Master of the Machete Style Manga

Chapter 114 Declaration of War! Declaration of War!
Natsume Mio sat in the passenger seat, while Mikazuki Haruna drove.

Mio Natsume tilted her head, watching the girl who was driving.

Haruna Mikazuki noticed her gaze and, while steering the car, casually asked, "I thought you were going to the convenience store over there. Why go so far?"

Natsume Mio said calmly, "Since you're driving here, you can take me there. I need to resign from the convenience store manager and then I won't be working there anymore."

"Resign?"

Haruna Mikazuki was somewhat surprised, as she didn't know that Mio Natsume worked at that convenience store. She asked, "Are you short of money too?"

Mio Natsume gently shook her head and said with a smile, "I didn't work part-time to earn money."

"What is that?" Mikazuki Haruna asked.

Mio Natsume said in a tone that sounded casual but was actually deliberate: "Mainly because Ken also worked at that store before."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Mikazuki Haruna's fingers tightened slightly on the steering wheel.

It turns out that before he even knew it, when Sakamoto Ken was living in that dilapidated apartment, this guy named Natsume Mio had already infiltrated every aspect of his life.

Shall we work together...?

In fact, Haruna Mikazuki had expected that Mio Natsume would meet Ken Sakamoto before her, since they had always been classmates.

In that memory, she had heard Ken Sakamoto mention that he used to work at a convenience store, but he never said who he was with...

Could it be that he's been hiding something from me?
In that dream, Ah Jian was a damn scumbag. If he really was hiding something like this, it seems... quite possible?!
Mio Natsume continued, "Judging from your appearance, you've probably never done a part-time job before, right?"

"I really haven't done it," Mikazuki Haruna readily admitted.

“You can’t understand how Ah Jian feels,” she added.

"How are you feeling?" Mikazuki Haruna asked.

She thought, "It's just shouting 'Welcome' in a convenience store and tidying up the shelves, right? What special feelings could there be?"

Haruna Mikazuki continued, "Besides, he won't be working part-time anymore anyway. His manga is more popular than mine, so it's sure to sell like hotcakes when the collected volumes come out."

“Yes, yes,” Natsume Mio immediately chimed in, “So, he won’t be tempted by someone’s money.”

"cut."

Mikazuki Haruna scoffed and said dismissively, "I didn't intend to bribe him with money. I just wanted to help him. Do you want to see him looking penniless?"

As Natsume Mio gazed at the receding street scene outside the window, the memory of that dream surfaced in her mind.

At that moment, she watched helplessly as Ah Jian got into this guy's car...

She gripped the door handle tightly, her gaze sweeping over every detail inside the car.

The exquisite red interior, the intricate center console, and the air filled with a subtle, luxurious fragrance...

She glanced at the back row again.

Normally, the back row has three seats connected together, but in this car, the middle is completely separated by a control panel, turning it into two independent seats.

Mikazuki Haruna asked from the side, "What are you looking at?"

"It's nothing," Natsume Mio said casually, withdrawing her gaze. "I've never ridden in such an expensive car before, so I'm just taking a look."

"So, take a look, how is it? Comfortable, right?" Mikazuki Haruna's tone carried a hint of smugness. "Want to try out this car's acceleration?"

"Forget it," Natsume Mio chuckled. "Just don't drive the car into the ditch."

"You don't trust my driving skills?"

"I see there are still several scratches on your car that haven't been repaired."

“That’s…you’ve never driven a car before. Who doesn’t have minor scratches and bumps when they drive?” Mikazuki Haruna said.

Natsume Mio's lips curled up slightly, knowing she had guessed correctly.

This guy's driving skills are terrible.

Mio Natsume glanced at the back seat again and commented, "Your car looks very luxurious, but the space isn't very big."

"Why isn't it big anymore?" Haruna Mikazuki asked. "The back row must be inconvenient, right? You can't lie down anywhere," Mio Natsume said.

"Why do you still want to sleep in the car?" Mikazuki Haruna said.

“I was just saying it offhand,” Natsume Mio said.

“Why don’t you just adjust the back of your seat?” Mikazuki Haruna said.

"That's right..."

Mio Natsume reached out and fumbled around the side of the seat, quickly finding a row of adjustment buttons.

With a humming motor sound, the seat back began to slowly recline.

Although it's not completely flat, it's already an angle where I can comfortably sleep.

She stared at the car roof, her mind starting to wander...

Ah Jian got into this guy's car. What strange things will they do inside?

Although I really wanted to deny this idea, I always felt that the scene inside the car was particularly exciting, and if it were her, she would very likely pull Ah Jian to do it.

After all, in that very long period of her memory, she and Ah Jian had some experiences even more outrageous than what happened in the car...

Of course, those are all things that might happen in the "future".

Now that I know, I absolutely cannot let Ah Jian become that kind of scumbag.

We must not allow the final outcome of three cuts and six holes to occur.

Anyway, there's absolutely no way I would stab Ah Jian in the back.

Lost in thought, the car had already entered the residential area where Ken Sakamoto had previously lived.

The vehicle navigated the narrow lanes with great care, nearly scraping against the wall several times as it turned.

"It's not a problem with my driving skills," she explained awkwardly, "it's just that this car is too big. I should get a smaller car next time..."

Mio Natsume said mercilessly, "I bet even if you were driving a K-car, you'd still crash into a wall here."

"Why don't you drive?"

"I haven't taken my driver's test yet."

"You don't even have a driver's license, yet you're commenting on my driving skills?"

"Just because I don't know how to refrigerate doesn't mean I can't comment on whether an air conditioner is cold or not."

The two bickered for a bit, and Mikazuki Haruna finally managed to park the car in the parking space.

Mio Natsume had already messaged the shop manager in advance, saying that she was going to resign, but would stay if she needed help this afternoon.

However, the store manager told her that the store had already hired new employees and she could resign at any time.

Since it was only a part-time job and not a full-time position at the store, it was considered a formal resignation soon afterward.

Mikazuki Haruna strolled around the store, looking at the shelves. Although every convenience store was pretty much the same, she still felt a sense of nostalgia.

So this is the convenience store where Ah Jian used to work.

As far as I can remember, when I met him, he had already left this place a long time ago.

She felt that the dream about Ken Sakamoto was her biggest secret, and that she would only tell Ken about it at most in the future, and would never tell a third person.

The two left the convenience store, and Natsume Mio headed towards the apartment where Sakamoto Ken used to live, with Mikazuki Haruna silently following behind.

They stood at the foot of the dilapidated apartment building, looking up at the rusty structure.

After a long silence, Natsume Mio finally turned her head and stared sharply at Mikazuki Haruna.

"Do you have feelings for Ken?" Natsume Mio asked.

Haruna Mikazuki did not look away; her gaze did not waver in the slightest.

She stared intently at Natsume Mio, a defiant smile playing on her lips: "So what if I am?"

(End of this chapter)