"What are you guys talking about?" Honoka looked at Homura with a puzzled expression.
"We found a box, but we're not sure what's inside," Homura shook his head. "I and Mugi have informed our family to send their experts to deal with it."
"What?! There's something exciting like that going on? I feel like I've missed out on a fortune..." Honoka exclaimed though the last part of her sentence was murmured under her breath.
"It might be some kind of antique," Homura uncertainly replied. He didn't possess any appraisal skills. "We'll have to wait for updates... But honestly, I'm not that interested unless it's something fun!"
"Fun?" Eriri looked at him, perplexed. "How can something buried for so long be fun?"
Homura chuckled. "Speaking of which, have any of you heard of the Mohist school?"
"They're the predecessors of mechanical arts, right?" Muramasa replied nonchalantly.
"Impressive... Even though most books don't capture your interest, you still managed to learn a lot." Homura raised his thumb.
"Mechanical arts?" Yui asked, puzzled. "What's that?"
"In simple terms, it's using various components to assemble a tool, like a Rubik's Cube."
The girls nodded in understanding. Eriri spoke, "Ancient mechanisms, huh? They do seem quite fascinating."
"Of course, that's just an example. It would be strange if that old wooden box had anything to do with mechanical arts." Homura shrugged.
"This lady's servants are asking where this lady is and why it's raining so heavily..." Elf chimed in.
"Elf-chan, you won't tell them, right?" Sagiri said nervously. "What if they come looking for us?"
"Please rest assured, Eromanga-sensei, I won't tell them." Elf reassured.
"I don't know anyone with that name!" Sagiri reflexively retorted, her face turning red.
"Everyone!" Umi clapped her hands. "It's time for us to go back and continue practicing!"
""Eh~?!"" Honoka, Rin, and Nico exclaimed in unison.
"We've practiced for quite a long time today, haven't we, Umi-chan?" Honoka wore a disappointed expression.
"That's right! We need free time!" Nico voiced her support for Honoka's opinion.
"Didn't we already have free time before?" Umi said matter-of-factly.
Everyone: "..."
Is she really a devil in disguise?! Was that considered free time?!
Homura looked at Honoka and the others, who seemed a bit dejected and decided to speak up.
"Ahem! We're about to have dinner, so there's no need to rush through your practice."
"Eh?" Umi was taken aback. "We're having another meal?"
"We need to start preparing now. Once we're ready, it'll be dinner time, won't it?" It was a bit early, but it was only half an hour away, so it was better to prepare earlier.
"...Alright." Umi finally relented.
"Yatta~! Let's go play for a while!" Honoka exclaimed happily.
"Honoka-chan, it's raining outside," Kotori teased.
Honoka: "..."
===
After dinner, the rain had finally ceased.
The group sat near the large stone where Homura had been lying down yesterday. The stones were quite substantial in size, and the rain had washed them exceptionally clean.
One person grabbed a cushion to prevent getting cold.
"Homura-kun, do you have some big work coming up?" asked Nozomi.
"How did you know?"
"Well, I've also played 'Your Name.' you know..." Nozomi rolled her eyes. "The staff list clearly doesn't have as many members as you have now, right?"
"That's true..." Hanayo murmured softly. Even when no one was talking, her voice was still clearly audible to everyone. "I hadn't thought about it until Nozomi-chan mentioned it. I just looked at the list without considering other aspects."
"So, does that mean the upcoming work will be even bigger?" Nico exclaimed in surprise.
Homura pondered for a moment before replying, "The scale of the work is indeed bigger since we're essentially building a whole new world. It's quite a demanding task."
"But for creators, isn't every work essentially creating a world?" asked Kotori, puzzled.
"Yes, you're right. It's just that the previous world was small, but this time... it's quite big."
"Homura, I haven't heard about this?" Elf interrupted their conversation. "Isn't the story just set in Fuyuki City? Do you have something else in mind?"
"Yeah..." Homura nodded. "Besides expanding the storylines for numerous characters, have you not noticed any other clues?"
"Wait a minute, Homura-niisan, isn't it risky to reveal this information to us?" Tsumugi asked.
"It's alright. You won't leak it, will you? Besides, when it comes to my works, I've always shown you if you wanted to see them, like the 'Love Live!' manga before. So, there's no problem." Homura waved his hand dismissively.
Tsumugi thought for a moment. It's true! They had already read the manga adaptation of 'Love Live!' before. As long as she and the others honored Homura's trust, everything would be fine!
With this in mind, she felt reassured. Although she hadn't spent much time with the other girls, she understood that they were all trustworthy individuals.
"Let's continue; think of it as a meeting for the next installment." Homura brought the conversation back on track.
"Where did we leave off?"
"Clues!"
"Yes, I left some clues. Muramasa, did you find any?" Homura turned to Muramasa.
"Clues, huh..." Muramasa thought carefully, considering clues that could expand the world. "Magi and Heroic Spirits?"
"Exactly!" Homura snapped his fingers. "These two groups provide convenient roads for expanding the world. As long as the script is suitable, we can introduce many new story settings."
"My work plan provided the main storyline, while you and Elf can add new stories based on that. As long as there's enough content, it will become a complete world."
"Umu..." Muramasa nodded. "As long as the completed story is interesting, I'll do my best to make it even more fascinating!"
Homura smiled. For the present Muramasa, 'interesting' was the driving force that made her incredibly dedicated.
"Don't worry... with all of you in Another Dimension, how could the story possibly be boring?" He glanced at his circle members and repeated in his mind once again, 'How could it possibly be boring?'
"Although I didn't quite understand..." Ritsu scratched her head. "It sounds like something really impressive."
"Yeah, even though I didn't understand it either, it's still something to look forward to." Mio agreed, nodding.
"Haha, you can totally look forward to it, and trust me, it won't disappoint you. I've told this to so many people, and they all agree. Right, Saori?"
"Yes, de gozaru~!" Saori chuckled. "Since I started reading Homura's manga, I've been eagerly awaiting the continuation of the story and other works. I, along with Kiririn-shi and Kuroneko-shi, can be counted as witnesses to Homura's rise. Homura has never disappointed me."
Saori's unexpected high praise was quite moving.
It truly touched his heart.