Finally, his gaze turned to Kikyō.
The moment their eyes met, Kikyō showed a brilliant smile and lifted her chest proudly, as if telling Kaoru he could do whatever he wanted.
"Please enjoy, Master."
Kaoru suppressed the urge to punish her and took one of her ribbons instead.
However, Kikyō leaned closer and whispered into his ear.
"Master, this time, you can leave a mark where no one will see."
In an instant, Kaoru thought of what had happened on the rooftop last year.
When he looked down, Kikyō winked at him.
Kaoru did not hesitate. He pulled her close and kissed her deeply. Their breathing tangled together, and for a moment, the game almost went off the rails.
Kikyō responded eagerly, as if trying to prove she was no worse than Suzune.
If Suzune was the quiet, passive type who made people want to bully her, then Kikyō was the little devil who took the initiative to tempt him into losing control.
When Kaoru finally released her, Kikyō's face was flushed, and her lips were slightly parted as she breathed hard.
"Master..."
Kikyō could not help leaning in again. "I'll belong to you for the rest of my life."
Because of the threat back then, she had fallen into Kaoru's hands. What should have been a humiliating memory had now become something strangely sweet.
If Kikyō could do it all over again, she would probably still threaten Kaoru, then let him catch and "train" her all over again.
Only this time, she would be even more careful to make sure he enjoyed himself more.
Kaoru held the dazed girl and dealt with her lips, only to feel her press something into his hand.
It was the collar she had mentioned.
"This is my birthday present for Master. It's custom-made. It can be worn on the neck or ankle."
Kikyō pretended to be casual, but the tips of her ears were red.
Kaoru looked at it and saw a small inscription.
It was not something he expected her to prepare.
For a moment, Kaoru froze.
"E-every pet has something like this, right? Something that marks who she belongs to. So... can Master help me put it on?"
Kikyō was a little embarrassed.
She did not know what Kaoru would think. She only knew that she wanted to stay by his side for life.
Perhaps some people would find it humiliating, but Kikyō was different. If she did not have to care about others' gazes, she almost wanted everyone to know she belonged to Kaoru.
Kaoru played with the collar for a while and discovered that its design was very clever. It could be worn around her neck, and it could also be adjusted to fit around her ankle.
"So Kikyō's birthday present is herself?"
Kaoru smiled faintly.
"Is that not allowed?"
Kikyō blushed. "Having such a cute and fun pet is Master's good fortune for life."
Kaoru laughed for a while.
Under her slightly dissatisfied gaze, he finally restrained his smile and solemnly helped her put on the collar.
"Then from now on, Kikyō is my pet for life."
Kikyō touched the collar around her neck and unconsciously revealed a sweet smile.
She knew her relationship with Kaoru was strange, but who said romance had to be ordinary?
Compared to ordinary love, this felt more comfortable.
Kikyō then took out a matching leash from her pocket and handed it to Kaoru with great anticipation.
Kaoru clipped it to her collar. It fit perfectly. As expected, it was a complete custom set.
"Normally, I'll wear the collar on my ankle. If Master wants to discipline me, then I can wear it on my neck. Of course, I'll always carry the leash with me too. Master can train me whenever he wants."
Kikyō proudly lifted her chest.
This was her birthday present to Master.
It was not just the collar. More importantly, she wanted him to understand that she was always ready to be his little dog.
For some reason, seeing her proud expression made Kaoru feel his restraint shake badly.
Perhaps pets really did resemble their owners.
"Master, please take me for a walk!"
Kikyō knelt down and looked at Kaoru excitedly, acting like a puppy.
Kaoru swallowed.
He realized it was very difficult to refuse Kikyō's suggestion.
He really was a pervert.
"From now on, you can only bark. No talking."
"Woof, woof!"
Kikyō barked without hesitation.
She looked even more excited than Kaoru, on all fours and wagging her hips like she really had an invisible tail behind her.
Kaoru held the leash and brought Kikyō out of the office.
...
When Kaoru returned to the office with Kikyō, the atmosphere inside had changed completely.
Masumi, who had insisted she was not playing, had somehow been pulled into the group's chaos. Honami was holding her gently, Airi was sitting beside her, and Kei was teasing her with a triumphant smile. Suzune stood nearby with a calm face, as if she had nothing to do with it.
Masumi's face was bright red.
"You people are insane!"
"You finally came back!"
Honami looked excited when she saw Kaoru and Kikyō appear at the door.
Kaoru stared at the scene in confusion.
What had happened while he was gone?
"Masumi was watching so seriously earlier," Honami explained with a smile. "So we thought we'd invite her properly."
"I said I'm not playing!"
Masumi's protest had no strength at all.
Kikyō, still wearing the collar, ran over with a delighted smile.
"Masumi-chan, don't be shy. Today is Master's birthday."
"What does his birthday have to do with me?!"
"Of course it does. You're here, aren't you?"
Kikyō's logic was as unreasonable as ever.
Masumi wanted to retort, but after looking at the girls gathered around Kaoru, she suddenly felt powerless.
She had thought she understood Kaoru's relationships well enough.
Now she realized she still knew far too little.
Honami smiled softly and whispered beside her, "Masumi-chan, you don't have to force yourself. But if you stay here, it means you're willing to celebrate with him, right?"
Masumi froze.
She wanted to say she was only waiting because of Arisu's arrangement. She wanted to say she had nothing to do with this group.
But for some reason, she could not say it.
In the end, she only turned her face away and muttered, "Do whatever you want."
That was practically permission.
Kei and Kikyō exchanged glances, both showing mischievous smiles.
The King's Game continued.
At some point, it became less like a formal game and more like a chaotic birthday party where everyone tried to make Kaoru lose his composure.
They made him accept kisses he could not return.
They made him sit still while the girls surrounded him.
They made him listen to embarrassing birthday wishes, some sweet enough to make his chest warm, others so suggestive that even Kaoru nearly surrendered.
Kei was the most straightforward. She clung to him at every opportunity, openly acting spoiled and demanding affection.
Honami, despite being the one who looked the gentlest, was actually the most dangerous. She smiled softly while giving commands that were just within the rules, turning the entire atmosphere in her favor.
Kikyō was the most chaotic. She kept pushing the line, enjoying every second of it.
Suzune seemed calm, but whenever Kaoru looked at her, she would quietly follow the command with a red face, pretending she was only doing what the rules required.
Airi was shy from beginning to end, yet she never ran away. Whenever she gathered her courage to do something, the whole room would go quiet for a moment because her sincerity was too powerful.
As for Masumi, she kept saying she was not participating, but somehow, each round pulled her a little closer.
By the time she realized it, she was already sitting among them instead of outside the circle.
"This is ridiculous."
Masumi held her forehead.
"Mm-hm," Honami said with a gentle smile. "But isn't it fun?"
"Not at all."
Masumi looked away.
Her red ears betrayed her.
Kaoru watched them from the center of the group and suddenly understood something.
Honami had not arranged this game only for him.
She had arranged it for the girls too.
Arisu stood outside the circle. Masumi stood even farther outside. Kikyō, Kei, Honami, Suzune, and Airi had their own bonds, but those bonds did not naturally include everyone.
So Honami used the birthday party as an excuse to pull Masumi in.
That girl really was dangerous in a way different from Arisu.
As the game continued for hours, the girls took turns teasing him, trapping him, spoiling him, and bullying him back. It was clearly his birthday, yet at some point, Kaoru felt like he was the one being surrounded and conquered.
Masumi gradually stopped resisting so fiercely.
Facing this kind of atmosphere, even her sharp tongue lost some of its edge.
At first, she could not understand how they could watch Kaoru interact affectionately with other girls without feeling strange.
Weren't girlfriends supposed to get jealous?
Weren't they supposed to stop him?
Why were they not only failing to stop him, but even helping one another?
It was strange.
Far too strange.
But then Masumi realized something.
Everyone here was Kaoru's girlfriend in some way. Even she had received a ring from him.
If that was the case, perhaps the strange one was not them.
Perhaps the strange one was her, standing at the edge, pretending she did not care.
Masumi wanted to reject that thought.
But when she looked at Kaoru and saw his helpless, amused expression as the girls ganged up on him, she suddenly felt that remaining outside the circle was even more uncomfortable.
By the end, Masumi finally understood why Honami and the others were so close.
Facing a super-pervert like Kaoru together, how could their bond not become strangely strong?
That day, the King's Game lasted for several hours. The girls even wanted to continue back at the dorms, and Kaoru almost missed his appointment with Arisu.
Still, this birthday party left a deep impression on him.
Compared to last year's birthday, this year was clearly much livelier.
Putting the party aside, he received so many birthday presents that he could barely keep track of them. Even Shiina Hiyori and Morishita Ai prepared gifts for him.
Among them, Ai's birthday present was the laziest. She simply shared some of her favorite snacks with him.
Although, to be fair, they were delicious.
The more Kaoru realized that, before he knew it, all these girls had gathered around him, the more urgently he wanted to return to the agency.
This was bad.
If he stayed like this, he really might fall completely into Kikyō and the others' hands.