Master of the Machete Style Manga

Chapter 151 Ah Jian is in my hands

I slept soundly through the night, just as Ai said, I couldn't play online at night.

It's a little bit of a pity.

Ken Sakamoto got up early and went to a convenience store to buy two rice balls and a bottle of coffee milk for a simple breakfast.

Before 7:30, he sat down at his drawing table and quickly got into work mode.

It's already early April, and the studio has been running smoothly for a week.

The three assistants, Tatsuya Endo, Yuji Kaku, and Yuji Endo, have fully adapted to Ken Sakamoto's workflow, as well as the characters and art style of Chainsaw Man. The studio's efficiency is also increasing, and the requirement of releasing two episodes per week can be easily achieved.

Initially, Ken Sakamoto also needed to meticulously annotate the background details, halftone paper requirements, and even the emotional atmosphere on the storyboard.

But now, as his assistants gain a deeper understanding of the work, his storyboards no longer need to be drawn in such detail.

At 8:30 a.m., the three assistants arrived at the studio one after another and immediately got to work.

It wasn't until nearly 11 a.m. that Ken Sakamoto finished drawing the last panel of chapter 38 of "Chainsaw Man".

The Public Security arc is nearly halfway through, and next we'll move on to the Reige arc. This part was made into a standalone animated film last time, and it was the core climax of the entire first part.

Ken Sakamoto took a short break and put the manuscript of "Chainsaw Man" aside for the time being.

He now had enough storyboards for his three assistants to work on for a long time, so he switched to drawing the beginning of "The Quintessential Quintuplets".

Unlike Chainsaw Man, which relies on impactful paneling and wild lines to evoke emotions, The Quintessential Quintuplets is a romance manga that centers on beautiful girls, which means that the character artwork needs to be more detailed.

Fortunately, he also had complete memories of the original work in his mind.

It was a bit slower to draw than drawing the chainsaw man, but it was still smooth.

What he needs to do now is to draw the first few chapters in their entirety to establish the overall art style and tone of the work.

Just then, the phone on the table vibrated.

It was a LINE message from Natsume Mio.

He clicked on it casually; it was a photo.

The background of the photo appears to be her kitchen counter, which is covered with various ingredients: broccoli, sausages cut into the shape of small octopuses, a carton of eggs, and Wagyu beef.

Natsume Mio: "Ken, lunchtime bento! I'm making yakiniku sauce and beef. I'm making two today, so we can eat together~ /cute"

Kenjiro Sakamoto has eaten Mio's bento several times, and it's fair to say that her cooking skills have improved a lot since last time.

Ken Sakamoto: "Thank you, it looks very sumptuous."

He directly opened the transfer interface and entered a number.

"You transferred 10000 yen of your LINE Pay balance to Natsume Mio."

Natsume Mio: "Huh? Ken, you don't need so much!"

Ken Sakamoto: "The extra amount is considered an advance payment, which includes the next portion."

He wants to define this relationship as "service" rather than "giving".

In this way, the relationship between him and her would be purely financial.

On the other side, Natsume Mio looked at the transfer. Although the message said she didn't want it, she felt a sweet warmth in her heart.

Ah Jian, is he... keeping me as a sugar daddy?

Wait a minute? Something feels off...

Mio Natsume felt something was off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Never mind! It must be because he likes the food I cook.

Natsume Mio: "Okay then~ Thanks, Ken! /Happy"

Ken Sakamoto turned to look at his three assistants, who were still engrossed in their work.

He then briefly explained the key points for the storyboard drafts of the following episodes to Ryuyuki and the other two, before receiving a call from Keiko Kaji.

Keiko Kaji didn't come to the studio this morning. Ken Sakamoto guessed that she had work to do at her company, which was why she didn't come.

He pressed the answer button: "Hello, Kaji-san?" "Sakamoto-sensei!" came Kaji Keiko's slightly hurried voice from the other end of the phone, "Are you free now? At the studio?"

"Yes, what's up?"

Kaji Keiko said, "It's a bit sudden, but you need to come to the company now! There's a very important meeting!"

"Important meeting?"

"It's about the anime adaptation!" Keiko Kaji said quickly. "It's a meeting to determine the number of episodes and the content! People from the investors and the production company are here. We just finished a meeting about character design. Originally, you, Sakamoto-sensei, didn't need to be there, but the person in charge of the investors suddenly said they wanted you to attend as well, since you're the one who knows the work best!"

For Ken Sakamoto, adapting the story into an anime was of course his top priority.

He immediately stood up: "Okay, I'll be right there, and I'll bring the storyboards for the rest of the time too."

"Okay! We'll wait for you!"

After hanging up the phone, Ken Sakamoto looked at his three assistants in the studio.

"Everyone, I have to go to a meeting at Shueisha, so I'll leave today's work to you all."

"Okay, Mr. Sakamoto, you're busy!"

Ken Sakamoto nodded, then quickly walked to the photocopier and made a copy of the storyboard for "Chainsaw Man" that he hadn't yet given to Keiko Kaji.

Coincidentally, the storyboard has now reached the end of the first season of the anime last week. Bringing it over will reassure the investors, as it means that there is no need to worry about any problems with the subsequent content creation of the entire first season.

After putting the photocopied storyboard into a file bag, Ken Sakamoto slung his backpack over his shoulder, quickly left the studio, and hailed a taxi to Shueisha.

Ken Sakamoto, sitting in the back seat of the car, sent a message to Mio Natsume.

Ken Sakamoto: "Mio, there's an urgent matter at the company that needs me to come over for a meeting right away. I might not be at the studio at noon."

The message was sent, and Natsume Mio's reply popped up immediately.

Natsume Mio: "Huh?! So rushed?! But I've already started making my bento!"

Ken Sakamoto: "I'm so sorry, but the meeting is very important; it's about the anime adaptation, and I have to go."

Mio Natsume: "It's going to be adapted into an anime! Ken, then work should take priority! How about I bring my lunch to the office? You need to eat lunch eventually, right?"

Ken Sakamoto thought about it and agreed.

Ken Sakamoto: "That's fine, but I'm not sure how long the meeting will last."

Natsume Mio: "It's okay! I'll come find you at noon, it'll be packed in a thermal container, so it's fine if it's a little late."

Ken Sakamoto: "Okay, see you at noon."

The taxi quickly stopped in front of the Shueisha building.

Ken Sakamoto paid the fare, got out of the car, and strode into the familiar building.

……

Meanwhile, at the coffee shop diagonally opposite Shueisha.

A girl wearing a black baseball cap was sitting by the window.

The brim of her hat was pulled low, covering most of her face, revealing only her delicate chin and a hint of red lips with a faint smile.

She held a steaming latte in her hand, her gaze fixed on the entrance of the building across the street.

When the familiar young man got out of the taxi and strode into the building, the girl's smile widened even more.

Just now, Natsume Mio sent her a picture of a table full of ingredients, as if she had won something.

She immediately asked Kyoko Hanabe and learned that she was in a meeting at Shueisha to discuss the anime adaptation.

So she was immediately instructed to have the editor notify Kenya Sakamoto to attend a meeting.

The girl clicked her tongue softly, put down her coffee cup, and muttered to herself.

"Mio, Mio, just make bento boxes..."

"Ah Jian, but he's in my hands."

(End of this chapter)