Chapter 34: Become the Protagonist in a Manga!
Homura seemed lost in thought, maybe... like a forced, unfinished ending similar to Dragon Ball?
Shaking his head inwardly, he knew that the success of Dragon Ball did not necessarily mean that all works could achieve the same success.
"I expect that "Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun" should be a short story! As for "The Promised Neverland", I haven't decided yet, but it should be roughly a medium to a long story," Homura gave a rough answer.
"Why? Can't "Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun" be longer in length?!" Ayano was a bit puzzled.
Homura explained his reasoning.
"Nozaki Umetarou is limited to being a shoujo mangaka, so some jokes and gags within that area will be quite restricted"
"But... if you keep using the same jokes within that area, there's no way to make more, and the audience will get used to them, so they won't laugh anymore, even if you add more. Furthermore, many jokes are based on the foundation of Chiyo's feelings that cannot be expressed... it's just too cruel to keep drawing it indefinitely."
Ayano nodded understandingly. She actually knew this, but she had just turned into a reader and subconsciously did not want "Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun" to end.
Even as a reader, eventually you'll realize that you won't be able to keep laughing forever.
Why doesn't the author let Chiyo's love come to fruition?
Why does the author drag the story so much?
Those kinds of questions were the reason why Homura decided to end it as a short story.
"However... when one story ends, another begins. So you don't have to worry that I will only present these two works," Homura reminded her.
Hearing Homura's words, Ayano remembered all the information she had heard about this youngster in front of her, finally feeling relieved.
This is great! This young master is really capable, and the manga magazine is going to be stable in the future!
At this point, Kotori walked over to the two of them and stood still.
Homura: "..."
'Say something, won't you? Just standing there and staring at me is making me feel pressured, you know?' Homura complained inwardly.
Ayano also remained silent, sitting with her legs crossed and watching as if she was enjoying a show. She would occasionally glance at Kotori.
Homura had no choice but to turn around and look at Kotori. "Hey... Kotori-san, don't you need to go say hello to the new people who just arrived?"
"Hoho, are you admitting it now, Onii-chan? Tell me, when did you first meet me and know me?" Kotori said with a grin.
Homura wasn't flustered. "As I said, it was just a coincidence that I found out about you."
Before she could say anything else, Homura asked, "Have you become a school idol yet?"
Homura naturally knows that the current Kotori is definitely being pulled by Honoka to form a school idol group, otherwise; she wouldn't have become a maid Minalinsky. Asking this is just a way to indirectly inquire about Muse's progress.
"How do you know?" Kotori looked surprised.
Ayano, watching Kotori's expression, also felt something strange. Homura had said it was a coincidence, yet he seemed to know so much...
'Was he stalking her?!' Thinking this, Ayano moved a little further away without showing any emotion...
Luckily, Homura didn't know what Ayano was thinking, or else he would have gone crazy.
"Huh? Aren't you guys handing out flyers?" Homura pretended to be puzzled.
"Oh, so that's it!" Kotori patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief.
Kotori imagined that Homura had received a flyer and had learned about them through it, although it was strange that he knew her name and called by her first name like nothing... Maybe he found out from someone else?
"We are currently training hard to become school idols. If possible... we will have our first performance at the end of the month. Would you like to come and see it?" Kotori's words were full of anticipation.
"Going is not a problem... what I'm curious about is why at the end of the month?"
"Our school is facing closure due to a shortage of new students. That's why we formed a school idol group, hoping to attract new students and prevent the school from closing. The end of the month is the welcome party for new students, and we are performing on that day to attract more people!" Kotori explained the reason for becoming school idols.
"Your school's welcome party for new students is quite late." Homura joked, then added, "It's called Otonokizaka High School, right? No problem, I will come then!"
"Thank you, Onii-chan!" Kotori smiled sweetly, causing Homura to shudder.
Ayano listened eagerly, did she transform into an idol to save the school? It's just like some plot from manga!
'Hmm... a manga? Not a bad idea!' Ayano thought seriously.
"Hey! Homura, how about you draw their story as a manga!" Ayano proposed, her eyes shining.
'Are you a god? How can you come up with such a brilliant idea? If it weren't for too many obstacles, don't you think I'd love to draw it too?' Homura inwardly thought sarcastically.
"First of all, we need their permission to make them the main characters. Secondly, what about the school environment? As a male, are you asking me to sneak into an all-girls school for research?" Homura was speechless and choked. "Lastly! I have to fully understand their individual personalities. Will the female students in the all-girls school allow a male stranger to get to know them in "detail"?"
Ayano was not discouraged at all and became even more excited. "No problem! Leave all these problems to me! I'll persuade them! I'll help you communicate with the school!"
"As for their personalities... after I persuade them, you can get in touch with them!"
Homura and Kotori were stunned!
'What happened? Why did I become the protagonist of a manga?' Kotori still hasn't recovered yet from shock.
Homura thought this woman was just... fantastic! Taking on all the troublesome matters by herself. He will wait until she resolved everything before bringing 'Love Livers' to this world! Moreover, the manga and the idol members complemented each other, which had an amazing effect!
Homura grinned, "As long as you can solve everything, then I have no problem!"
Saying this, he took out a pen and paper and quickly drew a picture of Minalinsky, Minami Kotori, then pushed it in front of Ayano.
Ayano took it, looked at the drawing, and then at Kotori, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but rise, almost revealing her teeth!
"Oh! I'm fired up! Wait for my good news!" Ayano made up her mind and was determined to convince these girls!
"Wait, wait, wait!" Kotori finally recovered and immediately stopped her, "Why did it turn out like this?! Did I miss something?!"
Ayano looked at Homura, who simply made a "Please go ahead" gesture. She smiled confidently and said, "Don't worry, Ojou-chan."
"How can I not worry?! This is a big deal! And... the protagonist and all that, I wasn't mentally prepared for it..." Kotori said anxiously, then became a little shy.
Looking at her, Ayano calmly said, "Think about the reason why you want to become a school idol, to stop the school from closing down, right?"
"This young mangaka in front of you, let me tell you the truth! His works are all above excellent quality, and if you become the main character in his manga, how big an impact would that have?"
The tempting voice echoed in the girl's mind, and Kotori admitted that she was tempted...