manga artist Kirito

"Don't worry, Yui can help you recover." Kirito raised an eyebrow; Eriri looked a bit like a lunatic right now.

"You foolish human, do you know how valuable my archives are?"

The character design is ruined, twin-tailed girl!

P.S.: Just wondering, do you want to see some romance or follow the main storyline?

155

[NO.153 Mashiro: Finally, it's my turn (Bonus Chapter)]

In fact, high school students' anger comes and goes quickly, especially for tsundere students. A few kind words and a brief explanation of their reasons can perfectly resolve any unnecessary disputes.

Eriri, who is hailed as a textbook example of tsundere, is incredibly easy to deal with. Even Shiina Mashiro, who is as white as paper and knows nothing, is much more difficult to deal with than Eriri.

Of course, this isn't to belittle her, but there's no need to overestimate her...

"It's not because you promised to give me the game that I forgave you, it's just because I felt sorry for you..." Eriri raised her chin and uttered textbook tsundere words.

To be honest, tilting your chin up isn't a good habit, because from my angle, her nostrils look a bit big...

Of course, Eriri mostly just wanted me to look up at her... it had nothing to do with height.

Really, believe me!

"I give this tsundere a perfect score." Kirito gave Eriri a thumbs up, by the way, it's out of 100.

"However, being arrogant occasionally is fine, but being excessively arrogant is a mental illness, which will seriously affect your daily life, so I think you need to get treatment."

"I'm not mentally ill, you pervert! Go buy me the game now!"

"It's class time now, please don't make noise. Also, the game order was just placed; you just need to go home and wait for the delivery." Kirito glanced at the students looking over and continued. "You really do have a mental illness, why don't you believe me?"

"If I were mentally ill, I'd strangle you first!"

"Tsk, wait a minute..." Kirito took out his phone and dialed the mental hospital's number. "Hello, I have a girl here with a mental illness, but because of the rain, I'd like you to come pick her up... Huh? I'm telling you, she really does have a mental illness. You can ask her later, I guarantee she'll say no... Um, wait, I'll give her the phone now..."

Kiritani kindly placed the phone to Eriri's ear, who was looking on with a cute expression.

"...Excuse me, are you mentally ill?" came the uneasy voice of the staff member on the other end of the phone.

Gritting her teeth in annoyance, Eriri kicked Kirito hard in the shin and said in a strained tone to the person on the other end of the phone, "Hello, this is..."

Sitting next to her, Kato Megumi slightly opened her mouth, unsure whether she should remind Eriri.

Furthermore, the previously noisy classroom fell completely silent at this moment, and all the students' expressions as they looked at Eriri were quite interesting.

“…Please return the phone to the gentleman who just spoke, Miss.”

"Sir, please tell me your address immediately. Based on my many years of medical experience, this young lady is very likely... beyond saving." Kirito heard the urgent voice as soon as he answered the phone.

"Okay, I'll send you the address right away." The helpful Kiritani hung up the phone and shrugged at Eriri with a look of deep emotion.

…………

It was lunchtime, and we were still in the manga club's office.

"To be honest, I really don't like green peppers."

Looking at the bento box and the green peppers that were hidden so well, Kirito felt a little annoyed.

"Also, enough with the twin tails, my feet are about to swell from all the kicking."

Kirito glared at Eriri, but she wasn't about to back down. She raised her delicate chin at Kirito, and her golden twin tails moved without wind at that moment, as if she was about to unleash a ponytail slash, and she gave a cold smile.

Then he withdrew his foot that was about to kick out.

So what's the point of being so arrogant?

"What's wrong with this golden retriever? Was it boiled? It looks like it's on its period."

If there's anyone besides Kirito who likes to target Eriri, it's definitely Kasumigaoka Utaha—perhaps because of their rivalry in terms of size, or perhaps because of their similar attributes.

"Kasumigaoka! Utaha!" Eriri roared, glaring at her senior, Kasumigaoka Utaha, with an unusually vicious look in her eyes.

"Oh my, has your nearsightedness gotten this bad, you unattractive twin-tailed girl? Blindness is an illness, it needs treatment!" Kasumigaoka Utaha ignored Eriri's fierce glare. "Besides, didn't your parents tell you that it's impolite to shout your senpai's name so loudly?"

"Do I need to be polite to someone like you?"

…………

"Ugh, it's starting again."

Asuna rubbed her forehead helplessly. Scenes like this were practically a daily occurrence in the manga club. It would be the strangest thing if Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't argue with Eriri one day.

“For Sawamura, Kasumigaoka is like a mixture of Tiger Balm, floral water, and strong tea—exciting!” Kirito chuckled, pulled up his trouser leg, pulled out a book wrapped around his calf, and threw it into the drawer. “But isn’t this pretty good too? At least it’s not boring.”

"...I'm alright." Asuna smiled inexplicably, then looked at Shiina Mashiro. "Speaking of which, Mashiro, you've seemed a bit unhappy these past few days...?"

“No, I’m observing.” Shiina Mashiro shook her head. “I’m telling people that if you want to draw good manga, you have to know how to observe.”

It was quite rare for Shiina Mashiro to speak such a long sentence in one breath, both for Kirito and the other members of the manga club.

After all, Shiina Mashiro would never speak more than five words at a time in the past, so this is unprecedented.

"So, how's your artwork coming along?" Kirito was also a little curious. How was the artwork that this child, who was so engrossed in the world of art, preparing? Had there been any changes?

Seriously, if Shiina Mashiro's latest manga is just like her previous ones—completely devoid of plot and soul—Kirito really won't say another word to her.

Because everything that could be said had already been said, Kasumigaoka Utaha managed to improve despite those less-than-pleasant words, while the more talented Shiina Mashiro, if she didn't grow at all—then she could only be a painter, not a manga artist, for the rest of her life.

"Speaking of which, there are only two large clubs holding newcomer awards right now: Weekly Shonen Jump and a club from Kousaka. The former is clearly not suitable for your work, Shiina, so it seems like only the latter is suitable... Hmm, the deadline for both clubs is next Wednesday." Kirito smiled gently, looking at Shiina Mashiro's increasingly determined expression with a meaningful gaze. "Can you win?"

"Name, and person." The pure white-clad girl ignored the useful information and focused on a trivial point.

"...Answer my question first."

"I can win!" Shiina Mashiro said firmly, looking earnestly at Kirito, and then brought up the question from earlier again.

"Call my name."

P.S.: You guys are so lazy. You didn't give me any votes or even any tips.

156

[NO.154 Wait, isn't that me?]

"They're really proactive..."

Looking at the stack of manuscripts in his hand, Kirito's gaze drifted slightly. There were at least a hundred pages. Although when Kirito was serious, he could finish a hundred-page manuscript in just one week, and that would be the kind that guarantees quality.

However, while Shiina Mashiro claimed that she had nothing to do besides drawing, in reality, she spent a considerable amount of time observing others and recording common knowledge, in addition to drawing...

Furthermore, she only started drawing this manuscript after Kirito gave her feedback, so both the subject matter and the character designs needed to be redesigned.

Don't doubt it, the story might be quick to draw, but the character design is undoubtedly very troublesome, especially since it can't be too mainstream. It has to have unique characteristics, such as being incredibly lazy, incredibly jinxed, or constantly spouting dirty jokes... and so on!

These features are all very interesting.

However, after completing the character designs and other time-consuming tasks like group creation, there are still manuscripts that are over a hundred pages long... that's impressive!

"Hey, Asuna, you'd better get up tonight and check on Shiina... Mashiro, see if she's staying up all night secretly drawing." Kirito whispered in Asuna's ear.

"Okay, I understand." Asuna nodded, though she herself had some doubts about whether the child was staying up late.

Whether it was because Shiina Mashiro was taking things too seriously or not, when Kirito and Asuna were talking quietly, Shiina Mashiro raised her voice slightly in response, "I didn't!"

"...Tsk!" Kirito clicked his tongue. He might not have been sure before, but now he was pretty sure. This kid definitely got up and drew pictures after Asuna fell asleep—does he have to be this dedicated?

It's only natural to slack off a little!

Kirito gave Asuna a look, signaling her to go and persuade Shiina Mashiro, and then focused his attention on the artwork. But before he could even start looking at it, Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri came over, both with expressions that said, "I want to see it too."

"You absolutely have to see the manga manuscripts by the ultimate artist, Shiina Mashiro!"

"That's right, so you'd better move aside for a bit, I want to see too!"

It's quite a rare occurrence that Eriri and Kasumigaoka Utaha have reached an agreement.

Well, at first, Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri didn't pay much attention to the name Shiina Mashiro, just seeing her as a decent artist. But what they learned next made them realize that this naturally terrifying girl was actually a genius...

Well, while Shiina Mashiro might not make a ripple in the otaku world, she's certainly a figure of shame in the art world.

Then, when they learned that Shiina Mashiro wanted to enter the manga industry, Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri were dumbfounded. It was strange that a proper artist would give up becoming a manga artist, a profession that is open to the public.

Now, the draft drawn by Shiina Mashiro is right in front of you. Why not take a look?

That's a huge loss!

Actually, Kirito wanted to tell them both that Mashiro's drawing skills were really bad.

Of course, Kirito was referring to the past; it's too early to make a judgment now, at least until he finishes reading the current draft...

"Don't squeeze! If you have big breasts, don't squeeze like that. Are you milking someone? And you, if you have small breasts, don't squeeze so close. It's hurting my arm." Kirito pouted unhappily. Although he really wanted to say this, Asuna was right next to him. Saying such things in front of his girlfriend was not just a simple matter of being inappropriate.

So the three of them huddled together and started reading the manuscript.

Because she was busy reading manuscripts, Asuna didn't pay too much attention to the current scene. Instead, she focused her attention on Shiina Mashiro—remember what we said before? We need to spend more time teaching Shiina Mashiro more common sense. That's what Asuna is doing now.

Perhaps because she cared so much, or was obsessed with perfection, there were many traces of repeated revisions on the drawing. It's unknown how much time she spent on it. Undoubtedly, the beginning and end of a work are the most difficult, while the middle part is relatively simple. However, Shiina Mashiro's efforts were clearly worthwhile. At least the beginning was somewhat beautiful and could arouse a lot of interest.

In terms of image quality, not only has it not declined, but it has even shown signs of improvement. The story development is also not as bizarre as before, at least that's what Kirito thinks. However, in the eyes of Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri, this level of opening is... somewhat inconsistent with Shiina Mashiro's reputation.

Yes, that doesn't match!

Even so, they didn't say much, but patiently watched on.

This is the story of a cartoonist, and the people around this up-and-coming cartoonist are also in the industry.

The main storyline unfolds within a school club with only one member, who is just an ordinary girl who is also an artist, and whose artwork is only so-so. Then the protagonist joins...

—By the way, the protagonist is a blonde, and not very talkative... Wait a minute, why does this protagonist look so much like Shiina Mashiro?

This minister also looks very familiar...

—Afterwards, with the mutual help of the protagonist and the club president, both of them set their sights on becoming manga artists. During this time, the manga club also gradually welcomed other like-minded illustrators and light novel creators...

In the comics club, there are often heated arguments, which stem from the clash of ideas among the creators, and they can also gain more meaningful insights from these arguments.

Gradually, time progressed until the artwork reached its expected completion, and it was time to submit it to the magazine...

Hey! This sense of déjà vu is getting stronger and stronger!

Oh right, that's the end of the draft. The following is just a completed draft; there's still a lot to add.

Emmmmm......

"It feels a bit subtle..." This was Kasumigaoka Utaha's thought after reading the manuscript.

"The sense of déjà vu is a bit strong..." These were the words Eriri uttered with her lips pursed.

Kirito remained silent for a long time before looking at Shiina Mashiro. "Hey, Mashiro... the character design of the manga club president seems to resemble someone I know."

"An illusion!" Ms. Shiina denied it decisively, without the slightest hesitation.

My foot! If you're so capable, why don't you turn your head away?

Isn't the character design for the head of the manga department in your manuscript based on Kiritani Kazuko?

What were you thinking, using my alternate account as your persona?

157

【NO.155 Plump Woman in Black Stockings】

It feels very subtle...

Of course, it's not a big deal, since everyone in the manga club was drawn in, but with significant changes, not a complete replica.

Many of the plot points in the manuscript are not just familiar; they depict real events, such as the initial goals of the manga club, the collective creation process, and the subsequent arguments about the script—which are quite bizarre!

But how should I put it, Shiina Mashiro has a very thorough understanding of the saying that art originates from life... yes, not just a little bit.

"Hmm, Mashiro... Do you have a story outline?" Kirito placed the manuscript in Eriri's hand, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Shiina Mashiro, who had a very serious expression and seemed to be waiting for his evaluation. "Uh, I mean the story script, do you have one prepared?"

"What...?" With a slightly puzzled look in her eyes, Shiina Mashiro tilted her head cutely, clearly not knowing what the so-called outline was.

"...Perhaps, Mashiro is the kind of person who writes whatever comes to mind," Asuna said, somewhat speechlessly.

I think Mashiro didn't just write whatever came to mind; she adapted it based on what actually happened in our manga club!

So, in this way, what you'll see in the future won't just be—this story is purely fictional, and any resemblance to actual events is purely coincidental—but rather, this story is adapted from reality, and if it's similar to actual events… you're really in a bad situation.

As for why it's so tragic... isn't this what happens when you become famous?

Kirito rubbed his forehead and said with some emotion, "While it's fun to draw without a story outline, and you can add random ideas without disrupting the main plot, it's also easy to mess up the story without a stable storyline."

Take this book you're reading now, for example. It doesn't have an outline... I don't know if it's a complete flop, but it's definitely a disaster. All the data is less than a third of what it was before it was released.