Originally, the plan was to interrogate Kaoru—whether he was dating someone, whether he'd define their relationship.
Who could've guessed he'd already considered marriage? Kushida was momentarily flustered—she hadn't even thought about it yet.
It felt like stumbling upon the final boss right after leaving the tutorial.
After a brief panic, Kushida quickly regained her composure.
She was still a high school student; even if marriage was on the table, it'd have to wait until after graduation.
Besides, the one who should be stressed about this was Kaoru, not her!
"How can you even say that? Bigamy isn't child's play. With so many people together, just the arguments could last for days."
Kushida scoffed at his thoughts, even believing he shouldn't inform his family.
What kind of parents would agree to let their daughter marry a playboy?
"And another thing, the law doesn't allow bigamy, but it never said you can't register a marriage with someone," Kushida shot a sharp glance at Kaoru.
"This is your official wife we're talking about. Who exactly do you plan to register with?"
Kaoru was unbuttoning his Black Formal Suit when he heard her question.
After a brief pause, he replied.
"I don't plan to register with anyone. They're all mine—no need for paperwork."
Kushida felt a twinge of dissatisfaction, thinking he was just dodging the issue.
Then she noticed he had changed out of the Black Formal Suit and curiously reached out to touch the fabric.
"This feels amazing, and the style is so formal. Were you really just handling business?"
"Of course."
"I heard you were on a date with a senior student yesterday while wearing this."
"So that's why the two of you are here to ambush me?"
Now dressed in a white shirt and shorts, Kaoru felt slightly annoyed that neither of them seemed bothered by him changing clothes in front of them.
"Hehehe, why don't you use that high IQ of yours to figure it out?" Kushida sat on the bed, sinking into the soft mattress with a pleased smile.
"I wonder when Mitoma-kun plans to bring a girl home?"
Kaoru, hesitated, realizing his mistake—he hadn't properly managed their emotions.
Back at the office, Suzuki Hana and the others often reminded him not to get too absorbed in work.
"We want to know how many women you have," Horikita Suzune stated bluntly. "This time it's a senior student—next time, will it be a junior?"
'Next year's juniors aren't even here yet!' Kaoru thought to himself.
"Standing around talking is tiring. Let's sit down first."
The moment he sat down, Kushida immediately draped her legs over his shoulders.
Her petite feet, clad in white ankle socks, dangled like scoops of ice cream—her feet seemingly trying to hook around his neck as her toes playfully poked his cheek.
"See? These are your favorite feet. You'd better come clean."
Rather than seducing him, it felt more like Kushida was interrogating him.
The slight pressure of her legs on his shoulders added psychological weight, and the position left him no room to escape.
Kaoru adjusted slightly, leaning back against the bedframe.
Her calves slid down, resting on his chest, while the smooth skin of her thighs pressed against him.
Tilting his head back, he ended up nestled between her thighs.
"What are you doing?" Kushida's smile twitched.
She was wearing a pleated skirt today, leaving her thighs bare.
She could feel the warmth of his breath and the ticklish sensation of his hair brushing against her inner thighs.
"Nothing, just a bit tired today." Kaoru inhaled her scent, his eyes half-lidded.
"I do want to tell you, but will you really not get angry?"
"More than five?" Horikita Suzune ventured a guess.
Any more than that, and she couldn't even imagine the future.
How should he put it? Just by looking at Horikita's expression, Kaoru could sense Kushida behind her holding her breath.
After pondering for a moment, Kaoru decided to start from the beginning.
He recounted all the misdeeds he'd committed against Ichinose Honami, then Amikura Mako, Karuizawa Kei, and Airi Sakura, finally ending with Asahina Nazuna and Tachibana Akane.
Calculating it this way, it didn't seem too exaggerated after all.
"Including the two of us, you've actually targeted seven or eight people?" Kushida felt an indescribable emotion.
Her first reaction was that this was utterly perverted—simply scum.
Yet, when she considered it was Kaoru who did these things, it felt perfectly reasonable, even making her think the number was too small.
"Setting aside Ichinose-san for now, what about Karuizawa-san?" Horikita Suzune was equally shocked
"Wasn't she Hirata-kun's girlfriend before? You didn't even spare someone else's girlfriend?"
"Kei and Hirata were in a fake relationship. She thought having a handsome, responsible boyfriend would help her, so she asked Hirata to play the role," Kaoru explained simply.
"Later, she decided I was more suitable, so she broke up with Hirata."
"No wonder she suddenly broke up with Hirata. I thought she'd lost her mind." Kushida was quite familiar with their classmates.
Though she hadn't known the details, she had guessed their relationship was fake.
Because there was never any real couple-like atmosphere between Karuizawa and Hirata—especially Hirata's attitude.
Kushida often noticed he treated Kei with detached professionalism, offering no special treatment.
The illusion of closeness others saw was due to Kei playing the role of a gyaru to the fullest.
Naturally, a gyaru would be more energetic and lively than most girls, easily keeping conversations going with Hirata on various topics.
"I have a question." Horikita stared directly at Kaoru. "If it were just lust, that wouldn't explain your feelings toward us. You could've easily moved on to the next after playing with one. Why insist on taking all of them?"
This wasn't the first time Kaoru had faced such a question.
He hesitated before answering, "Selfish desire, I suppose. I can't stand the thought of you being with any man other than me."
"What a lecher." A glint of I-knew-it flashed in Kushida's eyes.
"From the moment I first saw you, I knew you were up to no good."
However, she didn't expect Horikita to be the one to contradict her.
"Undeniably, he is lustful. But if it were just lust, he wouldn't have said he wants to marry us earlier." Horikita pointed out.
"In fact, he doesn't even need to explain any of this to us now. He could continue threatening us like before and still fulfill his vulgar desires."
Kushida froze momentarily before retorting, "I wouldn't let him threaten me forever. Such methods only work temporarily. If he dares threaten me again, I'd rather take us both down."
"Before you could take him down, you'd likely be devoured by the very lecher you speak of." Horikita saw through it clearly.
"After all, he only wants your body. Having you would be a huge win for him—any consequences would be a problem for later."
Kushida's expression froze as she pondered carefully, realizing there was some truth to it.
If Kaoru had wanted her body and simply forced her into submission, she might have truly yielded.
Back when he had forced her, Kaoru had taken photos of her, which could easily serve as new leverage.
"Don't think of me as that despicable. Forcing someone into that kind of relationship is the lowest of acts—I wouldn't go that far," Kaoru said, somewhat frustrated.
Had his image really fallen so low?
"Obviously, you're already disgusting and utterly terrible," Kushida patted his head.
Couldn't this guy have some self-awareness?
"You still have those photos of me, don't you?"
"Want me to send them to you?" Kaoru naturally remembered the photos from back then.
"Pervert." Kushida was a little angry, though not too much.
Looking back now, aside from the humiliation, she didn't really care anymore.
Even if Kaoru wanted to take more photos, she'd probably agree.
Since Kushida knew he wouldn't share it with anyone, it could now be considered a little playful flirtation.
"Back to the main topic," Horikita said coolly. "Your previous answer was unsatisfactory. Please respond again."
This time, Kaoru remained silent for a long while.
Horikita stared at him unblinkingly, while Kushida grew inexplicably nervous.
She didn't even know why she was so tense—after all, they had agreed beforehand that she was just accompanying him in mischief, nothing more.
Before meeting Kaoru, Kushida had never even considered dating, let alone fooling around with a man.
Just a few days ago, she had even been practicing her techniques on him, feeling quite smug when she saw the helpless look on his face.
But after hearing Horikita's words yesterday, it suddenly dawned on her—she actually harbored different feelings for Kaoru.
Her thoughts had always been simple: she was a two-faced, hypocritical person who only agreed to his antics because he was even worse than her.
Kushida didn't believe someone like her could have any brightness in her life.
Just as oranges weren't the only fruit, she thought being with Kaoru like this wasn't so bad.
She had only intended to play around, but at some point—maybe during summer break, or perhaps in their daily interactions—she had unknowingly started caring about him.
She had heard that physical intimacy could deepen emotions and easily raise affection levels.
Given how often she and Kaoru fooled around, maybe her affection for him had already maxed out.
After all, she had already taken so much that her mouth couldn't hold any more.
Biting her lip, Kushida knew she cared—no matter how much she denied it, she cared deeply about Kaoru's answer, about how he saw her.
What kind of answer would he give?
"I suppose… happy," Kaoru finally said.
"I'm happy when we fool around, happy when we don't, and happiest just being with you. Having you by my side makes me feel like I might have some meaning after all."
Kushida hadn't expected such an answer.
She lowered her gaze just in time to see his faint smile—content, perhaps, or relieved.
"What an idiot," the girl murmured, unaware of the softness in her own voice as she gently patted his head.
"What kind of answer is that? Of course anyone would be happy surrounded by so many girls."
"That's exactly why I'm selfish. I want to stay this happy forever," Kaoru said quietly.
"And I don't want any of you to be unhappy. Coercion may be the start, but willingness is the only true ending."
Horikita Suzune studied his expression and sighed deeply.
There was no mistake—this was his genuine feeling.
To be honest, wanting both his own happiness and theirs was indeed a rather self-serving thought.
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