Although it was his first time here, Kaoru could smell the distinct scent of a girl's room.
Perhaps it was left by the previous senior—he didn't rule out that possibility.
"My, my room isn't tidy yet. If you're looking forward to seeing a girl's room, you can come again next time!"
Komiya Kaho blushed, though it was unclear what she was shy about.
"Where's your belt, Kaho?"
Kaoru glanced around her room but didn't see the Rider Belt and Transformation Device toys she collected.
"Huh? Why is that your first reaction?"
Komiya Kaho felt a bit deflated. "The school doesn't allow them."
Kaoru felt somewhat awkward—he seemed to have asked a stupid question.
He had intended to lighten the mood and strengthen their bond.
Komiya Kaho couldn't help but giggle, likely because she rarely saw him react this way.
"Silly Onii-chan." The girl pouted, "Although I really like special effects dramas, asking that right away shows no respect for girls."
"You didn't used to say that before."
Kaoru rolled his eyes at her, though this girl was indeed quite shy.
Since most people her age didn't watch special effects dramas, she had always kept it hidden.
Only at the agency would she run over to Kaoru, holding her toy, to show off and fiddle with it.
Thanks to her, Kaoru occasionally got to play with the belt too.
"I've already grown up!"
Komiya Kaho wrinkled her nose, her pretty face showing a mix of dissatisfaction and grievance.
"Besides special effects dramas, isn't there anything else you want to ask me, Producer-san?"
Her form of address had reverted again—perhaps this was the only way she could feel that familiar connection with Kaoru.
Though she was clearly sulking, Kaoru didn't sense much gloom from her.
The girl's skin was soft and smooth, and the childish face from his memories had matured into delicate features, with slightly pouted lips hinting at her unhappiness.
Her prominently raised chest was equally hard to ignore—just as she said, the former elementary schooler had become a high school student.
Where he might have once seen traces of mischievousness, now stood a graceful young woman.
"Producer-san..."
The girl before him leaned closer, her eyes seeming veiled by a shimmering haze.
"After you left... I was so miserable... I kept calling your name, but you never woke up... Everyone said you'd never come back."
She stretched out both arms and clung tightly to Kaoru—an embrace that felt long-restrained, as if she wanted to press him deep into her very being, leaving no possibility for him to leave again.
In this room with just the two of them, the emotions buried in her heart needed no buildup or pretense.
The moment she saw Kaoru's face, Komiya Kaho could no longer hold back.
Kaoru didn't push her away. In fact, it was surprising she had managed to restrain herself until today.
"Many times... I wondered if Producer-san was under too much pressure... or if Kaho wasn't helpful enough... or if Producer-san had started to hate us..."
The girl's full, soft body pressed firmly against Kaoru, its pliant curves carrying a startling resilience—the kind of smooth, yielding softness that should have set his mind wandering.
Yet, all Kaoru could feel was the trembling of the person in his arms.
"I never hated Kaho, let alone anyone else."
Kaoru stroked her back, speaking as calmly as he could. "That won't happen again, I promise."
Komiya Kaho buried her face deep in his chest and murmured, "I believe you, Producer-san. This time, you definitely won't lie to me."
Had he ever lied to her before?
Kaoru wisely refrained from voicing that thought, though he did feel a pang of guilt.
"Hey, Producer-san."
Komiya Kaho lifted her face, her lips drawing near enough for Kaoru to feel her heated breath.
Her eyes glimmered. "Ichinose Honami... what's going on with her?"
The girl showed none of her usual politeness, addressing Ichinose Honami directly by name.
Kaoru, held tightly in her embrace, found it a little hard to breathe.
"Are you dating her?"
Komiya Kaho had finally cornered her producer. "It's so strange—you never dated anyone before, and now you have several girlfriends. I've heard about it, you know. Everyone's calling you the Harem Overlord. It's really weird—even the seniors never dated you, Producer-san."
"There's a reason for that..." Kaoru felt that no matter how he explained it, it would be a fatal answer.
Did he start dating them because he wanted to take responsibility for them?
So, did that mean he hadn't planned to take responsibility for the agency before?
Just thinking about this, Kaoru could already foresee the consequences he would face.
"Producer-san, you're really obsessed with women, aren't you?"
Komiya Kaho spoke lines she would never have said before, "You go after every cute girl you see, no wonder Madoka-senpai often scolds you."
Kaoru gave up trying to defend himself.
In Komiya Kaho's eyes, the heroic producer she once admired had long since crumbled.
"Actually, I know, Producer-san often does bad things with the seniors."
Komiya Kaho slowly curled her lips into a faint smile, "Sometimes in the dorm, sometimes in the dance practice room."
"Wait, stop!"
Kaoru finally couldn't hold back.
The good girl he thought she was had been eavesdropping?
"Back then, Kaho had no idea what Producer-san was doing, but now it's different."
Komiya Kaho placed her hands on his neck, gently stood on her tiptoes, and stared straight into his eyes, "Kaho has grown up now, so Producer-san can devour her, right?"
Kaoru Mitoma looked at her moist lips, the faint blush spreading across her face, and the warm, soft fragrance emanating from her.
Her voluptuous figure was irresistible, especially when her thighs rubbed against him intentionally or unintentionally, enough to stir a man's primal desires.
Komiya Kaho was also staring at Kaoru, as if urging him to kiss her quickly, to make a move on her.
"Kaho, calm down. I'm not ready yet…"
Kaoru was no saint.
Of course, he could push the girl in front of him down in one go, but what would happen afterward?
He had always been wondering whether his feelings for them were driven by instinctual desire or genuine affection from the depths of his heart.
If he simply followed his instincts now and took advantage of the situation to push Komiya Kaho down, it would blur his understanding of his feelings for her.
After all, he had never had such thoughts about Komiya Kaho before.
Although Sakayanagi Arisu often called him a perverted lolicon, he truly didn't think of himself as one.
However, just as these thoughts crossed Kaoru Mitoma's mind, Komiya Kaho suddenly revealed a mischievous grin.
"Onii-chan, you fell for it again!"
The girl pushed Kaoru away, giggling as she playfully punched his chest, "What were you thinking? Did you really plan to kiss me?"
Kaoru was taken aback by her actions, his lips twitching slightly, "If you pull something like this again, I'll really kiss you."
"I won't let you kiss me, dummy."
Komiya Kaho pouted, "Onii-chan's head is always full of lewd things. You even want to take my first kiss? How mean."
There was no denying it—her prank had been successful.
Kaoru's composure had been shaken, and he was only barely managing to regain control now.