[TSSIM] Chapter 503: A Legendary Creation

After reading all the schedules created by Umi, Homura nodded.

"Okay, no problem. I'll match your meals and even massage time schedules, but Kotori and Nico gotta help me out when I'm cooking, so shouldn't you arrange their time in more detail too?"

"Yeah... I kinda forgot about that..." Umi rubbed her temples. "I'll tweak the schedule a little."

Indeed, adjusting the schedules was necessary since Homura was, after all, cooking for nine people. If Kotori and Nico weren't helping out, cooking time would take even longer.

"By the way, you girls better let your families know about this since these schedules are gonna stay the same, right?" Homura continued. "So, until the tournament starts, you won't be home at all. If you don't give them a heads-up, they'll worry."

"We were just talking about being home all the time, and now we're not showing up for a whole week..." Maki couldn't help but comment.

Upon hearing this, the girls were speechless.

Honestly, who knew their schedules would change so fast?

It really couldn't be helped because everything was happening too suddenly, so there wasn't much they could do about it.

"According to the schedule, shouldn't y'all be practicing your dance now?" Homura glanced at the time. "You can tell your families whenever you want, but since you all agreed to follow Umi's schedule, you better stick to it."

Honoka and the others exchanged looks but didn't object, so they quickly got ready and headed to the empty room next to their temporary classroom for practice. Given that dance practice involved a lot of movement, an indoor space was safer than the yard.

"Speaking of which, later tonight, when you're practicing voice acting, let's decide on the cast for the roles of Kanon." Homura said with a grin, instantly boosting everyone's enthusiasm.

Honoka and the others nodded at him before heading off to do their dance practice.

"Okay, let's get to work too." Utaha said, looking at Nayuta, Elf, and Muramasa. "We can take our time with the CGs, but we need to finish the script as soon as possible."

"Don't rush too much. If the quality drops, I'm not approving it." Homura said while shaking his head.

"Don't worry, Senpai! I assure you that won't happen!" Nayuta patted her chest confidently.

"Yep, who do you think we are?" Utaha smirked. "Do you really think I'd show you a script that doesn't make people cry their eyes out?"

"Yeah, yeah, you're the best..." Homura sighed helplessly. "One of you is a master of tragic romance, the other loves writing heart-wrenching stories... If your script doesn't make people cry, that'd be a real shame."

"Guess I should get busy too…"

What Homura was about to make was an upgraded version of his infamous nasty vegetable juice, but this time, he would design it to deliver a relentless assault on the senses through sheer taste.

If Elf had barely managed to stomach the old version, calling it on par with All the World's Evil (Angra Mainyu), then with this enhanced version, she probably wouldn't survive.

As for where he got the inspiration?

Of course, it came from that nightmare-inducing drink in The Prince of Tennis.

Once he had the idea, putting it together wasn't too hard.

However, now that Kanon was about to be released, another idea suddenly struck him, so he might as well realize this idea while he had the time.

Coming to a decision, Homura officially began crafting a legendary creation known as Akiko's special jam.

===

Before lunch.

A strange yet enticing aroma suddenly spread throughout the entire Minamiya residence—it was so alluring that just smelling it made anyone hungry.

Drawn in by the scent, the girls couldn't focus on anything else, so one after another, they stopped what they were doing.

"Homura-kun, what're you making? It smells amazing!" Honoka swallowed hard and couldn't help but ask.

"Yeah, this smell is way too strong." Eriri kept inching closer, trying to get a look at what Homura was making.

"Ah, this?" Homura shook his head with a grin. "I'd advise you girls not to eat it, especially you nine. You better not touch it now. If you do, it'll mess up your practice."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked dumbfounded.

Why did he make something delicious and then tell them not to eat it?

They couldn't help but feel that he was really a devil at heart.

Good thing Homura couldn't read minds, or he definitely wouldn't have stopped them.

"Haru-chan? What's wrong?" Rin suddenly asked, looking confused.

Everyone quickly searched for Haru and found her standing stiff, her fur puffed up like she had encountered a serious threat, her gaze locked onto Homura—or rather, onto whatever he was holding in his hand.

In his hand was a glass bottle, its transparent body making it easy to see what was inside.

A stunning orange liquid filled the bottle, looking so mesmerizing, almost mouthwatering. But when everyone's eyes followed Haru's intense stare back to the bottle, they gulped, cold sweat forming on their skin.

It couldn't be helped.

Animals had an incredibly sharp sense of danger, and Haru was even more sensitive than most. If she was reacting like this, then whatever was in that bottle had to be seriously bad news.

"Oh, you're pretty sharp, little one. But, well, that's not really outside my expectations." Homura chuckled. "Hey, little one, whatever you do, don't eat this, okay?"

"Meow~?! (You're saying that thing is edible?!)" Haru took a few more steps back. "Meow! (I wouldn't eat it even if you didn't warn me!)"

"Good." Homura nodded in satisfaction. "But honestly, this thing isn't harmful at all. If anything, it's actually packed with benefits..."

"Homura... what exactly is that thing?" Elf asked, her face full of doubt.

Judging by Haru's reaction, it had to be something really dangerous, right?

However, why did her body feel like it wanted to swallow it whole then?

At Elf's question, Homura lightly shook the bottle.

"Just by looking at it, don't you girls find it at least a little familiar?"

"Homura-kun, you've never made something like that before, right?" Nanami asked with a puzzled expression. "Why would we find it familiar?"

"Wait a sec!" Nayuta suddenly gasped. "Don't tell me... it's that thing—the one from Kanon?!"

"Umm... that thing? Kanon?" Izumi looked confused, staring at the color of the liquid in the bottle as she tried to recall something. "Wait, you mean Akiko's special jam?!"

"What?! You mean the one that's supposedly so bad it makes reality feel distorted?!" Utaha's mouth twitched. "You actually managed to make something like that?!"

"What's so hard about it?" Homura pouted. "I even made Angra Mainyu, y'know. Also, Utaha, you're wrong. It's not supposedly distorting reality—it only gets that effect when you dilute it five times."

Girls: "!!!"

Wasn't that even more messed up than the original?

"What about undiluted?" Mashiro asked curiously.

"Undiluted? Eh, nothing much..." Homura shrugged casually.

Nothing much?

More like a total loss of consciousness, right?!

Aside from Mashiro, all the girls couldn't help but twitch their lips.

"Man, diluting jam just feels kinda wrong..." Homura muttered to himself. "I mean, is it even still jam after being diluted?"

Upon hearing this, the girls' brows twitched.

Of all things, that was what he was worried about?