After returning from 283 Production, Kaoru felt much lighter.
Now, only the uninhabited island exam remained.
This would be his second summer at Advanced Nurturing High School.
"Producer-san, I'm sorry."
The moment they returned to school, Komiya Kaho suddenly apologized to him.
"I kept thinking you were lying. I'm sorry."
Kaoru froze for a moment, then gently patted her head.
"Kaho doesn't need to apologize. If I made you feel like I was lying, then that means I was the one who did something wrong."
"No. I did something bad."
Kaho hesitated before carefully taking out the notebook she always carried with her.
"I... I wanted to make Producer-san drop out. If you left the school, then you could come back to us."
Kaho had wanted to make him drop out?
Kaoru instinctively looked down at the notebook in her hands. When he saw the withdrawal plan written inside, the corner of his mouth twitched.
Apparently, it was not only Nagumo Miyabi and Ryūen Kakeru who were thinking along those lines.
Even his Kaho wanted him expelled.
"How was Kaho planning to make me leave school?"
Kaoru asked calmly.
He was not angry with her. He was simply interested in seeing what kind of withdrawal plan she had come up with.
"Yagami dropped out, right?"
Kaho spoke hesitantly. "So I thought maybe Producer-san could also be made to withdraw voluntarily. But later, I realized it would be really difficult. Then this uninhabited island exam happened..."
After listening to her explanation, Kaoru roughly understood her thinking.
This girl had seized the opportunity created by Yagami Takuya's withdrawal and quickly established herself as the leader of Class 1-B. At the same time, she had learned about the conflict between Kaoru and Miyabi.
Because everyone knew she was close to Kaoru, she had not approached Miyabi directly.
Instead, she contacted other first-years: Hōsen Kazuomi, Utsunomiya Riku, and Ishigami Kyō.
"They seem to be planning something against Producer-san. They didn't directly tell me that, but they invited me to a secret meeting between the first-year leaders."
Kaho carefully watched Kaoru's reaction, feeling deeply guilty.
"On the surface, we were discussing how to compete against the upper years and aim for the top three. But Hōsen-kun and Ishigami-kun both seemed very interested in Producer-san."
In other words, she had participated in a secret group plotting against Kaoru.
"Should I punish Kaho now?"
Kaoru patted her head.
This girl had secretly joined forces with other people to deal with him.
Kaho's face turned red. She lowered her head and slowly turned around, looking thoroughly dejected.
"G-gently. I might cry if it hurts."
Kaoru did not know whether to laugh or sigh.
He gave her a harmless tap and said, "Kaho is this cute. How could I seriously punish you?"
Kaho's face became even redder, but she did not give up.
"I betrayed Producer-san... and doubted you. I knew they were discussing ways to deal with Producer-san, but I still pretended not to notice when Nagumo contacted students from our class."
She lowered her voice further.
"And I was even thinking of using them to complete my plan to make you leave school..."
Kaoru had glanced through her notebook earlier and discovered that she had secretly investigated quite a bit of information. She had even roughly guessed Miyabi's plan.
Perhaps because she was an idol, Kaho could naturally approach third-year students more easily than most first-years.
From that perspective, she was actually a surprisingly useful spy and information gatherer.
"Kaho is a bad girl..."
Kaho bit her lip and lowered her head. "You should punish me properly."
In truth, she had also written quite a bit of information about Honami and the others in the notebook, but she was too embarrassed to admit that.
Looking at the guilty girl, Kaoru lightly coughed.
"We're outside. I'm not doing anything embarrassing here."
Kaho finally remembered their surroundings and hurriedly looked around.
After confirming nobody was nearby, she lowered her head in resignation again.
"Then... when we go back, you can punish me however you want."
Kaoru felt she had completely misunderstood him.
"I already said I'm not punishing you. Instead of worrying about that, why not help me with something?"
"Eh? Help?"
Kaho looked confused.
Could she really be useful to him?
"Hōsen is dangerous, and Ishigami also interests me. If they're willing to include Kaho in their meetings, then they probably intend to borrow Class 1-B's strength."
Kaoru's eyes narrowed slightly.
"And their target is most likely me."
"Do you want me to keep watch on them for Producer-san?"
Kaoru suddenly smiled, making Kaho's heart beat faster.
"During next month's uninhabited island exam, I may really need Kaho."
As he said that, he rested his palm on her head.
"Mm."
Kaho lowered her head shyly.
However, another trace of self-disgust flashed through her eyes.
Kaoru had already decided to return to the agency for a while.
So why did she still feel the urge to make sure he never came back to ANHS?
The moment Kaho lowered her head, Kaoru was also observing the emotions surrounding her through his perception ability.
Once again, the suggestion he received was to push Kaho down and use direct affection to fill the emptiness and insecurity in her heart.
'Should I have punished her more seriously after all?'
Just as that thought appeared, Kaoru suddenly heard approaching footsteps.
"How strange. Why are you here?"
Kiryūin Fūka's voice came from behind them.
"I couldn't find you at all over the past two days. I asked Asahina-san, but she kept hesitating and refused to tell me anything. And now you suddenly appear again."
Fūka's arrival startled Kaho.
She had only just returned from outside the school with Kaoru, and she had not expected to suddenly encounter an unfamiliar upperclassman.
"You're coming from neither the school building nor the dormitories or Keyaki Mall."
Fūka looked down the road behind them. "This path leads toward the school exit. Did you two just come back from outside?"
This was bad.
Their outing together might be exposed.
Not only that, but Kaho noticed Fūka openly examining her. She instinctively hid behind Kaoru.
"So this is the little idol everyone has been talking about lately?"
Fūka tilted her head. "I didn't expect our school to have an idol student. She's very cute."
Then her gaze became more curious.
"What's strange is that she's standing extremely close to you. Are you dating? But idols usually have rules against romance, don't they? Or are you simply very close? Where's her Producer?"
At the mention of Producer, Kaho visibly flinched and tightened her grip on Kaoru's sleeve.
This upperclassman frightened her a little.
"Don't scare her, Kiryūin-senpai."
Kaoru sounded helpless.
Kaho was actually rather afraid of strict, confident older girls. Perhaps it was simply a childlike instinct.
"I'm only saying that the two of you look suspicious."
Fūka withdrew her gaze from Kaho and looked at Kaoru instead. "Did you take leave specifically to be with her?"
"You've been gone for two days. Yesterday was your birthday too, wasn't it? Asahina-san mentioned it."
Kaoru nodded.
Fūka smiled.
"You deliberately took leave on your birthday. Did you leave the school?"
"I did. I've already returned."
"I see. No wonder I couldn't find your location. I thought you were hiding from me."
Fūka did not seem particularly curious about how he had managed it. She only made a small joke before glancing at Kaho once more.
"You two are... never mind. She's probably one of your girls anyway."
Fūka looked slightly conflicted, but quickly gave up on whatever thought she had been considering and walked toward Kaoru.
"How many birthday gifts did you receive?"
Only then did Kaoru notice that her right hand had remained inside her pocket the whole time.
"I haven't had time to count."
"In other words, there were too many."
Fūka raised an eyebrow. "It seems you're even more popular than I imagined."
"No. I'm still missing Senpai's gift."
Hearing this, Fūka could no longer suppress the smile at the corner of her lips. She stopped directly in front of Kaoru.
Kaho watched closely and hugged Kaoru's arm tighter.
This upperclassman felt dangerous, but Kaho did not know how to interrupt.
"And what if I don't give you one?"
"Then I'll pretend I can't see Senpai."
"A man shouldn't be that petty."
Fūka smiled. "Aren't you going to ask what you need to do before I'll give it to you?"
"What do I need to do?"
"Very simple. First, close your eyes and lower your head a little."
Kaoru glanced at her hidden hand.
Was it a necklace?
Why would she give a boy a necklace?
"What are you planning?"
Kaho finally interrupted, staring at Fūka warily.
"He gave me a gift before. I'm returning the favor. I'm not planning anything."
Fūka blinked. "Are you two really dating?"
"I-is that all?"
Kaho struggled to suppress the corners of her lips.
She and Kaoru really did look like lovers to other people.
"You can watch and find out."
Fūka smiled before looking back at Kaoru. "If you want your present, hurry up and close your eyes."
Kaoru obediently did as she asked, although he left one eye slightly open to secretly see what Fūka intended to do.
Fūka brought up both hands and gently held Kaoru's face.
In the next moment, something soft touched his lips.
"Eh?!"
Kaho froze completely, staring blankly as Fūka kissed her Producer.
Kaoru was equally stunned. His eyes opened fully.
"Happy birthday, Mitoma-kun."
Fūka withdrew with a faintly triumphant smile.
"This is my return gift for what happened in the infirmary. My first kiss. That gift surpasses everyone else's, doesn't it?"
In terms of sheer intensity, the previous day's King's Game had certainly been more chaotic.
Even so, Kaoru had to admit that this kiss left a powerful impression. His heart was beating slightly faster.
"W-wait! Why did you kiss him?!"
Kaho looked like the betrayed heroine in a drama. She was practically bristling. "He already has girlfriends!"
"I know. He has many girlfriends."
Fūka smiled casually. "Including you, right?"
"But there's no law saying I'm not allowed to kiss him. I wanted to, and he didn't reject me. If you want to kiss him too, you're free to do so."
"Onii-chan is mine!"
Kaho tightly hugged Kaoru's arm and glared angrily at Fūka.
"Even if you're an upperclassman, you can't casually kiss people! Go kiss someone else's boyfriend!"
"I'm not some loose woman. Why would I kiss someone else?"
Fūka looked genuinely confused. "There aren't that many rules in life. I wanted to kiss him. He didn't stop me. So what's wrong with one kiss?"
"I don't care about anyone else. This is my Onii-chan!"
Kaho was furious. "Do you think you can kiss anyone you want in this world?"
"I only want to kiss him."
Fūka became even more provocative. She wrapped both arms around Kaoru's neck and looked challengingly at Kaho.
"I'll kiss him now, I'll kiss him in the future, and I'll experience all kinds of new things with him."
She deliberately emphasized the final words, making Kaho's face turn bright red with anger.
"I hate you!"
"Oh dear. I was actually thinking we might get along."
"I don't want to get along with you! My Onii-chan belongs to me!"
"I kissed him just now."
"I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!"
"You can hate me, but I'll still kiss him."
"I won't let you!"
For some reason, the two girls began arguing like children around Kaoru.
One hugged his arm while the other held his neck, pulling him back and forth between them.
"Stop, stop! Both of you, stop fighting."
Kaoru grimaced. He had not expected Fūka to use this kind of attack.
"You're going to pull me apart."
Hearing that, Kaho immediately stopped, though she continued clinging tightly to him.
"Were you dissatisfied with my gift?"
Fūka paused slightly. "I didn't know what you liked, and I didn't have confidence that I could do better than everyone else."
"No. I wasn't dissatisfied."
Kaoru shook his head. "I'm only surprised that Senpai would give me her first kiss."
"That's surprising?"
Fūka fell into thought.
"Of course it is! Who suddenly runs over and kisses someone else's Onii-chan?"
Kaho hurriedly spoke. "A woman who wants to kiss every man she sees is a bad woman!"
"Thank you for the compliment."
Fūka nodded. "I'm a bad woman who does whatever she wants. I thought it would be entertaining, so I kissed him."
Kaho stared at her with her mouth open.
Her impression of this upperclassman had fallen to rock bottom.
How could anyone be this shameless?
"I feel like being with him might allow me to experience even more interesting and unfamiliar things."
Fūka smiled. "I wouldn't mind if you made a little room for me."
"No!"
Kaho defended her position fiercely. "I might make room for someone else, but never you!"
"Then perhaps I should ask Asahina-san and Ichinose-san."
Fūka spoke to herself before lifting her gaze toward Kaoru.
"Our previous agreement is still valid, right?"
Kaoru was silent for a moment.
"Senpai, I might really devour you."
"I'm this cute. It's natural that you'd have thoughts about me."
Fūka answered seriously. "But I'm not ready to give you everything yet. Unless you show me a side that surpasses me, I won't let you win that easily."
After saying that, she voluntarily released him and smiled at Kaho again.
"You've never even dated properly, have you?"
"That's none of your business!"
Kaho immediately began stammering, suddenly feeling inexplicably inferior.
"Hehe. Knowing I'm not the only inexperienced one makes me feel relieved."
Fūka looked completely satisfied.
"By the next time we meet, perhaps I'll already be ahead of you."
Kaho became furious all over again.
She absolutely hated this upperclassman!
Seeing that her birthday-gift operation had succeeded, Fūka wisely made her escape.
A surprise attack was what made someone's heart race. If she stayed any longer, it would only turn into two ducks quacking at each other, and she had no intention of arguing with Kaho forever.
Kaho had still wanted to scold the bad woman, but Fūka had fled too quickly.
She could only puff out her cheeks and glare at Kaoru instead.
The pressure from her gaze made him instinctively look away.
"Kaho..."
Just as he tried to speak, the girl suddenly threw both arms around him.
Her muffled voice came from against his chest.
"My first real love belongs to Producer-san. I'll only give my future to Producer-san."
Her grip tightened.
"And one day, I'll build a family with Producer-san. We'll have two children!"
It seemed Fūka's sudden appearance had intensified Kaho's insecurity even further.
Kaoru began reflecting inwardly.
Did he truly see Kaho only as the little girl he had helped raise?
Or had she already become the young girlfriend he had unknowingly nurtured by his side?
"Kaho, you should know that I have many girlfriends. There may be even more in the future."
"That's fine. I'll be your girlfriend too."
"My preferences can be strange."
"That's fine too! Everyone already knows Producer-san is a pervert. I don't mind!"
Kaoru thought for a moment, then lowered his head and whispered a few words beside Kaho's ear.
Very quickly, her ears turned red.
"I-it's fine! I've already prepared myself... I've secretly looked at things before... Ah! No, no!"
Kaho covered her burning face.
"Uuu, I'm sorry. Kaho is a bad girl. I've been using Producer-san as inspiration this whole time..."
She could not finish the rest.
Kaoru lowered his head and gently kissed her.
For a moment, Kaho froze.
Then her fingers tightened around his shirt as she closed her eyes, accepting the kiss she had spent so long pretending she did not want.