[TSSIM] Chapter 500: Impromptu Discussion

"Now that you mention it, the alternative story is really going to be released, huh?" Ayano chuckled, sounding genuinely happy.

She couldn't help but feel like the timing really was too perfect, almost as if Homura had planned it this way.

Could it be that Homura really did plan this?

"Just ask if you're curious about something." Homura said while chuckling.

"Did you plan this on purpose? I mean, the timing is just too perfect." Ayano asked with a suspicious tone.

"Nope, I didn't do it on purpose. It really is just that coincidental." Homura denied calmly.

He wasn't lying, as it was indeed not something he had planned beforehand.

"Okay, okay, I'll pretend you didn't do it on purpose. So what's next? Go ahead and explain in detail."

Upon hearing this, Homura's lips twitched slightly before he responded.

"Well, knowing the sales of this alternative story should be pretty good, I came up with a plan."

"Let Muse join in."

Honoka and the others silently watched Homura, not saying anything, but judging by the way their eyes kept moving, they were probably thinking something.

Ayano stayed quiet for a moment before speaking up.

"What's the plan, exactly?"

"I'm planning to have Muse sing a song at the start of the signing event to warm up the crowd... but for that, we need a stage first."

Homura responded, explaining his plan in detail.

"Later, we will split the crowd, making Muse sign the alternative story while I sign the main one. Since each member of Muse has different fans, it'll help split the crowd more... Fans are definitely gonna go to their favorite for a signature."

"I mean, Muse is the reason the manga even exists, so having them sign with me isn't out of place. It'll actually surprise the fans in a good way, and with ten of us signing, the efficiency should go up a lot."

Homura finished laying out his plan in one breath, making the girls' expressions mixed, but overall, they seemed a bit intrigued.

"However, that was just my initial plan. After thinking it over, considering Honoka and the others are still students, participating in a commercial signing event like this might not be the best move, so I came up with a new plan."

Girls: "..."

A new plan?

Was the first one just for comparison?

"So, what's this so-called new plan?" Ayano asked, a little speechless.

"Instead of signing, each member of Muse will hand out fifty stickers or stamps or something like that."

Homura explained the new plan.

"First, after getting my signature, the fans will receive a pair of matching-numbered tickets, which they can drop one of the tickets into one of nine lottery boxes, each representing a member of Muse."

"We'll draw fifty winners from each box, and the corresponding member will personally hand out the prizes to the lucky fans."

"Of course, I just threw out those prizes and numbers randomly, so we can figure that out later."

"Hmm, that seems a pretty good idea." Elf nodded in satisfaction. "While the initial plan felt like it was pushing people to spend, the new plan with limited prizes works well."

"Yeah, with the initial one, some people might even pay to hire others to stand in line just to collect a full set of signatures from Muse, but with the new one, no one's gonna do that. They'd probably want fewer people in the lottery." Eriri shared her thoughts as well.

Hearing their opinions, Homura smiled helplessly. 

"That's why I rejected the initial plan right away—there were too many complications. After thinking it over more, this new one seems like a much better option." 

Homura then looked at Honoka and the others. 

"So, what do y'all think? Are you happy with this plan?" 

Honoka and the others exchanged glances, silently communicating their opinions.

In the end, Honoka spoke up to represent Muse. 

"Sounds good!" 

"Yosh!" Homura nodded with a smile. "I've got no issues on my end. Ayano, what about you? Share your thoughts."

"Mm... the general plan looks fine..." Ayano said approvingly. "It's just the details left to figure out, like what prizes we need and how many each person should bring... But what about the stage?" 

"Yeah, we've got two options—indoor or outdoor." Homura replied, sharing his suggestion. "But the problem with the outdoor one is the weather. Honestly, if it's clear with no wind or rain, I'd prefer the outdoor one."

"Yeah, if the weather's fine, I'd also lean toward the outdoor one, but... maybe we should stick with the indoor one to be safe..." Ayano sighed a little. "A bigger exhibition hall should work as the stage."

"Okay, the main direction is set. We'll figure out the details slowly." Homura said with a relief tone.

As they continued talking, the things that needed to be decided were quickly locked in, making the impromptu discussion wrap up.

"Oh, right! How do you feel about the swimsuits?" Homura suddenly asked.

"How do I feel? I don't know what to say other than, as expected of you?" Ayano chuckled lightly. "Seriously, just how many things are you good at? You really are some kind of superhuman—no, wait, you're a superfreak."

'Superfreak?'

Homura's lips twitched, and the other girls barely held in their laughter.

"...I'm gonna learn even more in the future. If I'm already a superhuman now, what am I gonna be later? A mutant?" Homura rolled his eyes, throwing in a sarcastic remark.

"Alright, enough joking around. I'm checking if there's any work I can finish early so I can free up a day or two for a break."

"Gotcha! Good luck, Ayano."

After hanging up, Homura turned back to Muse.

"See? You girls still have tons to do, so let's push the voice-acting work back for now." 

"..." 

"Almost forgot!" Nico exclaimed, her right eye twitching. "We were talking about the game just now..."

"It's Homura-kun's fault. He changed the topics too quickly." Nozomi sighed, shaking her head slightly.

"But if we push it back, how long are we talking about?" Honoka asked while frowning.

"Probably about half a month?" Homura shrugged. "I mean, with everyone's abilities and the number of lines to record, it'll take around three to five days. Even if we record all day, it'll still take two to three days. You girls won't be able to free up that much time in just half a month."

Homura's reasoning made sense, but delaying Another Dimension's game release by half a month just because of them?

Every member of Muse somehow couldn't accept it, especially Honoka.

"Okay, stop overthinking it."

Homura patted Honoka's head to calm her down since she seemed like the one least willing to accept it.

"We're the ones who decided to start working on Kanon at such a busy time, so it’s got nothing to do with you girls. You girls joining the Love Live tournament was already set in stone long ago, so if anyone's to blame, it's us."

"But we're part of Another Dimension too!" Honoka protested.

"Yeah, but voice actors and scriptwriters are still in different departments."

Seeing Honoka acting a bit pouty, Homura shook his head and laughed.

"Okay, here's what we'll do. Since Makoto's route is already completed, how about y'all voice that route first? Once that's done, the other routes will be much easier. Just take two or three hours a day for recording, and you can finish most of the routes in a week."

"Sounds good, but... if we don't finish, the game's still gonna be delayed by half a month, right?" Honoka wasn't ready to give up.

Upon hearing this, the other eight didn't say anything, but by not stopping Honoka, it was clear they were agreeing with her.

"So, you really wanna finish the game before the tournament?" Homura asked with a serious expression.

Honoka glanced at the other eight, then nodded seriously at Homura.