Betting

On the road, Ayano asked him about the new manga.

"Homura, can you explain the new manga you mentioned on the phone last time?"

Homura replied, "Since I finished drawing for Monthly Girls, I decided to draw another one?"

Ayano's eyes twitched. "So, you quietly went ahead and made a new manga? I guess I'm the last person to find out."

"Nah, the readers will definitely find out later than you." Homura retorted.

Ayano: "..."

Ayano sighed. Can we still have a pleasant conversation?

"What genre is the new manga?" Ayano stopped beating around the bush and asked directly.

"A heartwarming and fun slice-of-life in a school setting?"

"Why are you asking in a questioning tone?" Ayano said speechlessly. "You drew it yourself, and you're not even sure what it is?"

Homura smiled. "You'll know when I show it to you later. I brought it with me, anyway."

After saying that, he patted his bag.

"Then I'll look forward to it."

"Oh, by the way," Homura continued, "the whole circle is going on a trip during the Golden Week holiday. Does Manke Bunko have any plans at that time?"

"...No," Ayano said with a touch of envy. "It's nice that you can have a trip and have fun..."

"Ayano, aren't you going too?"

She pouted. "If I could go, I would have told you directly. But the signing event is followed by Golden Week, and that's when I'll be busy... So it's just unfortunate timing."

"Alright..." Homura fell silent.

Her busyness was partly his fault, but it was also a good thing. She herself even accepted it willingly, so he didn't say anything more.

===

The two of them arrived at Otonokizaka, where students were bustling about, with various clubs actively recruiting new members.

Homura took strides towards the school gate, while Nozomi leaned against the wall.

With a glint in his eyes, he asked, "How is it? Did you find any?"

Nozomi narrowed her eyes and replied with a smile, "None."

"Ohh... That's good then..." Homura said, relieved.

Faced with their conversation, Ayano couldn't help but be speechless. She wondered why it felt like they were discussing some kind of undercover mafia rendezvous, rather than simply asking if any outsiders had come to watch.

But these two schemers getting together... The poor students Kotori and her friends were truly pitiable!

Lost in her thoughts, Ayano sighed and completely forgot that she also had some involvement in this.

Checking the time, Homura asked Nozomi, "It's about to start. I'll go in first. What about you, Senpai?"

As she shook her head, Nozomi replied, "I'll wait a little longer and enter when it officially begins, just in case someone actually shows up."

He couldn't help but feel a sense of respect. She was truly going all out for the Muse's real rise to prominence!

Nodding towards her, Homura and Ayano entered the venue together.

===

In an empty auditorium, the sound of footsteps between the two people was quite noticeable. However, Honoka and the others were backstage, oblivious to everything.

Ayano couldn't help but ask, "Homura, is this really okay? Can those children really hold on?"

"Don't worry," Homura's eyes were unfocused as he uttered a sentence, "If miracles had colors, they would definitely be the nine colors of Muse."

Ayano remained silent.

"Although it's strange where that sentence came from, it feels so passionately inspiring in this situation," Ayano exclaimed in surprise. "Ahh, but come to think of it, their hair colors are all different..."

This time, he was speechless. How did her focus shift so suddenly?

He turned on the camera and recorded the empty auditorium.

They walked to the front row, settling in the center before Homura handed the camera to Ayano.

"Koizumi-san isn't here... Could it be that her friends dragged her away again?" Ayano whispered.

Homura smiled. "Don't worry, even if she's dragged away, she'll come running back at the most crucial moment."

"You're quite confident," Ayano said with an uncertain expression.

Homura asked back, "What if this were a manga?"

Without hesitation, Ayano replied, "If it were a manga, all nine of them would definitely be present. But... there are three people we haven't even met."

"Wanna bet?"

Ayano became interested. "Hohh, what are we betting exactly?"

Homura shook his head. "No stakes, just a bet on whether all nine will show up."

"I bet they will!" Ayano suddenly declared her bet.

Homura sighed, as expected. With such an obvious answer, can they really bet like this?

He looked dissatisfied and said, "I bet they will too."

A noise came from behind, and he turned to see Ayase Eli.

Nothing strange about that. After all, she had also made a bet with Honoka and the others before, wanting to see if their efforts would move her heart. So, she would definitely show up.

"I didn't expect Ayase-senpai to arrive so early."

"Well, we did have an agreement," Eli replied with a cold expression.

"Yeah, by the way, Senpai, I made a bet with Ayano that all nine of them will show up. How about you?" Homura wanted to know her thoughts.

Eli did not come over; she merely leaned against the wall not far away.

That position and sitting position held completely different meanings.

If she were to sit down, it would mean she had already given her approval. Honoka and the others, seeing Eli standing, naturally understood that this blond student council president was not a mere spectator.

"I can't guarantee they will come or not. Since you could have invited everyone beforehand," said Eli.

Shaking his head, Homura continued, "I haven't had any contact with them. Senpai, you should know that best, right?"

Eli considered the few people he hadn't interacted with. Based on her investigation, Hoshizora Rin was likely interested in sports, so it was reasonable to assume she was currently participating in various athletic club affairs.

Although Nishikino Maki had helped Honoka and the others with composing the song, her temperament seemed a bit unpredictable, making it difficult to predict if she would come or not.

Lastly, there was Yazawa Nico. She seemed particularly serious about school idols. Would she really come to see the performance of these three amateurs? However, it was also possible for her to show up just to find fault.

Two were uncertain, and one was highly unlikely to come. So...

"I guess they won't come."

Homura took a moment to respond, then smiled. "Well, Senpai, let's wait and see."

Observing his seemingly confident demeanor, Eli couldn't help but speak, "For the others, it's hard to say, but isn't Hoshizora Rin more inclined towards sports? Why do you think she'll come?"

Was it because of Hoshizora Rin's friend that she failed to consider this possibility?

"Senpai, did you forget who Hoshizora Rin's best friend is?"

Eli remained silent.

"...Then I might not necessarily lose. After all, there are two people who might not come!" She was still being stubborn, but deep down, she believed they would likely come together.

"Well, I'm sticking to my initial judgment. They'll definitely come."

Just then, the school broadcast came on, signaling that Honoka, Kotori, and Umi were about to enter the stage. The conversation ceased immediately.

With his keen ears, he heard faint footsteps, followed by the three of them chatting to relieve tension, encouraging and cheering each other before the performance started.

The curtain slowly began to rise...

===

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