"Suddenly saying that about yourself—do you want me to join in scolding you?" Karuizawa crossed her arms, clearly displeased with Kaoru's self-assessment.
"I admit you're definitely a pervert, but that's not the issue here."
As a boyfriend, it wasn't really a problem if Kaoru had some lewd tendencies.
Even if she didn't fully understand his preferences, she was willing to try her best to accommodate him.
But the real issue was that Kaoru wasn't just perverted toward her—he hadn't even spared a certain loli.
Even as a backup option, Karuizawa couldn't help feeling overwhelming anger and jealousy.
Deep down, there was even a flicker of fear she hadn't noticed herself.
With so many rivals around, could she really win?
"Kei thinks I'm a bit too unrestrained?" Kaoru took advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention and softly called her by name.
"A bit? You're practically reveling in it." Karuizawa Kei's face flushed slightly, her heart pounding uncontrollably, as if he had struck a chord within her.
Seeing her like this, Kaoru sensed an opportunity.
If he said the right words—or even half-forced her to make a decision—she might accept it.
But what came out of his mouth was something else entirely.
"I don't want to let go," Kaoru slowly voiced his thoughts.
"Because Kei is adorable, I don't want to let go. Because all of you are adorable, I really don't want to let go."
The more he realized how deeply connected he was—and would continue to be—with them, the more this thought took hold.
Could he really hand these girls over to someone else?
There was no denying that his initial motive for approaching them was the Wish Machine's desire.
The Wish Machine had revived him, tasking him with fulfilling its wish.
But as he grew closer, Kaoru suddenly found himself unwilling to let go.
Even knowing he was just fulfilling a wish, licking a girl's thigh, their expressions were still fascinating.
Their reactions and thoughts were far more interesting than simply completing the wish.
Take Ichinose Honami, for example.
He could grope her breasts for the sake of the wish, but then she'd blush, whisper for him to do it again, and even offer her lips willingly.
That kind of reaction definitely wasn't part of the wish—or rather, the wish wouldn't dare hope for such a response.
Though he knew Ichinose Honami's actions weren't born of love, at the very least, it proved she didn't dislike him.
That was why she could muster the courage.
No matter what, that courage made it hard for him to let go.
"If I had to give up someone—say, abandon Kei—would Kei be okay with that?" Kaoru paused.
"I don't know, but I wouldn't be. Even if it makes you think I'm a perverted freak, I won't hold back. I'll take responsibility for you for the rest of your life, without hesitation."
He had broached a similar topic before, but now he was even more blunt and direct.
The intensity in his eyes made it clear to Karuizawa—he would never give up on her.
"W-why, though?" Karuizawa murmured.
"Is 'Kei is adorable' not reason enough?" Kaoru said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"E-even if they're cute, everyone is cute, does that mean you have to monopolize them all?" Karuizawa looked incredulous.
"No one would agree to that, right?"
This question sounded familiar.
Kaoru shook his head and replied bluntly, "I don't know what will happen in the future, but right now I don't want to see you with anyone else. So you can keep hating me. Since we haven't interacted much yet, it's better if you leave early."
This was somewhat insincere, because he wasn't sure if he could really let Karuizawa go now.
"You don't want me to be with others, yet you're telling me to leave? Are you planning to make me stay single forever?" Karuizawa found this somewhat amusing.
As she met his gaze, her voice unconsciously softened.
"I... I don't know. For someone as terrible as you, I should probably punch you. But my chest feels tight... I don't feel like hitting you."
"I don't want to lie to you, and I don't want to force you to make a decision either."
"Did you tell them about this too?"
"Sakayanagi-san probably guessed my thoughts. I only told Kikyo-chan and Honami-chan."
Hearing his phrasing, Karuizawa felt confused—how could honorifics and intimate nicknames appear in the same sentence?
Moreover, the honorific was used for Sakayanagi Arisu?
"Honami-chan... is that Ichinose from Class B?" Karuizawa still managed to grasp the key point.
"She's the girlfriend I stole." Kaoru thought to himself—if he hadn't gone to the student council, Nagumo Miyabi might have made his move first.
Calling her a "stolen girlfriend" shouldn't be too much of an exaggeration.
Karzizawa stared at him blankly, finding it hard to connect Class B's extremely popular angel with the man before her.
No, no—they did have a connection! During the sports festival briefing!
Karuizawa still remembered Ichinose Honami's somewhat unpleasant expression at that time.
She'd observed the crowd for a long while, never imagining the real deal was him.
"Stolen?"
Karuizawa seemed to have misunderstood, thinking Kaoru had become some kind of homewrecker.
"It's a long story. In short, the situation was similar to yours—I made a deal with her too."
"Did you touch her?"
Kaoru was momentarily speechless.
Since when had she become so blunt?
Seeing his reaction, Karuizawa's face grew warm, clearly aware of what Kaoru was thinking.
But she had to ask—after all, Ichinose's circumstances were better than hers.
Yet Kaoru's silence was answer enough.
She let out a sigh of relief.
No wonder Kaoru had been so hands-on with her—their relationship wasn't built on feelings, just a transaction.
Then Karuizawa felt puzzled again—if Kushida Kikyo and Ichinose Honami knew about Kaoru's thoughts, why were they still willing to stay with him?
This was probably something even Kaoru himself hadn't figured out.
"Really... this is way too terrible. Absolutely awful. It makes me so angry." Karuizawa sounded extremely irritated, then looked directly into his eyes.
"You're not planning to let me go, are you? You're going to be responsible for me for life, is that it?"
In response, Kaoru just nodded.
"Heh—" Karuizawa laughed. "What an infuriating guy. I really want to punch you. But before that, there's one thing I need to confirm."
"Are you asking me to sign a life-and-death waiver?" Kaoru actually had the nerve to joke.
Karuizawa angrily punched him—hard.
After a moment, she grew visibly uncomfortable and asked in a small voice.
"Do you like me?"
"I wouldn't call it love yet, but yes, I like you, Kei." Kaoru paused briefly. "Call it superficial attraction or selfish possessiveness—whatever it is, the point is, I like you."
By the time he said "like," Karuizawa had already covered her burning cheeks, her reddened ears peeking out.
A muffled voice escaped through her fingers.
"You're not allowed to say you like me in public from now on."
Finally, she added in an even quieter whisper:
"A-about earlier... I need time to think... It was so awful, just remembering makes me angry... B-but I probably won't leave you."
Though Karuizawa stammered the entire time, Kaoru understood exactly what she meant.
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