Due to the cooldown effect of "Black-framed Glasses," Kaoru exchanged for a "Teleportation Scroll" outside the school and successfully teleported back to campus.
However, perhaps because it was his first time using it, the landing spot wasn't ideal—he nearly fell into the artificial lake.
By now, it was already past 8 PM.
After straightening his clothes, Kaoru returned to the student dormitory.
Yet, when he noticed light seeping from under his door, his heart skipped a beat.
Before leaving in the morning, he had specifically told Karuizawa that he had business to attend to today.
Karuizawa shouldn't have come over, and it was unlikely to be Ichinose either—she had a date with him tomorrow.
Kushida, then?
Kaoru couldn't figure it out, so he pushed open the door, only to find Horikita Suzune standing in the entryway, arms crossed, her beautiful face cold with indifference.
'Where did she get a key?'
For a moment, Kaoru froze.
Just then, a figure suddenly rushed out from the side and swiftly slammed the door shut behind him.
"Who were you on a date with today?"
As the voice rang out, the person hugged him from behind, her warm, soft chest pressing against his back while her slender hands roamed his pockets with mischievous intent.
Clearly, the one behind him was Kushida.
"No one. I was handling business," Kaoru replied, sensing that the two had been lying in wait for him.
If he had brought a girl back tonight, he'd have been in deep trouble.
"What kind of business requires you to leave your phone in your room?" Kushida didn't believe him. Dressed this sharply for "business"?
Without waiting for an answer, she rummaged through his pockets but found nothing suspicious—only a sheet of paper.
Frowning, she asked, "What's this?"
"My assets," Kaoru said, taking it back from her. "With this, I dare say no one in Class A can compare to me."
"That's quite the claim."
Though Kushida wasn't particularly interested in Class A, his absolute certainty piqued her curiosity.
Kaoru handed the document—more accurately, the contract—to Horikita across from him.
Puzzled, Horikita took it, but the moment she read its contents, her eyes widened in shock.
"Is this real?"
"Of course," Kaoru said. "There are also a few blank checks below. I could burn money like scrap paper right now if I wanted."
"Impossible. The Shinomiya Financial Group is one of the Big Four conglomerates. How could you possibly have something like this?" Horikita instinctively rejected the idea.
This was a financial behemoth with assets in the hundreds of trillions, controlling thousands of subsidiaries and holding Japan's economic lifeline in its grasp!
Though Kouenji Rosuke was also the son of a major conglomerate, compared to this titan, he was merely an ordinary scion of a prestigious family.
Yet, Kaoru had produced a transfer contract—someone voluntarily relinquishing their shares, inexplicably transferring 1% of the Shinomiya Financial Group's equity to him.
Had it been shares in a subsidiary, Horikita might have reluctantly believed it.
But this was equity in the Shinomiya main family.
Even just 1% meant the contract was worth trillions of yen!
The problem was—he wasn't even a Shinomiya!
Horikita racked her brains but couldn't recall anyone named Kaoru in the Shinomiya Financial Group, unless Kaoru had changed his surname—perhaps he was originally a Shinomiya.
Wait, that doesn't add up!
Suddenly, she remembered another financial group whose surname was Mitoma.
In recent years, they had been making waves, implementing numerous reforms and aggressively expanding overseas through mergers and acquisitions.
"Stop overthinking it. I'm not anyone's son," Kaoru interrupted her train of thought.
"This document is genuine, but I can't explain its origins to you."
When he had obtained "1% of Shinomiya Financial Group's shares," Kaoru had already formed a rough guess.
Running an idol agency meant he occasionally dealt with these financial groups—after all, making money inevitably involved navigating the world of corporate giants.
Seeing familiar names, Kaoru suppressed the urge to act immediately.
Only today, with the security of "Black-framed Glasses" and a "Teleportation Scroll," did he finally step beyond the school gates of ANHS.
As expected, he hadn't been transported to another world.
No wonder Hasebe Haruka often remarked how much he resembled a certain celebrity.
How could he not?
Besides, he had only appeared on a few variety shows with Tooru and the others—he never intended to debut as an idol himself.
There was no way he was a star!
Kaoru remembered dying around the age of 25, only to be brought to this world by the Wish Machine and thrust into the role of a producer.
By the time he died a second time, he must have been 27.
Now, at 17, a full decade younger, it was impressive that Hasebe Haruka had recognized him at all.
Beyond verifying things firsthand, Kaoru had also exchanged for "1% of Shinomiya Financial Group's shares" today.
Thanks to the effect of the "Black Formal Suit," the Shinomiya family, wary of provoking him, didn't dare cause trouble during the transfer.
They probably assumed he was some privileged heir of the Mitoma Financial Group, making a move against the Shinomiya empire.
With the shares secured, Kaoru began drafting another contract.
This had been his original plan, but after recently obtaining the "Cup of Greed" and "The Midas Touch," his schemes could now unfold with even greater ease.
"You're being so cryptic! What on earth are you two talking about?" Kushida, unable to contain her curiosity any longer, finally released her grip on Kaoru and sidled up to Horikita Suzune.
Seizing the opportunity, Kaoru smoothly slipped past them into the hall, where he spotted his phone on the table.
He powered it on and checked it briefly, exhaling in relief—neither of them had pulled any pranks.
"A trillion!?"
In an instant, Kushida's voice echoed through the entire room.
"You're being too loud," Horikita frowned before calmly analyzing. "This is an asset valuation. It might not actually be worth a trillion, and no one could produce that much liquidity on the spot. Still, these shares could overpower many major corporations."
Kushida shuddered, swallowing hard. "T-this is terrifying!"
They were all just high school students—how could something like this suddenly appear?
Kouenji Rosuke was one thing.
He always did as he pleased, and Kushida had long since stopped acknowledging his existence.
Besides, she'd never seen any signs of extreme wealth from him.
But for Kaoru to casually produce a contract worth trillions? That completely shocked her.
"It's not that scary. I can't just let you support me forever, can I?" Kaoru stood behind, watching the two girls at the entrance.
"Ordinary people can't 'Take all.' Having multiple wives has always been the privilege of the wealthy—that's just the reality of material conditions."
Horikita Suzune shot him a cold glance, while Kushida curled her lips in disdain.
"That sounds awful. Who wants to be one of your multiple wives? Don't think holding this will make us obedient."
"Frankly, I don't care about this," Horikita Suzune said, shoving the contract back into his hands.
"The only reason I agreed to your shady deal is because I find you barely tolerable, not because of this."
It seemed they were both a bit sensitive—perhaps the impact of the equity was too overwhelming, making them think Kaoru intended to solve everything with money.
"I never said I'd use money to keep you as lovers," Kaoru said, putting the contract away.
"Even marriage requires financial backing, or your parents would never agree."
Horikita and Kushida both froze.
Marriage? What was he talking about?
"W-wait a minute! Explain yourself! What do you mean by marriage?!" Kushida grabbed Kaoru's collar, her face flushed red, making it hard to tell if she was angry or embarrassed.
"Legally, getting a certificate might be impossible, but we could still hold a wedding—say, in a private setting where only your families and friends would know."
His face was right in front of hers, his expression one she saw often, yet Kushida could feel his sincerity.
He wasn't joking at all!
Even if it was sweet talk, hearing it like this—how could she possibly stay indifferent?
"You shameless foot-fetishist! Aren't you embarrassed saying things like this?" Kushida suppressed her emotions, putting on a fierce front.
"You're just being lecherous. Cut the act—who'd marry you?"
"How else am I supposed to take responsibility?" Kaoru leaned closer, not letting her to refuse.
"Or should I just watch you marry another man?"
His breath brushed her lips, their eyes locked at this intimate distance, making Kushida's chest heave uncontrollably, her breathing ragged.
Seeing this, Horikita confirmed her suspicion—Kaoru genuinely loved all of them, not just her alone.
Strangely, Kushida's reaction didn't seem like she was being forced by him.
Realizing this, Horikita felt exasperated.
Had the two of them teamed up to bully her for fun?