The next day.
On the way home from school.
When Homura returned home with Eriri and the other two girls after finishing shopping, they saw Nanami and Mashiro waiting outside the house. Homura immediately slapped his forehead and self-blamed, "I knew I forgot something! I'm so sorry!"
After everyone entered the house, Homura took out the keys that had already been prepared and said to the girls, "I was busy yesterday and forgot! I'm really sorry. I'll give you all the keys today!"
Eriri's eyes wandered as she said, "Eh? Is that so? I thought only Megumi had one?"
Megumi: "..."
She knew it was impossible for her to be the only one with a key to Minamiya's Residence. What she could do at most was not to remind him when he forgot.
Homura felt sour when he heard this. Was Eriri jealous? It must be!
"Here, here." Homura said and handed over the keys then asked, "What do you think? Do you want them?"
'Baka Minamiya! Why you still asked! can't you just give them directly to us?!' Eriri thought angrily, but she still grabbed the keys and said, "Why wouldn't I want them?!"
Homura stifled a laugh at this tsundere and continued to hand out keys.
Utaha accepted it generously. When Homura handed it over to her, he felt his palm being scratched. He looked at Utaha but didn't see any changes in her expression... was it unintentional?
Then Homura went to Nanami and handed her a key.
Nanami was surprised and, "For me?! Really?"
"Can I really have it? We've only just met, and it's such an important thing. Is it really okay to give it to me?" Nanami seemed hesitant.
"Don't hesitate! You and Mashiro are not from the same school as us. Are you going to wait for us to come home every day before entering the house?" Homura had no choice but to forcefully give her the key. "Just keep it!"
Eriri murmured quietly, "Why didn't you forcefully give me the key like that too..."
Megumi, who heard her murmur, felt speechless and gave her a glance.
After Homura gave the key to Nanami, Mashiro stared at him intently without blinking, with all her thoughts written on her face... Even though she had no expression.
Homura joked, "Why don't you just share the key with Nanami, Mashiro?"
The other girls watched their interaction like they were watching a show, some curious about how Mashiro would react.
In the end, she didn't disappoint them. Mashiro acted like she was having a tantrum and ignored Homura.
Homura quickly said, "Mashiro, I'm just kidding! Of course, I'll give you the key!"
After saying that, he gave the key to Mashiro, and her mood visibly improved!
It's so easy to understand!
The others smiled at her, and Nanami couldn't help but touch her head.
*Ding~Dong~*
The doorbell rang.
Homura smiled and said to the girls, "It looks like my editor is here."
Nanami asked in confusion, "Editor? What editor?"
But Homura had already gone to open the door, so someone else had to explain to her. Megumi said, "It's Homura-kun's manga editor, although we haven't met her."
"Manga?!" Nanami couldn't help but exclaim, "Isn't it a game?! Did I mishear?"
"Minamiya didn't have a chance to tell you," Eriri explained to her, "The game is our club's work project, but the manga is just his personal work."
"Wow~" Nanami murmured to herself.
"Yeah!" Utaha also exclaimed, "He seems to know and can do everything, and his skills are also not ordinary. Sometimes it's really frustrating!"
"Homura is really good, and he's teaching me manga." Mashiro also spoke up.
"What?! Mashiro is clearly an artist. Does she still need Homura-kun to teach her?" Nanami was surprised by this revelation.
Eriri also felt a little embarrassed and said, "Mashiro doesn't need anyone to teach her how to draw, but manga needs a story. Mashiro's manga... I'm sorry, but the story is almost non-existent."
Mashiro's mood was a bit low after hearing Eriri's words, which were the truth. She was indeed working hard in that direction.
"Oh, Mashiro!" Ayano greeted Makoto as she entered.
"Ayano, long time no see." Mashiro replied flatly.
From their behavior, it was obvious that they were very close.
"Ayano, do I need to introduce these people?" Finally, Homura came in and gestured to Ayano to look at Mashiro, Utaha, and Eriri.
"Of course, no need!" Ayano stepped forward generously and introduced herself to Eriri and Utaha, "Hello, I am Iida Ayano, the manga editor for Homura. Nice to meet you, Kasumi Utako-sensei and Kashiwagi Eri-sensei. By the way, Mashiro's editor is also me."
Everyone was a little surprised by the last sentence, but Eriri was the first to react, "How do you know that name~~!!!"
"... Is~It~You~?" Eriri looked at Homura with a beastly gaze.
"No! Not me! How could it be me!" Homura quickly denied it and shouted at Ayano. "You explain it clearly!"
"Hahaha!" Ayano didn't quite understand the reason, but she was happy to see this scene. It was like a plot in a manga that perfectly suited the editor's taste.
"Is it about the identity of Kashiwagi Eri-sensei? In fact, as long as you are in the industry, it's not difficult to find out about this news. Only normal readers don't know." Ayano explained with a smile.
Eriri instantly became like a fish out of water, muttering to herself, "Is that so? I always thought I was hiding it well." Then, with a look of collapse, "Hehehe... I can't face anyone anymore... I want to die!!!"
She was about to run away, but Homura quickly hugged her tightly, afraid that she would have a chance to escape, but...
"Huh? Why did you become obedient so quickly?" Homura said strangely, feeling that Eriri didn't move at all.
The expressions of the girls were different. Mashiro remained unchanged, Nanami's face was red and confused, Megumi was initially annoyed but then became helpless, and Utaha frowned, looking unhappy and shaking her leg.
Ayano, the culprit, was full of teasing, while Eriri herself... her face was red, her hands covering her face, and she was emitting heat from her head. The curve of her mouth showed her emotions. Homura couldn't see her expression, but everyone else could.
"Let her go!!!" Utaha had reached her limit...