My daily life in various anime crossovers can't possibly be this sci-fi.

"I say, Jiang-kun," Eriri Sawamura said helplessly in a low voice, rubbing her forehead, "let's just look for it slowly and honestly..."

……

About fifteen minutes later.

As it turned out, finding a specific group of people in such an incredibly noisy place was no less difficult than finding a needle in a haystack. Jiang Jinghua and his group wandered around the lounge, where flowers bloomed, birds sang, and the population density was several percentage points higher than the average level in Japanese towns, before finally finding their target.

To prevent this from happening, some groups have even specially commissioned huge signs, similar to the nameplates commonly used at airports, which they simply hold up when someone comes to visit... It's such a simple and effective method that μ's hasn't adopted, it's a real shame.

But anyway, it's good that the person has been found.

what

Section 96 Chapter Ninety-Six: The Battle of Akihabara by the Muses (Part Two)

"Phew, it took so long. Jinghua-jun is really useless, meow!"

Looking at the overwhelmed Jiang Jinghua, Xingkong Lin said this half-jokingly.

"...If it weren't for the sheer number of outsiders here, I would have almost used my enemy-finding technique." Jiang Jinghua sighed helplessly. "Anyway, hello everyone."

"Hello, Jiang-kun." Ayase Eli, who was kneeling properly nearby, nodded slightly.

The nine people occupied a fairly large open space in the lounge: each of them did different things while resting.

Nico Yazawa was playing some kind of pay-to-win mobile game on her smartphone, and was currently grumbling about failing to pull any characters in ten consecutive draws. Nozomi Tojo, who had been silently watching, saw this and very kindly offered to help her pull for them...

"...Oh dear, two SR cards...only slightly better than the guaranteed one." Nozomi Tojo smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, Nico-chan, but my fortune-telling doesn't work in every situation..."

"Damn it! Even using a proxy can't change Nico's terrible fate?" Yazawa Nico cried, feeling an urge to roll on the ground and vent her anger.

Sonoda Umi and Nishikino Maki were quietly reading their books, while Hanayo and Kotori were whispering about something between girls. Hoshizora Rin was excitedly circling around Jiang Jinghua and Eriri…

"Who is this, meow?" Rin Hoshizora asked, gazing at Eriri's radiant blonde hair. "It seems like there are always a lot of cute girls inexplicably gathering around Jinghua-kun..."

"Who wants to gather around that guy?!" Eriri Sawamura shouted, her face flushed.

"Let me introduce you all. This is Ms. Eriri Sawamura," Jiang Jinghua introduced to everyone. "She is a famous illustrator with the pen name Kashiwagi Eri. Because she is interested in you all, she promised to consider providing support in terms of her artwork if she has the time."

"Ah, uh, cough cough." Eriri Sawamura swept away the shyness on her face, put on a serious, elegant and friendly smile that was suitable for all kinds of social interactions, bowed to everyone, and said, "Nice to meet you in the future."

"Huh? It's a well-known illustrator in the industry, meow!" Rin Hoshizora nodded vigorously, smiling quite happily. "I feel like I've heard the name Eri Kashiwagi before?"

“Me too…” Kotori stopped talking and turned her attention to Eriri Sawamura.

"Wait, Kashiwagi...Eri..."

Minami Kotori muttered to herself. Strangely, every time she uttered the name, her face seemed to turn even redder.

"Ugh... Lord Jinghua... you really are..." She covered her face and turned her head away.

Eriri Sawamura's smile froze.

“…Sawamura-kun.” Jiang Jinghua shook his head helplessly. “Your infamy is known to everyone from Gibraltar to Vladivostok.”

After that, it took Jiang Jinghua a long time to make the shameless people realize the obvious fact that "doujinshi artists don't necessarily only draw doujinshi" and successfully give up their prejudice against Sawamura Eriri.

The latter... to avoid being accused of "explaining is just covering up," remained awkwardly left to the side. As it turns out, getting into the sea is easy, but getting back on shore is incredibly difficult...

"...Strange, it feels like something's missing." As Jiang Jinghua spoke, he suddenly felt that something was not quite right.

Logically, at this point, the most active member of the team should have chimed in with a few complaints before leaving...

"Speaking of which, I haven't seen Honoka since earlier. Where is she?" Jiang Jinghua asked.

"Honoka's over there," Umi pointed to a spot not far away. "She's resting now."

Jiang Jinghua stepped forward.

...What's going on? Is that orange-haired guy really Honoka?

Honoka was sitting quietly on the ground, her legs curled up, her hands wrapped around her knees, and her head buried properly between her knees. She looked just like a bullied child squatting in a corner sobbing.

However, she wasn't crying now. On the contrary, Jiang Jinghua heard her snoring softly.

Okay, I'm asleep.

“Um, Honoka-chan…” Minami Kotori reached out, intending to slap Honoka awake.

"It's alright, let her sleep." Jiang Jinghua shook his head. "She just got sick a few days ago, so it's fine for her to rest more."

"...Ah?"

However, at that moment, Honoka suddenly woke up on her own.

She stretched out her legs, rolled over, and supported herself on the floor with her hands, maintaining her prone position as she looked at Jiang Jinghua.

"Jinghua-jun...good morning..."

Honoka gave a dazed smile. Her face was flushed slightly, and her eyes, hidden by long eyelashes, shimmered with an unfathomable light as she had just woken up. Her smile was as innocent and sweet as ever, but compared to usual, it lacked some of its usual exuberance and liveliness, and instead possessed a quiet and somewhat ethereal quality.

Like the other eight, she had already changed into her performance outfit. A well-tailored black skirt and vest, paired with a cropped sleeveless white shirt, generously exposed large areas of skin, including her smooth, white abdomen. While showcasing the vibrant beauty of a young girl, her frail appearance also gave her a sense of vulnerability...

...What the hell am I thinking about here?

Jiang Jinghua felt an urge to slap his own face to calm himself down. When exactly did he develop this habit of automatically writing suggestive essays in his head whenever he saw Honoka?

"How is Honoka feeling now? Is she okay going on stage?" Jiang Jinghua coughed twice on purpose to calm himself down. "If she's really sick, it's best not to push herself."

"Ah... I'm fine." Honoka smiled. "Don't let my listless appearance fool you, it's just to conserve energy. If I need to appear more energetic..."

Honoka suddenly stood up quickly, and the fatigue she had shown from just waking up vanished instantly.

"I'm in great spirits now!" Honoka exclaimed with her usual cheerful expression, "Fight!

The image of Honoka before my eyes has successfully merged with the impression of Honoka in my memory.

"That's good, that's good." Jiang Jinghua breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, he invited Sawamura Eriri, who had finally escaped the awkward situation, over and introduced her to Honoka: "This is Sawamura Eriri, a famous painter who goes by the pen name Kashiwagi Eri-sensei. She is interested in the activities of the Muse and intends to provide assistance in the original illustrations..."

"Wow! Is that Kashiwagi-sensei? It's a pleasure to meet you!" Honoka excitedly grabbed Eriri's hand and shook it vigorously. "I often use your masterpieces for reference and study! I never expected to meet you in person... and such a cute girl at that! I knew it, there's no harm in girls being a little bit ○..."

Eriri Sawamura found herself in an awkward situation once again.

what

Section 97 Chapter Ninety-Seven: The Battle of Akihabara by the Muses (Part Three)

Despite the awkwardness, Eriri believed that important matters still needed to be addressed.

She did not forget her real purpose in coming to help: to find a way to match Jiang Jinghua with someone.

But... thinking about it carefully, is it really necessary to do this kind of thing?

While chatting with Honoka about trivial topics, Eriri Sawamura pondered.

Rather, what does that guy's behavior have to do with me? We're not even that close. As for my mom... how she misunderstands is her business, it doesn't concern me much.

If that's really the case, then why did I impulsively volunteer in the first place?

Such confusion lingered in her mind.

“Speaking of that, I have to mention… Hey? Sawamura-kun, what's wrong?” Honoka waved her hand in front of Eriri, who looked unwell. “Are you alright? Are you feeling unwell?”

"Me? I don't have any more." Eriri quickly forced a smile. "You should be careful, though. Didn't the news say recently that a strangely mutated cold virus is spreading in the Tokyo area?"

"Huh? I think it's just a common cold...probably." Honoka scratched her head with a wry smile. "My luck shouldn't be that bad..."

"The more important the occasion, the less you should say things like 'It's definitely no problem'," Eriri Sawamura pointed out righteously. "This is an irrefutable truth that has been taught to us by countless films, television shows, and anime throughout history!"

“Ah, that’s true. In that case, how about saying, ‘Oh really, I must have a serious illness, so I’m sure I’ll have problems when I go on stage later,’” Honoka changed her tune. “But saying such discouraging things beforehand might also lead to bad consequences!”

“That really puts us in a dilemma.” Eriri shook her head. “It seems we’ll have to make some compromises. For example…”

……

Eriri Sawamura suddenly realized with sadness that she had wasted almost fifteen minutes on pointless topics.

Honoka Kousaka had unknowingly taken control of the conversation.

"How about this?" Honoka explained to Eriri with great enthusiasm, gesturing as she spoke, "Don't make any definitive statements, just make vague judgments... Ah, or wouldn't it be safest to just not say anything at all?"

A genuine smile appeared on her still-childish face. From the natural and bright gleam in her sea-blue eyes, Eriri Sawamura could tell from her womanly instincts that she truly enjoyed chatting with her about random, unrelated topics.

This should be considered the "outgoing" and "energetic" type, right? Eriri Sawamura thought with the typical otaku's thought process. She originally thought this kind of trait only existed in manga...

"I think we should discuss this later," Eriri said with an awkward smile. "How about we change the subject first?"

“Of course!” Honoka nodded. “According to Tojo-senpai, it’s important to relax and reduce stress before a match. What would you like to talk about?”

"Hmm... this match," Eriri Sawamura said, "is it important to you?"

"Important? I wouldn't say it's important. But I still care about it quite a bit. Although it's my first time participating in such a large-scale competition, I didn't expect to achieve any great results, but it would be really upsetting if the results were too bad, right?"

"I don't know much about school idols, but I've heard that Love Live is supposedly the most prestigious and largest competition of its kind in all of Japan?"

“Yes, yes. I heard that not only is the scale large, but the professional judges who appear in the official competition after passing the preliminaries are also top-notch in the industry.” Honoka nodded. “Ah—that means that although the industry they are in is highly competitive, the future is quite bright!”

"What... what if we lose?" Eriri Sawamura asked. "What if we don't even make it past the preliminaries?"

This question caused Honoka Kousaka's expression to change, and the smile on her face froze for a brief moment.

However, this gloom was quickly swept away. She put on her usual energetic smile again and said, "Oh well, if I lost, I lost. There's nothing I can do about it... I didn't have much hope anyway... Anyway... it doesn't matter!"

It sounds like they're being quite optimistic... but it seems like they're not entirely sincere.

Eriri Sawamura, with her uniquely feminine sensitivity, noticed the unnaturalness in Honoka's tone.

Although she was somewhat puzzled by this, Eriri did not intend to ask any further questions.

"Forget it, let's not talk about that now." Eriri waved her hand. "More importantly, did you draw those pictures on the homepage?"

"Ah, that's right! Yes!" Honoka nodded vigorously, her face beaming with joy.

She seems quite proud of it, Eriri thought.

“Because, I was the one who started by encouraging everyone to become idols, but I haven’t really contributed much to the team…” Honoka sighed. “For example, Kotori is good at making costumes, Maki can compose music, and Ayase-senpai can provide a lot of help in choreography… It seems like I’m the only one who can’t do anything.”

"So, I'm really happy to see that my paintings can help people."