[TSSIM] Chapter 440: Perform Something For Us!

From the very beginning of their acquaintance until now, Honoka detailed all the ways Homura had helped Muse.

Writing songs, choreographing dances, offering various kinds of guidance, teaching them exercise routines, and even voice acting—all of this was expressed with such heartfelt emotion that anyone could tell it was genuine.

"It's a bit embarrassing, actually... I caught a bit of cold today, and if it weren't for this rain cover, it would have been quite a disaster..."

Honoka awkwardly scratched her head.

"I'm especially grateful to Minamiya-sensei for something that happened a couple of weeks ago... It all started with a letter Kotori received, and nobody else knew anything about it…"

She seemed to be getting into the swing of things.

'Did she really need to go into so much detail?'

With this thought in mind, Homura jumped down from the guardrail, helplessly shaking his head.

Was Honoka doing this on impulse or something?

However, seeing that Kotori and the others weren't surprised by Honoka's act, Homura realized they must have discussed this beforehand.

Evidently, Honoka and the others wanted Muse's fans to know about Homura's contributions, which led to the current situation.

'Seriously... You girls get too emotional...' Homura sighed and then smiled wryly. 'Honestly, the most moved here is me… You really remembered everything I did, huh…'

"You know, Minamiya-sensei suddenly gave us a thick stack of manga drawings, which is actually an alternate chapter of Love Live, just to make sure things didn't turn out like they did there."

Honoka continued speaking, then chuckled.

"If I were to describe the chapter, it would take a long time, so if you're interested, just check out Muse's official page!"

Upon hearing this, Homura was speechless.

He really couldn't imagine how many people were anxiously waiting for more of that chapter.

'Bruh, I said I wasn't planning to publish that, but you girls insisted on posting it?'

Homura figured that what they posted would probably be even more popular than his serialized 'Love Live!', given how dramatic and emotional the alternate chapter was.

In the end, tearjerker stories were the most likely to remain memorable in people's minds.

Homura quickly took out his phone and started typing a post.

...

[Minamiya: About what Honoka mentioned earlier, I actually wasn't planning to publish it since drawing it was more of a warning and included my own expectations.

However, who knew these girls would suddenly pull this?

Anyway, what's done is done, let's just treat it as an extra chapter. Different choices lead to different paths, and maybe this rough chapter is exactly what the manga needs.

Since I only drew the bad parts and skipped the plot twists, the extra chapter looks purely brutal. Now that it's posted, I'll add a proper ending to it. I'll get to it when I have time, so please don't rush me and trust my speed, okay?

Finally, remember, this extra chapter is more like an alternative version or a 'what if', and not canon!

Okay, that's all I have to say. I'm going back to watching the concert!]

...

After posting this, Homura didn't pay much attention to how people would react to it since he figured the fans hadn't had the chance to read the chapter yet.

It made sense that they would fully understand his post only after reading the entire chapter, so he wasn't in a rush to see what they thought.

At the same time, Muse's second song, 'Aishiteru Banzai!', finally ended.

After thinking for a moment, Homura acted as if nothing happened and hung on the guardrail again.

Everyone: "..."

"Minamiya-sensei! Perform something for us!"

A girl's voice suddenly piped up from somewhere.

"Who said that?" Homura sighed, looking at the crowd. "Why do I always have to steal the spotlight at every school festival?"

"Hehe, Muse needs a break, right? In that case, Minamiya-sensei, you'll fill in!"

'A break my ass… Did she think that singing the less upbeat Aishiteru Banzai would make Muse take a break?' Homura grumbled inwardly.

Meanwhile, the nine girls on stage didn't seem to mind, and in fact, they found it quite entertaining.

Nico whispered a couple of words to Maki and then ran offstage, handing her microphone to Homura.

Homura: "..."

Nico tugged at Homura's hand, pulling him down from the guardrail and dragging him onto the stage.

Until Homura's bewildered face appeared on the camera, laughter erupted from both upstairs and downstairs.

"Okay, so… was the girl talking just now one of their plans?"

Homura pointed at Muse and asked the crowd below the stage.

"Dare to step up and let me see you?"

"No way!"

""Hahahaha—!""

Homura's face darkened.

"Mika, I know it's you! I didn't know you could be so cheeky!"

""Eh?""

Silent gasps, two from the crowd, three from the stage.

"Why did it get exposed so easily?" Honoka asked, surprised.

"Why?" Homura said with amusement. "Since I've met the Big Three, I obviously know their voices! What, do you still want to surprise me?"

"What on earth is the Big Three?!" Umi couldn't help but comment.

Homura didn't answer directly but looked at the camera.

"Maybe some people—no, probably everyone doesn't know what the Big Three means. As the name suggests, the Big Three are actually the three girls who helped Honoka, Umi, and Kotori through their toughest times as Muse."

"Even now, these three still help Muse with whatever they can. Do any of you remember them? They often show up in the manga too, you know."

Homura looked at the crowd with a smile.

"Fumiko, Hideko, and Mika—these three are the support squad for Muse, for me, and for all fans of Muse!"

Honoka: "..."

Umi: "..."

Kotori: "..."

"Hideko is probably responsible for your sound system, while the one talking just now must be Mika, right?"

Homura continued.

"At first, I thought it was just a spur of the moment, but when I found out it was Mika and then you girls pulled me onto the stage, how could I not guess it was your plan all along?"

"But… What was the purpose of this?"

"Of course, it's for you to perform!" Nozomi answered with a smile. "You performed at Sakuragaoka's school festival, so it's only fair for you to do it here at Otonokizaka too, right?"

Upon hearing the answer, Homura was speechless.

Seeing this, the crowd laughed again, thinking Muse had really managed to surprise Homura this time, as his expression didn't seem like an act at all.

"Was it really necessary to make such a fuss for a performance?" Homura sighed. "Just say so, and I can dance for everyone if you want."

"Everyone's seen you dance already. Let's try something new!" Nico said with a grin.

Homura raised his eyebrows.

'Dancing is out? Or is performing something already done not allowed?'

He thought for a moment and roughly understood what they meant.