manga artist Kirito

013

【NO.12 How about some dark elements?】

"This may be a game, but it's not something to be taken lightly!"

After spending half an hour reading the outline twice, Eriri read out the line in the entire script that resonated with her the most.

The main storyline revolves around a game called "Sword Art Online" that has only been in open beta for a day. In this virtual reality online game, players cannot leave the game if they cannot complete the walkthrough, and "GAME OVER" means "death" for the player. Only those who accept this contradictory reality can survive.

The protagonist, Kurogiri Shido, a beta tester, is forcibly drawn into this death game along with ten thousand other players. Set in the game's giant floating castle, Aincrad, he intends to prove the adage, "If you're a man, go all the way to the 100th floor," by becoming a lone swordsman who refuses to team up with others…

"Well, if I had to give my opinion, this is definitely a very good script! Forget about turning it into a comic, the story outline alone would be worth a fortune. But..."

Suddenly, Eriri put down her script and looked at Kirito with a very serious expression.

"But this game is a bit too monotonous, isn't it? Besides clearing floors, picking up girls, and fighting crime, don't you think something's missing?"

"Tell me."

Kirito wasn't angry at all. This was just a script pieced together from fragmented memories; if Kirito were to think about it himself, it would never reach this level. However, the script's flaws were within Kirito's expectations; otherwise, he wouldn't have discussed it with Eriri.

"Let's talk about the game first. The mastermind created this world for entertainment, but isn't a game where someone becomes a swordsman as soon as they pick up a sword and a spearman as soon as they pick up a gun a bit boring?"

Eriri tapped her pale fingers on the table as she let her imagination run wild while pointing out the script's shortcomings.

"Even those mainstream games have job categories and job skills. I might think they're a bit redundant when drawing them, but I think character jobs are quite important."

"As for the so-called hidden skills, such as the dual-wielding skill you set for the protagonist, why not change it to a hidden class? Then, just add a quest when changing classes... or, if someone blocks the quest during the class change and causes it to fail, the consequences will be severe—wouldn't that also be a highlight?"

"That's what they say, but it feels a bit too formulaic." Kirito shrugged helplessly, but he couldn't deny that Eriri's words made a lot of sense.

"And also, the script is called Sword Art Online."

"Well, I'm just offering a suggestion. After all, it's your script. Whether you change it or not is up to you."

Erishin wanted to push up her glasses, but realized she was wearing contact lenses. However, to avoid embarrassment, she pretended she had pushed them up.

"Furthermore, SAO is inherently a death game, so the sense of oppression is definitely very strong. People will experience fear when their lives are in danger, so... well, I think it's better to change one death to three. At least after experiencing death, the fear that erupts will prevent them from recklessly courting death. Of course, there are also reasons to court death if there are multiple deaths..."

"Hmm, while your suggestions are good, three times is indeed a bit too many." Kirito thought for a moment, "How about this: [Everyone makes mistakes, but there's only one chance]?"

"If you think it's good... Oh, and also, change the 'no pain' part to 30% real pain." As she spoke, Eriri's expression turned sour again, and her tone mirrored her words. "Fujiwara, you old bastard, do you really think dying is... okay? I personally think a girl who dies would definitely be loved by many. Or perhaps..."

Eriri leaned closer to Kirito. "Or do you really want to be called Fujiwara the Old Thief?"

"Well, death is inevitable." Kirito had a look that said, 'What can I do? I'm desperate too.' "Oh, right, I also want to add some dark elements..."

"Wait, isn't Death Game dark enough?" Eriri raised her eyebrows, somewhat dissatisfied. "Life is destroyed in front of us, and as viewers, we can definitely appreciate the preciousness of life. At least as a viewer, I have indeed felt heartbroken while watching similar anime."

"If the death toll is too high, it can easily cause viewers to think about life and death, and may even..."

"No, you're overthinking it!" Kirito waved his hand. "According to you, maybe they're hoping that [these players aren't really dead?]"

Are you sure you can create that expectation in them?

"Let's wait and see." Kirito smiled. "Regarding the dark elements..."

"Stop! That's enough!" Eriri crossed her arms wide, her blue eyes fixed on Kirito. "Too much dark element is making people uncomfortable!"

"Okay... I was actually thinking of adding some Cthulhu elements in..."

"what?"

Because Kirito muttered his last sentence in a low voice, Eriri didn't hear it clearly.

"No, I mean, it's really great to have you help with the analysis." Kirito smiled slightly. "If I were alone, I probably wouldn't have been able to find so many problems."

"Ugh, I, I didn't mean it... Wait, I only helped you because you're one of my club members! Don't overthink it!" Eriri's pretty face suddenly turned red, and she turned her head away, stammering.

That's truly textbook-perfect arrogance!

Kirito rubbed his nose. "We've found all the problems we could. If there are any more issues later, please feel free to offer your suggestions, Captain!"

"...I...I understand."

Eriri nodded slightly. The manga script that Kirito had brought out was indeed very good. Even after reading the outline, Eriri still had a certain sense of anticipation for this yet-to-be-released manga.

Speaking of which, should I try drawing comics myself?

For the first time, Eriri had the idea of ​​drawing serious manga. Doujinshi was purely out of interest for Eriri, or rather, to make up for some regrets she felt about the original work. Whether doujinshi would make money... that was not a big deal for Eriri. After all, she was a big family with a lot of money. Would she be short of such a small amount of money?

"Hey, Sawamura-kun, wanna draw some manga together?"

Seeing Eriri suddenly fall silent, Kirito extended an invitation.

"If you're worried about your footing, I can help you, free of charge!"

"..."

014

[NO.13 Eriri's route unfolding?]

Kirito temporarily put aside the invitation to Eriri to draw a manga, citing her current preparations for the summer commercial. However, Kirito wasn't worried. He believed that if nothing unexpected happened, Eriri would definitely develop an interest in drawing manga under the influence of those around her.

Kirito's confidence stemmed from the manga club and the market research report Eriri had previously asked him to provide.

Putting aside the matter of recruiting others, Kirito began revising the script for Sword Art Online. To be honest, Eriri's suggestions were quite good, but if all of them were adopted, then Sword Art Online might have to be renamed.

Therefore, more market research is needed before starting the revisions.

After spending over ten minutes highlighting some key points, Kirito took out a sketchbook and placed it on the table. Eriri, meanwhile, was seemingly doing nothing... well, not exactly doing nothing. She was constantly flipping through market research and the suggestions and other comments from her fans on Twitter. However, next to the diligently working Kirito, she definitely looked like she was doing nothing at all.

When Kirito took out another sketchbook, Eriri's gaze was immediately drawn to it. Actually, what Kirito took out wasn't anything very important or interesting; it was just a doujinshi that would be used at the upcoming summer commercial.

Yes, Kirito has given up on the idea of ​​making Eriri the heroine of a doujinshi... uh, no, to be precise, it should be temporarily shelved. After all, although Eriri is quite easy to talk to, if this kind of thing were really brought up in the open, Eriri might fly into a rage.

For the sake of our friendship, let's put this matter aside for now.

Now that they've abandoned that idea, it's natural to start using a new script. Kirito doesn't have much of anything, but he does have a ton of scripts, and the one he's bringing out now is just one of them.

"Alas, [the eternally crimson crescent moon]?"

Eriri read the words on the cover and looked at Kirito with some confusion. Kirito's erotic comics were always original, but now... was he planning to create a fanfiction?

"Are you planning to use this as the script for the summer CM showdown?"

"Ah? Oh, that's definitely right."

"Not an original work this time? And... are you planning to draw a yuri (lesbian) doujinshi?"

"What's wrong?"

With a somewhat strange expression, Kirito found it hard to understand Eriri's thoughts. Although he had always drawn normal erotic comics, it didn't mean he wouldn't draw yuri comics or anything like that.

Well, actually Kirito has created tentacle-themed comics before, but few people know about them, since they're a bit too extreme and not everyone can handle them.

"Yuri is a bit too niche, isn't it? Especially since we're planning to use this opportunity as a decisive factor, choosing this kind of theme seems a bit like courting disaster?"

Eriri tapped her fingers slowly on the table, earnestly trying to persuade her. Although she longed to win, if there was no sense of accomplishment in winning, then even victory wouldn't bring joy.

"Don't worry, Touhou Gensokyo is still quite popular. You might think I'm suddenly giving up my best area to draw niche works, but... don't forget, Touhou also has the kana 'Yuri-sato'."

Kirito smiled slightly.

"Besides, creating doujinshi is just a hobby for me. If I were to give up what I want to draw just for the sake of winning or losing, wouldn't that be a low-level thing to do?"

What a joke! I'm an old hand at this. Back in the day, I spent every day online collecting materials and watching countless movies and TV shows. I'm so into everything, from Western, Japanese, Korean, and even bizarre and grotesque films. You're saying I'm courting death? That's utterly ridiculous!

You have no idea what kind of script to use to create a sour and smelly art style. You're so naive!

"You talk a good game but don't play it. I can't be bothered with you. Go ahead and do whatever you want."

Eriri pouted. Since Kirito wanted to court death, she was too lazy to stop him. He would know his mistake after he died.

Yeah, that's so typical of society!

So, while Kirito was drawing, Eriri also began working on her own doujinshi.

Time passed...

When you're idling, unsure of what to do, and just waiting, time seems to pass very slowly to most people. It's like checking the time near the end of class: five minutes left, then checking again a little later... five more minutes... But when you're focused on doing something, time seems to fly by. It's really just a matter of mindset.

Just like now, the two of them were so engrossed in their creation that they hadn't even finished many sketches when the sky began to darken and it was already evening.

After finishing the draft, Kirito stretched out his arms and legs, making a series of cracking sounds. He couldn't help but smile wryly. It was true... he had only been sitting for a short while, and his body had already become so stiff. Was all the kendo he had practiced before just a sham?

The basics were clearly laid!

Okay. If it were in the past, even if three or five elites from the Soubu High School Kendo Club attacked together, Kirito would definitely not back down, but now... taking down two would be pretty good.

After all, this isn't some magical world full of martial arts. Aside from the occasional thug, there aren't many places on the streets where martial arts are actually used. So, why bother practicing martial arts? You might as well just dance.

"It's getting late, Sawamura-kun, I'll be going now."

After packing his things, Kirito slung his backpack over his shoulder and greeted Eriri, who was still engrossed in creating.

"Ah, um, okay, I'm almost done here too. Hey, it's so late..."

Eriri looked up to respond to Kirito, but her face fell when she saw the dim sky. The way home from school wasn't short, and it was already past six o'clock; it felt a bit dangerous.

Or should we call the housekeeper? But even that would take quite a while...

Ugh, I'm so hungry...

"...Although I don't think it's necessary, I'll ask anyway, do you need me to take you to the station?"

Kirito turned his head to look at Eriri, who had a pained expression on her face. He had already told Asuna at noon that he had to participate in club activities today, and Asuna had said that she wouldn't be able to help with cooking. In other words, Kirito would have to buy a bento box at the supermarket.

"Um, is that okay... wait, I... I didn't..."

Eriri blushed inexplicably as she spoke, and responded haltingly, but judging from her initial words, it was indeed necessary.

"I'll wait for you outside the door."

015

【NO.14 Origin of Starburst Stream Slash】

Generally speaking, things like taking a girl home are undoubtedly the most likely to trigger hidden routes or greatly increase her affection for you.

However, Kirito didn't think this was a good opportunity. Besides, the reason he was doing this was simply to go to the supermarket near the station to buy some ingredients, or rather, to buy a bento box for dinner.

You might not believe it, but the bento boxes at that supermarket are delicious and very cheap.

As dusk fell, a few red clouds appeared on the horizon, and pedestrians on the street were scattered in twos and threes, mostly people rushing home for dinner.

Kirito and Eriri walked down the street in silence, creating an awkward atmosphere.

With his eyes slightly narrowed, Kirito lazily yawned, occasionally turning his head to look at the street beside him. Eriri, on the other hand, bit her lip and glanced at Kirito every now and then, her expression slightly off.

"what happened?"

"fine!"

"Are you sure everything is alright?"

Kirito raised an eyebrow. Eriri looked guilty and unhappy in every way. She didn't seem like she was alright at all.

"I'm really fine!"

Eriri pouted. She was initially worried that the students from Snow School would see them and spread all sorts of rumors, but seeing Kirito's constant absent-mindedness... Hey, I'm a pretty girl, for goodness' sake. Aren't you going to try to start a conversation with me? Don't you know how awkward the atmosphere is?

"Oh."

Kirito nodded thoughtfully and then fell silent.

"Giggle giggle!!!"

Eriri was very annoyed by Kirito's attitude, as she heard the sound of his teeth grinding.

"Ah, we can't just keep walking, let's find something to talk about."

Kirito turned his head to look at Eriri and made this suggestion.

"...Ah, oh, okay!"

Seeing Kirito finally realize what was happening, Eriri was stunned. So this guy actually has a brain after all.

"Speaking of which, Sawamura-kun, how did you end up becoming an ecchi artist?"

"...Can we not talk about this?"

Eriri quickly scanned her surroundings to make sure there weren't many pedestrians around, then clenched her little fists and glared at Kirito with a dark expression. Even though this wasn't school, was it okay to say such things on the street?

"So when you're creating your works, the characters you draw are all based on yourself... I mean, your models." Kirito adjusted his slipping backpack, revealing a mysterious smile. "As far as I know, it seems like all the doujinshi you draw are flat-chested! While I personally think flat-chested is indeed quite nice, you've never drawn a busty heroine, is it because..."

"Shut up!!"