Master of the Machete Style Manga

Chapter 168 We Can Be Together (6000 words)
School just started recently, and although the new students haven't started classes yet, Ai Hoshino is already busy.

Every day when I get home, I take a shower, lie in bed, and all I want to do is sleep.

Teaching classes, conducting research, and mentoring a few students, Ai Hoshihara felt somewhat depressed because of her work.

Fortunately, I had some free time at noon.

So, over the past few days, she met with Ken Sakamoto three times, the kind of meeting that happened in her dreams.

After each time, she would wonder if she had been too harsh on Ah Jian.

However, seeing the little guy looking energetic again after resting for a while, I completely put aside my concerns.

Fortunately, no matter what I do in my dreams, as long as I wake up, I don't feel physically or mentally tired at all; on the contrary, I feel exceptionally energetic.

But what made her a little unhappy was...

Just now, this guy lying on the sofa in a U-shape told her that he would be bringing another girl with him to the awards ceremony on Friday.

Ken Sakamoto was also involved with two other women, a fact that Ai Hoshihara had known for a long time.

She had been suspicious ever since she experienced that dream about last week's events.

Later, Ken Sakamoto even admitted that she had gone to the studio with her.

However, I didn't see either of them at the studio that day.

Ai Hoshino wasn't actually indifferent; she crossed her arms and stared at Ken Sakamoto's waist like a knife, its blade pointing downwards.

"That March Spring is one of them, right? Since she's an author published by Shueisha, she'll participate too, won't she?"

“Yes,” Ken Sakamoto nodded in response.

"What, you don't actually want to have a threesome again?" Ai Hoshihara stepped onto the sofa, looking down at Ken Sakamoto.

Ken Sakamoto shook his head and said, "To be precise, there are four people. Don't forget I'm human too."

"Is that so?" Ai Hoshihara lightly lifted her right foot and placed it on Ken Sakamoto's leg, flicking her toes.

“Just kidding, I can be inhuman.” Sakamoto Ken felt his body tense up, and forced a smile as he said, “But then again, even if you agree, they definitely won’t agree… well, at least not now.”

“I would agree??” Ai Hoshihara said, pinching Ken Sakamoto hard.

"hiss……"

Ken Sakamoto was in pain, but thankfully Ai Hoshihara didn't finish him off and stopped short of killing him.

Ken Sakamoto lay on the sofa in a "木" (wood) shape, shifting his position slightly to avoid the area.

Of course, this avoidance is not very meaningful, as she can come at any time.

Ai Hoshihara snorted and lightly kicked Ken Sakamoto, making him sway for a while.

She turned around, jumped off the sofa, and went to the balcony outside.

Ken Sakamoto immediately got up and followed.

There wasn't a breath of wind on the balcony; after all, this was a dream, and the city view in front of us was somewhat blurry.

Ken Sakamoto had already conducted a test in the dream where Mio Natsume and Haruna Mikazuki were traveling together. This dream was generated entirely based on his memories, and the parts he didn't remember from the previous playthrough wouldn't appear.

I've been to this balcony quite a few times last week. Did I never really look at the view outside properly before?
That makes sense, since every time I come to Hoshino Ai's house, my purpose is very clear: to make a big splash. I don't really care about looking at the scenery outside.

Even when it comes to sightseeing, it's Ai Hoshihara who's looking.

Since it was she who was holding onto the balcony railing, his attention was on her.

Although Ai Hoshihara just used a rhetorical question to express her rejection of the idea of ​​a group of four, it actually shows that as long as it's not a group of four, she's not so opposed to it.

She didn't say anything just now, but came directly to the balcony. The meaning was quite clear: she tacitly agreed that she didn't have much hostility towards Mio and Haruna.

Ken Sakamoto leaned gently on Ai Hoshihara's shoulder, his right hand instinctively reaching out to wrap around her waist.

"Ai, I knew you were the best, the one who understands me the most." Sakamoto Ken snuggled Hoshihara Ai closer to him and whispered.

"Stop spouting your scumbag nonsense," said Ai Hoshihara, resting her hands on the balcony railing.

Sakamoto Ken hummed in agreement and continued, "To be honest, I didn't get any system that says I'll die if I don't fall in love, nor did any god give me a mission to win you over. And it seems this world doesn't necessarily have a world-correction mechanism; not dating you won't cause the world to be destroyed or anything. In short, it's just an ordinary, realistic world, but..."

"But you still want to be hacked to death?" Ai Hoshihara turned to look at Ken Sakamoto and said.

Sakamoto Ken's lips curled up slightly, his face displaying six parts gentleness, three parts persistence, and a pleading smile.

"Please don't cut me, okay?" Sakamoto Ken said in the gentlest tone, "It will hurt a lot."

“If the knife is fast enough, you won’t even have time to feel the pain,” Ai Hoshihara said.

The girl gazed into the boy's eyes.

Memories of past lives and experiences in this life overlap, creating a complex mix of emotions in my heart.

However, the boy in front of her was the most special. She was infatuated with him, with his eyes, his nose, his lips, and his scent.

In this overly realistic dream, the two were pressed tightly together, skin to skin, their body heat radiating to each other, and they could even feel each other's heartbeats.

This guy……

Ai Hoshino took Ken Sakamoto's hand and turned to walk into the house.

“Come here,” Ai Hoshihara said.

"Huh? More?" Sakamoto Ken asked.

"What, no?"

“Okay, okay, Ai, slow down…” Sakamoto Ken grabbed Hoshihara Ai’s arms with both hands and followed him back into the house.

Ai Hoshino sat down on the recliner, resting her legs on the armrests, and said to Ken Sakamoto, "I'll give you five minutes."

"I don't really want to right now..."

“It doesn’t look like it,” Ai Hoshihara said, raising an eyebrow. “And I think so too.”

"But only five minutes? Do you have anything else to do later?" Sakamoto Ken asked.

"I have class this afternoon," Ai Hoshihara said. "What, is that not allowed?"

"It's a bit difficult to manage in such a short time..."

“It’s me, not you,” Ai Hoshihara said, lightly kicking Ken Sakamoto.

Ken Sakamoto said, "Isn't this okay?"

"That's okay..."

"Does this mean you've agreed to my request?" Sakamoto Ken gently stroked the girl's skin and asked in a gentle tone.

"see your performance."

"okay!"

……

Ken Sakamoto didn't go to his room for a nap today; he just lay on his desk.

When he woke up, Natsume Mio was sitting next to him.

Mio Natsume didn't take a nap with him. Instead, she sat next to him and continued studying the lyrics of "Lemon," saying that she wanted to do even better in the next recording than last time, and she made a lot of extra marks on the lyric sheet.

In addition, because the video went viral, there were a lot of comments, and she carefully replied to the viewers' comments.

In less than a week, the number of views has exceeded 900,000, and we will soon reach our initial goal of one million.

Seeing Sakamoto Ken get up, Natsume Mio leaned over and said, "Ken, you're awake~"

"Hmm..." Ken Sakamoto subconsciously shook his hand.

It was Ai Hoshihara who requested it, so much so that Ken Sakamoto felt his fingers cramping a bit.

If you hold a pen and draw intensely for five minutes straight, your hand will also get sore.

Fortunately, the fatigue in the dream is not inherited by the body in reality.

Natsume Mio looked at Sakamoto Ken and said, "You look a little tired?"

"Do I look tired?" Ken Sakamoto said. "Maybe I haven't had enough sleep... but I've taken care of some very important things."

"What is it?" Natsume Mio asked, puzzled.

"Regarding tomorrow's awards ceremony and banquet, and our affairs..." Ken Sakamoto abruptly changed the subject, asking, "Have you decided what to wear tomorrow?"

“Of course, it’s all ready, this is it!” Natsume Mio opened a photo on her phone. “It’s a white dress, but the decorations aren’t too complicated, so it should be suitable for more formal occasions.”

"You look great in anything," Ken Sakamoto said, his words flowing smoothly.

"I'm glad you think it looks good~" Natsume Mio said happily, then continued, "I have an appointment to get my hair done, so I have to go now. See you tomorrow, Ken. I'll send you photos when my hair is done!"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

Kenjiro Sakamoto waved to Mio Natsume and watched her leave the studio.

After Natsume Mio left, Sakamoto Ken's attention returned to the manuscript.

He is currently drawing storyboards for episode 72 of Chainsaw Man.

After recruiting three strong assistants—Tatsuyuki Tatsuyuki, Tomoharu Kaku, and Tatsuya Endo—Ken Sakamoto's work style underwent a qualitative change.

The manual labor that used to require a lot of time to outline, black out, and handle background details is now completely taken care of by him.

He only needs to present the already formed images in his mind in the form of storyboards.

At this rate, the storyboard is not far from being finished.

After finishing the last panel of this chapter, Ken Sakamoto put down his pen and gently flicked his wrist.

It seems my previous idea was wrong. After drawing for five minutes straight, my wrist didn't feel that sore at all.

After all, the two have different activity patterns. When drawing, the whole hand, including the arm, is exerting force, so the fatigue is more dispersed.

In the dream, only two fingers were exerting force, and the angle of the force was slightly awkward...

Having complete memories of last week's playthrough is Sakamoto Ken's greatest source of confidence.

Given such advantages, it would be a waste to only include "Chainsaw Man".

He felt he should take advantage of this and start a new project as soon as possible.

There's a stack of sketches in the drawer right now, titled "The Quintessential Quintuplets".

He has now completed the full manuscript for the first three chapters, as well as detailed character designs.

For him, this work was not just a tool to make money, but more so a work he created for them to see.

I wonder what their reaction will be when they see this comic...

Just as Ken Sakamoto's thoughts were wandering, his phone screen lit up.

It's a LINE message.

Ken Sakamoto picked up his phone and swiped the screen.

The sender was Mikazuki Haruna. Mikazuki Haruna: "Ken, you're definitely going to the banquet tomorrow, right?"

Ken Sakamoto tapped his fingers on the screen and replied, "Of course, I still need to go collect my award."

Mikazuki Haruna: "That's good. You can sit at the same table with me then."

This sentence is a declarative sentence, not an interrogative sentence.

It's as if it's perfectly natural for Sakamoto Ken to sit next to her.

This guy always wants to take the initiative.

But she had no experience, and her technique was too clumsy.

Someone like you is likely to become a loser.

Ken Sakamoto replied, "That's possible, but Mio will be coming with me tomorrow."

After the message was sent, the top of the dialog box displayed "The other party is typing".

But after several seconds, it went blank again, and then it showed "The other party is typing".

A full minute passed before a new message bubble popped up.

Mikazuki Haruna: "?"

Even through the screen, Ken Sakamoto could feel the two thousand words hidden behind that question mark.

It seems that Natsume Mio did not tell Mikazuki Haruna about attending the banquet.

They've been in contact before, but I wonder what they talk about.

Haruna Mikazuki: "She's not an author published by Shueisha, so what right does she have to participate?"

Ken Sakamoto replied: "Mio wasn't attending a banquet, it was an awards ceremony. The organizers stipulated that each winner could invite one friend or family member to attend, but since the two events were combined, she just attended both."

Haruna Mikazuki: "How could this happen?!"

Haruna Mikazuki: "How come I've never heard of such a rule?!"

Ken Sakamoto: "You didn't win an award. Inviting family and friends was the organizer's decision. They probably felt that the winners would want their family and friends to witness such an important ceremony."

Ken Sakamoto: "However, I don't have any family, so I can only fill in her name."

After a while, Haruna's message came again.

Haruna Mikazuki: "You actually just want to be with her, right?"

Ken Sakamoto made no attempt to hide anything and answered frankly, "That's part of the reason."

Then, the other party remained silent for a long time.

Kenji Sakamoto hadn't replied to Haruna Mikazuki's message yet, so he sent another one: "So we can be together."

Haruna Mikazuki: "Together???"

……

Kanzaki Art Academy, Art Department Building.

Although the official opening ceremony for new students will not be until next Monday.

But for Haruna Mikazuki, who has already entered her second year of university, the new semester has already begun.

As the head of the External Relations Department of the Student Union, I've been quite busy lately preparing for the orientation activities for new students.

Inside the student union office, several students were organizing documents and supplies.

Haruna Mikazuki sat at her desk by the window, propping her cheek up with one hand and holding her phone in the other, the screen still lit.

Who wants to sit with her?
Sit together...

The scene from her last dream immediately popped into Mikazuki Haruna's mind.

Ken Sakamoto said "together" with a self-righteous expression.

What? Three people together, and with Natsume Mio no less.

Could it be that he really thinks that way?!

Haruna Mikazuki grew angrier the more she thought about it, her chest heaving violently, though not very noticeably.

"Haruna?"

A voice rang in her ears, pulling her thoughts back to reality.

Mikazuki Haruna snapped out of her daze and turned to look.

The speaker was Sasaki Yumi, the vice president of the student council and a third-year student. She had a good relationship with Sasaki Yumi.

"Ah... Yumi, what's wrong?" Haruna asked listlessly.

Sasaki Yumi, holding a stack of documents, looked at her with some concern: "You've been spacing out for a while now. I called you several times but you didn't respond. You seemed...unhappy?"

“It’s nothing…” Mikazuki Haruna sighed and rested her chin on her other hand.

"Huh?" Sasaki Yumi pulled up a chair and sat down opposite Haruna, a gossipy expression on her face. "Could it be related to a boy?"

Mikazuki Haruna paused slightly, her eyes flickering.

Sasaki Yumi keenly caught this instantaneous reaction and immediately said, "I knew it!"

"No, no way!" Mikazuki Haruna immediately retorted, but her voice lacked confidence. "That kind of thing didn't happen..."

"Stop pretending, it's written all over your face," Sasaki Yumi said. "What? Did you have a fight with your boyfriend?"

"We didn't argue..." Mikazuki Haruna turned her face away.

"Huh?" Sasaki Yumi chuckled and said, "So, Haruna, you have a boyfriend?! When did this happen? Who is he? Is he from our school? Is he handsome?"

"Shh—! Keep your voice down!" Mikazuki Haruna was startled and quickly glared at Sasaki Yumi, saying, "What boyfriend? I, I don't have one... Are you trying to hook me?"

Haruna Mikazuki refused to answer.

“It seems like there’s quite a story behind it…” Sasaki Yumi shook her head slightly, then stood up. “Alright, I won’t pry into your little secrets anymore. I’m going to deliver the standee for the freshman orientation ceremony. See you later.”

After saying that, she walked to the other side of the office.

There, a row of brand-new signs were neatly arranged along the wall.

These signs are printed with introductions to the college, messages from outstanding graduates, and profiles of alumni who have achieved remarkable success, such as which senior alumni won an award at the arts festival, or who joined a major company and took charge of a well-known project.

The top standee features the cover of Mikazuki Haruna's manga, with a few lines of text on it:
"The popular Shonen Jump manga 'Young Lady, Sniper Rifle, and Pantyhose!' is currently being serialized and is created by Haruna Mikazuki, a second-year student at our institute."

The academy has already started using her work as promotional material.

After all, it's the art club, and many students want to become manga artists. However, at best, they can publish in some unknown magazines, and it's too difficult to get published in JUMP. It's definitely a highlight that attracts freshmen.

Not long after Yumi left, Mikazuki Haruna also got up and left the office.

However, after leaving school, Haruna Mikazuki did not go straight home.

She sat in the driver's seat of the red Porsche, took out her phone, opened LINE again, and clicked on Natsume Mio's profile picture.

The last message in the chat box was still the link to the "Lemon" video that Natsume Mio had sent her a few days ago.

In the past few days, that guy hasn't sent her any messages.

In the past, Natsume Mio would always brag to her about anything that happened, but now she hasn't said anything, so she must be holding back some big surprise.

Mikazuki Haruna tossed her phone onto the passenger seat and started the car.

"Alright, let's see who surprises whom."

With a deep roar, the red Porsche drove out of the campus parking lot.

After driving through the city streets for half an hour, the car stopped in the parking lot of a shopping mall on Ginza Central Avenue. Mikazuki Haruna went straight to a high-end clothing store.

This store usually only serves VIP customers. All clothing must be pre-ordered and prepared. The staff who have made the appointment are already waiting at the door.

The shop assistant led her to the store's rest area.

On the display stand in the center of the rest area, there are two beautifully packaged large gift boxes.

The shop assistant carefully opened one of the boxes.

A black evening gown lay quietly inside.

This is an extremely well-designed long dress, a style that Mikazuki Haruna had her eye on for a long time, but the price wasn't cheap, so she hadn't decided to buy it yet.

I only ordered the goods after I found out that I would be attending the author's dinner with Ken Sakamoto.

“Very good, absolutely perfect.” Mikazuki Haruna nodded in satisfaction.

She wasn't in a hurry to try it on, since the dress was altered to fit her body size, except that she would need to add a bra pad to make it look better.

Haruna Mikazuki's gaze shifted to another box next to her.

"What about that one?"

"This was prepared according to your request."

The shop assistant opened the second box.

Inside was a men's formal suit.

If you look closely, you'll notice that the pattern on this dress subtly echoes the design of Haruna Mikazuki's gown. The overall design isn't exactly the same, but you can tell at a glance that they're a set.

It's obvious that this is a couple's style.

"This suit has been altered exactly to the measurements you provided," the saleswoman said with a smile. "That gentleman will look very handsome in this suit. If you need any alterations after trying it on, just email us and we'll come and pick it up."

Haruna Mikazuki reached out and gently stroked the fabric of the suit, imagining what Ken Sakamoto would look like wearing it.

That guy usually wears cheap casual clothes, it's a bit of a waste of his face.

They say clothes make the man. I've seen him naked in my dreams, but I've never seen him dressed up.

I really want to see what Ah Jian would look like in real life wearing it.

Moreover, as long as he wears this outfit and walks with me...

No matter how fancy Natsume Mio dresses up, she can only stand on the side like a passerby!
“Great, I’ll take both sets.”

Haruna Mikazuki took out her credit card from her bag and handed it to the shop assistant.

"Okay, please wait a moment."

Swipe card, sign, pack.

The shop assistant helped carry the boxes to the parking lot and put them in the trunk of the car.

She got into the driver's seat and glanced at the time.

At this hour, Ken Sakamoto is definitely still in the studio, but his assistant should have already left work.

"Perfect, let's send it directly to him now!"

(End of this chapter)