[TSSIM] Chapter 429: Preparation

"Anyway, isn't that a good thing?"

Homura's voice came from Rin's phone.

"If the future turns out like it does in my manga, wouldn't you all be able to handle future troubles more easily?"

Upon hearing this, the girls' eyes brightened.

"Honoka won't get worn out, and you won't miss the Love Live tournament." Homura added. "Isn't that great?" 

With that, the girls' frustration of not getting the auditorium usage rights vanished in an instant.

Even if they couldn't use the auditorium, it wasn't a big deal as long as nothing terrible happened!

"So, should we set up the stage on the rooftop?" Honoka asked tentatively.

Upon hearing this, the others thought about it and felt that the rooftop was the only option since different festival activities occupied other areas.

"Yeah, I think that could work." Eli nodded.

Everyone else also agreed.

"Yosh, let's start preparing tomorrow!" Honoka declared with a cheerful smile.

"If that's the case, this week's voice acting class is canceled." Homura chimed in.

"...Um, that's true." Nozomi said after a brief pause, nodding in agreement. "We do have quite a bit to prepare, and we need to focus on practicing too..." 

"By the way, Eli and Kotori, could you please inform the school and the director today? I'll need your help with getting permission to enter Otonokizaka." Homura added.

"Permission? What does Homura-kun need permission for, nyaa?" Rin asked curiously.

"Permission so I could help, of course." Homura replied briefly.

"No need for that, Homura-kun. Since it's the school festival of Otonokizaka, we should handle it ourselves." Honoka refused without much thought. "Just come by when the festival officially starts."

"I'd like to, but..." Homura hesitated for a moment before continuing, "I think I need to come after all."

"Aren't you going to explain why?" Maki raised an eyebrow.

"Well... as for the stage, I know you all can handle it yourselves. I'm just planning to set up a cover for you."

""A cover?""

Everyone looked puzzled, not quite understanding the term.

"What I meant was a tent." Homura added.

""Ohh...""

Now they all understood.

However, why did they need a tent?

Nozomi, Eli, and Umi were the first to show concern, followed by Maki, Kotori, Hanayo, and Nico, while Honoka and Rin didn't grasp the reason until the end.

"Well, no one can guarantee whether it will rain on the day, right?" Homura continued.

With that, Honoka and Rin finally understood.

"But Homura-kun, how do you plan to set up this tent?" Kotori asked, puzzled.

"I know the rooftop has a railing, but it's not high enough. I plan to extend it a bit more and add some waterproof material." Homura explained briefly.

As soon as he finished explaining, the girls looked at the railing around them, which was about three meters high, and soon understood that trying to extend it could be quite hard and dangerous.

It was no wonder he didn't want them to handle it alone, even though they hadn't considered this aspect themselves.

"Is it really necessary to do this?" Honoka asked with a skeptical tone.

"It's not a big deal for me; just leave it to me." Homura said casually.

"Alright, I understand." Eli nodded. "I'll apply to the school."

"Then I'll talk to my mom about it too." Kotori also nodded.

"Okay, I'll prepare the materials and tools after school." Homura said with a light chuckle.

"Do we still not need to go to your place today, Homura-kun?"

Hanayo, who stayed silent throughout the conversation, thought for a moment before suddenly asking Homura.

"No need, not before the school festival." Homura replied with a smile. "Come by after the festival is over. Of course, if you really want to come, you're welcome to. You can practice dancing in the yard if you don't have class."

"Never mind." Honoka shook her head. "It's a concert after all. It would be no fun for you to see it before it's officially shown."

'Well, that makes sense...' Homura thought, raising his eyebrows. "Alright, then. I should go have lunch now."

"Okay, Homura-kun, bye~!"

"Yeah, see you later, everyone."

Homura put down his phone and turned around to find Megumi, Eriri, and Utaha looking at him with strange expressions.

"What?" Homura asked, raising his eyebrows.

"...We just heard the voices of Honoka and the others, and when we came over, it turned out to be Homura-kun's voice…"

Megumi's mouth twitched subtly as she recalled the scene of Muse's nine members' voices coming out of Homura's mouth.

"What's up?" Eriri asked directly as she sat down.

"Well, their situation is similar to the chapter of the manga I wasn't planning to publish…" Homura shrugged.

Eriri: "..."

"No wonder you pulled that stunt…" Utaha said, a bit speechless and surprised. "Were you helping them recall the manga? I bet they were shocked."

"Yeah, somewhat." Homura shrugged.

"So, that's why you said you'd set up a tent?" Megumi pondered. "Now that you mention it, I'm a bit worried it might rain on the festival day."

"Well, rain isn't that surprising." Eriri shook her head. "It's the rainy season, so it could rain anytime. I wouldn't be shocked if it rained for days on end."

"Yeah, that's what I think too, which is why I plan to set up a tent." Homura agreed. "After all, it's not just for them; the audience needs it too."

With Muse's current popularity, even if it rained, many people would still come to see their performance. Given such support, it was only fair to take care of the fans.

Homura wasn't deliberately trying to win people over; it was just something he thought of and decided to do.

Only when it didn't seem so deliberate would the fans be more cohesive.

===

The next day.

Homura, carrying a big bag and a smaller bundle, set off for Otonokizaka High School.

By the way, Elf and Nayuta were also tagging along with him, looking to join in the fun, while Haru was perched on his shoulder.

"Senpai, are we just going to walk in directly when we get there?"

Nayuta, holding a small bag, asked as she walked alongside Homura.

"Kotori will meet us at the entrance and show us in. As long as a student from the school is there to greet us, no one will stop us." Homura explained briefly.

What he said was what Kotori had told him the night before.

"But come to think of it, I haven't seen the preparations for a school festival before..." Elf said, crossing her arms with interest.

"Well, you don't go to school, so it's not surprising." Homura shook his head in exasperation.

Elf: "…"

"Are you planning to set up this tent all by yourself?" Elf casually changed the subject. 

"Yeah..." Homura replied, shaking his head. "I wouldn't feel right asking you guys for help since it's kinda risky."

"I meant, are you going to find some other people to help? Like professionals?"

"It's a school festival. If students can handle it themselves, they should. If we hire adults, it changes the whole vibe, y'know."

"Well... you're right..."

Elf conceded and dropped the suggestion.

"Homura-kun~!"

From a distance, Kotori was waving at them from the school gate.

When they reached the gate, Kotori promptly grabbed a smaller bag from Homura's hands.

"Wow, this is a bit heavy..."

Kotori remarked as she struggled a bit with the weight.

"Heh, that's just the tools." Homura chuckled and shook his head. "It's heavy, you should give it back to me."

"No... It's not a… problem... let's go!"

Kotori strained to keep her voice steady and ran off with the bag.