Patchouli could see that her decision had visibly struck Koakuma hard. Her face instantly turning ash-white made it clear that she was utterly devastated by the loss of her opportunities for fun activities.
But it was precisely because of this realization that Patchouli knew she had to prevent Koakuma from continuing.
"Eh? You're going to do it next, Patchouli? That feels a bit unusual." Patchouli's decision troubled Kars. He hadn't expected the sudden change, and his current routine with Koakuma was going quite well. He wasn't eager to switch partners midway.
Kars's words gave Koakuma a glimmer of hope. If Kars could persuade Patchouli, the arrangement could continue.
However, Patchouli silently glanced at Koakuma, whose eyes were filled with yearning, before explaining to Kars.
"Kars, I need to teach you how to guard against morally corrupt individuals and perverted predators. This is extremely important, as the minds of some girls can be very dangerous. They might engage in truly outrageous behavior towards cute little boys. Your job is to learn how to protect yourself when facing these people and ensure nothing happens to you."
As she spoke, Patchouli glanced at Koakuma, who instantly realized that she was the one being referred to as the dangerous individual.
But when did I become a dangerous, perverted predator! When did I do anything strange to Kars! If anything, Kars was the one taking liberties with me!
Koakuma felt greatly wronged and wanted to explain herself, but she knew Patchouli wouldn't believe her now. After all, she had been caught red-handed trying to undress in front of Kars to make him blush.
"Oh! That sounds like knowledge I definitely need to learn." Kars didn't fully understand, but he nodded and agreed to learn.
"Then, come with me for now." Since Kars agreed, Patchouli didn't delay and picked him up, holding him as she left.
"Koakuma, I'll come find you after I finish learning with Patchouli!" Kars called out to Koakuma as he left in Patchouli's arms. Koakuma could only offer a forced smile as she watched Kars being carried away.
After seating Kars on the chair where she usually wrote her magic books, Patchouli looked at him, considering how best to teach him the necessary self-defense knowledge.
For example, should I tell him to maintain distance from strange older girls who talk to him? Or not to take things offered by unknown older girls?
Hmm, words alone won't let Kars distinguish things clearly. Perhaps, like Kars and Koakuma did, I should roleplay the scenarios to help him remember?
Patchouli thought this was a good idea, but she wondered if she could pull it off convincingly.
"Patchouli?" Kars, resting his head on Patchouli's chest, looked up at her, wondering why she was silently spacing out.
"I got distracted for a moment. Kars, I've decided how to help you better understand this subject. Just like with Koakuma, I will try to imitate those situations to help you understand clearly." Patchouli explained her plan to Kars after snapping out of her reverie. Kars had no objections; he was happy to follow Patchouli's lead.
"That sounds good. But how exactly should we start?" Kars asked, now that he was onboard. He thought this exercise shouldn't be as simple as his daily interactions with Koakuma, as this was about self-defense and would likely be more complex.
"Well, let's try it out first and see how you react." Patchouli said, trying to control her expression to match the scenario she had in mind. However, she found it difficult. From Kars's perspective, he saw Patchouli's face twitching strangely. He reached up and gently massaged her cheek.
"Why is Patchouli's face twitching?"
Patchouli felt Kars's warm hands gently kneading her face, and the sensation was incredibly comforting. The words she was about to say to stop him got stuck in her throat.
Looking at Kars, who was seriously giving her a face massage, Patchouli suddenly realized why Koakuma would act the way she did.
"Is it okay now?" Kars stopped when he saw Patchouli's face stop twitching. Patchouli felt a slight sense of loss.
"Yes, I'm fine. But Kars, this is the first thing I want to teach you: some dangerous older girls will pretend they are unwell or injured to gain your sympathy and get you to help them. You must be careful at times like this."
"Oh." Kars nodded, seemingly taking the lesson to heart.
"Next is another scenario. For example, 'Kars, would you like to come play in my room? My room is big and I have lots of delicious food and fun toys. Would you like to come back with me? I'll even play fun games with you. Doesn't that sound great?'"
"Yes." Kars immediately replied.
"You shouldn't agree in this situation! That way, Kars, you will be kidnapped! Why did you agree?" Patchouli felt frustrated.
"But you were the one who asked, Patchouli, so I instinctively said yes. Let's try again." Kars's face became serious as he looked at Patchouli.
"I definitely won't go with you. Hmm, that should be okay, right?"
"That's better. And then, you need to run away! Don't let her catch you, understood?"
"Understood."
"Your response makes me a little uneasy. Let's practice it properly." Patchouli wanted to see the results of a concrete role-play so Kars could become more familiar with the situation.