Chapter 63: Everyone In Position
Tower Apartment in Bunkyo Ward.
Hoshihara Ai lazily sank into the lounge chair, her long, fair legs casually crossed, her smooth heels lightly resting on the low table in front of her, her two big toes inadvertently hooked together.
She raised the whiskey glass, the amber liquid swirling around the round ice cube, and took a light sip at her lips.
And just then, the shot on the TV screen pulled back, and a young man appeared in the center of the illustration.
“Hello, everyone. I’m Sakamoto Ken.”
When the shot focused on Sakamoto Ken’s face, Hoshihara Ai’s motion of raising the glass suddenly froze.
“Pfft—”
Hoshihara Ai’s hand shook, and the liquor spilled directly onto her face, the liquid along with the ice cube sliding down onto her body.
But Hoshihara Ai didn’t care at all about her body getting wet with the liquor; her eyes were fixed intently on the face of that man on the screen.
She had already seen this face several times in her dreams, and the instant it appeared on the screen, she recognized it.
It really is him!
Hoshihara Ai abruptly sat up from the lounge chair, stepping through the wet liquor, and quickly walked to the TV screen.
“It really is you, Sakamoto Ken!”
……
In the live broadcast room, Sakamoto Ken’s appearance made the comment section even more lively.
「Here he comes, here he comes! Sakamoto Ken Sensei!」
「Is the author really this young?」
「Damn it, he could clearly make a living off his looks, but he insists on relying on talent!」
「Why does the author only know about breasts? Can’t he draw more beautiful feet?」
Host Onodera watched the constantly refreshing comments, then turned to Sakamoto Ken and began asking preset questions.
The whole process was actually very formulaic, just the usual interview routine.
Until the segment for reading comments, Onodera randomly picked one.
「Sakamoto Sensei! Can you tell us about your upcoming creation plans? Will 《Chainsaw Man》 keep updating two chapters weekly?」
“Looks like a reader has asked the next question for me. Sakamoto Sensei, everyone is very concerned about the updates.”
“I’ll try to keep it up,” Sakamoto Ken answered. “However, besides 《Chainsaw Man》, I’ve actually been creating another short story manga recently.”
“Eh?”
This answer not only surprised the audience, but even Onodera showed a surprised expression.
“Sakamoto Sensei, you mean… while guaranteeing two weekly chapters for the serialization, you still have the energy to create a brand new short story?” Onodera’s tone was full of disbelief.
“Yeah, with some effort, I can always draw it,” Sakamoto Ken said casually.
“Then… can you give a little introduction to this short story work?” Onodera followed up.
Sakamoto Ken didn’t answer immediately but turned his gaze to Kaji Keiko beside him: “Editor, is it appropriate to talk about it here?”
Kaji Keiko smiled and nodded: “No problem, Sakamoto Sensei. For that call for submissions event, Shueisha is one of the organizers, so it’s a good chance to promote it.”
Sakamoto Ken then faced the camera again.
“I’m planning to enter the Future Film Star Award jointly hosted by Netflix and Shueisha. This short story is created for that, but it’s still in creation right now, so the specific content will remain confidential for now,” Sakamoto Ken said.
He was actually thinking that since the competition has a reader voting segment, some early hype would definitely help with the future selection.
He really needed that submission bonus.
Kaji Keiko added: “Sakamoto Sensei is entering the Campus Star track, by the way. Everyone might not know, but Sakamoto Sensei is currently a university student.”
“Wow! He’s actually a college guy?” Host Onodera made a well-trained exaggerated expression.
Sakamoto Ken waved his hand and corrected: “To be precise, I’m a prospective university student; I’ve only just graduated from high school.”
Host Onodera glanced at the cue card in her hand, knowing it was time to move to the next segment.
She smiled slightly at Sakamoto Ken and said: “Sakamoto Sensei, during your 《Chainsaw Man》 serialization, there’s actually another work that’s recently sparked a lot of discussion on the JUMP+ platform.”
“And, very coincidentally, not only is it serialized at the same time as Sakamoto Sensei’s work, but it’s also updating two chapters a week.”
“I wonder if Sakamoto Sensei has read Miyuki Haru Sensei’s 《Young Lady, Sniper Rifle, and Pantyhose!》?”
Onodera looked at the real-time audience comments; indeed, a few comments occasionally popped up saying they were following that manga, but the proportion wasn’t large.
Sakamoto Ken was slightly surprised but still said calmly: “Yeah, I’m following it too. It’s a really good manga with exquisite art style; the author has great skill.”
“Yeah, yeah!” The host immediately chimed in. “Speaking of which, we’ve heard some interesting intel.”
Onodera paused for a moment, then continued: “The author of 《Young Lady》, Miyuki Haru Sensei, is actually a reader of Sakamoto Ken Sensei.”
“So…”
The host’s voice deliberately drew out here.
“The editorial department has decided to invite Miyuki Haru Sensei to our live broadcast site to chat together about creation topics!”
As she spoke, she pointed toward the side door leading to the backstage.
“Let’s welcome Miyuki Haru Sensei!”
Sakamoto Ken: “Wait, what???”
……
Hoshihara Ai didn’t care about this female author.
What she cared about was the call for submissions event just mentioned.
“Future Film Star…”
Hoshihara Ai immediately picked up her mobile phone to check her email.
She found that invitation letter marked as “pending.”
She scanned the entire invitation letter again; the committee had invited her to serve as a judge for the Campus Star track…
It had been several years since she last published a science fiction novel.
She originally had no intention of accepting; she didn’t want to waste energy on these matters.
But since they invited her, and Sakamoto Ken was participating in the call for submissions, she definitely had to join.
Hoshihara Ai’s fingertip quickly tapped on the screen, and a reply email was sent out.
Sakamoto Ken, it seems we’re destined to meet…
Regarding the research topic she’s currently conceiving, she now has more ideas.
But the experimental subject for this research can only be you…
How to make you willingly become my experimental subject?
Hoshihara Ai entered the works display page for the call for submissions event; there were already many manga covers displayed here.
Covers, book titles, synopses, author introductions…
But it was still a bit early now; after all, Sakamoto Ken had just said his work was still in creation.
The call for submissions deadline was at the end of this month, so no need to wait too long.
When the time comes, should she use her power as a judge to give his work a high score?
Hoshihara Ai shook her head, rejecting the idea.
She wouldn’t cheat, and of course she wouldn’t help others cheat, even if that person was Sakamoto Ken.
When the time comes, she’ll carefully look at his work and give a fair and objective score.
Most importantly, she could contact him through this competition.
But speaking of which…
Hoshihara Ai looked back at the live broadcast screen and felt that Sakamoto Ken’s expression had some subtle change after seeing this female author.
Yes, this female author was indeed quite good-looking.
But did he have to stare with such wide eyes?
Recalling the image of Sakamoto Ken in her memory, this guy…
Seemed to be dating three women including her at the same time, and then got killed by them together…
Could it be that you’re really the kind of guy who can’t resist a pretty face?
