Chapter 15: Ken, I’m Sorry…

Sakamoto Ken never intended to hide the matter of his manga.

He didn’t want to go through the trouble of customizing three different sets of stories for three different people like he did in his previous life.

So far, the only one he had come into contact with in reality was Natsume Mio.

Actually, if he were to follow the most risk-averse plan, he should get together with her right now and cut off any possibility of meeting the other two again.

Sakamoto Ken had, of course, considered this, but upon serious thought, he felt he couldn’t do it…

It would be fine if they didn’t remember the events of the last life. In that case, everyone would just be strangers.

But if they all had those memories…

It was hard to say whether they would actively seek him out.

Just like Natsume Mio before him.

…

In the store.

After seven in the evening, the number of customers in the convenience store gradually decreased.

At eight o’clock, it was already time for Natsume Mio to get off work.

Sakamoto Ken’s work hours were from 7 PM to 1 AM, and Natsume Mio’s were from 2 PM to 8 PM, six hours each, with a one-hour overlap.

This one hour was specifically arranged by the manager for the handover, and also for Sakamoto Ken to train the new employee.

Natsume Mio had already changed back into her casual clothes and was sitting in the store’s dining area. She held a triangular rice ball in her hand, took a small bite, chewed, licked her lips, and silently watched Sakamoto Ken.

Sakamoto Ken tidied up the things on the cash register, then walked straight over and sat down opposite her.

Natsume Mio’s small mouth had just bitten into the rice ball. Seeing Sakamoto Ken approach, her chewing motion paused.

She didn’t continue to bite down, but instead released her mouth, lowering the rice ball slightly, a glistening droplet of moisture trailing from it.

Sakamoto Ken stared into Natsume Mio’s eyes and asked directly, “I asked you before why you came to work here. The reason you gave was actually a lie, wasn’t it?”

Natsume Mio’s expression stiffened slightly. She forced a smile at the corners of her mouth, laughed awkwardly, and said, “Ha… what are you talking about? Of course it’s true… I just felt that working near home, I’d run into acquaintances…”

“How did you know I live around here?” Sakamoto Ken directly ignored her explanation and continued to press.

Being stared at so intently by Sakamoto Ken, Natsume Mio felt uncomfortable all over, as if she had been completely seen through by him.

She scooted her bottom back, so nervous that the rice ball in her hand was already squeezed out of shape.

Natsume Mio took a deep breath and said in a small voice, “Ken, if I said… I dreamed it, would you believe me?”

“A dream?” Sakamoto Ken immediately pressed on. “What did you dream about?”

Natsume Mio organized her thoughts and continued, “I dreamed about you and me. I dreamed that we, we… were living together…”

“Living together?” Sakamoto Ken stated it plainly.

“Huh?” Natsume Mio lowered her head slightly, timidly raising her eyelids to glance at Sakamoto Ken, and let out a soft “mm.”

“Just living together? Anything else?” Sakamoto Ken continued to ask.

“Anything else?” Natsume Mio was a little dazed by Sakamoto Ken’s series of questions. She hadn’t thought about how to answer at all.

“Like the cause and effect, how much do you remember about that dream?” Sakamoto Ken asked, leaning his body forward slightly, a hint of inquiry in his eyes. “I want to know what kind of fantasies you’re having about me.”

Natsume Mio sat on the hard stool, feeling a little stiff all over.

That dream… besides what was related to Ken, everything else was blurry.

“Hmm?” Sakamoto Ken looked at Natsume Mio with a questioning tone.

Sakamoto Ken’s voice was like a hemp rope, binding her tightly, making it impossible for her to move.

Natsume Mio felt a little wronged, her eyes welling up with tears, but this feeling turned into something strange… a feeling.

She subconsciously leaned her body forward slightly, her buttocks grinding against the stool, and squeezed her legs together. A subtle, numbing sensation flickered in her lower abdomen.

She thought of the dream that lingered in her mind, of all her fantasies about Ken.

She thought of the experiences she and Ken had in that dream.

She thought of her hands tied behind her back, kneeling on the ground, wagging her tail and begging him.

She thought of how she had followed Ken out of some inexplicable jealousy, only to discover him with another woman, and then…

She had actually raised a knife to him.

The key was that she couldn’t remember their faces. She couldn’t see anyone’s face clearly except for Ken’s. That must mean it was all just her own wild imagination, right?

Although it was all a dream, all fictional, the reason she had such a dream must be because she had so many dark thoughts in her heart.

“Ken… I… I’m sorry… It was me, I took the liberty of… you…”

Natsume Mio’s emotions were on the verge of release. She bit her lip tightly, her hands braced on the table, and suddenly bowed deeply to Sakamoto Ken, her braided ponytail swinging high from the motion.

With her emotions completely released, Natsume Mio no longer suppressed her voice, almost shouting, “I really dreamed of this convenience store, dreamed that we worked here together, so, so I came here on my own!”

It seemed he had successfully stirred Mio’s emotions.

Sakamoto Ken maintained a placid expression and said, “Actually, since middle school, I’ve known what you were thinking.”

Natsume Mio was slightly startled, her lips trembling as she said, “So Ken knew all along…”

“Let me ask you a question first,” Sakamoto Ken said, word by word. “Why do you like me?”

“Huh?” Natsume Mio felt her heart suddenly leap, not expecting Sakamoto Ken to be so direct.

She bit her moist lip, pondered for a long while, then muttered, “Liking someone… doesn’t need a reason, does it?”

“How can there be no reason?” Sakamoto Ken said. “Perhaps it’s liking someone’s talent, or their appearance, or their money. Of course, it’s also possible to just want to have sex with them. These are all reasons.”

“Then I… mainly…” Natsume Mio frowned in thought, trying to find the correct answer. After a good while, she said, “It’s talent. I like Ken’s talent.”

“That’s shallow,” Sakamoto Ken shook his head and said. “Liking someone’s talent is like watching a brilliant movie. You admire the director’s talent, but would you want to be in a relationship with the director?”

“No…” Natsume Mio changed her answer again. “Ken, actually, everyone says you’re quite handsome…”

“That’s also shallow. For example, if you see a handsome star in a magazine, would you want to be in a relationship with him?”

“No…”

“So, neither of these are reasons to be in a relationship,” Sakamoto Ken said.

“Then what else? The… the last one…” Natsume Mio mumbled in a small voice.

“Sex?” Sakamoto Ken shook his head lightly, looked at Natsume Mio, and said in a very serious tone, “What do you think is the essence of that kind of thing?”

“What… is it?”

“That kind of thing is just nerve endings receiving pressure, transmitting some electrical signals, which in turn causes glands to secrete, making the brain produce an illusion of comfort, pleasure, and self-forgetfulness. In fact, nothing has happened. It’s just two pieces of protein undergoing high-frequency displacement at close range,” Sakamoto Ken said.

“Ken, what are you talking about?” Natsume Mio felt her thoughts were being twisted into a knot.

Sakamoto Ken continued, “The three situations I just mentioned don’t count as real feelings. If a relationship is built on these things, it’s just a castle in the air. For example, a writer can run out of inspiration, a handsome man will grow old, and even sexual ability will gradually decline with age.”

“But I don’t care about those things!” Natsume Mio shook her head vigorously and said.

“Because you think with your emotions, not with reason,” Sakamoto Ken said with a feigned sigh of感慨. He continued, “Natsume-san, do you know about my family situation?”

Natsume Mio immediately lowered her head, avoiding Sakamoto Ken’s gaze. After a moment of silence, she shook her head with a very small motion.

Everything she knew came from that dream.

Although she had actually visited the places she saw in the dream, proving that the dream was indeed some kind of “premonition.”

But she also knew that there were fictional elements in the dream.

For example, Ken later becoming a scumbag, and her killing Ken together with two other women…

And for another example, that manga called Miss Sniper, and Pantyhose! was clearly drawn by a female author.

“I don’t know… Ken, you’ve never talked about your family…” Natsume Mio said in a small voice.

As the two were talking, the sound of a customer entering came from the convenience store’s main door.

Sakamoto Ken turned his head to look and saw that it was the manager who had gone out in the afternoon, now returned.

He quickly stood up and walked to the manager. “Manager-san, may I take a break? I’ll just be out for a bit, ten minutes or so, I’ll be right back.”

The elderly manager didn’t think much of it and immediately nodded in agreement. “Yes, that’s fine. Just don’t be too long.”

Sakamoto Ken nodded, then looked back at Natsume Mio. “Come with me for a moment.”

With that, he strode out of the convenience store.

(End of Chapter)