บท 261: Inspiration Sanctuary

"Mashiro took Nayu's place, so let's wait a bit."

After Homura said that to the girls, everyone continued to chat.

"You know, is this naked condition really that efficient?" Elf grinned. "I'm getting curious now!"

Homura thought about it seriously before speaking up.

"Maybe... just like Izumi said, sometimes inspiration strikes when you're in the bathroom?"

Hearing that, the girls began to think carefully. Had they ever considered that while taking a bath?

"Yeah, maybe a bit." Utaha nodded.

"Um, I read online that some writers get inspiration in the bathroom. So it's pretty common, I think..." Sagiri added.

"I've heard that too." Eriri agreed. "But I've never tried it myself, so who knows if it's true."

"Speaking of bathrooms..." Nayuta chimed in. "I've heard it's the inspiration sanctuary for all professions!"

"It's a rather peculiar sanctuary, isn't it?" Megumi chimed in.

"Don't joke around." Homura shook his head, "It's not all profession."

"Why not?" Nayuta asked curiously, "Everyone online says so!"

Homura continued to shake his head.

"At the very least, the bathroom can't be a chef's inspiration sanctuary, no?"

The faces of the girls instantly froze.

That made a lot of sense! Chefs using the bathroom as an inspiration for creating dishes? That was absurd and disgusting!

"Hmm... it seems... not very useful..." Mashiro's voice suddenly came, and her shadow, reflected on the curtain, shifted from a sitting position to a standing one.

Nanami quickly rushed over.

"Mashiro, make sure to put on clothes before coming out."

"Nanami? Oh... I'll get dressed."

"Yosh! Let's get to work!" Homura chuckled and declared.

===

The activity room was very quiet as everyone was busy with their own tasks.

Suddenly, Muramasa furrowed her brow as she looked at the work project.

"Minamiya-kun, what's the purpose of this setting?" Muramasa pointed to a specific part of the project.

"Which one? The setting where Artoria eats a lot?" Homura rubbed his chin. "Hmm, this one has multiple meanings; you could say it adds depth to both the character and the work itself."

"Could you explain it in more detail?" Muramasa continued to inquire.

"I want to hear too!" Elf also became interested.

"Sure thing." Homura spread his hands. "That kingdom, Eriri should be somewhat familiar with it, right? Even though they have regular cuisine, they're most famous for their dark dishes." {T/N: Odd dishes with an incredible mix of ingredients and their odd cooking method like star-gazy pie.}

Eriri had a twitch on her forehead but still nodded.

"Let's assume that Artoria has been eating dark dishes her whole life..."

Homura didn't need to say more since everyone understood. Anyone who ate delicious food for the first time after experiencing eating only dark dishes their whole life would become a glutton!

Hearing his explanation, Muramasa nodded. That made sense; after all, even she had heard of these so-called dark dishes.

"It's interesting. What's next?" Elf asked.

"The main character's miniscule magical energy is a part of the plot, so Artoria's power won't be fully utilized. She can convert large amounts of food into magical energy, even though the conversion rate is low, it's better than nothing. That's why she needs to be a big eater."

Before Elf could ask another question, however, Homura continued.

"It's also a kind of joke toward Mordred."

"Wait, didn't Mordred only appear in flashbacks? Why are there scenes of her having meals?"

"Not really, but didn't I say earlier that this world needs further improvement? So, Mordred will have her moments too. And later on, we can say—'Mo-chan, even though you didn't inherit the throne, you inherited the king's appetite!'."

When Homura said the last sentence, everyone except Mashiro burst into laughter, even Muramasa had a slight smile.

"Inherited the king's appetite? What the heck is that?" Eriri rolled her eyes.

"That's why it's a joke." Homura chuckled. "A petite body but a glutton isn't that a cute character quirk?"

"Well, since it makes sense, let's go with it!" Elf nodded.

"Any more questions?" Homura asked.

"For now, I'm good. If I encounter new issues, I'll ask again." Muramasa shook her head and returned to writing the story.

Seeing everything calmed down, Homura looked at Megumi beside him.

"By the way, Megumi, if you're still interested in voice acting, you can ask Nanami for some advice."

"What? Megumi-nee is interested in voice acting?!" Izumi exclaimed.

"No need to be so surprised, right?" Megumi looked at the astonished girls, somewhat helpless.

"Yeah." Homura nodded. "I've mentioned it before; everyone here has great voices. With a bit of practice, we can even do dubbing for our own works."

'I didn't expect Megumi to act on it so quickly...'

Utaha thought inwardly, shaking her head a bit.

'She must really want to help Homura-kun even more... Maybe it's not a spontaneous choice, but she just wants to assist him in a more meaningful way. Programming is a breeze for Homura-kun by himself, so she wants to help him out with more important tasks. Plus, Nanami is the only voice actor in this circle, so that's why Megumi is keen on picking up voice acting.'

As Utaha pondered that, she could speculate Megumi's motivations quite accurately. However, Megumi had no intention of hiding anything in this regard. She genuinely wanted to help Homura, so there was nothing to conceal.

"By the way, I should probably borrow some basic books from Nanami-chan..." Megumi nodded slowly. "Maybe it will help me improve my rather thin presence..."

Hearing that, Homura's eyes lit up.

"You're absolutely right! Professional voice actors carry a strong presence. Their acting can even outshine some traditional actors. While actors rely on body movements and expressions to complement their voices, voice actors solely rely on their voices. This is why they pour all their acting into their voices. If you can grasp some voice acting techniques, boosting your presence will become effortless."

"You're right... I'll go ask Nanami-chan now." Megumi nodded and immediately left the activity room.

After a while...

"Wow!"

Nanami's astonished voice was so intense that even the walls of the house couldn't contain it. Homura sighed, wondering just how surprised she must be.

"Well, let's continue." Homura shrugged.

With that, he went back to work, drawing some designs of Noble Phantasms. These were equally crucial, if not more so, than character design. They were weapons, after all, and he had the most knowledge about them. While Eriri excelled in character design, her understanding of weapons wasn't as deep.