Master of the Machete Style Manga

Chapter 171 The Harem King Male Lead (5000 words)
In the afternoon, Ken Sakamoto did not stay in the room, but sat in front of the drawing table.

He sent Ai Hoshino a message: "Ai, do you have time?"

Ai Hoshihara: "You want it again?"

Ken Sakamoto: "It wasn't about doing *that*, we just chatted."

Ai Hoshihara: "Go to sleep."

He adjusted the ergonomic chair to a semi-reclining position, closed his eyes without telling Natsume Mio, and quickly fell asleep.

When his vision returned, Ken Sakamoto found himself standing on a tree-lined path, with golden ginkgo trees on both sides.

He quickly realized that this was a road on the University of Tokyo campus.

Sakamoto Ken was a little worried that he hadn't seen Hoshihara Ai again, but instead had run into scenes with Mio or Haruna.

"Love!" Ken Sakamoto shouted.

The surroundings were empty, and soon a figure emerged from behind a tree ahead.

Ai Hoshihara walked gracefully toward Ken Sakamoto, looking around at the scenery, and said, "So we're at school? In your past life, didn't we stroll around here?"

“Many times,” Ken Sakamoto nodded in reply.

Ai Hoshino stood in front of Ken Sakamoto with her arms crossed, looking at him, and said, "Alright, is there anything you want to say to me? Or should we do it first and then talk, or do it while we talk?"

"Love, are you always this direct now?" Sakamoto Ken said.

Ai Hoshino brushed a strand of hair from her forehead and said, "Wouldn't it be better to be direct? I don't like beating around the bush."

"Aren't you the one who loves to dawdle the most?"

"?"

Ai Hoshino frowned slightly, and it took her several seconds to understand what Ken Sakamoto was talking about, but she just rolled her eyes at him.

Ken Sakamoto continued, "Alright, let's get down to business. There's no time for anything else today."

“Speak,” Hoshino Ai said.

Ken Sakamoto moved closer, and Ai Asahi reached out her hand, which she reciprocated.

As they walked along the tree-lined path, Ken Sakamoto said, "Tonight is the awards ceremony and banquet, you'll definitely be attending, right?"

“Of course, I’m your judge,” Ai Hoshihara said.

“Hmm…they’re all going to participate too,” Ken Sakamoto said.

Ai Hoshihara stopped walking and pulled Ken Sakamoto to a stop as well.

Ken Sakamoto turned around, smiled slightly, and said, "Don't say that, you already knew."

Ai Hoshino pinched Sakamoto Ken's hand between her nails and said, "We ripped you off once, how come you still can't change your ways?"

"So now I'm thinking about how to change it, um... change that hatchet-wielding ending," Sakamoto Ken said.

“Cut off all contact with them and move into my house. They won’t be able to hurt you then,” Hoshino Ai said.

"I'm afraid they'll lose control of their emotions and do something extreme..."

Why do you care about them?

“After all, except for the last few days of last week’s timeline, we were very close lovers most of the time, um… including you, of course.” Although Sakamoto Ken was pinched hard by Hoshihara Ai, he still managed to force a smile and said, “If only I didn’t have any memories of last week’s timeline, but I remember everything. If I give up on someone, wouldn’t I become a jerk?”

"Is there something wrong with your understanding of 'scumbag'?" Ai Hoshihara asked, staring at Ken Sakamoto.

“If I kept everything from you, I would definitely be a scumbag, like that deadbeat scumbag from last week’s timeline who was killed, he kept it from you guys all along.” Sakamoto Ken first criticized himself from last week’s timeline, and then said, “But now that I’m being honest with you like this, it can only be considered affection.”

“Heh…” Hoshino Ai released Sakamoto Ken’s hand, turned her back to him, and said, “You’re full of lies, but I won’t fall for your tricks.”

"like……"

Ken Sakamoto gave Ai Hoshihara a hug from behind.

Ai Hoshino struggled symbolically for a moment, then stood still, letting Ken Sakamoto hold her, but still looked up at the ginkgo tree next to her.

Ken Sakamoto rested his chin on her shoulder, nuzzled her cheek, gently touched her pink earlobe with the tip of his lips, and breathed softly against her ear before whispering, "Ai, you're the older sister. I've only told you this much; I haven't told them yet because I know only you can understand."

Ai Hoshihara: "..."

“My relationship with them is basically in place now. Although the two of them still have some minor conflicts, it’s not a big problem. I’m confident I can control it. The knife shouldn’t be stabbed. It’s just… they don’t know the specifics about you yet,” Sakamoto Ken whispered to Hoshihara Ai.

Upon hearing this, Kenjiro Sakamoto could feel the woman in his arms breathing faster.

"How much do they know about me?" Hoshino Ai asked.

Ken Sakamoto said, "You told me that at the end of that memory, you and they killed me together, but you couldn't see their faces clearly. They were the same; they knew there were three people, but they didn't know what you looked like."

Ai Hoshino said in a very calm tone, "So, you were dating them behind my back?"

“I didn’t hide it from you, I told you, didn’t I?” Sakamoto Ken said.

"How far have things gone with them?" Hoshino Ai asked.

Hearing her say that, Ken Sakamoto felt a little relieved, which meant that Ai Uehara had already agreed to a small part of it.

Ken Sakamoto truthfully stated, "I haven't done it in real life yet..."

"Really?" Ai Hoshihara was not very convinced.

“Of course, I have no reason to lie to you,” Sakamoto Ken said.

"You just mentioned 'reality,' but what about in dreams?"

“There was one… well, we did it once…” Ken Sakamoto said, “Actually, to balance things out, I also wanted to do it with another person, but it wasn’t very successful that time…”

"Are you still disappointed??"

"is a bit……"

Hoshino Ai remained silent. Seeing that her mood seemed to be heading towards anger, Sakamoto Ken quickly moved closer, hugged her from the front, and kissed her without saying a word.

At first, Ai Hoshihara stomped on Ken Sakamoto's foot and even bit his lips. Ken Sakamoto tasted the sweetness of blood, but he didn't stop and went even further.

So, after a brief two or three minutes of resistance, Ai Hoshihara calmed down and began to respond to Ken Sakamoto.

Then, after five minutes, she gradually got into the swing of things and began to take the initiative.

Although she bit me hard and it still hurts a bit, it doesn't matter, it's just a dream anyway.

Sakamoto Ken originally only intended to end the dream after saying those words to her, since Natsume Mio was right next to him.

As a result, now Ai Hoshihara won't let him leave and has pinned him down in the middle of the road.

Looking up, all I could see were golden ginkgo leaves, and in front of me stood a woman with an aggressive air.

Fortunately, she didn't fuss for too long. After a brief round, she got up and walked to the roadside, where she leaned against a tree.

Ken Sakamoto kicked aside the pile of clothes on the floor and walked over to her.

"What is your name."

"Ok?"

“I’m talking about those two,” Ai Hoshihara said, glancing at Ken Sakamoto.

"You should know Mikazuki Haruna, she's the author of 'Young Lady, Sniper Rifle, and Pantyhose!'"

"Where's the other one?"

"Natsume Mio, my classmate in junior high and high school, and also attended Kanzaki Art Academy in college."

"anything else?"

"Gone."

"Really gone?" Ai Hoshihara looked at Ken Sakamoto suspiciously.

Kenjiro Sakamoto raised his hands and stomped his feet to swear: "It's really gone."

Ai Hoshino didn't answer. She turned around and walked directly into the campus.

"Tonight, you'll do as I say..."

As Ken Sakamoto was speaking, he was about to follow when he saw the woman who was there a second ago vanish the next.

Ai Hoshino has returned to reality.

Ken Sakamoto stopped in his tracks, before he could finish his sentence.

She has mastered the art of controlling her sleep; she can fall asleep and wake up at any time.

Ai Hoshino was clearly a little angry, but only slightly.

Thanks to their conversation in the middle of the road, he had put in a lot of effort to let her vent her anger. Although they hadn't discussed specifics of how to deal with things tonight, Sakamoto Ken's understanding of Hoshihara Ai and her expression earlier indicated tacit agreement, and he believed she would cooperate with him.

Just as Ken Sakamoto just told her, she is the older sister and very smart.

Mio and Haruna may be temporarily controlled by love.

But it's okay, it's good to let love have a bit of the feeling of being the main wife, she'll definitely like it that way.

Now Sakamoto Ken didn't need to stay in the dream anymore. Although he could fall asleep in front of her within a few minutes by following her method, he still had to rely on the "falling" sensation in the dream to wake up at any time.

Standing in the middle of the road, Kenjiro Sakamoto leaned straight back.

During the fall to the ground, after a strong feeling of weightlessness, Ken Sakamoto suddenly opened his eyes.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw a huge face very close to me.

"Ken?" Natsume Mio looked at Sakamoto Ken in confusion and said, "You were asleep just now?"

Ken Sakamoto gave a gentle smile and said, "Yeah, I took a nap."

“What nap? It’s been more than half an hour…” Natsume Mio said. “The assistants have finished the drawings and have all gone back now.”

Ken Sakamoto had sent his assistants home early today; the drawings were on the table in front of him, but none of them woke him up.

Ken Sakamoto picked up the sketches and looked them over. The assistants were now very skilled at working together, and the quality of the finished sketches was quite good.

Setting the manuscript aside, Ken Sakamoto checked the time and said to Mio Natsume, "It's still early. I need to draw a little more. Do you want to rest for a while?"

"No, there are so many comments on the videos right now, I simply can't reply to them all," Natsume Mio said, waving her phone.

She was sitting next to me, replying to comments on YouTube.

The video has now surpassed one million views, and the comments below are constantly being refreshed.

Ken Sakamoto said, "Just take a look; there's no need to reply to every single one."

“These are all the audience’s comments,” Natsume Mio said.

“You can still handle replying to just one video now, but what if there are more videos in the future, or even millions or tens of millions of views?” Sakamoto Ken said.

"Will it get to that point..." Natsume Mio asked.

Ken Sakamoto opened his Twitter account and logged into his author account.

In the comments section of a previous repost of the "Lemon" video, there was this comment:
"Is this the theme song that Sakamoto-sensei composed for 'Looking Back'? This song reminds me of Fujino and Kyomoto..."

"Hey... Jian, so this is the theme song you wrote for 'Looking Back Suddenly'? It really is..."

Mio Natsume softly sang: "Those hidden, hazy pasts, if you had never been there, would have been buried forever in darkness..."

The success of Lemon lies in the fact that the music can be arranged in any way, the lyrics can be interpreted in any way, and everyone can find their own resonance in it.

Let alone using it in a comic like "Looking Back" that discusses the passing of a close friend, it wouldn't be inappropriate even in "Chainsaw Man".

Ken Sakamoto said, "If 'Looking Back' is ever adapted into a movie, I will suggest 'Lemon' as one of the theme songs, and I will ask Mio to sing it."

“Okay!” Natsume Mio replied immediately. “Are you very confident, Ken? It must be very difficult to adapt this into a movie.”

"Don't forget the name of this writing contest I'm participating in: Tomorrow's Film Stars. The purpose is to select works suitable for film and television adaptation," Ken Sakamoto said.

"I'm really looking forward to it!" Natsume Mio's eyes lit up.

Ken Sakamoto put down his phone and took out another stack of manuscript paper from the drawer.

The character designs on the first page feature five girls with similar faces but different clothes and hairstyles.

"Is this Ken's new work that he's preparing?" Natsume Mio curiously leaned closer to look and asked, "What's this manga about?"

"A poor and down-on-his-luck male protagonist becomes a tutor for quintuplet sisters, and then the story unfolds as he and his female companions fall in love." Ken Sakamoto summarized it in one sentence.

"A slice-of-life romance... It sounds pretty heartwarming... Wait, wait?!" Natsume Mio pointed at the character design sketch and said, "These are five different characters!"

“Hmm, five female leads.” Ken Sakamoto nodded.

Natsume Mio stared wide-eyed at Sakamoto Ken: "Five people... isn't that a bit too many?"

“Not many.” Ken Sakamoto shook his head and said calmly, “I’ve seen dozens.”

"Dozens of heroines?!" Natsume Mio asked, "What manga is this?"

Ken Sakamoto thought for a moment; at this time, "100 Girlfriends Who I Love So Much" had not yet been published.

He thought for a moment and said, "Ken Akamatsu's 'Negima! Magister Negi Magi,' Saki Hasemi and Kentaro Yabuki's 'To Love-Ru,' Ichiei Ishibumi's 'High School DxD,' and Kazuma Kamachi's 'A Certain Magical Index' are all very well-known harem works, with so many heroines that you can't count them on two hands."

"By the way, my favorite male protagonist in this series is Hyoudou Issei," Sakamoto Ken said.

“But that doesn’t make sense, does Touma Kamijou have that many heroines?” Natsume Mio said.

"Aren't there more than 20,000 Misaka Sisters?"

"This counts?!"

"In short... in harem works, five heroines aren't that many," Sakamoto Ken said.

Mio Natsume said, "But... can the protagonist take care of himself?"

“The protagonist, of course, is assumed to have a superhuman constitution, so having dozens of girlfriends wouldn’t be a problem at all,” Sakamoto Ken said.

Natsume Mio was slightly taken aback, and it took her several seconds to understand what Sakamoto Ken meant: "What? I didn't mean that kind of thing!"

"Does Mio mean emotional care?" Ken Sakamoto asked.

“Yeah, how can the male lead possibly be divided among dozens of female leads?” Natsume Mio said.

“This is what our shonen manga protagonists are like,” Ken Sakamoto said as he drew.

Although I was a little distracted, the quality of my drawing didn't change much, since I already had the image in my mind; it just slowed down the process a bit.

Looking at the lines drawn by Ken Sakamoto, Mio Natsume said, "The art style feels completely different from Chainsaw Man..."

"After all, it's a romance manga, so the characters' lines need to be drawn more delicately," Sakamoto Ken said.

After watching for a while, Natsume Mio turned to the side and took out her phone to search for the book titles that Sakamoto Ken had mentioned earlier.

She had only watched the anime adaptations of "A Certain Magical Index" and its spin-off "A Certain Scientific Railgun." She had heard of the other series, but had never watched them.

Search for "Hyoudou Issei", the male protagonist of "High School DxD".

The first result was, of course, the corresponding wiki page, but Natsume Mio saw the fourth result.

Makoto Ito

It was also found in the search results because it matched two characters.

Is this also a harem king male protagonist?
Natsume Mio clicked on it.

A moment later, she said indignantly, "The male lead of a harem king is destined to be killed, isn't he!"

Kenjiro Sakamoto was drawing when he suddenly stopped, looked at Mio Natsume, and asked in confusion, "Mio, you...you shouldn't get so excited..."

Ken Sakamoto saw the page on her phone.

No, I already gave you the book title, how did you end up searching for Cheng Ge's book?!
To be honest, Makoto is a real scumbag.

Although his ending in the previous playthrough was not much different from Makoto's, he was still different from Makoto...

Forget about what happened last week; at least he's sure he won't repeat the same mistake now.

Putting down the manuscript in his hand, and seeing that it was almost time, Ken Sakamoto stood up and said, "We should head to the hotel. We can take a taxi; the company will reimburse the fare."

Mio Natsume nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes! I'll book a taxi then!"

"I'm going upstairs to change my clothes," Ken Sakamoto said.

"Okay~"

This time, Natsume Mio didn't say she would go up with him to watch him change; instead, she opened a taxi booking app on her phone.

Ken Sakamoto changed his clothes in no time, and soon he came down from the second floor.

As soon as he came down the stairs, Ken Sakamoto saw Mio Natsume standing in the entryway, the front door already open.

Natsume Mio glanced back at Sakamoto Ken, her expression seemingly a little depressed.

"So fast, the car you booked has arrived already?" Ken Sakamoto asked.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a young woman in a black dress pushed the door open completely and walked in.

"What taxi? I'm here to pick you up and take you to the hotel. What's she doing at your house!" Mikazuki Haruna shouted.

(End of this chapter)