[TSSIM] Chapter 484: Homura-kun's Doing?

Although Honoka and the others really needed Nico's explanation, the nine of them ultimately didn’t manage to discuss everything fully.

Nico just gave them some vague answers and then sent them on their way.

In the end, the group of eight returned to the bridge once again.

"Conveniently, Nico-chan's parents are out on a business trip for two days, so she had to stay home to take care of her siblings, or else she wouldn't have skipped practice." Kotori remarked thoughtfully.

"Yeah… If not for that, even if we followed her, we might not have found anything. Only when Nico-chan's parents aren't around does she have to pick up her siblings from school, making us learn what she's hiding..."

Maki responded, suddenly pausing as she twirled a strand of her hair.

"Wait... could this be Homura-kun's doing?"

Everyone: "..."

===

Achoo!

Homura sneezed and then rubbed his nose.

"Are those girls talking about me? Did they figure out I arranged for Nico's parents to go on a business trip?"

"Hehe… Well, it helps that Nico's parents work for one of my family's companies."

Straightening an elm tree stump he had just accidentally tilted while sneezing, Homura continued walking home.

===

Even though Honoka and the others didn't know for sure if Nico's parents' business trip was really Homura's doing, wasn't this way too much of a coincidence?

"Well, Nico-chan did say that if Homura-kun hadn't given us a break, she was planning to ask for time off these two days anyway." Kotori pointed out.

"You're right." Maki nodded.

"Maybe… Nico-chi told her family from the beginning that she's a super idol or something?" Nozomi sighed lightly.

"Is there a story behind that?" Hanayo asked curiously.

As a fellow idol enthusiast, she was eager to hear Nico's story.

"You remember when I mentioned how Nico-chi tried being a school idol back in her first year?" Nozomi reminded them. "She probably told her family back then that she was already a super idol."

"And then Nico-chan... failed, didn't she? She must've never told her family about her failure." Maki guessed the outcome.

"Yeah… that makes sense. Nico's little siblings totally believe their big sister is a super idol, and with expectations like that… it's probably hard to admit the truth." Umi said, nodding thoughtfully.

"It's Nico-chan, after all. If nothing else, she's got a surprisingly strong sense of pride when it comes to being an idol." Kotori sighed.

"Just like Maki-chan in that sense, nyaa!" Rin teased with a mischievous grin.

Maki rolled her eyes but didn't strike back.

"I think... it's not just pride…" Hanayo said with a bit of emotion. "Nico-chan has always dreamed of being an idol. Even if she failed before, she's still holding onto that dream... I can understand that because I feel the same way... From her first year, she kept going at it alone for two whole years until now..."

Hearing this, the group fell into a thoughtful silence.

"Right!"

Honoka suddenly broke the quiet.

===

Meanwhile, Homura casually carried a massive elm tree stump back home, and under the astonished gazes of the girls, he placed it in the backyard.

Just after he returned inside and washed his hands, however, he received a call from Honoka.

"Honoka, how's it going? Did you resolve it?"

"Not yet, but we'll definitely deal with her tomorrow!"

"Deal with her? Are we turning into assassins now?" Rin chimed in sarcastically.

"But that's what Homura-kun said!" Honoka retorted.

"Bruh, I didn't mean that!" Homura said with a wry smile. "I was asking if you've resolved the problem."

Honoka fell silent for a moment, then spoke again.

"Wait... Isn't Nico-chan the problem itself this time? Aren't those two things basically the same?"

Upon hearing this, Homura chuckled.

"They might mean the same thing, but when you say it, you've gotta be careful with your word choices. Different combinations can end up changing the meaning, you know."

"For example, 'face' and 'visage' mean the same thing, right? But the word 'visage' can mean other things too."

"Imagine if you're at a job interview and they ask you to show your 'face', it's pretty normal, right? But if they ask to see your 'visage', suddenly you're wondering if you need to walk in with a dramatic entrance, like you're auditioning for a soap opera or something."

"...Pfft! Hahahaha—!"

Honoka was speechless for a second, then burst into laughter. 

Meanwhile, the others, watching Honoka laugh uncontrollably, were utterly confused and had no idea what was going on. 

"Alright, alright, let's stop messing around. You're calling to ask for another break, right?" Homura shook his head with a helpless smile. "Approved! But tomorrow, make sure everything is perfectly resolved. Got it?"

"Got it!"

"Good. Give it your best!" Homura hung up the phone with a smile.

"Homura-kun, judging by your look, has it been resolved?" Megumi asked, glancing at him curiously.

"Sort of..." Homura replied while shrugging his shoulders. "They've already got a plan. If they can't handle it, they won't be Muse."

"You always have the utmost faith in Honoka-chan and the others." Megumi remarked with a faint, imperceptible smile.

"Obviously." Homura smiled slightly. "I believe in the bonds between the members of Muse, and believe they can overcome any obstacle that stands in their way."

After chatting a bit more with the girls, he grabbed some tools and prepared to deal with the tree stump.

In the backyard, everyone gathered around the massive tree stump in a circle.

"Homura, how are you gonna handle this?" Elf asked curiously, glancing at the tree stump. "Isn't this too big? And the roots are so many too."

"Hmm…" 

Homura rubbed his chin, thinking for a moment before looking down at Haru, who was by his feet. 

"Hey, little one, is using the upper part of the stump for your training enough?" 

"Meow?" Haru tilted her head, her cat-like face filled with confusion.

"I mean, just the thickest part. I'll cut some of its roots and bury the rest later, and you can use the exposed stump for your training."

"Meow!" Haru nodded in agreement.

"Do you really need to bury it?" Eriri couldn't help but ask.

"Yeah, it needs to be secured." Homura replied with a nod. "But what should we do with the leftover roots? We can't just throw them away, can we?"

If he were going to toss them, he might as well have had the seller saw them off in the first place.

"Whatever, I'll just make something out of them."

Homura shrugged casually, then pondered.

"Wood carvings? If I don't bother about the wood texture, it's just a casual task for me. After all, with my cooking skills, carving shapes or something simple wouldn't be a problem."

Upon hearing Homura's words, the girls had no objections, knowing that with his inhuman skills, nothing was too difficult for him.

"In that case, the only thing you'd really need to consider is the texture of the wood." Eriri pointed out with a nod.

"Yeah, which is why I said I'll just make something random." Homura responded, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "If that doesn't work, I'll make some boxes for storage instead, so I won't have to worry about it much... Or maybe some utensils?"

"Chopsticks." Mashiro suddenly chimed in.

Everyone: "..."

"Let's not do chopsticks..." Homura disagreed, his lips twitching.

Just how much free time would he need to have to make chopsticks out of those roots?