165 We Became Friends

"By the way! The video Minamiya-sensei posted, was it also for promoting you guys?" Kirino continued to ask.

Kotori responded, "Well, that's not entirely wrong... But there are also some other intentions."

"What intentions?" Kirino asked.

"It's like--"

"Wait a minute!"

Kotori, who was about to speak, was interrupted by Homura.

"I'll immediately post the answer on my blog. Everyone can go check it out there. How about that?" Homura asked, looking at everyone.

"As I thought! Homura definitely has some other plans!"

"Could it be related to the new work?" Mio's eyes lit up. "That really gets me hyped!"

With all eyes on him, Homura fiddled around with his phone for a while. Once he was finished, he said, "Alright, please check it out on your own."

===

Minamiya: So, how is it? Have any of you guessed something? After keeping you all in suspense for so long, it's time to make an official announcement!

This Saturday! My new manga, 'Love Live!', will be officially released at the same time as Shiina Mashiro-sensei's manga, 'Your Name.'. This is also my third ongoing manga! Of course, some people might be worried about how I can handle three manga series simultaneously.

Please rest assured, this manga will be released biweekly! One chapter every two weeks, so it won't have any impact on me. For those who are used to my updating speed, this manga is a first-time appearance of having three chapters as a debut and can be considered a treat for everyone. And there's no other way for this manga to be biweekly because...

The new manga is completely based on real-life events! That's why, the author himself has no way to speed things up. How about it? Does the reality being turned into manga give you a unique sense of excitement?

This Saturday... Manke Bunko Store! The new manga is waiting for you! Let's not miss it!"

===

"Homura..." Eriri looked at Homura, "I can't help but feel that your persuasive tactics are quite impressive..."

Homura waved his hand, "Don't be silly, there's nothing persuasive about it! Those who are swayed are already inclined towards it in the first place. And those who aren't interested... no amount of persuasion would be of any use."

"But it also depends on how you speak, right?" Megumi added, "The words you just said were quite attractive to me. I have to admit that after reading that words, my sense of anticipation increased significantly."

"Me too! I really want to see the new manga immediately!" Mio expressed her own thoughts.

The remaining people nodded one after another, indicating that they were indeed looking forward to it.

"So, you see, one reason is that you already know the main characters in the manga beforehand. And the other reason is the anticipation you have for me as a person. When you combine these two factors, it naturally amplifies your sense of anticipation." Homura explained.

"Homura-niisan, stop saying these things. I want to ask if we can see it in advance?" Tsumugi spoke up, causing the Light Music Club girls and Saori's group to inevitably be filled with excitement!

As for why the others were not excited... well, they had already seen it.

Homura readily replied, "You can see it, but you can't leak any information about it."

"Did you hear that?" Mio looked at Ritsu with a 'kind' expression, "Absolutely no leaking, understand..."

"Why are you saying it to me?!" Ritsu said indignantly.

"Absolutely no leaking..."

"Alright! Alright! I got it!" She conceded. Being stared at like that by Mio was truly terrifying!

"Leaving aside the issue of leaking or not..." Utaha looked at him incredulously, "You actually brought them?"

After she finished speaking, the others realized it too, and couldn't help but feel embarrassed. What kind of mangaka was he? Carrying around his manga manuscript wherever he went?!

Homura nodded, "Well... since I already finished drawing the fifth chapter, I had to bring it for Muse to see. Plus, there might be others coming and want to see too, so I brought them all."

Fifth chapter? Now, even the Muse girls were interested!

"Everyone, take a look." Homura took out a stack of the manuscript photocopies.

Then they formed different groups and started reading.

Homura walked up to Yui's side and picked up Haru. Yui remained as still as a statue, not daring to move for fear of waking Haru. Once Haru was safely in Homura's arms, she happily dashed over to Tsumugi's side to join in the manga reading.

Those series of actions made Elf burst into laughter. She said, "This Hirasawa-san is really interesting."

"Yeah, she gives off a lazy and relaxing vibe. Didn't you see Haru sleeping on her all the time?" Homura stroked the little one's fur and said, "And you also noticed her affection toward Haru, right?"

Nanami sighed, "She's so careful not to wake Haru-chan up, she doesn't even move at all. That's impressive!"

"Although she appears a bit naive, she unexpectedly can focus on one thing." Homura nodded and said, "People like her often achieve success."

"Surprisingly high praise! Only Kani-sensei received such high praise from you before, right?" Eriri said in surprise.

"Actually, everyone here is, right? Including everyone present," Homura surveyed everyone.

"Eriri, what about you? Although drawing was just a temporary interest for you, you've persisted until now and even continue to grow... It's not surprising that you're successful. Isn't this high praise?"

"Utaha-senpai and Elf, these two are both people who never back down. Nanami is also persistently pursuing her dream of being a voice actor. Megumi recently started working with programming, and whenever she had free time, she would constantly study them. As for Muramasa, once she delves into the world of novels, she doesn't care about anything else."

"Sagiri doesn't want to draw anything she hasn't seen with her own eyes, but when she found the right material to draw, she will draw it till the end. Mashiro, all of her time has been occupied by drawing and only drawing."

"As for Izumi, even though I've only recently gotten to know her, I don't know much. But being recognized by Kosaka Akane means there must be something special about her."

Everyone listened attentively to his evaluation, and Izumi, for once, didn't feel shy and listened seriously.

Other people who were reading manga were also drawn in by his words.

Homura glanced around and then continued, "Everyone has their own beliefs, something they absolutely refuse to give up on. That's why, when it comes to people I know, I always have high praise for them."

Silence fell, and then Utaha sighed, "Hahh... it seems like we've been taught a lesson by Homura-kun once again."

"This is the first time I've seen Homura-niisan so serious!" Tsumugi also exclaimed. Homura, being serious, had a charming aura!

"I rarely get this serious," Homura smiled, "I've just said what needed to be said and just go with the flow."

"It's not just us from Another Dimension, right? Aren't all of you the same?" Homura looked at Muse, Tsumugi's group, including Saori's.

"I also understand everyone's belief, so that's why we became friends, isn't it?"

That's right, just as Homura said, he understands their belief and knows where their shining points lie, which is why he wants to be friends with them.

They feel the same way too, understanding is a mutual process. So it's not surprising that Homura became their friend...