The crowd continued to flow, with many people who had bought the new issue not going far but instead reading it nearby.
This way, they could discuss it together with fellow enthusiasts.
"'Your Name.' manga is really good! If it were in color, it would be awesome!"
"You're thinking too much. Do you know how much work goes into coloring? This is beautiful enough!"
"...I feel like Minamiya-sensei's new manga is unexpectedly ordinary... Although these characters are quite interesting..."
"You haven't finished it, have you? Have you seen the third chapter?"
"I actually have, but... is this really something that happens in real life? The plot is just like typical idol manga."
"Right! This Otonokizaka High School is near my house, but I didn't know it was going to be closed."
"Hey guys, how about we go check out this school?"
"It's an all-girls school, right? Will they let us guys in? Or... are you thinking of cross-dressing?"
"What the fuck! Minamiya-sensei should have already gone in, right? Just look at how he meticulously drew the background in detail."
"How do you know Minamiya-sensei didn't cross-dress to get in?"
"..."
Homura, who was standing aside, could feel his temples throbbing! The girls couldn't hold back their laughter anymore.
He waved his hand irritably, gesturing for everyone to leave this place.
As they had only walked a short distance, Eriri and Elf burst into laughter! The surrounding crowd was startled and quickly moved away!
"What's so funny?"
"Minamiya-sensei." Eriri suppressed her laughter, pretending to be interviewing, and asked, "Was what that passerby said true?"
"It's a load of nonsense!"
"Then can you describe it in detail? How did you enter the all-girls school?"
Homura looked speechless. "You watched the video, didn't you? Can't you figure out what I was wearing?"
"...What a boring answer." Eriri rolled her eyes. "Can't you just play along with me?"
"Alright, alright, I'll play along with you." Homura even used some voice acting skills. "I have a petite and delicate appearance, naturally suitable for cross-dressing, so no one realized I was a boy!"
""Eww!""
Homura looked proud. "How was it? Did I play along well?"
"Too well..." Elf rolled her eyes. "Didn't you see everyone's reaction?"
"Reaction..." Homura's mouth twitched. Is this how they react?
"Homura, why don't you cross-dress? I want to draw it." Mashiro looked at Homura calmly and said.
Homura: "..."
Girls: "..."
"Mashiro... Your thoughts are a bit eccentric..." Homura's mouth twitched again. "What are you trying to do by drawing that anyway?"
"For reference in my manga..."
"Just draw the everyday life around you for your manga, okay? Don't make things up!"
"But you just said..."
"Sorry, I was just making things up. Please spare me!"
The corners of Mashiro's mouth twitched imperceptibly... leaving Utaha and Nanami, who were looking at her, speechless. Truly, Mashiro has picked up bad habits again.
Homura also looked helpless. "I should have known better than to go near that area..."
Actually, it's the same no matter where you go. People who want you to cross-dress will never be in short supply... It's the will of the universe!
At this moment, the conversation of two passing individuals could be heard...
"Speaking of which, manga isn't enough for this idol-related stuff. It would be great if there was an anime."
"Although that's true, the manga is only released every two weeks. It will be a while before there's an anime, right?"
"I know that, but... it's just frustrating! Hahhh... based on the video Minamiya-sensei released earlier, it would be great if they could hold a concert."
"Damn! Now that you mention it, I'm starting to look forward to it too..."
===
"Already looking forward to the concert?" Homura smiled. "That's really great."
"So, when do you plan to promote it?" Elf asked with interest.
Homura thought for a moment and replied, "Don't we need everyone to finish reading the three chapters of the manga adaptation first? That's when they'll become interested, right? Let's set it for the day after tomorrow."
"The day after tomorrow? Isn't that the same day as the concert?" Nanami exclaimed in surprise. "You're only giving them one day?"
"Of course." Homura nodded without hesitation. "The current Muse couldn't hold a large-scale concert anyway, so I want to create a surprise element and let people guess. That way, fewer people will attend. It also applies to the mobility aspect because being off the main stage and doing a wandering performance means Muse can only see the audience in the surrounding area, making it a very friendly experience for them."
"But it won't be friendly for the audience..." Megumi commented sarcastically.
"That's unavoidable. At that time, no one is allowed to spoil the surprise. The effect of a surprise is completely different from a regular concert."
The girls nodded in agreement. If it's confirmed as a concert, no one would know how many people would attend. Even wandering around the street could become a problem.
"Alright, this operation is successfully concluded."
"Yeah." Eriri nodded. "I finally made it home after a long time. And my mom has a lot of arrangements to do and need my help. If it wasn't for me coming here, we'd probably be busy with those by now."
"In that case, we'll take our leave..." Utaha smiled softly. "The next time we meet will likely be on the day of the concert. I'm really looking forward to it..."
"Homura-kun... take care of your body. You've got a lot on your plate." Megumi said softly.
"That's right, Minamiya-senpai. Like Megumi-nee said, you've been really busy lately. Please take care of your well-being and do your best."
"Don't worry!" Homura gave a thumbs-up. "I'm Minamiya Homura after all!"
One by one, the girls left; Homura and his small group also embarked on his journey back home.
===
After finishing lunch, Homura was pondering which reference book and exercise collection to bring. While the same ones as last time would suffice, there were other people involved this time, so he should bring more.
As for the subject that the original Uruka was least proficient in... it wasn't considered an important subject in this world either.
Aside from that, although she wasn't good at studying, her grades weren't abysmal either.
Abysmal meant having the same level as when he first started with Fumino and Rizu, which was in the single digits score.
So even getting a score of twenty or thirty would be considered pretty good!
*King called me to patrol the mountain~*
'Um? Ogata Rizu?' A little puzzled, Homura answered the phone.
"Ogata-san? What's up?"
"Minamiya-san, I'm waiting for you at Kusumoto Park. My dad won't have a chance to trouble you this time."
Homura: "..."
"There's really no need for that. I didn't mind it that much."
"It's not okay for you to not mind it. My dad's behavior was truly disrespectful! I'll make him understand that it's wrong!"
"...But have you considered..." Homura helplessly interrupted, "...if you do that, he might want to turn me into udon noodles even more?"
Rizu: "..."
"I'm sorry, Minamiya-san. I'll wait for you at the shop."
Homura, after hanging up the phone, muttered softly to himself, "Ogata-san, the path to understanding human emotion is a long and challenging one..."