"Psychological counselor at St. Seika Girls' Academy, Hikari?"
"Hmph! What a joke!"
Anna Richter casually picked up a file from beside her desk and flipped through it.
Inside were detailed records on St. Seika Girls' Academy's special appointment system, the specially appointed psychological counselor Hikari, and related information.
It even included the locations where Louisa and Hikari had met, along with their hotel records, all listed one by one.
Everything Louisa thought she had hidden so well was laid bare in Anna Richter's hands.
After giving the file a quick scan, Anna tossed it back onto the desk.
"Louisa... Louisa. You've truly disappointed me."
"I knew you grew up starved of love, but I never imagined you'd become infatuated with a man like this."
"Hmph! Though I suppose it's not surprising. After all, besides the half that belongs to me, the other half of your blood comes from those inferior genes connected to a man."
"Does doing that kind of ridiculous thing really feel that good? To actually be conquered by such an ordinary high school boy... how laughable."
The corners of Anna Richter's lips curved slightly into a mocking smile. Rare as it was, that smile still carried a breathtaking beauty.
"Humans who indulge in physical pleasure... how are they any different from livestock?"
"I really don't know when you'll finally become a qualified heir."
When Anna thought back to when she was Louisa's age, she had already been rational and composed enough. She had countless admirers, all kinds of outstanding young men, yet none of them had ever moved her in the slightest.
Even the marriage candidate carefully selected by her family, the biological father who had provided the other half of Louisa's genes, had never been allowed to touch so much as a finger.
Yet Louisa, the daughter who had inherited her excellent genes, had already become obsessed with a young man.
The thought of her daughter, who looked sixty or seventy percent like herself, being pinned beneath a man... her entire body defiled, turned into a cream puff, made Anna Richter feel sick to her stomach, to the point she wanted to vomit.
But that itself wasn't really important to her.
Just because she had never possessed or experienced such things didn't mean she absolutely forbade her daughter from experiencing them.
What she could not accept was that Louisa had genuinely fallen in love with that boy.
And judging from her purchase history, she had even bought all kinds of roleplay props.
Knowing her timid daughter, Anna was certain Louisa had called that man "Daddy" more times than she could count.
"Hikari... Hikari, was it? You actually dared to make my daughter call you father... good... very bold indeed..."
Anna Richter had never called anyone "husband" in her life. The thought that, because of her love-starved daughter, she had suddenly gained a bargain-bin "husband" made her feel another wave of disgust and irritation.
Normally, her emotions were as calm and undisturbed as an ancient well. Yet today, her mood had fluctuated several times.
Still, as the leader of a multinational corporation worth trillions, Anna Richter's ability to regain her composure was exceptional. Calm quickly returned to her beautiful face.
"There's no need to let such a trivial matter affect my judgment. Looking at it rationally, my goal is still to train an outstanding heir. That man called Hikari is nothing more than an insignificant stumbling block on that path. He can serve as a whetstone."
"If I forcefully separate Louisa from that boy now, it'll only make her rebel even more. She might even spend the rest of her life unable to let go and become a complete failure, just like when I threw that useless man to the sharks while she was still a child, leaving her to grow into an overgrown child desperate for fatherly love."
"This time... I'll act when the moment is right."
Anna Richter's thoughts raced, and she quickly made her decision.
As long as she could ultimately raise her daughter to become as outstanding and rational as herself, her goal would be achieved.
As for that man named Hikari, she could deal with him whenever the time came.
It was just a pity that Louisa had already been tainted and could never remain detached from worldly desires from beginning to end as she had.
Still, a daughter who had lacked love from childhood could never completely give up those disgusting men the way Anna had.
Despite all of Anna's teaching by word and example, Louisa still couldn't become as complete as she was, never once being influenced by those base desires.
But it didn't matter. Perhaps after experiencing that filth and emerging from it, Louisa would become even stronger and more rational than Anna herself.
"By then, I probably won't even need to do it myself. Louisa will take care of that boy on her own."
"After all, he's just an ordinary high school boy, yet he dared to defile a woman of the Richter family..."
With a cold smile curling her rosy lips, Anna Richter tore apart the file bearing Hikari's photograph and casually tossed the scraps into the wastebasket beside her.
———
Meanwhile, Hikari watched Louisa get into her female bodyguard's car. After making sure she had left safely, he turned around and headed back into the shopping mall.
His destination was clear, a KTV on one of the upper floors.
Normally, after providing physical and psychological counseling to a student from St. Seika Girls' Academy, Hikari would escort her back to the academy, stop by the headmistress's office to report to Huang Liuhua, and half willingly accept another round of her so-called "credential inspection."
But today, he hadn't chosen to take Louisa back. Although Louisa hadn't asked, she had been somewhat surprised.
The reason for Hikari's unusual behavior was simple.
Besides the fact that he would soon be investigating the Ishin no Kai Cult, there was an even more immediate reason.
Not long after he finished counseling Louisa, a system notification sounded in his mind.
[Ding! A high-risk NTR incident has been detected inside the KTV on the fourth floor of the shopping mall where the host is currently located. The victim is an observation target bound to the host's Pure Love Warning Paper Crane. Please pay close attention!]
———
[One Hour Earlier]
While Hikari was counseling Louisa,
Haruno Kasui had arrived at the KTV with her friend Ayaka.
The moment she stepped into the private room Ayaka had reserved in advance, the rotating neon lights overhead made Kasui feel slightly dizzy.
Seeing Kasui instinctively raise a hand to shield her eyes, Ayaka burst into laughter.
"Kasui-chan, you're so innocent. You've never been to this kind of club-style KTV before?", Ayaka asked with a smile.
Kasui nodded awkwardly, "Yeah."
"Then let me show you what it's's like~"
Ayaka took Kasui by the hand and led her into the spacious room.
Catching the lingering smell of cigarettes and alcohol on the sofa, Kasui's delicate nose twitched a few times, and she frowned slightly.
Before she could think about it further, Ayaka had already stuffed a microphone into her hand.
"Alright! Alright! Stop thinking about random things and come sing!"
Unable to refuse her friend's enthusiasm, Kasui started singing with her.
At first she wasn't used to it, especially seeing Ayaka, who had once been just as shy as she was, now completely letting herself go, shouting at the top of her lungs, singing wildly, and dancing without caring about her image. It left Kasui feeling a little dazed.
Gradually, though, she found herself catching the mood and reminiscing about the days when the two of them had been in middle school together.
After they had sung several songs in a row, Ayaka finally put down the microphone.
"Whew! I'm exhausted. Let's take a break."
"Okay."
Kasui also felt her throat getting dry.
"Say, Kasui-chan, I was singing so wildly just now. I didn't scare you, did I?", Ayaka asked with a grin.
"Not at all," Kasui smiled.
"That's good. Ever since I quit school and started working, the pressure's been huge. Singing is one of the few ways I can let it out."
As she spoke, Ayaka absentmindedly touched a small needle mark on her left arm before looking at Kasui with envy. Even without makeup, Kasui's youthful, jade-like face remained radiant.
Kasui didn't notice Ayaka's little gesture and simply smiled as she comforted her.
The two chatted for quite a while.
Although Ayaka had left school and spent most of her time hanging around in society now, leaving the two of them with fewer common topics than before, the conversation still went fairly well.
Whenever they talked about their middle school days, both Kasui and Ayaka became nostalgic.
Just as Ayaka suggested singing a few more songs, there came a knock at the door.
"Oh, that should be Takaya-senpai!", Ayaka said excitedly.
"I'll get it."
Since she was closer, Kasui stood up from the sofa and walked over.
As soon as she opened the door, she froze slightly.
Standing outside was a young man who looked like a delinquent.
He wore a tight purple T-shirt, had dyed blond hair, several earrings in both ears, and a gold chain hanging around his neck.
Whether from his appearance or the way he carried himself, he was exactly the kind of blond delinquent Kasui would normally want nothing to do with.
What made her even more uncomfortable was the way his eyes immediately swept over her body the moment they met.
His gaze clung to the buttons of her white blouse like a piece of chewed gum.
It made Kasui feel deeply uncomfortable.
Anjou Takaya stared at the pure-looking girl in her school uniform. When his eyes settled on the impressively full chest beneath the uniform, he couldn't help licking his lips.
"Hey, beautiful. What's your name?"
"I..."
Hearing his frivolous question, Kasui hesitated, unwilling to answer.
At that moment, Ayaka walked over, making Kasui breathe a little easier.
"Kasui-chan, let me introduce you. This is my senior from work, Anjou Takaya."
Ayaka held Kasui's hand as she made the introduction.
Then she turned to Anjou Takaya.
"Ta-da! Anjou-senpai, this is the good friend from middle school I told you about, Haruno Kasui."
Hearing the introduction, Anjou Takaya immediately smiled warmly, "So you're Kasui-chan. Nice to meet you! I'm Ayaka's senior."
"Um... nice to meet you too, Anjou-senpai."
Kasui greeted him politely, though she was clearly much more reserved than he was and seemed intent on keeping her distance.
Anjou Takaya continued enthusiastically.
"Ayaka only told me she was bringing a friend today. She never said it'd be such a cute and beautiful girl. If I'd known Kasui-chan was coming, I would've dressed up properly before coming over. Hahaha!"
Hearing his hearty teasing, Ayaka laughed as well.
Although Kasui still felt uneasy about the aggressive way he had looked at her when they first met, seeing that he wasn't doing anything inappropriate now allowed her to relax a little, and she smiled along with them.
"Ayaka, hurry up and take these drinks and snacks. You made me spend all this money buying them, and now you're not even helping carry them. They're heavy," Anjou Takaya said with a grin, raising the shopping bags in his hands.
"Okay, okay, I'll help. Kasui-chan, come help Anjou-senpai too."
At her friend's request, Kasui reluctantly stepped forward and took one of the bags.
Watching Kasui's fair, slender arm reach toward him, Anjou Takaya swallowed before suppressing the urge to grab her smooth white hand.
The three of them then returned to the private room.
Since Ayaka knew both of them, she sat in the middle of the sofa, while Anjou Takaya and Kasui sat on either side.
Even so, Anjou Takaya kept enthusiastically trying to strike up conversations with Kasui.
Faced with the young man dressed like a blond delinquent, complete with earrings, Kasui was obviously nervous. She answered him politely but coolly, maintaining her distance.
Still, one couldn't very well slap away a smiling face, and with Ayaka constantly smoothing things over,
Kasui had no choice but to respond to him from time to time.
"Wow! Kasui-chan, you're actually a student at Sakuragi High? And you're even in the advanced class? You're a real top student," Anjou Takaya exclaimed exaggeratedly after hearing Ayaka's introduction.
"I-I'm not that impressive."
Kasui smiled awkwardly and answered politely.
A trace of gloom immediately flashed through Anjou Takaya's eyes.
After launching one verbal offensive after another without making any progress against this pure-looking, well-endowed girl, he was already beginning to lose his patience.