Nozomi clearly noticed the wavering of Eli, who muttered quietly to herself and then said mentally, 'Muse should be able to gather ahead of schedule now.'
She looked at the manga again carefully and her pupils contracted as she noticed a problem.
"Can I ask you a question, Minamiya-san?" Nozomi asked directly to Homura
"You can ask me any questions you have, Tojo-senpai," Homura replied naturally.
"Minamiya-san... or should I call you Homura-kun, since you've helped us so much!" Nozomi suddenly changed her way of addressing him, surprising Homura, but he was pleased nonetheless.
"I couldn't be more honored. You can call me whatever you like, Nozomi-senpai," he responded, using Nozomi's first name directly.
Nozomi smiled faintly, feeling that Homura was smooth, but not in an unpleasant way.
"Homura-kun, if I'm not mistaken, currently, there are sixteen... no, it should be eighteen people in your manga who have real faces, right?" Nozomi asked with a questioning tone, confirming her observation.
Her words caught everyone's attention, including Eli's.
They all looked at the manga again and found that only the people mentioned earlier by Nozomi had their faces drawn, while the rest were just background characters' faces.
"Really?! Vice President is amazing! She can find this kind of thing!" Honoka exclaimed. Although, it was just because she didn't think much of it, but others did.
"Isn't it normal for manga to have main characters and background characters?" Homura calmly countered.
Nozomi didn't back down either. "I'm talking about their real faces!"
"Then, what does Nozomi-senpai think is the reason?" Homura kicked the ball back.
In front of Honoka's confusion, the shocked faces of Kotori and Umi, the uncertain expression of Eli, and the deep gaze of Ayano, Nozomi spoke up.
"Because Kosaka is a key member of Muse, you didn't draw her family's faces. After all, if you drew them carelessly, it would make Kosaka uncomfortable," she said.
Yeah, even if it was just a manga, Honoka probably wouldn't want to call someone she doesn't know Mom, right?
"So, the ones you drew with real faces are all key characters. There's no problem with that," she concluded.
"We said from the beginning that Muse has nine members, so these nine must be the key characters, which means... the remaining Muse members are among these eighteen people."
'Wow, impressive!' Homura asked another question, "Then, what if it is a character who hasn't appeared yet?"
Nozomi responded without hesitation, "Because in most idol manga, all of the main characters are introduced in the first chapter, even if only briefly."
"So, excluding Kosaka's family, Director, A-RISE's three members, and Kosaka's three classmates..."
"Wait!" Honoka stopped her. "Why are you excluding Hideko, Mika, and Fumiko?"
"Because there are already too many second-year students, right, Nozomi-senpai?" Homura explained on her behalf. 'And their personalities aren't really suitable. You can tell by the fact that I intentionally left out their dialogue.'
"Exactly." Nozomi took a deep breath. "So the Muse members you've identified are just these remaining nine people."
Under everyone's gaze, Homura nodded.
"Are you really sure that they will become Muse's members with just a tiny clue?" Nozomi didn't feel calm. Was there really such a formidable person? How could he know?
"I'm just guessing." Homura blurted out.
Nozomi: ...
This sudden twist made Nozomi double over in pain!
"Just like the members you've decided on, right? Nozomi-senpai"
The others were surprised once again.
"Nozomi, do you really...?" Eli was a bit shaky. 'Was what Minamiya-san said true?'
"It wasn't my decision. It was the card! No matter how many times I repeat it, the card says the same thing!" If Nozomi said this, it was equivalent to admitting it.
But only you who understand the card...
Homura looked at Honoka and the others. "Do you still remember what was just explained?"
The three girls nodded.
"You've also noticed that Nozomi-senpai has been speaking up for you. Have you ever wondered who came up with the name 'Muse'?" Homura hinted.
Even Honoka could tell this time. "Could it be... the Vice President?"
"I didn't say that." Homura denied that it was his betrayal. They figured it out themselves.
Everyone: ..."
Staring at him with resentment, 'We've come this far. Why can't you just admit it? You're asking for a beating with your denial!'
"It's all for the sake of saving the school from closure and abandoned, we just have different methods, isn't that right?" Homura felt uncomfortable being stared at and had to speak up.
"With students like you who truly love this school, the decision to close it down will definitely be overturned. Therefore, your main focus now is to work hard! If you can't convince the Student Council President, all your efforts will be in vain!"
"Yes! Let's go, everyone!" Honoka's fighting spirit ignited.
Eli: "..."
Eli thought to herself, 'Why do I sound like the big boss in some story? I don't like this.'
"Wow, I'm really impressed!" Ayano patted Homura on the shoulder. "From drawing manga to negotiation, Homura, you really surprised me!"
"It's not that big of a deal. Without your help, I wouldn't have succeeded no matter what." Homura wasn't being modest. Without Ayano's help, the manga wouldn't have been created.
"Hehe, we helped each other. It wouldn't have been possible without any one of us!" Ayano also didn't want to take all the credit and said that they couldn't have done it without everyone's help.
"Speaking of which, are you all satisfied with Homura's manga?" Ayano asked the girls of Otonokizaka High with a smile.
Eli rolled her eyes at Homura and showed that she didn't want to talk to him.
"Umu!" Honoka kept nodding and then said with a bit of concern, "It's just that Yukiho and my Mom's faces..."
"So, shall we pay them a visit?" Ayano asked for Homura's opinion.
"Sure, why not?" Homura agreed.
"Great, let's go!" Honoka led the way out of the school.
Umi and Kotori looked at each other, shook their heads helplessly, and followed along.
After bidding farewell to Eli and Nozomi, Homura and Ayano followed behind the trio.
Watching them leave, Nozomi sighed, "The winds of change are blowing, Eli-chi. I'm waiting for you to make your choice."
"Your tone is like you can see through everything... Nozomi, you really want to join Muse!" Eli looked at her friend and said in a dissatisfied tone.
Nozomi smiled, "Not yet!"
Seeing the puzzled look on Eli's face, she turned and walked towards the school.
"Because... I'm waiting for you," she said, leaving Eli to wonder what she meant.