Chapter 6: I Am Sangatsu Haru

Sakamoto Ken turned and saw Editor Kaji also walking out of a meeting room, and he hurriedly chased after her.

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

“Sakamoto-sensei, is there another problem?” Kaji Keiko asked.

Sakamoto Ken raised his hand and pointed at the poster, saying, “That work, what’s the deal with it?!”

“Miss Sniper, and Pantyhose?” Kaji Keiko read the title aloud, then asked, puzzled, “What’s wrong with this work?”

Something is very wrong!

That’s the manga I wrote!

In his previous life, it was serialized in a niche magazine. In this life, he threw the original manuscript into the trash can two weeks ago.

So how could it appear on Shueisha’s new work poster wall?!

The key was, Sakamoto Ken couldn’t just say that directly.

He took a deep breath, forced himself to remain calm, and said, “I just think the title is interesting, so I wanted to ask you about it, Editor-san…”

“I haven’t heard of this title,” Kaji Keiko said, pinching her chin in thought. “It’s definitely not a new work from our department. All new works to be published are discussed at the group meetings.”

Could someone have stolen the manuscript I threw in the trash?

Sakamoto Ken frowned in thought, then dismissed the idea.

Two weeks ago, the manuscript for that manga was still in a rough draft state, with no cover or color pages.

But the female protagonist on the poster was a perfect match for the color page image specially prepared for the serialization in his past life.

The same hair color, the same style of clothing, the same pose, and even the details of the sniper rifle were identical!

“Is it a manga that’s already being serialized?” Sakamoto Ken continued to ask.

“That’s strange…” Kaji Keiko thought for a moment, then saw a colleague walk by and stopped him. “Noda-san, do you know what the situation is with that new manga?”

The editor named Noda looked in the direction Kaji Keiko was pointing and also shook his head. “Is it from another editorial team? Saikyō Jump or Jump SQ?”

“Only works from the main JUMP magazine can go on the new work wall, right?” Kaji Keiko said.

“That’s true. Could it be an established author poached from another publisher?” Noda was also confused. “I don’t think this was mentioned at the group meeting?”

Kaji Keiko said to Sakamoto Ken, “It happens occasionally. An author from another publisher transfers over and might contact the editor-in-chief directly. But this author is called…”

Kaji Keiko walked closer to the poster, examining it carefully, and saw the author’s name on it.

“Sangatsu Haru… Never heard of them.” Kaji Keiko shook her head.

Kaji Keiko had been a manga editor for several years and had always paid attention to the industry. It was safe to say she knew the names of all even slightly famous authors.

“Found it, found it.” Noda held up his phone, showing the screen to Kaji Keiko. “JUMP CHANNEL is doing a special interview for this manga. A new author wouldn’t get that kind of treatment, would they?”

“Is that so…” Kaji Keiko pondered for a moment, then said, “It’s probably something the editor-in-chief negotiated with the author-sensei directly, so it didn’t go through the group meeting.”

While Kaji and Noda were discussing it, Sakamoto Ken was breaking out in a cold sweat.

Sangatsu Haru, Sangatsu Haru…

Repeating this pen name a few times, the name that popped into his mind was one that was familiar to his very bones.

Mikazuki Haruna.

All three characters were contained within the name.

But on the other hand, “Sangatsu Haru” wasn’t exactly an obscure pen name.

March (sangatsu) is the middle of spring (haru). If one wanted a pen name related to the seasons, it was easy to think of this term.

“Oh dear, that’s trouble…” Kaji Keiko said to Sakamoto Ken with some vexation. “Sakamoto-sensei, if this person really is an author poached by the editor-in-chief, I’m afraid the open slot in the next issue of the main JUMP magazine will go to them.”

Sakamoto Ken felt his thoughts were in a bit of a jumble.

This is clearly my work!

Could it be that the world line changed due to my rebirth, causing Haruna to publish this work?

Sakamoto Ken took out his phone and took a picture of the poster.

“I was just curious about this poster… Editor-san, I’ll be heading back now…”

“Okay, okay, Sakamoto-sensei. Don’t be discouraged if you’re not selected for this issue. There will be other chances. It’s also good to build up some popularity on JUMP+ first,” Kaji Keiko said to Sakamoto Ken.

“Alright, thank you, Editor Kaji.”

He didn’t care whether he would be selected for magazine serialization in the next issue. With the foundation of Chainsaw Man, it was bound to get a spot sooner or later.

The key was, he wanted to figure out the origin of that manga.

Walking out of the Shueisha building and getting back on the train, Sakamoto Ken searched his phone for news about Miss Sniper, and Pantyhose!.

The first thing he saw was the official news release from JUMP.

“A special live interview? Is that the kind of treatment a normal newcomer gets?”

Sakamoto Ken clicked to set a reminder for the live stream, planning to see just who this “Sangatsu Haru” really was.

…

On the side of the Shueisha building.

A staff member was pasting a new poster onto the external promotional board.

Natsume Mio had originally planned to just wander around a bit and then wait at the front of the building to see when Ken would come out.

But this poster made her stop in her tracks.

Natsume Mio examined the poster carefully until the staff member left.

She was certain that the female protagonist on the poster was identical to the one in the manga drawn by Ken in her memory.

However, the author’s name written on it was “Sangatsu Haru.” This probably wasn’t Ken’s work; she must have mixed up the memories in her dream.

Even in the dream, Ken had used his real name as his pen name.

Just then, a fashionably dressed girl walked over from across the street, looking at the newly pasted poster with great interest.

Natsume Mio glanced at her. She was a beautiful girl, no doubt, but she wasn’t interested in beautiful girls, so she didn’t pay much attention.

“Hi~”

However, the other girl greeted her first.

Natsume Mio turned to look at the girl who seemed to be her age and replied politely, “Hello.”

A smug smile hung on the girl’s lips as she said, “Do you like this poster?”

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

“Then be sure to follow it,” the girl said, tapping her finger on the poster. “This is my work, you know~”

“You’re Sangatsu Haru?” Natsume Mio was slightly surprised.

Mikazuki Haruna puffed out her chest. As she opened her mouth to speak, her gaze subconsciously swept over Natsume Mio’s chest, and her ten-out-of-ten confidence suddenly diminished by a few points.

Wait, why am I envying a stranger’s chest…

“Ahem!” Mikazuki Haruna coughed lightly and said, “I am Sangatsu Haru. The manga will be published on JUMP+ tonight. Have you downloaded the app? If not, hurry up and get it. You can set a reminder for it~”

“I don’t read manga on my phone…” Natsume Mio felt a little awkward with the other girl’s overly familiar personality.

Mikazuki Haruna said “Oh,” then continued, “No worries, no worries. Do you read Shonen JUMP then? If all goes well, we’ll be published in JUMP in a few weeks.”

“That amazing?” Natsume Mio said. “It’s hard to get published in JUMP, isn’t it?”

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

Natsume Mio had intended to leave directly, but she was particularly interested in this manga that had once appeared in her dream.

As if possessed, she said to the girl with the pen name “Sangatsu Haru,” “What a coincidence. Could I take a picture with you?”

“Sure!” Mikazuki Haruna’s eyebrows shot up, and she agreed in a heartbeat.

It was great that someone was interested in her work.

“Then let’s take it in front of the poster,” Mikazuki Haruna said, pointing at the poster.

And so, the two stood close together, using the poster as a background, raised their hands in a peace sign, and took a photo together.

“Alright, alright, I have important business to attend to at the company, so bye-bye for now~ Be sure to support me, okay?” Mikazuki Haruna waved at Natsume Mio.

(End of Chapter)