"How do you plan to train her?" Eriri asked, sounding annoyed.
Homura shrugged. "Just let her develop naturally. With you, Mashiro, and Sagiri around, which artist wouldn't improve? If she doesn't improve... then she should simply give up on becoming an artist and stop drawing altogether!"
"Homura-kun, is this really okay?" Megumi asked with concern.
"It is what it is! After all, Kosaka Akane demands the same thing!" Homura said confidently, not believing that Hashima Izumi would be discouraged enough to give up.
"Nii-san, do you know how old she is?" Sagiri's eyes darted around as she spoke, not sure what she was thinking.
Homura rubbed his chin and thought for a moment before uncertainly saying, "Kosaka Akane didn't say... but I think she's probably the same age as Sagiri?"
Elf smiled knowingly as she reflected on the previous discussion about Homura as a novel protagonist. She thought to herself, 'This time, it should be a cute kohai's turn to make an appearance! As for other attributes, it's hard to say.'
"Such a young age?" Nanami exclaimed in surprise.
"But how does Homura-kun know?" Utaha asked. "Didn't you say that Kosaka Akane didn't say anything about her? How did you find out, Homura-kun?"
"Because she said that this is one of the two artists she looks up to the most! So I remember," Homura turned to Eriri, "Do you know anything?"
"What does it have to do with me?" Eriri was confused, wondering how she got involved.
"Because you are one of the two people that Kosaka Akane looks up to the most!" Homura's words surprised everyone. They didn't expect Eriri to be one of the two!
Utaha furrowed her brow. "Someone who is highly regarded by Kosaka Akane, who is even comparable to Sawamura-san... is there really such a person?"
Utaha, who had long been captivated by Eriri's artwork, couldn't believe it. If what Homura said was true, then the young girl was indeed a genius!
"But I still don't understand what this has to do with me?" Eriri continued to ask.
"Do you know... Hashima Iori?" Homura asked.
"The jerk who constantly uses doujinshi as a tool to gain popularity?" Eriri exclaimed. "Wait, are you saying that the artist you're talking about is his younger sister?!"
Homura nodded. "If I'm not mistaken, it should be Hashima Izumi."
"But does she really have the talent for this? It seems like she's never shown any interest in it before," Eriri hesitated.
Homura thought for a moment, then sent a message to his father, Kosuke on his phone.
After a while, Kosuke sent back the information he had just received.
Homura glanced at his phone and handed it to Eriri.
Eriri unconsciously read it aloud, "Hashima Izumi, the new artist who recently joined Rouge en rouge, the highly anticipated supernova! Her artistic ability was not initially apparent, but after being exposed to her older brother Hashima Iori's otaku merchandise, she suddenly exhibited amazing talent! Later, she was discovered by Kosaka Akane, who recruited her under her wing..."
Eriri: "..."
There were so many criticisms to make about this! What the hell?! She awakened her talent after being exposed to her brother's otaku merchandise?!
That means Hashima Iori is the cause! He actually brought such a huge impact on his own sister!
Eriri had a vein popping on her forehead. "...Okay, it looks like she's really talented after all."
Actually, Homura himself was very surprised. He thought it was Tomoya who brought Izumi into their 'world', but now it turned out that it was all Iori's fault!
"After she arrives, you will see just how talented she is!" said Homura.
Upon hearing his words, the girls except for Elf and Mashiro secretly scoffed to themselves, 'It's just because she's here that we might have another competitor!'
Eriri sighed helplessly and said, "Since you've already made up your mind, what can we do?"
Homura smirked.
Afterward, the idle group started browsing blogs and forums again.
Homura's face continued to ripple with a playful expression, while Utaha, Eriri, and Nanami all revealed infatuated smiles. Even Megumi, whose face appeared calm, had a slight upward curve at the corners of his mouth.
Your Name.
To everyone, it was like their own child, watching as their child was praised by countless people. It was not surprising that they were so happy.
"By the way!" Utaha seemed to remember something. "Homura-kun, are you free tomorrow afternoon?"
This sentence made all the girls perk up their ears...
What's going on? Could it be a date?
He thought for a moment.
"I'm free," Homura nodded, and asked Utaha, "What's the matter, Utaha-senpai?"
"Tomorrow," she answered, with a hint of some purpose in her expression. "My editor said she wants to do an interview on me."
'Huh? What does that have to do with me?' Homura rolled his eyes, and he asked, "So, is there anything I can do?"
"Of course there is!" Utaha slammed the table. "In fact, only you can do it!"
Homura felt a little awkward while thinking about something, then said, "Could it be... you want me to accompany you, Utaha-senpai?"
"Close, but what I actually want is for you to be the one who does it!" Utaha confirmed. "I told my editor, Machida-san, that I would only accept an interview if you are the one who interviews me, Homura-kun!"
Homura shrugged, "Alright then! We don't have anything else to do tomorrow, and I might be busy in the morning anyway, so it's fine to leave with you, Senpai!"
Utaha smiled with satisfaction, but the expressions of the others seemed a bit off.
Elf looked at the scene and suddenly raised her hand, "Anoo... it sounds like it could be interesting. Can I come along to see the interview of Kasumi Utako-sensei?"
'Good job!' Eriri secretly cheered for Elf! Because of this, no matter what plans Kasumigaoka Utaha had for tomorrow afternoon, she wouldn't be able to succeed now!
Hmm... It seemed like Eriri's psychological resistance and rivalry against Utaha would not disappear anytime soon...
Utaha's brow furrowed. 'Why did Elf suddenly pop up? Could it be that she's already interested in Homura-kun so soon?'
Thinking of this, she shook her head again, it shouldn't be that quick right?
But...
"Why is Elf interested in this interview?" Utaha asked calmly.
Elf answered without hesitation, "There's no particular reason! I'm just very interested in all aspects of Kasumi Utako-sensei, who is on par with me in terms of sales!"
Utaha: "..."
This lady's competitive spirit is too strong, isn't it?!
Utaha didn't know if it was lucky or unlucky to be targeted by someone like her!
To say lucky... having such a competitor does have its benefits!
To say unlucky... tomorrow, she had other plans, it wasn't just a simple interview!
Utaha asked hopefully, "After the interview, you'll have plenty of time to get to know me! You don't have to come with me tomorrow, right?"
Elf replied with a smile on her face, "Of course, I must come. I'm interested in everything! Including your publisher and editor!"
Utaha: "..."