Master of the Machete Style Manga

Chapter 185 The girl was caught red-handed

"Ha... Ah Jian, you, you, you... what are you doing at the bookstore so early..."

Mikazuki Haruna leaned against the bookshelf, quickly adjusted her sunglasses, and protected her chest with her hands.

The shame of being caught doing something wrong made her ears turn bright red, but her face was covered by a mask and couldn't be seen.

Although she was wearing sunglasses, Mikazuki Haruna's eyes were still wandering around, and she didn't dare to meet Sakamoto Ken's gaze at all.

Ken Sakamoto said casually, "Today is the release date of my collected volume, so of course I'm here to check on the sales."

He took another step forward, getting a few inches closer to Mikazuki Haruna, and the distance between them instantly closed.

"It's you..."

Ken Sakamoto lowered his head slightly and looked at the book on the table.

The prime display spot that originally belonged to Chainsaw Man has now been taken over by Lady, Sniper Rifle, and Pantyhose!

"Teacher March Spring, what are you doing?"

Kenjiro Sakamoto asked knowingly, a mocking smile playing on his lips, "Are you helping the bookstore organize the shelves?"

"me……"

Mikazuki Haruna stammered for a while, her brain racing as she tried to come up with a plausible excuse.

While it's true that he wanted to outdo him, hiding other people's books and then spreading his own across the entire table is a bit childish...

"I...I just wanted to take a picture..."

Haruna Mikazuki forced herself to say, "Yes! It's just taking a picture! You know, my book was released today, so I'm taking a picture and posting it on Twitter to promote it..."

The more she talked, the more plausible her reason seemed, and her tone became slightly more assertive: "It's just temporarily covering your book. I'll put it back after I'm done taking pictures!"

“Oh?” Ken Sakamoto raised an eyebrow and said, “Just taking pictures? But I think I just saw someone stuff all my books into that corner over there.”

He pointed to the corner of the bookshelf next to him, where a dozen or so copies of "The Chainsaw Man" were crammed together.

Unlike books placed on a table where the entire cover can be displayed, books on a bookshelf only show the spine, and are often hidden in the corners, making them virtually undetectable unless you get very close.

"That's to make room..."

Mikazuki Haruna pouted and quickly went over to take out the stack of Chainsaw Man books.

"I'll put it back right now!"

She intended to put the book back on the display stand, but with a stack of books in her hands and the book "The Young Lady" spread out on the stand, her movements appeared particularly flustered.

Just then, a shop assistant in uniform walked by.

Seeing the chaotic scene, especially noticing a suspicious woman carrying a large pile of books, the shop assistant immediately came over.

"This guest?"

The shop assistant looked at Mikazuki Haruna with a puzzled expression, his gaze falling on the thick stack of "Chainsaw Man" in her arms, and then at the overwhelming number of "Young Lady" books on the display stand.

"What are you doing here?" the shop assistant asked, her tone slightly wary.

"Ah! I..." Mikazuki Haruna panicked even more when the shop assistant asked her this question.

She held the book in her arms as if it were a hot potato; she didn't know whether to put it down or not.

Especially considering that I've appeared on a live broadcast, the bookstore staff might have followed the publisher's activities, and I might get recognized...

If people found out that the dignified Ms. Sanyuechun was actually doing this kind of thing in a bookstore, wouldn't she lose all face?!
Mikazuki Haruna looked to Sakamoto Ken for help.

But Ken Sakamoto just stood to the side with his hands in his pockets, looking like he was watching a show.

Damn it! That guy!

Mikazuki Haruna gritted her teeth and made a firm decision.

"I...I'm buying books!" she said, raising her voice slightly.

"Buy books?" The clerk was taken aback. "You mean... you want to buy all of these?"

Haruna Mikazuki had a full fifteen copies of "Chainsaw Man" in her arms.

“Yes! We’ll buy them all!” Mikazuki Haruna nodded emphatically.

"Please don't hold it like that, let me get you a basket." The shop assistant immediately went to the side to get a shopping basket for Mikazuki Haruna, and also kindly took the book from her hand and put it into the basket, handing the basket to Mikazuki Haruna with both hands.

"..." Mikazuki Haruna had no choice but to accept it.

The shop assistant didn't seem to notice anything unusual about the arrangement on the table, handed the shopping basket to Mikazuki Haruna, and walked away.

Mikazuki Haruna stood sullenly in front of Sakamoto Ken and said in a low voice, "Why are you looking at me like that? I'll just buy it..."

Ken Sakamoto smiled slightly and nodded, saying, "Thank you very much."

Looking at the basket full of comics, it wasn't that I felt bad about the money, but rather... what is this?
To cover up the fact that he hid his competitor's book, he was forced to pay out of his own pocket to help his competitor boost sales?!

At that moment, Ken Sakamoto reached out and took a few copies of "Chainsaw Man" from the bookshelf, and then picked up a copy of "The Young Lady".

As soon as I picked up this copy of "The Young Lady," "Chainsaw Man" was revealed underneath.

Mikazuki Haruna looked at the books in his hands and asked, "Why are you carrying so many of your own books?"

“I’m making autographed books to give away,” Ken Sakamoto said. “I promised to give autographed books to my studio assistants and Mio.”

He waved the book "The Young Lady" in his hand again and said, "I need to collect one of your books too."

"Hmph, you have good taste." Mikazuki Haruna turned her head away and muttered to herself.

"Let's go pay the bill."

Haruna Mikazuki lifted her heavy shopping basket and prepared to walk towards the checkout counter.

Just then, a group of young men walked into the bookstore.

They went straight to the new book display area.

"Huh? Why isn't 'Chainsaw Man' here?"

One of the boys looked at the table in the center with a puzzled expression.

The entire table was covered with the covers of "Miss, Sniper Rifle, and Pantyhose!"

"The posters next to it are all for 'Chainsaw Man,' could they be sold out already? So fast?" another boy exclaimed in surprise.

"How about taking a look at this one?" One of them picked up the book on the table, "Young Lady, Sniper Rifle, and Pantyhose!"

"This book... I saw a lot of bloggers recommending it on Twitter yesterday."

"I saw it too. Even that sarcastic commentator gave it a good review, saying that the art style is the best in the industry."

"It's obviously a paid sponsored video, isn't it? There's no book that Poison Tongue Jun hasn't criticized."

Several boys were complaining as they flipped through the sample book in their hands.

“But to be fair…” the boy with the book flipped through a few pages and said, “The art style is really good.”

The others also crowded around and reached for the other copies of "The Young Lady" on the table.

This time, when he picked up the book, he discovered that it wasn't "The Young Lady" underneath, but "The Chainsaw Man".

"The Chainsaw Man is here!"

The boy exclaimed, threw "The Young Lady" aside, and snatched "The Chainsaw Man" from the book.

"How did it get pressed down underneath?"

The people around also took away the remaining copies of "The Young Lady".

All I could see underneath were copies of "Chainsaw Man".

"Wait, what kind of operation is this?"

"Isn't it incredibly unethical for a bookstore to display books like this? Are the staff members die-hard fans of 'The Young Lady'?"

"This is so disgusting! I was thinking of buying a copy because I thought the art style was pretty good."

"Definitely, I'm not buying this lousy book."

The boy who had just picked up "The Young Lady" threw the book back at him.

Ken Sakamoto glanced at Haruna Mikazuki, who quietly took two steps back and then ran away.

After paying at the cashier, Mikazuki Haruna quickly walked out of the bookstore.

Ken Sakamoto paid for the books and followed slowly, carrying the few he had bought.

He had overheard the conversation between those readers.

Looking at the slightly disheveled girl in front of him, Ken Sakamoto shook his head helplessly.

This guy really shot himself in the foot.

"You deliberately pinned me down, now you've ruined your reputation with a few strangers," Sakamoto Ken joked as he walked.

"I already told you I just wanted to take pictures..." Mikazuki Haruna argued.

"And..." she raised the bag in her hand a little higher and muttered softly, "I bought your book, didn't I... I've contributed to your sales."

Sakamoto Ken followed Mikazuki Haruna and said, "You drove here, right?"

“Of course.” Mikazuki Haruna had already walked to the vicinity of the parking lot and pointed to the red Porsche not far away.

“That’s perfect, take me to school,” Sakamoto Ken said.

"Get in the car." Mikazuki Haruna hummed and took out her car keys from her bag.

The two got into the car, with Mikazuki Haruna in the driver's seat and fastening her seatbelt.

Ken Sakamoto was in the passenger seat, but he didn't rush to let Haruna drive.

Ken Sakamoto turned around, took Haruna Mikazuki's shopping bag, and pulled out a brand new copy of "Chainsaw Man".

He took a marker from his bag and signed his name on the title page in a flourish.

"Here."

Kensuke Sakamoto handed the book to Haruna Mikazuki.

"This is my first signed book, and it's for you."

Mikazuki Haruna looked at the book handed to her and paused slightly.

She took the book and looked at the hastily signed signature.

"Your handwriting is so ugly," Mikazuki Haruna said casually.

"Don't want it? Then I'll take it back." Sakamoto Ken pretended to take the book back.

Although Mikazuki Haruna said that, her actions betrayed her, and she quickly hugged the book to her chest.

This is... his first signed book!

Mikazuki Haruna glared at Sakamoto Ken like a kitten guarding its food: "There's no reason to take back something you've given away!"

Ken Sakamoto chuckled and withdrew his hand.

Then he took out a book from the bag called "Miss, Sniper Rifle, and Pantyhose!"

He handed the book and pen to Mikazuki Haruna.

“It’s only fair to reciprocate.” Ken Sakamoto looked at her. “I also want to collect your autographed book.”

Seeing Sakamoto Ken's earnest gaze, Mikazuki Haruna immediately took the pen and solemnly signed the three characters "Matsuki Haru" on the title page of her book.

"Here you go." She handed the book back to Sakamoto Ken. "Then it's yours. Keep it safe; it's the autograph of a future manga master!"

"must."

Ken Sakamoto took the books and put them in his bag. "Huh? Wait a minute!" Haruna Mikazuki suddenly realized and said, "You took both of these from my bag, didn't you?"

Ken Sakamoto shrugged and returned a smile.

"Tch~" Mikazuki Haruna didn't dwell on the matter any longer. She started the car and drove out of the parking lot.

Haruna Mikazuki gripped the steering wheel, but her attention was clearly not fully focused on the road conditions.

His gaze kept drifting, intentionally or unintentionally, toward Sakamoto Kenji in the passenger seat.

"Watch your step! Brake! Brake!" Ken Sakamoto suddenly shouted.

"Huh?" Mikazuki Haruna was startled, only then realizing that the car in front had braked and she had almost rear-ended it.

He slammed on the brakes, and the car came to a sudden stop.

"Be careful," Ken Sakamoto reminded him helplessly. "Concentrate on driving; I don't want to die young this time."

"I...I understand..." Mikazuki Haruna gripped the steering wheel tightly again, looking straight ahead.

After a moment of silence, she couldn't help but speak again.

"Um... Jian, do you spend all your weekends at home working on your manuscript?"

"More or less," Ken Sakamoto said.

"What do you mean by 'almost'?" Mikazuki Haruna was very dissatisfied with this ambiguous answer.

"I don't need to report my schedule to you, do I?" Sakamoto Ken looked at her.

"I'm your investor!" Haruna Mikazuki said matter-of-factly. "I have the right to know your status. What if you miss deadlines and affect the animation's progress?"

Ken Sakamoto said, "The original manuscripts for the first season of the anime have all been completed, you know that, right?"

Haruna Mikazuki bit her lip and finally asked the question she most wanted to ask: "So... you didn't go on a date with Mio Natsume this weekend, did you?"

Of course she followed Ken Sakamoto's Twitter account, and after seeing the tweet about the new song, she immediately clicked on Mio Natsume's Twitter.

Ken Sakamoto admitted directly: "She did come to see me."

"!!" Mikazuki Haruna's grip on the steering wheel tightened abruptly.

Although I had already guessed it, hearing him admit it with my own ears still gave me a sour feeling, like I had eaten a lemon.

"What do you want?!" She tried to keep her voice calm.

“We wrote a new song together,” Ken Sakamoto said. “You can check out my Twitter page; she posted the demo.”

"Oh……"

This was not unexpected, Mikazuki Haruna thought to herself, biting her lower lip tightly.

First it was "Lemon," and now there's a new song.

Are you guys planning to form a band and debut?!
Moreover, there are no assistants or editors in the studio on weekends... Using the excuse of creating new songs, a man and a woman alone in a room... who knows what they might do!
Mikazuki Haruna unconsciously pressed the accelerator harder, and the car began to accelerate.

She really wanted to see Ken Sakamoto this weekend.

But it's not a meeting like that in real life.

She wanted to see him in her dreams.

Ever since that afternoon nap in the studio, she has been particularly impressed by that interactive dream.

So, every afternoon on the weekend, she would lie down on the bed and take a nap.

She recalled that the first two times she saw Ken Sakamoto in that remarkably vivid dream, it was both in the afternoon.

I figured I might see Ken Sakamoto again around this time.

She thought to herself that if she dreamed about it again, she would definitely finish what she hadn't done last time!
He must be punished severely!
but……

I didn't enter that dream even once over the weekend.

Mikazuki Haruna turned her head and glanced at Sakamoto Ken again.

This time, she looked more closely and noticed something was amiss.

Ken Sakamoto had two distinct dark circles under his eyes.

Haruna Mikazuki pointed to his eyes and said, "Your dark circles are so bad, you didn't stay up all night this weekend, did you? Writing songs or drawing?"

Ken Sakamoto paused slightly, then subconsciously touched the corner of his eye: "Are your dark circles really that bad?"

He hadn't actually noticed it at all, so he flipped down the sun visor in the car and opened the vanity mirror to take a look.

indeed.

Looking at myself in the mirror, my eyes had slightly dark circles and a tired look in them.

After all, Friday and Saturday were connected with Natsume Mio and Hoshihara Ai in turn, and Hoshihara Ai did it twice on Friday and Saturday.

Although I caught up on sleep after coming back on Sunday, I was still a bit tired.

"Heh..." Ken Sakamoto chuckled dryly and closed the makeup mirror. "I just didn't get enough rest. I'm a little tired from rushing to finish the manuscript."

Ken Sakamoto kept an eye on Haruna Mikazuki's expression. Knowing Haruna as he did, he was sure that the guy was imagining some strange things again.

Moreover, look at her hesitant expression and shifty eyes...

"Haruna." Kenjiro Sakamoto leaned closer.

"What are you doing?"

Are you still thinking about that strange dream?

Haruna Mikazuki's hand on the steering wheel trembled slightly: "What... what kind of dream?"

"The dream I had when I was napping in your office last time," Sakamoto Kenji said, turning slightly to her side. "You told me back then that you did some strange things to me in the dream, and then... you want to relive it?"

When Sakamoto Ken went to her company, Mikazuki Haruna had told him about the dream she had at noon, but she didn't go into details and just vaguely mentioned it.

But as someone directly involved, Ken Sakamoto naturally knew what had happened.

Haruna Mikazuki bit her lip tightly.

When her secret was exposed, she initially wanted to deny it, but in front of this man, she felt as if she had no secrets at all.

Finally, she softly hummed in agreement.

Kenjiro Sakamoto: "I haven't told you in detail before, but I had a strange dream during my nap in your office the other day."

“In the dream…” Sakamoto Ken said, drawing out the last syllable.

Haruna Mikazuki's heart leaped into her throat. She quickly turned to look at Ken Sakamoto, her eyes filled with panic.

"Focus on driving!" Ken Sakamoto immediately reminded him.

Mikazuki Haruna quickly turned her head, but her ears were perked up.

Ken Sakamoto continued, "I dreamt that you handcuffed me to a chair, and then you climbed onto the table, your legs..."

"Eh?!"

Haruna Mikazuki let out a scream and almost dropped the steering wheel.

"W-what?! You...you...how could you dream about something like this?!"

Her face was so red it looked like it was about to bleed.

That was one of the most shameful things she did to him in her dreams!

How could he know? !

"I haven't said what comes next yet," Sakamoto Ken said slowly.

Mikazuki Haruna immediately shut her mouth, not daring to breathe.

What came next... what came next was even worse!

Ken Sakamoto stared at her and said, "Did you also dream of the exact same scene? You, you did something bad to me with your feet."

"Hiss—" Mikazuki Haruna gasped.

She felt like her heart was about to jump out of her throat.

“How could this be… how could we have the same dream…” she tried to deny the fact.

If it's true, then doesn't that mean... he knows all the embarrassing things I did to him in my dreams?!

“It wasn’t just the same dream, but that we were both in that dream at the same time,” Ken Sakamoto said. “The dream ended because when you lunged at me at the end, the chair tipped backward, and I fell to the ground.”

He looked at Mikazuki Haruna, his tone tinged with regret: "Otherwise... if you had offered yourself up here, I would have already gone in."

Just then, the light turned red, and Mikazuki Haruna slammed on the brakes, the momentum causing both of them to lurch forward.

Mikazuki Haruna turned her head, opened her eyes wide, and looked at Sakamoto Ken, her small mouth trembling slightly.

"This...this...is it real?" she asked in a trembling voice.

So, it wasn't just my imagination after all?
Was that a real online game? Just like an online game?
Ken Sakamoto nodded with a serious expression: "I want to confirm this, so first you need to tell me honestly whether you dreamed about what I just said that day."

"Hmm...yes...it's exactly what you said..."

“Alright, the next step is further confirmation. You’ll need to cooperate with me this afternoon,” Sakamoto Ken said.

"Cooperate?" Haruna Mikazuki swallowed hard. "How do we cooperate?"

“I’ll contact you then. Just find a place to take a good nap,” Sakamoto Ken said. “If we fall asleep at the same time as that day, we might be able to enter that dream again.”

"By then..."

He didn't continue speaking, but gave Mikazuki Haruna a meaningful look.

Haruna Mikazuki felt her body go limp instantly.

Entering that dream again...

In other words, we can continue what we didn't finish last time?
And this time, was it done with both parties knowing?
Wouldn't that be...

The green light is on.

The car behind honked, and Mikazuki Haruna snapped out of her daze and quickly stepped on the gas.

Soon, the vehicle entered the campus.

Haruna Mikazuki's expression was still a little stiff; the scene from her dream was still lingering in her mind.

Especially after she climbed onto the table and stretched out her legs, the shock that Ken Sakamoto gave her...

If all of this is true...

The girl swallowed hard, feeling that the bold idea in her mind might be about to become a reality.

Just thinking about it.

"squeak--!!!"

Mikazuki Haruna suddenly slammed on the brakes again, even harder than before. Sakamoto Ken was thrown forward, pulled back by the seatbelt, which tightened painfully in his chest.

"What's wrong?!" Ken Sakamoto looked up.

In front of the car.

A young girl carrying a canvas bag strode up to the car and stopped it.

She glanced at Mikazuki Haruna through the car window, then fixed her gaze on Sakamoto Kenjiro.

It's Natsume Mio.

(End of this chapter)