manga artist Kirito

Is it really okay to just openly display these erotic works on the bookshelf like this?

Although I'm also an erotic artist, I've never dared to openly display either the works I collect or the ones I draw myself... Even though hiding them or not would have the same result, this is still...

Yes, I really didn't expect you to be this kind of Eriri... and I can somewhat understand why you could so easily get your parents to help you sell erotic works.

The erotic content is openly displayed, so what is there to worry about?

In addition, there is something else worth noting, which is... all the names I just listed are actually works by Kirito!

Kirito's first work in the industry, "Tsuki ga Kirito," can almost be considered a dark chapter in his history. There was hardly any sex in it; it was all about the plot and the characters' inner thoughts... Kirito had long since sealed this work away from his memory.

"Scarlet Town" was the work that earned Kirito his first death threats. The main storyline revolves around an interesting street where few women are normal; most are yandere... and well, in the end, a very cute and adorable heroine dies...

In addition, you can also see many works here that Kirito has almost forgotten about.

But seriously, does Eriri really want to beat me that badly?

Normally, she doesn't seem that way... Should we try letting her win once?

Anyway, erotic works are just a hobby for me; I don't consider making money from them at all, and even if I lose, there are no promises I have to keep... The outcome is entirely up to me...

Tsk, I guess I'll just let it go. Even though Eriri isn't the type to make a joke about winning once and then use it for a year, I still feel inexplicably annoyed.

"Uh, where's Eriri?" Turning around, Kirito found that Eriri had disappeared from the room. He looked towards the door. Had she gone downstairs?

Tsk, so you trusted me that much all along?

I rubbed my forehead slightly. It was enough that he had inexplicably disappeared. I stood up and walked around the room a little. I could see a pair of binoculars on the shelf of the desk...

This must be the thing Eriri used to spy on me and Hinanoko that night. Twin-tailed girl, you really have a wide variety of interests.

There was a sketchbook on the desk, with paintbrushes tucked inside. One could almost picture Eriri receiving a message from the gatekeeper halfway through her painting and then rushing downstairs.

A piece of drawing paper peeked out from the side of the sketchbook. Kirito pinched one corner of the paper and lifted it outwards. Although it was not yet a semi-finished product, judging from the extremely obvious distribution of lines, it was clearly a beast-eared girl... But why does this face shape feel a little familiar?

"Whoosh..."

While hesitating whether to open the sketchbook, he heard shuffling footsteps and panting sounds coming from the stairs. Perhaps it was a bit of a pity, but Kirito still put the drawing paper back into the sketchbook and then sat back down in his original spot.

If Kiritani-kun had opened the sketchbook, he would surely have discovered something quite delightful...

"I didn't expect the maid to leave work early today. Here's your drink..." With slightly hurried breathing, Eriri carried two drinks and quickly entered the room. Seeing Kirito still sitting quietly, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

To be honest, not only were many things in the room not tidied up, but many things that should have been hidden were also openly displayed.

Eriri naturally understood what was going on. After all, no one but her mother could have done this. In addition, her mother had asked her to go downstairs early to greet Kirito's arrival, and the maid had inexplicably left work early... The room had definitely been tampered with.

"You...didn't touch anything in the room?"

"If you mean things like panties or breastplates that might be hidden under the covers or in the closet, I certainly didn't touch them." Sensing Eriri's suspicious gaze, Kirito calmly took the drink and took a satisfying sip. "Hmm, this is good..."

"My mother made this by hand..." Eriri's feelings were a little complicated, but judging from Kirito's current attitude, he probably didn't mess with anything in the room.

"Speaking of which, there's something strange about your mother's situation."

"This... there's no need to say anything more. Explaining it to her won't help." Knowing her mother as she does, Eriri knows that explaining will only make things worse. It's better to let her think about it on her own. Anyway, there was never anything like that to begin with.

Eriri looked exasperated. "She's just bored out of her mind and wants to find something to do or watch a show. Whatever she says to you later, just give her a casual response."

It's one thing if your breasts are sore from boredom, but sometimes your mom probably wants to remake you...

"Ah, I know how to handle this." Kirito nodded calmly. "Then let's proofread the manuscript; it'll take quite a bit of time..."

With a slightly ambiguous expression, Eriri withdrew her gaze from the bookshelf filled with inexplicably strange books. She took two steps back and took out a short comic from the drawer on the desk, casually putting the comics on the table into it as well.

Then, he sat down in front of Kirito and handed him the artwork, original text, and script. "You, Shiina-kun, and I all have very different art styles. To make the art style fit the story without making the reader feel that the art style is too varied, I made some extra adjustments. It may be unnecessary, or it may be just right..."

"But in this regard, we need someone who can see things from the reader's perspective."

Kirito opened the manga, "Well, that's definitely me..."

P.S.: I really don't want to talk about the tech department at Bookke, it's embarrassing!

178

[NO.176 So Embarrassing (Bonus Chapter)]

In the quiet room, Kirito flipped through the manga artwork and proofread the script. There weren't many problems, and they weren't really that big of a problem.

Although this manga was created by three artists working together, Eriri's touches prevented any significant changes in art style.

Of course, it's not that there weren't any issues. If Kirito found anything wrong, he would mark it and have Eriri revise it directly. The whole process took almost two hours to finish...

"Well, overall it's not bad..." Kirito put down the drawing in his hand and nodded slightly, but the art style was a little inappropriate in the battle scenes.

However, Kirito wasn't in a position to say too much, since the main art, which was originally supposed to be handled by him and Shiina Mashiro, had become his responsibility for drafts, while the main art was entirely handed over to Shiina Mashiro... Although Shiina Mashiro's art style was good, it was just a romance-themed art style, not really suitable for a hot-blooded battle scene.

So, there are still some battle scene sketches and storyboards that need to be revised...

But it's not a big deal. This short comic doesn't have many battle scenes. Apart from the three larger battle scenes at the beginning, middle, and end that need to be repaired, there's not much else to do.

With Kirito's speed and Eriri as his assistant, it would definitely take no more than an hour to revise these manuscripts.

"Then, let's begin!"

…………

It took two whole hours to finish revising the manuscript, which was longer than expected.

Of course, this is not because Kirito's hand speed has decreased, or because Eriri has given up, but simply because Sawamura Sayuri came in once during that time.

Eriri has witnessed Kirito's work style firsthand. Once he gets into it, he seems completely oblivious to his surroundings. Even when her mother held her hand and talked about him for half an hour, Eriri didn't react... well, maybe she was just faking it.

Furthermore, Eriri also discovered that Kirito's drawing speed was almost twice as fast as hers. During the time she was dawdling, Kirito had finished all the drafts that were supposed to be hers.

I'm a little envious of that speed. If I had that kind of drawing speed, I wouldn't have to rush to meet deadlines every time.

...However, I still kind of want to kick him!

Although the original intention of inviting you to my house was indeed to proofread and revise the manuscript, you're getting way too engrossed in it. At least pay attention to other things too!

In addition, Eriri discovered many interesting things. She reached out to touch the side several times, and when she found nothing, she would pull back... After two such incidents, Eriri placed her water glass in this spot, and then it was taken away.

Holy crap! Do you think this place is your own home?

"Tsk, I should have brought my art supplies. I'm not quite used to this brush." ​​Looking at the finished product, Kirito nodded in satisfaction, but then pursed his lips, as if to say—Eriri's art supplies are really trash.

"It's already good enough that you have something to use; these are all my things." Having already finished her assigned tasks, Eriri tidied up the slightly messy desk and picked up the discarded drafts from the floor, throwing them into the trash can.

"By the way, didn't your mother come in just now?" Taking a small sip of his drink, Kiritani raised an eyebrow at Eriri, who was tidying up her things.

"She just came in to talk about some trivial things, don't worry about it at all." Thinking of what her mother had just said, Eriri's lips twitched slightly. "Just remember clearly that my mother is essentially a fujoshi (a female fan of male-male romance), even if her hair isn't pink, her inner self is definitely dark, understand?"

"Probably..." Kirito's expression was subtle. This was the first time he had heard someone describe his mother so cryptically. However, the woman who always had a smile on her face... it was easy to think of Haruno.

Dong dong dong

A knock sounded at the door, and Eriri's delicate face immediately showed a hint of helplessness. "Come in."

"Oh, it's all done already? I've come at the perfect time." Sawamura Sayuri walked in carrying tea, her face beaming. "I thought it would take quite a while, but I didn't expect you and Eriri to work so quickly together..."

Well, Kirito always felt that Sayuri Sawamura's words had a hidden meaning...

"Mother..." With a helpless look in her eyes, Eriri really didn't know what to say to her mother. It was just that she had invited a friend over for the first time. Was it really necessary to make such a fuss?

Of course, Eriri also knew that her mother saw that the visitor was a male classmate, and that he was the artist Fujiwara Echizen whom she had occasionally mentioned before. She mistakenly thought that they had a good relationship, so she wanted to observe him more closely to prevent Eriri from becoming a saint in the future...

I really don't know what my mother is so anxious about. I'm only sixteen years old, not even sixteen yet...

While it is true that women reach the marriageable age of sixteen, how many girls actually get married at that age?

In addition, my mother has been bored lately, and my father, being a diplomat, has been a bit busy with work and hasn't had time to go out with her... Now she's mostly looking for things that are interesting and fun.

Seriously, it's definitely because my mother is so bored.

With a smile playing on her lips, Sawamura Sayuri put down the tea and observed her daughter's reaction. If it weren't for Eriri's presence, Sawamura Sayuri probably would have covered her mouth and laughed... Ah, her daughter's reaction is really cute.

Although my daughter doesn't have many friends, she's not exactly a loner either. But since the start of high school, aside from mentioning that she took over a club and met someone she'd been looking forward to seeing, there haven't been many other topics to discuss...

Eriri did mention the members of the club during a casual chat with her mother, especially a male classmate named Kirito... As for male friends, well, she did have some, but you could say she didn't, since the only one she could say she had a good relationship with hadn't appeared for many years.

The only name that Sawamura Sayuri had heard Eriri mention more than once since four years ago. Although the frequency of mentioning it gradually decreased in the last two years, and was occasionally accompanied by an indignant expression, it started to increase again a month ago...

Even now, a man named Fujiwara Echizen has appeared in the house.

Having finally found an opportunity, Sayuri Sawamura certainly wouldn't let it slip away easily...

But to be honest, while Kirito Kazuto may not be as cute as Kirito Kazuko, his capable and efficient demeanor is quite appealing...

179

【NO.177 Let me see】

"Well, there are some things I want to say to you, but since you young people are together, I shouldn't disturb you too much."

With a smile, Sayuri Sawamura put down what she was holding and then silently left the room under Eriri's blank gaze.

Kirito wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Sayuri Sawamura's visit wasn't just for the sake of getting drinks and fruit.

Don't forget Eriri's description of Sawamura Sayuri, and Kirito's feelings for her... Women like Haruno are definitely not easy to mess with.

Incidentally, Kirito felt that Sawamura Sayuri might have some connection with Kosaka Akane. In fact, if Sawamura Sayuri hadn't already gotten married, Kirito might have even categorized her as part of the Saintess Alliance with Hiratsuka Shizuka and the others—wow, speaking of the Saintess Alliance, Kirito realized that it seems like everyone he runs into in his current circle is an acquaintance…

Is this what they call fate?

As for Eriri, after Sayuri Sawamura left the room, her eyes suddenly became sharp, and she showed no trace of her usual silly expression. She reached out and turned the tray containing fruit and tea, and even picked it up to look at it. After roughly confirming that there was nothing that shouldn't be there, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"...What are you doing?"

"Let's see if my mother has put anything here, but thankfully, we haven't found anything yet." Eriri took off the black-rimmed glasses she only wore at home and rubbed her forehead, looking exhausted.

But it has to be said that Kirito is cuter. Eriri, wearing glasses and her middle school uniform, looks adorable.

"Don't be like that." Kirito's expression was blank, his eyes like those of a dead fish. "According to what you said, your mother is black inside. If she's black enough, you wouldn't notice her little tricks. Besides, we're just discussing the content of the work. There's nothing we can't let others see."

Eriri paused for a moment, "...That seems to be right."

"It's not just a feeling, it's always been like this." Kirito felt that Eriri's family all seemed a bit off. Not only was she a textbook example of tsundere, but her father was a British diplomat who would help his daughter sell erotic comics, and her mother was a fujoshi (a female fan of male-male romance) obsessed with uncovering her daughter's secrets…

I just want to ask, are you guys really using duct tape like this?

"Moreover, all the necessary revisions to the artwork have been completed. Next, it's time to submit it... It's one o'clock now. When I go back later, I'll pick up the artwork and submit it."

"Well, then I'll leave the submission to you." Eriri nodded slightly. "I'll talk to the other members of the club about the submission in the discussion group later..."

Eriri's eyes brightened slightly. "By the way, which magazine should we submit it to?"

"You weren't listening, were you? I've said this before," Kirito said with a disgruntled pout. "Currently, only Weekly Shonen Jump and my company, Rouge en rouge, are still holding newcomer awards."

“Although I’m quite familiar with Rouge en rouge, it’s precisely because I’m so familiar with them that I want to submit this work to Weekly Shonen Jump. Both Asuna and Ishii Kasumigaoka Utaha have said that I can decide this… What do you think?”

Of course, if this work were delayed for another month or two, it might coincide with other magazines holding newcomer awards or other major awards.

Don't underestimate the upcoming summer vacation—just like how online novel platforms take advantage of students' holidays, when they have more time and money to spare, to hold events like "Foolish Money, Rich People" and large-scale essay contests...

Yes, in reality, there's not much difference between the so-called essay contest and the newcomer award for comics.

"Let's jump then, since you've already decided." Eriri didn't have any specific requirements; she just wanted to see how far this work, created on a whim by a few people, could go.

As for whether he can win the Best Newcomer Award?

Just wash up and go to sleep; anything can happen in dreams!

They didn't even consider how much content was interspersed within this work; it's good enough that anyone actually reads it.

Yes, although if this work wins an award, the entire club will dedicate themselves to creating the main story of this short comic... but only if it wins an award!

However, Eriri sees no hope of winning an award, especially since the magazine she submitted to is Shueisha... Can this work really win the crown amidst the fierce competition of countless works?

Well, I can have a little bit of anticipation, just a tiny bit...

"Speaking of which, you were really that eager to beat me, you even kept those embarrassing old drawings of mine." With a subtle look in his eyes, Kirito chuckled as he looked at Eriri, whose lips were beginning to twitch slightly. "To be honest, there's really no point in comparing the sales of eroge (adult comics). How about we compare the sales of our regular manga?"

Eriri pursed her lips and looked directly into Kirito's eyes, "...I know you've been on top for two years, almost crushing them every time, but never actually turning the tables. You must want to win just like me!"

Uh, that's a really subtle meaning...

If it weren't for my reputation as the "Jade-Faced Upright Young Man" among the martial arts world, I'd probably think I'd done something heinous to you—keeping a cute girl pinned down for two years is just too much! At least let her experience being on top occasionally...

"Then, although I collect these works, I'm not that shameless woman Kasumigaoka Utaha, I would never put these works on the bookshelf... What I mean is, it was definitely my mother who did this."

So you mean that Kasumigaoka Utaha actually puts erotic comics on her bookshelf?

"Finally, the manga sales are incomparable. I don't have someone like you who can provide such strong support, willing to allocate at least one-fifth of the entire magazine's resources to you!" Thinking about the promotional expenses for *Sword Art Online* across various channels, Eriri couldn't help but gasp. Having connections in high places is truly advantageous…

"Besides, the summer CM is just around the corner, and with all the exams I've already taken, I haven't finished the pieces I need for the exhibition yet."

Without much pause, Eriri quickly finished speaking, and on the surface, nothing seemed amiss...