Buying Time

Homura pondered while lying in the backyard with Haru curled up on his chest, sleeping peacefully.

Suddenly, his phone rang, waking up Haru, who blinked sleepily at him with a heart-melting expression.

Homura patted her head and answered the phone.

"Ayano, it's been a while since you contacted me. Knowing how busy you are, something must have happened, right?" 

Homura spoke like that because Ayano hadn't spoken to him in days.

"You always seem to guess right~" Ayano couldn't help but tease.

"I don't guess right; it's just that you never call me for a simple chat." Homura retorted.

"I don't have the time for that..." Ayano muttered. "Alright, I'll tell you what's up. The serialization of 'The Promised Neverland' has been ongoing for a while, and we've released enough chapters. So, you know..."

Homura raised an eyebrow.

"So, you mean I have to do another all-night signing event?"

"All-night? Come on, it was only until midnight last time!" Ayano replied, somewhat exasperated.

She felt like Homura's way of speaking always defied common sense and disrupted her train of thought.

"I just wanted to ask what you think." Ayano handed the decision-making power over to him.

She was aware of how busy Homura had been lately, given the constant updates on Another Dimension's website. During these days, as the game progressed, he was sharing more and more information.

If it weren't for the Minamiya family's server hosting the website, it would have crashed from the huge traffic. After all, the anticipation for the new work of Another Dimension was growing day by day.

As a fan of Another Dimension herself, she was eagerly looking forward to that day. However, she couldn't help but marvel at how fast this circle was growing.

"Although you're busy, it seems like you're doing just fine." Ayano continued. "So, do you have the time to organize another signing event?"

Upon hearing her words, Homura almost laughed. He had mostly completed his tasks, and even if he wanted to help, the other girls wouldn't agree. Needless to say, he was quite relaxed and free these days.

"I have the time. I've almost finished all my tasks, and the remaining ones require cooperation from others."

Ayano pondered for a moment and asked again.

"So, you mean you can do this signing event?"

"Yeah, let's do it. If Monthly Girls can have a signing event, fans of the Promised Neverland might feel left out if we don't." Homura replied.

"Alright then. You pick a date, and we can start spreading the word."

'Choosing a date...' Homura's eyes twinkled as a sly smile crept onto his face. "Wait, Ayano, let's not decide just yet."

Hearing his words, Ayano was puzzled. They had just agreed, so why the sudden change of heart?

"Homura..." Ayano's voice was filled with suspicion. "What are you up to now?"

"I want to hold a vote." Homura grinned.

"A vote?"

"Yeah, a vote... to ask everyone if they want me to hold a signing event."

Ayano fell silent, speechless.

"What's the point of doing it like this?" Ayano said confusedly. "I don't believe you'd do something pointless."

"It's just to buy a little more time..."

Before Ayano could ask further, Homura explained.

"There are two options for the vote—one is to have me hold this signing event, but because of that, the game's release would be delayed by three to five days."

As Ayano pondered his words, Homura continued with the other option.

"The other option is to skip the signing event, and the game's release will proceed as previously announced."

"Why do you need to buy time? I believe the game should be almost complete by now, right?" Ayano asked in confusion.

Instead of answering her, Homura asked her a somewhat unrelated question.

"Ayano, do you know that Otonokizaka High's open day is next Wednesday?"

Ayano thought for a moment, failing to see the connection.

"Muse is actually going to be involved in the game's production as well, but... I haven't told them yet." Homura added.

Upon hearing that, Ayano suddenly realized.

"I see! So you're buying time for Muse!"

Even though Homura provided two options, it was clear which one would be voted on. After all, who wouldn't want him to conduct the signing event?

It was just a delay of three to five days anyway, and it wasn't as if it was being postponed for a month or even a year. Everyone could accept a delay of a few days.

"Alright, I understand now!" Ayano agreed with his plan. "Homura, finish this vote as soon as possible and let me know the confirmed date."

"I can tell you now; it's on Sunday." Homura set the date right away. "Anyway, this vote should only take one night."

Ayano had three days to prepare, starting tomorrow, which was more than enough time for the signing event.

"...You're really something else!" Ayano chuckled helplessly. "I'll come to pick you up after these busy days. If I don't show up, you can call me."

"Deal! I'll be waiting, and if you don't come, I'll give you a call."

"Okay! I'm off now. Bye!"

"Bye."

'This signing event comes at just the right time...'

After thinking like that, Homura started to post on his blog.

...

[Minamiya: Hey, everyone! I'm faced with another tough decision. Please help me choose!]

...

Homura then set up a vote and posted it.

Fans on the internet exploded with excitement when they saw the two options.

...

[Comment 1: Oh my gosh! Is the signing event for the Promised Neverland starting soon?!]

[Comment 2: Although the signing event would be great, delaying the game's release is a problem.]

[Comment 3: Actually, it's not a big deal, just three to five days anyway.]

[Comment 4: Now that you mention it, their speed is actually quite impressive.]

[Comment 5: Why talk so much? We can vote, right? No matter what, it's majority rule.]

[Comment 6: You're right, let's vote.]

...

As more and more fans flocked to Homura's blog, the comments on his post increased rapidly.

In just a short while, hundreds of comments were posted.

"Homura! What are you up to?!" Elf walked in from another room, looking puzzled.

"You react pretty fast; even though I just posted it." Homura said with surprise.

"Isn't it because my servants kept mentioning me..." Elf rolled her eyes. "But never mind that. Why did you set up a vote for the signing event?"

Homura sighed.

"It's just to buy a bit more time for our game's voice actors..."

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.