Master of the Machete Style Manga

Chapter 184 Ai Hoshihara's Inventory Check
Bunkyo Ward, Tower Apartment.

As night deepened, Ken Sakamoto stepped into the elevator.

"Ding--"

The elevator doors slowly opened, and Ken Sakamoto took a deep breath and stepped into the quiet corridor.

Although he had been here many times, both last week and this week, he still needed to mentally prepare himself every time he stood in front of Hoshino Ai's house.

After all, the woman behind the door was completely different from the other two.

Her fighting ability is too strong.

Ken Sakamoto rang the doorbell.

Soon, with a "click," the heavy security door lock popped open.

Ken Sakamoto pushed open the door.

What came into view was that familiar, unmasked figure.

Ai Hoshino stood under the light in the entryway, her body completely unrestrained by any fabric.

She was barefoot, walking on the dark marble floor tiles, her ivory-white skin gleaming delicately under the warm light.

"Come in, what are you dawdling for?" Ai Hoshihara said.

Ken Sakamoto quickly slipped into the house and slammed the door shut with a loud bang.

"Love, you're always like this..."

As he changed his shoes, Ken Sakamoto said helplessly, "At least put on some clothes, what if it's someone else?"

Ai Hoshino said, "I can see very clearly through the peephole that I will only open the door if it is you."

"Then what do you do with the takeout?"

"Let him put it at the door."

As soon as Kenjiro Sakamoto took off his shoes and stepped into the room, a fragrant breeze wafted towards him.

Ai Hoshihara was taller than the average girl, and with that strong aura, she gave Ken Sakamoto a feeling of being oppressed.

"boom."

A soft sound.

Ken Sakamoto felt his back press against the cold wall of the entryway.

I was pinned against the wall.

Ai Hoshino placed her hands on the wall beside his face, trapping him between her arms.

She tiptoed slightly and leaned close to Sakamoto Ken's neck.

Warm breath sprayed onto his skin, bringing a slight shiver.

"hiss……"

She took a deep breath, her nostrils flaring slightly, and sniffed all the way from his collar to his ear.

Ken Sakamoto pressed himself stiffly against the wall, not daring to move.

Hoshino Ai slowly took half a step back, her deep eyes narrowing slightly, and a cold smile curled at the corner of her mouth, as if she saw through everything.

"The shower gel smells really nice."

Ken Sakamoto smiled and said, "If you like it, smell it more; you smell nice too."

"Really?" Ai Hoshino extended a finger and gently traced it across his chest, the fingertip icy cold. "But why does it still smell like a woman?"

Her fingers stopped at his collarbone and tapped it lightly.

Are women's sense of smell like radar?

She could smell a scent that he couldn't smell at all.

Ken Sakamoto made no attempt to hide anything, after all, he had already admitted to his date with Mio Natsume that morning.

“That’s probably Mio’s flavor,” Sakamoto Ken said.

Hoshino Ai gave a soft snort, her fingers suddenly sliding down to grab his collar and pull him toward the living room.

"I promised to check your inventory, and I'm going to check it very carefully."

Ken Sakamoto followed her into the living room.

Ai Hoshihara didn't sit down, but pointed to the large sofa.

"Lie down."

A concise and powerful command.

Looking at her unwavering expression, Ken Sakamoto knew he couldn't avoid it tonight.

He did as he was told and lay down on the sofa.

"Um... Ai, I'm actually a little tired today..."

He tried to make a final struggle to buy some space for his kidneys to survive.

However, Ai Hoshihara was not buying it at all.

She stepped directly onto him, looking down at him from above, her long hair falling to his chest.

"tired?"

She raised an eyebrow and said, "You finished talking to her, and now you're complaining to me about being tired?"

"Ha, you started it first, the day before yesterday..."

"Shut up."

Ai Hoshino leaned down and silenced his mouth with a kiss.

……

Late at night.

The Tokyo Tower outside the window was lit up in red, like a giant candle.

Only one dim floor lamp was on in the living room.

Ken Sakamoto felt like a dried-out salted fish, slumped in a recliner, facing the floor-to-ceiling window, not wanting to move a single finger.

It's too cruel.

That's really too ruthless.

"Love...it really isn't working anymore..."

During halftime, Ken Sakamoto, panting heavily, begged for mercy.

"Monday is the first day of school, you can't expect me to be so weak-kneed in front of my classmates, can you?"

However, Ai Hoshino simply took the whiskey glass, drank it all in one gulp, and then looked at him with a dazed expression.

"I will not accept the interruption of the experiment."

"continue."

So the experiment continued.

It was until the early hours of the morning.

Ken Sakamoto was pulled up by Ai Hoshihara. The two of them were naked and stood together on the balcony where the cool breeze was blowing.

Ai Hoshino held a phone in her hand, the screen's glow illuminating her delicate profile.

That's Ken Sakamoto's Twitter page.

The image above shows the tweet he retweeted about "Uchiage Hanabi".

“This song…” Ai Hoshino tapped the screen lightly with her fingertip and said, “I’ve already heard it.”

Ken Sakamoto knew that this guy was going to add another round of settling scores later.

"She sang well; that little girl has a sweet voice," Ai Hoshihara commented casually.

“I think so too,” Ken Sakamoto nodded and said.

“However,” Ai Hoshihara turned to look at Ken Sakamoto, “you also wrote this song?”

"of course."

A playful smile curved at the corners of Ai Hoshino's lips.

"I didn't expect my little Jian to be so talented."

Her fingers traced gentle circles on his chest, her nails brushing against his skin, sending shivers of pleasure through him.

“Since you wrote the song, sing it for me now,” Ai Hoshihara said.

Ken Sakamoto paused for a moment, then cleared his throat.

He hugged Ai Hoshino from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder, and began to hum softly.

"The sun is crossing the river, and the thought is leaving..." (The coast I looked at that day can still be recalled to this day)

“Words carved on the sand, your silhouette…”
Although Ken Sakamoto's voice is not as clear as Mio Natsume's, it has a unique magnetic quality.

Especially in such a quiet environment, the deep male voice echoing in your ears has a unique charm.

Ai Hoshino listened quietly, closed her eyes, leaned back slightly, and rested completely in his arms.

The song is over.

A brief silence fell on the balcony.

"The melody is nice." After a long while, Ai Hoshihara finally spoke up to comment.

She turned around to face Ken Sakamoto.

"Is this song dedicated to her?"

Ken Sakamoto looked into Ai Hoshihara's eyes, shook his head, and his gaze became unusually sincere.

"Do not."

Ken Sakamoto slowly said, "This song is about memories of 'that summer'."

"That summer with its fireworks, that summer I can never forget."

Ken Sakamoto reached out and gently stroked Ai Hoshihara's cheek.

"It's for all of you."

Ai Hoshino stared at him for a long time.

Suddenly, she gave him a light pinch with a half-smile.

"Quotes from a scumbag boyfriend".

"Hiss..." Sakamoto Ken suddenly shrank back.

"Humph~"

She snorted and gave him a light pat, which made Sakamoto Ken sway. She then turned around again and leaned against him.

"Are you hungry?" Ai Hoshihara suddenly asked.

"A little...you're going to make me something delicious?"

This was a night of intense physical exertion, and I hadn't even had dinner yet.

"Order takeout."

Ai Hoshino picked up her phone and skillfully opened the food delivery app.

"I want to eat at that Chinese ramen place, with extra meat and a fried egg."

"Okay, it's up to you."

The two of them huddled in front of the floor-to-ceiling window and ordered takeout.

Delivery here is very fast; the delivery guy brought it over in less than half an hour.

Sakamoto Ken and Hoshihara Aika were both naked, so they asked him to leave the food at the door. After watching the delivery guy enter the elevator through the peephole, Sakamoto Ken opened the door and took the food inside.

After finishing their meal, the two went to the bathroom together for a shower. Sakamoto Ken originally thought he could go to sleep after the shower.

As a result, after returning to bed, Ai Hoshihara became interested again.

"Your song 'Fireworks' seems to have given me some inspiration again."

She rolled over on the Sakamoto Fitness machine and said, "The ambiguous knots in our hearts melt away, we're connected, may this night never end. What do you want to express with this lyric?"

"It doesn't mean anything special..."

"Do you want to be closely connected with me?"

"..."

Ken Sakamoto never imagined he could understand it this way.

Surely tonight can't go on forever, right?

This lyric was just an excuse, of course. Sakamoto Ken was kept up until the early hours of the morning before the two finally fell asleep in each other's arms.

……

The next day, Sunday.

The sunlight shines into the room through the gaps in the curtains.

Ai Hoshihara is not only energetic, but also has an amazing ability to recover.

She had woken up early and was lying on her side in bed, propping her head up with one hand, looking at Ken Sakamoto who was still fast asleep beside her.

Ken Sakamoto's face was a little pale, with faint dark circles under his eyes, and he looked completely drained. He was sleeping soundly.

Ai Hoshino reached out and patted his face.

"Pah, pah."

"Hey, wake up."

Sakamoto Ken groggily opened his eyes, saw it was Hoshihara Ai, and instinctively shrank further under the covers: "Ai... I really can't go on... Let me sleep a little longer..."

Seeing his appearance, Ai Hoshino chuckled and said, "I saw you were already up, why are you still lying down?"

Things like this in the morning are beyond our control.

Ken Sakamoto rolled over, turning his back to her: "Stop messing around, my back is about to break."

"Alright, I'm not going to bother you anymore."

Ai Hoshino stopped teasing him and got out of bed on her own.

"Since you provided excellent service last night, I'm giving you the day off today."

She stretched, her beautiful curves fully revealed in the morning light.

"Go back and get some rest today, and recharge your energy."

"We'll continue next week!"

Ken Sakamoto was no longer sleepy. He sat up, looked at the figure walking towards the bathroom, and said, "Thank you so much, Professor Hoshihara."

……

Ai Hoshihara is going to the lab today. When Ken Sakamoto came out of her house, he felt like he was floating, as if he was walking on cotton.

I took a taxi and went straight back to my studio in Taitung District.

As soon as he entered the room, he went back to take a nap.

I slept straight through until the afternoon, and that completely restored my energy.

Ken Sakamoto picked up his phone, wanting to see if there was any important news in the past two days.

I opened Twitter and refreshed my timeline.

He followed many bloggers related to comics and animation, and was completely stunned.

The entire Twitter timeline was almost entirely dominated by content from the same comic book.

"Young Lady, Sniper Rifle, and Pantyhose!"

"What's happening here?"

Sakamoto Ken clicked on several popular tweets with some confusion.

A number of bloggers in the anime field, and even some lifestyle bloggers, released recommendation videos about "The Young Lady" almost simultaneously this afternoon.

"A masterpiece whose title doesn't do it justice! The art style of 'The Young Lady' is simply top-notch in the industry!"

"It's not just about the erotic content! The plot and storyboarding are also underestimated. Highly recommended!"

Among these comic book critics are many well-known veteran critics who see only flaws in any book and have thoroughly criticized popular works.

Furthermore, Ken Sakamoto recalled that his "Chainsaw Man" was criticized for its sloppy artwork.

If that were all, it would be one thing, but what's even more outrageous is...

Ken Sakamoto clicked on one of the tweets, and below it was a prominent giveaway announcement:

"Retweet this post and follow the author @MarchSpring for a chance to win one of 100 copies of the manga/book 'Young Lady, Sniper Rifle, and Pantyhose!'!"

There's an even more direct one:
"Retweet and follow @MarchSpring for a chance to win a 100 million yen cash prize, which will be divided equally among 100 lucky fans!"

Ken Sakamoto's lips twitched a few times as he looked at the overwhelming marketing campaign promoting the power of money.

This was definitely Haruna's doing.

She's really going all out to outsell her own work on the first day of the manga's release tomorrow.

"Is this how rich women fight..." Sakamoto Ken smiled helplessly.

But it must be admitted that the effect is absolutely outstanding.

Judging from the number of shares, comments, and likes under those tweets, the popularity has completely exploded.

Haruna Mikazuki's own author account is now seeing a surge in followers.

Many casual viewers who weren't originally interested in this comic will share and follow it, even if it's just for the chance to win a prize.

And once you start following it, given the current quality of the animation in "The Young Lady", the retention rate will definitely not be low.

Of course, Ken Sakamoto didn't care much about this competition.

He plans to go to Akihabara first thing tomorrow morning to see what the situation is like at the bookstore.

Ken Sakamoto actually got a good rest all Sunday.

Until Monday morning.

This day marked the official start of the school year and the release of the first volumes of the manga series "Chainsaw Man" and "Miss, Sniper Rifle, and Pantyhose!".

The studio was very close to Akihabara, so Ken Sakamoto walked towards the Animate store.

Although it was still morning, Akihabara was already bustling with activity.

The large screens on the street were playing PVs for the current season's new anime and game advertisements, but there weren't many maid outfit girls soliciting customers on the street in the morning.

Just as Ken Sakamoto was about to cross the street, a very eye-catching red sports car slowly drove past him.

Porsche Panamera.

Familiar license plate number, flashy red paint...

Ken Sakamoto recognized him immediately.

It's Mikazuki Haruna's car!

"Ok?"

Ken Sakamoto stopped in his tracks, somewhat puzzled.

Her home doesn't pass through Akihabara on the way to school, and she didn't say beforehand that she was going to school with him, so how did she end up here?

Sakamoto Ken became curious, so he secretly followed them.

The Porsche didn't drive far before turning into a paid parking lot on the side.

Ken Sakamoto hid behind a roadside billboard, watching the car park in the space.

The car door opens.

A fully armed figure stepped out of the driver's seat.

If you weren't a very familiar person, you wouldn't recognize that this is Mikazuki Haruna.

She was wearing an oversized black hooded sweatshirt with the hood pulled up over her head, huge sunglasses, and a white face mask that covered half of her face.

Ken Sakamoto watched as she furtively glanced around before quickly walking towards Animate.

Follow all the way.

Haruna Mikazuki clearly lacked counter-surveillance experience and was completely unaware that she was being followed.

She walked straight into the doors of Animate.

After waiting for a while, Ken Sakamoto followed him inside.

Upon entering, the most prominent prime display spot features this week's new issue recommendations.

Chainsaw Man was placed in the most prominent position, while Lady, Sniper Rifle, and Pantyhose were stacked next to it, which was also in a good position, with their respective promotional posters hanging above them.

There weren't many customers in the store at that time.

Ken Sakamoto hid behind a row of shelves, secretly observing Haruna Mikazuki through the gaps in the books.

Mikazuki Haruna wandered around the display stand a few times, pretending to read a book, but actually cautiously observing her surroundings.

She made her move when the nearby shop assistants turned away to organize the merchandise elsewhere and when no other customers were paying attention.

She swiftly reached out her wicked little hand and, with lightning speed, grabbed several copies of "The Chainsaw Man" that were placed in the most conspicuous position.

Ken Sakamoto thought she was going to pay for it, but she quickly stuffed the book into an inconspicuous corner of the bookshelf next to her.

Immediately afterwards, she picked up her own copy of "The Lady" from the other side and quickly filled the void left by "Chainsaw Man" being taken away.

She deftly laid out each copy of "The Young Lady," carefully aligning the covers, and then covered each copy of "Chainsaw Man" with its cover.

Soon, the prime display spot that originally belonged to Chainsaw Man was completely taken over by Lady Gaga.

At first glance, the entire exhibition stand was filled with the same cover featuring a young lady dressed in black stockings.

After doing all this, Mikazuki Haruna took a step back and looked at her masterpiece.

Even through her sunglasses and mask, Ken Sakamoto could sense the expression on her face.

The eyes behind the sunglasses seemed to be crinkling with laughter, and there was even a smug "humph" from them.

Then, she took out her phone from her pocket, opened the camera, and started taking pictures of the shelves full of "The Young Lady".

I didn't know there was such a thing as this...

Real-world business battles are just this simple and straightforward, aren't they?
Just as Mikazuki Haruna was gloating over the shelves and taking pictures from various angles, Sakamoto Ken quietly emerged from behind the shelves and came up behind her.

Ken Sakamoto reached out and patted her shoulder lightly.

Then, he leaned close to her ear and said in a low voice, "This guest, please don't cover other people's books without permission."

"Eh?!"

Haruna Mikazuki was so frightened that she jumped up on the spot, her whole body shuddering violently as if she had been electrocuted.

The phone in his hand flew out and landed with a "thud" on the pile of books in front of him.

Her sunglasses were tilted to one side due to the violent movement, revealing her panicked eyes.

She initially thought she had been caught doing something wrong by the shop assistant, and she froze completely.

When he turned around, he was surprised to see the familiar face of Ken Sakamoto.

Now, the girl's expression became even more interesting.

First came extreme shock, then bewilderment, and finally, a rapid shift to the shame of being caught doing something wrong.

The muscles at the corner of her eye twitched slightly, and she took several steps back until her back slammed heavily against the bookshelf behind her, with nowhere left to retreat.

She pointed at Ken Sakamoto and stammered:
"Ha... Ah Jian, you, you, you... what are you doing at the bookstore so early..."

(End of this chapter)