Master of the Machete Style Manga

Chapter 15 Ah Jian, I'm sorry...

Ken Sakamoto never intended to hide the fact that he was involved in the manga.

Last week, I created three different sets of stories for three different people. I don't want to do that kind of troublesome thing again.

So far, the only person he has ever met in real life is Natsume Mio.

Actually, if the best course of action were to avoid the risks, I should be with her now and cut off any possibility of meeting the other two.

Ken Sakamoto had certainly considered it, but after careful thought, he realized he couldn't do it...

It's fine if they don't remember what happened last week; in that case, everyone would just be strangers.

But if everyone has that memory...

It's hard to say whether they will come to us on their own initiative.

Just like Natsume Mio right in front of me.

……

In the shop.

After 7 p.m., the number of customers in the convenience store gradually decreased.

It was eight o'clock, the time for Natsume Mio to get off work.

Ken Sakamoto's working hours are from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m., and Mio Natsume's are from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., each for six hours, with one hour of overlap.

This hour was specifically designated by the store manager for the handover, and also for Sakamoto Ken to mentor the new employees.

Natsume Mio had changed back into her casual clothes and was sitting at a table in the restaurant, holding a triangular rice ball in her hand. She took a small bite, chewed it, licked her lips, and silently watched Sakamoto Ken.

Ken Sakamoto tidied up the items on the cashier's counter, walked over, and sat down opposite her.

Natsume Mio had just bitten into a rice ball when she saw Sakamoto Ken approaching, and her mouth paused.

She didn't take another bite, but instead released her mouth, letting the rice ball fall slightly, with a few glistening water droplets clinging to it.

Ken Sakamoto stared into Mio Natsume's eyes and asked directly, "When I asked you before why you came here to work, the reason you gave was actually a lie, wasn't it?"

Natsume Mio's expression stiffened slightly, a forced smile remaining on her lips. She chuckled awkwardly and said, "Ha... what? Of course it's true... I just thought I'd run into acquaintances if I worked near home..."

"How did you know I live around here?" Sakamoto Ken ignored her explanation and continued to press her for an answer.

Natsume Mio felt extremely uncomfortable being stared at so intently by Sakamoto Ken, as if he could see right through her.

She shifted her weight back slightly, her hands squeezing the rice ball so tightly it became deformed.

Mio Natsume took a deep breath and whispered, "Ken, if I said... it was a dream, would you believe me?"

"A dream?" Sakamoto Ken immediately pressed, "What did you dream about?"

Mio Natsume gathered her thoughts and continued, "It was a dream about you and me, a dream about us, about us... living together..."

"Living together?" Sakamoto Ken bluntly stated.

"Huh?" Natsume Mio lowered her head slightly, timidly raised her eyelids to look at Sakamoto Ken, and softly hummed in agreement.

"Is it just living together? Is there anything else?" Ken Sakamoto continued to ask.

"Others?" Natsume Mio was a little confused by Sakamoto Ken's barrage of questions, and she had no idea how to answer them.

"For example, the cause and effect, when we got together, what we went through, do you remember that dream clearly?" Sakamoto Ken asked in succession.

Natsume Mio sat on the hard stool, feeling stiff all over.

That dream... everything except what was related to Ah Jian was blurry.

"Hmm?" Sakamoto Ken looked at Natsume Mio with a questioning tone.

Ken Sakamoto's voice was like a rope, binding her tightly and making her unable to move at all.

Natsume Mio felt a little wronged, and her eyes welled up with tears, but this feeling turned into a strange... feeling.

She subconsciously leaned forward slightly, her buttocks pressing against the bench, and squeezed her legs together, a subtle tingling sensation appearing and disappearing in her lower abdomen.

Thinking of that lingering dream in my mind, and all my fantasies about Ah Jian.

Thinking about Ah Jian and his own experiences in that dream.

Imagine your hands are bound behind your back, you are kneeling on the ground, wagging your tail and begging him.

Thinking about how she followed Ah Jian out of inexplicable jealousy, only to discover that Ah Jian was with another woman, and then... she actually swung a knife at him.

The key issue is that I can't remember their faces. I can't see the faces of anyone except Ah Jian, which means it's all just my own imagination, right?

Although they are all dreams, all fictional, the reason for having such dreams must be because one has so many dark thoughts in one's heart.

"Ah Jian...I...I'm sorry...It was me, I did it without permission..."

Natsume Mio's emotions were on the verge of being released. She clenched her teeth, braced her hands on the table, and bowed deeply to Sakamoto Ken, causing her braid to swing high.

With her emotions completely released, Natsume Mio no longer suppressed her voice and almost shouted, "I really dreamed about this convenience store, dreamed that we worked here together, so, so I came here without permission!"

It seems that Mio's emotions have been aroused.

Ken Sakamoto maintained a calm expression and said, "Actually, I've known what you're thinking since middle school."

Natsume Mio was slightly startled, her lips trembling as she said, "So Ken already knew..."

"Let me ask you a question first," Ken Sakamoto said, emphasizing each word. "Why do you like me?"

"Huh?" Natsume Mio felt her heart skip a beat, not expecting Sakamoto Ken to be so direct.

She bit her moist lips, pondered for a while, and then muttered, "Liking something... doesn't need a reason, right?"

“How could there be no reason?” Ken Sakamoto said. “Perhaps it’s liking someone’s talent, perhaps their appearance, perhaps their money, or of course, it could simply be wanting to have sex with them. These are all reasons.”

“Then… I mainly…” Natsume Mio frowned and pondered, trying to find the right answer. After a while, she said, “It’s talent. I like Ken’s talent.”

“That’s superficial,” Ken Sakamoto shook his head and said. “Liking someone’s talent is like watching a great movie and admiring the director’s talent, but would you want to date the director?”

“No…” Natsume Mio changed her mind again, “Ken, actually everyone says you’re quite handsome…”

"That's also very superficial. For example, if you see a handsome celebrity in a magazine, would you want to date him?"

"Won't……"

"So, these two things are not reasons to be in a relationship at all," Ken Sakamoto said.

"What else? The very last one..." Natsume Mio muttered softly.

"Sex?" Sakamoto Ken shook his head slightly, looking at Natsume Mio, and said in a very serious tone, "What do you think is the essence of this kind of thing?"

"It's...what?"

"That kind of thing is just that the peripheral nerves are under pressure, which transmits some electrical signals, causing the glands to secrete, creating a comfortable, happy, and blissful illusion in the brain. In fact, nothing happens; it's just the high-frequency displacement of two proteins at close range," Ken Sakamoto said.

"Ken, what are you talking about?" Natsume Mio felt confused.

Ken Sakamoto continued, "The three situations I just mentioned do not qualify as true feelings. If feelings are based on these things, then they are just castles in the air. For example, writers will run out of inspiration, handsome men will age, and even sexual ability will gradually decline with age."

“But I don’t care about those things!” Natsume Mio shook her head vigorously and said.

“Because you think with your emotions, not your reason.” Sakamoto Ken sighed dramatically, then continued, “Natsume-kun, are you aware of my family situation?”

Natsume Mio lowered her head to avoid Sakamoto Ken's gaze, remained silent for a moment, and then shook her head slightly.

Everything she knew came from that dream.

Although she actually visited the places she saw in her dream, proving that the dream was indeed some kind of "premonition".

But she also knew that dreams also contain fictional elements.

For example, there's the story of Ah Jian later becoming a scumbag, and her killing him with two other women...

For example, there's that comic book called "Young Lady, Sniper Rifle, and Pantyhose!", which was clearly drawn by a female author.

“I don’t know… Ken, you’ve never talked about anything related to your family…” Natsume Mio said softly.

As the two were talking, they heard the sound of customers entering the convenience store.

Ken Sakamoto turned his head and saw that it was the store manager who had gone out in the afternoon who had returned.

He quickly stood up and walked to the store manager: "Manager, may I ask for leave? I'll be gone for just over ten minutes, I'll be right back."

The shop manager, an elderly woman, didn't think much of it and immediately nodded in agreement: "Yes, it's alright, just don't take too long."

Ken Sakamoto nodded and turned to look at Mio Natsume: "Come with me for a moment."

After saying that, he strode out of the convenience store.

(End of this chapter)