Passerby A: "Yesss! When I get home, I'm totally going to indulge myself!"
Passerby B: "Yo, could you stop saying that? You're killing the vibe here! We're trying to enjoy the game, not hear your weird words."
Passerby A: "...Weird? Fuck off, dude!"
Hearing their words, Homura paused for a moment.
The first passerby's expression seemed fine, but the listener might interpret it differently due to his vague words.
Homura smirked and changed direction.
Passerby C: "Whew... finally got the game and the weekly magazine! Oh, and guess what—the game comes with a Tohsaka Rin poster! Sick, right? Uh, wait... why're you so locked in on the magazine?"
Passerby D: "I can't help it. I've been waiting forever for this, but... since I was so hyped and read it as soon as it came out, I think I might've been the first to catch it..."
Passerby C: "Catch what? What's up?"
Passerby D: "Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun... has ended!"
With this shout, the previously noisy scene eerily quieted for a moment before erupting even louder!
Passerby F: "No way! For real?! Monthly Girls is done?!"
Passerby G: "Seriously, that was fast as hell, right? Only two months?"
Passerby F: "Yeah, but gonna admit, Minamiya-sensei is seriously amazing. He could milked it out for like, half a year or even forever like other mangaka out there, but he wrapped it up."
Passerby G: "Man, it was such a good story... he should kept it going..."
Passerby H: "Honestly, I'm glad it ended. You know, that whole unrequited love thing with Chiyo was kinda sad."
Passerby G: "Ugh, seriously! If you're gonna finish it, just finish it, Minamiya-sensei! Chiyo finally confesses, and then boom, fireworks? What was that about?"
Passerby I: "Bro, you're done too? I feel like Nozaki might've been lowkey shy or something, so he added that line."
Passerby F: "Nozaki? Shy? You're joking, right?"
Eventually, the crowd joining the discussion grew larger, and there was no shortage of people criticizing Homura.
Homura wiped away some sweat and slipped away with the girls, planning to return home.
"What's the rush?"
Eriri, wearing a mischievous grin, nudged Homura's arm with her elbow.
"What else? I was afraid if I didn't leave now, I'd be caught!" Homura replied frankly.
"Who told you to pull off that stunt at the end?" Eriri said unsparingly. "I was tempted to smack you when I saw that firework moment with Nozaki-kun!"
"Why smack me? It's Nozaki who said that, not me!" Homura retorted indignantly.
"You made Nozaki say it." Utaha chimed in, her voice tinged with irony.
Homura rolled his eyes, then sighed.
'How did running away from the crowd not spare me from being criticized? Looks like the days of criticism are only going to increase from here on, huh...'
===
Upon returning home, everyone immediately refreshed their blogs.
Each person received numerous mentions, and the content was almost identical—all inquiries about any updates about Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun.
Questions like, 'Why did Minamiya-sensei end it?', 'Is there a second season?', or 'What are the plans for the future?', flooded their notifications.
Over time, the discussions intensified, even threatening to surpass the popularity of Fate/stay night.
It couldn't be helped.
Monthly Girls's Nozaki-kun was, after all, Homura's first and debut work in everyone's memory, a manga that brought boundless joy and nostalgia.
Feeling the warmth of such an enthusiastic discussion, Homura had no choice but to speak up.
[Minamiya: Hey guys, today, besides the release of Fate/stay night, I've got some cool Children's Day surprises for you all. Any guesses?]
[Comment 1: Minamiya-sensei, you're not talking about the end of Monthly Girls, right?]
[Minamiya: Are you serious? If I dropped that bomb as a surprise, I'd have a whole fandom cursing me out!]
[Comment 2: Honestly, you kinda deserve it!]
[Minamiya: Alright, whatever. I will just spill it. Behold, the anime adaptation of Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun is totally happening. As for the specific airing schedule, it should be part of the July lineup, so get ready for Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun stealing the spotlight!]
As soon as Homura's statement was posted, the discussion got lively again.
[Comment 3: Uwoooghhh! Not only did we get new stuff from Another Dimension, but we're also getting the anime of Monthly Girls? Double surprises! So much hype!]
[Comment 4: Heck yes! Are the goofballs from Monthly Girls finally getting their voices? This is seriously the best news ever!]
[Comment 5: Damn, we get to see it in July?! Is this what they mean by Another Dimension's legendary fast speed?]
[Comment 6: Gotta be Minamiya-sensei's speed, right? Monthly Girls isn't even Another Dimension's work.]
[Comment 7: Anyway, today's just awesome!]
In an instant, all the criticisms against Homura disappeared!
All complaints were effortlessly resolved as long as they could overshadow the gloom with joy.
Of course, this was just the first surprise since another one was waiting.
Homura sighed while grinning.
"I hope getting so much good news won't make them overly hyped."
"Homura-kun..." Megumi looked dumbfounded, wondering if his mischievous grin was a sign of trouble.
"Ahem!" Homura cleared his throat. "I'll go... announce another news."
'You're planning to troll them, aren't you?!'
All the girls thought this simultaneously and wore expressions that basically said—he was up to his old tricks again.
Meanwhile, Izumi seemed to be looking at Homura with newfound understanding, her eyes wide.
"Izumi, what's wrong?"
Homura, realizing Izumi's expression, couldn't help but ask.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"A-Ah, nothing!" Izumi vigorously shook her head. "Just didn't expect Minamiya-senpai to have this side..."
"Who doesn't have a bit of a dark side?" Homura laughed outright.
Upon hearing this, Elf laughed.
"Dark side? Homura isn't just this side but many more, y'know? Occasionally revealing a new facet, showing quite a sense of versatility."
"Versatility?" Homura raised an eyebrow. "Is that a compliment?"
"Of course!"
"Versatile, Homura?" Mashiro blinked her eyes cutely. "Versatile Homura?"
"..." Homura fell silent.
"No, not good." Mashiro shook her head.
Suddenly, Homura felt like he was about to hear something outrageous.
"Versatile... Homuchan?" Mashiro's eyes lit up. "Um, this is good."
Homura's expression immediately darkened.
Although Mashiro didn't talk much, every time she talked, it was shocking.
"What the heck is Versatile Homuchan, Mashiro? Seriously, isn't this nickname too cute?!" Homura complained. "Am I a magical girl or something?!"
Suddenly, Elf patted Mashiro's shoulder, gave her a thumbs up, and then left the living room.
As her figure completely disappeared from everyone's sight—
"Hahahaha—!"
"..."
Homura was speechless as he heard Elf's laugh from afar.
Eriri also stood up, gave Mashiro a thumbs up, and then left the living room.
"???"
Homura was confused.
"Pffft—hahahaha—!"
Eriri's laugh resounded from the next room.
Homura then looked with confusion at Utaha, who also stood up.
"Wait, can't you just laugh here?"
Homura asked Utaha with a deadpan expression.
"Homura-kun... I want to go to the bathroom." Utaha shook her head.
After giving Mashiro a thumbs up, Utaha also left.
Homura understood.
She clearly wanted to laugh in the bathroom where others couldn't hear.