Persuasion (Part 1)

Homura raised his eyebrows slightly and thought to himself, 'As expected, the student council members are these two, Ayase Eli and Tojo Nozomi."

The two had already approached them.

The golden-haired student council president, Ayase Eli, gave off a cold impression at first glance, but the vice president, Tojo Nozomi, always had a smile on her face, radiating approachability.

For those meeting them for the first time, the contrast between the two was indeed quite obvious.

Homura cherished this sight, after all, Eli the aloof student council president had her cold facade completely torn apart by her fellow student Honoka not too long ago.

'It's just a shame that I can't take a picture of that moment!' Homura thought with a thick-skinned face.

"Hello, so you are the famous Editor Iida that the director mentioned, right?" Eli first greeted Ayano, and although she used a question word, her tone was already affirmative.

"And this must be Minamiya-sensei." She turned to Homura, and then introduced herself formally, "I am Ayase Eli, the Student Council President of Otonokizaka High School."

"I am the Vice President, Tojo Nozomi." Nozomi followed Eli with her self-introduction.

'...They seem to look at me with disdainful expressions, do they have any dissatisfaction with me?'

'So, should I try to test the waters?'

"Hello, I am Minamiya Homura, let's skip the 'sensei' part!" This has been Homura's most common self-introduction since he started drawing manga.

"Ayase-san and Tojo-san should be third-year students, right? I'm a second-year, so I will call you two senpai from now on." Homura didn't request how they should address him, as he didn't want to appear too familiar with them given their unclear attitudes.

Eli's expression changed slightly, but she didn't object. Judging from her reaction, Nozomi also smiled faintly.

"By the way, during the past few days at Otonokizaka, I have interacted the most with these three students, Kotori, Honoka, and Umi. It seems like I haven't met any members of the student council at all. Was it because you were too busy with the issue of the school closure?" Ayano went straight to the point.

"Yes... with the director's situation unclear, isn't it only the student council that can handle this matter?" Eli said with an uncertain expression, lowering her head.

Hearing her words, Honoka couldn't help but want to retort, but Homura raised his hand to stop her.

"Forgive me for being straightforward, but it seems like Ayase-senpai has some... grievances towards me?" Homura said affirmatively, surprising everyone present.

Is it really okay to say that? Ayano even poked him several times from behind.

"No... you misunderstood, I have no grievances against you personally. Your achievements have already surpassed the vast majority of students, and there is no problem in calling you a role model for students." Eli calmly explained to Homura.

"So, you have grievances against my purpose then?" Homura said with certainty.

The three of them, Kotori, Umi, and Honoka, were all surprised as they looked at Eli.

'Purpose? Wasn't Homura-kun's purpose to gather materials for drawing manga? Does President have objections to this matter? She's actually against it?!' Honoka couldn't help but exclaim inwardly.

"...You're quite perceptive." After a moment of silence, Eli confirmed his statement.

"Why?!" Honoka couldn't contain her curiosity and asked, "Why would President oppose this? Isn't it a good thing for a school that's about to be closed down? Why, exactly?!"

"Because... this is something we need to consider! It's the student council's duty! Regular students should just focus on studying! That's your duty!" Eli gave a forceful response, but it sounded unreasonable to Homura's ears.

"President, your words are unfair, and one sid--" Just as Honoka was about to continue to complain, Nozomi stopped her and said, "Well, well, Eli-chi, why not listen to his reasoning first?"

Eli shook her head helplessly, "Nozomi, you're always like this! Hahh... I really can't do anything with you!"

Nozomi looked at Homura and said, "Please, Minamiya-san, tell us your thoughts."

Homura secretly gave her a thumbs-up, truly living up to her title as the 'Supporting Queen'!

"The school doesn't just belong to the student council, it's a school shared by everyone, from the director and teachers to all the students. Anyone who is part of the school has the right to contribute their efforts to the school they love, right?"

This seems to be what the director said at the freshman welcome party, Homura borrowed the words, although not many students were willing to listen to the hypnotic-like speech of the director, at least Honoka didn't know about it.

Because she was applauding and nodding vigorously, "Yes! That's right! You said it perfectly!"

Umi covered her face and sighed, while Kotori looked embarrassed. Only Ayano found this scene amusing.

"Is that all you want to say?" Eli's expression remained unchanged.

"No, those things I just said were all empty words. The most important thing is actually..."

"Students want to contribute and help the school, and the student council has no right to stop them!" This was the truth and also the most helpless sentence for Eli to refute, after all, it was a fact.

"Of course, I didn't come here just to be disliked." Homura gestured that she had more to say. "Even without me, I fully believe that you can save this school in your own way."

"After all, your current situation is like the beginning of a school idol's story in a manga and novel. And, if you follow the basic laws of them; you will overcome all difficulties and achieve your goals, realizing your dreams and spreading positive energy."

The girls felt a bit awkward hearing this, as Homura's words were quite embarrassing, but the trust in his words was felt by everyone.

"So, this is my goal! To create the highest masterpiece! As a Love Livers... Ahem, Ahem, I mean, as a mangaka, it's really itching and unbearable thing for me!" Homura wiped off some sweat, almost revealing his real identity.

"My role is like an amplifier, magnifying the effects caused by you in advance! I can definitely play the role of promotion for you at the fastest speed, this will also have a positive impact on your school."

Finally, Homura looked at Eli and asked, "I've already told you all about the role of manga, so do you still oppose it? Ayase-senpai."

Eli frowned, it was not that she wasn't interested, but she felt uneasy about outsiders offering help.

At this moment, Nozomi suddenly spoke up, "Minamiya-san, what you just said about idols, it wasn't just for Kotori-san and the others right?"

"Oh? As expected of Tojo-senpai! You're the only one who noticed!" Homura exclaimed.

Nozomi who gathered all members of Muse in the anime could be considered the biggest reason why she is called the supporting queen! She might even be called the mastermind behind the scenes!

"What are you guys talking about?" Honoka looked at them with a puzzled expression since her understanding was limited.