Master of the Machete Style Manga

Chapter 183 is too hard on the kidneys.

Ken Sakamoto leaned back in his ergonomic chair, while Mio Natsume, standing beside him, held a sheet of paper with the lyrics printed on it and hummed softly the tune of "Uchiage Hanabi".

Just then, Natsume Mio's cell phone, which was on the table, started to vibrate.

Natsume Mio picked up her phone and saw the word "Mom" displayed on the screen.

Natsume Mio's expression changed instantly, and a hint of nervousness immediately appeared on her slightly flushed cheeks.

"Your mother's phone call?" Kenya Sakamoto saw the display on the screen.

"Mmm." Natsume Mio raised her index finger and made a "shh" gesture to Sakamoto Ken. "Ken, don't make a sound."

She took a deep breath, adjusted her breathing, and then pressed the answer button.

"Mom~" Natsume Mio tried to keep her voice as calm as possible.

"Mio, where are you? When are you coming back?" Natsume Chiho's voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Ah... I, I'm..." Natsume Mio said, her eyes darting around, "Just wandering around Akihabara, maybe buying some books or something..."

"Akihabara?" Natsume Chiho's voice held a hint of doubt. "It sounds very quiet over there."

Natsume Mio's heart skipped a beat.

The studio was so quiet that you couldn't hear any of the noise from the street outside.

At this moment, Natsume Chiho's tone suddenly became somewhat playful: "Mio, you didn't go to see your boyfriend, did you?"

"Huh?!" Natsume Mio said, slightly flustered. "Mom! What are you saying! What boyfriend..."

There was a slight pause of one or two seconds on the other end of the phone before Natsume Chiho said, "Hesitating... Mio, you're not at a love hotel, are you?"

Although it wasn't on speakerphone, in such a quiet room, those words still clearly reached Sakamoto Ken's ears.

Natsume Mio's face flushed instantly, and she repeatedly said, "No, no! Absolutely not! Mom, what are you thinking! It's definitely not in a place like that!"

"Alright, alright," Natsume Chiho chuckled, "Seeing how nervous you are, so, where is it?"

Now that she'd been asked this far, Natsume Mio felt there was no point in lying anymore.

Moreover, given the mother's keen perception, trying to explain it further would only make things worse and cause more trouble.

“I’m at…Ah Jian’s studio,” she said softly.

"Oh—" Natsume Chiho drawled, "So you were at Sakamoto-kun's place. Was it just the two of you at home?"

Mio Natsume directly avoided the question about the number of people, saying, "We're discussing a song! We're currently writing a new song, and we've already posted a teaser on Twitter, Mom, you can see it!"

"Oh? Then Mom will go take a look later." Natsume Chiho's voice softened a bit. "That song 'Lemon' from before was sung really well. Sakamoto-kun wrote the lyrics and composed the music, right?"

"Um……"

"Mio," Natsume Chiho said earnestly, "you absolutely must hold onto a talented guy like him who's willing to write songs for you, okay?"

Mio Natsume glanced discreetly at Ken Sakamoto, knowing he would hear the conversation.

Natsume Mio shyly twirled the end of her hair with her fingers, lowered her head, and softly replied, "I...I know..."

"Alright, I won't bother you anymore," Natsume Chiho said with a smile. "Since you're doing serious business, then have a good chat. But you need to come back early tonight. Grandpa and Grandma are here, and I'm preparing dinner."

"Okay, I'll be back in a bit."

After hanging up the phone, Natsume Mio let out a long sigh of relief.

She looked up and met Sakamoto Ken's smiling eyes.

"Going back now?" Sakamoto Ken asked.

"My mom's been urging me to get back to work..." Natsume Mio muttered as she began tidying up the things on the table.

"Oh right, my skirt is still drying on the balcony. It should be dry by now," Natsume Mio said.

Ken Sakamoto stood up: "Let's go, I'll go up with you, and we can also collect my clothes."

The two walked up the stairs one after the other and arrived at the third-floor terrace.

The afternoon sun was very strong, and a gentle breeze was blowing, causing the clothes on the clothesline to sway.

Wearing a pure white dress and light pink underwear, Ken Sakamoto reached out and took off the oversized bra, gently rubbing the fabric; it was indeed completely dry.

I took a whiff, and it still had that dry, sun-dried smell.

"Hey! Hey!" Natsume Mio snatched it away. "What... what are you doing...?"

Ken Sakamoto simply smiled in response, then continued to collect the clothes one by one and hand them to Mio Natsume, who was standing next to him.

Natsume Mio took the clothes, held them in her arms, and the two returned to their bedroom on the third floor.

Natsume Mio stood in the room. She glanced at Sakamoto Ken and saw him leaning against the door frame, arms crossed, quietly watching her, with no intention of avoiding her.

"Um... I need to change my clothes," Natsume Mio whispered a reminder.

"Yes, I know." Sakamoto Ken nodded, his gaze still fixed on her. "You can change."

Natsume Mio bit her lip. Although the two had already had the most intimate contact, she still felt a little shy changing clothes in front of him under the bright light.

However, she did not kick Sakamoto Ken out.

Deep down, there seemed to be a faint desire to be watched by him.

So she simply turned halfway around, her back to Ken Sakamoto.

He placed the clothes in his arms on the low cabinet, reached out his hands, and grabbed the hem of the large white T-shirt worn by Ken Sakamoto.

With her arm raised, the T-shirt was slowly lifted, revealing the girl's back, which had been previously covered.

Her back was clearly defined, and her waist was slender, but not skinny. Instead, she had soft, supple skin with a healthy pinkish-white hue.

She exercises regularly, so her figure is firm and elastic, and it feels especially good to the touch.

Ken Sakamoto stood behind him, his gaze unabashedly admiring him.

Especially when she raises her hand to toss her hair, her waist straightens, and the curves of her body become even more pronounced.

She moved quickly, putting on her underwear, fastening the back buttons with her other hand, and then slipping on the pure white dress.

When she turned around, she had already regained her innocent and lovely appearance.

only……

Ken Sakamoto's gaze fell downwards, landing on her legs.

Beneath the hem of her skirt were smooth, jade-like calves, barefoot, stepping on the tatami mat.

The white stockings that Sakamoto Ken had originally worn had been carefully stored away in the deepest part of his wardrobe as a keepsake.

Therefore, Natsume Mio can only go barefoot now.

Mio Natsume also realized this problem.

She frowned slightly and said, "Oh no... I was wearing stockings when I came out. If I go back like this, Mom will definitely start to overthink things if she sees me with bare legs."

Natsume Mio looked down at her feet, her bare toes scratching at the floor.

"Besides, wearing leather shoes without socks is very uncomfortable..."

Ken Sakamoto certainly has his own socks at home, but they're all men's sizes. Putting aside whether the size is right or not, he goes out in white stockings and comes back in men's cotton socks, which is even stranger than going barefoot...

"What should we do then?" Natsume Mio asked, somewhat worried.

Ken Sakamoto glanced at the time and said, "Let's go buy a pair. There are a lot of clothing stores in Akihabara."

"That's the only way. I'll be right there!" Natsume Mio said.

Ken Sakamoto had nothing else to do at the moment, so he said, "Let's go, I'll go with you."

"Mmm!" Natsume Mio nodded happily.

The two arrived at the entrance.

Natsume Mio arranged her pair of little leather shoes and stretched her foot inside.

Without the silky fabric covering, the skin is in direct contact with the leather lining, significantly increasing friction.

She carefully probed her toes into the shoe, struggling to push down, but her heel got stuck on the upper of the shoe, and she finally managed to squeeze in.

"It feels so rough..." she complained softly, "Wearing leather shoes barefoot is so uncomfortable."

Ken Sakamoto leaned against the shoe cabinet next to him. He had already put on his shoes. With a slight smile, he said, "Besides, it's easier to smell bad after sweating."

"Hey! What?!" Natsume Mio looked up and glared at him. "Don't pay attention to this kind of thing..."

“It’s alright, I don’t mind,” Ken Sakamoto said.

“It won’t smell bad!” Natsume Mio retorted. “Don’t believe me? You can smell it later.”

"Never mind, I don't have that kind of preference..."

"What do you mean 'no'? Back then today, you were holding my foot..."

"Ahem." Ken Sakamoto coughed twice and said, "It was clean back then, so it's different."

"Tch~ Ah Jian is such a pervert~"

Natsume Mio rolled her eyes at Sakamoto Ken, put on her shoes, and walked straight out the door.

The two left the studio and walked to Akihabara.

It's not far; just a few streets away is the bustling commercial district.

Mio Natsume led Ken Sakamoto to a sock specialty store with practiced ease.

This is a shop with a very pink and cute decor. The shelves are filled with a dazzling array of socks: cotton socks, stockings, ankle socks, mid-calf socks, knee-high socks, and pantyhose, in all sorts of colors.

As soon as he entered the store, Ken Sakamoto's eyes quickly scanned the shelves.

"Hey! Jian!"

Natsume Mio gently nudged his arm and said in a low voice, "Your eyes are practically glued to me."

Sakamoto Ken remained expressionless and said in a serious tone, "I'm helping you pick out a style, and..."

He leaned close to Natsume Mio's ear and whispered, "Stockings without legs are soulless, but I can imagine what they would look like on you."

Natsume Mio stuck out her little tongue and said, "Don't let anyone see your foot fetishist expression."

She said that, but she was secretly delighted.

Mio Natsume walked to the shelf displaying white stockings and picked out a pair of basic stockings that were exactly the same as the ones she had worn before.

"I bought this exact same model back then."

She picked up the socks and prepared to pay the bill.

However, when she turned around, she found that Ken Sakamoto was already holding a handful of socks.

There are no two of them, and each has a different style.

A pair of footed socks, a pair with lace trim, a pair with polka dots, a pair of ultra-thin transparent socks, and a pair with a bow design... Of course, all of them are white.

Natsume Mio was stunned: "Ken, what is this...?" "It's for you." Sakamoto Ken waved the socks in his hand and said matter-of-factly, "Since we're here, we might as well buy a few more pairs to have on hand. I bought them, so you can wear them for me next time."

Natsume Mio: "..."

The girl pouted, but didn't say anything, and just obediently followed Sakamoto Ken.

Arriving at the cashier, Ken Sakamoto took out his card and paid the bill.

As they left the shop, Ken Sakamoto handed Mio Natsume a tote bag full of socks.

"Go change them."

"Okay." Natsume Mio took the bag, looked around, and said, "I'll go to the mall's restroom to change."

Ken Sakamoto sat down on the bench, and Mio Natsume carried a bag into the women's restroom.

……

Mio Natsume went into the cubicle, locked the door, and hung her handbag on the hook behind the door.

She took off her shoes and lifted her feet to avoid stepping on the ground.

Then she took the white stockings out of the bag and unpacked them.

She put on her right sock first, and stopped when she was about to put on her left sock.

A thought flashed through her mind, and a mischievous smile crept onto the girl's lips.

The right foot was wrapped in pure white silk fabric, which stretched all the way up to the thigh, while the left foot remained bare, with the toes slightly curled, revealing a pinkish flesh color.

The contrast between her legs and her body was quite striking, even to herself.

She took out her phone, adjusted the angle, and took a picture of her feet, which were spread out like flower petals with her five toes.

Then, open LINE, tap on Ken Sakamoto's profile picture, and send a message.

Natsume Mio: "I've changed into it, does it look good?"

Mio Natsume: "[Image]"

……

Outside the restroom.

Ken Sakamoto suddenly received the message.

Click to take a look.

One foot was wrapped in pure white silk, exuding a hazy beauty, while the other foot was bare, with round and cute toes.

Is this guy trying to seduce me?

I really need to savor it properly next time.

Ken Sakamoto typed rapidly in reply: "It looks great, come out and show me the real thing."

In the cubicle, Natsume Mio looked at Sakamoto Ken's instant reply to the message and couldn't help but chuckle.

In high spirits, she quickly put on the other sock, straightened her skirt, and walked out of the restroom.

When Sakamoto Ken saw her come out, his gaze immediately fell on her legs.

Natsume Mio walked up to him, deliberately twirling around, her skirt fluttering in the wind.

"Does it look good?"

Ken Sakamoto examined it carefully and nodded: "Actually, it looks good whether you wear it or not, it's just a different style."

“…” Natsume Mio looked at him speechlessly, “Why do you look like you’re doing research?”

"This is also part of the material for my manga," Ken Sakamoto replied seriously.

"Tch~" Natsume Mio took his arm. "Okay, let's go, I have to rush back."

It's not far from Akihabara to Natsume Mio's house in Sumida Ward by train, only about 20 minutes.

Ken Sakamoto didn't rush back; he stayed with Mio Natsume until they got off at Tokyo Skytree Station.

The enormous Tokyo Skytree stood before them as the two strolled slowly along the riverside path of the Kita-Juken River.

Natsume Mio held onto Sakamoto Ken's arm tightly, resting her head gently on his shoulder.

"Ajian..."

"Ok?"

"Today... I'm very happy," Natsume Mio said softly.

Ken Sakamoto turned his head to look at her; the afterglow of the setting sun shone on her face, gilding the girl's profile with a golden edge.

“Me too,” Kenjiro Sakamoto said softly.

The two walked across the intersection and headed north until they reached the street corner near Natsume Mio's house.

"So you knew where I lived," Natsume Mio said. "You've never been here before."

“You know, I remember those things about the ‘future’,” Kenjiro Sakamoto said.

Natsume Mio smiled slightly and said, "No wonder~"

She pointed to the streets in the residential area and said, "You can drop them off here."

Suddenly, Natsume Mio stood on tiptoe and quickly pecked Sakamoto Ken's lips.

"Goodbye~"

After saying that, she turned and jogged into the alleyway of the residential area.

Ken Sakamoto returned to the foot of the Tokyo Skytree and slowly walked back along the banks of the Kita-juken River.

Ken Sakamoto, hands in his pockets, watched the lights of the buildings along the road gradually come on, his thoughts drifting away.

Today, his relationship with Natsume Mio has made substantial progress, and it seems that although she knows there might be something between him and Hoshihara Ai, her reaction is still within a controllable range.

Mio Natsume seems to have tacitly accepted this delicate relationship, which shows that his "balancing strategy" is effective.

but……

This does not mean that the situation is stable.

Although Ai Hoshihara said she understood and even helped to assist, she acted as if she was very generous.

But Ken Sakamoto knew very well that this woman was actually very controlling and possessive.

As for Mikazuki Haruna...

Her focus seems to be entirely on comics and animation adaptations, but in reality, she has become the most unstable point in this triangle.

"There is still a long way to go."

Ken Sakamoto sighed softly.

Maintaining balance is no easy task.

Just then, my phone in my pocket suddenly vibrated.

"Om - hum -"

Ken Sakamoto stopped and took out his phone.

The moment he saw the caller ID, Ken Sakamoto instinctively felt a dull ache in his kidneys.

Ai Hoshino

Good grief, we just saw one off and another immediately came knocking on our door.

Moreover, I just had some fun with Mio during the day. Although it wasn't a lot, it still counts as having had sex.

just now……

Ken Sakamoto pressed the answer button and put the phone to his ear.

Ai Hoshino's slightly languid voice came from the other end of the phone: "Outside?"

The surrounding environment was still quite noisy, which was easy to hear.

“Hmm.” Ken Sakamoto glanced at the tower beside him. “It’s over here at the Skytree.”

"Just dropped your girlfriend off at home?" Ai Hoshino blurted out.

“That’s right,” Ken Sakamoto said bluntly.

"Heh." Hoshino Ai sneered.

Ken Sakamoto continued, "She's not here now, so I'm just wandering around by myself."

"What, you broke up?"

"That's impossible."

"Hmph..." Ai Hoshino snorted lightly and continued, "I follow your Twitter account and saw that video."

"how do you feel?"

"Lemon is pretty good, and this new song is not bad either," Ai Hoshino commented casually. "But... have you guys been studying music all afternoon?"

She emphasized the words "studying music".

Knowing he couldn't hide it from her, Ken Sakamoto simply admitted, "Of course it's not just music; I've also studied beautiful girls."

"Tsk," Hoshino Ai said, "So... you're already exhausted today?"

Ken Sakamoto immediately retorted, "How could that be? You underestimate me."

“I don’t believe it,” Hoshino Ai said, going along with his words. “Come to my house, I want to check the inventory myself.”

"beep--"

After saying that, he hung up the phone.

Listening to the beeping sound coming from the receiver, Ken Sakamoto stood under the Tokyo Skytree. The evening breeze brought a touch of coolness.

Why did he suddenly hang up the phone...?

Angry?
But here's the question: go or not go?

If she doesn't go, given Ai Hoshihara's personality, the next meeting will probably be more than just "checking inventory".

But if I go...

Ken Sakamoto touched his lower back.

This is way too much for your kidneys...

Is it possible that I won't be stabbed to death this time, but will instead die from overexertion?
Ken Sakamoto was standing by the roadside when a taxi drove by, and he reached out to flag it down.

"Taitung Ward... um, never mind, go to Bunkyo Ward, near Hongo 3-chome Station. I'll give you directions when we get there."

(End of this chapter)