"Is that useful?"
Elf asked with a puzzled expression.
"There seems to be a generation gap between father and daughter. Does Muramasa really understand her father's preferences?"
Homura shrugged, "A little is enough. It might give us some flexibility."
Muramasa remained silent for a long while, and neither Homura nor Elf rushed her. They waited patiently.
Actually, Muramasa didn't care much about her father's preferences, but even if she just mentioned his name, her own embarrassing surname would come up!
But even if she didn't say anything, they would probably find out in a couple of days anyway.
"My father... His name is Umezono Rintaro, and he is a novelist."
"Wait..." Elf interrupted Muramasa, "Umezono Rintaro? That name sounds familiar..."
"Umezono Rintaro, a renowned novelist of his time, hailed as a literary giant. All of his works are extremely famous. However, his writing style is more traditional, quite different from modern light novels. That's why..."
"No wonder Muramasa finds his novels uninteresting, after all, she prefers light novels. But isn't it just a difference in their literary tastes? The key is to strengthen the father's understanding of his daughter. This information can be useful for persuasion." Homura summed up.
Elf stared at Homura in amazement. While Umezono Rintaro's name surprised her, what surprised her even more was Homura's insight!
"Just from a name, you know all this?!"
It's just a name! Yet, he analyzed the difference in their literary tastes and the way to persuade him!
Not only Elf but Muramasa's usually composed expression also wavered! Although she knew her father was a novelist, was he really that famous? His novels seemed so uninteresting.
"I know about Umezono Rintaro's reputation. What's so strange about that?" Homura retorted, "His personal information is public on the internet. It's normal to connect it to our conversation."
Elf: "..."
'Fine... you have an uncanny ability to make connections...' Elf relented.
"Strengthening the father's understanding of his daughter, huh..." She pondered for a while and nodded. "Right, her father opposes her writing novels, so it's necessary to do this."
"But really, this father is like that, that father is like this... why are there so many fathers opposing their daughters' dreams?"
Elf shook her head, looking exasperated. She was referring to Nanami's father, who also opposed Nanami's dreams. It really was a common theme!
"How about we try writing a collaborative novel?" Elf suggested, "It could be both a game and a way to deepen their understanding of each other. What do you think?"
Muramasa frowned, "You mean to write with my father who's a hindrance?"
"Huh?" Elf smiled, "So you admit that I'm not a hindrance anymore?"
"You're still quite a hindrance! But because we're friends, I can tolerate it. However, I don't want any more hindrances around!" Muramasa retorted stubbornly.
"Well, well, a hindrance is a hindrance, I get it. But this could be an effective way to persuade him." Elf didn't seem to mind Muramasa calling her a hindrance, perhaps because she acknowledged their friendship.
Seeing Muramasa convinced by Elf's argument, Homura nodded, "Alright, let's go with that plan first. If it doesn't work, we'll figure it out as we go."
"No problem." Elf smiled happily, "By the way, if her father is Umezono Rintaro... what's the daughter's name?"
Finally, that question was asked! Homura was certain that Elf did it on purpose! Just look at her mischievous expression.
Muramasa's face blushed slightly as she turned away, "I'm not telling you!"
"Aww, come on! I'm so curious!" Elf insisted.
"No way! Stay away from me, you demi-human!"
"Although we're friends... calling a fairy a demi-human is strictly forbidden!"
Homura chuckled as he watched their usual bickering. Afterward, he stretched his body and continued laboriously signing the manga books.
===
The next day.
After breakfast, Homura walked on the street towards the pet store with Haru on his head.
The streets during the holidays were always bustling with people, and the adorable little creature on his head attracted many curious gazes.
"A hat...? Is that a hat?"
"Is that real? Such a cute hat! I want one too!"
"What a huge hat! And it moves!"
"Aww, such a cute little fellow! Oh, it looking at me!"
"Wow, such an intense stare! Hahaha!"
Homura listened to the comments from passersby and smiled helplessly.
With so many people around, even if he didn't have Haru on his head, he would still attract attention. So, there was no way to avoid it.
Every time he took Haru out alone, it was like this. However, when he went out with the other girls, most of the attention focused on the girls, and Haru didn't stand out as much because she was so small.
===
"Nana, I'm here. Yugo, it's been a while."
Homura greeted the siblings Nana and Yugo, who were in charge of the pet store.
"Homura-kun, welcome, and Haru-chan too!" After exchanging greetings with the two, Nana called out. "Hacchan, come here! Your sister is here!"
"Long time no see, Minamiya-san, it's been a while since we last saw. You too, Haru." Yugo also greeted them, both Homura and his cat.
"Yeah! It's been almost half a month, right? I wanted to visit every week, but last week was too busy."
After saying that, Homura put Haru on the ground.
Soon, Hachi, who heard the call, ran over, while Nana's other cat, Roku, was also there.
"It's understandable; I can totally imagine how busy Homura-kun must have been last week."
Nana smiled and then naturally reached out to tidy up Homura's hair, which had been flattened by Haru.
"Yeah..." Homura chuckled wryly. "If you've been following my blog, you should know. I came back from a trip and started signing manga books right away."
"Ah, I know about that. You promised to send them out after the signing event, right?"
"Yeah, fortunately, my fans are understanding folks."
Then, Homura looked at Hachi, who seemed less lively than usual and fell silent.
"What's wrong?" Nana asked, looking at Homura's expression.
"Haru found her last two siblings..."
"Ahh, isn't that a good thing?" Nana was surprised. It hadn't been long since Haru met Hachi, and she had already found her other two siblings!
Homura shook his head.
"I don't know if it's a good thing... Haru just watched them from a distance without approaching. Do they even remember they have a big sister?"