Touring the School

"I talked with Kotobuki-san and Akiyama-san earlier, then looked at their conversation and interactions..." Ayano said straightforwardly.

She glanced at Yui's group again, a glint of mischief in her eyes.

"Homura, don't you think this would make great material for a manga?"

"Indeed..." Homura nodded without hesitation. "It's quite fitting. But the genre is a slice of life, completely different from Muse."

"That's true... But it does pose a problem." Ayano nodded in agreement. 

"Yeah, that's why I didn't mention it. Their current experiences are mostly these relaxed daily moments. If we depict their everyday lives, it's like revealing everything about themselves to everyone. It's not great for the girls."

"They don't have Muse's big goal to save their school, so becoming the protagonists in the manga isn't necessary for them."

"But still, it feels uncomfortable to see potential manga material slipping away right in front of us." Ayano also expressed her dilemma.

"By the way, have you asked for their consent? Saying all this now won't help if they don't agree, y'know?" Homura asked.

"..." Ayano fell silent.

"Oy oy, don't tell me you didn't?"

"Ahaha... I kind of forgot for a moment..." Ayano chuckled, then muttered. "I should find a chance to talk to them... Anyway, there's no need to rush."

Homura nodded. The rest wasn't really his concern. He had a connection with Tsumugi after all. So, even if he spoke up and she wasn't willing at first, she might agree just for his sake.

But he guessed that the chances of them all agreeing were quite high. Ritsu and Yui were playful types, and Tsumugi was curious about various things. The only one who might object was the particularly shy Mio.

After a while, as the others finished touring the school, they started arriving at where the alpacas were one by one.

"Ahh~ I'm so satisfied after this tour!" Uruka expressed with contentment. "This school is just like in the manga, every detail matches!"

"Uruka-chan, you got that backward." Fumino chuckled and shook her head. "It's Minamiya-kun who drew the school exactly like reality, not the other way around."

"Oh... right, because the school existed first."

"Nee, why does your school keep alpacas?" Kirino squatted down, watching the two alpacas approach Honoka. "I wanted to complain about this even when I was reading the manga. Is it really a good idea to keep such large animals at school?"

"I don't know either..." Honoka shook her head. "They've been here for quite a while."

"It's fine!" Kotori chimed in. "Alpacas are very gentle animals!"

"Certainly seems very gentle..." Kuroneko pointed at a puddle of saliva on the ground and smirked.

"Maybe... Ahahaha..." Kotori looked a bit embarrassed.

"This is so strange..." Hanayo looked puzzled. "They weren't like this before, were they?"

"Heh..." Homura laughed. "Maybe the brown one is pregnant? That's why her temper is so fiery."

""Pregnant?!""

With a rush, everyone except Eli gathered around, staring at the alpacas intently. Eli didn't share their enthusiasm since at this moment, her expression was quite extraordinary.

"Wait, this one is actually a female?!" Uruka commented, a bit sarcastically. "I always thought the white one was!"

"The brown one is indeed female..." Hanayo nodded, and then her expression changed suddenly. "Fueh! Run, everyone, run!"

*Psttt—!*

Just as everyone started to scatter, a spray of saliva came shooting out!

"Hahh..." Homura sighed. "You knew they had a bad temper, and yet you all crowded around them..."

"It's because Homura-kun said the alpaca is pregnant!" Honoka retorted. "There's been no change in her belly!"

"Can't be sure." Homura shook his head. "Baby alpacas stay in their mother's belly for almost a year. If she's newly pregnant, you won't see it yet."

"That's quite possible..." Nozomi nodded. "Becoming a mom could explain the sudden aggression."

"To protect herself and her baby, nyaa~" Rin chimed in with a cheerful tone.

"Eli-chi, shall we report this to the school tomorrow? Have someone come and check?" Nozomi asked.

Eli hesitated, looking at the alpacas, lost in thought. After a moment, under the expectant gazes of the others, she finally nodded.

"Um... Sure."

""That's great!"" The girls exclaimed happily.

"But what if it's not true?" Homura chuckled. What if it turned out to be wrong? That would be embarrassing.

"No worries." Nozomi shook her head with a smile. "Considering how suddenly the alpaca's behavior changed, even if it's wrong, getting it checked won't hurt."

In fact, Homura's speculation was quite likely true.

In his previous life's memories, it was when Eli, Nozomi, and Nico were graduating that they discovered the alpaca was pregnant. By that time, the alpaca's belly was quite large already.

Considering the timeline, it was quite plausible.

"Let's go everyone. Let's head to the courtyard." Homura said while picking up the cooler box once again.

"Where are we going?" Chika asked.

"The courtyard is perfect for having a meal of course." Homura stated matter-of-factly. "Anyone who's read the manga's first chapter knows that Honoka, Rin, and Umi had lunch there, yeah?"

"Homura, you're really taking this holy land thing seriously. Having a meal at the same place as Muse, huh..." Elf interjected with a smile.

"Oh! If you put it that way, I'm suddenly really interested!" Saori said excitedly as her eyes lit up.

"Hurry, everyone!" Chika was already quite far ahead, looking back to call everyone.

To be that excited about eating, Moeha suddenly found her big sister a bit embarrassing. 

Everyone shook their heads, laughing softly, and picked up their pace.

===

"Let's try to finish them all. There are still over forty left."

"Homura-kun, you made too many..." Nanami said, frowning.

"Isn't it fine?" Homura shook his head. "Even if each of us eats one now, there will only be a few left."

"But everyone just had one a moment ago..." Miyako chimed in, feeling like she might get fat.

"It's alright, Myaa-san! Senpai's cooking will definitely not have any leftovers!" Nayuta affirmed confidently.

"..."

Everyone fell silent. They really wanted to argue, but strangely, her words made so much sense.

Homura took out Haru's food, and each girl took a sandwich, all of which had different flavors from what they had earlier.

Soon, after this round of eating, almost everyone was full.

Homura had two, but there were still six left.

"C'mon! Don't be shy, whoever can still eat, just go for it." Homura smiled.

He had a few guesses about the candidates—Honoka, Hanayo, Tsumugi, Chika, and Rizu—but he wasn't sure if he'd be right.

"I want one!" Chika didn't hesitate.

Then followed by Rizu right away.

Honoka and Hanayo exchanged a glance, and each of them grabbed one.

Tsumugi hesitated for a moment, then took one.

Only the last one remained, and Homura asked again while observing everyone.

"Anyone else? It's the last one."

Unexpectedly, to everyone's surprise, Fumino raised her hand.

"W-Well, I have to study hard when I get home, and it strains my brain, so I need to replenish my energy!"

It was not clear who she was saying that excuse to.