Elf immediately grasped the situation—with Minamiya-sensei's fans rallying together, the signing event was bound to happen, and that would indeed buy them more time for the game.
"You're really putting your heart into this..." Elf sighed.
"Who said I wasn't." Homura shrugged nonchalantly.
After dragging a lounge chair next to him, Elf asked.
"So, what's your plan for the signing event this time?"
"I'm not good at these things, so I'll leave it to Ayano." Homura shook his head.
Elf raised an eyebrow.
"Did I hear that right? Minamiya-sensei, you have something you're not good at?"
"Well, it's not like it needs anything special, right? Aren't signing events all the same?" Homura said calmly. "I just need to show up and sign for the whole thing."
"Of course!" Elf's eyes lit up. "You can do some talent performance!"
Upon hearing her nonsense, Homura had a wry smile.
"Are you serious? Signing alone already tires me out. If I add a performance to that, I'll die of exhaustion..."
Elf pursed her lips and didn't say anything more.
"I should probably notify everyone..." Homura said, standing up with Haru in his arms. "After all, the schedule has changed a bit."
Elf, still adjusting to her not-yet-warm lounge chair, rolled her eyes and stood up too.
===
"That's it... What do you all think?"
After hearing Homura's explanation, Megumi spoke softly.
"Even though Homura-kun acted without consulting us this time... this method is still good."
Upon hearing her words, Homura fell silent for a while before shaking his head.
"Well, it's my fault for not informing everyone in advance." Homura admitted his mistake.
"Homura-kun made a slight mistake, but this extra time is crucial, not only for Muse but also for Megumi to practice." Utaha chimed in, skipping over his error.
Homura nodded.
"Honestly, besides voice acting practice, is there really nothing else you guys need my help with?"
"I need to replenish Senpainium!" Nayuta's voice came from behind a curtain.
"What the heck is Senpainium?!" Eriri exclaimed. "And Nayu, didn't you finish your assigned task already? Why are you still there?"
"Senpainium is like a nutrient for me! It's closely related to my mental well-being! I need to make contact with Senpai to replenish it!" Nayuta confidently explained. "Plus, I'm here to write my novel! Since the Silver Scenery is about to be published, I decided to write a bit more to avoid my editor's nagging!"
Her earlier words were full of sarcasm, but what she said afterward truly surprised everyone.
"Your debut work is about to be published?" Homura was delighted, after all, this was a piece of great news!
"It should be? Editor-san told me yesterday that unless something unexpected happens, it should be released this weekend." Nayuta replied.
"Combine them." Mashiro chimed in calmly.
"Um?" Izumi next to her was a bit confused. 'Combine? What does that mean?'
On the other hand, Homura and Utaha seemed to be deep in thought about Mashiro's words.
"Isn't Homura-kun's signing event for manga? How can it be merged with Nayu's novel debut?" Utaha raised a question.
Homura thought for a moment before speaking up.
"It's not really a merger, per se. We can just place Nayu's novel at my signing event venue, and those interested will naturally take a look."
Upon hearing that, Nayuta was slightly surprised at first but then became delighted.
"Can we really do that?!"
"But, it's still Homura's signing event, isn't it? Is it okay to place other people's works at the venue?" Eriri hesitated about his suggestion.
"Senpai..." Nayuta's voice trailed off. "Actually, there's no need to do that... it would cause a lot of trouble for the people setting up the venue."
She wanted to go along with the idea, but she knew it would be a hassle for Homura, so she decided to endure it.
"Homura-kun, I have a proposal." Megumi raised her hand. "You don't need to do much, just have a promotional sign next to you during your signing event."
Raising his eyebrows, Homura nodded.
"Yeah, that's a good idea. Nayu, could you ask Editor Shimano to grab a promotional sign for your novel? I'll bring it along later."
"Um! Senpai, thank you!" Nayuta answered as she appeared from behind the curtain, neatly dressed. "By the way, Senpai, can you recharge my Senpainium?"
After saying that, she approached Homura with a happy smile.
Seeing this, Sagiri pouted.
"Nayu-chan is so sly! I need to recharge my Oniium too... Well, actually, it's not like I want to do this... It's just a necessary measure for using my secret technique..." Sagiri's voice grew smaller as she spoke.
Upon hearing his sister's words, Homura wore a puzzled expression.
Had Sagiri already learned the so-called secret technique from Shizuka? A technique that could be mastered in just three days was called a secret technique? What kind of technique is that?
In resignation, Homura used his usual head-patting technique to replenish their so-called '-nium' thingy, which ultimately attracted Mashiro.
"I also want to recharge my Homuranium..."
And so, Homura caressed each of their heads until their hair sparked with static electricity, making their hair wild.
Barely holding back his laughter, Homura ran off without hesitation, leaving behind two silver-maned lionesses and one golden-maned lioness in disarray, all under the gaze of the speechless girls.
===
Time flew by, and Saturday finally arrived.
Homura was now on his way to Otonokizaka High School with Haru.
Ayano didn't come along this time because she was helping him prepare for tomorrow's signing event.
There were two main reasons for his visit this time.
First, he wanted to understand the reactions of readers by discussing the fourth chapter of 'Love Live!' with Muse.
Second, he needed materials and inspiration.
He had already drawn the fifth chapter of the manga but he hadn't started on the sixth chapter yet. Because of this, he needed to inquire about Muse's recent developments and understand their situation, especially since there were only four days left before the open day.
Soon, Otonokizaka High School came into view, and Homura could see nine girls standing at the school gate.
Homura was somewhat surprised but also felt it was within reason.
Honoka, Kotori, and Umi welcoming him was to be expected. Eli and Nozomi, as the student council president and vice-president, coming out to welcome him was also normal. Adding to that was Rin, who clearly came because of Haru.
As for the remaining three? Obviously, it would have been awkward if they didn't come out when the majority of Muse's members welcomed him.
Meanwhile, as Homura approached, Rin's eyes instantly lit up.
"It's Homura-kun, nyaa~! Rin spotted you! Haru-chan too! Rin's coming over right now, nyaa~!"
Like a whirlwind, she dashed off, and not even Umi could stop her.
Homura shook his head with a wry smile as he watched Rin sprinting toward him.
She was truly obsessed with cats.
He wondered if her cat allergy had gotten any better.
"It's been a while, Homura-kun~!"
After greeting Homura, Rin immediately fixed her gaze on Haru.
"It's been a while for you too, nyaa~!"
"Yeah, it's been a while, Rin." Homura answered with a smile before handing Haru over to her.
Rin carefully took Haru, gave a mischievous grin, and started cuddling her.
Haru: "..."
"Shall we go? The others are waiting." Homura suggested.
"Oh..." Rin nodded, then walked alongside him.
"By the way, how's your allergy?" Homura asked, sounding concerned.
In the next moment, he saw her face darkened.
"Rin hasn't seen any other cats lately..." Rin muttered with sadness.
"..."