Cote : I Just Want to Grant Your Wish!

"Next week, we'll go back together."

Kaoru patted Kaho on the head.

They were supposed to be NPCs he had abandoned, people he had run away from because he could no longer squeeze wishes out of them.

"I wrote new songs for you all. I'm also getting in touch with the people from before. The president seems very happy to see me return."

He had thought they would care about his return from death. He had even wondered whether they would be afraid that he was no longer human.

But he had been wrong.

Even the timid Ōsaki Tenka had bravely hugged him, let alone the others.

Well, Mayuzumi Fuyuko had cursed him out especially harshly. Kaoru had no idea what she had learned while arguing with haters online.

"Producer-san, are you not going to school anymore?"

Kaho's eyes brightened. If Kaoru stopped studying, she would immediately drop out too.

The corner of Kaoru's mouth twitched.

Why did she make it sound as if he was about to drop out of high school?

Although, to be fair, he really was too lazy to keep attending.

"No. I still have to stay here for a while."

Seeing the light in Kaho's eyes dim little by little, Kaoru softened. "Actually, I planned to go back before Christmas this year. Now that I have the right to leave campus freely, I can go back and see everyone whenever I want."

Every time Kaoru said "go back," Kaho felt a little happy.

At the very least, in Kaoru's heart, 283 Production still meant home.

"So troublesome. This place doesn't let outsiders come in."

Kaho puffed up her cheeks. "If Producer-san wants to date high school girls, why didn't you just transfer to a normal school?"

Kaoru was about to explain, but then he froze.

He had never thought about transferring.

No, transferring would not solve the problem either.

He knew very well that the real issue was that he could not properly take care of both sides at once. One side was the girls at the agency, and the other was the girls here.

After thinking for a while, Kaoru decided he still had to find an opportunity to let both sides formally meet.

...

"Kei, I want to talk to you."

That evening, Kaoru decided to test Karuizawa Kei's thoughts.

"Talk about what?"

Kei was wearing a camisole-style nightdress, lying on Kaoru's bed with a fashion magazine in her hands. As the gyaru of the class, she always needed to keep up with the latest trends.

"Did you ever date anyone before?"

Kaoru looked at her legs as she casually swung them up and down. Her nightdress only covered part of her thighs, leaving a large area of pale skin exposed.

Every time she swung her feet, her small, rounded hips shifted slightly with the movement.

Though petite, she looked soft and lively enough to make him want to tap her lightly just to tease her.

However, when Kei heard Kaoru's question, she clearly froze.

Very quickly, Kei scrambled upright in a fluster, her voice rising several pitches. "I didn't do anything with Hirata-kun! I still had my first kiss and everything!"

She admitted that she had dated Hirata Yōsuke for a while, but back then, she had only been looking for a reliable boy who could protect her.

She had not been approaching it with real romantic feelings.

Throughout that entire relationship, nothing had happened between her and Yōsuke.

Her first kiss had been with Kaoru. The first person to touch her affectionately was also Kaoru, and even the first person to make her feel truly safe and wanted had been him.

"That isn't what I meant."

Kaoru realized what she had misunderstood. "I just wanted to know whether Kei had ever properly dated anyone before."

"Of course not!"

Kei relaxed, then immediately became a little smug. "Hehe. Happy now? Your girlfriend has only ever had a real romance with you."

"I'm happy. Kei is so cute that I thought you must have dated before, but it turns out I'm your first love."

Kaoru placed a hand over his chest. "It feels like winning the lottery. My heart is beating fast."

"Ehehe, be proud of yourself. I'm sticking with you for life!"

Kei hummed a few times, her voice carrying a hint of spoiled sweetness.

"That's fine. I'll support you."

Kaoru opened his arms toward her, and Kei immediately understood, throwing herself into his embrace.

"Having such a cute girlfriend like Kei, gentle and thoughtful, must mean I saved the world in my past life."

"You and that sweet mouth of yours!"

Kei smiled so sweetly that it was obvious how happy she was.

Girls in love liked hearing things like that. No matter how cheesy he sounded, she still loved listening to it.

"No, I really do feel like I've been unfair to you. Kei is this cute, but I..."

Kaoru paused. "I still want to keep everyone."

Kei pressed her lips together.

Her face was buried in Kaoru's chest as she said in a muffled voice, "So what? I'm the one who came to you back then. You rejected me several times, and I still went to you anyway."

"I still care about it a little. I don't want you to ever wonder whether things would have turned out better if you hadn't accepted me."

Kaoru knew Kei got jealous of everyone.

Even Honami had not moved into his room, yet Kei was the only one who had wanted to.

"I won't."

Kei shifted a little in his arms. "If you're that worried, then just don't give me a reason to think that. If you go on one date with someone else, you have to go on two dates with me. If you spend time with them once, you have to spend time with me twice."

As she said it, even she became embarrassed.

"Okay. I'll agree to all of it."

Kaoru lightly tapped her hip in a teasing, threatening way. "Then tonight, no complaining, or I'll punish you."

"No tapping!"

Kei left his embrace at once and covered herself defensively, her cheeks a little red. "Every time you do that, it feels weird. You can't just hit a girl there."

"I don't believe you. Let me try."

Kaoru smiled.

"Pervert!"

Kei refused to let him and hurriedly hid from him. "You can go tease Kikyō instead. Kikyō would definitely like it."

Whenever Kushida Kikyō was not around, Kei always thought of pushing trouble onto her.

Kaoru could not tell whether Kei was jealous or not jealous at all.

"Ahem. I won't tease you tonight."

Kaoru naturally sat down by the edge of the bed. "I still want to talk to Kei for a while. You never dated before, but I think I did."

Kei, who had been hiding off to the side, immediately perked up.

She knew Kaoru had definitely wanted to reveal something to her. How could she not understand what her own boyfriend was planning?

"How many?"

Kei asked, not sounding sour at all. "You're not allowed to only tell me about one. You have to tell me everything!"

Kaoru fell silent for a moment. "What if there really was only one?"

"Don't try to trick me. How could only one girl have liked you?"

Kei scoffed.

Her boyfriend was this amazing. If no one had liked him, those girls must have been blind.

Kei felt that Kaoru must have had several ex-girlfriends at the very least. Otherwise, how could anyone explain how experienced he was at dealing with girls?

A few days ago, he had handled five girls' teasing at once, and Kei absolutely did not believe he had no experience.