Time flew by, and the next day arrived as promised.
The simulated morning light of the living area had just dispelled the night's chill, and the streets were still a bit cool and empty when a brand-new storefront abruptly appeared, embedded in a previously vacant spot on the street corner, attracting the gazes of all the early risers passing by.
[Hmoe Random Play]
Which translated to "Homu Random Play."
The sign was a bright, warm yellow, adorned with a cool-looking Homu mascot wearing headphones and making a rock-and-roll gesture, next to which were flamboyant, cursive English letters.
The display window was polished to a shine. Standing outside, one could see a well-arranged display of Homu-themed dolls and posters.
But what was even more eye-catching was the vast, neatly arranged collection of film and television disc cases with various covers.
Through the glass, one could even vaguely see the simple yet vibrant interior of the shop.
Bright colors, comfortable booths, several rows of disc racks against the walls, and a small area directly opposite the entrance, seemingly reserved for a large screen playback device.
"Wow! A new shop! It wasn't here yesterday!"
"It's Homu-themed? Is it a video rental store?"
"It looks so cool! When does it open?"
"I wonder if they sell the limited edition Homu movie..."
Discussions and expectant gazes quickly gathered.
It turned out that even after experiencing the cruelty of the Honkai and the hardships of reconstruction, Homu was still the most popular IP in the world, bar none.
"So Homu really did save the world, huh?"
Inside the shop, the two "Stelles" were bustling about.
Dust motes danced in the simulated morning light, and the air still carried a faint smell of new paint and wood.
The surprise of the onlookers on the street was not without reason. The appearance of this shop was truly abrupt. From its location to its renovation, and now to its impending opening, it had all taken barely a single night.
What was even stranger was that the people living on the ninth underground level hadn't heard any noise related to the shop's renovation. It was as if it had truly just popped out of the corner.
Well, a little bit of a wonderful result achieved with a little bit of wonderful [Wish].
And now, some traces left over from last night's almost all-night "efficient renovation" still needed to be cleaned up.
Numerous cardboard boxes filled with discs were piled on the floor, waiting to be sorted and shelved.
Both of them had changed out of yesterday's "Stelle" interstellar traveler outfits and put on something more in line with the shop's atmosphere...
"BELLE"!
Of course, it wasn't that exact outfit. Shu admitted he had a slight suspicion of "plagiarism," but that didn't mean he had copied all the settings.
They were both wearing black hoodies with a small Homu logo and dark cargo pants, their hair simply tied into low ponytails.
Dressed like this, they should have looked quite lively, but in reality, the expressions on their faces didn't match their energetic attire at all.
The "Stelle" disguised by Shu picked up a disc with a cover featuring a Homu in a checkered haori, holding a Homu-brand Nichirin blade, and frowned.
He stared at the title for a long time before daring to read it aloud: ""Homu Slayer: Mugen Train Arc"..."
Shu felt something in the depths of his memory suddenly revive and start elbowing some of his common sense.
"This name... why does it feel so familiar?"
Beside him, the "Stelle" disguised by [Shu] was placing a stack of discs with a gloomy cover and the title "The Homu Redemption" into the "Classic Drama" section. He didn't even look up at the words.
"Did you see the subtitle on the cover? 'The Breath of Hot Spice and the Journey of Bonds.' Isn't this a fantasy, hot-blooded battle genre? If you don't put it in 'Hot-Blooded Adventure,' where else can you put it?"
"Wait..." Shu held the disc and carefully read the synopsis on the back. "The synopsis says it's about 'a charcoal-selling girl, Homu-zuko, who joins the demon-slaying corps to restore her brother, Homu, to his Homu form'..."
The two working "Stelles" fell silent for a moment.
Demons?
A charcoal-selling girl, Homu-zuko?
To restore her brother, Homu, to his Homu form?
That's not right, is it?
Something is definitely not right about this!
"Your 'sense of familiarity' is completely worthless," [Shu], who reacted first because he didn't have to face the problem directly, had already pulled out another disc from the box in his arms.
"This world is completely different from the one we transmigrated from. Your sense of familiarity has absolutely no connection to these discs."
After speaking, [Shu] fell silent again, because he saw clearly what title was written on the disc he had just pulled out.
[Homu Art Online: Ordinal Scale]
"I'm not talking about the categorization!" Shu was a little annoyed, placing "Homu Slayer" heavily onto the "Hot-Blooded Adventure" shelf.
"I'm talking about this whole IP! Look at this—" Shu pulled out another disc with the title "Homu Genesis". "Look at this synopsis, what does it mean by 'humanity is losing the war against AI rule, and the young Homu accidentally obtains a mysterious power...'
"This is just a mishmash of "The Terminator" and "The Matrix", Homu version!"
[Shu] looked up from his silence, glanced at that disc, then at the "Homu Art Online" in his hand, which featured two Homus dueling in what looked like a VR world.
The silence lasted for two seconds, then [Shu] agreed with a troubled expression, "...Indeed..."
So Homu really did save the world!
This brief moment of consensus was shattered by new friction in an instant.
"So how did you categorize these, anyway?" Shu pointed to the area [Shu] had just organized. "I agree that something with deep plot like "The Homu Redemption" goes in the 'Classic' section, but an online game theme like "Homu Art Online", you put it in 'Hot-Blooded Competition'?
"Shouldn't it be with sci-fi themes like "Homu Genesis"? A 'Virtual World' or 'Sci-Fi Future' category would be more appropriate, wouldn't it?"
"The core conflict of "Homu Art Online" is the life-and-death crisis within the game. The emotional climaxes are mostly in the battles and outcomes. Doesn't that perfectly fit the 'Hot-Blooded Competition' theme?" [Shu] retorted, not to be outdone, as he picked up a disc with the title "The Homu Family".
"And that "Homu Genesis", although the setting is sci-fi, the synopsis clearly emphasizes things like 'a young boy's growth,' 'resisting fate,' and 'bonds and sacrifice.' It's obviously more inclined towards 'Hot-Blooded Adventure' or 'Inspirational Growth.'
"As for your 'Sci-Fi Future,' that can be a secondary tag, but the primary category should capture the main emotional direction!"
"Emotional direction? That's an over-interpretation!"
Shu pointed at the two roaring, dueling Homus on the cover of "Homu Art Online". "This is clearly a standard VRMMO death game setting! The focus should be on 'survival pressure' and 'the boundary between virtual and reality'! 'Hot-Blooded Competition' is too one-sided!"