The day before Yagami Takuya's expulsion, Kaoru took a day off.
Perhaps because exams were approaching, no one paid much attention to what he was doing during his absence.
Even Ichinose Honami assumed he just wanted to meet with Tachibana Akane.
It wasn't until Saturday evening that Kaoru finally returned.
Expecting a silent room, he was surprised to see a soft glow of light emanating from within.
The moment he opened the door, he found Kei Karuizawa lying on the bed playing with her phone.
She wore a thin white nightgown, her soft small chest pressed against the pillow, while her fair and smooth calves swayed up and down behind her.
With the slightest movement, the curve of her hips trembled faintly, creating an almost indecent sight.
For some reason, Kaoru froze in place.
"You're back?"
Kei Karuizawa on the bed quickly noticed the movement at the entrance.
Turning her head and seeing Kaoru, she grew excited but then guiltily hid her phone.
"I—I wasn't doing anything!"
Bored, she had been secretly reading romance manga, delightfully immersing herself in the stories—something she was too embarrassed to admit.
Blushing slightly, Kei Karuizawa hugged her pillow and sat up.
The hem of her nightgown didn't cover her legs, revealing the smooth, delicate skin of her thighs.
"It's been two days, Kei."
A faint smile touched Kaoru's lips. "I'm glad you're not immediately angry with me."
From yesterday until now, it could indeed be considered two days apart.
He had only hurriedly informed Kei Karuizawa, Ichinose Honami, and the others before leaving the school.
"I—I am a little angry, but it was for Tachibana-senpai, right?"
Kei Karuizawa pouted, feeling slightly conflicted.
"How... how is she now?"
"She's doing well. I sneaked a visit to her university. At first, she didn't recognize me, but later she showed me around her campus."
Kaoru sat down beside Kei Karuizawa. "She rented an apartment near the university—the environment is quite nice. I spent the whole day with her today."
"Another date."
Kei Karuizawa felt a twinge of jealousy. Even though she had asked, she was the one getting upset.
"Why did you come back so soon? Tomorrow is a rest day too—couldn't you stay with Tachibana-senpai a little longer?"
"If I'm away for too long, people will notice."
Kaoru gently took her hand.
The reason sounded plausible but was far from enough to dispel her jealousy.
Kaoru's outing wasn't solely for Tachibana Akane's sake—it was also about dealing with the aftermath of his previous excursion.
Sakayanagi Narumori had arranged a meeting for him, finally giving him the opportunity to face these so-called influential figures.
Several old fossils were eagerly anticipating his abilities, hoping he could replicate the miracle he'd performed on the head of the Shijou family.
Kaoru granted them a miracle they would remember for the rest of their lives, effortlessly rounding up these powerful individuals.
Not only that, Kaoru reactivated the pawns he had planted before his staged suicide attempt, which now came in handy at just the right moment to seize the foundational assets of the financial conglomerates.
While he couldn't take everything, he could certainly extort considerable resources—enough to make these zaibatsu bleed heavily.
The once-arrogant big shots who had even threatened to expel Kaoru were now completely silenced.
Even the current Prime Minister, who had been pushing for Koudo Ikusei, became noticeably more polite.
The Prime Minister specifically instructed Tsukishiro Kazunari to revise ANHS regulations, allowing Kaoru to freely enter and leave the school from now on—a rule created exclusively for him alone.
Amid these circumstances, Kaoru encountered Ayanokoji Atsuomi, the founder of the White Room, who was now a local assembly member with boundless influence.
Well, this was also the reason why Yagami Takuya would voluntarily withdraw from school.
Just by mentioning Yagami Takuya's name, Ayanokoji Atsuomi immediately understood what it meant.
If it were an ordinary student, it wouldn't have been resolved so quickly, since expelling a student without cause would violate ANHS rules.
Unfortunately, Yagami Takuya was from the White Room—he operated under a different set of rules.
ANHS couldn't control Yagami Takuya, but the White Room could.
This was what Kaoru had referred to as underhanded methods—as long as Yagami Takuya could be dealt with, he was willing to accept any means necessary.
Officially, it was a voluntary withdrawal, but in reality, the White Room had stepped in and taken Yagami Takuya away.
Despite all this, Kaoru didn't request any special privileges from the Prime Minister beyond the freedom to enter and leave the school.
He remained, for all intents and purposes, an ordinary high school student.
As for those shocking miracles, Kaoru did demand they be kept confidential.
It wasn't that he necessarily wanted to hide them, but rather that he was acutely aware of his own limitations.
Forget about taking on an army single-handedly—no matter how powerful Kaoru might be, he was still only human.
He needed to eat when hungry, drink when thirsty, and would die if killed.
In other words, Kaoru wasn't particularly strong at all—he needed more rewards.
Therefore, some things still had to remain hidden.
For now, Kaoru only needed to demonstrate the ability to decapitate powerful figures, maintaining a delicate balance in his relationship with these people.
Of course, Kaoru would also appropriately display his god-like miracles—nothing captivated their desires more than the promise of a healthy body.
These thoughts flashed through Kaoru's mind one by one, when Kei Karuizawa beside him nudged his shoulder and wrinkled her small nose.
"Hurry up and take a bath—you're covered in sticky sweat."
Kaoru snapped back to reality. He didn't think he smelled particularly sweaty today, concerned about Kei Karuizawa and the others' sensitive noses, he had specifically bathed with Tachibana Akane before returning, eliminating any extraneous odors long ago.
Still, since Kei Karuizawa said so, Kaoru didn't feel like arguing.
"Can I take a bath with Kei?"
"I've already bathed!"
"But I haven't been with Kei for two whole days."
"Guh..."
Kei Karuizawa hit this pervert several times with her pillow, as if trying to hide the blush on her lovely face.
If they really bathed together, he might do something bad again.
Though the girl wouldn't mind, her face was too thin-skinned - wouldn't her earlier anger become meaningless then?
Thus, Kaoru could only hold his clothes and enter the bathroom alone. The bathtub had no hot water left by now, but he didn't mind - a quick shower would suffice.
Perhaps because he was alone, Kaoru found himself recalling today's events again.
His biggest gain from this trip was actually the [Bloodstained Holy Grail].
Thanks to the assistance of [Truth Magic] and [Explosion magic], he now only needed one final [Miracle Power].
Kaoru had initially thought he could farm [Miracle Power] using [Invisibility Magic], but it turned out the second attempt wasn't recognized as a miracle.
The reason given by the Wish Machine was simple: what kind of miracle can be called a miracle if it can be replicated?
Only the first occurrence counts as a miracle.
Kaoru felt slightly frustrated, but he knew he could complete the final [Miracle Power] anytime - the [Bloodstained Holy Grail] was practically his already.
The reason he hadn't immediately completed it was because Kaoru was considering how to maximize its effect.