"What if one of them doesn't like me? Or if someone feels it's unfair—what will you do then?"
Kaoru listened quietly as she spoke in one breath.
When she paused to catch hers, he responded gently, "Thank you, senpai, for being willing to share this with me."
Tachibana Akane gave him a long, pensive look before releasing her grip on his scarf.
"I am your senior, after all. I've had to face reality sooner than you."
As if the person wallowing in self-pity during the training camp hadn't been her, Kaoru chuckled inexplicably.
"You don't believe me?" Akane raised an eyebrow.
She felt she had experienced far more than Kaoru—some people even fought over petty jealousy and stopped being friends altogether.
"I do."
Kaoru thought of Asahina Nazuna.
This senpai likely harbored similar feelings.
"I know saying I'll solve everything now—or even promising you all a lifetime of happiness—would just be sweet talk. I could come up with a hundred ways to make you happy."
"But I also know reality won't allow it."
Just considering the current situation, Kaoru was already aware of numerous problems. Yet, he couldn't stop.
"Maybe I can't promise forever, but a year or two? I think I can manage that." He held up a finger.
"Starting today, my goal is to work hard every day to make you like me. If I fail along the way, I'd probably have failed with everyone else too."
Akane turned her face away, muttering, "Can you stop saying the word 'like' so much?"
Kaoru softened his voice. "You can keep worrying, senpai. Keep asking me these questions. I'll answer every time—and I'll work even harder to find solutions."
In other words, he was taking everything upon himself.
Akane felt awkward.
Now that she'd calmed down, she realized her earlier questions had no real answers.
Yes, these things took time. Until they experienced it, no one could know for sure.
But Akane knew there was one question she could answer right now.
"Do you think I like you?" the girl suddenly asked.
Kaoru froze for a moment before she answered her own question.
"...I do."
The reason she hadn't confessed to Horikita Manabu wasn't just because her crush had ended—it was also because, deep down, someone else had taken his place.
Just as Kaoru had said earlier, that someone was the reason she couldn't confess.
Ahem. "I think it's about time you explained, my dear Honami?"
With Kaoru and Akane gone, the room tensed.
Kushida stared sternly at Ichinose, flanked by Karuizawa and Horikita Suzune.
Oddly, Suzune seemed ready to leave.
"It's about time I headed out."
Kushida grabbed Suzune's wrist.
The latter turned back in confusion, only to find even Kei looking displeased.
"No one leaves during a meeting!" Karuizawa's stance was clear—now was the time for solidarity.
Horikita Suzune had no choice but to sit back down, sitting upright as she looked across at Ichinose Honami.
"Ahaha, well, here's the thing—Kaoru confessed to Tachibana-senpai, so I thought I'd bring her over to meet everyone."
Ichinose felt rather guilty.
Fortunately, she had considered that the relationship between Amikura and Kaoru hadn't progressed yet, so she hadn't brought Amikura Mako along.
Otherwise, she probably wouldn't have made it back tonight.
"Is that all?"
Kushida snorted coldly. "Tonight's birthday celebration was your idea too, wasn't it?"
Ichinose froze, then muttered softly, "Did I make things difficult for you, Kikyo?"
She thought that bringing Tachibana Akane over had made Kushida feel slighted, and her heart was uneasy.
"Even though Kaoru confessed to her, this situation is way too awkward. I didn't even know what to say earlier."
Karuizawa expressed her thoughts strongly. "Besides, didn't we agree we'd assess the newcomers together?"
"Alright, alright, I was wrong. I acted on my own. I just thought this was a good chance for everyone to get to know Tachibana-senpai."
Ichinose pouted, sidling up to Karuizawa Kei and shamelessly clinging to her arm. "Kei, don't be mad~"
Karuizawa hadn't expected her to pull such a move.
Huffing, she pinched Ichinose's cheek. "No acting cute. Are you a child?"
"Wuuu—"
As the two of them tussled, Kushida kept a stern face and spoke up. "Excuse me, little Honami, but do you think this senpai will say yes?"
"Absolutewy!"
Ichinose's words were muffled. "If she likes him, she'll say yes! That's how it is for everyone!"
By the time she finished, Karuizawa had already let go of her.
Ichinose lay sprawled in Karuizawa's lap, but ignoring that, the confident look on her face was quite convincing.
Kushida wondered what kind of logic that was.
No normal person would get involved in their mess—who would share their boyfriend? Wasn't that just asking to be cheated on?
"...That kinda makes sense."
Karuizawa looked grave. "For all we know, she might already be sneaking around with him."
Kushida stared at them in shock.
Oh no, she'd almost forgotten—these two weren't normal to begin with. Of course they'd think like this.
"So... will Mitoma-kun give her a ring too?" Horikita Suzune asked.
"He's already given so many, what's one more to a graduating senpai?"
Ichinose clung to Karuizawa, swaying back and forth.
"The problem is, we have no idea why he even took a liking to Tachibana-senpai. Same with Asahina-senpai. His ambitions are too big—I can't see an end to them. It's kinda scary."
Karuizawa felt the same way and muttered, "We should warn him. This room isn't big enough anymore."
The moment she said it, the other girls couldn't help but laugh, leaving Karuizawa baffled.
"Mhm, just like Kei said, the room really can't fit any more!"
Ichinose giggled along. "I really don't know what he's thinking."
"Horikita and I don't really care. Worst case, we'll just knock him out on the street and drag him back to our rooms."
Kushida had already prepared her own plan in advance.
Once she knocked Kaoru out cold, who would end up as the Stellar Wrath was anyone's guess.
"Don't drag me into this. Do what you want. Right now, I just want to reach Class A." Horikita Suzune's expression remained impassive, but she knew her time was running out.
Horikita Manabu was about to graduate—would he be satisfied with who she was now?
"Suzune is really fixated on Class A, isn't she?"
Ichinose chuckled softly, her tone tinged with faint envy.
"Is now really the time to be talking about this?"
Karuizawa grumbled unhappily. "What are we supposed to do if more and more girls keep showing up?"
Ichinose and Kushida exchanged glances before both broke into helpless smiles.
"Kei could monopolize more of his time—that way, he won't have the chance to go after other girls."
"Eh, is that really okay?"
"What else can we do?"
Ichinose pressed against her, murmuring in a low voice, "Unless we can figure out why he likes us in the first place."
"Why?"
Karuizawa was baffled. In her mind, wasn't liking someone just… liking them?
"Let me put it this way—when a guy sees a pretty girl, he might approach her out of lust," Ichinose explained. "That lust can be divided into simple desire or love at first sight. But aside from love at first sight, most lust-driven actions are just about satisfying his own urges."
Kushida added, "If he fell in love with all of us at first sight, that'd be way too fake. But the things he did to us at the beginning were definitely driven by lust."
"In other words, his initial interest in us was purely instinctual desire," Ichinose continued. "Even if it was just lust, a normal person wouldn't pursue this many girls. And even now, when he can openly do whatever he wants with us, he still goes out and flirts with others."
Karuizawa felt dizzy trying to follow.
She wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed and only grasped bits of it.
"So… Kaoru's just a natural-born playboy?"
Kushida facepalmed. Whatever—she couldn't explain it.
She motioned for Ichinose to take over.
"Yes, but also no." Ichinose's voice softened. "He had a purpose when he first approached us. That purpose might've been tied to lust, or maybe he had some other scheme in mind."
Karuizawa recalled her time with Kaoru on the cruise ship, and her mood instantly soured.
"Don't worry, Kei. No matter what, the feelings between us are real."
Ichinose's expression was resolute. Even if they weren't real, she'd make sure they became real.
"Our next task is to figure out why he approached—or rather, why he likes all of us."
Simple possessiveness and lust couldn't explain it anymore.
They needed the real answer.
...
And so, when Kaoru returned to his room, he was greeted by two catgirls standing perfectly in sync at the entrance, flashing him radiant smiles.
"Welcome home, Master!"
For a moment, Kaoru thought he'd opened the wrong door.
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