Toyogasaki High School, Second-Year Class B.
"Students... now is the crucial part..." While the teacher was writing on the board, Homura quietly slipped in through the back door. Despite the strange looks from some of his classmates and the inquiring gaze of Megumi, he returned to his seat and gestured to her to chat later.
===
At noon, after being questioned by the homeroom teacher, he arrived at the place where the three girls were having lunch. Facing their "we're waiting for you to explain" eyes, he said nothing but took out a piece of bread he bought on the way back to school and began to eat.
Their eyes became even strange, and it was Eriri who couldn't help but ask first, "Where's your bento?"
After taking a sip of water and swallowing his food, Homura stopped teasing them and said, "Something strange happened on the way back after sending Mashiro to school. I gave it to someone, and that's why I am late to school."
"Something strange?" Utaha raised her eyebrows and followed up, "Did you happen to pass by a deserted alley on your way back, where a beautiful hungry female ghost approached you and begged for food? Unable to bear seeing her suffer, you gave her your lunch, and in gratitude, she offered herself to you. You were so happy that you played with her for a long time before returning... Is that strange enough?"
Everyone: "..."
Apart from the identity of the female ghost, the plot itself was quite similar.
Homura also broke out in a cold sweat. He thought to himself that it was no wonder she was a popular novelist; she could describe his experience so accurately with just his few words. Who was giving her such insight?!
Eriri sneered, "You really do have a wild imagination! No wonder you're a "popular" novelist; your thoughts are so different from ordinary people's! I think you could also join Suiko's Art Division!"
'Don't do it, Eriri. Even if you have a hard head, please just this time, don't prolong the problem!' Homura shouted in his heart.
"Ara? What's wrong with Sawamura-san? I just casually guessed according to Homura-kun's words, maybe it will form a new idea for a new work. Besides, I can't draw or understand music. The art division won't accept me. You can also guess why Homura-kun came back late," then her tone changed, "But, what Sawamura-san guessed was probably something like, Homura-kun has beat up someone and got them to the hospital or got lost on his way by playing around and became a delinquent."
"Huh?!" Eriri was a bit stiff. It seemed that she really thought so.
But she still stubbornly said, "Who said that? Maybe he just remembered that he forgot to wear his underwear and went home to change it!?"
Homura was full of black lines, 'Eriri, just because you lost the argument, I became your sacrifice?!'
Just as he was waiting for Utaha to continue to beat up Eriri, Homura looked at her and felt that her expression was a bit off?
Why does this expression feel like agreement?! Is she really Utaha!?
"... Unexpectedly reasonable!" Utaha agreed calmly.
'This is bullshit! How could the plot develop like this?!' Homura thought speechlessly.
Eriri also looked at her strangely, and unexpectedly, this black-belly woman did not take the opportunity to hit her sore spot and make fun of her. She felt a little weird and uneasy...
'Wait a minute?! Eriri! How could you have such thoughts?! Could it be you are a masochist?' Eriri shuddered fiercely and threw this weird thought out of her mind.
"Tell us, Homura-kun, who guessed it right in the end!" Utaha mocked him coldly.
As soon as this expression appeared, everyone understood that it was not Utaha who had changed, but she was just upset with Homura's behavior!
When she spoke out her guess and saw that Homura's behavior was a little unnatural, how could she not know what was really going on with him?
Eriri's mocking of him made Utaha secretly happy, so she didn't directly refute Eriri, but instead pushed the boat a little.
Homura smiled bitterly and shook his head. Sure enough, he couldn't underestimate anyone.
"I left after handing Mashiro to her cousin, Chihiro-sensei, in the morning." Homura started from the beginning.
"The problem started here. I encountered a plot in the manga..."
"Could it be that you bumped into a girl who was holding bread and shouting 'I'm late, I'm late'?" Eriri interrupted him directly.
Homura gently pressed his hands, "Let me finish first. Well, you are partly right! We did bump into each other, but she wasn't holding bread."
"Right, if she had bread, how could he not have his bento unless he gave it to her?" This was Utaha's comment.
Homura was speechless. 'You all know it already, why are you still asking me?'
He then continued, "She almost made me see stars when she bumped into me..."
===
"So, does this mean that the girl will move in tomorrow? Homura-kun," Megumi summarized accurately. This sentence was the most important, as a 'new girl' was coming!
Utaha and Eriri stared at him emotionlessly, making him feel uncomfortable until they finally let him go. They both sighed secretly, 'Ah, there are more and more girls around him...'
"Yeah, otherwise? Do you want me to take care of Mashiro?" Homura replied.
"You absolutely can't!" Eriri exclaimed. "But you can leave it to Megumi right!"
"Megumi herself also needs to study; she specializes in scripts, so she can't do everything alone," Homura said, making it impossible for Eriri to object.
In the end, Homura said, "Moreover, a hardworking girl like her will definitely help us if she has the ability, and no one will ignore her, right? Moreover, she is now one of us, the voice actor for Mitsuha!"
Utaha rolled her eyes when she heard this, "Yes~ Yes~, you are really kind, there is absolutely no problem, but I am still curious. How did you find out everything about the girl's situation in less than a morning?"
Homura scratched the back of his head and laughed, "Haha~ it's actually very simple, although it may seem difficult to you guys, I was there in person, and after investigating and analyzing everything, I figured it out!"
Even Megumi looked at him with a hint of doubt in her eyes, but no one asked any further questions and just let it go.
"You'll know after you meet her. I want to help her more, but I can't do that. You will surely be impressed by her shining points!" Homura finished speaking, and the bell signaling the end of lunch break rang.
The three girls pondered for a while before returning to their respective classrooms.
===
After school, Homura and a few others went to pick up Mashiro.
On the way to Suiko, Homura made a phone call.
"Hello? Is this the moving company? I'd like to make an appointment for tomorrow afternoon at the student dormitory in Suiko... Yes, please send a car at 4 PM... My name is Minamiya, and yes, I'll be there early... Alright, that's it. Goodbye."
After hanging up the phone, a soft voice came from behind him.
"Homura-kun, you really do care."
Homura blushed and said with thick skin, "Of course, I'm a great boss! I always care and think of my employees!"
As they approached the school gate of Suiko, he saw Mashiro and Chihiro standing there. As they approached, Chihiro put her arm around Homura's shoulder and whispered, "Minamiya, you really are a lucky boy!"
Homura was helpless. It seemed that this female teacher was teasing him again, so he quickly changed the subject. "By the way, Chihiro-sensei, do you know a student who has adopted many cats?"