As it turned out, Kaoru was overthinking it.
Ichinose quickly started probing about how many other girls he had.
Kaoru began counting on his fingers, but halfway through, the girl inexplicably punched him several times.
It didn't hurt much, but the barrage of ordinary attacks made it clear she was holding back frustration.
"Besides the ones at school, were there others before?" Ichinose seemed fixated on his past.
Logically speaking, if he was this unrestrained here, he'd probably left behind plenty of romantic entanglements elsewhere.
Kaoru wasn't sure how to count.
Before his death, his agency had managed eight groups, totaling twenty-eight idol girls.
Industry insiders had dubbed them his "harem," leaving him utterly baffled.
Even many fans believed he regularly manipulated the idols in private—rumors like hugging them before performances, controlling them onstage, or even "flipping cards" to choose which idol to spend time with backstage.
At first, Kaoru thought it was slander and attacks from competitors, but he never expected the rumors to originate from within the agency itself—a few idiots couldn't keep their mouths shut and accidentally leaked it to the media.
Kaoru was so angry his face darkened for a while.
They were the ones who pushed things forcefully from the start, weren't they?
Though he often indulged their whims to fulfill their wishes, he never intended to cross all boundaries.
Yet, ironically, it turned out they were the ones with no limits.
For instance, Fuyuko outright tricked him into going to a hotel, while Hana's personality took a drastic turn, inexplicably tying him up in a room for days.
On top of that, a few foolish high school girls—whom Kaoru had no intention of pursuing—ended up ganging up on him.
The only thing that gave Kaoru some solace was that, no matter how crazy the others acted, Tsubakino Ena maintained her cold indifference toward him from start to finish.
Otherwise, he might've hanged himself right in front of her.
"We're not in contact anymore. I doubt they even remember me."
Kaoru's answer left Ichinose deeply dissatisfied.
This wasn't the response she wanted.
A sense of unease rose in her chest, stubbornly refusing to fade no matter what.
"How many were there before?"
"Even if I answer, it'll only make you feel worse," Kaoru said softly. "I understand how you feel, but the discomfort won't just disappear. Or do you think I can give you an answer that'll satisfy you?"
Ichinose pressed her lips together.
Deep down, she knew this was true, but a faint sense of foreboding lingered in her heart, as though something inevitable was approaching.
So, she fell silent.
Before they knew it, the two had reached the dormitory.
Under the gaze of a few students, Kaoru let go of Ichinose's small hand and was about to say something when a cold voice suddenly came from behind.
"Move."
Before Kaoru could react, a petite figure pushed past him and Ichinose.
Ibuki Mio brushed past them and stopped in front of the elevator.
Embarrassed by the attention, Ichinose's face flushed slightly.
Kaoru, however, could more or less guess Ibuki's thoughts.
Class C had suffered consecutive defeats, losing 100 points.
The gap between them and Class A was widening, while the distance to Class D was shrinking.
It was only natural that Ibuki wouldn't be friendly toward him.
Well, there's also that other thing…
Kaoru suspected Class C had realized their exam questions had been leaked.
Was Ryuuen searching for a traitor within the class right now?
Thinking this, he sent a few messages to Shiho Manabe.
After a moment's consideration, he also messaged Asahina to check on her.
Soon, Asahina replied with a "no worries" sticker.
Kaoru figured it'd be best to resolve this issue quickly.
"Want to talk a bit more at the café?" he suggested to the girl beside him.
The dormitory's first-floor lobby had a café that was popular among students due to its convenience, though seating was limited.
"My mind's a mess right now. Let me calm down first," Ichinose declined, her brows slightly furrowed as she lost herself in thought.
Kaoru had no choice but to see her to the elevator, while he himself headed to the second floor.
The hallway was nearly empty at this hour, bathed in the golden hues of the setting sun that stretched shadows across the floor and walls.
Though night had yet to fall, a chill was already creeping in, making him instinctively hunch his shoulders and consider buying a scarf.
As soon as he stepped inside, he noticed a pair of small dress shoes by the entrance that didn't belong to him—and his own slippers were missing.
"You're late," Kushida remarked, sprawled across his bed without a care, engrossed in her phone.
The room's warmth had prompted her to shed her coat, and the top two buttons of her blouse were undone, revealing a generous expanse of pale, supple skin.
The deep cleavage between her full, trembling curves was impossible to ignore.
She wasn't wearing tights, and as she idly swung her legs, the hem of her skirt fluttered up slightly, offering glimpses of her pert, plump backside, its tantalizing bounce hinting at even more beneath.
Kaoru spotted his slippers by the bedside—clearly, she had taken them for herself.
Last time, Kushida had swiped his keys, forcing him to request a spare from the building manager.
"Don't you have anything better to do tonight?"
With that, Kaoru climbed onto the bed and grabbed her petite foot, only to realize—he really was turning into a foot fetishist.
"I do, actually. Mii-chan is thinking of asking Hirata out on Christmas now that he's broken up with Karuizawa. She wants to confess under the Legendary Tree, and I'm trying to figure out how to respond." Kushida sat up and wriggled into his arms.
"I don't get the appeal of playing with feet all the time. Your tastes are beyond me."
Flustered, Kaoru retaliated by groping her chest.
"Because anything else would make me seem too eager, and you wouldn't be able to handle it."
Kushida felt his palm scorch against her skin, and as he kneaded, her body undeniably reacted.
She pressed closer, nibbling his ear as she murmured, "So what if I can't handle it? I still need to practice tonight."
Kaoru instantly understood what she meant—this girl was still competing with Horikita Suzune.
No wonder she'd come over unannounced today.
...
Ryuuen wasn't investigating the mole.
He'd already received word that the leaked exam questions were the fault of Nagumo's Class 2-A, where a traitor had emerged.
Since it wasn't his problem, Ryuuen took his class's defeat in stride.
After all, Nagumo had compensated him for his support.
Though he hadn't managed to defeat Class A, Nagumo still transferred him a million points.
Strangely, last night, Nagumo had even gritted his teeth and made an additional promise:
If Ryuuen could get Kaoru expelled, Nagumo would transfer him twenty million Personal Points as a reward.
Even more absurdly, Nagumo vowed to reimburse all related expenses.
That's right—the moment Ryuuen could prove the costs were for targeting Kaoru, Nagumo would cover them immediately.
It left Ryuuen feeling oddly uncertain now.
Yet Ryuuen trusted his instincts.
He was almost certain that, one day, Kaoru would inevitably be expelled.
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