"Wow, what a touching friendship, nyaa!"
Rin wiped away a tear from her eyes.
"Yeah, Muse has truly moved me time and time again." Homura sniffled and nodded.
""Soulmates!""
Homura and Rin clasped their hands together.
Everyone else looked at the two goofballs with perplexed expressions.
"Pfttt—"
Hanayo was the first to crack up because she understood that Rin was using this method to change her current mood.
However, she didn't expect Homura to join in on the fun, too.
Seeing everyone giggling, Rin and Homura high-fived.
""Yay!""
Meanwhile, Honoka watched Rin's antics and rubbed her chin.
"It's almost like last time when Rin-chan and I did something similar?"
"Right..." Umi said, sounding a bit exasperated. "Last time, you and Rin celebrated like this after you, Hanayo, and Kotori sang together, but... I didn't expect Homura-kun to do this kind of thing too..."
Homura and Rin both seemed to enjoy having fun.
What caught everyone off guard was that after Rin started, Homura immediately followed suit so naturally.
Elf also remembered having similar moments with Homura.
She could only say that he truly understood them all very well. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so quick and seamless.
"Alright, enough laughter, have your moods improved?" Homura asked with a smile. "Let's continue then."
"Well... we only have one major heroine role left... Illya, right?" Sagiri pondered and asked.
Her brother had mentioned earlier that she might be suitable for Illyasviel, so who would it be this time?
Upon hearing Sagiri's question, Homura once again looked in the direction of Muse.
"Don't you guys want to know why I didn't mention Illya's candidates earlier?"
"Just a moment ago, Homura-kun mentioned that Kotori would be perfect for Illya, right?" Honoka said. "So, there's no dispute for the role of Illya now that Kotori's already cast as Sakura, right?"
"It's hard to say..." Homura chuckled. "Since Illya is equally challenging to handle, what it ultimately depends on is Alisa's ability."
""Eh?""
Both Eli and Alisa were surprised.
"Me?"
Alisa still couldn't believe it.
"As long as you study what I've taught you diligently, then it's definitely you." Homura nodded with a smile.
Yukiho watched Alisa with envy.
They had been spectating all along, but with just one sentence from Homura, her best friend was in the game!
"Don't be disappointed, everyone. There are plenty of opportunities in this circle. If it's not this time, there will always be another chance." Homura reassured. "Plus, the wait won't be too long. You can use this time to further master your skills."
Just like he said, they could use this opportunity to practice and get used to voice acting.
"Alright, that's it for today." Homura glanced at the clock. "I'll drop you all off at your places. Also, the next two days are going to be hellish training."
"Everyone, I have a suggestion." Honoka suddenly spoke and raised her hand.
"Go on." Homura listened attentively.
"How about a sleepover in Homura-kun's place!"
"..."
'Huh? Did I hear that correctly?' Homura scratched his head. "What did you just say?"
"Sleepover in Homura-kun's place!"
'A sleepover? In Minamiya-senpai's house?' Yukiho was stunned by her big sister's words.
Homura wasn't surprised since the words came from Honoka—her saying that was as normal as it got.
"Anyway, the weekend's just around the corner, and if we have a sleepover, we'll have more time to practice. After all, the game's release date isn't far off, right?" Honoka said confidently. "Plus, we won't have to bother Homura-kun to take us home every time, so it's a win-win situation."
"Honoka, don't tell me... you want to start today?" Umi's corner of the mouth twitched dozens of times.
"Of course not!" Honoka waved her hand dismissively. "We didn't bring anything with us today, right?"
"Nee-chan, are you just trying to get some free meals?" Yukiho asked, looking at her big sister with skepticism.
"N-No, it's not like that!"
Honoka wiped her forehead nervously and looked at Yukiho defensively.
"Am I really like that in your eyes?"
'You were definitely thinking that just now, weren't you?' Yukiho thought, then nodded without hesitation. "Yes."
"..."
"You know, this is someone else's place. After all that talk, you never asked what the owner thinks?"
As she said this, Maki seemed to hit the nail on the head every time.
"..."
"I certainly don't object, but..." Homura said with hesitation. "What about your family's opinion?"
"Don't worry! Our families are used to us having sleepovers regularly. They won't object, absolutely!" Honoka said casually, brushing off the topic.
Homura sighed internally.
He had to admit that the Kosaka family's parents were truly patient, though it wasn't just this side—the Kosaka family in Chiba had its share of challenges too.
"Well, I'll still drop you all off first, and we can chat on the way." Homura shrugged.
"Yeah, if I'm late, my mom will cut my allowance." Honoka said with a serious expression.
Everyone: "..."
===
The next morning.
"Hey there, Homura! I'm here to mooch some food!"
Ayano suddenly showed up at the Minamiya residence.
"You don't have some important matter this time, do you?" Homura chuckled.
"Nah, it's not that important, the main reason is to mooch some food!"
Ayano's words made it difficult for Homura to judge how important her matter actually was.
"Well, let's eat first." Homura shook his head. "We can talk after the meal."
"That's how it should be!" Ayano nodded with satisfaction. "These are all trivial compared to your cooking."
"Ayano... you're lying." Mashiro chimed in, her voice flat.
Ayano: "..."
"Heh!" Homura chuckled. "From your expression, it looks like it's not such a trivial issue."
"Ahh... my busy life..." Ayano sighed. "C'mon, let me eat first!"
"If you have something on your mind, food won't taste good." Mashiro calmly remarked.
Nanami tugged at Mashiro's sleeve from the side, signaling her to stop speaking.
'Can't you see that Ayano-san is already upset?' Nanami tried to use her eyes to convey the message.
"Hey, Homura... they say a mangaka's manga is like their own child. Do you remember how long it's been since your eldest son was 'born'?"
In the middle of eating, Ayano glanced at Homura and suddenly asked him a ridiculous question.
"What?"
""Hahaha—!""
As Homura was left speechless by Ayano's question, Elf and Eriri burst out laughing.