"After all, she and I are almost the same. We've known each other since childhood," Eriri continued, providing an explanation to the others.
"Another childhood friend?" Utaha's brows furrowed.
"Sorry..." Homura raised his hand, "Not just one!"
Even Eriri froze at this. It would have been fine if it was just one, but there were more?
"Just tell us, how many people are going!" Elf looked at everyone's expressions, getting straight to the point.
"Around... eighteen people?" Homura quickly counted the number of people besides his own group.
Silence fell upon the scene, and Sagiri even started counting, "One, two, three..."
"There are already eleven people here, if add eighteen then..." Sagiri's face turned blank, though no one could see it due to the mask.
"Ara, Homura-kun actually knows so many people outside! What's more, they're all girls, right?" Utaha emitted a dark aura.
"Yup, I'm the only guy!" Homura patted his chest, looking proud!
Nayuta was dumbfounded. Could it be that the person she admired had no integrity at all? How could he behave so shamelessly? And now, this trip feels like a harem vacation for him.
'Huh? Wait, Senpai's harem? Am I part of it too? When I imagine it, it doesn't seem bad at all!'
Well, it's evident that Nayuta's thought process is significantly different from that of a normal person. When it comes to Homura, it's as if she has a loose screw in her head.
Suddenly, Homura mischievously said, "Do you want to guess who they are?"
Girls: "..."
You're really not afraid of getting beaten up huh?
Eriri said impatiently, "No guessing! Just tell us directly!"
"Fine..." Homura shrugged, "Actually, there are a few people I don't know either. Mugi joined Light Music Club in her school, and she'll be bringing her three friends along."
As he said that, he suddenly realized... Tsumugi didn't mention how many people she was bringing, right?
But it didn't matter. There was no need to focus on such trivial details, especially since all three of them spoke when he called Tsumugi.
Eriri nodded. It didn't seem to be a problem since it was someone else's villa. They should extend an invitation to express their gratitude.
"And then, I thought since it's not just a circle activity anymore, why not invite my other friends too."
Upon hearing this, the girls had dark expressions. So, that's where the problem lies!
"Everyone in the Light Music Club had a purpose on this trip which is training, and Muse was no exception. At the end of their Golden Week, they had a concert, so I invited them to join our trip."
"And then, there's Saori and her two friends."
"You mean the one who called to congratulate you when your debut work was published?" Utaha asked.
"Yup!" Homura replied, then looked at Eriri with confusion. "Speaking of which, you and Eriri know Mugi, but why don't you know Saori?"
"Just depend on the first name alone? Saori is such a common name. How am I supposed to know her?" Eriri retorted.
"Makishima Saori," Homura added her surname.
Eriri frowned and pondered for a moment, then shook her head. "I knew she was in Chiba, so I'm not familiar with people there."
"Well, that's true... Even if Homura-kun is usually very approachable, in the end, he is still the young master of the Minamiya Family. It's not surprising that he knows many young ladies from prominent families..." Megumi shook her head helplessly. Many of those young ladies were acquainted with him since childhood, and there was nothing they could do about it.
Listening to her words, the girls had to admit this fact.
"Oh, right!" Nanami slapped her palm with her fist. "Those two people you helped with tutoring last time, are they the last two?"
Homura shook his head. "I did invite them, but one of them couldn't leave her family's shop, and the other is deeply engrossed in her studies and couldn't break free. So they both declined."
Instantly, the girls' favorable impression of those two individuals increased.
They speculated that when a girl is invited by a boy she just knows to go out and play and she accepted, there's a high probability that she has feelings for him. Therefore, the two who didn't come were acknowledged as their friends.
Of course, those who did come weren't enemies either.
"The last two are the little sisters of Saori's friend. Their big sister was worried about leaving them alone at home, so she brought them along."
Hearing this, Utaha and Eriri, who were at the forefront of the battle, breathed a sigh of relief. It sounded like seven or eight of them were not very familiar or completely unfamiliar to him. This greatly relieved them.
But... each person is no easy opponent...
Homura looked at the time and made one final inquiry to everyone. "Have you all packed the necessary items? Think carefully because we'll be setting off soon."
Izumi hesitated for a moment. Homura's eyes shifted, and he added, "If anyone needs to use the restroom, do so quickly. There won't be a chance on the way."
Izumi blushed, realizing that he was talking to her. After all, she hadn't known this group of people for very long and had a hard time opening up to everyone.
Noticing her embarrassment, Megumi held her hand and said, "Let's go, Izumi-chan. Accompany me for a moment."
Izumi looked at her gratefully. The two of them held hands and went to complete the restroom quest together and several minutes later, they returned.
"Is Izumi-san really such a shy person?" Elf suddenly asked him quietly. "If it weren't for Megumi, who understands her well, she might have kept it to herself until the end."
"Perhaps it's because this is her first time seeing me. If I, as a boy, weren't here, she probably wouldn't have felt embarrassed enough to say it."
Elf nodded thoughtfully, then looked at Muramasa, wondering if this girl was similar to Izumi?
Sensing Elf's ill intentions, Muramasa suddenly raised his head and stared at her. "I feel like you're thinking about something rude!"
"No, not at all. I was just wondering what kind of clothes you brought. Did you bring a swimsuit?"
"What?!" Muramasa exclaimed, "Why would I bring a swimsuit?!"
Elf laughed and said, "To wear when bathing in hot springs, of course! Or... is it that Muramasa-chan going naked?"
"Bathing in hot springs wearing a swimsuit?" Homura sneered. "That's simply blasphemy..."
"Huh?" Elf glanced at him in surprise. "Isn't it mixed hot spring?"
""Mix... Mi-Mixed?!"" Several of them were taken aback!
Homura inwardly complained, 'Even wearing a swimsuit on mixed hot spring is blasphemous!'
But he still said, "I wouldn't mind, but what does everyone else think?"
"No, no, no!" Muramasa, Eriri, Nanami, Sagiri, and Izumi vigorously shook their heads, their heads moving like tambourines.
"If it's mixed, I'd rather die!" Muramasa's reaction was particularly intense. She had no way to deal with this kind of issue.
"Homura, you're being rejected," Elf leaned in beside him and nudged him with her elbow, wearing a mischievous smile.
Homura suddenly reached out and pulled her cheeks while wearing a smile on his face. "It's all because of you that it started..."
"It's really nice..." Nayuta looked at them with envy. "I also want to be treated like that by Senpai..."
At that moment, the atmosphere became awkward...