Bab 269: Arranged Marriage?

Izumi was the most impatient one and, taking the first spot in the queue, clicked on her bookmark name.

It was no different from the others, except for an additional note.

[Note: An exchange student from Rouge en rouge, Minamiya is trying hard to make her transfer to Another Dimension.]

"..."

Izumi was speechless.

Exchange students? it seemed to carry a certain awkwardness.

Elf struggled to stifle her laughter behind Izumi, silently admiring Homura's knack.

Utaha also noticed and raised an eyebrow.

"Homura-kun, won't a statement like that make Kosaka Akane awkward?"

Hearing that, Homura shook his head.

"Nah, she might even be thinking the same thing."

""Huh?""

Everyone was surprised but the most surprised one was undoubtedly Izumi herself.

"Why would Kosaka-san think like that?" Izumi asked skeptically.

Seeing her confused face, Homura chuckled and explained.

"You know, right? You're her most cherished artist, and besides you, there isn't much potential for growth among other artists in her circle."

"Another Dimension's existence essentially blocked her path. Plus, she was really after Eriri, but I swooped in halfway. In the end, there's no one else in her circle who could help you progress further."

"Even the more renowned artists often look down on their colleagues. Not all artists share the same fondness and love for their work as Mashiro does, let alone the inclination to help nurture other artists."

"In the end, it all leads back to me, the one who blocked her path, being the only one who can help her develop you."

With an explanation from Homura, Izumi was left dumbfounded.

"Are you saying that Kosaka Akane had her eye on me from the beginning, and you still invited me despite knowing this?" Eriri raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, why would I let her snatch you away?" Homura answered calmly.

Homura's statement made Eriri raise her eyebrows, but she seemed quite pleased with it.

"Back then, there were indeed many people in her circle who surpassed you, but so what? Their potential had its limits, but you, Eriri... you were far from your limit. Besides, I'm confident I can help you improve even further. Why would you need Kosaka Akane? Isn't the current you the proof?" Homura continued.

Indeed, the Eriri of now, compared to a month ago, had undergone a drastic transformation in her drawing skills. With Mashiro's presence, her drawing had evolved almost like a leap. Though she still had a way to go before matching Mashiro, the gap was steadily closing.

"But... Minamiya-senpai, you still haven't told us why Kosaka-san thinking like that..." Izumi, now digesting some of the information, asked once more.

"It's quite simple..."

Before Homura could answer, Utaha was the one who explained.

"Homura-kun presents both a tough and tender challenge she couldn't surmount. So, if she couldn't crack it, she resolved to get closer. If you join Another Dimension... with your brother already in her circle, it's almost certain collaboration will be inevitable, all thanks to your sibling connection."

Utaha bluntly laid it out, and even though Izumi was only fourteen, she easily grasped the situation. Although she still found it somewhat unbelievable, she nodded slowly and accepted the explanation.

"So..." Eriri patted Izumi's shoulder. "From now on, it's up to you, Izumi, whether or not you want to officially join us. It won't make much difference to us, but it might give Kosaka Akane more flexibility."

Joining or not didn't affect Homura and the others, but it did matter on Akane's end.

Izumi didn't make an immediate decision and intended to give it some thought.

"Hmm... this feels like an arranged marriage..." Elf suddenly murmured.

An instant chill filled the room.

Upon hearing Elf's murmur, Izumi froze, her face turned red, and steam seemed to rise from her head.

"H-How could you say that?!" Izumi stuttered and buried her face in her desk.

"It does seem a bit like that..." Utaha grinned meaningfully.

"Kosaka Akane... Kosaka Akane..." Eriri muttered softly, her teeth clenched. "I won't forget this..."

Megumi sighed and turned to Izumi.

"Izumi-chan, Elf-chan was just joking. Don't take it too seriously."

"Really?! It was a joke?!" Izumi quickly raised her face and blurted out subconsciously. However, as she realized what she had just said, she immediately buried her face once more.

Megumi: "..."

Homura's mouth couldn't help but twitch.

Izumi didn't seem as naive as she appeared, after all.

On the other hand, Elf smiled mysteriously and began to ponder.

'Hee~ is this going to be like some plot in the harem novel? Maybe not... at least Hana isn't thinking that way right now... But what about in the future?'

"Alright, Izumi has finished reviewing her profile, so the rest of you should take a look too. If there's anything you don't want to make public, we can make some changes." Homura chimed in casually and forcefully changed the topic.

Even though it was a continuation of the previous discussion, the girls didn't object. As they each examined their profiles one by one, Homura absentmindedly toyed with a small gadget on the table in front of him, deep in thought.

He should probably inform Honoka and the others about Muse's profiles and let them know about their roles as voice actors and theme song singers. If he didn't do it soon, he was afraid he might forget.

However, who would be a good fit for voicing each of the characters?

Nanami?

Homura felt that she might suit Tohsaka Rin's voice, and as for himself, he might end up with multiple roles, or maybe none at all.

As for Artoria's voice, it needed to be somewhat solemn and firm; surprisingly, Umi seemed like a good fit!

As for Matou Sakura, probably Kotori? If she could master some dubbing techniques, that would also be a good choice.

However, what about Illyasviel?

Homura continued to ponder for a while, and in the end, he thought Sagiri's voice would be a great match for Illyasviel.

As for Fujimura Taiga, a name quickly flashed through Homura's mind—Yazawa Nico!

It sounded good!

"Homura, we're done!"

Eriri's voice interrupted Homura's thoughts, and he decided to think about it more later.

"How? Any problems?" Homura asked.

"It's all good. Even though it's easy to recognize us from the silhouettes, it should be fine." Eriri replied, giving it some thought before shaking her head.

Homura nodded.

"Alright, that's settled then. I'll also get in touch with Muse; if they're okay with it too, we can officially upload everything."

Just as he was about to contact them, Homura's messaging app chimed, indicating a chat room notification between Homura and Muse.

[Kosaka Honoka: Homura-kun! The alpacas were checked today, and it turns out they're expecting a baby!]

[Minamiya Homura: Oh? I can't believe I guessed it right.]

[Tojo Nozomi: That's right, but the baby alpaca won't be born until next April.]

[Sonoda Umi: Next April? That means...]

[Yazawa Nico: That's right, by then, we'll have already graduated.]

The chat room fell into silence.

Seeing this, Homura sighed in his mind. Without a doubt, this kind of topic was always the most bittersweet.

'Okay, let's change the subject!' Homura thought and began typing.

[Minamiya Homura: By the way, there's something I want to ask you all about. I've created Another Dimension's website, and I've registered some of our information there. Could you check if your profiles need any modifications?]

After sending that message, Homura temporarily made Another Dimension's website public and sent Muse's girls the link.

Soon, the chat room became lively.