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[TSSIM] Chapter 442: Encore!

Added 2024-09-26 21:16:22 +0000 UTC

After a segment of comedy skits with Homura, Muse finally returned to perform and sang a new song titled 'Korekara no Someday (Someday From Now On).'

In the original work, this song was actually performed only by seven members, excluding Eli and Nozomi.

'Umu, as expected, seven were incomplete. Only the full nine members of Muse could truly perform miracles!'

Homura thought emotionally as he watched Muse sing on the stage.

===

"Finally… our time is almost up..." Honoka sighed.

'Indeed, it's time to wrap things up!' Homura nodded vigorously at the guardrail.

"So, next is our final song! Of course, it's not a new song, but it is the song that represents Muse!" Honoka continued and her smile became brighter. "Our final song, 'Bokutachi wa Hitotsu no Hikari (We Are a Single Light)'!"

Upon hearing the song's name, Homura smiled slightly.

He believed this song would likely become the final song in every Muse's performance. After all, the names of all nine members were in it, making it the anthem of Muse.

===

"The little bird's wings have finally grown large~"

"It's a day to take flight~"

"The wide sea's warm color beckons in the distance~"

"It's painful, just like a painting drawn within a dream~"

"Would you like to try winding back time~?"

"No no no, this moment is the greatest~!"

"After all, after all, this moment is the greatest~!"

"Ah! It began with a subtle premonition~"

"Ah! We made it here chasing the light...~"

As Muse struck their final poses, the music gradually faded out.

""OOOOOOHHHHHH—!!!"""

When Muse took their final bow and saluted the crowd, the entire school suddenly erupted in a huge roar of cheers and screams, a cacophony of sounds rising and falling.

"Encore!"

However, amidst the cheer and screams, a distinct voice emerged, clearly separating itself from the rest.

All other sounds vanished instantly, leaving only this single, unwavering shout.

"Encore! Encore!"

Everyone on the rooftop immediately looked toward the source of the voice.

After all, not only was the voice well-known and loud, but its owner was also quite noticeable, as he was hanging conspicuously on the guardrail!

Who else but Homura?

On the stage, Honoka and the others, who were about to leave, found themselves unable to move.

Since they had managed to continually surprise Homura, wouldn't it be nice if he could surprise them for once?

Maybe 'Bokutachi wa Hitotsu no Hikari (We Are a Single Light)' would have been a fitting song for the ending, but Homura thought today should end with a different song.

It would be the end of today and the beginning of what was to come, after all.

"Encore!"

At first, only Homura called out for an encore, then Nayuta suddenly joined in, and Elf, with an interested smile, also shouted for an encore.

Yukiho, Alisa, Yui, and one after another gradually joined in, and Homura even faintly heard the voice of Sayumi, the mother of Honoka and Yukiho!

In the end, the entire school echoed with a single voice.

""ENCORE!""

Meanwhile, in the director's office.

"It already had such a huge impact…"

Muttering while gazing at the projector, Kotori's mother, known as Director Minami, smiled softly.

"It's truly beyond everyone's expectations—no... perhaps, Minamiya-sensei anticipated this moment all along..."

Director Minami shook her head with a smile.

===

Experiencing such a scene for the first time, Honoka and the others felt a mix of emotions, with Hanayo particularly nervous.

However, Hanayo's nervousness quickly faded away.

With the roar of 'encore' echoing repeatedly through the sky, who wouldn't be excited?

Kotori answered a phone call and then gave everyone a nod.

Soon, the nine girls took their positions.

""OOOOOOHHHHHH—!!!""

Seeing this, the shouts for an encore instantly turned into cheers!

As the cheers subsided, a familiar melody began to play, bringing a smile to Homura's face.

"I say..."

"Hey, hey, hey, START:DASH~!!"

===

"Hahh... I was totally surprised... I didn't expect them to call for an encore..."

Back in the preparation room, Nico remarked, her mood was still quite high.

"Of course, you can surprise me, but aren't you going to let me surprise you too?" Homura chimed in with a smile.

"Sure thing~ it was truly a huge surprise." Nozomi responded with a smile.

"Actually, I think even if Homura hadn't called for it, someone else would have..." Eriri said after thinking for a moment. "Anyone who braves the rain to see your performance is a true fan of Muse. It would be strange if they didn't ask for an encore, right?"

Homura looked exasperated.

"I went through all the trouble to lead the call, so don't dampen my enthusiasm, okay? It was pretty embarrassing being the only one shouting for an encore."

Upon hearing his words, the others looked at him with expressions that said—You're just making excuses.

Embarrassed?

When he danced 'Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss', he did it without even a hint of shame, yet this little thing made him embarrassed?

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Homura raised his brows as everyone gazed at him expressionlessly.

"If no one had joined in, I would have been embarrassed too, y'know?"

Everyone pondered, imagining the scene for a moment before nodding in agreement.

"So in a way, Nayu really helped me out."

Homura continued as he patted Nayuta's little head, causing her to look quite pleased.

"Heeheehee..."

"Really... you're just like a cat, y'know..." Homura said with a slight chuckle.

"Look, Senpai, my cat ears!" Nayuta circled her fingers around her head, mimicking cat ears.

"They're just your fingers."

"Muuu..." Nayuta pouted.

"I think... they kinda do look like cat ears." Homura quickly corrected.

In an instant, Nayuta's pout turned into a grin.

"She's so easy to please..." Utaha's lips twitched.

Getting a bit addicted to the feeling of head patting someone, Homura continued.

"With the school festival at Otonokizaka wrapped up, the holiday isn't far off, right?"

"Five days left! Only five days until the holiday!" Honoka exclaimed, clearly more excited than anyone.

"Yeah, just five more days... And once the holiday starts, there's a whole week of concerts right after..."

"By the way, why is the competition system so weird?"

Homura started to complain.

"Is it voting? Or scoring?"

Truthfully, he didn't know whether the current tournament of Love Live! used judges' scoring or an online audience vote.

However, for online voting, the current competition system had not yet been fully developed. In the original work, online voting was introduced in the anime's second season.

"Select twenty school idol groups to compete, then pit them against each other. Shouldn't it be sixteen groups for the match-ups?"

"Or maybe the top four are seed contestants, and the remaining sixteen battle it out, with the top four facing the seeds later?"

After pondering for a while, Homura shook his head.

"Having seed contestants might seem unfair, but even if it is, the concert won't go on for seven days straight—five should be enough... Or maybe there's a limit to how many concerts happen each day? Or could there be a way for losers to make a comeback?"

As Homura talked to himself and fell deep in thought, the girls silently gazed at him, exchanging puzzled glances.

"Why are you thinking about this anyway?"

Unable to resist her curiosity, Elf quickly asked Homura.

Homura's lips twitched.

"I don't want to, but my OCD kicked in!"

Girls: "..."