"Regardless of the difficulties, do you like it, Airi?"
Sakura Airi thought seriously for a moment.
She understood Kaoru was asking about her reasons for being an idol—they had discussed similar topics before.
But this time felt different.
"I like it."
Sakura Airi smiled, "Whenever I see everyone's comments, my mood improves. Although there are occasionally strange remarks, I enjoy this feeling."
She wore the mask of an idol, yet gained something she never possessed in the real world.
The first time she received validation was when her photobook was published in a magazine.
Perhaps this world was full of dark and dirty things, but some beautiful things could pierce through the darkness, allowing her to see scenery she had never witnessed before.
"I want to continue being an idol. I want Kaoru to keep liking me."
Sakura Airi had already accepted his lies as genuine feelings, "I want to become the idol you support."
Faced with the girl's sparkling eyes, Kaoru nearly choked.
Although he felt a strange sense of déjà vu, he believed her feelings were genuine.
It was a simple thought—because Kaoru had said he liked her, she wanted to continue being the idol he adored.
"D-did I say something wrong?"
Sakura Airi was sensitive. The moment Kaoru showed any unusual reaction, she would immediately grow anxious.
"Not at all. You said it perfectly."
Kaoru smiled. "As long as you like it, I think it's fine."
Sakura Airi, however, didn't see it that way.
Pouting, she said, "After graduation, I'll be eighteen. I don't know if any agency will want me."
"There definitely will be. Someone as cute as you will probably have agencies fighting over you."
Kaoru put on a serious face. "When the time comes, I'll be your producer."
Airi felt he was boasting, but it made her happy because he wanted to be her producer.
"Hehe, Mr. Producer, can I ask you a question?"
"Go ahead."
"What kind of idol do you think I should be?"
Kaoru couldn't help but glance at the girl's chest, then let his gaze fall to her thighs.
"Th-this won't do!"
Sakura Airi's face flushed bright red as she hurriedly covered her chest. "I'll only show it to you, only let you play with it!"
Without thinking, she blurted out the words, flustered beyond belief.
"Calm down. I was just wondering if you have any singing or dancing skills."
Kaoru had no choice but to tap her head to bring her back to her senses.
Airi didn't have time to process what she had just said and stared at him blankly.
"Huh? Singing and dancing skills?"
"Right. Photobooks are too niche. You'll either become an advertising model or sit on the bench until some director takes notice of you and lets you play a minor role."
Kaoru paused. "Or, you can take a gamble with me. We'll aim to become pure idols, with Tokyo Dome as our goal."
By "pure idols," he was referring to the endless stream of idol groups emerging these days.
This was Kaoru's area of expertise, and he had enough resources to push Sakura Airi forward.
"I... I don't think I can do it... Tokyo Dome..."
Sakura Airi began to feel intimidated.
"It's fine. Don't pressure yourself. It's just a goal."
Kaoru comforted her.
With a speedrunner like him, and on a second playthrough no less, there was really no need to worry.
Airi thought about it and agreed. After all, it was just her and Kaoru boasting, so she didn't mind it anymore.
However, she grew hesitant.
"Why... why do you want to be my producer?"
An idol and her producer—it was a match made in heaven.
Sakura Airi felt her heart racing, and then she thought of all the stories about producers making backroom deals with young idols.
The girl subtly tightened her legs, her pretty face slightly flushed.
Oh no, she must have seen too much and turned into a woman with nothing but lewd things on her mind...
"Because it's convenient."
Kaoru had no idea what the girl in front of him was thinking. Of course, it would be convenient for him to serve as the producer himself.
Setting aside the matter of resources, at the very least, he could prevent this fool from falling victim to backroom deals.
One shouldn't underestimate the backroom deals in Japan.
A newcomer like Sakura Airi would be targeted the moment she stepped into the industry.
"Wuwu... I knew it... it must be like this..."Sakura Airi seemed to blush all the way to her ears, mumbling indistinctly.
"N-no problem... I'll do my best... You can have your way with me anytime..."
It seemed no explanation was needed.
Kaoru thought for a moment before speaking: "Can you stand up and dance?"
"Huh?"
Sakura Airi was taken aback, then blushed, "I... I don't know how to dance."
"That's fine, you can learn later."
Kaoru said, "I'll show you a video now. Just try to imitate it. Mainly I want to see your movements, along with your body's flexibility, agility, and coordination."
Kaoru wasn't a professional dance teacher, and idols don't actually need highly professional dance skills anyway.
As long as Sakura Airi, being the face of the group, could perform decently, that would be enough.
Watching him take out his phone, Sakura Airi grew extremely nervous. Was she supposed to dance for him right here?
Eh? Wait—she realized she was wearing a nightgown!?
It was at this moment that Sakura Airi finally registered that her nightgown was very short, leaving her entire thighs completely exposed to Kaoru's view.
Earlier, he might have even caught a glimpse of her perky bottom.
Her face flushed crimson, yet she remained silent, occasionally stealing glances at Kaoru's lower body.
What he had done to her that time was something she could never forget in this lifetime.
Thus, Sakura Airi inevitably recalled the contents of her alt account, making her pretty face turn even redder.
"What's wrong?"
Kaoru was about to play the video when he immediately noticed the girl's unusual expression.
"N-nothing!"
Sakura Airi didn't dare meet his eyes, her heart pounding rapidly because she remembered—her alt account had mentioned wanting to peek under her skirt.
Combined with what Kaoru had just said, Sakura Airi could already picture the scene of him staring at her intently.
"Aww..."
The girl tightly clenched her thighs, her body squirming slightly.
The friction between her skin and clothing made her feel unbearably hot.
However, Sakura Airi didn't run away.
She was growing increasingly aware of the competition—Ichinose Honami, Karuizawa Kei, Kushida Kikyo, and others. It seemed even her senior Tachibana Akane had surpassed her.
Although no one had told her, a girl's intuition is powerful.
She could sense that Kaoru's distance with them was different—unlike the slight distance he maintained with her.
Intuition told Sakura Airi that they had likely crossed the final boundary!
Otherwise, it didn't make sense!
Sakura Airi believed her relationship with Kaoru was special—after all, she'd even helped him with those strange, naughty things.
Yet, she felt so far behind compared to them.
Without a doubt, they were ahead of her!
Therefore, Sakura Airi wanted to close the gap!
"I'll show you once, then you can try to follow along."
Kaoru said, "Don't be nervous. I'm not a professional—I just want to see you dance."
"..."
Sakura Airi didn't know how to respond to that. If anything, that made her more nervous!
The person she liked wanted to watch her dance!
Sakura Airi had no choice but to gather her courage and watch the video on his phone.
It seemed to be a relatively casual solo dance, with the main character wearing rather revealing clothing—was this the kind of borderline content boys liked to watch?
"Don't pay attention to her clothes."
Kaoru interrupted her thoughts, "Focus on her movements and her expressions."Sakura Airi didn't speak, carefully reading through the material.
"Did you understand it?" Kaoru asked.
Sakura Airi nodded: "I understand, I know what to do now."
Kaoru smiled with relief.
...
Kaoru slowly stopped smiling and furrowed his brow.
"Wahh... I'm such an idiot..."
Sakura Airi sounded somewhat self-deprecating.
What she had just performed couldn't even be called dancing - it was more like a flailing monster.
"Don't worry, this isn't the worst outcome."
Kaoru said, "At least your body's flexibility is decent, so some high-difficulty graceful movements shouldn't be a problem."
Sakura Airi felt he was comforting her. She had originally intended to seduce him, but ended up dancing so poorly that she felt utterly embarrassed.
"Really, it's fine. The choreographer will take your skill level into account and won't assign you moves that are too difficult."
Kaoru wasn't seeing this kind of clumsy performer for the first time and considered himself somewhat experienced. "But let me think about your style..."
With Sakura Airi's current level, she couldn't be the team leader. She'd have to give up the center position and be content with being the visual attraction.
However, her style needed careful consideration.
Watching him fall into deep thought, Sakura Airi unconsciously bit her lip.
"I... I can dance lewd things for you!"
At first, Kaoru didn't catch what she said, until she stood up and bent over slightly in front of him, causing something to fall.
...
Kaoru held Sakura Airi in his arms, enjoying the afterglow of their intimacy.
To be honest, he hadn't planned to take Sakura Airi so soon, as these past few days of Spring Break had been too busy.
Who would have thought that instead, Sakura Airi would be the one who couldn't hold back, boldly seducing him.
When men are tempted, they really easily lose their heads.
"Want to dance again next time?"
Kaoru kept a straight face while mercilessly teasing the girl's perky bottom.
"Wuwu... don't... don't say anymore..."
Sakura Airi's shame was about to explode. "I just thought... you'd probably like it... hiks... so I danced..."
Actually, what just happened could hardly be called dancing - she had just been too lewd.
"Don't learn things like that."
Kaoru said, "You're so cute, someone really might not be able to control themselves."
Sakura Airi murmured quietly, her lips trembling: "I... I'll only show you..."
"Showing me leads to this kind of result."
Kaoru tried to maintain his stern expression. "Who was crying just now?"
"I... I wasn't crying."
Sakura Airi felt embarrassed, her heart racing as she recalled the earlier scene. "Anyway... anyway, it's normal for producers to make backroom deals with idols!"
"Who told you that?"
Kaoru sensed something wrong - they all seemed to have these strange ideas.
Sakura Airi said righteously: "You did! You said backroom deals are everywhere in the entertainment industry, so I don't want backroom deals with anyone else. I'll only have backroom deals with you."
Kaoru fell silent. That wasn't what he had meant at the time.
"Ehehe, anyway, you have to take responsibility."
Sakura Airi beamed, tightly embracing Kaoru.
The girl knew that wasn't what he had meant, but since he'd already made backroom deals with her, he definitely had to take responsibility!
This was Sakura Airi's secret advantage - at least someone was slower than her!