Master of the Machete Style Manga

Chapter 126 A Model for Our Generation! (4400 words)
The next morning.

In the studio, Ken Sakamoto packed up his storyboard and tidied his bag; he was leaving for school that morning.

Today is the registration day for new students at Kanzaki Art Academy.

"Ding-dong-"

The doorbell rang suddenly.

Sakamoto Ken subconsciously assumed that Natsume Mio had arrived.

After all, we made plans on LINE yesterday; she would come early, and then the two of us would go to school together.

He strode to the entrance, replying, "Coming, coming, so early..."

However, when his gaze fell on the small screen that came with the door lock, he stopped talking abruptly.

The girl on the screen was not the pink-haired girl with the same braids as Machima that he had imagined.

Haruna?

Why is she here so early in the morning?

Ken Sakamoto still reached out and turned the doorknob.

As soon as the door opened, the girl standing outside immediately flashed a bright smile.

Good morning, Ken Sakamoto-sensei!

Ken Sakamoto looked at her, his gaze sweeping over her politely from head to toe. The temperature had risen recently, and she was wearing thin, long black stockings today.

Sakamoto Ken's gaze returned to the girl's face, and he calmly asked, "Why are you here?"

Mikazuki Haruna puffed out her not-so-ample chest with a straight face: "School starts today, you didn't forget, did you?"

“Of course I haven’t forgotten.” Ken Sakamoto turned to the side, pointed to the shoulder bag on the cabinet next to him, and said, “We’ll be getting ready to leave soon.”

"That's perfect!" Mikazuki Haruna's eyes lit up, and she immediately replied, "Get in my car! I'm your senior, so it's my duty to take you to register. Hurry up, don't dawdle."

As she spoke, she reached out to pull Sakamoto Ken's arm.

Ken Sakamoto took a half step back and said, "No, I have to wait for Mio. I promised to go with her."

"Mio?!" Mikazuki Haruna pouted and said, "What? Why wait for her? She doesn't understand the registration process at school. If I take you, you won't have to run around looking for directions."

Just as she finished speaking, Ken Sakamoto's cell phone rang in his pocket.

Ken Sakamoto took out his phone and glanced at the caller ID.

Mio Natsume.

As if on purpose, he casually waved the lit-up phone screen toward Mikazuki Haruna.

This allowed Mikazuki Haruna to clearly see the name flashing on the screen before he slowly pressed the answer button.

"Hey, Mio?"

"Ken! Something's happened!" Natsume Mio's voice came from the other end of the phone, with background noise and the faint sound of sirens. "The train service has been temporarily suspended! It's an accident, there are a lot of people gathered over there, it looks like someone jumped..."

Upon hearing this, Ken Sakamoto frowned slightly, but tried to remain calm: "Don't rush. Once the tram stops, take a bus or a taxi. Don't try to squeeze through to see."

After all, personal injury accidents aren't considered big news in Tokyo; they're usually just a brief news item that gets interrupted by a news report.

Then, station staff quickly cleared the area, issued delay certificates to the stranded workers, and the trams resumed operation as scheduled.

"No, no, I'm not going to go see... I'm already on my way to the bus stop, I might be a little late getting there..." Natsume Mio's voice still sounded a little flustered.

"Okay, be careful." Kenjiro Sakamoto reassured her gently. "Registration is available all day today, so it's okay if it's a little late. Be careful on the road."

After hanging up the phone, Ken Sakamoto looked up at Haruna Mikazuki.

Haruna was a little sullen at first, but she quickly forced a smile and said, "How about this, when she comes, we can go to school together? It's more convenient to ride in my car than to squeeze onto the bus, right?"

Ken Sakamoto knew that since this guy had come all this way so early in the morning, he certainly wouldn't give up easily.

Fine, let's go together then.

"Okay." Sakamoto Ken nodded, agreeing. "Then you can drive us there."

"Yay!" Mikazuki Haruna cheered immediately, then put her hands on her hips, tilted her head and looked at him, "So... you're just going to make me stand outside the door waiting forever?"

Ken Sakamoto stepped aside again: "Come in."

"Excuse me~"

Mikazuki Haruna stepped into the entrance hall in a cheerful mood.

I took off my little leather shoes and stepped onto the wooden floor inside the house.

She casually pulled out a chair and sat down, her two legs, encased in black stockings, swaying gently in the air.

Just then, there was another knock on the studio door.

Ken Sakamoto got up to open the door, and this time it was Tatsuyuki who came in. He was carrying a backpack and looked to be in good spirits.

"Good morning, Sakamoto-sensei!"

Good morning, Long-san.

Ryuki walked into the studio and immediately saw Mikazuki Haruna sitting in a chair, swinging her legs.

He paused for a moment, then a look of surprise appeared on his face. Then, as if he recognized something, his eyes lit up.

"Eh? Is this... Ms. Mitsuki Haru?!"

When Mikazuki Haruna heard that someone recognized her, her smile became even brighter.

She immediately stood up from her chair, even tidying her hair slightly, before saying demurely, "Yes, I'm Mitsuki Haru~ You must be Assistant-san, do you read my manga too?"

Ryuki Shin quickly bowed slightly to Mikazuki Haruna, his voice tinged with excitement: "It's a pleasure to meet you! I've been watching 'The Young Lady, the Sniper Rifle, and the Pantyhose!'! I'm even studying Mikazuki Haruna's artwork; the details in the illustrations are just amazing!"

Although the assistants, including Forty-Haruna, were responsible for the details of the artwork in the studio, this did not prevent Mikazuki Haruna from accepting the praise with a clear conscience.

She chuckled, clearly pleased, and said, "Thanks for your support!"

Ryuki glanced at Mikazuki Haruna, then at Sakamoto Ken beside her, and was about to ask, "Sakamoto-sensei, you and Mikazuki... um..."

The words were on the tip of his tongue when he suddenly realized that the question might not be appropriate, so he quickly swallowed them back, just chuckled, and hurried to his seat to sit down, pretending to start preparing for work.

Ken Sakamoto didn't say much, but simply introduced Haruna Mikazuki: "This is my drawing assistant, Shin Ryuyuki."

Haruna Mikazuki nodded, acknowledging that they had met.

Not long after, Tomoharu Kaku and Tatsuya Endo also arrived at the studio.

Ryuki Shin must have watched the JUMP live stream, but neither of them paid attention to those events, so they didn't recognize Mikazuki Haruna.

They noticed a beautiful, unfamiliar young woman in the studio. Although they were curious, they didn't approach her to talk to her. They simply greeted Sakamoto Ken and then went back to their respective seats.

Haruna Mikazuki, feeling a bit bored, took the initiative to wave and greet them, "Hello~"

Endo Tatsuya and Kaku Tomoharu then responded with a somewhat reserved bow.

They were all speculating about the relationship between the girl and Mr. Sakamoto, but out of professional courtesy, they didn't ask any further questions.

Tatsuyuki couldn't hold back any longer. He leaned close to Tatsuya Endo's ear and whispered, "Endo-san, aren't you reading another popular manga on JUMP+ lately?"

"Which one?" Endo Tatsuya asked, somewhat bewildered.

"The Young Lady, the Sniper Rifle, and the Pantyhose!" Ah! It's the one that, like Sakamoto-sensei's work, updates twice a week!

Upon hearing the name, Endo Tatsuya suddenly realized, "Oh! I've been reading that one. The art style is amazing. What's up?"

Ryuyuki gestured towards Mikazuki Haruna with his lip and lowered his voice: "Look, this is the author of 'Young Lady,' Mikazuki Haruna-sensei."

"what?!"

Endo Tatsuya and Kaku Tomoharu both exclaimed in surprise and quickly turned to look at Mikazuki Haruna, their faces filled with shock.

The two then quickly stood up and bowed to Mikazuki Haruna again to greet her.

"Hello, Teacher March Spring!"

Unable to contain his curiosity, Kaku Yuji cautiously asked, "Um... Ms. Mikazuki Haruna, what brings you to Ms. Sakamoto's studio?" Before Mikazuki Haruna could answer, Endo Tatsuya immediately patted him on the back of the head: "Don't ask what you shouldn't ask!"

"Yes, yes, yes! I was presumptuous!" Kaku Tomoharu quickly lowered his head.

Mikazuki Haruna didn't mind. She moved her chair and sat down next to Sakamoto Ken's workbench, looking at the storyboards spread out on his desk with great interest.

"Sakamoto Ken-sensei, your efficiency is much higher now that you've hired an assistant, isn't it?"

Ken Sakamoto nodded: "Yes, that's right."

"So where are you in the original drawings? What about the storyboard?" Mikazuki Haruna asked casually.

Of course she knew about Ken Sakamoto's progress.

Hanabe Kyoko had already brought back all the photocopies she could get her hands on and shown them to her.

She's asking this now just to get Sakamoto Ken to show her the manuscript so she can openly discuss the plot with him.

And they pretended it was their first time seeing it, thus concealing the fact that they were the behind-the-scenes financier.

Ken Sakamoto didn't think much of it. He gently patted the thick stack of storyboards next to him: "The original manuscript has been submitted for chapter 22, and the storyboards have been drawn up to chapter 30."

"Eh—?!" Mikazuki Haruna let out an exaggerated, drawn-out "Eh," her face displaying a perfectly timed expression of surprise. "So fast?!"

Upon hearing this, Sakamoto Ken stopped writing and looked at her with a hint of curiosity: "Why does it feel like you already knew? Did you talk to Kaji-san about it?"

"No, no!" Mikazuki Haruna's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly waved her hands in denial. "How would I know? I want to see!"

Sakamoto Ken stared at her for a few seconds, then didn't ask any further questions. He simply said, "Looking is fine, but I don't have time today. I have to go out soon."

"Then...can I see it next time?" Mikazuki Haruna immediately said.

“Okay.” Ken Sakamoto nodded.

He picked up his phone, opened Natsume Mio's LINE chat interface, and quickly typed and sent a message.

Ken Sakamoto: "How much longer?"

Almost instantly.

Natsume Mio: "Almost there! We're almost at the residential area, we'll be there in five minutes!"

Ken Sakamoto's fingers flew as he continued typing.

Ken Sakamoto: "She came this morning too, we'll go to school together later."

Natsume Mio: "Who is it?"

Sakamoto Ken: "Mikazuki Haruna."

Message read.

But the other party remained silent and did not reply.

When Ken Sakamoto sent the message, he did not deliberately avoid Mikazuki Haruna, who was standing next to him.

She leaned closer to see the chat content on the screen clearly.

It was said to be five minutes, but less than two minutes later, there was a rapid knocking on the studio door.

Ken Sakamoto got up to open the door.

Standing outside the door was Natsume Mio.

She seemed to have run there; her chest was still heaving, and she was panting heavily.

Her gaze immediately fell upon the studio, precisely locking onto Mikazuki Haruna.

Then, her gaze quickly swept over the three assistants sitting on the other side.

When she saw that it wasn't just Ken Sakamoto and Haruna Mikazuki alone in the studio, her tense expression visibly relaxed, and she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Natsume Mio entered the entrance hall and first asked Sakamoto Ken in a low voice, "Are those three your assistants, Ken?"

Ken Sakamoto nodded: "Mm."

Natsume Mio immediately put on a sweet smile and greeted her three assistants gracefully, "Hello, everyone~"

The three assistants seemed a little confused, but still politely replied, "Hello."

Kaku Tomoharu's gaze fell on Natsume Mio's pink and red braided hair, and he said somewhat uncertainly, "Is this hairstyle... Miss Machima?"

Natsume Mio's smile widened, and she even turned slightly to show off her hairstyle: "Yes~ I specially did my hair like Ms. Machima's."

Tatsuyuki Shinichi recalled and said, "That's right! I saw it on Twitter, a promotional video trailer for the manga released by the official JUMP account. Could it be that...?"

“That’s right! It’s me~” Natsume Mio immediately admitted.

The three assistants exchanged glances, even more shocked.

The people appearing in the promotional video should be actors, right?

What are you doing at Sakamoto-sensei's studio?

And...they seem very close.

After introducing herself, Natsume Mio immediately turned her attention to Mikazuki Haruna.

"Why are you here with Ah Jian again?" At this point, she wasn't as polite as before.

Mikazuki Haruna crossed her arms defiantly and raised an eyebrow at her: "What? Ken didn't say I couldn't come, so what's it to you?"

Natsume Mio was taken aback by her retort, but immediately retorted, "Are you that familiar with Ken? You even called him by his name directly."

Mikazuki Haruna pouted, "He called me Haruna first."

Upon hearing this, Natsume Mio immediately turned to look at Sakamoto Ken, her eyes filled with questioning.

Ken Sakamoto felt a headache coming on. He stepped forward, trying to break the tension between the two: "Alright, Mio, Haruna, I think it's about time. We should head to school."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Natsume Mio suddenly reached out, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him toward the door.

"Come on, Jian, let's go!"

Her movements were quick and urgent, and this guy was quite strong. Sakamoto Ken was caught off guard and almost stumbled when she pulled him.

"Wait! I need to grab my bag..."

Ken Sakamoto quickly broke free, returned to his seat, and picked up his shoulder bag to sling it over his shoulder.

Then, he was pulled along by two girls, one on his left and one on his right, towards the door.

Before leaving, Ken Sakamoto turned back to his three assistants in the studio and said, "I have to go to school. Please wait in the studio for a moment. Kaji-san said she will be here soon. You can contact her directly if you need anything."

After saying that, Natsume Mio slammed the door shut.

Inside the studio, only the three assistants remained, looking at each other blankly.

Ryuki Shinichi stared at the closed door, thoughtfully stroking his chin. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "What do you think... about Sakamoto-sensei and those two girls...?"

"Ahem!" Endo Tatsuya coughed twice and said, "Let's not ask about things we shouldn't..."

"Yes, yes, yes..." Kaku Yuji quickly nodded in agreement, burying himself in his drawing, but he couldn't help but click his tongue in admiration, "I really envy Sakamoto-sensei... He's so talented, and he has two such beautiful girlfriends by his side..."

"The key is..." Ryuyuki Shin interjected, "that he can actually have two girlfriends at the same time, and they haven't even started fighting?"

Upon hearing this, Endo Tatsuya asked, "Didn't a fight break out?"

Ryuki Shin and Kaku Tomoharu were silent for a moment, recalling the tense atmosphere just now.

And the scene where Sakamoto-sensei was taken away at the end evoked many emotions.

"As expected of Sakamoto-sensei."

"A role model for us!"

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(End of this chapter)