manga artist Kirito

Back at the apartment, Asuna stuffed all the remaining ingredients into the refrigerator, except for the ones she would need later. Kirito, meanwhile, was biting into a piece of cucumber when he opened the curtains, and the rosy glow of the sunset streamed in.

Why cucumber?

It's delicious, of course! Not only is it practical, but it's also versatile. Of course, women tend to prefer using it more...

What I mean is—a face mask.

"Looks like the weather should be nice tomorrow... Hmm, I remember we have a PE class." Chewing on a cucumber, Kirito turned and walked towards the kitchen, only to see Shiina Mashiro put down her things and then take out her sketchbook from her bag to start drawing, looking very serious.

Honestly, if all manga artists were like Shiina Mashiro, then the mahjong parlor that Togashi frequents probably wouldn't be making much money.

But has Shiina Mashiro... found a story she can draw?

About two days ago, Kirito pointed to her manga and said that aside from the art style, this kind of manga couldn't possibly interest anyone. Afterwards, Shiina Mashiro pursed her lips, put away the stack of drawings, locked them back in her suitcase, and even changed to a different sketchbook…

Kirito slightly pursed his lips. Although Shiina Mashiro's manga was terrible, her effort... even staying up until the early hours of the morning to draw a meaningless manuscript, was indeed very admirable.

Keep it up, kid!

"Huh?" Out of the corner of his eye, Kirito noticed something that made him raise his eyebrows. Shiina Mashiro was holding a bag that wasn't fully zipped up, revealing a corner of a paperback book. It was the second volume of "Love Metronome," and there were many sticky notes stuck inside the pages.

Meanwhile, Kirito has been looking for this paperback book recently. He thought it was lost, but it turned out to be with her... What's going on?

"Kirito, come help me out." Asuna, wearing an apron, poked her body out of the kitchen, looking very wifely. She waved to Kirito and then retreated back inside.

"Okay." Kirito nodded and headed towards the kitchen. He'd deal with the paperback later; Kasumigaoka Utaha had already read it pretty much anyway. The only reason he brought it back was to see if there was anything he needed to add.

A few minutes later, Kirito's eyes were red and tears streamed down his face. He looked so teary-eyed. If Kirito were to wear a wig at this moment, he would definitely look like a soft, cute, and delicate beautiful girl.

"Kirito, what's wrong?" Asuna turned around and saw Kirito looking like he wanted to rub his eyes but didn't dare to, looking quite pitiful. She lowered her gaze slightly and immediately saw the half-cut onion. She looked both annoyed and amused. "You definitely rubbed your eyes without washing your hands."

"...I was just wiping away sweat," Kirito said, sounding a little aggrieved.

"Idiot!" Asuna shook her head helplessly, then washed her hands with hand sanitizer and used the water to wash Kirito's eyes. "Wet the knife before you cut so it won't irritate your eyes."

"Who knew cutting an onion could be so intoxicating?" Kirito exclaimed, his eyes wide and red. "Quick, blow on them for me, they feel so uncomfortable."

"Really..." Asuna shook her head slightly, leaned back a little, pouted her lips and gently blew on Kirito's eyes, but then seemed to remember something, and her pretty face turned a little red.

"...Ah, I'm saved!" Kirito exclaimed, instinctively reaching out to rub his eyes, but before he could even lift them, Asuna pulled him to the sink and made him wash them twice.

"Now you can rub it however you want... Ah, that's a bit of a shame." Asuna said with a helpless smile, then suddenly felt a little regretful.

"what?"

"You looked so cute just now, it's a pity I didn't take a picture with my phone."

"..." Looking at Asuna's smiling face, Kirito's smile gradually faded. "You... you must be fake. Asuna would never think I'm cute; she'd only think I'm handsome!"

“Kazuto… um, Kazuko is the cutest!” Asuna said with a serious expression.

"Kiritani Kazuko is dead!" Kirito looked like he'd just lost his life and was about to continue chopping onions when Asuna stopped him and pulled him out of the kitchen.

"The kitchen is not suitable for you. Please become a katana before you come in."

"The puppy of friendship has died! Asuna, if you keep doing this... you'll end up having green peppers for dinner!"

"It's okay, I like green peppers."

"...You won't get to eat cola chicken wings!"

"It's okay, you'll feed me."

"..."

Freeing Kirito from the kitchen, Asuna went all out, and within half an hour, a faint fragrance filled the house.

Looking at the food served on the table, Kirito calmly looked at Asuna and said, "I've found a way to cut onions without getting irritated—wear glasses!"

"Let's eat. Wash your hands first." Seemingly not hearing Kirito's words, Asuna took off her apron and gloves and called out to Shiina Mashiro, who was engrossed in drawing, "Mashiro, it's time to eat."

"Tsk," Kirito clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction, "You don't know what you're missing."

"Those who know their stuff go hungry."

"I mean I don't know its value."

Japan practices separate dining, but that's not the case for Kirito. After all, it was originally just the two of them, and they were boyfriend and girlfriend, so it didn't matter what they did. Even now that Shiina Mashiro is here, it's still the same... She wouldn't care anyway.

"Hmm, Asuna, your cooking skills are getting better and better!" Kirito praised, giving her a thumbs up.

"Don't change the subject. Where are the green peppers and onions I put in your bowl earlier?" Asuna remained unmoved, her eyes sharp as knives. "Hurry up and dig them out of your rice and eat some... By the way, onions and green peppers can ruin the taste of rice!"

"Such a thing is possible?" Kirito exclaimed in surprise.

"And you even said you ate green peppers and onions!"

"...Hmm?" Shiina Mashiro, who had placed the green pepper into Kirito's bowl with terrifyingly fast hand speed, tilted her head in a daze. "I ate it."

Kirito: There are always troublemakers trying to harm me!

092

[NO.90 The Mischief Master (Third Update)]

After dinner, Asuna leaned back lazily on the sofa watching the news, while Kirito gently massaged her shoulders. Several cups of tea that Kirito had just brewed were on the table.

Asuna took a sip of tea and showed an expression of enjoyment. Although Kirito only knows how to cook dishes with eggs, he is very good at tea ceremony. It is said that he learned it while practicing kendo.

Shiina Mashiro nestled on another sofa, clutching her sketchbook. Her hand, holding a paintbrush, moved rapidly across the canvas. Her gaze would occasionally drift towards Kirito and Asuna before returning to the drawing...

At first, Asuna felt something was off and was a little uncomfortable, but Shiina Mashiro's actions were so frequent that Asuna eventually let her be. After all, she was just drawing and observing other people's behavior.

It must be said that Kirito's guidance was indeed effective.

Kirito glanced at the television; the news was talking about real estate… Japanese housing prices are best left unmentioned.

"Ah, I almost forgot I still have something to look at." With that, Kirito flipped over and sat on the sofa, took out the manuscript that Kasumigaoka Utaha had given him from the backpack next to him, and naturally lay down, resting his head on Asuna's lap, even shifting slightly to make it more comfortable for her.

"Don't move, I'm watching the news." Asuna gently lifted Kirito's head and placed it in a position that wouldn't make her uncomfortable, puffing out her cheeks in dissatisfaction.

"What's so interesting about the news? It's not like we can't afford a house." Kirito pouted slightly, picked up the manuscript and started reading, while Shiina Mashiro stared at him for a few seconds before looking back and nodding vigorously.

Actually... only someone like Shiina Mashiro, who knows nothing and understands nothing, can tolerate Kirito and Asuna's constant displays of affection. If it were someone like Hiratsuka Shizuka or Kasumigaoka Utaha, they would have left long ago.

So, sometimes knowing a lot doesn't mean it's useful. Take Shiina Mashiro, for example. She doesn't know anything, but at least she doesn't get bombarded with displays of affection.

It seems... the writing style has changed quite a bit.

Kirito was slightly surprised as he flipped through the manuscript. At the very least, the article was much smoother to read than before. Moreover, not only were the descriptions of characters, scenes, and psychology much clearer than before, but the dialogue between characters also didn't feel so awkward... The progress was a bit exaggerated, wasn't it?

But thinking about it carefully, it doesn't seem strange at all. Kasumigaoka Utaha herself writes with extraordinary talent. Although a lot of the content is too realistic and doesn't quite fit the light novel genre, the changes that have appeared now undoubtedly prove that she has the talent of a creator... She understands things very quickly.

Wow, you understand it so easily?

Although the manuscript was less than 30,000 words long, Kirito clearly saw Kasumigaoka Utaha's growth. He finished reading the manuscript in less than 20 minutes, and then spent another 10 minutes reading it again. Many of the contents connected to the flawed second volume, and the hidden plot lines that had been planted earlier gradually became clear.

Of course, it's not quite clear enough. It's a hidden plot, so how could it be so easy to spot at a glance?

"Asuna, take a look at this manuscript." Kirito nuzzled Asuna's stomach and waved the manuscript in front of her. "The third volume of 'Love Metronome'."

"Is this a novel written by Kasumigaoka-senpai? Let me take a look." Asuna naturally knew that Kirito had provided guidance on Kasumigaoka Utaha's novel, and since Asuna was also a reader of Kasumigaoka Utaha's novel, she was very curious about the revised third volume.

While Asuna was flipping through the manuscripts, Kirito felt a little bored. He glanced at Shiina Mashiro and found her staring intently at her sketchbook, seemingly deep in thought... Well, he decided not to disturb her.

So what should we do?

Should I go back to my study to draw?

...It's a real waste to give up the lap pillow and go back to the room to draw. Anyway, the erotic novel is only two strokes away from being finished, so there's no need to do this... Well, slow and steady wins the race. If you only focus on the manuscript and rush the deadline, the quality will suffer!

Therefore, in order to ensure high quality, you can't just draw any old draft!

I absolutely have to wait until I'm at my peak motivation before I start drawing!

……

Akane Akasaka, whose real name is Akane Takasaka, is the founder of rouge en rouge. At this moment, she is sitting cross-legged in her office chair, glancing casually at her computer, and idly scrolling through her contacts on her phone.

The most important thing recently is promoting the Sword Art Online series. Moreover, Akane Kousaka had already arranged everything when she received Kirito's message that he was going to turn over a new leaf. So all that's left to do now is wait for the publicity to take off.

As for whether Sword Art Online would disappoint her or make all her efforts go to waste, Akane Kousaka had no worries at all. This was because she trusted Kirito, because Kirito had never disappointed her.

Today was supposed to be a boring day, with nothing happening in Rouge en Rouge. She was so bored that she wanted to create a new account to cause trouble, but then she remembered that she had posted a "genius erotic crossdresser" on Kirito's Twitter a few days ago. If she were to cause trouble now... she was afraid that the artificial intelligence would track her down.

"Ugh, how boring..."

This was Akane Kosaka's moan three minutes ago, but just now, she found new amusement because she remembered that Galgame game that had recently sold like hotcakes.

"Anyway, the script was obtained from Laihe Ren, so he has to be there for the celebration, right?" Resting her delicate cheek on one hand, Akane Kosaka's mischievous instincts made her feel that it would be a waste of this opportunity if things didn't develop into something really interesting.

"However, I still have to go to school, so this can be done on the weekend... but that would be so boring." Smugly clicking her tongue, Akane Kosaka flipped through her list of alternate accounts. She had a few free accounts, so she randomly picked one and wrote down the username and password.

"We need to be a little more careful this time, otherwise we won't be able to play anymore once we're discovered."

"...Come to think of it, why didn't we just swindle an AI program from Kazuto back then?" Akane Kosaka shook her head at her naive idea. "Oh well, there's always another chance..."

"Ah...choo..."

Just as Kirito was about to get up, he suddenly sneezed, almost falling onto the coffee table and becoming a disaster. Sniffing, Kirito scratched his slightly cold back, frowning and muttering to himself.

"...Could someone be plotting against me?"

093

[NO.91 The name is hard to remember (Fourth update)]

I am Kiritani Kazuto

I have a decent house, a stable job, things I can do whenever I want, a beautiful girlfriend, a brother who has taken countless bullets for me, a cute and capable friend, and even two good-looking students...

No matter how you look at it, I'm a winner in life!

Since I'm already a winner in life, why do I still need to... still come to school, and why do I still need to run?

—Kirito, running under the scorching 34-degree sun, began a strange self-questioning session.

If it's about studying diligently, high school studies are no challenge for him. Besides, Kirito doesn't really like going to university; he prefers university to be his home, since there are vastly different things to eat every day.

Moreover, Zhuangzi also said, "My life has a limit, but knowledge has no limit..." The meaning is very simple, right? Life is finite, but knowledge is infinite. Using a finite life to pursue infinite knowledge... will lead to death.

So why bother struggling to survive on this path?

Why not take a detour and check out the main road?

Well, at least things are going pretty well for now. Apart from wanting to take a wooden sword and whip the PE teacher who was resting under the shade of a tree, Kirito feels that life is pretty good. He has even forgotten about the incident when he woke up and saw Shiina Mashiro touching his ribs with a hint of eagerness in her eyes.

Incidentally, Shiina Mashiro wasn't trying to pry open Kirito's ribs; she simply wanted to explore the anatomy of the male body. Asuna was also present at the time.

Seriously, if Asuna hadn't been there, Kirito would have definitely shown Shiina Mashiro what leverage she had over him!

"Why should I have to suffer like this!" With a look of utter despair, Kirito finished his 800-meter sprint and returned to the vending machine, hesitating whether he should take the PE teacher to the kendo club for some practice later.

"Thank you for your hard work, Kiritani-kun." A female classmate, seemingly unremarkable, spoke in an extremely flat voice next to the vending machine.

"Huh!!" Kirito stared in astonishment at the girl sitting right next to him. When did she appear? I didn't see her just now. Wait... she's a little close. Wait, what's her name again?

I... I should know her name, right?

Ah! A wave of guilt is washing over me!

The expressionless girl, "Kato," perhaps realizing that Kirito had forgotten her name, slightly raised her head, and her tone became less indifferent.

...Oh dear, he's showing emotion!

"Ahem, Kato-kun, it's been a long time."

"I just saw you when we gathered."

"...Kato-san, would you like some water?" Having finally remembered the girl's name, Kirito skipped the awkward topic from before, put the banknotes into the vending machine, and casually asked Kato Megumi, who seemed to be possessed by tranquility.

Yes, what I mean is—Kato Megumi is toxic!

Kirito sometimes wears glasses, but it's not because he has poor eyesight. It's just that this way he can show off his erudition. Yes, erudition, but not philosophy!

But Kato Megumi was sitting right next to me, and I didn't even notice... Well, it's probably because I was standing that I didn't see her, huh...

"Thank you, but it's not necessary." Ms. Kato, who existed like a plant, picked up the bottled water on the other side and showed it to express her gratitude.

"I see..." Kirito rubbed his forehead, looking a little conflicted. He picked up a bottle of MAX coffee from the vending machine's dispenser, took a small step back, and sat down. Pulling open the coffee bottle, the exhausted Kirito downed half a bottle in one go.

"I have to say, Kato-kun, sometimes I really think you're amazing!"

"Is that so..." Holding her knees and looking ahead, a gentle breeze blew by, lifting the girl's slightly long hair, and then her usual calm voice rang out.

"Your elusiveness is unparalleled." Kirito casually wiped his sweat with a tissue. "You might not like hearing this, but don't you think you're really invisible?"

"Like plants that can be seen everywhere."