"Kuroneko?" Homura waved his hand in front of her. "What's the matter? You seem absent-minded."
"It's nothing..." Kuroneko shook her head. "Just watching you guys reminded me of some things."
After speaking, her expression became somewhat elusive.
Saori grabbed her shoulder and shook her. "Kuroneko-shi, what's going on?"
"Hey! We're friends, right? Is there a need to keep secrets?" Kirino spoke up and uttered a very important sentence.
"You're right... we are... friends..." Kuroneko forcefully patted her own face, and her smile was unusually radiant.
"Because we're friends, everything's fine."
"Huh? I can't understand what you're saying at all!"
"Kuroneko, do you want friends? I mean real friends?" Homura looked at Kuroneko and said.
After exchanging glances with Saori and Kirino, they asked Kuroneko again, "Is that true?"
Kuroneko remained silent, and Kirino scratched her head irritably.
"People... it's hard to figure out what other people are thinking..." Homura muttered to himself. "That's why communication through language is crucial. Only through language can we accurately express our thoughts and intentions."
"You have to take the initiative..." Homura patted Kuroneko's shoulder and led the little one outside the villa.
Watching Eriri and Elf helping Sagiri take some photos of the scenery not far away, Homura stretched lazily.
"Minamiya-kun." A voice sounded in his ears, and he instinctively glanced at Eriri not far away. He was taken aback for a moment before realizing that the person beside him was Muramasa!
"Sorry... Muramasa, you seem to be not quite used to this kind of occasion, right?" Homura said.
Thinking back, Muramasa should be similar to Kuroneko. They both suddenly found themselves in a lively environment with a lot of people gathering together, this included Izumi and Nayuta. It was only natural that they would feel uncomfortable and awkward.
This takes time to overcome and also requires a little help from someone.
"It's okay... it's just that I don't have much to talk about with others," Muramasa shook her head.
Homura thought it would be best to divide into groups, such as pairing Muramasa with Elf. With Elf's guidance, Muramasa should undergo some changes, whether active or passive.
Izumi was too tense, so it would be a suitable choice to put her with Megumi. She could make Izumi relax and relieve her nervousness.
Kuroneko no longer needed much consideration from him. Being with Kirino and Saori was the best choice.
As for Nayuta... what should he do?
Nayuta was somewhat emotionally and mentally hurt, and it was best for her to be with gentle people. What about Nanami? No, she was already occupied with Mashiro...
'Forget it, Nayuta will follow me!' Thought and made a decision quietly in his heart, Homura divided the groups for a few people he needed to worry about. He looked up at the sky, then took out his phone to check the time.
"Everyone! We should be ready to leave soon! It's 3 PM now, let's prepare and head to the riverbank for a barbeque!"
"Does anyone object to that?"
The girls hesitated for a moment and replied in unison, ""NO!""
"Great! Mugi, you take everyone to the fridge and freezer to get the ingredients. I'll move the barbecue grill over."
"Got it! I know what to do!"
"Homura-kun, do you need anything else?" Utaha asked.
"Kitchen utensils, also bring more tableware. Leave the equipment to me." Homura finished speaking and shouted at Sagiri and the others, "You three! Come back and get the ingredients!"
Watching the girls starting to get excited, he shook his head with amusement, carrying two large barbecue grills and headed towards the riverbank.
"Hey, little one!" Homura turned his head to look at Haru, who was following behind him. "When you went to the riverside just now, there must have been an open space there, right?"
"Open space? What kind of open space?" the little one asked curiously.
"I mean... an area without plants. The riverside can't be entirely filled with flowers and trees, right?"
"Oh, there's a big area by the river that's all stones, lots of stones," she tilted her head and thought for a moment before responding.
"You mean a pebble beach..." Homura nodded. "Good!"
Soon, he arrived at the designated location.
"What a great place!" Homura exclaimed, feeling a bit nostalgic. "Indeed, it's a wonderful place with mountains and water! And this river looks about three to four meters wide, not too deep."
With his sharp eyes, he also noticed that there seemed to be plenty of fish in the river, and the water was not too swift. It would be nice to catch some fish and grill them later.
After setting up the barbecue grill, he went back to fetch a few foldable tables.
On his way back, he saw the girls carrying bags of ingredients.
"Wait over there, I'll bring a few tables!" Homura called out.
Rin and Honoka, who were at the front, had somewhat peculiar expressions.
"What's wrong?" Homura asked, puzzled.
"Behind... Kotobu... I mean, Mugi-chan is carrying a lot of ingredients," Honoka seemed to have witnessed something incredible. "And the amount is easily five times more than what I have! And she looks so relaxed!"
Homura: "..."
It was only after she mentioned it that he remembered, Tsumugi was indeed incredibly strong!
"Ahaha... Mugi is quite strong," Homura added. "It seems like I need to hurry and bring the tables."
He quickly took a couple of steps and immediately witnessed the striking scene - a seemingly delicate girl holding a massive amount of ingredients in her hands! And she was even chatting with people while walking relaxedly!
He didn't say much to them, just waved his hand and ran off.
"Hmm? Who took the fish Haru caught?" Homura scratched his head, then grabbed five portable foldable tables and walked away.
===
Everyone was now gathered on the pebble beach by the river, and a few playful individuals had already run off to play in the water!
Haru also hopped onto a large stone not far from the bank, extending her little claws and fixing her sharp gaze on the prey in the river, capturing the attention of several onlookers.
*Whoosh!*
Haru's claws darted out like lightning! In an instant, a palm-sized fish was slapped onto the bank!
"Wow! Haru-chan is amazing!" The girls who had been watching Haru applauded in astonishment!
Homura smiled and then clapped his hands, signaling everyone to pay attention.
"Let's form groups! Group members will work together, handling the ingredients, playing around, and even fishing... In short, we'll work together!"
"Elf and Muramasa will be in one group!"
Elf and Muramasa were taken aback, but then Elf nodded thoughtfully.
"Megumi and Izumi will be in one group!"
Elf smiled.
"Nayu and Sagiri are with me!"
Alright, now those who had quick thinking understood his intention - each group would have someone who didn't speak much when bonding time earlier!
"Utaha-senpai and Eriri will be in one group! Nanami and Mashiro will be in one group!"
"The rest of you can form groups based on how you came here! Saori, you three will obviously be in one group, and the two little sisters of Kuroneko will be with you. The members of the Light Music Club can form one or two groups, it's up to you!"
Lastly, there was only Muse left. How should this group be divided?