Master of the Machete Style Manga

Chapter 29 Risk Awareness
At the JUMP editorial department, the air was filled with the unique aroma of paper and ink due to the large number of comic books and hand-drawn manuscripts piled up.

Haruna Mikazuki didn't react the moment she saw that profile, but after a few seconds she realized that the face looked very familiar!
Is it someone from a dream?!

The thought flashed through her mind like lightning, and she immediately stopped and turned around.

Almost instinctively, he took a step and chased after that figure.

However, in just a few seconds, all that could be seen was a figure quickly disappearing around the corner at the far end of the corridor.

Mikazuki Haruna stopped and looked around, but the figure was no longer in sight.

"Matsuki Haru-sensei?" Ohno Tomohiro's voice came from behind her, snapping her out of her reverie.

Haruna snapped out of her daze and said, "I think I just saw someone I know."

"acquaintance?"

Haruna, realizing she had been a bit out of line, quickly explained, "It's nothing, it's nothing, I probably just misread it..."

Tomohiro Ohno didn't think much of it and smiled as he gestured for him to proceed.

"You can wander around the common areas of the company, but let's talk business first. Let's go inside."

"Ok."

Haruna Mikazuki nodded and followed behind.

……

In the conference room.

Haruna hadn't originally planned to bring it up, but seeing Ohno Tomohiro take out the manuscript of "Young Lady," she couldn't help but say, "Editor-in-Chief, I just saw a female editor with an author, and that author is..."

“Yes, it’s quite a coincidence that you two met,” Tomohiro Ohno said. “He’s the author of Chainsaw Man, and he was serialized in JUMP+ around the same time as you.”

"That's him, the one with 6700 votes..."

It was just a fleeting glance, a brief eye contact, but the image I saw in that instant was exactly the same as the one in my memory.

Furthermore, the editor-in-chief said he was Ken Sakamoto, the author of "Chainsaw Man"...

It's impossible that their names are coincidental, their appearances are coincidental, and even that they both draw comics is a coincidence, right?
"You two know each other?" Tomohiro Ohno asked casually.

"No, no..." Mikazuki Haruna waved her hand and said, "It's the first time I've met him, um... I just think his work is pretty good."

“Actually, you two can get to know each other and communicate more. I can help you get his editor’s contact information,” Tomohiro Ohno said.

“Eh… this…” Mikazuki Haruna hesitated for two seconds before saying, “Okay, I’ll leave it to Ohno-san.”

"Then let's get down to business, Ms. Sanyuechun. I'll get straight to the point."

Tomohiro Ohno said, "Your 'Young Lady' is undoubtedly an excellent new work. The story is interesting, the art style is beautiful, and the commercial potential is huge. Everyone in the editorial department agrees on this point."

He changed the subject.

"But... as you can see, your competitor is Chainsaw Man, which is currently ranked number one in the readers' vote."

"Although it's within my authority to force you to pass the review and give you this serialization opportunity, however..."

“We publish the results of our reader surveys every issue.” He paused deliberately before continuing, “This could very likely cause a significant backlash among readers, which would be very detrimental to the initial reputation of your work.”

"Of course, the final decision is yours."

Mikazuki Haruna remained silent.

She thought of that figure from just now.

That face was exactly the same as the man who was very close to me in my dream!
After all, they shared a bed, and she used all sorts of methods to urge him to update his work. Occasionally, he would take the initiative and launch an unbearable offensive on her... When he wasn't working on his manuscript, she would almost always cling to him, wanting to do all sorts of things with him...

In the later stages of the manga "Young Lady," many plot points were inspired by the two characters' on-site research.

So, in a way, this comic book was actually a collaborative effort between us, right?

“Editor-in-chief, I actually made this decision at home.” A few seconds later, Haruna looked up and said to Tomohiro Ohno, “I want to completely optimize the animation of ‘Young Lady’. The current quality can’t compete with it… or with ‘Chainsaw Man’.”

"Oh?" Tomohiro Ohno hadn't expected Haruna Mikazuki to voluntarily withdraw from the competition for the JUMP serialization. His expression relaxed considerably. "Tell me, how do you plan to optimize it?"

“I feel that drawing the details of the artwork and the characters’ movements by myself is too much work,” Mikazuki Haruna said. “I posted an ad online last night to recruit an assistant. I wonder if the editor-in-chief has any suitable candidates he could recommend.”

Tomohiro Ohno's lips curled into a slight, imperceptible smile, and he immediately agreed: "Of course, no problem! Helping to find an assistant is within the scope of our editors' responsibilities."

This rich girl with connections will definitely need a lot of time to optimize the visuals. As the editor directly in charge, I'll have to be extra strict and find more flaws in the visuals to make her redo them...

As a result, the empty space in JUMP magazine recently has undoubtedly been taken by Chainsaw Man.

As a manga editor, Tomohiro Ohno had no desire to be in charge of a subject like Haru Mitsuki.

Although my drawing skills are quite good, the invisible pressure from my connections with high-ranking members of the group is still too great. I always feel like I could lose my job at any moment...

He is the editor-in-chief and is responsible for the performance of the entire editorial department, not just the editor in charge who is satisfied as long as the works he is directly responsible for become popular.

After discussing with Mikazuki Haruna, Ohno Tomohiro immediately informed Kaji Keiko of the result that "Young Lady" had no intention of getting a spot in JUMP.

Kaji Keiko was somewhat surprised, but mostly delighted.

She immediately sent an email to Ken Sakamoto.

Keiko Kaji: "Sakamoto-sensei, great news from the editor-in-chief! The author of 'The Young Lady' wants to revise the work before serialization! It'll probably take quite a while, so your 'Chainsaw Man' should be a shoo-in for serialization this time!"

……

The tram rattled and swayed.

Ken Sakamoto looked at the text on his phone screen, but felt no joy of victory whatsoever.

He simply replied with "Understood".

He locked his phone and looked out the window at the rapidly receding street scene.

I met her again...

Moreover, it's much earlier than the timeline of last week's episode.

He didn't greet Haruna just now; he only glanced at her before quickly slipping away.

The existence of the manga "Miss" already indicates that she possesses the memories of the previous timeline.

Before we can determine whether her emotions are stable, basic risk prevention is essential.

Maintaining a certain distance and prolonging the explosive emotions makes them easier to handle.

What reassured him somewhat was that at least they hadn't met or gotten to know each other yet, so he could still take them down one by one.

The tragedy at the end of last week's game wasn't caused by being discovered dating both of them at the same time.

The crucial point is that they somehow formed some kind of alliance, their emotions amplified through mutual accounting, and then...

A lesson learned the hard way...

(End of this chapter)