"I got it! Fine, I agree!" Kotori said, giving up. "But don't ask me to persuade the others, especially Umi-chan. She's the shyest one, so it's up to you to convince her!"
Hearing Kotori's words, Homura and Ayano looked at each other...
"Yay!" The two high-fived each other in celebration, causing Kotori to puff up her cheeks.
"Ayano, I'll leave the preparation work to you! After you finish, inform me. You have a big responsibility, so don't worry!"
"Don't worry!" Ayano promised.
"And, by the way..."
"Ah! It's really Homura-shi!" A sudden voice interrupted Homura's words.
Turning around, Homura saw the expected trio... Makishima Saori, Kosaka Kirino, and Kuroneko a.k.a Goko Ruri, but he didn't see a certain someone.
"By the way, Homura-shi, what are you doing here?" Saori asked, looking at Ayano. "Is she... your girlfriend?"
"Cough, cough!" Homura looked at her with a black line on his face. "Saori! When are you going to stop being so inappropriate!"
"Huh? Did I guess wrong?" Saori said oddly.
"Of course, you did! This is Iida Ayano, my editor from now on!" Homura explained grumpily.
"Hello, I'm Iida Ayano." Seeing Homura talk about her, she also introduced herself briefly.
"What? Do you know each other?" Kirino asked.
"Yes! This is my friend, Homura-shi!" Saori introduced him openly.
Homura helplessly said, "You should introduce me properly!"
Facing Kirino and Kuroneko, Homura introduced himself, "Hello, I'm Minamiya Homura. Saori calls me "Homura-shi" because of her habit."
"Oh, it's okay. We already know about Saori's catchphrase habit," Kirino said directly.
"I'm Kosaka Kirino, and this cosplay girl is Kuroneko." Kirino joked about Kuroneko's attire.
"Who's cosplaying?" Kuroko said to Homura. "I'm Kuroneko. By the way, this is the dress of the Queen of Nightmare."
'Did you not feel awkward speaking in a chuuni manner to strangers?' Homura nodded in agreement and then asked, "By the way, Saori, why did your otaku gathering end so fast?"
"Huh? How does Homura-shi know about our otaku gathering?" Saori exclaimed in surprise.
"I saw you! Who knows that you are also in this cafe, how could I not find you?" Homura explained.
Saori nodded in understanding. "Speaking of which, Homura-shi, what did you mean when you said that this lady is your editor?"
"It's simple!" Homura patted his own manga manuscript and said, "We're here to sign a contract for my manga today, but my editor choose a maid cafe for the meeting."
Ayano laughed boldly at his words.
"What?! Homura-shi, did you draw manga?! And you've already signed a contract?!" Saori was shocked.
The two women behind Saori were also surprised. They hadn't expected to meet a real mangaka and one who was so young at that.
"How about it? Do you want to see it?" Homura smiled and said. He looked at Ayano as he spoke.
Ayano shrugged. "In principle, it's not allowed. You're not supposed to leak a signed manuscript... But who cares? You're the author and if you don't mind, then do as you like!"
Of course, the most important thing was that Homura could be said to be the owner of Manke Bunko, so nobody else had his privileges.
"Here you go. Editor-sama is being lenient. Go ahead and take a look!"
Saori cheered, and the other two women were also excited.
Homura looked at the hesitant Kotori and said, "Come and take a look, Kotori-san. And then give me some feedback."
"Yes~! Thank you, Onii-chan!" Kotori said sweetly, causing Homura to shudder again. It seemed that he couldn't shake off his impression of the black-belly Kotori anytime soon.
Ayano walked over and whispered, "Are you sure this is okay?"
"Relax, it's fine!" Homura patted her shoulder.
Ayano rolled her eyes. "Do I have a say in this at all?"
"Hahaha~! Pfffttt!" The newcomers burst into laughter.
Homura clapped his hands and signaled for everyone to keep it down.
"Let's keep it low-key so we don't disturb the other customers."
A few people nodded shyly, then turned their heads back to the manga, their shoulders trembling uncontrollably.
"I actually feel more confident now after seeing their situation!" suddenly exclaimed Ayano.
Homura raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? Well, then I didn't waste my time showing it to them. By the way, how do you plan to persuade Kotori's friends?"
"It's a secret!" Ayano smiled slightly.
Homura looked uncomfortable.
"Fine, as long as you don't force them, I won't interfere."
"In your eyes, am I that kind of person?" Ayano crossed her arms and looked at him with a "say that again and see what happens" expression.
"Alright, alright! Our esteemed editor is definitely not that kind of person!"
As they spoke, the few people in front suddenly fell silent, and Homura knew they had reached the part about "The Promised Neverland."
Yes, who wouldn't be amazed by the despair of that world? Even if they went in themselves, they couldn't compare to those few children.
The expressions of the crowd were all seen by the two of them, and Ayano was especially pleased. These were all readers! It proved that the manga was a success!
As they read, the girls finally put down the manga manuscripts, Homura walked over and asked them, "So, what do you all think? Do you have any opinions to offer?"
The faces of the few people were all complex as they looked at Homura. They didn't expect him to be so skilled, actually able to create two completely opposite works.
Kuroneko didn't know what to say either. She also wrote novels herself, but just writing the plot alone would discourage many people. She and Homura were a stark contrast.
Finally, it was Saori who spoke up to represent them.
"... I have absolutely no complaints, in fact, I think this is a masterpiece!"
"Homura-shi! Once it's released, I'll definitely go support you!" exclaimed Saori excitedly.
The rest of the people nodded in agreement, indicating that they shared the same idea.
Kotori's eyes shone with a different light, and she now had more confidence in the manga that she had talked to Homura about! With their story about school idols and Homura's manga, they could definitely save the school!
'Perhaps... I should help Editor Iida to persuade Umi-chan and Honoka-chan?'
Ayano did not know that the girl in front of her was already prepared to sacrifice her friends, or she would have been excited beyond words!
"Then I'll thank you all first!" Homura bowed to everyone.
Then he looked at Saori and said, "Looking at you now, I really can't get used to it."
"Oh? Is there anything strange about the moderator's appearance? Aren't otaku girls usually like this?" asked the Kuroneko in confusion.
"You may not know, but Saori is actually a great beauty!"
"What?!"
"Huh?!"
Exclaimed both Kirino and Kuroneko.