Master of the Machete Style Manga

Chapter 24: How to Draw Pantyhose
"The author is a genius! Absolutely amazing!"

"I couldn't stop watching after finishing it in one go! Looking forward to the next update!"

"After watching it, I feel healed. Thank you, Teacher March Spring, for bringing such a wonderful work."

Mikazuki Haruna pouted and posted several more comments in her comment section.

Refresh the page, and a comment from a genuine reader pops up.

"I was drawn in by the cover, and the artwork is truly impeccable. The background and details are handled exceptionally well, and you can see the artist's dedication. The sheen and folds of the stockings, in particular, are incredibly detailed—they're practically works of art! Could you please draw more legs, Ms. Sanyuechun?"

Haruna's slightly sullen expression immediately brightened, and she smiled as she looked at the comment.

Are there still readers who like my comics?

As for the stockings mentioned in the comment, she casually unfolded a piece of manuscript paper.

This is what she is drawing right now. She draws the female protagonist very carefully every time she appears.

The entire comic's plot and panel layout are derived from that dream, but she made some improvements to the artwork.

Sitting in the ergonomic chair, Haruna stretched and tidied up her desk.

I turned off my laptop, pushed it to the corner of the desk, and moved the manuscript paper and drawing tools to the center.

Suddenly I feel so motivated, let's finish this page!

Coincidentally, this page features a close-up of the female protagonist, and she uses a unique paneling technique.

This means allowing the character to break free from the constraints of the panel layout, letting their image emerge and overlay other panels.

The scene takes place in the student council office. The female assassin, who is usually an ordinary high school girl, is wearing a high school girl uniform, sitting in a chair with her legs crossed. Her shoes have been taken off and placed on the ground. Her right foot is raised and extended towards the camera, while her toes are spread out.

Originally, this scene wasn't designed this way. According to the memories brought from the dream, this scene was where the female protagonist was sitting in a chair, looking at the male protagonist in front of her.

But Haruna felt the visuals weren't quite right, so she made some changes.

The sketch is now complete; the next step is to outline it.

Actions like this...

Haruna Mikazuki gently tapped her lips with the tip of her pencil, envisioning a scene in her mind.

Daydreaming is useless; we have to see for ourselves.

So, Mikazuki Haruna got up and went to the large wardrobe in the room.

Open the wardrobe door and pull out the special drawer used to store all kinds of socks.

She loves black socks, whether they are ankle socks, knee-high socks, or pantyhose, they are all black without exception.

Based on the style of the jumpsuit worn by the female protagonist in the picture, she picked out a pair.

With a thickness of approximately 60 denier, it's the kind of fabric that allows the skin tone of the legs to subtly show through when worn, without appearing too transparent.

Haruna didn't go out today, so she wasn't wearing socks. She gathered the sides of her pantyhose together and held them in her warm palms.

Then she bent down slightly, a movement that caused the skirt of her dress to rise and reveal two straight, shapely thighs, as if sculpted from ivory.

Haruna lifted one foot, her small, white toes curling slightly as she probed into the soft black silk fabric.

The silky fabric gently wrapped around her toes, and as she stretched upwards, the translucent black fabric extended inch by inch along her arch and ankle.

The pantyhose clung tightly to her skin, outlining the curves of her legs perfectly. Against the black background, her skin looked like chocolate with milk added.

Soon, the other foot was also put on.

She stood up and skillfully pulled the pantyhose over her pert buttocks with both hands, securing it to her slender waist in one fluid motion.

The girl sat back down in the ergonomic chair, moved the chair, and went to the full-length mirror.

She mimicked the pose in the draft, gracefully crossing one leg over the other.

She slightly raised her right foot, pointing her toes forward.

Then, the five toes, encased in black silk, slowly opened like flower petals, and gently twisted the ankles, striking different angles. "So this is what it feels like..."

Haruna looked at her feet, scrutinizing them closely, and memorized the image in the mirror.

But for some reason, I suddenly thought of a certain boy's face...

In that incredibly vivid dream, that guy really liked her...

Hmm... that's not surprising.

After all, he's someone who puts "pantyhose" in the title of a book, so it's not hard to understand that his hobbies are quite unique.

Wait, something's not right?

Now I'm the one who copied his comics, and even the title!
I used the keyword "pantyhose" in the book title.

So, does that mean I'm actually a foot fetishist?!

Pshaw, what nonsense are you thinking!

I'm not a foot fetishist!

How could I possibly be a foot fetishist?!

Mikazuki Haruna immediately shook her head, banishing the strange thoughts from her mind.

He returned to the table and picked up his paintbrush again.

"Hmm... the transition of light and shadow, and the wrinkles when muscles are tense... the details should be handled like this."

She continued creating comics.

And so it went until late at night.

It's only because her parents aren't home tonight that her mother would have asked Aunt Hezi to come and urge her to go to bed early.

Her parents actually spend more time in the tower apartment in the port area, since it's closer to their company.

Aunt Hezi usually stays on the first floor and doesn't come to check when she goes to sleep.

After finishing the page, the girl leaned back in the ergonomic chair and let out a long sigh.

so tired……

I thought I could just copy it, but I ended up making so many changes and making the visuals much more detailed.

This means there's a lot of extra work involved.

While it's still better than creating entirely original content, including the plot and characters, it would be difficult to maintain two updates a week if the main selling point is the visuals.

Not necessarily...

Mikazuki Haruna pondered that since she was drawing alone, she could probably finish one and a half chapters a week if she did it all by herself, but she could hire an assistant.

Seeing how strong the competition from Chainsaw Man was, Haruna Mikazuki became even more serious about her own work.

She immediately opened a website that recruits art professionals, which had a special section for recruiting assistants for cartoonists.

Mikazuki Haruna posted a recruitment notice:
"Seeking three manga assistants for a modern urban manga. Must have a good grasp of visual details and character dynamics. Extensive experience as a manga assistant is preferred. It will be entirely hand-drawn, so in-person collaboration is necessary. Location: Matsutō-chō, Shibuya-ku. Daily wage: 30000 yen, full reimbursement for transportation. A nanny will be provided to prepare three meals and afternoon tea. Females only. Interested applicants please send your resume and portfolio to the email address provided."

A typical comic book assistant earns around 10,000 yuan per day, while a skilled one can earn 15,000 yuan.

If you're a famous writer, you might be able to get a salary of over 20,000, but such opportunities are extremely rare.

The price she offered was enough to find an exceptionally talented assistant, but it meant she wouldn't have to earn any money herself.

Of course, she never considered making money from comics; she just liked them.

Haruna had already planned that once her assistant arrived, she would re-optimize all the storyboards from scratch, meticulously drawing every detail in each panel so that readers could enjoy the visuals.

My own work will never lose!

(End of this chapter)