manga artist Kirito

But speaking of which, Kasumigaoka Utaha is probably also a writer who doesn't have an outline, otherwise, after so many revisions, the story outline would have been torn to shreds long ago.

"That's certainly true, but for Mashiro, achieving this level is already quite impressive." Asuna smiled slightly. She had already read the manuscript, and while it felt subtly nuanced, Mashiro's growth was perfectly captured within it...

I think you can understand the doting expression on a mother's face when she sees her daughter grow up noticeably—that's exactly what Asuna is doing now.

What a wonderful feeling!

"I won't say anything else, but why is this female writer who looks at least 70% like me called a fat woman in black stockings by the male protagonist? Do you look down on black stockings and pantyhose?" Kasumigaoka Utaha was really angry. She originally felt that it was not bad, at least this expressionless male protagonist had a personality. But why would a character like her be called a fat woman in black stockings by the head of the manga club?

That's blatant discrimination!

—What exactly are your grievances against our Black Silk Party?

"Kazuto likes white stockings!" With a calm and even voice, Shiina Mashiro glanced at Kirito before looking at Kasumigaoka Utaha and said.

"So, in other words, the title 'Black Stockings Fat Woman' was actually given to you by my dear teacher!" Kasumigaoka Utaha squinted at Kirito, who was covering his face, her legs shaking. "Dear teacher, could you explain to your student the origin of this title?"

"...No, I didn't, I'm not!" Releasing her hands from her face, a faint...

With his black hair covering his left eye, Kirito's expression was blank. "Although I'm a staunch supporter of white stockings, I've never looked down on black stockings, and I've never given you any title like 'fat woman in black stockings.' If I had to say... that title seems more like something Sawamura-kun came up with!"

"Don't think you can get away with this. The manga club president in the manga is your projection... Hmph!" Kasumigaoka Utaha stomped her foot hard, while Kirito's face was completely covered by his black hair. If someone looked down at this moment, they would definitely be able to see... Kirito's two feet, one of which was being stepped on by the smiling Asuna, and the other was being stepped on by the disgruntled Kasumigaoka Utaha.

...So, what have I, Kirito, accomplished?

Before reading the manuscript, I had absolutely no idea what was going on!

And hey, Mashiro, you've gone astray, using such words to describe others—but well done!

But to be honest, Kasumigaoka Utaha isn't fat at all, she's just plump, especially her big, soft breasts. Eriri was envious, jealous, and very unhappy, so that's exactly why she came up with this title!

"Hmph!" Ignoring Kasumigaoka Utaha's unfriendly glare, Eriri decided not to antagonize her for the time being, otherwise she might really find out that the title was actually something she said unintentionally.

"Well, the background and paneling of this artwork are great, but some of the background images are a bit illogical... they feel a little unrealistic. Of course, I'm still quite interested in this story, and I hope you can win the newcomer award."

Hmm, I hope there will be some kind of award event after the CM exhibition. I should go back to drawing normal manga then... By the way, Shiina Mashiro's artwork is very good, and the depiction of each aspect is also very well done.

Yes, this refers only to the painting, not the content or the interactions between the characters...

Furthermore, Shiina Mashiro's art style doesn't seem to have fully stabilized yet. I don't know if it's just my imagination, but it always feels a bit like Kiritani's dog-abusing style, although the sour smell is much milder.

"I will do my best!" Shiina Mashiro hugged the drawing back from Eriri tightly, as if it contained an extremely precious treasure, and then nodded firmly.

"No, actually you don't need to try too hard, but at least you have to be in bed by 11 p.m. every night." Asuna showed her usual gentle expression, but Shiina Mashiro found it a bit scary.

After a slight hesitation, Shiina Mashiro nodded slightly, "...Mm."

Of course, whether Shiina Mashiro truly listened to him or not remained to be seen until Asuna's night raid that evening.

"Tsk," Kirito shook his head at Asuna's gentle warning, then reached out and ruffled Shiina Mashiro's hair. "Hey Mashiro, if you don't sleep well tonight, your manuscript will get torn up~"

Peng!

The sound of a stool falling to the ground. Shiina Mashiro, clutching her sketches, huddled behind Asuna, peeking out slightly. "Kazuto, bad guy."

Kiritani-kun calmly shrugged, looking somewhat eager to try, "Well, whether you believe it or not, I believe it."

P.S.: Please feed them, yes, you need to pat them!

158

[NO.156 So sleepy I want to go to sleep (Bonus Chapter)]

how to say.

Although Shiina Mashiro is a very stubborn girl, she still pays attention to certain things, such as Kirito and Asuna forbidding her from staying up late to draw manga.

So, Ms. Shiina calmly shifted her manga drawing time to the daytime. After quickly finishing breakfast, she would enter drawing mode. She would draw manga on her way to school, during class, and even when she was called to the office, she would still be drawing manga...

If you're so capable, why don't you just stay in your office and never come out?

If these things only made Kirito and Asuna feel frustrated, then Shiina Mashiro's desire to draw manga after finishing her exam paper was a bit unbearable—this wasn't effort, it was obsession!

No one really cares if Shiina Mashiro draws comics during class, but it's a bit much to continue drawing during exams... Couldn't you give the proctor a little more face?

Not too much, just a little is enough!

But to be honest, although the courses Shiina Mashiro studied in England were very different from those she studied at Soubu High School, she memorized them completely in just two days of tutoring... Her memory is almost abnormally good.

The exam will last for three days, meaning it won't end until Friday. It's a bit disheartening, since you need to concentrate on exams, so you can't afford to be too distracted by other things during this time…

In short, the progress of the artwork will have to be slowed down.

But, well, both Kousaka and Shizuka can understand, right? It's an exam, after all, and they don't have time to draw... That's normal, isn't it?

"Ugh, just looking at this makes me want to sleep..." Kirito covered his forehead as he looked at the test paper in front of him. It was indeed going to be difficult to control his score perfectly in his current state. He wondered who that guy with the ID "Iron Fist Sanction" was last night. He dragged him around delivering packages all night, and his skills were ridiculously bad.

Yes, I've poured all my energy into the game...

Of course, Kirito understood all the questions on the test paper, but his exhausted state of mind made him feel like he didn't know where to begin.

Never mind, I'll just write something down and then go to sleep.

Kirito took a deep breath, enduring his mental discomfort, and began to work on the problems quickly. After all, it was much better to finish them early and go to sleep than to force himself to work slowly.

What's that saying again? A short pain is worse than a long one.

Alas!

So the person who created this phrase liked short things.

Then, the students in the classroom witnessed a very strange scene: Kirito kept yawning while facing the test paper, but his hand holding the pen was quickly scribbling answers as if he were doodling. In less than fifteen minutes, Kirito finished the test paper for this subject...

After finishing the quiz and writing his name, Kirito slumped onto the desk like a dead fish and fell asleep immediately...

Actually, Hiratsuka Shizuka, who was sitting on the podium and struggling to keep her eyes open, was in a similar state to Kirito. She was swaying precariously and could fall asleep on the desk at any moment, just like Kirito.

After an unknown amount of time, Kirito suddenly opened his eyes and thrust his right hand, which was holding the pen, toward the right. But he stopped the moment he thrust it out because what came into view was Kato Megumi's pretty face. However, although Kato Megumi's expression was as calm as ever, there was something... in her eyes.

"Are you alright, Lord Ren?"

"...Ugh, I didn't sleep well last night." Kirito yawned lazily and scratched his head. Did you think I would tell you that I just had a dream where I was ganged up on by Asuna, Yoko, and Shizuka-sensei?

The exam time passed quickly, at least in Kirito's eyes. It was only a few naps away, and the three-day exam was over. But even though the exam was over, the students weren't too happy, because there were still two weeks until summer vacation, and the upcoming vacation was just a few days off.

…………

"Phew! The exams are finally over!"

After the exam ended, Eriri breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't know whether to say that Kirito's tutoring over the past two days was just right, because many of the questions on the exam were ones that Eriri had reviewed and carefully memorized.

Therefore, Eriri, while I can't say for sure about anything else, will at least not be kept behind for remedial classes.

"It's just the end of the exam, is it necessary to be so excited? Or do you think your grades are pretty good?" Kasumigaoka Utaha placed a can of MAX coffee on Kirito's desk and sat lazily next to him, her wine-red eyes revealing a mocking expression.

"Hehehe!!!" Eriri gritted her teeth, suppressing her urge to beat up Kasumigaoka Utaha, and said angrily, "You think you're any better, you fat woman in black stockings!"

"I'm not very talented; I've always been at the peak of my age." Kasumigaoka Utaha smiled sweetly, not angry at Eriri's unkind words. "Besides, I'm voluptuous, which is much better than your barren flat-chested airport, you flat-chested little dwarf!"

"Kasumigaoka! Utaha!" Eriri roared.

"Can you be a little quieter?" Kirito lazily sat up, scratching his head impatiently. "I just finished my exams, and I don't have any classes this afternoon. Can't you just be quiet and rest a bit more? I have things to do later."

"Oh, thank you..."

Looking at the coffee placed right in front of him, Kirito tilted his head, thanked Kasumigaoka Utaha who was also holding a coffee, pulled the tab and drank half the bottle in one go, and the dry feeling in his throat immediately subsided a lot.

"By the way, didn't Asuna and Mashiro come?"

"After all, it's an international liberal arts program. The teachers might assign homework after the exam, since there are no classes in the afternoon." Kasumigaoka Utaha pouted, seemingly feeling like she had suffered from this.

"Then why didn't you get left behind?" Eriri asked bluntly.

“Being first in the grade always comes with some privileges,” Kasumigaoka Utaha said with a smile in her eyes. “But the main thing I wanted to do was ask how the illustration was coming along. If that old woman Machida hadn’t been so busy lately, I bet she would have passed by my house every morning.”

"Ah, you mean illustrations..." Kirito nodded in realization, then rummaged through the backpack at his feet, took out his sketchbook, and searched for the illustrations he had finished at around 3 a.m.

"Speaking of which, I've almost finished the club's short comic. I only need another afternoon to really finish it, but..." Eriri also took out a stack of manuscripts from her backpack, but her expression was a little subtle.

"Hey, about that short comic we talked about last time... has everyone thought of a name yet?"

P.S.: Can you help me come up with a name?

159

【NO.157 Bai...Snow (more updates)】

It must be said that the title of a work is very important, but coming up with a good title in a short time is not an easy task, especially one that satisfies the entire manga department...

Let's put it aside for now.

Anyway, not everyone from the comics department has arrived yet.

So, let's return to the topic of Kasumigaoka Utaha.

Speaking of Kasumigaoka Utaha, her situation is indeed a bit worrying. As for the deadline, it's been a long time since then. The reason why Shinazugawa Bunko hasn't put too much pressure on her yet is partly because Kasumigaoka Utaha can create the gimmick of being a beautiful young female author.

Of course, Asuna is also a contracted writer with Shinazugawa. Although she has more seniority and fame in the industry than Kasumigaoka Utaha, Asuna has been out in the spotlight less often and doesn't particularly like the intricacies Shinazugawa works with.

After all, creating art is just a hobby for Asuna. Her family's company is not just a shell; she has no shortage of money. Rather than showing her face in public because of her minor fame, she would rather go back to her own company and contribute to its performance.

Furthermore, although Asuna is known as a beautiful young female author, most of the buzz tends to gravitate towards Kirito. Aside from the pen name's romantic pairing, all the subsequent messy news revolves around the two of them…

Do you think Shinazugawa would do something that would not only be unpopular but also attract unwanted attention from outsiders?

However, Kasumigaoka Utaha is different; at least she has enough potential!

However, all of this is contingent on Kasumigaoka Utaha being able to submit her manuscript before the deadline, which is this weekend... If Kasumigaoka Utaha fails to submit her manuscript, Shinazugawa Bunko might abandon her.

After all, no matter how much of a topic it generates, Kasumigaoka Utaha is still a creator, and a creator's main responsibility is to create. If she keeps trying to delay her work... Shinazugawa will really have to give up on Kasumigaoka Utaha, this beautiful young writer.

Moreover, Shinazugawa Bunko had already planned to cancel "Love Metronome" during the second volume. If it weren't for the dubious publicity that caused sales to skyrocket, Kasumigaoka Utaha would not only be a flop now, but Kirito probably wouldn't have much interaction with her either.

"By the way, have you finished editing your manuscript? Editor Machida called me last night to urge me on the illustration progress. The deadline isn't far off, is it?"

"That woman is really something. I told her I could get the manuscript to her today." Kasumigaoka Utaha pouted in dissatisfaction. Although there was no pressure during the exam, the only editor who kept urging her to submit her manuscript during the exam period was Machida.

Actually, Kasumigaoka Utaha has been doing similar things to Kirito these past few days, staying up late at night, rushing to finish her exams during the day, and then going to sleep—the only difference is that one stays up late to finish a manuscript, while the other stays up late to play video games.

"The plot is going smoothly lately. Give me another hour and I can finish the remaining few thousand words... Hmm, I can rest after I finish writing it."

As she spoke, Kasumigaoka Utaha yawned, it seemed that the coffee's energizing effect was just a joke.

"I hope your sales will improve even more this time." Perhaps it was a chain reaction, but as soon as Kasumigaoka Utaha finished yawning, Kirito picked up the conversation.

Incidentally, if you look closely, you can see that Kasumigaoka Utaha's barely noticeable dark circles are actually concealed with makeup; otherwise, they would definitely be much more pronounced.

Is it hard work, or simply a refusal to admit defeat?

"Let me see, the illustration..." Kasumigaoka Utaha pulled out an illustration from the picture book. Illustrations are very important for light novels. Some people have even said that illustrations are the essence of light novels. For example, there used to be a saying that you get an illustration for buying toilet paper. In that case, the toilet paper referred to the light novel manuscript.

In other words, readers are only interested in the illustrations; the manuscript pages are just for use as toilet paper—seriously, don't you guys find that uncomfortable?

That piece of paper might actually make the chrysanthemums bloom.

"Since you only asked me to draw the illustrations according to that content, without any other requirements, I made the lines quite simple." Kirito shrugged, but the confidence in his eyes was undiminished. "Of course, even so, I can guarantee that these illustrations will satisfy you."

Several illustrations were spread out on the table, and the light streaming in from the window adorned the beautiful illustrations...

"It really is... as expected of your work, teacher." After a long silence, Kasumigaoka Utaha's lips curled up into a smile, as if her tired spirit had been swept away, and she couldn't help but sigh.

"Tch," Eriri scoffed, feigning disdain as she looked at the illustrations. But undeniably, the artistic conception of these illustrations was excellent, and the uniquely Kirito-esque, love-obsessed aesthetic was clearly captured.

As expected of this guy's forte, Kasumigaoka Utaha, you've really struck gold!

Whether viewed as an artist or as a reader of Kasumigaoka Utaha, Kirito's illustrations are far superior in skill to those of the illustrators hired for the first and second volumes of "Love Metronome".

Of course, it's not that the illustrator's work is bad, but rather that the artistic conception is lacking, or rather, it doesn't evoke enough emotion. However, when applied to Kirito, it's flawless.

—Let's just say it's a crushing defeat, that's fine too.

The scene is simple yet captivating, but the characters of the male and female leads are not overshadowed by the stunning background; instead, they appear even more authentic.

Drawn to her gaze, Kasumigaoka Utaha, as the creator of the work, naturally knew the character she was drawing all too well. It was no illusion; Kasumigaoka Utaha could clearly see Sayuka's strong will and unwillingness to give up from the drawing paper.

Naturally, the male protagonist's indecisiveness was also clearly displayed...

Kirito has very clearly and thoroughly depicted the beautiful image of Kasumigaoka Utaha that he has entrusted to the work.

But this was just the beginning. There was also the scene in the rain, where the male and female protagonists, dressed in school uniforms, walked slowly under an umbrella, with a smile on the female protagonist's pretty face and a look of confusion on the male protagonist's face, and... that shadow that gradually grew larger.

This is the second female lead who is gradually approaching.

The content of Volume 3, even with just this illustration, is enough to showcase the relationships and emotions of all the characters.

It may seem very simple, but it is so perfect that... it left Kasumigaoka Utaha speechless.

But Eriri, who was observing from the sidelines, saw something else in the painting, something quite obvious...