Master of the Machete Style Manga

Chapter 36 Do you like Ah Jian?

“Now that we’ve chosen the lines, of course we need to hire voice actors,” Keiko Kaji said without hesitation. “But I also need to make it clear to Mr. Sakamoto beforehand that this is just a short video for promotional purposes, not a real anime adaptation, so the company won’t be investing too many resources in it.”

“I understand.” Ken Sakamoto expressed his understanding.

"Yes, so we will definitely hire voice actors, but they won't be well-known ones," Keiko Kaji said. "The production team will assign the task to the voice acting agency, and within the agency, this kind of work is usually given to newcomers to practice on."

"Will this be announced to the public in advance?" Ken Sakamoto asked.

"The notification that Sakamoto-sensei was referring to..."

"To inform readers that my comic is going to be made into a video, and to hire voice actors and such."

"Of course not." Keiko Kaji waved her hand and said, "The whole plan is still in the small-scale experimental stage within our company. Saying this might lower Sakamoto-sensei's expectations, but if this attempt doesn't work well, we might not do it again. We don't announce things like this publicly when there's no certainty."

"That's good..." Ken Sakamoto breathed a slight sigh of relief.

He was afraid that Shueisha would hold a similar fan fiction contest and advertise for voice actors on the serialization page.

In that case, Natsume Mio, who follows his manga closely, would probably be the first to apply...

Regardless of the circumstances, it carries the risk of some form of increased contact.

In this playthrough, Ken Sakamoto's primary goal is safety; everything else must be done under the premise of safety.

Therefore, he is particularly cautious about such opportunities to "advance relationships".

Ken Sakamoto continued, "Experimental ones are best. We can hire top voice actors when it's officially animated later."

Upon hearing this, Keiko Kaji couldn't help but smile: "Sakamoto-sensei is quite ambitious."

Ken Sakamoto crossed his arms and said matter-of-factly, "Why draw manga if you can't become famous?"

Keiko Kaji nodded approvingly; she admired this kind of confident writer.

“Alright, we’ve covered the most important things.” She closed her notebook. “So… shall we talk about the future of the manga? Sakamoto-sensei has plenty of drafts now, so you can start thinking about the plot and character development.”

“I know all of this.” Kenjiro Sakamoto was about to continue.

Suddenly, a buzzing vibration came from the direction of the entrance hall.

He looked back in confusion.

"What was that sound?" Keiko Kaji asked curiously.

……

"Buzz buzz buzz! Buzz buzz buzz!"

Outside the door, Natsume Mio clutched her backpack as if she had been electrocuted.

She frantically pulled out her still-vibrating phone.

On the phone screen, the caller ID displayed two words: "Store Manager".

She glanced at the time on her phone, and her heart sank. She thought to herself, "I'm doomed."

I'm already ten minutes late for work!

She didn't dare answer the phone immediately, but instead held her breath and carefully retreated towards the stairwell.

She went downstairs, pushed open the door, and only after leaving the apartment building did she sprint towards the corner of the street ahead.

Hiding behind the wall, she took a few heavy breaths before swiping to answer the call.

As soon as the call connected, he immediately apologized: "I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry, Manager! Today I... um... I... I had some things come up on the way and got delayed, I'm... I'm late..."

On the other end of the phone, the shop manager's voice was as gentle as ever: "It's alright, it's alright, Mio, I'm just glad you're okay. Can you come to the shop today?"

"Yes! Two minutes! Right now!"

Mio Natsume had already taken off running towards the convenience store.

……

The convenience store's automatic doors opened, and a welcome music played.

Mio Natsume gasped for breath, a thin blush rising on her fair cheeks from the intense exercise.

"Manager, I'm here..." The elderly manager was slowly wiping the cash register. Seeing her like this, she put down the rag and showed a concerned expression: "Oh dear, Mio-chan, you don't need to rush. Be careful on the way."

"I'm so sorry! Manager, I'm really so sorry!" Natsume Mio bowed deeply to the manager at a perfect 90-degree angle.

"Alright, alright, go change into your uniform." The store manager waved his hand, his smile still kind.

"Yes!"

Natsume Mio responded and rushed into the inner dressing room as if fleeing.

"Click."

The locker room door was closed, isolating it from the outside world.

In the cramped space, only her own heavy breathing could be heard.

She leaned against the cold door panel, slowly slid down to the ground, and buried her face between her knees.

It wasn't actually that far from Sakamoto Ken's apartment to the store.

She has excellent physical strength and has even tried a half marathon. This distance is not a burden on her body at all.

But the frantic run she had just made left her feeling a little suffocated.

The main thing is the regret and self-blame in my heart.

She slowly raised her head and looked at the full-length mirror on the wall.

The girl in the mirror has the same hairstyle as the female protagonist in A-Jian's comics, but her expression is completely different. She doesn't have the strong aura that Machima exudes at all times.

There were even a few tears in the corners of her eyes.

What did you hear outside A-Jian's apartment just now?
What I overheard was Ah Jian and that woman discussing the content and promotion of the comics—basically, it was all about work.

There wasn't a trace of the scene she had previously imagined in her mind...

The mature woman she considered a rival in love was not a wealthy woman who was keeping Ah Jian as a mistress at all... she was just Ah Jian's editor.

and I?
I'm like a freak.

They secretly followed behind and eavesdropped from the doorway.

She was already concocting all sorts of dirty scenarios for Ah Jian in her mind...

Mio, Mio, how could you think like that?

Ah Jian... his life has been very difficult. He has no parents and lives alone in that dilapidated apartment. He draws desperately every day and finally got the chance to debut in Shueisha.

He worked so hard, and I... developed such terrible suspicions about him.

Mio, Mio, you're so mean...

In that dream, Ah Jian did have an affair with another woman, but it was just a dream after all!
By the way, that was just my own dark imagination; I was the one who arbitrarily imagined Ah Jian as that kind of scumbag.

Mio Natsume felt ashamed and apologized softly to herself in the mirror.

"I'm sorry, Jian..."

"Ah Jian... I'll do anything you ask..."

She hastily wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, took a deep breath, and forced herself to calm down.

They're still in the store; the store manager, Grandma, is waiting.

Natsume Mio stood up, carefully wiped away the tears on her face, and changed into her convenience store uniform.

Only after she felt she had composed herself did Natsume Mio push open the door to the changing room, her face already sporting a professional smile again.

Just as she was tidying up the shelves, the elderly store manager walked slowly from behind the cashier with her hands behind her back, a meaningful smile on her face.

"Manager-san," Natsume Mio stopped what she was doing and asked in confusion, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

The elderly shopkeeper chuckled, glanced at the shop entrance to make sure no customers were coming in, and then turned her gaze back to the young girl in front of her.

She asked softly in a very casual tone:
"Mio, do you like Ken?"

(End of this chapter)