For some reason, an overwhelmingly negative aura emanated from Airi Sakura, like a sewer rat practically ready to scuttle away into darkness.
This scene puzzled Kaoru, prompting him to ask, "Airi, did something happen?"
"Guh... n-no, nothing happened! Everything's fine!"
By the end, Airi seemed slightly agitated, her gaze darting around as if searching for an escape route from Kaoru's presence.
"Is your group's atmosphere uncomfortable?"
Kaoru assumed she was being ostracized by her teammates.
In Japanese society, introverted types like Airi existed at the very bottom of the social hierarchy—no one would willingly engage with her.
"N-no..."
Even darker energy seeped from Airi as her eyes wandered.
"Um, can I go back now?"
This situation felt like a return to their early interactions.
Calmly, Kaoru reached out and flicked her forehead.
"Oww... i-it hurts! Don't hit me! I'll do anything!"
"Give me your wallet."
"O-okay."
Airi fumbled through her pockets, then froze.
Where was her wallet?
"You didn't bring it?" Kaoru narrowed his eyes.
Instantly, Airi panicked, waving her hands frantically. "N-no! I just don't have it right now! My phone either! I'll definitely pay you back once I return!"
"Do you think I only care about money?"
Kaoru smiled faintly. "There's still something you can give me, isn't there?"
"Guh..."
Airi gulped.
With her imagination, it wasn't hard to guess what Kaoru meant.
She desperately wanted to agree, but... he already had a girlfriend.
This proved all her previous delusions were wrong—Kaoru had never been interested in her at all.
"Afraid someone might see?"
"Eh? N-no, we can't... if someone sees..."
"What would happen if they did?""N-no, it's not okay, I-I-I..."
"Me?"
"I-it just won't work, there'll be trouble! Getting involved with someone like me... maybe... maybe your girlfriend will get mad!"
After saying this, Airi didn't wait for Kaoru to react and immediately turned to flee.
Kaoru's eyes were dark and unfathomable—his intuition hadn't been wrong.
People like Tachibana Akane and Airi Sakura remained completely unaware of his true nature.
Should he just lay it all out, the same way he had with Karuizawa and the others?
Just as Kaoru was lost in thought, someone approached him.
"Master, would you like me to handle her for you?"
For tonight's meeting, Shiho Manabe had naturally been keeping a close watch on Kaoru's every move.
The moment he left the cafeteria, the girl had stealthily followed.
She had overheard much of the earlier conversation from the shadows and held nothing but contempt for Airi in her heart.
A gloomy loner like her? Shiho knew exactly how to break her—how to make her submit beneath Kaoru.
"Don't make me sound like some villain. What, are you going to pin her arms down for me?"
Kaoru averted his gaze, catching a glimpse of something in his peripheral vision that left him slightly uneasy.
"Of course! A plain glasses-wearing girl like her? I could handle two at once!"
Shiho Manabe brushed off his words, even seeming eager to prove herself.
Kaoru silently walked toward a secluded corner of the school building.
Thinking he was angry, Shiho shut her mouth and obediently followed.
After a while, Kaoru spoke without turning around. "Did you see anyone pass by just now?"
Shiho's expression sharpened.
Was her master suspecting a tail?
"No one should be following me, but I did see someone pass by earlier."
"What did they look like?"
"Completely average. A guy. Reeked of disgusting energy—the type I hate most. When he noticed me, he panicked, couldn't even meet my eyes, and scurried off like a rat."
"Ran away?"
"He seemed like he was heading this way, almost ran into you, but the moment he saw me, he bolted."
Kaoru stopped walking.
From Shiho's description, the person had likely been targeting him.
Could they be one of Nagumo's men?
Had they been eavesdropping earlier?
"Point this person out to me in the cafeteria tomorrow."
Kaoru arranged a signal with her, intending to uncover the truth.
Shiho felt a pang of regret. If only she'd grabbed the guy earlier—she could've earned her master's praise by now.
"What's Ryuen's plan?"
For now, Kaoru set aside the matter of the stalker, focusing instead on the girls' group.
At the mention of this, Shiho's expression darkened. "That bastard's trying to get Rika expelled. By invoking joint responsibility, he plans to force an A-Class student to drop out alongside her."
Kaoru wasn't surprised.
As expected, to drain his points, Ryuuen had no choice but to exploit the rules like this.
"I recall your group has two A-Class students—Yamamura and Yano. Who's the target?"
"Yamamura. She seems easier to push around. Ryuen ordered us to sabotage her exam performance. No matter how we score, as long as Yamamura falls below the average, Rika can name her for expulsion."
Shiho Manabe was furious about Ryuuen's orders.
Rika was under her protection—forcing her out would be a blow to Shiho's pride.
"Did Rika agree?"
Kaoru already knew the answer. "Rika is too timid. If she doesn't agree, Ryuuen won't let her off."
Shiho Manabe was currently consumed by a sense of helpless fury.
Seeing her agitated state, Kaoru remained silent for a moment before asking.
"Did Ryuuen ever tell you he would save Rika-san?"
"Save Rika?"
Shiho Manabe looked puzzled. "Wouldn't that require a lot of points? Even if we wanted to save Rika, we don't have enough."
Kaoru understood now—Ryuuen had no intention of using any relief measures.
He planned to extort Nagumo's Personal Points under the pretext of demanding resurrection fees or compensation for losses.
He might even squeeze out tens of millions.
Meanwhile, Ryuuen would only lose one student and a hundred Class Points but gain tens of millions in Personal Points.
However, Kaoru couldn't quite grasp Ryuuen's intentions.
The latter had already extorted Ichinose at the start of the term and Class 1-A during the summer break.
In theory, he should already have a considerable amount of Personal Points.
So why was he demanding more from Nagumo? What did he need so many Personal Points for?
Was he planning to rise to Class A alone?
Doing so would breed discontent within his class.
Kaoru couldn't quite pin down Ryuuen's motives—he seemed indifferent to his class, yet it didn't align with his personality to aim for Class A alone.
Was he trying to replicate Nagumo's success model?
By using Personal Points as rewards, Kaoru thought Ryuuen might attract many followers, especially ambitious students from Class 1-D.
But that reasoning didn't feel sufficient.
Perhaps he wanted to use the Personal Points for something else—like employing unconventional methods during exams.
"Master?"
Shiho Manabe called out.
Kaoru snapped out of his thoughts and patted her head. "Don't worry, your friend won't be expelled."
"Mhm, thank you, Master."
Shiho Manabe smiled faintly and licked her lips. "Honestly, whether Rika gets expelled or not doesn't matter. Now, can you reward me?"
Kaoru instinctively averted his gaze, mentally calling out to the Wish Machine.
Could he change his wish now?
He felt like he was the one with wishes—otherwise, why were they eyeing him so hungrily?
[No, she has more wishes than you. Hurry up and fulfill them. She still has twenty-one left. Grab her hair, pin her against the wall, then make her curse at you while lifting her leg…]
Kaoru stopped listening.
This Wish Machine was obsessed with desires.
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