Master of the Machete Style Manga

Chapter 32 The Perfect Comic Assistant

Haruna Mikazuki put her phone aside and let out a long sigh.

The experiences I had in my dreams were so bizarre. I had never met him in real life, yet in my dreams he was my closest lover, and the experience felt so real that I couldn't stop thinking about him even after waking up...

Even though I haven't even had my first experience in real life.

There's definitely something wrong here.

She decided to add Sakamoto Ken as a friend first, and keep her distance and observe more before figuring out the situation.

Now, there are more important things to do.

Haruna refocused her attention on the computer screen in front of her.

The current visuals alone won't be enough to beat Chainsaw Man.

She felt that the plot and storyboarding were already quite good, without needing to think too much about them.

All she can do now is to elevate her painting skills to the highest level.

The screen displays an email with the resumes and portfolios of several manga assistants selected by editor-in-chief Tomohiro Ohno according to her requirements.

She needs to hire four assistants, one of whom will serve as the assistant team leader.

This is the editor-in-chief's suggestion: an assistant team needs a team leader to lead it. Otherwise, the writer would have to worry about things like who draws which part, which would be too much of a hassle.

All of these candidates were women, and they were all skilled at drawing beautiful girl characters.

Haruna opened each letter one by one, carefully examining them.

Some art styles lean towards traditional shoujo manga, while others are closer to a cute style. Although the quality is quite good, there's just one feeling...

Something is missing.

It wasn't until she clicked on the candidate's information attachment titled "Forty Plains" that she understood.

The portfolio in the attachment immediately caught her eye.

It was a series of colorful illustrations.

The first picture shows a short-haired girl in a classic black and white maid outfit, looking down at the camera, elegantly lifting her skirt to reveal a pure white triangle underneath.

Haruna examined it carefully for a moment, then continued flipping through the pages.

The second picture shows a high school girl with a single ponytail, turning her head back. Her skirt is gathered at her waist, and the pink color complements the curves of her figure, with even the folds drawn clearly.

The third image shows a blonde nun in a long nun's robe, gently lifting one foot clad in white silk, causing her skirt to flutter.

The fourth picture shows an office lady wearing round-framed glasses, kneeling on the floor, lifting her pencil skirt, and turning her head to look at the camera.

What they all have in common is that the beautiful girls in the paintings all have a look of disgust on their faces, as if they are looking at some kind of trash.

But putting aside this peculiar XP, the artist named "Forty Plains" is incredibly skilled!
The handling of light and shadow, the structure of the human body, and the folds of the clothing are all perfect.

She had practiced drawing these parts, but even when she drew in front of a mirror, she couldn't achieve such precision.

Because the twisting and wrinkling of the fabric caused by limb movement and bending are particularly difficult to control.

Mikazuki Haruna immediately searched for the name "Shigohara" in her browser and quickly found her Pixiv homepage.

She has been uploading her work to this platform since 2009.

Her early paintings were somewhat immature, but over time, her style evolved at a visible pace.

Later, she seemed to focus all her energy on the theme of "beautiful girls," and her skills became increasingly refined.

However, the illustrations I just saw in the email have not been published on the Pixiv homepage, so they seem to be the latest works that have not yet been released.

"It's her!"

Haruna immediately made a decision in her heart.

The art style of this artist, Shishihara, perfectly matches the effect she wanted to achieve.

After all, the selling point of the manga "Young Lady, Sniper Rifle, and Pantyhose!" is written in the title itself: pantyhose!

From the four illustrations just now, it's clear that Forty-Haru has complete control over pantyhose.

But she still had a small question in her mind.

Haruna Mikazuki sent a message to the editor-in-chief.

March Spring: "Excuse me, Editor-in-Chief, I've read the assistant's resume you sent me. I'd like to ask, is this assistant named Forty-Haru-san... really a girl?"

The message had barely been sent when Tomohiro Ohno replied.

Tomohiro Ohno: "I've met her. She's about your age, and her drawing skills are amazing."

March Spring: "That's good. It's still not very convenient to have a male assistant come to my house." Ohno Tomohiro: "Don't worry. Isn't she amazing? The texture of the clothing and the expression of the human body are both excellent. Actually, an editor talked to her about debuting as a manga artist, but unfortunately, the storytelling was a bit lacking. When you said you were looking for an assistant who was good at drawing beautiful girls, she was the first person I thought of."

Seeing that even the editor-in-chief praised her so highly, Haruna no longer hesitated.

March Spring: "Then I'll hire her as my assistant team leader!"

Tomohiro Ohno: "You'd better get in touch with her as soon as possible. I heard that Toshihara-san is currently preparing her own doujinshi, which she plans to release this summer. But I think if you offer a good enough deal, she'll definitely agree."

March Spring: "Okay! I'll email her right now!"

After ending her conversation with the editor-in-chief, Mikazuki Haruna immediately began composing an email.

She was certain that this forty-year-old could elevate the artwork of "The Young Lady" to several levels.

It might become a hit.

The utmost sincerity must be shown to the assistant team leader!

In the salary section, Haruna pondered for a moment and increased the already over-market daily wage of 30,000 yen by another 10,000 yen.

……

In an ordinary apartment on the other side of Tokyo.

A girl with shoulder-length short hair is tidying up stacks of drawings in her room.

Her pen name is "Forty Plains".

A yellow sticky note was pasted on the bottom edge of the computer screen, with a line of text written on it in marker:

"Comic Market 88!"

She is preparing for her first doujinshi (fan-made comic book).

I've already decided on the name for my doujinshi, it'll be called—

I really want someone to show me their underwear with a look of disgust.

She plans to release this art book at C88 in August this year.

C88, short for Comic Market 88, is the world's largest doujinshi convention, where countless creators realize their dreams.

Forty Hara also hopes to earn enough money through this exhibition to support his continued creative work and thus break free from his dependence on his family.

Although her family is well-off, she doesn't want to keep asking her parents for money.

Previously, she had considered submitting her work and debuting as a cartoonist.

However, after reading her manuscript, the editors almost unanimously agreed: the artwork was excellent, but the plot was too bland; it was perfect as an illustration, but a failure as a comic.

She then considered becoming a cartoonist's assistant, but after looking at a bunch of job postings, the daily wage of just over ten thousand yuan didn't interest her much. If she wanted to earn money, she figured she might as well do a part-time job near her home.

Until today, the editor-in-chief of JUMP, whom she had contacted a long time ago, sent her an email saying that there was an assistant job opportunity with a daily salary of 30,000 yen.

Thirty thousand!
She's not interested in a daily wage of 10,000, but 30,000 is a must-have!

She then sent over her latest works, just to give it a try.

"Ding dong."

A new email notification popped up in the lower right corner of my computer screen.

He casually clicked on the email; the sender was "March Spring".

She quickly scanned the email, and when her gaze fell on the salary section, her pupils suddenly contracted.

"Daily allowance: 40000 yen".

Forty thousand a day?!
Moreover, transportation costs are fully subsidized, and a dedicated nanny is responsible for three meals a day and afternoon tea.

The workplace is located in Matsutocho, Shibuya Ward, which is a well-known upscale neighborhood in Tokyo.

Without any hesitation, Shishihara quickly replied to the email, readily agreeing to meet and discuss the matter with the manga artist, Sangetsu Haru.

　I highly recommend 40hara-sensei's "I Want Someone to Show Me Their Underwear with a Disgusted Look".

　　Furthermore, the plot of the book largely aligns with the real-world timeline. In 2015, 40hara-sensei was indeed preparing for the release of a doujinshi. It became an instant hit, later spawning an anime adaptation; many people have probably seen the image of the maid lifting her skirt. And 40hara-sensei is indeed a female illustrator. (However, the specific plot is fictional.)

　　Okay, now that I've recommended 40hara, who draws panties, I'd also like to recommend Yomu, who draws stockings. His representative work is "Stocking Vision".

　　I originally wanted to bring in Yomu-sensei as an assistant, but that would require adding a personality twist to her, which isn't ideal... Or maybe Sakamoto Ken will need an assistant to draw stockings sometime, emmm... Chainsaw Man doesn't need one, but we could consider other scenarios. I really love Yomu-sensei's stockings.

　　The book "Lemon" was intended to incorporate various realistic elements and generally adhere to the timeline, but due to Sakamoto-sensei's rebirth, all sorts of changes occurred.

(End of this chapter)