Surprise After Surprise

"Don't worry, Senpai! I definitely won't laugh!"

Nayuta blinked her eyes and promised Homura.

"It's okay... I'm used to it." Homura shook his head with a deadpan expression.

"Oh... Pfff..."

Nayuta nodded, then shook her head and wiggled it a bit, making the strange sounds in her mouth seem less abrupt.

'Umu, Nayu is a good kid!'

Homura nodded inwardly, then spoke again.

"You know, if you want to laugh, just go ahead. Why bother holding back?" 

Nayuta shook her head again and didn't say anything.

Homura glanced at the others, who didn't seem to have any unusual expressions, then turned his focus back to his phone.

[Minamiya: Yo, I'm back! So, what did y'all think of that surprise? Well, no matter what you thought, I got another one coming your way! (Attached image)]

The attached image was none other than a color page cover of Teasing Master Takagi-san!

[Minamiya: Teasing Master Takagi-san will immediately take over the position of Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun in Manke Weekly. I think everyone can get a good idea of its genre just from the name, so I won't go into detail. And yeah, this is my second surprise for you.]

[Comment 1: Wait, hold up! Immediately take over?]

[Comment 2: So... we're getting to see Minamiya-sensei's new manga next week?!]

[Comment 3: No fucking way! Isn't this like a triple surprise today?!]

[Comment 4: Are you for real, Minamiya-sensei?! On top of making games, you still have time to create another manga at such lightning speed?! Not gonna lie, that's kinda wild!]

[Comment 5: Heck yeah! Today is like a super special day for Minamiya-sensei's fans!]

[Comment 6: Teasing Master Takagi-san... judging by the cover and name, Takagi-san is gotta be the girl with the cheeky smile, right? So, is this gonna be about a girl teasing a boy in everyday life?]

[Comment 7: Ayoo, that sounds pretty interesting and cool! I'd definitely read it!]

"Homura-kun, with all the news that came out today, will it affect Fate?"

Upon reading the heated comments, Megumi couldn't help but ask.

"It will have an impact, but not a negative one." Homura replied, chuckling. "Everyone knows which one is the focus. Besides, the third surprise could bring even more hype to Fate and Muse, though those who bought the digital copy online have probably already discovered it."

Indeed, those who bought the digital copy were probably already playing the game, so it wasn't surprising for someone familiar with Muse, especially their hardcore fans, to notice that their idols were actually the ones voicing the characters in it.

As for those who bought the physical copy, they could discuss face-to-face with like-minded fans who also bought the physical copy.

Moreover, Homura also revealed the special edition, which contained exclusive posters of each character from Fate/stay night that were not seen in the game.

Collectors with a penchant for extravagance definitely couldn't resist.

"So soon?" Nayuta couldn't help but comment.

"Nah, the news didn't come out that fast." Homura shook his head. "I bet some clever people already figured it out when I didn't hold an audition for female voice actors, which just confirmed their suspicions."

As Homura finished speaking, Eriri and Elf finally returned.

"So, had enough laughter?" Homura calmly asked the two.

"Ahem, um... that, Homura, did you announce something again?" Eriri pretended not to hear his question.

Homura rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I was about to tell them the third surprise."

"Not keeping it a secret anymore?" Izumi asked while tilting her head.

"I will just say there's a surprise, but as for what it is, let them discover it themselves. After all, that's what makes it interesting, don't you think?"

'I see... is it a kind of promotional strategy?' Izumi nodded thoughtfully. 'It seems Minamiya-senpai is quite skilled in this kind of thing!'

Homura, with a faint smile on his face, began to type again.

[Minamiya: Yo, I'm here again!]

[Comment 1: Hey, hey, don't tell me you've got another surprise up your sleeve! What's the next one? We can totally handle it!]

[Minamiya: Wait, how'd you guys know I had another surprise?]

[Comment 2: No way! Really?!]

[Comment 3: LOL, today is just wild!]

[Minamiya: Alright, so the third surprise is... hidden in our new game! Wanna know what it is? Go find it yourself! (Just a heads up: Some people might've already stumbled upon it, so if you can't find it... maybe hit up your friends for help?)]

Homura ignored the people's questions and complaints, immediately putting down his phone.

"Umu, leaving people hanging right after spilling the beans is pretty satisfying." Homura murmured with a smirk.

Seeing him like this, the girls had mixed expressions.

===

"So... how do we handle this?"

Umi looked at the others for help.

"Don't ask us. It's really up to you, isn't it?" Nico replied with raised eyebrows.

"It's not just Umi-chan, even Kotori-chan got asked by the fans too."

Hanayo sat in front of a laptop, looking at Muse's blog, updating everyone on the latest news.

"Well, Kotori-chan and Umi-chan's voices came out first, so it's not surprising they got discovered first." Honoka nodded.

"Shouldn't we ask Homura-kun what to do?" Kotori suggested.

"Yes!" Umi's eyes lit up. "Let's ask Homura-kun!"

"I think whether we ask or not doesn't matter." Nozomi shook her head.

"Why not, nyaa?" Rin blinked her eyes.

"Simple. Homura-kun will choose whatever benefits us." Nozomi explained briefly.

"So... what benefits us more?" Maki chimed in while looking up at the ceiling. "Admitting it directly, or not saying anything?"

Upon hearing this, everyone became a bit uneasy.

Both choices had their advantages, after all.

"If we admit it directly, Muse's reputation will naturally skyrocket, and it will complement the game's popularity..."

Eli spoke with an unfocused gaze, clearly in the middle of thought.

"If we say nothing—hmm? Wait a minute..."

She suddenly remembered something.

"We don't have to say anything, right? Everyone should know soon enough."

""Huh?""

Everyone looked confused, except for Nozomi, who also seemed to have suddenly remembered something and smiled helplessly.

"Did you all forget? When the game ends, there's a credit roll that shows the staff who worked on the game, right?" Eli explained while helplessly shaking her head. "Even though our names aren't on the game's packaging, they're in the credits."

After hearing her explanation, everyone looked speechless. 

Perhaps because they were too familiar with the people who worked on the game, they didn't pay attention to the credits.

"My guess is... at the earliest, we'll probably see it this afternoon." Eli continued. "So whether we admit it or not doesn't really matter."

"I see... in that case..."

Umi thought for a moment before replying to one of the people who had asked about the truth.

[Sonoda Umi: Secret~]