Master of the Machete Style Manga

Chapter 129 Love is like fishing (3rd update)
Kenta Sato explained to everyone, "Haven't you all been reading Jump lately?! The new serialized 'Chainsaw Man' is written by this Ken Sakamoto! He started serializing it in Jump right after graduating from high school!"

"Weekly Shonen Jump?"

"real or fake?!"

"I don't think anyone from our art club has ever been featured in the main JUMP magazine before, has he?"

A murmur of surprise and discussion immediately filled the office.

At this moment, Mikazuki Haruna interrupted everyone's discussion: "What do you mean no one has ever been featured in JUMP? My manga was serialized in JUMP at the same time as his!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's attention once again focused on Mikazuki Haruna.

A girl muttered softly, "Mr. Mikazuki... I remember, at the end of last semester, wasn't your article rejected for the monthly prize?"

Haruna Mikazuki's cheeks flushed instantly, and she immediately denied it, "W-What monthly reward! I never participated!"

She abruptly changed the subject, hands on her hips, raising her voice: "Anyway! Now, all of you go read the manga 'Young Lady, Sniper Rifle, and Pantyhose!'! Do you hear me!"

Sato, who had just recognized Sakamoto Ken, thoughtfully stroked his chin, muttering, "I remember... the author is Mitsuki Haru... Mitsuki Haru... Mikazuki Haruna..."

"That's right, the pen name 'March Spring' is just three characters from the minister's name!"

"How stupid! You only realized it now!" Mikazuki Haruna said this, but a smug smile appeared on her face.

"So that means... our art club now has two manga artists serialized in JUMP?!"

"It's so awesome!"

Haruna Mikazuki thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention. She patted Ken Sakamoto on the shoulder triumphantly, as if showing off her spoils: "Of course!"

She said to everyone, "Alright, I'm not going to talk to you anymore. I'm going to show Mr. Sakamoto around our campus."

With that, she took Sakamoto Ken's hand again and walked out of the office amidst the envious gazes of the crowd.

……

Ken Sakamoto followed Haruna Mikazuki out of the side door of the art department building and onto a tree-lined path.

After leaving the noisy crowd, the surroundings became much quieter.

Mikazuki Haruna let out a long sigh of relief and said, "How about it? Our school is pretty good, isn't it? There are many scenic spots, and our art club often organizes outdoor sketching classes."

Ken Sakamoto simply nodded calmly without responding.

He was naturally very familiar with the school's environment.

Last week, he spent four years here.

He and Mio often went on dates in the woods, but of course, it was limited to brief kisses and hugs.

Sakamoto Ken wasn't bold enough to do anything more daring on campus where people could pass by at any time.

However, there are clearly no shortage of even bolder people in the school.

He remembered one time when he and Mio were taking a walk on campus at night, they unexpectedly bumped into the shadows of a man and a woman swaying in the woods. They couldn't see them clearly, but their voices were very distinct.

Even after being discovered, the other party showed no sign of stopping or avoiding the situation; on the contrary, they seemed even more excited and their movements became more intense.

Ken Sakamoto quickly grabbed Mio and fled the scene...

As for him and Mikazuki Haruna...

Last week, the two didn't interact much at school.

Most of the time, after class, Ken Sakamoto would get into her car and go somewhere outside the school.

After all, he needed to keep this relationship a secret from Natsume Mio at the time.

"Haruna." Sakamoto Ken shook his arm, which she was gripping tightly, and whispered, "Can you let go now? I feel like your arm is going to turn red from your grip." Mikazuki Haruna had been holding onto his arm tightly ever since she came out of the office.

When Sakamoto Ken said that, she reluctantly let go of his hand.

The girl turned her head, her bright eyes fixed on Ken Sakamoto, and asked, "Hey, I want to ask you something."

Ken Sakamoto stopped and turned to face her: "Go ahead."

Mikazuki Haruna took a deep breath, looked directly into his eyes, and asked, "You and her... that Natsume Mio, you wouldn't have already confirmed your relationship, would you?"

Upon hearing this, Ken Sakamoto's lips curled into a playful smile, and instead of answering, he asked, "What do you think?"

"What do I think?" Mikazuki Haruna was taken aback by his question, and felt even more uncertain.

Ken Sakamoto shrugged and said casually, "Of course not, otherwise why would I come here with you?"

"Oh...that's true." Mikazuki Haruna felt a strange sense of relief upon hearing this answer.

However, the moment she let her guard down, Ken Sakamoto suddenly stopped smiling, took a small step forward, and closed the distance between them.

He lowered his head slightly, his sharp gaze fixed on Mikazuki Haruna's eyes.

Sakamoto Ken's expression turned serious, and he asked in a deep voice, "You're asking such a question, it can't be because..."

Haruna Mikazuki was caught off guard by his sudden change in demeanor and instinctively took a half-step back.

Then, Ken Sakamoto caught up with him: "You're not thinking of confessing your feelings to me, are you?"

"Confess...confess?!" Under the pressure of Sakamoto Ken's tone, Mikazuki Haruna said in a slightly flustered manner, "What?! I never said I was going to confess to you!"

Her gaze darted away, then a thought flashed through her mind, and she stared at Ken Sakamoto again, saying, "Eh? Ken, are you going to confess to me?"

Before Sakamoto Ken could speak, she continued, "Let me tell you, although your manga is very good and you're quite handsome, I'm very strict in this regard, and I absolutely won't agree to anything casually..."

"Eh?!"

Haruna Mikazuki saw Ken Sakamoto walk right past her and head forward.

“I have clear goals right now, so I won’t be considering this kind of thing for the time being,” Ken Sakamoto said.

Sakamoto Ken had already considered what to say when he uttered that sentence.

This guy, he's so sweet-talking, yet so stubborn.

That also happened to be exactly what Ken Sakamoto expected.

Falling in love is like fishing.

You need bait, and even if the fish takes the bait, you can't pull too hard.

You need to follow the fish's momentum, pulling back and releasing it.

She quickly caught up with him, chasing after Sakamoto Ken and asking, "So what is your goal?"

"My goal is to become a manga master," Ken Sakamoto said.

"A comic book master, huh..."

Mikazuki Haruna repeated the word, recalling that she seemed to have had similar thoughts before.

That was when I had just started drawing "The Young Lady". At that time, I was not sure if Sakamoto Ken, this "dream lover", really existed. I just thought that it was a dream message from Tokibe no Ten, as if I had divine help.

Therefore, she was determined to become a comic book master.

Hmm? Thinking about it more carefully, something seems off...

(End of this chapter)