manga artist Kirito

"You should have said so earlier, phone calls are free."

Standing in front of the apartment, Ayano Iida sneered, "I made the call, and I accepted the call..."

"Didn't you hear me? I said phone bill!" Kiritani rolled his eyes and hung up the phone, immediately drawing questioning glances from Asuna and Shiina Mashiro.

"Mashiro's work was selected for the Newcomer Award, so that's good news." Kirito shrugged, still maintaining his nonchalant attitude, as if this matter didn't stir up any waves in his heart.

Asuna's eyes widened. "Really?"

"real!"

Why are you still so calm?

"If she just makes the cut and gets into the top three for the newcomer award, I'll probably be excited for Mashiro. Besides..." Kirigaya glanced at the still calm Shiina Mashiro and tilted his head, "Didn't you see how calm Mashiro is? There's nothing to brag about... Eh?!"

Turning over on the sofa, Shiina Mashiro smiled slightly, her eyes brimming with joy, and quickly pounced on Asuna and Kirito, holding them tightly in her arms.

"...So happy."

Nestled in Shiina Mashiro's arms, Asuna reluctantly looked down at Kirito, who was pinned beneath her, and said speechlessly, "You're not as calm as you made it out to be!"

"Put everything else aside, get off me now, I'm going to suffocate!" Shiina Mashiro, who was already resting her head on Asuna's lap, pounced on him, with most of her body on top of him, only her head buried in Asuna's chest—you can imagine the position.

Perhaps this is the legendary facial cleanser...

Feeling the softness pressing against his face, before he could even enjoy it, Kiritani-kun felt a sudden difficulty breathing—a suffocating experience!

"I don't know why... I did this, but... I'm really happy." The fluctuation in Shiina Mashiro's tone wasn't exactly a long time ago; since Kirito started the observation therapy, her completely emotionless state had become rather rare.

Because on many occasions, even if it's something meaningless, Shiina Mashiro will say it... just to get more opportunities to communicate.

Things like that at the beginning—"I've stopped drawing comics, I'm just staring at you now!"—are definitely happening less and less now, so I guess it can be considered part of growing up.

But now, the fact that she's happy about something like this, even excitedly rushing towards Kirito and Asuna, undoubtedly shows that Shiina Mashiro is taking a step closer to being an ordinary person—perhaps Kirito and Asuna haven't had the chance to teach Shiina Mashiro these things before...

However, the most terrifying influence is the subtle one!

It's obvious enough now, isn't it? Closed-door learning doesn't really have much effect. Even though it's only been a short time, Shiina Mashiro is definitely different from before. If she were still the same Shiina Mashiro, she would have taken out a loaf of bread to share when she was happy, instead of rushing over like this.

The growth... is undoubtedly enormous!

but……

"Get up right now!!" Kirigaya-kun said in a muffled voice, feeling that this way of dying was really not good!

Without feeling that he had ruined the atmosphere, Kiritani-kun had no intention of sacrificing himself for the sake of the atmosphere. He only knew that big breasts could sometimes be fatal!

P.S.: Writing it like this... gives the feeling that Sakura-sou actually limited Shiina Mashiro.

192

【NO.190 Conflict】

What is the most annoying case?

—The chest-killing case!

Yes, it was a chest-killing incident, not a chest-striking or murder!

The former might die of happiness, the latter seems somewhat tragic, and the latter... well, let's not talk about it anymore.

Face wash and stamina-enhancing weights... Kiritani-kun doesn't need any of that, because such suffocating procedures are genuinely suffocating, and quite terrifying!

…………

With slightly flushed cheeks, Kiritani-kun gasped for the hard-won oxygen and rubbed his forehead... It wasn't usually noticeable, but he seemed a little bigger than before...

"Were you... cooked?" Ayano Iida asked as she entered the room, looking at Kiritani who seemed to have been abused.

"Shut up!" Kirigaya-kun rolled his eyes at her and said irritably, "Mind your own business!"

"Eh, are you in such a bad mood?" Ayano Iida was a little surprised. After hearing the good news, shouldn't she have immediately started to hold a celebration party for Shiina Mashiro or something... Well, it was indeed a bit too early, since it was just a selection and there was still some time before the winning works were selected. And there were quite a few good works among the manga submitted this time.

I almost suffocated from being so bored by this wonderful news, sis...

Kirigaya glanced at Shiina Mashiro sitting upright and said helplessly, "This child is really happy."

"Well, Mashiro was quite depressed for a long time after the failure six months ago." Ayano Iida sat next to Mashiro Shiina and reached out to rub her head. "But even in that depressed state, she was still working on the manga... which shows her determination."

"Although she has a famous light novel master and the hottest manga artist around her, in terms of influence, it will only make Mashiro work harder. As for her current achievements, it's not unreasonable to say that it was expected." Ayano Iida smiled slightly at Shiina Mashiro. You know, Shiina Mashiro didn't even make it into the preliminary round of the manga newcomer award she participated in last time.

It was a huge blow, or something else... Iida Ayano didn't know, because Shiina Mashiro always kept her thoughts to herself and rarely spoke them out, let alone did them herself.

"Well, I still have to thank you for taking care of Mashiro..."

Kiritani-kun pouted. "All you have to say is nonsense?"

"No, not really. I have some other opinions to raise, about the work 'This Manga Club Has a Problem'." Ayano Iida didn't feel uncomfortable with Kiritani's words at all, because she could hear the matter-of-factness in his tone. "However, these are some issues that Mashiro might find a little hard to understand if I tell you directly, so I'll just be frank with you... Um, thank you."

Taking the hot tea that Asuna handed her, Ayano Iida took a warm sip. It had been raining heavily outside, and it was especially cold...

Asuna smiled and sat down next to Kiritani. "Please speak!"

"During the editors' meeting, when we were discussing the works that each editor had submitted for the newcomer award, Akane paid special attention to Mashiro's work, probably because of you, Fujiwara-sensei..." Ayano Iida smiled somewhat helplessly, "You could also say it was my dereliction of duty as an editor. When reviewing the manuscripts, there were quite a few things that I didn't notice. Below... are Akane's exact words."

Watermelon's opinion... Is this guy meddling in other people's business?

No... never mind, after all, the magazine is hers, and she just wants this work to be better.

Mimicking Akane Kosaka's tone, "This work... is merely good. It's fine for selection, but getting into the top three of the Grand Prize will be difficult!"

"Kazuto must have noticed it long ago. Although I don't know why he didn't point it out, this work... is completely lacking in many details. This is very obvious. Moreover, the manga club in the work... is also a bit too fantastical. A hundred-page manuscript, during which there are no conflicts between the members of the manga club. This is completely unrealistic."

"Creators are people with unique ideas, and it's common for their thinking to be imaginative and unrestrained. But the comics section of their works... The clash of ideas and the exchange of words between creators are all fine, but the compromises are too quick!"

"Why compromise so easily? — If the conflict were expanded, wouldn't this be a great turning point? The emotions between the characters could be clearly shown at this point! — I think if this could be changed, the evaluation of this work could be improved by at least one level."

"It's like a typical shonen manga. Why do the protagonists always only have an epiphany and a breakthrough at the last moment? Because that's the formula of typical shonen manga! — And this work itself revolves around the manga club. If there isn't enough conflict between the members, then this manga club... is just a place where these supporting characters gather, not the main storyline."

Ayano Iida took a sip of tea, a helpless smile on her face. "That's about it... This kind of request might be a bit much for Mashiro..."

"I can do it!" Shiina Mashiro raised her voice slightly. "If it makes the manga better, I can do it!"

"Don't get agitated!" Asuna reassured Shiina Mashiro, then looked at Iida Ayano and said, "Editor Iida, you should know... that Mashiro's work is based on reality, right?"

"……perhaps."

“Because both Kazuto and I are in senior positions, sometimes conflicts don’t become obvious. And Kazuto can easily persuade others with his words, so there are no conflicts in our club… Even if there are, they are quickly resolved.” Asuna sighed. “I just didn’t expect the problem to arise here… Kazuto, you knew this all along, didn’t you?”

"I know. Since the story revolves around the manga club, but there are no intense clashes between the characters or enough conflicts to support the plot, it naturally lacks a lot of excitement." Kiritani-kun has read Shiina Mashiro's manuscript more than once or twice. Given the storyline and his own personal experience, it would be strange if he didn't notice it.

"Then why didn't you say so sooner?" Asuna frowned slightly, clearly unable to understand her boyfriend's thoughts.

"In this regard... it won't be long before Mashiro finds out." Kirito-kun remained relaxed. "Mashiro seems to be quite idle lately."

“…Indeed, I’m not as focused on drawing as I used to be.” Asuna nodded slightly, then a look of realization crossed her face. “This is block…no, there’s no story to continue?”

P.S.: Yeah, writer's block is really terrifying... and I also feel that the conflict at the beginning of this book wasn't strong enough.

193

[NO.191 Oops! Blades (Bonus Chapter)]

Girls' manga has always featured a hazy main storyline paired with sweet moments and everyday scenes of feeding each other medicine.

Since the main storyline takes place in the manga club, there needs to be enough topics to generate interest, and the easiest and most sustainable topic to draw is undoubtedly the conflict between the characters—in addition, it is also a good point of interest.

If a story lacks that little bit of everyday life, it becomes dull, and the creator will have no more plot to continue writing.

Of course, opening up a different route is indeed a good solution, but it still deviates from the main storyline, or rather, falls short of it.

Here's a good example: in typical shonen manga, the protagonist has a firm goal, which is a major draw. Conversely, if a genius manga artist like Fujiwara Echizen doesn't feel much emotional attachment to the publication of his work simply because he has no rivals or goals, then there's a significant lack of appeal.

“Mashiro isn’t lacking in artwork lately, but rather she doesn’t know how to continue drawing.” Kirito gazed at the girl with her lips tightly pursed. “But since Mashiro hasn’t asked for help, she naturally wants to get through this on her own. We don’t really need to interfere in this matter—I, Suika, am completely overstepping my bounds. I couldn’t even figure out what I was thinking, and you call yourself my old partner…tsk!”

"I can do it!" Shiina Mashiro raised her voice again, even standing up to show her determination, and clenching her little fist.

"Well, what happens in the manga club is always reality, and there's a difference between it and the stories we imagine. It's necessary for you to keep up, but you always need to break out of that framework and create based on your own ideas," Kiritani-san said eloquently. "So, I don't think I should give Mashiro any advice or suggestions on this matter!"

More importantly, she is Shiina Mashiro, not a genius girl who is adept at understanding human relationships.

"...It seems we really went to unnecessary trouble." Ayano Iida smiled wryly, then took the manuscript out of her bag. "Whether or not you intend to revise it, the original manga manuscript still needs to be brought to you..."

Then, Ayano Iida took out a large stack of letters from her bag and pushed them in front of Kirito, saying, "These are yours..."

"What's the matter?"

"Replies and letters from readers regarding the Sword Art Online series after the weekly magazine was published."

"Oh!" Kirito seemed a bit interested. It's really rare to receive letters from readers. Although he saw quite a few in the school's shoe lockers today, he didn't have time to look at them.

However, Kirito didn't immediately open the letters with a happy heart. Instead, while the others looked on in astonishment, he reached out and tapped the letters. After confirming that there were no problems, he used the remote control next to him to spread the letters out flat.

"What the hell?" Ayano Iida was completely bewildered, having no idea what Kirito meant by doing this.

"You may not know that a well-known cartoonist, who has been dubbed an 'old thief,' claimed that he was shoved into a sack when he went out because he missed a deadline for his manuscript. But that's not the worst part. What's worse is that the people who beat the cartoonist seemed to be medical students. They beat the cartoonist only in pain, without leaving any marks."

"Later, an old writer, while opening a letter from a fan, accidentally tore open an envelope containing a razor blade because he wasn't careful enough—yes, blood was everywhere."

Kiritani-kun, with a wary mind, roughly checked whether there was anything wrong with the envelopes, then picked up a thicker envelope and cut it open from the back with scissors.

Boom boom boom! ! !

Three ultra-thin and sharp blades fell from the opening, along with a piece of paper with only a few words on it...

The air was still...

A gust of cold wind blew in through the not-quite-closed window, bringing a slight chill to the three women present and dispelling a brief silence...

After a hesitant expression and taking a considerable amount of time to reorganize her thoughts, Ayano Iida finally spoke, "I... I didn't expect to actually receive razor blades..."

...It's terrifying just thinking about it!

I actually handed the letter to a famous cartoonist with an envelope full of razor blades in my pocket. If anything goes wrong... I'll definitely be the one who suffers!

"Throw it away." As the author who publishes books the fastest and writes the most diligently, Asuna had never heard a reader say that they would send her razor blades—but now she had.

Even though it wasn't for her, it still feels so scary!

He quickly brought over a trash can and gestured for Kirito to throw all the letters in it.

Shiina Mashiro, standing to the side, had her mouth slightly open, and a thoughtful look occasionally flashed in her eyes.

"Don't panic! It's just a blade. Let me see what this is..." After stopping Asuna, Kirito glanced at the blade that reflected a cold glint under the light, picked up the letter, and read it aloud.

"Fujiwara, you old scoundrel, give me back my love!"

He nodded in realization. "So you're a reader of 'Scarlet Street.' This kid's a yandere enthusiast, no wonder..."

Under the watchful eyes of the three women, Kirito opened the envelopes one after another, and razor blades fell out of each one—maybe he doesn't want to draw manga anymore, he can switch to selling scrap metal?

"Fujiwara, you old scoundrel! I've finally found a way to send razor blades to people like you, aren't you surprised!? Finally, give me back Ximei! -- This is a reader of 'Night Colors'... What kind of operation is this? There's not a shred of surprise in it."

"Please accept these blades, you old bastard Fujiwara! You dragged me into this mess, then mysteriously disappeared for two years, and now you want to get out? Let me tell you, Sword Art Online is terrible—hey, wagada."

"Fujiwara, you old bastard, I want to see a sequel to 'Scarlet Town,' you have to draw it for me! Aino is the biggest winner! Death? That's not going to happen! — No, a sequel is what's not going to happen."

"Old thief Fujiwara..."

As Kirito counted the letters, he felt no emotion, and even felt a little amused. Although most of the letters were from readers of past works and mainly expressed resentment, quite a few did mention Sword Art Online... However, most of them were about how weekly magazines were too slow and it would be better to compile them into collected volumes and release them, etc.

"But it's really a good thing you didn't cut your hand with the razor blades, Editor Iida... There were quite a few of them." Kirito chuckled. "So many razor blades... I reckon that in Rouge en rouge, the only people who would receive this many razor blades are me and Watermelon."

Ayano Iida shrank back. "Uh, you... don't you feel annoyed at all?"

Asuna puffed out her cheeks to express her dissatisfaction, "These readers are really going too far..."

Shiina Mashiro tilted her head. "Readers are really strange..."

"Of course... receiving razor blades is actually a compliment to the creator. If it weren't for the fact that the work is well-drawn and resonates with the reader, who would waste money to send you razor blades?"

Of course I'm not happy!

I'm even thinking of drawing something that will captivate them without them realizing its flaws, to the point that they'll eventually find any other work boring!

P.S.: I need some razor blades! Please feed me!

And, I've paid off all the missed updates~ I can start posting double updates regularly now~ Whether there will be triple updates or not is anyone's guess~ Hehe~

194

【MO.192 Eriri's Thoughts】

"...?"

A day later, when Kirito opened her shoe cabinet, she encountered a scene that only happens in anime: she was overwhelmed by countless letters pouring out of the shoe cabinet.

Just as Kirito was staring blankly at the letters scattered all over the floor, Eriri entered the classroom. She instinctively wanted to raise her hand to greet him, but after seeing the letters all over the floor, Eriri's expression became subtle.