Master of the Machete Style Manga

Chapter 86 I Have the Advantage Over You
The three of them were holding hands.

He held the position for a full half minute before Sakamoto Kensai finally released it.

To be honest, he can finally relax now.

Because the most important point has been confirmed: although they have some memories of him, they do not remember what the other looked like in the previous game.

Otherwise, how could they shake hands amicably? It's good enough that they didn't fight.

“Alright, I still have to finish my manuscript at this time,” Sakamoto Ken said to the two of them.

“Ken, you have some drafts saved up, right…” Natsume Mio moved closer to Sakamoto Ken, her arm already touching his side. “Actually, there’s no need to rush, is there? Take a rest and don’t ruin your health.”

"Huh? How many drafts do you have?" Mikazuki Haruna asked in confusion.

"The exact number is a secret," Sakamoto Ken said with a smile.

“That’s right, only drafts that can’t be published are called archives,” Natsume Mio chimed in.

She had actually read a lot of the later parts, and now she heard Sakamoto Ken tell Mitsuki Haru that his drafts were a secret.

That means... besides Ah Jian himself, only the editor and I know.

As an outsider, Ah Jian certainly wouldn't tell you.

Seeing Mikazuki Haruna pouting, Natsume Mio said again, "You don't actually have any drafts saved up, do you?"

"Of course I have it," Mikazuki Haruna said, sounding somewhat reluctant.

Yes, there are some, but they're only for one episode at most; the rest are just storyboards.

Previously, they were remaking the earlier content, and now there are high requirements for the animation. Even if she draws the storyboard quickly, the processes of outlining and background cannot be accelerated.

The original team members were already working overtime every day; speeding up the process any further would affect the quality.

Actually, Sakamoto Ken said that to Mikazuki Haruna on purpose.

It wasn't for reasons of secrecy, but rather because if this guy knew how big the gap was between them, he would probably feel very frustrated.

After all, Chainsaw Man has only been updated to chapter 8, and the drafts are already up to chapter 18. In between, a short story was even completed.

Haruna Mikazuki has a very strong competitive spirit. She is most motivated when there is a slight gap between her and the opponent, but if she feels that the gap is too big... she will just start playing aggressively.

Anyway, she doesn't need to make money from comics. When her own comics are completely abandoned, she'll just keep an eye on him and urge him to update, which will be the same old story from last week.

Being locked in a small, dark room to rush the manuscript was mentally and physically exhausting, and it also led to being out of contact for several days in a row. I had to make up an excuse to tell the other two that I was in seclusion at a suburban guesthouse working on the manuscript...

Fortunately, he was indeed rushing to finish his manuscript, and in the end, he was able to produce enough manuscripts to prove his point and then seduce them.

On the other hand, the fact that he said this in front of both of them at the same time made Natsume Mio feel that she was the most special person, creating a sense of superiority over Haruna on a psychological level.

This is to give Natsume Mio an advantage; otherwise, if the opponent has financial power, and she really starts a financial offensive and uses her family connections, it will be very difficult to win later on.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Ken Sakamoto may have said something casually; he had thought it through carefully.

Isn't Tokyo supposed to be like a dating sim?

Last week's playthrough was my first time playing this game, so getting a bad ending is normal.

But it's okay, this is the second playthrough.

As someone who has also been exposed to cheaters, I have a more advanced understanding of them.

Ken Sakamoto had already gotten up and sat down at the desk against the wall, placing a new sheet of manuscript paper on it.

Of course, he didn't really intend to start drawing right now. Instead, he turned around and looked at Haruna and Mio.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Mikazuki Haruna asked.

Ken Sakamoto nodded as a matter of course and said, "Of course, the more manuscripts the better."

Haruna Mikazuki glanced at the tools on Ken Sakamoto's desk and said, "You only need to prepare drawing tools? Don't you have any references?"

"What do you need to reference?" Ken Sakamoto asked. "Human anatomy, motion, and stuff like that. You don't even have a computer..."

When Haruna Mikazuki draws, she refers to 3D sketching dolls in specialized software for dynamic poses, and she looks for reference images or looks directly in the mirror when drawing details.

But in any case, it's necessary to find some references.

After all, it's a comic strip, not a work of art.

Drawing speed is very important; without any reference, adjustments and modifications can take a lot of time.

Moreover, she clearly remembered that Ken Sakamoto needed to refer to other artists when he drew.

CSP software, some art books, and sometimes even directly posing her...

"I'll buy the computer once the royalties arrive, but I don't need these references," Ken Sakamoto said.

"No need to gather materials?" Mikazuki Haruna said.

Ken Sakamoto shook his head: "Chainsaw Man is not about the details of the artwork."

“Oh…” Mikazuki Haruna nodded thoughtfully.

It's completely different from what I remember.

Originally, Ah Jian was supposed to draw "Young Lady, Sniper Rifle, and Pantyhose!", but now it has become "Chainsaw Man," with a completely different style.

Listening to their conversation, Natsume Mio finally interjected, "Actually, Ken, if you need any research, I can help you!"

“What kind of materials can you help him find?” Mikazuki Haruna said. “You’re not an art student, you don’t know anything about drawing.”

"It's just about helping Ken find subjects and drawing. Ken can draw, that's fine," Natsume Mio said. "For example, if Ken needs a model for drawing, he can just ask me."

As she spoke, Natsume Mio crossed her arms and straightened her back, attempting to directly suppress her opponent numerically.

“Tch, all you have is big breasts…” Mikazuki Haruna said. “Breasts are the easiest to draw, so you don’t need any reference.”

"Then what should we refer to?" Natsume Mio asked.

“Feet, that’s the hardest part to draw,” Mikazuki Haruna said. “The human body has 206 bones, 52 of which are in the feet. The most skilled artists are those who can draw the dynamics of the feet well.”

Haruna Mikazuki remembered this theory very clearly.

It was during a discussion about painting that Ah Jian asked her to be his model, which was in that memory.

In her memory, this guy was a foot fetishist.

But for some reason, apart from the scene where Power sits with his legs crossed, there are no other scenes like this in "Chainsaw Man".

Even in this scene with Pava, the brushstrokes are rather rough. If it were the Sakamoto Ken I know, he would have drawn down to the lunula and shimmer on the toenails...

Could it be that his current XP version wasn't actually this one, but changed later?

"Is the hardest thing to draw... the feet?"

Mio Natsume didn't know much about painting, but comparing the shapes of the feet and chest, even from her layman's perspective, she felt that Haruna Mikazuki's words made sense.

The former, from the ankle to the instep, toes, and sides of the foot... has many movable joints, making it very complex to draw.

For the latter, a curved line will suffice.

Even the lines cannot have any undulations due to restrictions.

After all, A-Jian draws serious shonen comics, which all feature characters wearing clothes, so there's no need for his artwork in that regard.

But then she thought about it again and said, "But I still have an advantage over you."

"What advantage?"

"You can draw feet for Ken, and I can too, so it's a tie," Natsume Mio pointed out. "But you don't have any breasts~"

(End of this chapter)