manga artist Kirito

"Hmm, it's still a bit hard to understand. How do those guys in novels who can sense the sound of water splashing on the floor when a woman is taking a bath actually do it?"

The ability to sense something just from the sound of water is truly remarkable!

At least Kiritani-san didn't feel anything at all, and even wanted to tell the woman to stop making those muffled moans...

Raising an eyebrow, Kiritani-san closed his Twitter page and began to focus on playing the game.

To be honest, this laptop has pretty good specs; at least Kiritani-san could run three emulators without any lag.

A short while later, the bathroom door opened, and Kasumigaoka Utaha, wearing a white shirt, walked out, drying her long, wet hair with a towel. Her fair, slender legs were exposed to the air, making her look quite sexy...

"Ah, after sweating so much, a cold shower feels so good..."

Kiritani looked at her slightly flushed face with an expression that was almost unbelievably calm—why was her face so red when it was a cold shower?

Chang Wei, you still say you don't masturbate!

Feeling the boy's gaze, the girl curled her lip in disdain. "What are you staring at me for? Haven't you ever seen a lotus emerging from the water?"

"As far as I know, both Ru Hua and Fu Rong look similar to durians." Kiritani-san was genuinely calm, not pretending at all.

Not to mention that because of his profession, he wouldn't be particularly surprised by this kind of thing. Besides, considering Shiina Mashiro's daily routine, it would be strange if Kiritani-san acted like a naive virgin who had never seen the world.

Well, if we compare them slightly, it seems that Shiina Mashiro's waist is a bit thinner.

"Here's your computer back, now start writing." Kiritani-san took out his phone and tossed the laptop aside. "I'm here to supervise you today. Until you've written at least 10,000 words, don't even think about eating, no matter I don't get back... Oh right, I just threw away all the ready-made food in your fridge. If you want to eat, don't even think about going out to eat."

"However, you can only go out if you've finished today's draft."

Well, judging from Xigua's previous attitude in supervising my drawings, it should be about right.

"Wow, you really think this is your own home? Those are all my food reserves. Do you know how much effort I put into getting them back?"

"It took me a lot of effort to get it out, so please don't thank me."

Kasumigaoka Utaha said expressionlessly, "I'm worried that you might do something to me!"

If I wanted to do something, you couldn't say you were completely unharmed last time at the hotel.

Ah, do women poke their genitals during sex? I'm a little curious...

"Phew! It's a good thing you didn't do anything while I was taking a shower, otherwise I would have pressed the emergency number I had prepared beforehand, you crime predator number one." Kasumigaoka Utaha's face showed a slight regret. "It seems that although you're good with words, you're actually still a useless light novel protagonist."

I'm going to fuck you!

Does that mean that only forcing yourself on someone you like is considered normal?

Why the hell didn't you come and force yourself on me? — Not resisting is also an option.

Yes, Kiritani-san prefers to be passive.

"Thank you for trusting me so much. I can let you experience what it feels like to have something come out of nowhere later."

231

[NO.228 No title]

Whether it's writing or drawing, it's not easy, especially for creators who aspire to write heartwarming stories. If the plot isn't stomach-churning enough, they won't feel anything even if they write it. At least... the plots that satisfy them are the kind that are very enjoyable to write, but make the readers' stomachs ache terribly.

Of course, I'm not that kind of creator. After all, I'm intellectually challenged, my writing is incoherent, and not a single plot point can make people feel nauseous. But—I'm shameless!

Well, creators actually want to write and draw 24 hours a day, but they only take action for less than one percent of the time.

Generally speaking, most creators can't write when they're being watched because of the awkwardness. But Kasumigaoka Utaha is different. As long as she can get into character, she can completely embody the heroine. Not to mention, she even shows signs of turning to the dark side.

Honestly, I don't really understand these creators who want to write depressing articles.

Kiritani-san, you said you'd be drawing a new work two weeks ago. Although you haven't even drawn a single page yet, the script is very healing—yes, healing, not depressing.

However, the art style of that script is a bit of a problem. The kind of art style that used to exude a strong sour smell won't work, and the kind of art style that occasionally reveals chuunibyou and hot-bloodedness like this one won't work either.

In short, Kiritani-san needs to master a new art style.

Naturally, this is not a difficult task for Kiritani-san, since this style of painting already exists in his mind. Whether it is reference or imitation, he can do it easily. However, if he wants to master it completely, it will take a lot of time.

Currently, Kiritani is supervising Kasumigaoka Utaha's manuscript writing and also drawing character designs for her new work.

Kiritani-san didn't bring any art supplies; she only borrowed Kasumigaoka Utaha's pencil and a useless little notebook. Although the drawing paper felt very different, it didn't matter since it was just for temporarily sketching character designs. Anyway, once the character designs were finished, the little notebook would be useless.

Actually, Kiritani-san couldn't be said to be very focused right now, because he also had to supervise Kasumigaoka Utaha, and Kasumigaoka was even less focused. Kiritani-san felt that this guy had no intention of writing anything at all, and almost half an hour had passed since he started staring at the laptop screen.

Kirigaya-san kicked Kasumigaoka with his foot, opened the Pocky bar on the table, took one out and put it in his mouth. "Hey, what are you spacing out for? A lone man and woman in a room makes your repressed heart full of fantasies? Wake up, finish cursing the manuscript before you think about it. If all else fails, I'll send you a humiliation doujinshi later. With your masochistic tendencies, you should really like this type of doujinshi."

Kasumigaoka reached out and slapped Kiritani-san's leg away, resting his chin on his hand. He didn't say anything, but his expression was somewhat melancholy, as if he was pondering some profound question.

"Are you a woman who's entered a period of lethargy after three months of marriage?" Kiritani-san chewed on a Pocky stick, not quite understanding the woman's emotional change. Not long ago, she was still excitedly refuting Kiritani-san's various words, but now she was lifeless, as if her child had died.

Anyway, you're definitely not going to be my marriage partner.

...Kasumigaoka Utaha doesn't want to speak right now, because this sentence is displayed on the screen.

It's strange, Kasumigaoka. Has it become this lazy?

Looking at Kasumigaoka Utaha, whose face was mostly hidden by her long hair, Kiritani pursed his lips. Could it be that what I said earlier made this woman unhappy?

...Okay. It seems that my treatment of Kasumigaoka is indeed different from how I treat others; neither Eriri nor Kato Megumi have reached this level...

But strictly speaking, isn't it actually a symbol of a good relationship?

Well, how should I put it? If we had to rank everyone's relationships, Asuna and Shiina Mashiro would undoubtedly be in the first tier, while Kousaka Akane, Haruno, and Hiratsuka Shizuka would be in the second tier, followed by Eriri and Kato Megumi... As for Kasumigaoka Utaha, she's actually somewhere between the second and third tier...

Wait a minute, has our relationship gotten this good without us even realizing it?

Emmmmm......

"Inspiration is something that comes and goes as it pleases, completely different from the pleasure of simply putting words into action." Kiritani-san felt she should have a proper talk with Kasumigaoka today, at least to avoid upsetting her. "As for the third volume, you wrote it very smoothly. I don't really believe you'll get stuck on the fourth volume, considering how imaginative you are. It's almost like your thoughts are flowing like a spring right now, isn't it? —Although supervision isn't that important, at least give me some feedback, otherwise it'll be a waste of everyone's time..."

That said, why does that sentence always feel so subtle?

If you're so good, why don't you do it yourself?

The sound of typing on a keyboard, and a line of text appears.

Even the sentence she hadn't deleted before could actually make people want to sleep with her.

"Sweetie, I'll cook for you later, okay? You know, no one but Watermelon, Asuna, and Yoko has ever eaten my cooking." Kiritani-san was certain that the girl was in a bad mood. It seemed that she would have to pay a price to complete Machida's request.

"Hey, open your mouth!"

Holding a Pocky stick to Kasumigaoka's lips, Kiritani-san smiled broadly, like a perverted nymphomaniac.

The description might not be quite right, but there's nothing I can do about it; Kiriko-chan is just so cute.

Kasumigaoka Utaha glanced sideways at Kiritani-san, wondering what he was up to now. But as the saying goes, "a man under someone else's roof is no match for a woman's fist," and no matter how big her breasts were, they couldn't beat Kiritani-san's fists...

After hesitating for a few seconds, Ms. Kasumigaoka peeked out, opened her mouth and bit the Pocky stick, quickly finishing it—to be honest, the crunching sound was enough to send chills down your spine.

Seeing the slightly malicious look in Kasumigaoka's eyes, Kiritani-san maintained her elegant smile, "If you bite my hand, I'll take you out for ramen right now~!"

Incidentally, it's ramen in the real sense.

[More, more, more!]

Kasumigaoka stared at Kiritani-san, her pale fingers tapping on the keyboard.

"She's such a hard woman to satisfy." Kiritani-san barely managed to maintain his elegance, otherwise he would have stuffed the whole box of Pocky sticks into her mouth by now.

In succession, several Pocky sticks were fed to Kasumigaoka, and Kiritani-san even gently poured her a glass of milk, allowing Kasumigaoka to enjoy treatment that many people had never received.

"So, can we start writing now?" Besides the gentle elegance, a kind look gradually appeared on Kiritani-san's pretty, feminine face. "I'm going out to buy something now. If you haven't written a single word by the time I get back... well, it seems there's nothing I can do."

"See you later." Kiritani-san picked up the parasol placed at the door, waved, and walked out.

If you don't see them, it's best they don't come back.

As Kasumigaoka Utaha tapped her fingers on the keyboard, she looked at the screen, listened to the sound of the door opening and closing, and after a few seconds of silence, she pressed the delete key to delete the entire line of text.

With her eyes slightly lowered, Kasumigaoka Utaha scratched her still-damp hair, then stood up, opened the door, and peeked out. After confirming that the guy was gone, she breathed a sigh of relief.

With a slight pout, Kasumigaoka Utaha closed the door and plopped down on the floor. "What... what is this guy trying to do...?"

I really don't understand this guy's thinking. He could have just stayed away... What a hassle.

And she's so long-winded, like a mother hen.

It's one thing to criticize my sleep schedule, but I also have to worry about the cleanliness of my room. My mom is too lazy to even bother with me anymore...

really...

Rubbing her inexplicably flushed cheeks, Kasumigaoka pursed her lips and looked at the character design that Kiritani-san had drawn earlier, then climbed over and picked it up to take a look...

"A peculiar art style... wait, the character designs even include amnesia?"

"Isn't this a bit melodramatic?... These days, readers find amnesia really annoying..."

"Wait, is this guy releasing a new work?" Kasumigaoka Utaha opened her mouth slightly, clearly a little surprised. "Sword Art Online has only been officially published for a short time, isn't he afraid of being scolded by readers for writing two works at once?"

Of course, Kasumigaoka Utaha believes that with Kiritani-san's energy, it seems that producing two works simultaneously is not a problem at all, as long as the quality of the works does not drop.

Well, this guy... he'll probably come back... right?

I'm not entirely sure.

But if I do nothing, this guy will definitely get angry again...

I should be the one telling him he's meddling, why is he so self-righteous?

I don't understand at all...

Putting down the character design, Kasumigaoka Utaha returned to her original seat, her pale fingers resting on the keyboard, her gaze slightly unfocused.

The plot of Volume 4... I'd already come up with it, but it seems I need to change it now.

A slight smile curved her lips. As if the scene had truly existed, Kasumigaoka Utaha transformed the scene in her mind into words and wrote it down word by word.

Just like an actor getting too immersed in their role, Kasumigaoka Utaha's face became increasingly flushed when she described a protagonist saying those heart-wrenching things to the female lead.

Time passes by unnoticed...

The door opened, and Kiritani-san, carrying a parasol, put the groceries he bought into the refrigerator. Then he poured himself a glass of milk, leaned against the door, and calmly drank it, his calm gaze fixed on Kasumigaoka, who was completely unaware that he had returned... It seems that he wasn't completely disobedient after all.

Licking away the milky white liquid from the corner of her mouth, Kiritani-san let out a slight sigh. Cooking... I really want to just say it and forget about it. I don't even know how long it's been since I last cooked.

Fine, consider it compensation for bullying her all the time... Don't blame me if it tastes bad.

Let's make lunch first...

Kiritani-san walked towards the kitchen, clutching the slightly cold cup, and closed the door behind her.

Utaha Kasumigaoka, who was completely absorbed in typing, slightly raised her head...

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

232

【NO.229 おあがりよ】

For Kiritani-san, making good food was undoubtedly a challenge, since it was something completely unfamiliar to him.

Although he knows a little bit about everything, and that little bit is at least at the level of proficiency, cooking is the only thing that doesn't count. Kiritani-san can't cook complicated dishes, and even with many simple ones, he might not be able to cook them well.

I had thought before that Kasumigaoka Utaha often stays up late, so maybe I should make some dishes that can help regulate her body, but I decided to just think about it and forget about it—if I can't do it, I can't do it, and there's no point in forcing it.

Tie up all the loose strands of hair, Kiritani-san put on an apron for the first time in a long time, looked at the simple ingredients laid out beside her, gave a slight smile, then picked up the kitchen knife that hadn't been used in who knows how long and washed it before she began...

"Ah, we should have cooked the rice first..."

"Never mind, let's cut it up first..."

Kiritani-san had a slight headache, but it was almost to be expected. He had always been the one being taken care of, and things only improved slightly after Shiina Mashiro arrived. He started trying to take care of others, but it was only an improvement. Ultimately, it was because of Asuna that he was able to take care of the clueless Shiina Mashiro.

Now, shall we start walking in that direction?

Hmm, should I hone my cooking skills to a basic level as soon as possible?

...Kiritani-san happily made a decision as she began preparing the ingredients, though she didn't know how long it would last.

Inside the room, hearing the sounds coming from the kitchen, the black-haired girl stopped what she was doing, her eyes looking somewhat blank.

"Uh, this guy... he's really back?"

"Still cooking...?"

Given Kasumigaoka's understanding of Kiritani-san, it would have been entirely expected that even if he turned around and pretended he hadn't said it, but now he's actually done it!

Even if Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't have high expectations for Kiritani-san's cooking, this situation was really strange... yeah, something was wrong!

Especially after a period of deep thought, she came home and immediately started cleaning the room. Now she's even cooking—does she really consider this place her own home?