Cote : I Just Want to Grant Your Wish!

Kaoru did not know whether the girls from back then could really be called his ex-girlfriends.

He had run away too quickly. At the time, he had not thought about taking responsibility at all.

Perhaps it was precisely because of that guilt that Kaoru had become so cautious now.

He did not want to let down Karuizawa Kei and the others, but he also could not leave the girls at the agency waiting for him with desperate eyes.

To be honest, he had already fallen into a difficult position.

If he did not return to the agency, several of the idols would definitely go half-mad and come running after him.

The fact that they had let him return to Advanced Nurturing High School at all, only sending Komiya Kaho to watch him and make sure he did not disappear again, was already the greatest compromise they could make.

But if Kaoru truly returned to the agency and left Kei and the others here, that would be another kind of extreme.

In Kei's eyes, would that count as abandoning his current girlfriends and happily running back into the arms of his exes?

Because of that, Kaoru had been hesitating all this time, unsure of how he should handle the matter.

How was he supposed to balance both sides properly?

Laying everything bare was one option.

Ichinose Honami and Sakayanagi Arisu both knew about his past.

They knew he once had a group of idols around him, and that his relationships there had been complicated.

If Kamuro Masumi was included, then it should count as two and a half people who knew.

Kaoru now planned to test Kei's reaction and see just how much she could accept.

A few exes and a double-digit number of exes were not the same thing at all.

There were more than he could count on both hands.

"Fine. I did have quite a few ex-girlfriends."

In the end, Kaoru defined them as his girlfriends. In a way, that was also an acknowledgment of their identities.

None of them would be allowed to run away.

Kei crossed her arms and gave a small hum. "How many is 'quite a few'?"

"If it's more than five, will Kei get angry?"

Kaoru asked quietly.

Kei calculated for a moment.

There was herself, Honami, Kushida Kikyō, Horikita Suzune, Tachibana Akane, Asahina Nazuna, Sakura Airi, and the others. Even now, the number was already close to double digits.

"A little."

Kei could not really criticize him too much. He already had more than five now, so it was likely that things had been similar in the past too.

"Does first-year Komiya count as your ex too? I feel like she really cares about you. She definitely likes you."

The look in someone's eyes when they liked another person could not be hidden. Kei was very certain of that.

No matter what excuse Kaho used, even if she framed it as a younger sister caring about her older brother, that girl was absolutely secretly in love with Kaoru.

And the reason was simple.

Kaho mentioned Kaoru all the time. Her eyes often drifted toward him, and the moment the topic became Kaoru, she would become especially energetic, as if she had endless things to say. Her eyes practically filled with stars.

And besides, what kind of "younger sister" was so enthusiastic about bringing lunch for her "older brother," especially when the two of them had clearly stated that they were not related by blood at all?

Was that not basically proof?

Kei even felt that Kaho was not bothering to hide it properly.

The only reason she kept using the title of "younger sister" was because it gave her an excuse to stay close to Kaoru.

"She doesn't count. Back then, I really treated Kaho like a younger sister."

Kaoru shook his head, though now Kaho clearly had thoughts toward her so-called older brother that were not quite pure.

Kei curled her lips. She did not believe Kaoru would never end up accepting Kaho. After all, this was an adorable little sister figure practically delivering herself to his door.

"And? Who else? Who are they, how did you get together with them, and why did you break up?"

Kaoru thought for a moment.

Lying was definitely not an option. The truth would be exposed sooner or later, and he did not want to lie to Kei.

So he could only speak a little tactfully.

He did not immediately reveal the existence of 283 Production. Instead, he briefly introduced the girls like Asakura Tōru in a vague way, even blurring their names.

But before Kaoru could finish, Kei interrupted him.

"They're all idols from the agency, aren't they?"

Kaoru froze.

The girl's eyes were clear as she looked at him, and the sudden question caught him completely off guard. It was like a carefully prepared performance had suddenly had its backstage exposed, leaving him unsure what to do.

Had Honami already told her the truth?

That thought inevitably surfaced in Kaoru's mind, and for some reason, he even felt slightly relieved.

"Kei already knows?"

"Mm... not really. Honami told me a tiny bit. And Komiya exposed her identity herself, didn't she? She's an idol from the agency, and she's your 'younger sister.' The Producer looks exactly like you, has the same name as you, and even Kikyō was guessing whether you had an equally shameless older brother."

At this point, Kei already sounded very dissatisfied.

She had thought Kaoru had, at most, fooled around with a few young idols.

She had not expected it to be over a dozen.

"I didn't mean to hide it from you. Coming back after dying once is a little frightening to explain."

Kaoru grew awkward. He had spent so long preparing himself, only to find that they had already guessed more than half the truth.

"Coming back after dying once?"

Kei tilted her head in confusion. "Oh, right. I almost forgot. The news said you died. Was that just a cover-up?"

She did not think Kaoru had any supernatural powers, so in her mind, it was probably a cover story he had used to hide his identity before infiltrating this special school for some secret purpose.

Kei thought about it for a long while, but she could not figure out what kind of secret purpose Kaoru might have.

Could his target have been her?

"This is hard to explain. I really did die once, but that isn't the main point."

Kaoru did not notice that Kei's cheeks had gone a little red.

He took a deep breath several times. "I used to be the Producer at 283 Production. I had complicated relationships with more than ten idols there. Now I plan to take responsibility for them. That's what I wanted to tell you."

The moment those words fell, the air in the room seemed to sink into silence.

Kaoru knew this was sudden, but he could not control everyone's thoughts. Both sides would meet sooner or later. If he did not say it now, the girls from the agency would eventually show up in person.

Kei's reaction would determine what he did next.

"So... you're leaving?"

For some reason, Kei's voice trembled slightly, and a misty sheen appeared in her eyes.

Kaoru froze, then instinctively denied it. "No. I'm not planning to leave right now."

Immediately after saying it, he realized he had phrased it badly and hurriedly tried to correct himself.

But in the next moment, Kei threw herself onto him.

"No! I don't want that!"

The girl clung to Kaoru with all her strength. "If you have to leave, then you have to take me with you! I'll drop out with you! Wherever you go, I'll go too. You won't get rid of me!"

Clearly, Kei had understood his words as him wanting to return to those girls' side and stop staying at school.