章 71: Honoka, Kotori, Umi

Time passed slowly, and by the time they finished the Hanami, it was already noon.

Homura didn't know how others felt, but he himself was very satisfied, as he had gained a lot from the sakura's scenery.

Following Homura's invitation, Ayano had lunch at his home and then they headed to Otonokizaka High School together.

===

At the entrance of Otonokizaka High School, three young girls were standing in their school uniforms.

"Kotori, what kind of person is Minamiya-sensei really?" Umi asked nervously, her face tense.

Kotori, on the other hand, replied with a helpless expression, "Umi-chan, you've already asked that question over thirty times..."

Umi's face stiffened, and she said awkwardly, "What can I do? After all, I've only heard it from you, and now I'm really nervous!"

"... It's just a manga."

"Come on, Umi-chan! Haven't we already made a promise with Ayano-san?" Honoka patted her shoulder, but her words made Umi even more anxious.

"Ahhh~! Speaking of which, why did I agree in the first place?!" Umi exclaimed, suddenly remembering how Kotori had helped persuade her on behalf of Ayano. She turned her head sharply and stared at Kotori.

"... It's all because of you, Kotori! Aren't we friends? Why did you suddenly switch sides?!"

Kotori took a step back uneasily and forced a smile, "The three of us have already decided to become school idols! So, of course, we should work hard for the survival of our school! Isn't manga a great way to promote it?"

"I know... Ayano-san has said it many times already." Umi lowered her head and muttered to herself in a voice only she could hear, "But it's still strange. How did Kotori get to know that person? Suddenly taking her here and saying that we should be the main characters in a manga..."

"By the way... I've always forgotten to ask you, where did you meet this manga editor?" Umi asked in a casual tone.

"Huh? Well, it was just by chance!" Kotori wiped a drop of sweat from her forehead and laughed awkwardly, secretly hoping that something would come up to change the topic.

Umi looked at her suspiciously, about to speak, when Honoka's voice came, "Look, look! Isn't that Ayano-san's car?"

Kotori breathed a sigh of relief, and Umi was too preoccupied to doubt her anymore, as she herself was getting nervous again.

"Is... Is Minamiya-sensei here?" Umi's voice trembled.

"He should be here, right? Ayano-san told us that yesterday!" Honoka said with anticipation. "Ah~! What kind of person is he? By the way, judging from the manga we saw yesterday, could it be that Minamiya-sensei is someone who really likes to joke around?"

"Don't worry, Honoka-chan, don't be impatient. They've already arrived, right? You'll be able to see them soon!" Kotori held her excited comrade's hands, afraid that she might rush over.

In the distance, Ayano and Homura had already gotten off the car, looking at the environment that was almost identical to his memories. He suppressed his excitement.

Speaking of which, this is the holy land of Love Live! And he will be exploring it for real.

"Ayano-san, Minamiya-sensei, welcome to Otonokizaka High School!" Kotori greeted them and took a few steps forward, welcoming Homura and Ayano.

"Huh? Minamiya-sensei? Why not call me~~" Homura deliberately elongated his tone, waiting for Kotori to interrupt him.

Kotori: "..."

Kotori also noticed his behavior, not wanting to deal with him, but what if he really said it out loud?

The corners of Kotori's mouth twitched.

"Ah, right, I'll just call you Homura-kun."

"...I was actually looking forward to being called 'Onii-chan'!" Homura said in a voice that only he and Kotori could hear.

Then looking at Kotori who had clenched her fists, Homura decided not to push his luck further. It wouldn't be good if Kotori exploded and blew up right then and there.

"Ahem, nice to see you again Kotori-san! why don't you introduce your friends?" Homura cleared his throat and said.

Kotori decided to let him off the hook for now, and she pulled Honoka and Umi over with both hands, introducing them to Homura.

"Homura-kun, these are my best friends, Honoka-chan and Umi-chan. Together, we form 'Muse'."

Has the group name been decided already? And are they already practicing for their debut song?

"Nice to meet you for the first time, Minamiya-sensei! I'm Kosaka Honoka!" Finally, it was her turn to speak, and she asked the questions she wanted to ask directly, "Wow, I didn't expect Minamiya-sensei to be so young! You look about the same age as us! You've become a mangaka at such a young age? That's amazing!"

Yep! This lively personality definitely fits the Honoka he knew!

"Wait a minute! Honoka, that's too rude!" Umi quickly stopped Honoka, "Nice to meet you for the first time, Minamiya-sensei, I'm Sonoda Umi, pleased to meet you!"

With Honoka causing a commotion, Umi was not very nervous, as seen from her composed self-introduction.

"I'm really not worthy of such courtesy," and Homura quickly said, "My name is Minamiya Homura, and we are all second-year high school students, so there's no need to call me sensei."

"Yeah, just call him Homura-kun, as I do!" Kotori interjected with a smile. "Right? Ho... Mu... Ra... Kun!"

'Is this a warning for me not to talk too much? Well, then I won't say anything... but if they ask... oh well, I just feel like Kotori will get upset.'

"That's right! Just call me whatever you find convenient!"

"Ah~ I feel so pitiful!" Ayano suddenly spoke from behind Homura, "Clearly I made a great contribution, yet I was forgotten like this, is that really fair?"

"Yeah, right! How could we forget our great contributor!" Homura slapped his forehead, "Um... sorry about that."

Homura promptly apologized to Ayano because the fact was that he had neglected her. She had been busy with this matter from beginning to end, and he felt really guilty.

"We're really sorry, Ayano-san, for neglecting you!" Kotori also sincerely apologized to Ayano.

""I'm sorry, Ayano-san!"" (x2)

Honoka and Umi both bowed deeply to Ayano, especially Umi, whose face turned red with embarrassment. She had just scolded Honoka for being rude, and now she herself was suddenly caught in an awkward situation.

"Well! I forgive you all!" Ayano waved her hand and took a step forward to straighten the bodies of the two girls who were bowing.

"Since it's all cleared up, let's continue!"

"By the way, the school agreed to let him enter the school, but he needs to be accompanied by student council members, right?" Ayano asked directly.

Kotori nodded and said, "Yes, there will be student council members coming to accompany us shortly."

As they were talking, two figures could already be seen coming from afar within the school grounds.