"Yeah! So let's think about a new song!" Honoka said cheerfully.
"Isn't that a bit too fast?!" Maki looked surprised. Composing requires inspiration! You can't just make it happen instantly.
"Is that so?"
Honoka responded casually without disappointment.
"Well then... What should we do?"
Hearing Honoka's question, Kotori thought for a moment.
Today, they were holding a concert and had prepared five songs. For school idols, that was a decent number.
So, what's next?
"Honoka-chan, I think we should practice the songs that Homura-kun gave for each one of us..." Kotori suggested.
Eli nodded in agreement. "That's a good idea. The previous songs introduced us as a group. Now, we should let everyone get to know us individually."
"You're right!" Honoka chimed in. "How about we make some self-introduction videos too?"
At her suggestion, Umi and Maki hesitated for a moment. To be honest, after organizing a concert, what's self-introduction for?
With that in mind, they began discussing their ideas, each of them contributing to the conversation.
===
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Homura and the group strolled leisurely towards the Minamiya residence, not too far away, about twenty minutes or so.
"Homura, what did you mean by that shooting star thingy?" Elf couldn't help but ask.
"Which one?" Homura raised an eyebrow.
"The shooting star part. Why did you say not to make wishes on it? Is it because they have to fulfill their wish themselves or something?" Elf wondered.
Homura chuckled.
"That's one way to interpret it, but there's another meaning I shared with them last night."
"I knew it." Elf nodded. "I thought your expression was weird just now. C'mon, tell us!"
"Do you guys know why shooting stars disappear so quickly?"
"Because they burn out?" Muramasa guessed.
Homura nodded.
"Umi said that too, but let's look at it differently. There's a well-known legend that says if you make a wish before a shooting star disappears, it'll come true. So, why do you think shooting stars vanish so quickly?"
"Because they don't want you to finish your wish." Mashiro said casually.
"Ohh!" Homura clapped. "Mashiro, that's brilliant!"
"Hahaha!" Elf, Eriri, Kirino, and Kuroneko burst into laughter, while the rest were equally amazed.
"What a bizarre way to interpret it!" Eriri exclaimed.
"I've never heard of this reason before..." Utaha shook her head.
"It's fun though." Homura grinned.
"But..." Nanami wiped her brow. "Homura-kun, won't this shatter some people's beautiful fantasies?"
"Fantasies are meant to be shattered, aren't they?" Homura shrugged.
"Another beautiful fantasy is gone..." Megumi sighed.
"Another one?" Nayuta asked curiously. "What else?"
"Well, probably Santa Claus..." Homura chuckled.
"Uhh..."
"But it doesn't really matter. As long as you don't know, it hasn't disappeared, right?" Homura shrugged again. "Many parents keep things from their children, don't they?"
"Then why did you tell us..." Kirino muttered.
"Well, everyone knows now. Since Elf asked, I might as well spill the beans." Homura deftly shifted the blame.
"You mean it's my fault?" Elf's eyebrow started to twitch.
"By the way..." Homura continued. "Don't tell Maki that Santa Claus doesn't exist. It would be quite cruel to her."
Hearing this, the girls pondered and understood.
"Minamiya-kun... When does the circle's work start?" " Muramasa suddenly spoke up and changed the topic.
"Ara?" Elf had a mischievous grin. "Is Hana in a hurry?"
"..." Muramasa stayed silent.
""Hana?!""
Everyone, except Sagiri and Homura, exclaimed in unison.
"What?" Elf raised an eyebrow. "Haven't I told you guys yet?"
Muramasa fought the urge to punch Elf's face and spoke to everyone before Elf could.
"My real name is Umezono Hana... Nice to meet you all once again."
"Ohh! What a cute name!" Yui exclaimed.
"Yeah..." Tsumugi smiled gently. "So, no need to be too concerned."
Hearing their responses, Muramasa blushed slightly, feeling a bit shy.
"We can start right after school tomorrow. Of course, if you have time, you can start working earlier." Homura answered Muramasa's question.
The only thing that could start early was the script; character designs and illustrations would have to follow the script after all.
"Okay." Muramasa nodded, a sense of anticipation now visible on her calm face.
"It's going to start right away? That's great!" Saori was all smiles. "My excitement has been building up, de gozaru!"
"I hope it can be released soon..." Tsumugi also expressed her anticipation.
The group chatted all the way until they arrived at the Minamiya residence.
===
Although there were a few who were initially shocked by the size of the Minamiya residence, they quickly calmed down. After all, they were pretty laid-back and had a strong capability to accept bizarre things easily.
"Yosh, we've got fruit juice, soft drinks, and milk. Take whatever you like." Homura said while glancing at Yui and Ritsu. "Or maybe you want some red tea?"
"I think I'll have some milk..." Ritsu replied after some hesitation.
"Umu, umu, a change of taste once in a while is good." Yui nodded her head repeatedly in agreement.
Homura shook his head in resignation and turned his head to Tsumugi.
"Mugi, can I trouble you again? It seems like they don't trust my skills."
""We didn't mean that!""
Yui and Ritsu exclaimed together and shook their heads vigorously.
"Fufu..." Tsumugi chuckled. "Homura-niisan, that's because you've never made red tea before."
So what if he hadn't made red tea before? It wasn't like he was bragging; he could make the best tea eggs with the finest red tea! {T/N: Chinese food.}
"Well, let's just make tea eggs then..." Homura also shook his head.
""Tea eggs?!""
Yui and Ritsu exclaimed in sync.
"I want to eat them." Yui said with a serious face.
"You're always thinking about food, Yui." Ritsu poked Yui's shoulder.
"Homuhomu-senpai! If Ricchan won't eat, you can give her portion to me."
"No way! My portion won't go to you absolutely!"
Seeing their childish quarrel, Homura rolled his eyes.
"I can make them, but it takes quite some time, at least three hours, or they won't taste good."
"Ehh~? That long?" Yui looked dumbfounded.
"Yeah, if the time is too short, they won't be flavorful. Though, if you leave them overnight, they'll be more perfect." Homura added.
"Ricchan..." Yui turned to Ritsu. "What should we do? Maybe we should stay at Homuhomu-senpai's house?"
"..." Everyone was speechless.
'You've never been such a glutton before! What's gotten into you now?' Mio thought speechlessly as she looked at Yui's innocent face.
"Um... Yui-chan, we still have school tomorrow..." Tsumugi couldn't help but interject.
"I forgot! We actually have school tomorrow?!" Yui exclaimed in shock.
Everyone sighed with wry smiles. Sometimes, her natural airheadedness left them speechless.
With that in mind, they couldn't help but glance at Mashiro.
"???" Mashiro tilted her head, confused.
Never mind, she was already a natural one.
"Let's forget about today. Just let me know a day in advance if you want to eat Tea eggs next time." Homura suggested.
"No way!" Mio shook her head. "That's too much trouble for Minamiya-senpai!"
"No worries. The key is just to let the eggs sit, the process itself isn't too troublesome." Homura said calmly, then thought for a moment. "If you still feel bad about it, then hurry up and write a new song, and then perform it. How about that?"
"Ou! No problem!" Ritsu quickly volunteered, turning to Mio and giving her a thumbs-up. "Mio, it's all yours!"
"What do you mean by 'it's all yours'?!"
Mio exclaimed in anger and knocked Ritsu's head without mercy!
As a result, Ritsu had a smoke-emitting lump on her head.