Master of the Machete Style Manga

Chapter 186: The Stealing Cat

Mio Natsume, carrying a canvas bag, strode to the front of the car.

She raised her hand and placed it on the hood, patting it.

"hiss--"

Having been burned, Natsume Mio quickly withdrew her hand.

The girl's gaze swept through the windshield, first coldly glancing at Mikazuki Haruna in the driver's seat, then shifting to Sakamoto Kenjiro.

Sakamoto Ken rubbed his chest, which ached from the seatbelt, and met Natsume Mio's gaze outside the car.

"This guy, is he crazy?! He almost crashed into her!" Mikazuki Haruna said through gritted teeth, her voice filled with indignation.

Seeing that Natsume Mio was unwilling to leave, Mikazuki Haruna sharply turned the steering wheel and lightly pressed the accelerator. The red car nimbly veered to the left, trying to go around Natsume Mio.

However, Natsume Mio shifted her body to the side, blocking the front of the car once again.

"Hey!" Mikazuki Haruna honked the horn in frustration.

"drop--!"

The blaring horn did not deter Natsume Mio; instead, she took a step forward.

Ken Sakamoto sighed and reached out to press the window lift button.

As the passenger window slowly rolled down, Natsume Mio hurried over: "Ken! Get out of the car!"

Seeing this, Mikazuki Haruna reached out to press the master lock on the driver's side door panel.

Ken Sakamoto reacted quickly, grabbing Haruna Mikazuki's wrist.

“Let her get in the car,” Sakamoto Ken said.

"Why should I?!" Mikazuki Haruna turned her head, pouting, and stared at Sakamoto Ken with resentment. "This is my car!"

However, despite saying that, Mikazuki Haruna didn't lock the car door.

Mio Natsume opened the back door and got in.

"boom!"

The car door closed, and instantly the enclosed space felt like it had another person's presence.

A brief silence fell over the carriage.

Natsume Mio sat in the back row, leaning forward with her hands gripping the backs of the two seats in front of her, and nestled her head between Sakamoto Ken and Mikazuki Haruna.

"Hey, Ken, how come you're with her?" Natsume Mio asked.

Ken Sakamoto glanced at the head that was leaning closer, then reached out and picked up a shopping bag with the Animate logo that was lying at his feet.

"I went to a bookstore in Akihabara this morning to check on the release of the collected volumes," Sakamoto Ken explained. "I happened to run into Haruna, who was also there, so I hitched a ride with her."

"Huh? What a coincidence?" Natsume Mio looked suspiciously at Mikazuki Haruna in the driver's seat. "Haruna-senpai, what a coincidence! You weren't following Ken, were you?"

“He’s the one who’s been following me!” Mikazuki Haruna said.

She still remembered the fright she got from Ken Sakamoto at the bookstore that morning.

"Tch, Ken wouldn't follow you, right?" Natsume Mio looked at Sakamoto Ken.

Ken Sakamoto shrugged and didn't answer.

Haruna Mikazuki gripped the steering wheel, kept her eyes on the road ahead, and continued driving.

"My book is also being released today. As the author, I'm also very concerned about the sales of my work. I went to the bookstore to check, and I happened to run into A-Jian. What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

She spoke with such confidence that she completely concealed the fact that she actually wanted to hide "The Chainsaw Man" at the bookstore, but was caught red-handed by Ken Sakamoto and ended up having to buy a whole bunch of books out of her own pocket.

“But you are!” Mikazuki Haruna turned the tables, “You keep saying you support Ken the most, but Ken’s book was released today and you didn’t even plan to buy it right away! I think you’re just saying that.”

Upon hearing this, Natsume Mio's smile not only didn't disappear, but became even brighter.

She slowly pulled the canvas bag that she had been carrying on her back to the front.

"Who said I didn't buy it?"

As she spoke, Mio Natsume pulled a brand-new manga volume from her bag; it was the first volume of "Chainsaw Man," which had just been released today.

"I went to the bookstore this morning specifically to buy it." Natsume Mio waved the book in her hand. "How could I not support Ken?"

Ken Sakamoto looked at the book in Mio Natsume's hand and smiled slightly.

He turned around and took the single volume from Natsume Mio's hand.

Then he picked up the pen again and uncapped it.

"Here, let me sign your autograph."

Natsume Mio's eyes lit up instantly: "Yes, yes! I want an autograph, and I want it to say 'For Mio'!"

Ken Sakamoto nodded, opened the cover, and wrote on the title page:
To: Mio

Ken Sakamoto

He even drew a small polka dot next to his name.

"Give."

Ken Sakamoto handed the signed book back to Mio Natsume.

Natsume Mio accepted it with both hands as if it were a precious treasure: "Thank you, Ken! I will keep it safe!"

Holding the book, she even gestured with her chin toward the driver's seat, making two "humph" sounds.

Haruna Mikazuki saw all of this through the rearview mirror inside the car, and her knuckles on the steering wheel turned white.

hateful!

I also got a signed copy, and it was even the first one.

But he only signed his name!

Is this being treated differently?
Mikazuki Haruna skillfully turned the corner and parked the car in front of the steps of the art department's teaching building.

"arrive."

Turning around, she looked at Natsume Mio in the back row: "Natsume-san, this is where you'll get a ride. The art club and the vocal club aren't in the same direction, so you'll have to walk there yourself."

Mio Natsume wasn't angry. She slung her canvas bag over her shoulder, opened the car door, and got out.

Kenya Sakamoto unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the passenger door; Haruna Mikazuki quickly got out of the car as well.

Natsume Mio straightened her skirt and waved to Sakamoto Ken: "Okay, Ken, I'm off to the vocal club~"

Ken Sakamoto smiled and waved goodbye to her.

Seeing Natsume Mio turn and leave, Mikazuki Haruna's mood finally improved a little.

She said to Ken Sakamoto, "Ken! Let's go in too! Class is about to start!"

"it is good."

Ken Sakamoto responded and turned to walk towards the entrance of the teaching building.

Just then, Natsume Mio, who had already taken a few steps, suddenly stopped.

As if she had remembered something important, she suddenly turned around and rushed back towards Sakamoto Ken like a gust of wind.

"Deng deng deng deng!"

The footsteps were hurried.

Upon hearing the sound, Ken Sakamoto instinctively turned around.

Before he could react, a fragrant breeze wafted over him.

Natsume Mio rushed up to him, grabbed his shoulder, and forced him to lower his head.

Immediately afterwards, the girl stood on tiptoe and tilted her head back.

"Chirp~"

Two warm, soft lips pressed heavily onto Sakamoto Ken's lips with lightning speed.

A dragonfly touches the water and it is divided at the first touch.

Natsume Mio loosened her grip on Sakamoto Ken's collar and took a step back.

Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes sparkled with pride.

Haruna Mikazuki had been standing by and watching the whole thing. Her eyes widened, and she was completely stunned.

No, what just happened?!

That Natsume Mio, in broad daylight, right in front of her...

She forcibly kissed Ah Jian?!

However, Ken Sakamoto, the person involved, reacted with surprising calm.

He stood there, sticking out the tip of his tongue and gently licking his lips, as if savoring the taste of the kiss just now.

Yes, it's a strawberry-flavored lip balm.

"Hey! Ken Sakamoto!" Haruna Mikazuki stomped her foot and said, "What's with that look on your face?! Just now... just now she forcibly kissed you!"

Ken Sakamoto snapped out of his thoughts and turned to look at Haruna Mikazuki.

His expression remained calm, even carrying a hint of innocence.

He raised his hand and pointed to the teaching building behind him: "Today's course is Introduction to Art. You know where the lecture hall is, right? We're going to be late."

After saying that, he acted as if nothing had happened, straightened his collar which Natsume Mio had crumpled, and turned to walk into the teaching building.

"Huh?!" Mikazuki Haruna was dumbfounded by his nonchalant attitude. "Is this the time to worry about class?! I'm asking you about what happened earlier!"

She jogged after him, blocking Sakamoto's path, and pressed him relentlessly, "Don't you have anything to say?"

Ken Sakamoto stopped and glanced at her.

"Now that you mention it, it's true." He pointed to his lips and asked, "Can you check for me?...Do I have lipstick on my lips?"

Mikazuki Haruna: "???"

You're asking me that?!

Ken Sakamoto shrugged, not getting an answer. He then raised his hand and gently wiped his lips with the back of his hand, managing to remove some red marks.

Ken Sakamoto lowered his hand and continued walking towards the entrance of the art club.

Mikazuki Haruna stood there, her chest heaving with anger.

No, why?

Why was he so adept at getting close to that woman?

He even seemed to be enjoying it?
Could it be that they have really...

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

Mikazuki Haruna cursed inwardly a few times, but in the end, she could only stomp her foot helplessly and quickly follow after him.

The two walked towards the art department building, one after the other.

People are coming and going here, all of them students rushing to class.

Following behind Sakamoto, Haruna watched his retreating figure, her anger subsiding slightly, replaced by a bittersweet feeling.

She quickened her pace, walked to Sakamoto's side, and tentatively moved a little closer to him.

Their shoulders were almost touching.

However, just as she was about to move closer, and even secretly try to take his hand, Ken Sakamoto casually took a step to the side, widening the distance between them.

Mikazuki Haruna looked down at her hand, which was suspended in mid-air, and then at Sakamoto Ken's hand, which swayed naturally with his steps.

He didn't dodge when that woman tried to kiss him.

Is it because he doesn't want to get too close to me?
Or……

A thought suddenly flashed through Mikazuki Haruna's mind.

Last time, he seemed to be keeping a certain distance from me, just like now.

Once inside the building, he took her hand again.

Could it be that Natsume Mio would see it if they were outside, which is why he didn't reach out?

Once inside, when Natsume Mio couldn't see him anymore, he dared to do this? Huh?
Then what am I?!

Just as she was thinking this, Mikazuki Haruna felt her hand suddenly being enveloped by a warm, large hand.

Haruna Mikazuki was startled, and her body tensed instantly.

She looked down subconsciously.

Sakamoto Ken didn't look at her; he kept walking forward, but his right hand was tightly gripping her left hand.

Although their fingers were not interlocked, the strength of their grip was real.

"Ah... Ken?!" Mikazuki Haruna's heart skipped a beat.

what happened?

Weren't you just avoiding me?

Before we even entered the art department building, he took my hand on his own initiative?

Mikazuki Haruna quickly looked back.

Sure enough, on the far other side, a pink-haired girl was staring intently at them, but her expression was too far to see clearly.

Haruna Mikazuki's earlier thoughts, such as "I don't dare to hold her hand in public, for fear of being seen by Mio Natsume," are now completely unfounded. It turns out that Ken doesn't care about Mio Natsume's opinion at all.

……

Meanwhile, outside the teaching building.

Natsume Mio stood at the edge of the plaza, not leaving immediately.

Her kiss was indeed impulsive, and she ran away afterward because she was shy.

But after running a distance, she stopped, wanting to turn around and see Ah Jian's reaction.

Then she saw Ken Sakamoto and Haruna Mikazuki walking into the building together.

She could clearly see that Ken Sakamoto was holding Haruna Mikazuki's hand and walking side by side with her.

Although, due to the angle, she only saw that the two hands were clasped together, she couldn't tell who reached out first.

But that tightly clasped hand gesture was absolutely right.

"You bastard..." Natsume Mio clenched her fists, gritted her teeth, and muttered to herself, "You little sly cat!"

Of course, she was referring to Mikazuki Haruna.

That wicked woman must have taken the opportunity to seduce Ah Jian; how despicable!
Natsume Mio grew angrier the more she thought about it. She raised her phone, zoomed in, aimed at the two figures from behind, and pressed the shutter.

"Crack!"

The picture freezes.

After filming, Ken Sakamoto and Haruna Mikazuki went inside the building and disappeared from view.

Although they were quite far apart, the man and woman holding hands were still clearly visible in the photo.

Looking at the photo, Natsume Mio felt a mix of emotions.

She thought of what Ken Sakamoto had told her before.

What past life? What three cuts and six holes...

When I first heard it, it seemed bizarre. But considering my recent experiences, I feel that Ken Sakamoto wasn't lying. It's as if there really was some kind of "last week's loop".

But now it seems...

Could this guy be making up these stories to deceive me so he can justify having a harem?
Saying things like "in order to avoid repeating the same mistakes" is actually just trying to make us all soften our hearts and accept the fact that he's cheating on us with several women.
but……

If it was made up by Ah Jian, then what about the memories in my head?

Have I been brainwashed by him?

Natsume Mio felt her mind was a bit of a mess.

But one thing is for sure.

That is... Ah Jian is a real scumbag!

Natsume Mio angrily opened LINE and tapped on Sakamoto Ken's profile picture.

She sent over the photo she had just taken.

Mio Natsume: "[Image]"

Mio Natsume: /smile
After sending the message, she shoved her phone into her bag and stormed off in a huff.

……

Ken Sakamoto took Haruna Mikazuki's hand and walked into the depths of the teaching building.

The art department building was bustling with activity, filled with students coming and going.

Soon, someone recognized them.

"That's Ken Sakamoto?!"

"Isn't that Mikazuki-senpai next to me?"

"Oh my god! It really is them!"

The identities of Ken Sakamoto and Haruna Mikazuki, both serialized writers in JUMP, had already spread throughout the art club.

The two of them coming out alone would be eye-catching enough, let alone the fact that they came in holding hands.

"They really are a couple, aren't they?"

"Of course! They were holding hands, how could it be fake?"

"I'm so envious! Sakamoto-kun is so handsome and talented. I want to be his girlfriend... or even his lover!"

Hearing the whispers around her, Mikazuki Haruna glanced quietly at Sakamoto Ken.

Ken Sakamoto did not react to the discussions around him about their "couple" relationship.

Ah Jian didn't refute it, so let's take that as his admission!

Just then, a boy wearing glasses suddenly rushed up to Ken Sakamoto, holding a sketchbook in his hand, and blocked his way with a face full of excitement.

"Sakamoto-sensei!" The boy bowed excitedly. "I'm a fan! Your 'Chainsaw Man' is so good! Could you... please sign my autograph?"

Ken Sakamoto stopped and looked at the nervous fan, smiling gently: "Of course."

"Thank you so much!" The boy quickly handed over the sketchbook and pen with both hands. "Um... I haven't had time to buy the collected volumes yet, so I can only use this..."

Ken Sakamoto took the pen, preparing to sign the sketchbook.

Suddenly, he thought of something.

He turned his head and looked at Mikazuki Haruna beside him.

Haruna Mikazuki was carrying a shopping bag full of Chainsaw Man manga volumes. She had bought it at the bookstore to cover up her secret stash of books, saying she would put it on the bookshelf in the student council office later.

Without saying a word, Ken Sakamoto reached into her shopping bag and pulled out a brand new copy of "Chainsaw Man".

He signed his name on the title page of the book and then handed it to the boy.

"This book is for you, thank you for your support."

The boy was slightly taken aback. Not only did he get an autograph, but he also received a free copy of the manga?!
The boy's hands were trembling with excitement: "Th-thank you, Sakamoto-sensei!"

This scene was witnessed by other students nearby, causing a sensation.

"I've seen 'Chainsaw Man' too!"

"Sakamoto-sensei, I want one too!"

Soon, several more students gathered around.

Ken Sakamoto accepted all comers' requests, pulling books one after another from Haruna Mikazuki's bag, signing them, and handing them to the fans who surrounded him.

"Hey..." she protested softly, "Those are the books I bought..."

But Ken Sakamoto just smiled at her, without stopping what he was doing.

Soon, all of the dozen or so Chainsaw Man books were delivered.

The two continued walking upstairs, where there were fewer people.

Haruna Mikazuki complained with a displeased look, "You! You actually gave away the book I bought to someone else..."

Ken Sakamoto glanced at her and said matter-of-factly, "Anyway, you're not short of money."

"That won't do!" Haruna Mikazuki said. "You have to compensate me!"

Ken Sakamoto took out his phone: "Okay, how much? I'll transfer it to you on LINE."

"Hey! Hey!" Haruna Mikazuki said, "Who asked you for money!?"

Ken Sakamoto put away his phone and asked, "How can I compensate you?"

Mikazuki Haruna's eyes darted around, and she raised her chin, saying, "Lunch is on you! How about it?"

“Mio might bring me a bento box,” Ken Sakamoto said.

"Hey! Why are you bringing her up again!" Haruna Mikazuki immediately protested. "I saw it clearly just now. She was only carrying a flat canvas bag, it wasn't filled with anything at all, so where would she get a bento box from..."

“That’s true.” Ken Sakamoto nodded. “Then I can agree to your request.”

“It’s a deal!” Mikazuki Haruna insisted.

The two arrived at the corridor of the lecture hall.

Haruna Mikazuki pointed to a classroom in front of her: "Look, your classroom is here, and mine is over there."

"Okay, see you at noon," Sakamoto Ken said.

"See you at noon~" Mikazuki Haruna waved to Sakamoto Ken and walked briskly toward her classroom.

Ken Sakamoto walked into the classroom and found a seat at the back.

He then took out his phone and opened LINE.

The screen displayed the message and picture sent by Natsume Mio.

In the photo, he and Mikazuki Haruna are holding hands tightly.

It was followed by a smiling emoji.

Ken Sakamoto thought for a moment and replied, "So I was holding her hand just now?"

Natsume Mio replied instantly: "? You don't know that yourself."

Ken Sakamoto: "It's probably just a habit; when we're together, I instinctively reach out my hand."

Natsume Mio: "What do you mean by 'used to it'?!"

Ken Sakamoto: "I have vivid memories of last week's experience."

Natsume Mio: "Then why did she reach out too?"

Ken Sakamoto: "She likes me, you know that."

Natsume Mio: "..."

Natsume Mio: "Ken! Are you dating her too?!"

Ken Sakamoto: "Not yet."

Natsume Mio: "Still? What about after that?"

Ken Sakamoto: "Mio, you arrived first. All of them combined don't have as many as you."

……

Mio Natsume stood in front of the vocal music club building.

Holding the phone in both hands, staring at the line of text on the screen, the muscles at the corners of his eyes twitched slightly. He felt there were too many things to complain about, and he didn't even know how to begin.

No, why are you making it sound like I approved of you dating other women?!

What does it mean that "all of them combined wouldn't amount to more than me"?
Ah Jian, that scumbag, does he think I'm satisfied with this?!

Ugh, how awful...

Haruna Mikazuki, that girl, she's a slut!

(End of this chapter)