Aoharu x Machinegun(Japanese:青春×機関銃Hepburn:Aoharu x Kikanjū) was first serialized as a one-shot in Monthly GFantasy on June 18, 2012. It is not stated whether or not this one-shot applies to the manga and anime series. This one-shot focuses on Masamune and Tōru only.
Overview[]
Masamune Matsuoka and Tōru Yukimura were childhood friends who promised to become professional soccer players together. As they grew older and drifted, they've found interests and careers. The two are reunited once again when Masamune unknowingly moves into the same apartment complex as Tōru. While surprised and overjoyed from the reunion, he finds out his childhood friend's new and unexpected hobby.
Plot[]
The story begins with a shot of young Masamune and Tōru prior to their separation in junior high school.
Masamune and Tōru are playing a survival game. Soon after, Masamune is hit to which Tōru's reaction is dramatic (behaving as if he's actually dead) with Masamune feeling that his reaction is a bit too much. While Tōru is explaining that "dead bodies shouldn't talk", he's also shot, forcing them out.
As the two run back, Masamune reminisces on what leads him into playing survival games with Tōru.
Masamune works on a host club the previous night under the name "Tsukasa". He encounters two women arguing in front of the host club he's working in, and catches one of them from falling due to broken shoe heel. He then offers to help the woman, carrying the previously reluctant woman into the club while waiting for it to be fixed. His co-workers, who witnessed it, corner him, demanding explanation and accusing him of trying to earn points. Masamune replies that his reaction is only natural, and upon hearing his reply, his co-worker angrily tries to put him to his place, calling his face pretty. Masamune is pissed on hearing that and without much thinking, smashes his fist into a nearby wall, cracking it.
Scared, his co-workers bolt away, telling him not to come to the front anymore for the night. While Masamune mops his short temper whenever people say that he's only good for his appearance, he thinks of his dream and promise to his close childhood friend. As he wonders about him, he accidently trips someone who calls him by his real name who turns out to be his childhood friend, "Yukki" (Tōru). As it turns out, he was being chased, and drags Masamune (whom he calls "Mattsun") with him.
After losing their chasers, Tōru asks why Masamune is working as a host, as is apparent from his apparel and perfume. Instead of answering, Masamune demands to know why they're chased, and Tōru reveals that he's a manga artist, and he ran away from the book signing he was supposed to attend and it was his editor who chased them. Masamune then demands to know why he doesn't fulfill his dream of becoming a pro soccer player, to which Tōru asks in kind.
Masamune reveals that he was having troubling finding a job when got scouted, but even after working as a host, he's alienated due to his looks. He had quit soccer in high school, saying he had no talent.
Flashback to back during their middle school, when Tōru was forced to move away because his parents were getting divorced. Masamune attempted to get him to stay, to no avail. As Masamune wishes they could go back to those days, Tōru pipes that he's starting to play survival games because his job doesn't require much exercising, and he heard it relieves stress. He requests Masamune to play together again. On impulse, Masamune agress with his clothes and gun provided by Tōru.
Now that the second round is about to begin, Masamune begins to question his decision of playing the survival game. He claims that the replica uniform he's wearing is not really comfortable, and questions why Tōru doesn't wear one if he's a fan of military uniform, and he replies that he doesn't think he would look good in it, and that usually people wear another kind of military uniform—much to Masamune's chagrin. As a highschooler of the opposing team (Team B) approaches him, asking to take a photograph, her friend tells her that they're only newbies, and that he's only good looking, triggering Masamune.
As the round is about to begin, Tōru attempts to calm Masamune a bit, although without much success as the two charges ahead. Tōru tries to get Masamune to slow down, but he won't let up while shooting at an enemy behing them. As Masamune charges ahead, declaring that he's not only good for his looks, decimating the enemy line in the process, Tōru then says that people aren't supposed to talk so much during a survival game before suddenly saying that he hasn't finished the storyboard, all the while shooting. Tōru then says where he's at before abruptly telling Masamune to give him ideas.
While the two exchanges ideas (with most of them being way beyond R-18, as noted by the opponents), the two continues to eliminate the enemy forces. However, before long, Tōru falls down due to tripping and losing his shoe, prompting Masamune to drag him to safety. While they're behind covers, Masamune sees scars on Tōru socked foot, and he reveals that he had an accident when he was in high school, and while he had fought for his recovery, intensive sports are no longer possible for him; even in survival games he's prone to tripping.
While Masamune is taken aback, feeling guilty for his reason of quiting soccer, Tōru reveals that he felt that it's not all bad; he gets to draw manga, he gets to see Masamune again, and they get to play together again. He also reveals that he was about to draw pure shōjo manga before ending up writing erotic love comedies. As he calls Masamune "Ace Striker", Masamune requests his help as backup. After winning the round by "capturing the enemy flag", the two cheer, and Masamune ends up helping Tōru whilte the girl highschooler who asked for a picture noted to her friend that it's cool for adults to be able to laugh like that.
On the next day, Masamune's body aches all over, and he complains that he won't be much good as a host that night. Tōru tells him that he'll lend the uniform and weapons again, asking him to play survival games with him. Masamune denies, saying that he wants to have his own gun and asks Tōru to help him with it to which Tōru enthusiasticly agrees. Masamune asks about his storyboard, and Tōru replies (it is censored) to which Masamune wonders.
Manga and one-shot comparison[]
Chapter 29 of the Aoharu x Kikanjuu manga takes place before Nagamasa resigned as Masamune's survival game partner. Masamune moves into the same apartment complex as Toru and Nagamasa is there to assist him in the process. In contrast to the one-shot, it is actually Nagamasa who introduces him to survival games instead of Toru. As Masamune and Toru reunite, Nagamasa also joins in on their friendship. It is stated that the friendship between the three was solely based on Masamune while Toru showed little to no interest in Nagamasa. In the one-shot, Toru is the one who introduces survivial games to Masamune, while in this chapter it is vice-versa. Toru begins playing survival games as Masamune's partner after Nagamasa abandons him.
