Master of the Machete Style Manga

Chapter 182 Ken Sakamoto's Way of Balance (5700 words)
After the kiss.

Sakamoto Ken put his arm around the girl's waist, nibbled on her earlobe, and whispered "Hmm?"

The girl also made a "hmm" sound and shook her head at the same time.

The two had just briefly conveyed their feelings to each other: one wanted it, and the other refused.

After all, this was their first meeting, so Ken Sakamoto didn't press the issue.

Natsume Mio sat back down in her chair, her dress barely covering the top of her thighs. As she swayed her body, her two smooth, long legs drew beautiful arcs in the air.

She smacked her lips, licked them, savored the moment, then put on her headphones, picked up a pencil, and continued to scribble and revise on the printed paper in front of her.

This piece of paper is printed with the lyrics to "Uchiage Hanabi" that Ken Sakamoto just wrote.

"If you only listen to Ah Jian's a cappella singing, the rhythm feels a little... well, how should I put it, a little flat."

Mio Natsume took off one earphone, turned to look at Ken Sakamoto who was tidying up his art supplies next to her, her little face full of seriousness: "But the melody of this song is really catchy! Especially the chorus, that feeling of instant explosion, it's like fireworks really exploding in the night sky."

After all, Ken Sakamoto was just an amateur singer; it was already quite good if he could sing the tune accurately.

The original version of this song is a collaboration between Kenshi Yonezu and DAOKO.

Last week, as the theme song for the animated film "Fireworks, Should We See It From Below or From the Side?", the song became far more popular than the film itself.

With over 600 million views on YouTube, it is undoubtedly one of the most representative songs of the next decade.

"Mio, what kind of arrangement do you think would suit this song?" Ken Sakamoto asked.

Natsume Mio bit the end of her pen, frowning slightly as she pondered for a while.

"Hmm...a piano is definitely a must, as the foundation. Then, I think we should add some electronic synthesizer sound effects to create that summer night, fireworks festival, and a slightly surreal feeling..."

At this point, her eyes suddenly lit up.

"Jian! Jian!" she exclaimed excitedly, waving the lyric sheet in her hand. "I've discovered that many parts of the lyrics to this song are in the form of dialogue!"

She pointed to several passages: "Look here, 'How many more times can we watch the same fireworks together?' and this next passage, 'Calling out my name to you countless times,' it's clearly a boy and a girl confiding in each other!"

Ken Sakamoto nodded: "That's exactly how it was designed."

“Then…” Natsume Mio looked at him expectantly with her big, watery eyes, “How about we sing a duet?”

"A chorus?" Ken Sakamoto was taken aback.

“Yes! Since it’s a dialogue between a man and a woman, it’s possible for one person to sing, but it just feels like something is missing… that sense of mutual response.”

Natsume Mio became more and more excited as she spoke. She reached out and tugged at Sakamoto Ken's sleeve, gently shaking it: "Ken, although your technique still needs improvement, your voice is so warm! And you're the lyricist and composer, so you understand the emotions of this song best. Shall we sing it together? We can adjust the pitch later. You know what staccato is, right?"

Sakamoto Ken was certainly familiar with tuning; he had seen some parody videos and memes like "million-dollar tuner." He could force even a dog's bark into a song, let alone a human singing.

Looking into the girl's hopeful eyes, Ken Sakamoto felt a slight stirring in his heart.

However, he simply patted the girl's head and said, "You should sing this song solo. A female solo version can be just as outstanding if handled well. As for a duet... we can talk about it another time."

“Hmm… alright then…” Natsume Mio nodded and said.

She picked up a pen and wrote a line at the top of the sheet music.

Ken Sakamoto leaned over and took a look.

Next to the title "Fireworks," she added a parenthesis in very small print.

"Ah Jian's duet version - to be determined"

"What is this?"

“This is a reserved spot!” Natsume Mio said matter-of-factly. “Once Ken has thought it over, this song has to be sung by both of us! It’s a promise!”

"Okay, okay, it's a deal."

Ken Sakamoto agreed.

Natsume Mio then put her headphones back on, satisfied, and continued her work.

“However, the current equipment is still too rudimentary,” Natsume Mio said. “I want to make the arrangement of this song more elaborate, so I need to go back to school and borrow professional equipment.”

“Hmm, no rush,” Ken Sakamoto said. “We can wait until summer, during the fireworks festival season, to release the official version of this song. It will be even better then. Let’s make the demo first.”

"Understood!" Natsume Mio solemnly replied.

As Ken Sakamoto watched her earnest back, he thought to himself once again, "She's so beautiful."

The lovemaking just now did not affect her energy at all; on the contrary, it made her even more energetic.

Is this the vitality of a young girl after being nourished by sweet rain?
Sakamoto Ken sighed and turned back to his drawing table.

The storyboard for "Chainsaw Man" has been completed well ahead of schedule, so he doesn't need to spend too much time on it for the time being.

He opened the drawer and took out the new work, "The Quintessential Quintuplets," which already had the beginning and character designs drawn.

Although it's not time for the official serialization yet, it's still necessary to draw the original manuscripts for the first few chapters and set the tone.

Ken Sakamoto was engrossed in his drawing, the tip of his pen scratching on the paper.

More than half an hour later, Ken Sakamoto paused for a moment.

At that moment, a warm breath sprayed onto the back of his neck, carrying a faint milky scent.

Mio Natsume had stopped what she was doing and quietly crept up behind him.

"Ah Jian, you're so fast!"

You can't say I'm fast.

"Hey, I meant drawing, what are you thinking about...?"

Natsume Mio rested her chin gently on his shoulder, clinging to his back like a koala.

Because of the position, her two soft mounds inevitably pressed against his back, rising and falling gently with her breathing.

Mio Natsume's gaze fell on the original manuscript paper.

“These five girls…” Natsume Mio’s tone suddenly became somewhat subtle, “They look the same, but their personalities are completely different. Ken drew them so easily, and each one is so vivid… Could it be…”

She paused, then leaned close to Sakamoto Ken's ear and asked softly, "Could it be that you included your own past experiences in the drawing?"

Ken Sakamoto put down his pen, glanced at her, and asked knowingly, "What experience?"

"What else could it be!" Natsume Mio scoffed, drawing circles on his shoulder with her finger. "It's... it's from last week's timeline! Didn't you have three... three girlfriends back then?"

When she mentioned "three girlfriends," her tone clearly carried a hint of resentment and jealousy.

Even though she has made substantial progress with Ah Jian now, the thought that Ah Jian belonged to two other people in that memory still makes her feel suffocated.

There's always this feeling that Ah Jian might be snatched away at any moment...

Upon hearing this, Ken Sakamoto put down his pen.

She turned around, the chair spun halfway around, and now faced Natsume Mio.

His expression became somewhat somber, even carrying a hint of weariness.

"Mio," Ken Sakamoto called softly.

"Huh?" Natsume Mio was taken aback by his sudden serious attitude.

"Those experiences from last playthrough..." Ken Sakamoto said slowly, "are hardly pleasant memories for me."

"At that time, it was on that rooftop."

“You stand right in front of me, holding a knife.”

"The feeling of that knife piercing through... cold, and excruciating pain, followed by the gradual draining of all my strength..."

He reached out and pressed his hand against Natsume Mio's left chest.

Natsume Mio's breath hitched slightly. She looked down at Sakamoto Ken's outstretched hand, then back at him. She subconsciously pushed forward, pressing Sakamoto Ken's hand even more firmly.

Ken Sakamoto remained calm: "It's this spot; I can still feel the phantom pain just thinking about it now."

“But this is my chest…” Natsume Mio said.

"I was just making a gesture."

Natsume Mio was stunned.

She originally just wanted to be a little coquettish, but she didn't expect it to bring up such a heavy topic as Ah Jian.

Natsume Mio turned her head away, trying to change the subject: "Hmph... If you want to touch me, it's not like I can't... You can even take off your clothes that are in the way."

Seeing the hint of pain in Sakamoto Ken's eyes, Natsume Mio's jealousy vanished instantly.

Instead, there was guilt and heartache.

Although she always felt that the version of herself in that dream was being manipulated by the two of them, and that she couldn't possibly have done such a thing.

However, that memory felt so real.

It was so real that even now, with her eyes closed, she can still recall the feel of the knife handle in her hand and the resistance as the blade pierced her flesh.

That's why she killed Ah Jian.

"Ajian..."

Natsume Mio's eyes immediately reddened.

She reached out, her hand trembling, and covered the hand that Sakamoto Ken was pressing against his chest.

"sorry Sorry……"

She lowered her head and whispered, "I...I didn't want to...At that time, I don't know why...I just couldn't control myself..."

Seeing the girl on the verge of tears, Sakamoto Ken smiled slightly and said, "Silly."

He took Natsume Mio's small hand in return and said, "It's all in the past, that's something from a previous life."

Natsume Mio sniffed, her eyes still filled with tears, looking pitiful.

She bit her lower lip, somewhat indignantly retorting, "Well... isn't it because some scumbag did something so infuriating..."

"If... if you only liked me, I wouldn't... I wouldn't do that..."

Her voice grew softer as she spoke, but the blush on her face deepened.

Suddenly, as if she remembered something, her eyes flickered, and her body unconsciously twisted slightly.

"And! And..."

She raised her eyelids, glanced quickly at Ken Sakamoto, then quickly lowered her head, her voice barely audible.

"It still hurts now..."

The commotion on the table just now, even though Sakamoto Ken was very gentle, was still his first time, and that feeling of being torn apart and strangely fulfilled must still linger in her body.

Upon hearing this, Ken Sakamoto paused for a moment, then burst into laughter.

He reached out and gently pinched Natsume Mio's burning cheek. "This is different."

Ken Sakamoto leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "Once the knife goes in, there's only pain, and it's ice cold."

"But just now...didn't Mio feel anything else?"

"This... um..."

Natsume Mio shut her mouth, rolled her eyes, and chose not to answer.

She remembered that feeling just now... like flying in the clouds, light and airy, like her soul was about to float away, the joy in every cell of her body... Of course she remembered it.

"I'm going back to studying the lyrics!"

She put on her headphones and turned around.

Ken Sakamoto smiled silently.

This was exactly the effect he wanted.

This is the way of balance.

Ken Sakamoto picked up his pen again and continued drawing "The Quintessential Quintuplets".

Another half hour or so passed.

"call……"

A long sigh came from Natsume Mio over there.

She took off her headphones, turned around, and the blush on her face had completely faded.

"Jian! I'm all better!"

She took the lyric sheet covered in symbols and moved it over.

"I've made some minor improvements to the demo. Although it's not the final version yet, I feel it's already quite good!"

"Oh? So fast?" Ken Sakamoto put down his pen. "Then I'll have to listen carefully."

"I'll sing it for you right away!"

Natsume Mio cleared her throat as she spoke.

"The coastline I gazed upon that day, I can still recall it to this day..."

The singing started.

Ken Sakamoto listened quietly.

This time, her voice sounded less naive and more confident.

Moreover, perhaps because of today's experience, there was a lingering and affectionate feeling in the song.

She perfectly captured the splendor of summer fireworks, the loneliness after the fireworks burst, and the cautious desire to touch something while fearing its loss.

The song is over.

Ken Sakamoto clapped.

"It sounds great," Ken Sakamoto exclaimed. "It's even better than when I sang Lemon in the rehearsal room last time."

"Really?" Natsume Mio's eyes sparkled. "I feel even better too!"

She picked up her phone: "I just recorded a recording. Although it was just recorded on my phone and the sound quality isn't great, the atmosphere felt amazing!"

"Ken..." Natsume Mio said, "Should we do some marketing for this song before its official release?"

"Management?" Sakamoto Ken was somewhat surprised. "How do you plan to manage it?"

Mio Natsume opened YouTube on her phone, pointed to the data, and said, "Look, 'Lemon' has now surpassed 300 million views!"

"Moreover, my newly registered Twitter account now has tens of thousands of followers."

She became more and more excited as she spoke: "If we release 'Uchiage Hanabi' directly on the website now, although it will get some views, it still feels like something is missing."

Ken Sakamoto asked, "So what do you mean?"

“A little teaser!” Natsume Mio raised her index finger and said, “It’s about releasing a little bit of information before the official announcement, to whet everyone’s appetite!”

"For example... we can release a short clip of only a few dozen seconds, saying that this is a new song you are creating, and that we just casually recorded it in the recording studio."

"Then, we'll update the progress from time to time, which will definitely make everyone super curious and keep following our updates."

"When it's officially released, everyone will flock in to listen, and the effect will be absolutely explosive!"

Ken Sakamoto listened to her analysis and nodded in agreement.

Although Mio usually seems a bit dull, she has a sharp intuition when it comes to these kinds of things.

“That’s a good idea,” Sakamoto Ken said. “Then let’s do as you say.”

"Oh, and one more thing! I plan to go to the school's recording studio again in the next few days to record a high-quality official version of 'Lemon,' and then make a new video to upload," Natsume Mio said. "Then I can add a teaser for 'Uchiage Hanabi' at the end of the new video, so that I can perfectly redirect the traffic from 'Lemon' to the new song!"

“Great job, Mio. With your business acumen, you could be a producer,” Ken Sakamoto said.

"Hehe~" Natsume Mio proudly raised her chin, "After all, it's for Ken's work, so I'll definitely do my best!"

"Then it's settled. You'll handle all of this," Ken Sakamoto said.

"okay!"

Mio Natsume immediately picked up her phone and opened the audio recording she had just made.

She skillfully used editing software to cut out a section of the chorus, which is considered the climax of the song, and the lyrics are also very vivid.

Then, she opened Twitter and logged into the "Natsume's Cat House" account.

Edit tweet:

"I'm currently working on a new song with @KenSakamoto~ This song is about summer fireworks and love, what do you guys think of it? [Video]"

Click Send.

"Sent out!"

After posting the tweet, Natsume Mio immediately handed her phone to Sakamoto Ken.

"Ah Jian, quick, quick! You should share this too!"

Seeing her anxious look, Sakamoto Ken smiled and took out his phone.

He opened Twitter, where he was logged into his author account.

I refreshed the page and sure enough, I saw the tweet that Natsume Mio had just posted.

He clicked the link to share.

After thinking for a moment, he wrote in his repost:

"While rushing to meet a deadline, I also wrote a new song, sung by @Natsume's Cat House. Please look forward to it! By the way, the Chainsaw Man manga is going to be released tomorrow, please support it. (Retweet)"

Click Send.

Mio nestled beside him, watching the number of likes and comments on her phone screen grow rapidly.

"Look, Jian! Someone replied right away!"

"They said it sounds amazing, and some people even asked when the full version will be released!"

"Hehe, they're so anxious!"

Seeing Mio's happy expression, Ken Sakamoto's mood also became exceptionally relaxed.

Everything is going in a good direction.

The manga volume will be released tomorrow, and the new song is also being promoted.

Although the battlefield is rife with undercurrents, it seems to be getting more and more balanced now, right?
……

Shibuya Ward, Matsutocho.

Inside the luxurious villa of the Mikazuki family.

Although it's Sunday, the area on the first floor that has been transformed into a comic studio is still bustling with activity.

All four assistants are on duty and working diligently.

Because Mikazuki Haruna now has higher requirements for the level of detail in the artwork, the progress of the original manuscript has slowed down again, and the details of the characters and scenes all need to be built up manually.

But there was no way around it; the overtime pay was just too much.

However, Mikazuki Haruna was not drawing at this time.

She sat in front of the computer, her fingers flying across the keyboard.

Several chat windows were open on the screen.

The people being chatted with were several influential figures in the anime and manga field who are quite popular on Twitter and YouTube.

"Money is not a problem. As long as you release a book promotion video tomorrow morning, the price is negotiable."

"The main point to praise is the level of detail in the visuals, but the characters and plot should also be included, understand?"

"Yes, it's about comparing it to 'The Chainsaw Man,' which was released at the same time! We need to make readers feel that 'The Young Lady' is a better buy!"

Tomorrow is Monday.

Not only was the first volume of "Chainsaw Man" released, but it was also the first volume of her "Young Lady, Sniper Rifle, and Pantyhose!" released.

Sniper at the middle gate!

Haruna Mikazuki went to the bookstore herself and saw that the largest advertising space was basically given to "Chainsaw Man".

She was actually aware that she had lost to Ken Sakamoto in terms of serialization data in JUMP+.

The popularity and discussion surrounding "Chainsaw Man" are indeed far greater than her other works.

But she refused to give up!
Online serialization is one thing, but the sales of standalone books are another!

Therefore, Haruna Mikazuki is spending her own money on promotion.

Even if they can't surpass Chainsaw Man, they can at least close the gap, right?
Haruna Mikazuki has just finalized a collaboration with a well-known manga critic with millions of followers.

This comic critic has a lot of influence. As long as he is willing to promote it, even bad works can sell a lot, not to mention that her works are of very high quality.

After processing these collaboration replies, she casually refreshed Twitter again.

She doesn't have many people on her follow list, but the most important one is of course Ken Sakamoto.

Just then, a new tweet popped up.

Ken Sakamoto: "While rushing to meet a deadline, I wrote a new song, sung by @Natsume's Neko-shakuhachi again. Please look forward to it~ By the way, the Chainsaw Man manga is going to be released tomorrow, please support it. (Retweet)"

(End of this chapter)