"Although this scenery is different from that scenery, it's still nice to take a look, isn't it?"
"The grandeur of nature always has a way of soothing everything..." Homura hinted with meaning.
Nayuta remained silent.
Homura gently patted her head and walked towards the mountains and forests.
===
Soon, Homura returned with two large bundles of dried branches, not knowing where he had found so many. He had stuffed one bundle into his inventory and planned to 'carry' it back later.
"Minamiya-senpai! I've drawn a doujinshi. Can you take a look for me?" Izumi's face was filled with anticipation as she stared at him without even blinking.
Homura glanced at her unexpectedly. Drawing doujinshi here?
"Let me have a look. By the way, this will be my first time seeing your artwork, Izumi. I'm quite excited!" Homura exclaimed.
Izumi blushed and replied, "Don't get your hopes up... What if you don't like it?"
"I think I will like it," Homura said, unaware of Izumi's slightly odd expression.
"Let me see... Oh? You even drew a cover? And it's a doujinshi based on Monthly Girls?" Homura's interest was piqued. "That makes me even more excited... By the way, why is Mikoshiba on the cover?"
Homura suddenly had a bad feeling... doujinshi, with a male side character on the cover... What should he do... He didn't feel like opening it all of a sudden...
But seeing Izumi's expectant expression, Homura swallowed nervously and tremblingly opened the doujinshi, which might be sealing a monster...
===
""Tomoda!"" (2x)
Nozaki and Mikoshiba shouted simultaneously as they read a certain story involving a side character named Tomoda.
Nozaki: "For a whole three years, you've been working hard on a protagonist like that, Tomoda..."
Mikoshiba: "You should enjoy your youth too, Tomoda! You idiot!"
Nozaki: "Well then... let me draw Tomoda's story. I will make it better."
Mikoshiba: "Yeah! Be sure to make Tomoda happy."
Nozaki: "First, let's decide on Tomoda's love interest! Whom would Tomoda choose... Who is the most special to him?"
Mikoshiba: "Always by his side... Spending rest days together... The person who made Tomoda willing to dedicate three years... The one who evoked extraordinary feelings in him..."
"...Isn't that the protagonist?!"
"..."
Nozaki: "They are both male... So, how should we draw this kind of thing?"
Mikoshiba: "Ah? I'm not sure either... Shall we study it first?"
===
His brain trembled! Homura felt his body becoming unexpectedly heavy! Moreover... the plot of Izumi is really... something interesting!
But, even though it's interesting... something is strongly preventing him from continuing to read!
'Fuck me, it's Yaoi!' Trembling, Homura looked towards Izumi. "Izumi... your art skills are really impressive! It shows me your potential! And to achieve this level at such a young age, I must say it's truly remarkable!"
"Oh... thank you for your praise, Minamiya-senpai!" Izumi replied happily. "But aren't you going to continue reading?"
Homura swallowed his saliva and said, "Is this doujinshi a female-oriented one? Can I really take a look?"
"What are you talking about, Minamiya-senpai? This is art, it doesn't matter who the audience is whether male or female!"
Someone, please save me!
However, no one came to his rescue. Homura made up his mind and turned to the next chapter...
Ahh!!! My eyes!... Huh? Unexpectedly, it looks pretty good...
With a satisfied smile, Homura finished reading... but after flipping a couple more pages, it was all rough drafts. After all, it's impossible for Izumi to finish drawing a doujinshi in such a short time.
"Well done! Keep up the good work! By the way, don't let Sagiri see this; she's still too young..."
"Oh... understood, Minamiya-senpai. I got it." Izumi nodded.
"Oh, by the way..." Homura turned his head. "Eriri, come here for a moment!"
Eriri walked over. "What's up?"
Homura shook the manuscript in his hand. "This is the doujinshi drawn by Izumi. Can you take a look?"
"Huh?" Eriri looked surprised and suspicious. "Is this freshly drawn?"
"Yes, just drawn."
Eriri reached out and took the manuscript from Homura. She also showed a surprised expression at first glance, perhaps due to being amazed by the artwork?
"This? And it's a doujinshi for Monthly Girls? That's a great idea. Monthly Girls is popular, so there's definitely a market for doujinshi in this series," Eriri commented seriously.
"The main characters... are Nozaki-kun and Mikorin? The combination seems unexpectedly marketable." (T/N: Mikorin is Mikoshiba's nickname}
"By the way... the choice of the plot is spot on! The original readers will definitely feel a strong sense of immersion."
Eriri kept giving her comments, bit by bit. Apart from the initial surprise, she didn't show any unusual expressions at all! It was completely different from what Homura had seen of Eriri's shaken reaction when she saw Izumi's drawings in the anime of his previous life!
Here, Eriri had already been struck enough by Mashiro's talent and had matured. The current Eriri could completely treat Izumi's astonishing art with a calm attitude.
Homura quietly left and came to the ingredients they brought. Since there were many people, they had brought several insulated boxes full of ingredients.
After some thought, he started handling the ingredients, taking out three plucked chickens to make beggar's chicken.
Of course, he didn't plan to use mud; he prepared to use dough instead.
After finishing the preparations, Muse group also finished their practice and arrived at the camping site.
"Wow! Why are these three doughs so big?" Nico exclaimed in surprise.
"You've heard of beggar's chicken, right?" Homura smiled. "I replaced the clay with dough to keep it clean."
Unconsciously, everyone's mouths watered. They had heard of this dish to some extent and knew it was a famous delicacy, so they all looked forward to it!
"Alright, it's almost done. Wrap them in lotus leaves, and I'll bury them in the stove."
Seeing that they wanted to help, Homura asked them to help with other tasks, like handling some small ingredients. Once he finished with the stoves, they could come and boil water and cook rice without any problems.
Everyone was busy, and they were all fully engaged. Some were tending the fire, some were running around to deliver things, some were cooking, and others were fanning those sweating from the heat.
Everyone participated wholeheartedly.
Nayuta watched thoughtfully. 'Perhaps this is what Senpai meant by interesting things! It feels pretty good...'
"It's almost ready. When we eat, remember to control your portions, as we still have the beggar's chicken later!"
"Don't worry!" Ritsu gave a thumbs up. "We definitely won't forget about that!"
"In that case, what are we waiting for? Let's eat!"
Then, with excitement and joy, everyone began their outdoor meal.