pat them!

080

[NO.79 Is there a difference between Musashino and Mengniu milk?]

"I?"

With her eyes slightly narrowed, Kasumigaoka Utaha stepped into the clubhouse, crossed her arms, and looked at Kirito, who was pointing at her, with a somewhat strange expression.

"Yes, it's you!" Kirito nodded seriously and quickly walked up to Kasumigaoka Utaha, handing her the application form. "Welcome to the Manga Club!"

"...Why do I have to join the manga club?" Kasumigaoka Utaha asked, glancing down at the blank application form and squinting her eyes.

“…Kasumigaoka Utaha?” Eriri’s voice rang out at an inopportune moment, drawing Kasumigaoka Utaha’s attention.

"Hmm?" Kasumigaoka Utaha's expression showed a hint of surprise, seemingly a little unexpected. Sawamura-san, who usually acted like a rich young lady, was actually a hardcore otaku.

Naturally, as two of the most beautiful girls at Soubu High School, Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri, even if they didn't know each other, at least had some knowledge of each other.

Just like Kasumigaoka Utaha's surprise, Eriri's face also showed a look of astonishment. Recalling what was said before about being able to find a light novel writer to serve as the manga scriptwriter... Kasumigaoka Utaha was it?

"...Kimoto-kun, didn't you say that my drawing skills are so bad that I can only do simple things like coloring white paper black? Why do you want me to join the manga club now?" Holding the application form, Kasumigaoka Uta looked curiously at Kirito, whose eyes were flashing with a strange light.

"Oh!? So, you asked me to come to the manga club at noon just so I could join the manga club?"

As the conversation progressed, Kasumigaoka Utaha's tone of voice changed more and more, and coupled with her trembling legs... there was no doubt that she was in a bad mood.

...Wait a minute!

Kirito rubbed his forehead, feeling a bit of a headache. He realized that women were really strange. "I haven't even said anything yet. Where did you find these non-existent clues, Kasumigaoka?"

Speaking of which, Kasumigaoka Utaha's love for leg shaking might be for the sake of her lower body's happiness?

Without a doubt, Kasumigaoka Utaha's long, slender legs and alluring black stockings are sure to appeal to many foot fetishists. And most foot fetishes require a high vantage point and sufficient control over the calves and feet... Kasumigaoka Utaha, you have a bright future!

It's a pity they're not white stockings!

Kirito withdrew his meaningful gaze from Utaha Kasumigaoka's black stockings and calmly explained.

"You're overthinking it. As a member of the manga club, participating in club activities is essential. I usually can't find the time to deal with your affairs after I get home. So, the only way I can handle your affairs while I'm at club activities is by joining the manga club... By the way, some seniors from your industry are coming over later. Are you sure you don't want to stay?"

Time is like a breast; you can always squeeze some out, but if it's Yukino Yukinoshita... come on.

Kirito's situation can be compared to the above analogy.

"Huh? You mean, Professor Bai Ze?"

"Hey, you knew that?"

"Of course, the Sunday couple... no, I should say the Bamboo Grove Group that blinded thousands of single people just on Sunday." Kasumigaoka Utaha was obviously aware of what happened on the day of the autograph session, although Kirito didn't remember her being there.

"So, what do you think?" Kirito really didn't want to have to run out every day after school to tutor Kasumigaoka Utaha. Even if it was a teacher tutoring a student after school, if it happened too often, Asuna definitely wouldn't be happy.

Therefore, the current method is absolutely the most perfect!

Well... if we follow the light novel formula, it seems like the manga club is developing into a harem group?

Pshaw! Asuna would definitely beat me to death if I did that—don't overthink it! Don't overthink it!

"What the hell?! Kirito, Kazuto, Utaha Kasumigaoka, are you even listening to me?!"

Eriri let out an angry howl, as if her tail had been stepped on, and her voice echoed throughout the entire manga club, even reaching the Service Club next door.

"People like him... should be dragged out and beaten to death!" As he closed the paperback in his hand, a flame ignited in Hachiman's dead fish eyes.

"That dead-fish-eyed girl who reeks of an ape that can't find a mate to mate with, could you please watch your eyes? Yuihama is scared of you. By the way, could you please sit back a bit and lower the resolution of your face? Otherwise, I'll not only feel a crisis of chastity, but I might even have the urge to give you a stun gun." Yukinoko covered her meager chest with both hands, her expression suggesting she'd call the police if Hachiman made any move.