manga artist Kirito

As the saying goes, when you can't bear it anymore, you shouldn't bear it any longer! Eriri, who really couldn't stand it anymore, grabbed Kirito by the back of his collar and started swinging her twin tails, whipping at Kirito.

"Wow! This... a ponytail cut?"

Kirito feigned surprise and shouted, while reaching out to block the twin tails that were being lashed out. It has to be said that if he hadn't already known that Eriri had this move, Kirito might have actually been slapped in the face by Eriri's twin tails.

"Wait, that's going too far!"

Kirito raised his leg to block Eriri's kick aimed at his vitals, leaving a large bead of cold sweat on his forehead.

"It was wrong of me to hit you where it hurts, but you can hit me back! Attacking your vitals is going too far!"

"...Ugh! You mentioned your sore spot too, so your vital spot must be a sore spot, right? If I kick you, it will definitely hurt, even if it's not a poke, it's still an attack, isn't it!"

Eriri stared intently at Kirito. Her small breasts... could only be attributed to heredity from the previous generation. Eriri had tried to improve, even drinking a glass of milk every morning, but it was no use. What could she do? She was desperate!

"...Is this even possible?"

Although he didn't want to admit it, Eriri's words left Kirito speechless. However, Eriri's thought process was a bit too fast, which was not like her usual self at all. Was she possessed by something?

"Sawamura, may your soul return..."

"If you keep talking about that nonsense, don't blame me..."

"Ahem, let's get down to business."

Kirito tapped his head, his expression becoming much more serious. Eriri, though an ecchi artist, was exceptionally innocent, a far cry from those artists who constantly spout dirty jokes. Of course, this could be considered a kind of "gap moe" (a cute contrast between her appearance and her personality), but if Eriri were like those artists who constantly spouted vulgarities, the incongruity would be... overwhelming!!

"If nothing unexpected happens, I already finished the first draft of the doujinshi during the club activities. At a normal pace, I should be able to finish the first chapter of [Eternal Crimson Moon] and the first chapter of [Sword Art Online] tonight!"

"The prerequisite is cultivating immortality?"

Eriri subconsciously thought of her dark circles and raised her eyebrows.

"But are you sure you can maintain the image quality while running two programs simultaneously? There's no one chasing you, so why can't you wait until after the summer commercials to prepare the manga manuscript?"

"If I don't cultivate immortality, how much time do you think I have in one night? The decision to draw comics was already a bit rushed, and now I have to prepare the manuscripts for at least the first three chapters in advance... Ah, if only I could continue for a while."

Kirito smiled and said, "As for the quality, there's no need to worry too much. Once you start cultivating immortality, you'll be an immortal for life."

"……I don't understand."

Eriri shook her head blankly.

"It means spending the time you would spend playing games on comics, understand?"

"This... is too cruel!?"

"Let's not talk about that." Kirito smiled, staring at Eriri's twin tails. "Just now, I decided on a name for the skill I'd give the protagonist."

"Why are you looking at me like that... Wait, does this have anything to do with me... You, you wouldn't be thinking about those things..."

"Where are you thinking? I just wanted to say Ponytail Slash... cough, Starburst Stream Slash!"

Kirito rolled his eyes speechlessly. Eriri, you're actually delusional, aren't you?

"You mean the horsetail cut, right? Yes, that's right! You're absolutely right!"

A crossroads appeared on her forehead, and Eriri clenched her fists, shouting in annoyance and embarrassment.

"Today I'll show you what a real Starburst Stream Slash looks like!!!"

"Kawamura Sparta Gilgamesh! Put down your ponytail, and we can still be friends!"

"Die! Die! Die!"

I caught a cold yesterday, so I didn't update.

016

[NO.15 Urban Legend?]

"It's getting late."

"Since you know it's getting late, why are you wasting time here? Are you an idiot?"

As she straightened her messy ponytail, Eriri glared fiercely at Kirito, her tone full of dissatisfaction.

"Well, it's already late, so a little more time won't make a difference." Kirito smiled. "Hey, Sawamura-kun, do you know that almost real urban legend from Chiba Prefecture?"

"Huh? Urban legend?" Eriri raised an eyebrow. "If it's called an urban legend, then it must be fake. How could it possibly be close to the truth?"

"Which urban legend are you talking about? The fishing legend where someone squats in a deserted place late at night, waiting for delinquents to cause trouble, and then beats them up, or the midnight streaking maniac? If that's what you're talking about, then I'm sorry I haven't seen any of those."

"No, no, no, that's not what I'm talking about. What I'm talking about is... a real urban legend." Kirito shook his head. "Although it's pointless to try to prove whether an urban legend exists, the urban legend I'm talking about perfectly fits the criteria for a manga."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, do you want to go and see it? It's quite interesting, although it has so many flaws that even Cao Cao would be afraid of it."

"...I have a feeling you're planning to take advantage of me under the cover of night, you criminal preparatory number one. I'll come to see you before you die in prison. If you reform yourself in prison, maybe I'll bring you an erotic book when I visit you."

With one arm clasped to her bare chest, Eriri took out her phone, seemingly preparing to call the police.

"Hey! Your persona is ruined! And why is it based on the premise that I die in prison? Even if she's a perverted, mentally challenged girl, she doesn't deserve a life sentence, does she?"

With black lines crawling all over his forehead, Kirito looked at Eriri speechlessly. "Why don't we change the name of this book? How about 'My Eriri Can't Be a Sharp Tongue' or 'The Golden-Haired Loser Eriri Is Surprisingly a Sharp Tongue'?"

"I'm surprised. So you really did think about it! You even studied the legal procedures specifically for this. It seems like you've been planning this for a long time."

Eriri reached out and patted Kirito on the shoulder, her face showing an expression that said, "As a friend, I can't just watch you keep making mistakes."

"I will visit you in prison before your labor camp ends!"

"...So, why is it all based on the premise that I'll go to jail? Don't be ridiculous, I just want to take you to see the urban legends in the supermarket!"

"...Wait, which one are you talking about?"

Eriri emerged from her venomous snake form and returned to her original appearance. Especially after hearing the "urban legend in the supermarket," her spirits lifted considerably.

“I’ve heard before that fights break out at supermarkets at certain times. I’ve even staked out the supermarkets before out of curiosity, but I didn’t find anything.”

How did you squat?

"Of course, it's morning and noon, but I didn't find anything."

"Are you stupid? Urban legends usually happen at night, okay?"

Kirito pursed his lips, then pointed to a supermarket less than 100 meters away.

"It's about time now, let's go take a look. If we're lucky, we might be able to see something; if not, we can just buy some things and take them home."

"Okay."

"By the way, were you really going to call the police just now?"

"No, I realized I didn't have any money with me. I just texted the housekeeper to come pick me up and take me home."

Eriri closed her phone, revealing a smile that was completely out of character.

Damn it, it's all a setup!

Kirito rubbed his forehead. Eriri was only pretending to be sarcastic just to cooperate by taking out her phone to send a message? But why did she look so skilled at it?

"Hey Zhongbang, I heard that the potato chips at this supermarket are half price!"

"...Do you want to die? Let's go to the supermarket now?"

"Wow, is it that scary!"

Listening to the conversation of passersby, Eriri's lips twitched. Looking at the supermarket less than 20 meters away, she actually had the idea of ​​turning around and leaving.

"Since you're already here, are you sure you can feel at ease without checking on me?"

Seeing Eriri suddenly stop and her expression change slightly, Kirito knew what she was thinking without even asking, and subconsciously spoke up.

"Well, if you really don't want to go, then you can wait outside. I'll buy something and come out."

"...Hehehe! Whoa! It's just a supermarket, it's just an urban legend, we don't even know if it's true or not, what's there to be afraid of!"

Eriri, inexplicably jumping up and down, shoved aside the smiling Kirito and strode into the supermarket.

"Tsk, Eriri must have learned her skills from Sichuan!"

Kirito casually pulled out his sketchbook from his backpack and went inside.

There aren't many people in the supermarket right now, but there are definitely a lot of people, especially the background music playing in the supermarket, it's absolutely addictive.

What are you doing with that sketchbook?

"You'll find out later."

Kirito casually replied to Eriri, then glanced around before choosing a direction and taking the lead. Eriri didn't know what Kirito was up to, but since she was already there... she took out her sketchbook from her bag and followed closely behind.

Unlike the area near the entrance, the innermost part of the supermarket was a relatively empty space, with goods only placed in the middle, while two groups of people were confronting each other on either side of the shelves.

One side was dressed in uniform black clothing and sunglasses, like a yakuza organization, while the other side consisted of people dressed in all sorts of different outfits, mostly students.

"Hey, that school uniform... isn't it from the school next door? Wait, what's going on? Are thugs targeting students in a supermarket? Is this going to turn into a shootout?"

The atmosphere at the scene was somewhat heavy. Eriri was even affected by the atmosphere and broke out in a cold sweat, constantly tugging at Kirito's clothes.

"Quiet down, this has nothing to do with us, let's just watch the show quietly."

With a smile playing on his lips, Kirito stared at a spot, his hand holding a pencil rapidly sketching a blurry human figure on his sketchbook.

"Hey, are you really okay? How about we come back another time?"

Eriri was a little flustered, after all, the current situation was too much for her young mind to handle.

"You'll regret it. If you leave now, you might not find such a good opportunity to gather material again."

Kirito said without turning his head.

Do you think you can see these guys gathering in one place all the time?

"Ugh!!"

Eriri was truly on the verge of tears. She regretted ever coming to the supermarket with Kirito.

"Ok?"

Among the opposing crowd, a girl with short, ice-blue hair and an extremely wild appearance glanced at Kirito with a hint of confusion in her eyes.

Kirito waved in response, then continued drawing.

017

【NO.16 Daily Life? This is a super game!】

"I think it's still too dangerous. Maybe we should leave... or at least get somewhere further away?"

The atmosphere grew increasingly tense, as if the two sides were about to start fighting at any moment. In particular, the group of burly men in uniform on the other side brought Eriri a great deal of pressure.

This is just a normal day, why is this happening?! This is ridiculous!

"This is a fantastic opportunity to gather material! If I miss it, I don't know if I'll ever get another chance. If I weren't such a lazy bum, you might even get to see me in my prime." Kirito, having finally finished his draft after spending a considerable amount of time, smiled noncommittally. And indeed, as he said, this was a very rare duel.

"Hey, Sawamura-kun, how's your memory?"

"W-What time is it? Why are you still asking this?" Eriri's eyes were full of worry. She wanted to leave now, but Kirito stubbornly wouldn't budge. Doesn't this guy know that taking a girl through this kind of situation will lower his image?

"so?"

"So? Ah!! He has a very strong memory for images, if he really wants to remember them!" Eriri almost sounded resigned as she hid slightly behind Kirito, but she was also a little curious, after all, she was about to witness a living urban legend.

"Then you'd better remember what you see next; what you'll see here is excellent combat material."

"Huh? Huh...!!"

It seems like a fight is really going to break out!

"Hey, you two brats over there, what are you whispering about? Are you wolves too?"

"Ah, us... we're just passing by. Don't worry about us, just do your best!" Kirito smiled slightly at the question from a burly man, while inwardly wondering how many of these guys he could take on.

To be honest, these guys here may look very mature, but they're actually just high school students... well, really old high school students.

"Watching a show? Ha! And you brought your girlfriend along? Be careful not to get caught in the crossfire. If it starts, we won't be able to help you."

"Don't worry, we'll stay far away."

It's perfectly normal for people to watch a show; in fact, it would be strange if no one did. But it's also common for onlookers to get caught in the crossfire. Remember those bystanders who were inexplicably dragged into the drama? It's quite common, isn't it?

Then, a woman with squinty eyes walked to the shelves in the crowd and put half-price tags on the bento boxes. As she walked back, the woman's gaze swept over everyone present, finally lingering on Kirito, who had a subtle smile on his face, for two seconds. Her expression was a little strange, but she didn't linger for long before returning to the staff break room.

"What is a wolf..." Eriri, who was wondering, hadn't finished speaking when she heard a sudden roar.

The two groups of people collided violently. Among them was the wild-looking girl with shoulder-length ice-blue hair that Kirito had been staring at. She took down several men in a single exchange, especially her long legs encased in black stockings...