Master of the Machete Style Manga

Chapter 6 I am the March Spring
Ken Sakamoto turned around and saw Editor Kaji coming out of the meeting room as well, and quickly followed him.

"Editor-san!" Ken Sakamoto called out to Keiko Kaji.

"Sakamoto-sensei, is there any other question?" Kaji Keiko asked.

Ken Sakamoto pointed to the poster and said, "What's the deal with that film?!"

"Young Miss, sniper rifle, and pantyhose?" Keiko Kaji read the title aloud, then asked疑惑地, "What's wrong with this book?"

Something's really wrong!
This is a comic strip I drew!

Last week, it was serialized in a niche magazine, but two weeks ago, he threw the manuscript directly into the trash.

How did it end up on Shueisha's new work poster wall?!
The key point is that Ken Sakamoto can't say that directly.

He took a deep breath, trying to remain calm, and said, "I think this book title is quite interesting, so I wanted to ask Editor Sang about it..."

“I’ve never heard of this name before,” Keiko Kaji said after stroking her chin thoughtfully for a moment. “It’s definitely not a new work from our department. All new works are discussed in group meetings.”

Could it be that someone stole the original manuscript I threw in the trash?
Ken Sakamoto frowned in thought and rejected the idea.

Two weeks ago, the original manuscript of this comic was still in draft form, without a cover or color pages.

The female protagonist on the poster is exactly the same as the image in the color pages specially prepared during the serialization in the previous life.

Same hair color, same clothing style, same movements, even the details of the sniper rifle are the same!
"Is it a manga that's already being serialized?" Sakamoto Ken continued to ask.

“That’s strange…” Kaji Keiko thought for a moment, then stopped a colleague as he walked by. “Noda-san, do you know anything about that new manga?”

The editor named Noda looked in the direction Kaji Keiko was pointing and shook his head as well: "Is it from another editorial team? 'Saikai JUMP' or 'JUMP SQ'?"

"Only works from the main JUMP magazine can be featured on the new works wall, right?" Keiko Kaji said.

"Yeah, could it be an old author poached from another company?" Noda was also puzzled. "I don't think this book was mentioned in the group meeting?"

Keiko Kaji said to Ken Sakamoto, "That happens sometimes. When writers from other companies switch jobs, they might contact the editor-in-chief directly. But this writer's name is..."

Keiko Kaji walked up to the poster, examined it closely, and saw the author's name on it.

“March Spring… I’ve never heard of it.” Keiko Kaji shook her head.

Keiko Kaji has been a manga editor for several years and has always paid attention to the industry. It can be said that she knows the names of all the slightly famous authors.

"Found it, found it." Noda held up his phone and showed the screen to Keiko Kaji. "JUMP CHANNEL is going to do an interview with this manga. New authors don't usually get this kind of treatment, do they?"

"Is that so..." Keiko Kaji pondered for a moment and said, "I guess the editor-in-chief had a private talk with the author, so he didn't join the group meeting."

While Kaji and Noda were discussing it, Ken Sakamoto was already sweating profusely.

Spring in March, spring in March...

If he read the pen name a few times, the name that was so familiar to him would pop into his mind.

Mikazuki Haruna.

All three characters are contained in the name.

On the other hand, "March Spring" is not actually a very obscure pen name.

March is the middle of spring, so if you want a pen name related to the season, this word is easy to come up with.

“Oh dear, that’s troublesome…” Keiko Kaji said to Ken Sakamoto with some distress, “Sakamoto-sensei, if this is really a writer poached by the editor-in-chief, I’m afraid we’ll have to give him the empty space in the next issue of JUMP magazine.”

Ken Sakamoto felt his thoughts were a bit jumbled.

This is clearly his work!

Could it be that the change in the world line brought about by rebirth led Haruna to publish this work?
Ken Sakamoto took out his phone and snapped a picture of the poster.

"I was just curious about this poster... Editor, I'll head back now..."

"Yes, Mr. Sakamoto, don't be discouraged if you're not selected this time. There will be other opportunities. It's good to build up your popularity in JUMP+ first," Keiko Kaji said to Ken Sakamoto.

"Okay, thank you, Editor Jia Zhi."

He didn't care whether he would be selected for the next issue of the magazine; with the foundation of "Chainsaw Man," he would be included sooner or later anyway.

The key was that he wanted to find out the origin of that manga. After leaving the Shueisha building and getting back on the train, Ken Sakamoto searched for information about "Young Lady, Sniper Rifle, and Pantyhose!" on his phone.

The first thing you see is the news released by JUMP's official website.

"An exclusive live interview? Is this the kind of treatment a regular newcomer should get?"

Ken Sakamoto clicked to reserve the live stream, intending to see who this "March Spring" really was.

……

Side view of the Shueisha building.

Staff are putting up a new poster on the public notice board.

Mio Natsume had only planned to wander around casually before returning to the front of the building to wait and see when Ken would come out.

But this poster made her stop in her tracks.

Mio Natsume carefully examined the poster until the staff left.

She was certain that the female protagonist on the poster was exactly the same as the comic book character drawn by Ah Jian in her memory.

However, the author's name written on it is "March Spring," so this should not be A-Jian's work; she must have confused her memories in her dream.

Even in his dreams, Ah Jian uses his real name as his pen name.

Just then, a stylishly dressed young woman walked across the street, looking at the newly put up poster with great interest.

Natsume Mio glanced at her; she was indeed a beautiful girl, but she wasn't interested in pretty girls, so she didn't pay much attention.

"Hi~"

However, the other person greeted her first.

Natsume Mio turned to look at the girl who appeared to be about her age and politely replied, "Hello."

The girl, a smug smile on her lips, asked, "Do you like this poster?"

“Hmm…the title is quite interesting,” Natsume Mio nodded and said.

"Then I'll take a look," the girl said, tapping the poster. "This is my work!"

"You are San Yuechun?" Natsume Mio was slightly surprised.

Mikazuki Haruna patted her chest and opened her mouth to speak, but her gaze unconsciously swept over Natsume Mio's chest, and her originally full confidence suddenly diminished a bit.

No, why would I envy a stranger's breasts...?

"Ahem!" Mikazuki Haruna coughed twice and said, "I'm Mikazuki Haruna. My manga will be published on JUMP+ tonight. Have you downloaded the app? If not, download it now so you can pre-order!"

"I don't read comics on my phone..." Natsume Mio felt a little awkward about the other person's overly familiar personality.

Mikazuki Haruna said "Oh," and then said, "It's okay, it's okay. Do you read Weekly Shonen Jump? If nothing unexpected happens, we'll be published in Jump in a few weeks."

"That's amazing?" Natsume Mio said. "It must be very difficult to get published in JUMP, right?"

“Of course.” Mikazuki Haruna put her hands on her hips, puffed out her chest, and said, “But as long as the work is good enough, that’s fine.”

Mio Natsume originally intended to leave directly, but she was particularly concerned about this manga that had appeared in her dreams.

On a whim, I said to the girl who used the pen name "March Spring," "What a coincidence! Can we take a picture together?"

“Okay!” Mikazuki Haruna raised an eyebrow and agreed immediately.

It's great that someone is interested in her work.

"Then let's take a picture in front of the poster." Mikazuki Haruna pointed to the poster.

So the two of them stood side by side, using the poster as a backdrop, raised their hands in a peace sign, and took a photo together.

"Alright, alright, I have something important to do at the company, so bye-bye~ Please support me!" Mikazuki Haruna waved to Natsume Mio.

(End of this chapter)