Reversed?

Homura's words immediately caught the attention of the Okami siblings.

"Do they still remember their brothers and sisters from the time they were wandering when they happily played with their new family every day?" Homura wondered aloud. "Haru only glanced at them from afar and didn't intend to be a part of their current lives..."

"I see..." Nana noticed that Haru's little brother, Hachi, was unusually quiet. She guessed that Haru might have told him about it.

"Haru-chan is probably the best sister in the world!" Nana smiled and squatted down to pat Haru's head.

"Absolutely!" Homura beamed with pride. "My Haru has always been the best!"

"Huh? My Hachi is not bad either!" Nana retorted playfully.

They exchanged playful glances and burst into laughter together, lightening the mood and moving past the heavy topic.

===

They continued chatting, and Homura also occasionally exchanged words with Yugo.

Thinking about Muse's concert, Homura suddenly asked, "Do you open the store every day?"

"Yes, without any surprises. After all, taking care of so many pets requires daily expenses." Nana replied.

"In that case, it can't be helped. I was planning to invite you all for an outing." Homura expressed regret.

"I really appreciate the thought, but instead of going for an outing, why don't you guys produce more work? I'll have plenty of time to read them at the store you know."

"Rest assured. My manga is ongoing, and the circle's new work will start in a few days. You won't have to wait long to see them." Homura assured her.

"Great, I'll be waiting!"

"Alright then, it's getting late so I'll head back." Homura spoke while looking at Haru beside him.

"If you need anything, just give me a call." Nana nodded with a smile.

"Got it."

Homura also nodded, then lifted Haru in his arms.

"Bye, Nana, Yugo, I'm off!"

"Goodbye, Homura-kun."

"Goodbye, Minamiya-san."

===

"Hachi seems at a loss..." Homura remarked.

"That kid wanted to see them, but I didn't agree..." Haru replied, lying quietly in Homura's embrace.

"It's understandable..." Homura didn't eavesdrop on Haru and Hachi's conversation, so he inquired about the situation with Haru.

"He knows where they are but can't meet them. It's only natural for him to feel disappointed." Haru explained calmly. "I hope that kid grows up a little more..."

Homura found it a bit strange that Haru spoke so calmly. Even though she wasn't that old herself, she had to mature quickly as an elder sister. It was a bit heart-wrenching.

*King called me to patrol the mountain~*

"Who?"

Homura reached for his phone and saw the caller's name, then immediately answered the call.

"Eriri? What's up?"

"Did Uncle Minamiya tell you about the banquet at my place today?" Eriri got straight to the point.

"Yeah, he can't attend, so he asked me, and I said I'd consider it."

"Well, have you made up your mind?"

There seemed to be a hint of annoyance in her voice. Or was it just his imagination?

"Of course, I'll go. Even if I dislike banquets, how could I not attend yours?" Homura replied with a natural tone.

Although his voice sounded natural, if one were to look into his eyes, one would notice that Homura's eyes were twitching uncontrollably at that moment.

Oh, what a statement filled with a strong will to survive!

Eriri seemed to sigh in relief.

"Alright then... The time is 5 PM, don't forget!"

"I won't forget..." Homura's eyes darted around. "By the way, who did your family invite today?"

"Who was invited? It was all my dad's doing, and I'm not very familiar with them..." Eriri muttered and pondered. "But, since he's a diplomat, he invited mostly those high-profile individuals, Big financial conglomerates are invited too, I have no idea how many will actually show up."

"Alright, with that said, I have an idea. I won't be mingling with those people when the time comes." Homura decisively said.

"Yeah, me too. I'll show my face and then find you. If it weren't for my dad hosting this, I wouldn't even want to be seen."

"Haha, I feel the same. For us, it's more worthwhile to create some interesting works than attend this boring banquet."

"You saying that makes me feel a little itchy to start drawing..."

'Itchy? That's great then!' Homura exclaimed inwardly while raising his eyebrows and then continued, "Suppress that itch for now! Let it out when it's time to work."

Eriri: "..."

"Forget it. Let's not talk about useless things. Bye!"

"Alright, see you in the afternoon."

Homura put down his phone and wondered.

'Banquet, huh... I wonder if Mugi will go... it's possible, but I'd rather not think about it now. I'll find out when I get there. Now, let's go home.'

===

"Mashiro, drawing manga again?" Homura, who had just returned home, spotted Mashiro engrossed in drawing on the coffee table. "What drawing here? Wouldn't your room or the activity room be more comfortable?"

"Muramasa used to write novels here, so I wanted to try." Mashiro replied without looking back, still drawing.

"Muramasa, huh..." Homura shook his head. "She's the type who can write a novel anywhere and anytime whenever she gets inspiration. You don't need to imitate her."

"No..." Mashiro shook her head and finally turned to look at Homura. "Everyone was here just now, so I drew here."

"Everyone here?" Homura scanned the room. "And now?"

"Nanami went to the voice acting school... Elf and Muramasa were dragged away by Sagiri to be a model."

Homura broke into a sweat; it seemed that Muramasa couldn't escape the fate of becoming Sagiri's model after all.

"What about Megumin? She always boasts about being Sagiri's good friend, so why haven't I seen her lately?"

"Megumin also came, and since Nanami left, Sagiri took them all away together."

Homura: "..."

'As soon as I thought about Megumin, she showed up. Why do I feel like my thoughts are becoming reality?'

"Are you drawing new manga?" Homura then said.

"Yes... I want to show it to everyone and also to Ayano after."

"I see..." Homura nodded, picking up the sketch on the coffee table.

"This scene... is the station where we first met, right? Are you starting from our daily life?"

"Yes... this feels more familiar. Your suggestion was great."

"Wait a minute, why am I the one sitting there? Wasn't I the one picking you up?"

Looking at the boy in the sketch who looked quite similar to himself, Homura knew it was supposed to be him, but the role was reversed, wasn't it?

Seeing Homura's confused expression at that moment, a smile uncontrollably appeared on Mashiro's face.