Master of the Machete Style Manga

Chapter 165 Three's Company (6300 words)
As soon as Kenjiro Sakamoto entered the dream, he found himself in a convenience store.

He stood in front of the checkout counter, holding a white plastic bag with the "FamilyMart" logo on it.

Ken Sakamoto calmly lowered his head and opened the plastic bag in his hand.

Inside the bag were three boxes of 001 and a small bottle of lubricant.

Ken Sakamoto looked at these items and gave a helpless, bitter smile.

Upon seeing these, he immediately recalled the scene he was in.

Last week, Haruna gave him a reward and then asked to meet him, saying she wanted to talk about manga or something.

The two had just finished dining at a high-end restaurant in Chiyoda Ward, and the atmosphere was just right. Haruna then drove her red Porsche, intending to take him to her apartment.

then……

On the way, she realized that the supplies they had bought last time were all used up, and none of them had carried them with them.

So, when they passed by this convenience store, Mikazuki Haruna asked him to do the shopping.

Ken Sakamoto looked around.

The convenience store was empty; there were no employees or other customers.

The shelves are filled with a dazzling array of goods, but if you look closely, you'll find that all the labels and text are just blurry blocks of color.

Only the items in his shopping bag were clearly visible.

Ken Sakamoto strode to the glass door of the convenience store and looked outside.

The streets were very quiet, with not a single pedestrian in sight.

Right next to the road, that eye-catching red Porsche Panamera sat quietly.

There was no one in the driver's seat, but a familiar figure could be seen in the passenger seat.

It's Haruna.

"Sigh..." Ken Sakamoto sighed.

It wasn't that I was disappointed, it was just a bit beyond his plans.

His original plan was to take a nap on the sofa in the studio and meet Natsume Mio in his dreams.

As for what to do, he didn't think about it beforehand; he'd figure it out once he got inside.

Since she's here, it means... Haruna is asleep in reality right now too.

Ken Sakamoto frowned.

He clearly intended to take a nap with Natsume Mio and trigger a dream linking with her, so how did he end up in a memory scene about Haruna?
It was the same in Haruna's office last time.

I originally wanted to play with Ai Hoshihara online, but I ended up playing with Haruna instead.

Could it be that I have a particularly deep connection with this guy?

Last time, Ken Sakamoto speculated that it might be because of the close proximity that he was able to connect with Haruna Mikazuki, but now it seems that this speculation is probably not true.

Unless Mio wasn't asleep at all, which is why she wasn't on the online list.

Ken Sakamoto sighed helplessly.

Well then, since we're here, we might as well make the best of it.

He carried the plastic bag and pushed open the door of the convenience store.

Ken Sakamoto walked straight toward the red Porsche.

He walked to the passenger side window, bent down, and gently knocked on the glass.

The car window slowly rolled down, and Mikazuki Haruna sat inside. When she saw him, she was slightly taken aback at first, and then a look of anticipation appeared on her face.

"Jian, get in the car quickly!"

Kenjiro Sakamoto was about to reach for the driver's side door.

"Ah Jian?!" A hurried voice came from the other side.

Ken Sakamoto's movements suddenly froze.

This voice...

He slowly turned his head and looked in the direction of the sound.

On the other side of the street, Natsume Mio was running quickly toward him.

Ken Sakamoto's temples throbbed.

No? What's going on?!
How did she get in here?!
Natsume Mio had already approached Sakamoto Ken. Her gaze swept quickly over Sakamoto Ken and then landed on the white plastic bag in his hand.

Then, he looked into the car.

Haruna Mikazuki also looked at her in astonishment, clearly not expecting Mio Natsume to appear.

"Ken!" Natsume Mio's voice trembled slightly. "She...how did she get here?!"

Haruna Mikazuki frowned as well, and retorted in an unfriendly tone, "Shouldn't I be asking you? What are you doing here?"

Natsume Mio immediately put her hands on her hips and retorted without backing down, "Why can't I be here?"

Mikazuki Haruna leaned back in her chair and said in a tone that asserted her dominance, "I'm on a date with Ken, so don't bother us."

"Dating!"

Natsume Mio's voice instantly rose in pitch.

The main thing is that she remembers this scene. In that memory, Ah Jian got into her car, and then the two of them drove away together.

However, at the time she did not know what the two were going to do, so she just kept a close eye on Ah Jian and did not tell him immediately.

Now, Natsume Mio's gaze was fixed on the plastic bag in Sakamoto Ken's hand.

"Jian," her voice held a hint of accusation, "what are you holding in your hand?"

She didn't give Sakamoto Ken a chance to answer at all, or rather, she could already vaguely see the outlines of the boxes inside the transparent plastic bag.

Her mother gave her a box, and although she hadn't used it yet, it was obviously that kind of stuff!
Natsume Mio darted forward and snatched the plastic bag from Sakamoto Ken's hand!

She took the contents out: three boxes of 001 and a small bottle of clear liquid.

The air froze at this moment.

Natsume Mio lowered her head, staring blankly at the three items in her hands.

She slowly raised her head, her eyes wide open, staring intently at Ken Sakamoto.

"Jian, you...you and her, what are you going to...go to do?"

When Natsume Mio took the plastic bag from his hand, Sakamoto Ken panicked for a moment, but quickly regained his composure.

This isn't like last week's game, there's nothing to worry about.

The main reason is that he had these things in his hands as soon as he entered the dream. If it had been a few minutes earlier, he definitely wouldn't have bought them, since he wouldn't have needed them in the dream.

He snatched the item from Natsume Mio's hand and tossed it aside.

"Never mind this thing, I don't know how it ended up in my hands."

Mikazuki Haruna looked down at the three boxes on the ground, let out a long "Eh," and said, "So Ken went to the convenience store to buy these. Don't throw them away, we'll need them later."

“These things are unnecessary in dreams,” Ken Sakamoto said directly.

“Oh, that’s true.” Mikazuki Haruna nodded.

She had already experienced it once in her dream.

"How did it end up in your hands? That's such a lame excuse!" Natsume Mio said.

Ken Sakamoto offered no further explanation.

After all, both Natsume Mio and Mikazuki Haruna must have thought that this was their own dream, and that the other person was just an NPC who appeared in their dream and made them unhappy.

This is interesting.

Thinking of this, a slight smile appeared on Ken Sakamoto's face.

He simply stepped forward and, before Natsume Mio could react, pulled her into his arms and held her tightly.

"Huh?!" Natsume Mio's exclamation was muffled by Sakamoto Ken's chest.

Sakamoto Ken gave her no chance to struggle, and with his other hand he had already opened the rear door of the Porsche.

Then, he half-pushed and half-carried Natsume Mio, who was still a little dazed, into the back seat.

"boom!"

The rear door was closed.

Just as Mikazuki Haruna was about to protest, Sakamoto Ken had already walked around the front of the car, opened the driver's side door, and sat down.

The driver's side door was also closed, and Ken Sakamoto expertly fastened his seatbelt and started the engine.

"Ken!" Mikazuki Haruna finally couldn't hold back anymore. She pointed at Natsume Mio in the back seat, "Why did you let her into my car?!"

"It's all here."

Ken Sakamoto gripped the steering wheel and said, "Let her get in the car."

"Hey!" Natsume Mio in the back seat also snapped out of her daze. She patted the back of the front seat and said, "Ken is driving, how did it become your car?"

“This is my car!” Mikazuki Haruna said, turning around.

Natsume Mio was in the back seat, looking at the red interior of the car. She had ridden in Mikazuki Haruna's car in real life, and what she saw now was almost exactly the same as the one in real life.

She muttered to herself, "This dream felt so real..."

"What dream did you have?" Mikazuki Haruna keenly caught the tip of her tongue.

Natsume Mio simply snorted coldly, glared at her, and didn't answer.

In Natsume Mio's eyes, Mikazuki Haruna was just a wicked woman NPC in her dream who came to seduce Ken.

I wouldn't stoop to talking to an NPC.

All her attention was now focused on Sakamoto Kenji driving in front of her. She had wanted to move to the front seat, but the car was moving and she was worried about crashing.

Ken Sakamoto didn't seem to care about the two girls' argument. He gripped the steering wheel with both hands and calmly asked, "Where are we going now?"

“Of course, we’ll go to my house,” Mikazuki Haruna said immediately.

"Why would I go to your house?" Natsume Mio immediately retorted, "To my house! I remember this place is much closer to my house!"

Upon hearing this, Ken Sakamoto simply smiled slightly.

He slammed on the gas pedal, and the engine roared to life.

The tires screeched sharply against the ground, and the vehicle lurched forward instantly.

"Ah ah--!"

Two screams rang out simultaneously inside the carriage.

Ken Sakamoto ignored them and continued driving quickly through the deserted streets.

He drove straight onto the highway leading out of the city.

The car's speed was constantly increasing.

100...160...200...220...

The numbers on the dashboard were jumping wildly, and the scenery outside the window was rushing past.

"Ken! Slow down!" Mikazuki Haruna said, gripping the handrail tightly.

Ken Sakamoto is very excited now, because in reality he would never have the chance to drive like that.

But in the dream, there were no police, no speed limits, no other vehicles...

This feeling is amazing!

He wanted to test where the boundaries of this dream world he controlled really were.

The car sped westward, heading away from the Tokyo metropolitan area.

Gradually, the view outside the window began to change.

The once clear outlines of the city's buildings began to become blurred and distorted.

The streetlights and billboards along the roadside have all been turned into gray blocks without any details.

"Ken... what's going on outside?" Natsume Mio asked softly, looking out the window.

Of course, since she knew it was a dream, she only found it novel; anything could happen in a dream.

Ken Sakamoto didn't slow down; he continued to press the accelerator. Soon, even the road ahead began to blur.

The asphalt road has disappeared, replaced by an endless gray plain.

It seems we've reached the border. This is a place I didn't visit last time, so it can't be shown in my dream.

Ken Sakamoto finally released the accelerator and slowly pressed the brake.

The Porsche came to a smooth stop.

The surroundings were deathly silent, with only the faint hum of an idling engine.

Ken Sakamoto unbuckled his seatbelt, opened the car door, and got out.

He stepped onto the ground, which felt solid, but looking around, there was nothing there except the car and the women inside.

The two girls were not far away, perhaps out of fear, and neither dared to stray too far from the car.

Ken Sakamoto strode over, looking at Mio Natsume and Haruna Mikazuki with a slight smile.

When Sakamoto Ken arrived in front of them, the two exchanged a glance, their eyes still holding a hint of hostility.

Moreover, Ken Sakamoto noticed that they all made the same gesture: trying to pat their foreheads or rub their temples.

Mikazuki Haruna muttered to herself, "Why do I keep thinking about her? I need to make her disappear from my sight!"

Natsume Mio immediately followed up with, "You're the one who should disappear!"

Ken Sakamoto guessed that they were trying to subtly suggest to him that he should change his mind and then eliminate the other person directly in his dream.

Of course, this is useless, because the entire dream server is hosted by Ken Sakamoto.

They were just participants who joined the online game.

Sakamoto Ken reached out to the two girls, ignoring them, and grabbed their hands, one on each side.

Holding the two girls' hands, Ken Sakamoto walked forward a few steps, saying, "Come on, let's go inside and take a look."

Everything around them was so strange that Natsume Mio and Haruna walked forward cautiously.

But because Sakamoto Ken was holding her hand, she felt a little more at ease.

Natsume Mio thought back to the day she registered at school, when the three of them were in the grove, each holding Sakamoto Ken's hand on either side.

It's as if Ken Sakamoto was dating them all at the same time...

Thinking of this, she wanted to let go, but she couldn't bear to. After all, if she let go, wouldn't Sakamoto Ken be monopolized by the other party?

Mikazuki Haruna looked around and said, "Hey, why don't we go back? There's nothing here."

Ken Sakamoto said, "Nobody said anything, there are still the two of you here."

"Eh?"

Natsume Mio was slightly taken aback when she saw Sakamoto Ken pull her closer, then wrap his arms around her waist.

On the other side, the same thing happened; Ken Sakamoto had Haruna Mikazuki wrapped around his waist.

At first, Natsume Mio was still immersed in Ken's proactive intimacy, but when she turned her head and saw that Ken's other hand was also around Mikazuki Haruna, she was completely stunned.

She instinctively struggled for a moment, then looked at Mikazuki Haruna opposite her in surprise.

The two girls looked at each other across Sakamoto Ken.

After a brief silence, Natsume Mio punched Sakamoto Ken hard in the chest: "Ken! What are you doing?! Let her go!"

Haruna Mikazuki also realized what was happening, and she gripped Ken Sakamoto's clothes tightly, glaring back defiantly: "You're the one who should let go!"

Ken Sakamoto shook his head, but instead of letting go, he pulled them both even closer to him.

“Since we’re all gathered in this dream,” he said in a tone that was both helpless and matter-of-fact, “why don’t we stop arguing and just get along peacefully?”

As he spoke, he lowered his head slightly and swiftly kissed Natsume Mio on the cheek.

"Chirp."

Mikazuki Haruna stared wide-eyed at Sakamoto Ken in disbelief.

This guy... he kissed Natsume Mio?!
Even though it's just her face, it's happening right in front of me!
Haruna Mikazuki was thinking wildly in her mind:

'It must be because I always imagine Natsume Mio will steal Sakamoto Ken away, and this time I actually dreamed about it!'

'But... dreams are always the opposite, right? Yes! They're definitely the opposite!'

"The fact that I saw Ken Sakamoto and Mio Natsume being intimate in my dream proves that they could never be together in reality!"

Haruna Mikazuki tried to convince herself with this reasoning.

But even she herself felt that this reason was weak and unconvincing.

Because in real life, she had personally witnessed how Ken Sakamoto and Mio Natsume interacted.

Haruna Mikazuki felt a strong sense of crisis.

No! We can't let him be bewitched by Mio anymore!
"Ajian!"

Mikazuki Haruna suddenly exerted force and broke free from Sakamoto Ken's embrace.

Then, she turned around, placed her hands on his shoulders, and pushed him backward.

Ken Sakamoto was caught off guard by her sudden exertion and was pushed back two steps, releasing his grip on Mio Natsume.

Mikazuki Haruna grabbed Sakamoto Ken's shoulders with both hands and pressed him against the Porsche door.

However, she didn't kiss him directly.

Instead, she turned her head and looked at Natsume Mio provocatively.

Natsume Mio looked smug.

She raised her hand and gently touched the cheek that Sakamoto Ken had just kissed, clearly showing off her victory.

Seeing her like this only fueled Mikazuki Haruna's anger.

She turned back to Ken Sakamoto and said, "Ken, we only got halfway through what we were doing last time."

She was probably referring to the dream she entered in her office, which was indeed only halfway through. She had just pounced on something, even tilting her chair to one side, and the force of her pounce overturned the entire chair...

Before Sakamoto Ken could answer, Natsume Mio, standing nearby, immediately pressed on alertly, "What happened? What did you do?!"

Mikazuki Haruna parted her lips slightly, making a mouth shape.

"Love."

Natsume Mio understood immediately this time.

She strode over, grabbed Sakamoto Ken's hand, and tried to lead him to the car.

"Never mind that guy, let's get in the car."

"What are you going to do in the car?" Kenjiro Sakamoto asked knowingly.

"Of course it's what she just said!" Natsume Mio yanked open the back door of the car.

Ken Sakamoto, however, did not sit down.

He glanced at the back seat space and shook his head: "The space inside the car is too small."

“Look, there’s no one else in this whole world. Actually, you can be anywhere,” Sakamoto Ken said. “Outside the car, that’s fine too.”

"Huh? Is...is this...okay?" she asked in a low voice, somewhat uncertainly.

“Of course.” Ken Sakamoto nodded matter-of-factly.

Even though it was just in a dream, but... outside, in broad daylight... this is just too exciting!
Ken Sakamoto then said to Mio Natsume, "Don't worry about her, this is your dream."

"What do you mean 'leave me alone'?!" Mikazuki Haruna said unhappily upon hearing this.

Ken Sakamoto looked at Haruna Mikazuki, then at Mio Natsume beside her, and gave her a meaningful smile.

"What," he shrugged, "how about... we go together?"

"Together...?"

This time, it was Mikazuki Haruna and Natsume Mio's turn to widen their eyes simultaneously, wondering how he could utter such lewd words.

Sakamoto Ken, looking completely calm and even taking it for granted, simply pulled Mikazuki Haruna over.

But now, neither of the girls was happy.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Natsume Mio exclaimed. "I don't want her next to me..."

Haruna Mikazuki also said, "Ken, what are you thinking about!"

Seeing their intense reaction, Kenjiro Sakamoto knew that the plan for the three of them to travel together was now impossible.

Even in this dream world where anything goes, their hostility towards each other outweighs their feelings towards him.

If it were Ai Hoshihara and Mio Natsume, or Ai Hoshihara and Haruna Mikazuki appearing together, there might still be a chance.

After all, love understands him, knows the principles of dreams, and if he treats her more, she should agree.

Hmm... probably.

Kenjiro Sakamoto has never tried it.

After all, Ai had given him a solid stab last week.

It now seems absolutely impossible for Mio and Haruna to join the team at the same time.

If he really wanted to force it, he could actually do it, but he wouldn't.

There has to be a mutual agreement. If there are three people in the team, and two of them don't get along, how can they cooperate?

Ken Sakamoto wasn't disappointed; this was within his expectations.

Their relationship definitely needs improvement.

Ken Sakamoto estimated that almost an hour should have passed in reality.

The time he spent online in this dream was synchronized with his real-life nap time.

Since that's the case, Ken Sakamoto decided to test something else.

I stomped my foot hard on the ground. Although the ground here was a blurry gray, it felt very solid under my feet.

Sakamoto Ken stood there, looking at the two girls who were still glaring at each other, and then he simply and neatly fell straight backward.

He had searched for information about dreams and found that even ordinary people often dream of such "falling" scenes.

For example, dreaming of falling from a height or falling off the bed.

In that intense feeling of weightlessness, a person can easily wake up suddenly.

Just like last time with Haruna in the dream, Sakamoto Ken fell off the chair and immediately exited the dream.

"Ah Jian?!"

Natsume Mio and Mikazuki Haruna both gasped in surprise and instinctively reached out to pull him back.

But it's too late.

Ken Sakamoto fell backward, feeling the back of his head about to hit the ground, when he suddenly felt a jolt.

Ken Sakamoto suddenly opened his eyes.

He had returned to his room in reality and was lying on the bed in his bedroom.

Beside her, Natsume Mio was still lying on her side, eyes closed, breathing steadily, seemingly still asleep.

Sakamoto Ken let out a long sigh of relief. Just as he was about to get up, Natsume Mio next to him also opened her eyes.

Sure enough, she woke up too.

Ken Sakamoto confirmed one thing: he was the core of this dream. As long as he was still in the dream, the entire dream world could be maintained, and they could enter and leave at will.

But once he leaves, the entire dream will dissipate.

At first, there was still a hint of confusion in Natsume Mio's eyes, as if she had just woken up.

A few seconds later, Natsume Mio finally regained full consciousness.

She quickly sat up, looked around in a panic, and found that she was in Sakamoto Ken's room, and that annoying guy wasn't there.

Natsume Mio finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She turned around and looked at Sakamoto Ken again, the girl's cheeks still flushed from just waking up.

The dream I just had is still incredibly vivid in my mind.

Looking at the real Ken in front of her, she almost didn't hesitate. She suddenly flipped over, not caring about her image, and pounced on Ken Sakamoto with both hands and feet.

(End of this chapter)