Master of the Machete Style Manga

Chapter 120 The Leftover White Socks

Ken Sakamoto released his grip.

But Natsume Mio held on tightly until Sakamoto Ken's gaze fell on their hands, at which point she reluctantly let go.

She first squatted down, picked up the crushed page of the manuscript, held it in her hands, and handed it to Ken Sakamoto.

Ken Sakamoto reached out and took it, flattened it slightly, but didn't pay much attention to it before putting it together with the other manuscript papers.

Natsume Mio stood to the side, watching Sakamoto Ken put away the drawing. The guilt she felt for damaging his hard work lessened slightly, but the shock of the kiss earlier still left her feeling confused.

She watched as Ken Sakamoto walked to the largest drawing table inside, sat down, and took out a new storyboard. His movements were so natural, as if nothing had happened.

"Ken... are we going to continue working now?" Natsume Mio asked softly.

Ken Sakamoto nodded and said, "Yeah, school starts soon, and we definitely won't have as much time as we do now, so we'll need to work on more storyboards."

Natsume Mio silently watched his figure sitting at the painting table.

My feelings are still complicated.

That was her first kiss!

Although Ah Jian used some strange explanations to forcefully interpret it as "gathering material" and said that it didn't count as a first kiss.

But for her, it was indeed her first time kissing a boy.

The warm, moist touch, and his faint scent... just thinking about it made her cheeks burn and her heart race.

But... Ken Sakamoto looks too calm, doesn't he?
Aside from a moment of surprise when she first ambushed him, he remained remarkably calm afterward.

It's like... kissing is nothing unusual for him.

It's as if... he's already gotten used to kissing...

Really? Has Ah Jian ever been in a relationship before?
Or even more than one?
The moment the thought popped into her head, Natsume Mio quickly shook her head, banishing it from her mind.

Will not!
Even if those memories in dreams were real, they would still be things of the future.

At least up to now, Ah Jian has definitely never been in a relationship!
He's just... just more mature and better at controlling his emotions!

She watched as Ken Sakamoto intently sketched lines on the storyboard.

When he was drawing, he looked very serious, and the outline of his profile was particularly clear under the light of the desk lamp.

As Natsume Mio watched, she became somewhat mesmerized.

However, she also realized that she seemed a bit superfluous standing there...

Ah Jian is focused on his work. Will I disturb him by being here?

After Ken Sakamoto finished drawing his current page of storyboard and stretched his neck, Mio Natsume finally spoke: "Um... Ken, I'll head back now? I have a vocal lesson to attend..."

Ken Sakamoto looked up at her, his face expressionless, and simply nodded slightly before waving goodbye.

"Hmm..." Natsume Mio responded, feeling a little lost as she prepared to leave.

She silently turned and walked towards the door.

Hearing the door close gently, Ken Sakamoto's pen did not stop.

Whether it was someone coming to his house or delivering food, it was all within Sakamoto Ken's expectations.

Only that kiss...

Sakamoto Ken smacked his lips, as if there was still a tiny bit of sweetness left.

Well, although it was somewhat unexpected, it's not a big deal.

After all, it was she who kissed me, not me who kissed her.

In this way, it's her who's taking, not me.

Therefore, the initiative is still firmly in our own hands.

Ken Sakamoto continued to work diligently on the storyboard.

Compared to the finished artwork, which requires meticulous outlining, coloring, and applying halftone dots, storyboarding is much faster to create. Since the complete visual image is already in one's mind, all that's needed is to quickly sketch out the key compositions, character movements, and facial expressions, and then add accompanying dialogue and necessary explanations.

Three hours later, Ken Sakamoto stretched and put down his pen.

On the table, there was already a thick stack of newly completed storyboard drafts.

This section contains over sixty pages, covering three full chapters.

The plot has progressed to episode 28. Makima uses her ability remotely, bringing justice from the sky and crushing the enemies one by one like squeezing tomatoes. Denji has also been rescued.

After drawing for three hours straight, even the storyboards left Sakamoto feeling somewhat exhausted.

He stood up and stretched his stiff neck and shoulders.

When I finished drawing last time, either Mio massaged her shoulders or Haruna did, but Haruna's technique was not good and the strength was too weak. It was not as good as the Myokai Massager.

My gaze inadvertently swept across the room and landed on an empty drawing table.

On it was a beige canvas bag.

"Hmm?" Sakamoto Ken frowned slightly and walked over.

Isn't this the bag that Natsume Mio brought earlier?
She forgot to take it when she left?

Ken Sakamoto picked up the canvas bag and felt that it was quite heavy.

He opened the bag and looked inside.

First, there's a zippered insulated bag, inside which are two bento boxes stacked together.

Ken Sakamoto took out the insulated bag and noticed something else in the corner of the canvas bag.

A white blob...

He reached in and pulled the lump out.

It's a transparent plastic bag, and you can tell from the words printed on it that it's a sock package.

And inside the bag...

Kenjiro Sakamoto poured the contents of the container into his palm.

They were two white cotton socks huddled together.

He squeezed the cotton socks; they felt soft to the touch and clearly had been worn, with the socks turned inside out.

Ken Sakamoto immediately understood.

No wonder Mio changed her socks earlier; they became those white calf socks with lace trim.

It seems that after she and Mikazuki Haruna left the studio at noon, she went out and bought a new pair of shoes to change into before returning.

Moreover, the old socks that were taken off were stuffed into the packaging bag of the new socks, and then casually tossed into the canvas bag...

This guy... could he be trying to lure me with this method?
Ken Sakamoto shook his head somewhat helplessly.

What's going on here? Do you think I'm some kind of foot fetishist?

Ken Sakamoto looked at the pair of cotton socks in his hand, unsure of what to do with them.

Throw it away? That's not a good idea, after all, it's her stuff.

Wash it clean and return it to her next time she comes?

Even stranger, it felt as if I had done something shameful or strange to her socks.

Otherwise, why would we need to wash it?
Just pretend you didn't see it?
Ken Sakamoto thought for a moment, then decided to stuff the socks back into the packaging bag and toss them back into the corner of the canvas bag.

That's fine. She can just come and take it when she remembers.

To prevent her from overthinking and believing that he has some special interest in her original scent...

(End of this chapter)