Bonding

"Just as our newly formed aspirations arose..." Nico's face was filled with disappointment.

"...they were mercilessly shattered..." Hanayo expressed his disappointment as well.

"But..." Ritsu suddenly interjected, "What about other occasions like birthday banquets?"

"Gift-giving and discussing business!" Tsumugi, Saori, and Homura chimed in unison.

All the girls exchanged bewildered glances.

"In reality, the banquets you imagine are all seen in stories, right?" Homura chuckled.

The girls nodded, feeling defeated.

"The banquets described in books are just snapshots of grand events. If you shift your focus away, you'll discover the reality."

"Ughh, what a blow..." Rin and Hanayo covered their hearts in anguish.

"Yosh!" Homura clapped his hands. "Let's change the subject from something heavy! By the way..."

He looked at Muse and the four members of the Light Music Club.

"The purpose of this trip was to strengthen our bonds, right? Let's start now! Let's begin by addressing each other by the first name!"

""...Huh?!"" Everyone exclaimed in shock!

"That's too sudden!" Hanayo fidgeted uneasily. As a first-year student, the second and third-year students were her seniors, and directly calling them by their first names was a bit difficult for her.

"You're right. You're in different grades, so you need some time to prepare," Homura nodded, then turned to look at Tsumugi. "Let's start with your group, the Sakuragaoka High School Light Music Club!"

"...Hmm?" Yui scratched her head. "Didn't we already call each other by first name? Mio-chan, Mugi-chan, Ricchan!"

After Mio and Ritsu nodded, they looked at Tsumugi.

"Tsumugi," Mio Akiyama addressed her. "It's your turn."

"Bring it on! I'm ready!" Ritsu crossed her arms, looking prepared.

"Akiyama-san..."

"It's not that, right?" Mio shook her head with a smile. "It's not Akiyama-san, right?"

"Then... Mio-chan?" Tsumugi ventured with a hint of uncertainty.

"Yes!" Mio responded with satisfaction.

"Come on, come on!" Ritsu beamed. "I'm waiting!"

"Ricchan..."

"Yes! That's it!" Ritsu made a scissor motion with her fingers.

"Now it's my turn! It's my turn!" Yui bounced around, eagerly looking at Tsumugi.

"Hirasawa..."

"Ehh?!" Yui reacted quickly this time. "Just me? Does that mean Mugi-chan doesn't like me...? What should I do?"

Seeing a slightly panicked Yui, Tsumugi laughed and said, "Sorry, I was just joking, Yui-chan!"

Yui patted her chest, relieved. "Phew... You scared me, Mugi-chan! That was mean!"

Observing the obvious closeness between the four, Homura smiled satisfactorily, then turned back to look at the Muse girls.

"Are you ready now? It's time for you to get intimate... Oops! I mean, it's time to get closer."

The girls were speechless. he definitely said 'intimate' on purpose!

The nine girls looked at each other, waiting for the first-year students to speak up.

"Go ahead! Once you've said the first word, everything will be fine! As Muse, you need to be open and honest with each other." Homura encouraged.

"Open and honest..." Mashiro's eyes sparkled!

His mood instantly soured!

*Whoosh!*

Without waiting for him to ask, Sagiri, Eriri, and Elf rushed out of the villa, leaving behind the words, "We're going out to play!"

Homura: "..."

They escape huh? Was Mashiro already sprinting off on the wrong path?

"Alright, forget about them. Let's continue!" Homura shook his head and then looked at the nine members of Muse.

Eli sighed, "Speaking of which, I've been a little concerned about this before. Although the distinction between 'Senpai' and 'Kohai' is important, we shouldn't pay too much attention to it while performing as Muse."

"You're right," Umi added, "Sometimes I do try to cooperate with the third-year senpai."

"When did I cooperate with you?" Nico tilted her head, puzzled.

"Well, that's because Nico-senpai doesn't give off a senpai vibe, nyaa!"

"Huh?! If I'm not a senpai, then what am I?!"

"Hmm..." Rin pondered for a moment, then smiled cutely, "A kohai perhaps?"

"Or maybe a child?" Honoka chimed in with a playful smile.

"Aren't you supposed to be our mascot?" Nozomi exclaimed, feigning surprise.

"What the hell! What did you all take me for?!" Nico exclaimed in frustration.

"Let's get started then." Eli turned to Honoka, "Honoka!"

"Ahh, yes! E... Eli-chan!" Honoka said cautiously, keeping her eyes on Eli until she saw Eli's bright smile, at which point she relaxed.

"I'm so nervous!"

"Now it's Rin's turn!" Rin took a deep breath to motivate herself, "Ko-Kotori?"

"Yes! Nice to meet you, Rin-chan! And also Maki-chan!" Kotori said.

"Jiiii~~" The rest of Muse's girls stared intensely at Maki, giving off an oppressive gaze; she couldn't help but blush and started to act tsundere.

"Can't we just be natural instead of deliberately calling each other like this?" Maki said in a tsundere tone.

Homura silently left and approached Kirino and Kuroneko.

"So, how do you feel about the school idol group that Honoka is in?" Homura asked Kirino.

Kirino looked at him with a complex expression and said, "It's quite surprising, but it seems to be going well."

"What about you, Kuroneko? Do you feel out of place?"

Kuroneko said relaxedly, "I'm fine. Although I'm not used to this kind of occasion, Hinata and Tamaki seem to be enjoying themselves."

So that's how it is. If her little sister is happy, then her mood as a big sister improves as well huh?

"By the way, is this cat... your logo?" Kuroneko crouched down, looking at Haru.

"Yup, Haru has been a part of my family for a long time, an indispensable member of Another Dimension."

"By the way, have you seen the real Saori?" Homura suddenly became interested.

"Saori?" Kuroneko and Kirino exchanged glances and nodded. Kuroneko answered, "Yeah, we have seen her, but she was surprisingly stunning..."

"Haha, didn't expect Saori to be so beautiful huh?" Homura laughed.

"Nani nani nani~ Are you guys praising me?" Saori, who was just talking to Utaha, suddenly ran back.

Homura chuckled, "Your ears are really sharp! We were just saying how stunning you are."

"Hehehe~ Nee~, why are you suddenly complimenting me like this, Homura-shi? Do you have an ulterior motive de gozaru~?" Saori protected her chest and took a few steps back.

Homura: "..."

"I just wanted to take off your glasses..."

"What... So it was just the glasses..." Saori looked 'disappointed'.

Kirino and Kuroneko found this scene somewhat amusing and secretly marveled at how close the two were.

'Will I ever have friends like this?' Kuroneko wondered, then looked at Kirino...

'I feel like I've been a little naive with my thoughts...' She shook her head, dismissing the thoughts from earlier.