Chapter 120: Leftover White Socks
Sakamoto Ken let go of his hand.
But Natsume Mio was still holding on tightly until Sakamoto Ken’s gaze shifted to their hands, then she reluctantly let go.
She first crouched down, picked up the damaged manuscript paper from that page, held it in her hands, and handed it to Sakamoto Ken.
Sakamoto Ken reached out to take it, simply smoothed it out, but didn’t pay much attention, and put it together with the other manuscript paper.
Natsume Mio stood by the side, watching Sakamoto Ken put away the drawings, the guilt in her heart for damaging his hard work eased a little, but the shock from that kiss earlier still left her heart in turmoil.
She watched Sakamoto Ken walk to the largest drawing table inside, sit down, take out new storyboard paper, his actions very natural, as if nothing had happened just now.
“A Jian… are you going to continue working next?” Natsume Mio asked softly.
Sakamoto Ken nodded and said, “Yeah, school is about to start soon, time definitely won’t be as plentiful then, so I need to stock up on more storyboard drafts.”
Natsume Mio silently watched his figure sitting at the drawing table.
Her mood was still very complicated.
That just now was her first kiss!
Although A Jian had forcibly explained it as “gathering material” with some strange reasoning, saying it didn’t count as a first kiss.
But for her, it was definitely the first time kissing a boy.
That wet, hot sensation, and the faint scent on his body… just recalling it made her cheeks flush and her heart race.
But… wasn’t Sakamoto Ken being too calm like this?
Except for that momentary surprise when she ambushed him at the beginning, he had been exceptionally composed afterward.
It was as if… kissing was nothing worth making a fuss about for him.
It was as if… he was already used to kissing…
No way? Had A Jian been in romance before?
Even more than one?
As soon as this thought emerged, Natsume Mio quickly shook her head to shake it out of her mind.
No way!
Those memories from the dream, even if they were real, were things from the future.
At least up to now, A Jian definitely hadn’t been in romance!
He was just… just more mature, better at controlling his emotions!
She watched Sakamoto Ken intently inking lines on the storyboard paper.
When he drew, his expression was especially serious, the outline of his side profile particularly distinct under the light of the desk lamp.
Natsume Mio watched and watched, and became a bit entranced again.
However, she also realized that standing here seemed a bit superfluous…
A Jian was focusing on work, would she be disturbing him by staying here?
When Sakamoto Ken finished the current page of storyboard draft and looked up to stretch his neck, Natsume Mio spoke up: “Um… A Jian, I’ll head back first? I have vocal music class next…”
Sakamoto Ken looked up at her, his face showing no particular expression, just nodded lightly, then waved to her: “Yeah, see you.”
“Yeah…” Natsume Mio responded, feeling a little disappointed now that she was leaving.
She silently turned and walked toward the doorway.
Hearing the sound of the door being gently closed, the pen in Sakamoto Ken’s hand didn’t stop.
Whether coming to his home or bringing food, it was all within Sakamoto Ken’s expectations.
The only exception was that kiss…
Sakamoto Ken smacked his lips, feeling a faint trace of sweetness lingering.
Whatever, although a bit unexpected, it was no big deal.
After all, she was the one who kissed him, not me kissing her.
This way, she was the one asking, not me.
So, the initiative was still firmly in his hands.
Sakamoto Ken continued to bury his head in drawing the storyboard draft.
Compared to the final manuscript that required detailed inking, blackening, and applying toning sheets, the drawing speed for storyboard drafts was much faster.
After all, with the complete illustration memory in his mind, all he needed to do was quickly sketch the key compositions, character actions, and expression highlights, then add dialogue and necessary explanations on the side.
Three hours later, Sakamoto Ken stretched lazily and put down his pen.
On the desk, there was already a thick stack of freshly completed storyboard drafts.
This was a total of over sixty pages, the content of three full chapters.
The plot had advanced to chapter 28, where Makima remotely activated her ability, justice descending from the sky, crushing enemies one by one like pinching tomatoes, and Denji had already been rescued.
After drawing continuously for three hours, even just storyboard drafts made Sakamoto feel somewhat tired.
He stood up and stretched his somewhat stiff neck and shoulders.
In the previous life, after finishing drawing, it was either Mio giving him a shoulder massage or Haruna, but Haruna’s technique wasn’t good, her strength too light, not as good as the Mikazuki massager.
His gaze inadvertently swept over the room and landed on an empty drawing table.
On it was a white canvas bag.
“Hm?” Sakamoto Ken frowned slightly and walked over.
Wasn’t this the bag Natsume Mio had carried earlier?
She forgot to take it when she left?
Sakamoto Ken picked up the canvas bag and felt it had some weight inside.
He opened the bag mouth and looked inside.
First was a zipped insulated bag; opening it revealed two stacked bento boxes inside.
Sakamoto Ken took out the insulated bag and noticed something else in the corner of the canvas bag.
A white clump…
He reached in and pulled out the clump.
It was a transparent plastic packaging bag; from the text printed on the bag, it was clear this was a socks packaging.
And inside the bag…
Sakamoto Ken poured the contents into his palm.
It was a pair of balled-up white cotton socks.
He pinched the cotton socks; they felt soft, clearly worn, with the socks turned inside out.
Sakamoto Ken immediately understood.
No wonder Mio had changed the style of socks on her feet earlier to those white calf socks with lace trim.
It seemed after she and Mikazuki Haruna left the studio at noon, she had specially gone to buy a new pair to change into, then returned.
Moreover, the old socks she changed out of were stuffed into the new socks’ packaging bag and casually tossed into the canvas bag…
This girl… she wasn’t trying to tempt me with this method, was she?
Sakamoto Ken shook his head helplessly.
What was this situation? Did he seem like a foot fetish pervert in her mind?
Sakamoto Ken looked at the cotton socks in his hand, momentarily unsure how to handle them.
Throw them away? Not good, after all, they were her things.
Wash them clean and give them back next time she came?
That would be even stranger, as if he had done something shady to her socks.
Otherwise, why wash them?
Pretend he didn’t see them?
Sakamoto Ken thought for a moment and decided to stuff the socks back into the packaging bag, then toss it back into the corner of the canvas bag.
Just leave it like this, wait for her to remember and take it next time she came.
To avoid her overthinking and imagining he had a special interest in her worn originals…
