After dinner, Homura and the girls went back to the temporary classroom.
At this moment, Yukiho wore a displeased expression.
"Why does everyone eat so quickly?"
"Because if you don't eat fast, there won't be any left!" Honoka answered after letting out a burp.
Looking at her sister, Yukiho smirked.
"Well, well, Nee-chan, don't you plan on controlling your weight?"
Honoka's body instantly stiffened.
"I can always practice more..." Honoka replied somewhat awkwardly.
"Even so, Minamiya-senpai's cooking is really delicious!" Alisa exclaimed in amazement.
"Alisa! We need to remember this lesson today..." Yukiho said sternly. "Or else we won't get enough food to eat!"
"Didn't get enough food to eat, huh..." Homura mused, rubbing his chin, then returned to the kitchen.
Several seconds later, he brought out a basin of tea eggs.
Everyone: "..."
"Homura-kun... I won't ask what this is, but why use a basin?" Umi raised an eyebrow.
"With this many people, what else should I use? A pot?" Homura replied matter-of-factly.
Umi: "..."
She couldn't help but feel that what he said actually made sense!
"These tea eggs were made yesterday, and they're best eaten today. If anyone didn't get enough food, you can have some."
Homura spoke with a smile and placed the basin on the table.
Honoka could only watch her sister enjoy it because her stomach felt like it couldn't hold anymore.
Before long, after some convincing, everyone ended up trying one and instantly fell in love with Homura's flavored tea eggs.
""Hic!""
Homura looked at Honoka and Nico, who were hiccupping in unison.
"Are you two full or choking?"
"Hic! Choking..." Nico replied softly.
"Usually, we don't hiccup when we're full..." Honoka nodded.
"Well, drink some water then... it seems like your stomach can't handle it anymore." Homura felt a little guilty.
It was his fault for making them eat so much.
"Alright, don't move."
Homura came behind the two girls and quickly stimulated pressure points on their backs.
""Ahh~!""
After two startled cries, their hiccups were gone!
"Okay, let's get back to class."
"Wait!" Honoka stopped him. "First, tell us what just happened! It's so amazing! It stopped instantly!"
"Why? It's just a surprise technique. Why is this such a big deal?"
Homura seemed puzzled since he just scared them in another way.
"Really...?" Honoka thought for a moment. "When you came behind us just now, I was already prepared and wasn't surprised though."
"Homura-kun scared your bodies, right?" Megumi speculated. "Hiccups are a kind of muscle spasm. When Homura-kun stimulated your bodies, the muscle contractions subsided, so the hiccup went away naturally."
Upon hearing her explanation, Homura gave a thumbs up.
"Yeah, Megumi is right. It's that simple."
In one sentence, he summarized it as scaring the heck out of their stubborn hiccups. Since he knew some massage techniques, a little stimulation did the trick.
It was just that simple.
"Is it really that simple?" Nico asked with widened eyes.
"Well, I can do massage after all, so it's easier for me than most people." Homura shrugged.
"Well, okay then..." Nico shrugged.
"Yosh, let's continue the training." Homura nodded.
===
After an hour of teaching voice acting, Homura helped them review their school homework.
As the time approached nine o'clock, Homura declared the end of the voice-acting training.
"Yosh, class dismissed! I'll give you all the game's scripts now. Take some time to review it over the next few days. Also, on the third day, which is Friday, I'll decide which of you will voice which characters and then start special training over the weekend."
"One more thing, please, don't leak this..."
While distributing the scripts, Homura added a cautionary message.
"Don't worry, Homura-kun. We won't make that mistake." Eli nodded earnestly.
"I don't mean you'd leak it intentionally since I trust you all. What I meant was... if you want to practice at school, don't let anyone find out. It's almost as bad as leaking. Even though the outside world doesn't know that I've chosen you for the game's voice actors, it's better to be safe than sorry."
Eli and Nozomi exchanged glances, then looked at Nico and Honoka.
"If that's the case... where can we practice when we are at school?" Eli asked.
"My clubroom... might not be a suitable option..." Nico suggested but immediately dismissed it.
"How about the rooftop?" Maki suggested with a puzzled expression. "We seem to be the only ones using it."
"But... there are classrooms beneath the rooftop..." Hanayo pointed out. "People might hear us."
"Let's not practice at school!" Honoka waved her hand. "We don't have much time after class, and lunch breaks are short. We can come here right after school, right?"
Upon hearing her suggestion, Muse's members, along with Yukiho and Alisa, discussed it again and decided to follow her suggestion to not practice at school.
"Nanami, what do you feel when studying voice acting with everyone?" Homura asked with a smile.
"Well... I don't feel anything special since I'm used to it at the voice acting school. However, I must admit, what you explained today is easier to understand than what the teachers at the voice acting school talk about." Nanami answered with a smile.
"Well, you've experienced big stages already." Homura teased. "It's understandable that these small ones seem like nothing."
"What do you mean?" Nanami blushed slightly. "I've only voiced a character once... How is that a big stage? Homura-kun must be joking..."
Smiling, Homura turned to Megumi.
"And how about you, Megumi? How do you feel?"
"Hmm..." Megumi hesitated for a moment. "I think I've learned a lot, especially since I've only been learning for a few days. Homura-kun's explanations are easy to grasp."
"Umu, that's great then..." Homura nodded. "Alright, let's go, everyone. I'll walk you home, and on the way, we can discuss our thoughts. You've got to hurry back home, it's already late."
"Where's Haru, nyaa?"
Rin looked around for Haru.
"She'll walk with us since she always enjoys evening walks." Homura replied with a smile.
"That's great, nyaa!"
===
"Honestly, Homura-kun is really impressive. In just one day, I feel like I've gotten a pretty good grasp of voice acting..."
Umi remarked as they walked the nighttime streets.
"Isn't it because you've practiced singing and vocal techniques before?" Homura responded.
"Yes, Maki-chan taught us." Kotori nodded.
"I mentioned before that these two areas can overlap, which is why you all picked it up quickly." Homura continued. "This is also why Yukiho and Alisa can't catch up as easily as you nine."
"But when we learn to sing, it should be easier, right, Minamiya-senpai?" Yukiho asked with a faint smile.
"Yup, absolutely." Homura nodded firmly.
Yukiho's face showed no sense of disappointment at all—or rather, she even saw it as an advantage.
Seeing her expression, Homura nodded inwardly.
It seemed like the Kosaka sisters possessed something special about them.