Cote : I Just Want to Grant Your Wish!

Feeling the strength with which she held onto him, Kaoru found it a little funny, but mostly painful.

"I'm not planning to drop out. I might need to leave school for a while, that's all."

Kaoru struggled to explain. "I just want to take responsibility for them. That doesn't mean I don't want you. It doesn't mean I don't want Kei. Every single one of you, I want all of you."

"I don't care. I'm following you no matter what!"

Kei refused to listen to his explanation.

She buried her face deep in his chest and hugged him even tighter, as though she could keep him there by force.

"I don't want to be separated from you. Don't go back, okay? I really like you. I don't understand anything about Producers or agencies. I just want to stay with you."

Perhaps a girl's intuition really was frighteningly sharp.

She could sense some of Kaoru's thoughts, and her heart resisted them fiercely. She was afraid that if Kaoru left, he might never come back.

Kaoru had no choice but to hold her and gently stroke her back, soothing her in a soft voice.

"I won't separate from Kei. No matter who asks it of me, I won't give you up."

"Liar."

Kei's voice was muffled.

If he was the Producer of an idol agency, then he must have been surrounded by beautiful idols all the time. And those idols must have willingly accepted him too.

Girls who could perform on stage, whether in looks or figure, were not enemies Kei had much confidence in defeating.

Compared to a plain, ordinary high school girl, bright and glamorous idols were surely more fun.

"Then let's get married."

Kaoru held her shoulders. "If Kei doesn't believe me, then let's get married."

Kei stared at him.

"Wah!"

By the time she reacted, her entire face had turned bright red. "M-m-m-married?! We can't! Little Honami was first, and... and... can we really do that?"

Kaoru ignored her incoherent panic and continued, "From a legal standpoint, Kei is old enough to marry. Why wouldn't we be able to? If you're worried about your parents, I'll take responsibility for convincing them."

"That's not what I mean!"

Kei desperately argued back. "S-suddenly talking about marriage like this... what about little Honami and the others?"

"There can only be one marriage certificate, but there doesn't have to be only one wedding."

Kaoru smiled. "Polygamy might be illegal, but it's only a problem if we get caught."

Given his current situation, there probably would not be any tactless person foolish enough to come looking for trouble.

No matter how many he wanted to marry, it would be fine as long as nobody outside knew.

If there was a real issue, it would be whether he could convince their parents.

"I... I... uuu..."

Kei stammered for a long time, unable to form a proper sentence. Her cheeks only grew redder and redder, until she looked painfully embarrassed.

Seeing her like that, Kaoru could not resist lifting her chin and kissing her lightly.

"As long as Kei is willing, I can hold a wedding with you anytime."

Kaoru lowered his voice. "I know I've done a lot of things badly. I like you, but I also like other people. I even want all of you to accept that. It's selfish and unfair... but I can swear this much. I won't give up on Kei. I will never leave you."

His breath was close.

Kei's eyelashes trembled faintly. As his voice reached her, half the strength seemed to leave her body, and instinctively, she wanted him to kiss her again. Her damp lips moved slightly without her noticing.

"Mm."

The ending note of her voice was soft and sweet. In truth, her mind had already gone hazy.

"Marriage is too fast. Can we go a little slower?"

"Why?"

Kaoru brushed aside the hair near her cheek and gently touched her soft, delicate ear. "Does Kei think Honami will be unhappy?"

"Mm. Little Honami should be first."

Kei whispered, "I believe you now. Marriage is just... too fast."

She felt that she still was not mentally prepared. Although Kikyō joked about these things all the time, now that the moment had actually arrived, Kei was suddenly at a loss.

"Too fast?"

Kaoru lowered his voice. "Fine. Then we'll talk about it next year. Don't worry about Honami. When the time comes, I'll take both of you."

Kei's ears turned red.

Was he talking about a wedding with two brides?

"The ring from before can count as an engagement ring. Later, I'll buy you all proper wedding rings."

"Uu..."

Kaoru gently pressed Kei down onto the bed and held her hands.

She only stared up at him with a completely flushed face, not even trying to resist.

Kei seemed difficult to handle on the surface, but once Kaoru found the right way to reach her, she became surprisingly soft. In a sense, he was taking advantage of her insecurity and deep dependence on him.

Kaoru felt guilty about it.

But this was the only way he could give Kei the sense of safety she needed.

"Ah..."

As the girl bit her lip, the last of her resistance faded away. She accepted the reassurance Kaoru offered her with her whole heart.

...

Nanase Tsubasa could not sleep.

She felt as though she had no face left to meet anyone.

Everything that happened today would become a dark stain in her personal history.

The first time she had ever been in such an awkward position with a boy, someone had walked in and seen it!

"Ugh..."

Tsubasa rolled around on her bed. Every time she remembered it, her face burned fiercely. She felt both humiliated and furious.

What kind of stupidity had possessed her?

No. She definitely had to find a chance to correct Kaoru!

Tsubasa had no intention of obediently cooperating forever. She had her own thoughts too.

Right now, she was merely enduring humiliation and satisfying some of that ridiculous president's strange demands.

Once she fulfilled her wish, she would immediately draw a clear line between herself and that pervert!

Holding onto that thought, Tsubasa rolled around in bed for most of the night. By the next morning, she even had dark circles under her eyes.

She had just been about to head to class when she received a message that made her mood sink all at once.

Not long afterward, Tsubasa appeared in the Acting Director's office.

"Sorry for calling you here so early."

Tsukishiro Tokinari spoke with a hint of apology. For an ordinary student, that might have been enough to make them feel flattered.

"May I ask what this is about?"

Tsubasa wore a polite smile and added, "If it's about Ayanokōji-senpai, I'm currently thinking of a way."

"No, no. We won't be talking about Ayanokōji-kun today."

Tsukishiro shook his head and looked at the girl meaningfully. "Have you been getting close to Suzuki-kun lately?"

Tsubasa fell silent.

She realized that all her actions were under the other party's surveillance.

The fact that he had deliberately called her here at this time likely meant something had exceeded his expectations.

Was it because she had been getting close to Kaoru instead of approaching Ayanokōji Kiyotaka?

"My relationship with Mitoma-senpai is an ordinary senior-junior relationship."

Tsubasa instinctively did not want to reveal the true situation between herself and Kaoru.

"Ordinary?"

Tsukishiro pondered for a moment. "If I give you a few months, can you win him over?"

Tsubasa froze.

Had she heard that correctly?

Tsukishiro wanted her to win over Kaoru?

"You want me to win over Mitoma-senpai?"

The girl asked tentatively.

Tsukishiro frowned slightly, showing a trace of displeasure, but still answered, "That man likes young, attractive women. You have a good chance. Your previous mission is canceled. Ayanokōji-kun is no longer your target. Your current mission is to win over Mitoma-kun."

There was no way around it.

Kaoru's value had already surpassed Kiyotaka's.

At this point, it was not only Ayanokōji Atsuomi who had his eyes on Advanced Nurturing High School. Almost every major figure was paying attention to this place.

It was not only the head of the Shinomiya Group considering whether to send their family's young lady here. Even the Prime Minister was thinking about how to maintain a connection with Kaoru.

As Ayanokōji Atsuomi's representative, Tsukishiro naturally understood the principle of acting first.

Since the other party liked beautiful girls, then he would simply send him one.

Tsubasa was a very good choice.