[TSSIM] Chapter 487: Extraordinary Boy

"Ehh... so many people..." Mya-nee said in a frightened tone, shrinking back a bit.

"Hmm, the seats in the back are all empty, but there's a crowd standing up front..." Utaha remarked, raising an eyebrow. "Not gonna lie, you don't see this often."

"Doesn't this just show that everyone genuinely loves Muse?" Megumi said, not looking surprised.

"Yeah, Megumi's got a point." Eriri nodded in agreement. "But the question is, where are Sagiri and the others?"

"They're probably at the very front. Let's go." Homura replied as he led the four girls, weaving through the crowd toward the front.

Homura easily led the four girls forward, effortlessly making it seem like no one had been pushed aside.

Walking along the edge of the stage, they searched for Sagiri and the others.

Thankfully, the stage was curved, making it easier to scan the area, so before long, they found themselves standing next to Sagiri and the others.

Noticing that everyone else had already put on their support T-shirts, Homura and the four girls immediately pulled out their own support T-shirts from their bags and put them on over their clothes.

However, their action inevitably drew a lot of attention, and some people in the crowd, looking bewildered, turned to their friends.

"Wait, are those support T-shirts for Muse? Is Muse's merchandise already on sale?"

Upon hearing this, their friends were equally confused.

"No idea…"

Overhearing this exchange, Eriri and the others found it amusing, but since no one came to ask them directly, they didn't feel the need to explain.

Meanwhile, Homura, seeing that Haru was now perched on Sagiri's head and noticing Honoka's parents standing not far away, gave them a casual wave before turning to Sagiri with a smile.

"Sagiri, why's the little one on your head?" Homura asked amusedly.

"Well, I noticed you always put Haru on your head before, so I wanted to try it…" Sagiri replied, looking a bit embarrassed. 

Homura chuckled, not expecting this answer.

"Your little head… Once Haru grows even a little bigger, she won't be able to sit on your head anymore, you know."

Hearing this, Sagiri didn't seem too bothered.

"It's fine as long as it works for now. But honestly, having Haru-chan on my head doesn't feel that special."

"Heh, what kind of special feeling were you expecting?" Homura chuckled. "I only put her on my head in crowded places. Normally, I just hold her."

"Eh? Then I'll just hold her too..." Sagiri said, lifting Haru off her head. "It did feel kinda weird earlier. I couldn't move my head at all, or Haru might've fallen off."

"Well, that's why maybe don't copy me on that."

Homura spoke while patting Sagiri's head with a smile, before also giving Haru's little head a gentle rub—something he must do since Haru had been quite patient with Sagiri.

In truth, except for him, Haru wouldn't have wanted to stay on anyone else's head.

Why?

It was simply because no one else was as steady as him.

Needless to say, the slight swaying Sagiri made wasn't exactly comfortable for Haru, but she stayed there anyway since she was being considerate of Sagiri, treating her entirely like a little child.

As if remembering something, Homura suddenly turned to Yukiho.

"Yukiho, don't forget the macho tears."

Upon hearing this, Yukiho's lips twitched, and she instinctively glanced at her father.

Honestly, she would have forgotten if Homura hadn't mentioned it. Now, however, she was really curious—curious whether her father would actually shed the so-called macho tears.

Even the others, who overheard Homura's words, couldn't help but look curiously at Honoka and Yukiho's father, which left Sayumi, the mother, slightly confused.

'Why is everyone looking over here?'

Puzzled, Sayumi waved Yukiho over.

With a face full of questions, Yukiho walked toward her mother, wondering what this was all about.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

Hearing her daughter's question, Sayumi leaned closer to Yukiho's ear.

"What happened? Why were all those girls staring at us just now? Is something wrong with us?"

Homura: "..."

Yukiho: "..."

Hearing Sayumi's whisper with his sharp hearing, Homura couldn't help but roll his eyes, feeling that the girls were seriously unreliable.

Weren't they supposed to keep it a secret?

Why were they all acting so suspiciously?

"Uh..."

Yukiho hesitated for a moment but eventually motioned for her mother to come closer, whispering into her ear, causing her mother's expression to grow increasingly peculiar.

What Homura overheard was: "Mom, do you remember that follow-up manga draft I secretly showed you? Well, we're actually trying to see if Dad will cry when he watches Nee-chan's concert later. Minamiya-senpai said he would, but we all think he won't. I mean, with Dad's usual image, it's hard to picture something like that happening."

Hearing Yukiho's whisper, Homura couldn't help but feel a bit awkward.

'I can actually imagine it since I already watched the original anime... but thinking of a macho guy crying, why does Rizu's dad suddenly pop into my head?' Homura thought to himself, his lips twitching. 'Well, I guess Rizu's dad counts too?'

"So, Mom, don't tell Dad, okay?" Yukiho continued whispering. "We just wanna see who ends up being right."

Sayumi: "..."

'Who's right? Obviously, it's your Minamiya-senpai...'

Sayumi thought with a helpless expression, glancing at her husband, who was focused on the stage.

'Back when I accepted your dad's proposal, he cried harder than anything I've ever seen in any manga... Seems like men really do understand men better, huh?'

Yukiho had no idea what her mother was thinking now, but if she did, her expression would probably be priceless.

"Don't worry, you can head back first." Sayumi waved her hand, sending Yukiho back to her original spot.

Watching Homura stand among the group of girls, Sayumi couldn't help but feel a bit emotional.

In her eyes, this boy was truly extraordinary, maybe the most extraordinary boy she had ever known. He knew so much, could do so much, and even had a considerable understanding of human nature—he really didn't seem like someone his age.

Moreover, those girls around him probably all liked him, didn't they?

Yet, the relationships between the girls appeared to be incredibly harmonious, without much jealousy or rivalry.

Maybe, for a man, that was the most impressive part.

In her view, Homura was either a person with exceptionally deep and calculating thoughts or someone who genuinely and wholeheartedly liked those girls.

Nonetheless, she leaned more toward the latter, because only the latter made sense given how well the girls got along.

If he were someone with ulterior motives, he would've already used his family's great influence to achieve his goals, so why would he be pouring his effort into drawing manga and making games?

Additionally, with her usual probing of her two daughters, even though they tried to hide certain things from her, she had pieced together quite a bit, which was why she was currently adopting a wait-and-see approach.

How things would develop in the future would depend on various factors.

One had to admit that Sayumi truly lived up to her past role as a student council president of Otonokizaka High School. In such a short time, she had almost figured out the dynamics between Homura and the girls.

If Homura knew this, he could only sigh in awe.

As they say, it was nearly impossible to hide anything from a mother because a mother knew her children too well.

"Oh? It's about to start." Homura said with a smile.

"Did you hear it, Nii-san?" Sagiri asked curiously.

"Yep, I hear their footsteps. Honoka and the others are heading to the stage now." Homura nodded.

Everyone stopped chatting and looked up, waiting for the curtain to lift.

Soon, in this familiar auditorium, a familiar concert unfolded once again before Homura's eyes.

However, unlike last time, when it had been an internal concert with almost no audience, today it was a fully packed house!