Airi leaned against the wall, her once-warm body growing colder by the second.

Her face turned pale, and she desperately wanted to flee, but her legs felt as if they were weighed down by tons of lead, refusing to move.

Not only that, she even had to cover her mouth to keep them from hearing her.

Tears welled in her eyes, threatening to spill over at any moment.

So the pervert was Kaoru all along.

He had deceived her, played with her emotions, and was clearly just another lecher after her.

Right now, the girl's shoulders trembled uncontrollably.

Her throat tightened as tears pooled in her hollow eyes, and a heart-wrenching pain tore through her chest.

She was terrified of hearing Kaoru's answer.

"Shiho, that statement of yours makes it hard for me to deny. My orientation is cute, beautiful girls, and Airi just happens to be one. Though at first, I hadn't planned to approach her like this."

Just moments ago, Airi would have blushed at those words.

Now, all she felt was confusion—even revulsion.

She didn't want to hear his voice anymore.

Then, fury surged within her.

He kept calling her cute, yet his actions were no different from a pervert's.

What made him any better than those other men?

What angered Airi even more was the possibility that Kaoru had been lying from the very beginning.

Thinking back, when Kaoru took her camera, he must have discovered her secret.

That was why a pervert had suddenly appeared—who would've guessed Kaoru had another face?

Because Kaoru had fixed her camera, he'd learned about the store clerk's existence, then dealt with him.

Not only had he harassed her through a sock puppet account, but he'd also openly accepted her gratitude.

No wonder that pervert knew how to take such good photos—they were the same person all along.

Airi's entire body shook. She could no longer tell which version of Kaoru was real.

Had every word he said been a carefully crafted lie?

The beautiful dream she'd cherished had shattered in an instant.

She would rather have been torn apart by them than learn this truth.

It was too cruel.

"Master could've kept hiding it, right?" The girl's voice dripped with pity.

"She seems so clueless. Even if you deceived her until graduation, she probably wouldn't have noticed. Now you've just wasted a sock puppet account."

"I never intended to deceive her. The reason I used that account was because I wanted to do this to her myself. Every idol deals with obsessive fans—if I'm the one handling it, at least I can control the extent of it."

Airi Sakura froze, because Kaoru's words felt eerily familiar to her—he had said something similar before, telling her she should learn how to deal with perverts.

"Could it be that Master just wanted to train her?" The girl sounded slightly jealous.

"You could've just left her alone. With a glasses-wearing girl like her, you could probably get her into bed with just a flick of your finger, right?"

"I remember you weren't the type to have nothing but dirty thoughts in your head."

"Like master, like slave. After all, you've made me do those kinds of things before, haven't you?"

"..."

Airi had initially been happy, but hearing the other girl repeatedly call him "Master," her expression darkened.

Who was this self-proclaimed slave?

The voice didn't sound like any of the girls in their class, nor did it resemble Sakayanagi Arisu, Kamuro Masumi, Ichinose Honami, or Tachibana Akane.

It was completely unfamiliar—someone she didn't know at all.

Yet, the girl's words gave Airi a glimmer of hope.

If she looked at things from another angle—what if Kaoru Mitoma had only pretended to be a pervert for her sake?

If that were the case, then the outcome wasn't so bad after all.

"How enviable. Master went so far as to act like a pervert, then gave her advice on how to deal with one, all while winning her heart. Does Master really like her that much?"

In an instant, Airi held her breath.

Even before knowing the truth, Kaoru's plan had already succeeded—she had indeed developed feelings for him that went beyond friendship.

But what truly moved Airi wasn't that Kaoru had helped her deal with a pervert.

It was the comfort she felt around him, whether it was their everyday conversations or the way he quietly supported her from behind the scenes.

Even though study sessions had been intense lately, and she couldn't chat as effortlessly as Hasebe Haruka, she had at least made a friend or two—taking her first step forward.

She truly believed that, with Kaoru's help, she would make even more friends, freeing her lonely heart from its desolate past and stepping into a brighter future.

Because no one could remain isolated forever.

Even though she hadn't shown the slightest hint of it, Kaoru had still managed to grasp her thoughts.

Realizing this, Airi felt from the bottom of her heart that having Kaoru by her side was wonderful—that meeting him in high school was a blessing.

"What kind of 'like' are you asking about?"

Kaoru's voice made Airi's heart skip a beat.

If he had only taken such measures to help her adapt to dealing with perverts, she could accept that.

Compared to perverts or anything else, what Airi feared most was losing Kaoru.

Once that fear was dismissed, her girlish curiosity returned.

She wondered how Kaoru truly saw her, her heart fluttering with nervous anticipation.

"Um… physical attraction?" The girl sounded uncertain.

"Who wouldn't like a beautiful idol?" Kaoru found the question odd. "If someone doesn't like Airi, they must be gay."

Airi nearly gasped.

If he was physically attracted to her, didn't that mean Kaoru saw her as someone of the opposite sex?

"Does the master also have an emotional preference?" The girl racked her brains.

"Does the master like them a bit foolish?"

Airi Sakura wanted to rush out—who is she calling a fool?

"In terms of personality, it's probably because she's fun to be around."

As if recalling something, Kaoru couldn't help but smile.

"She does seem foolish in your eyes—insecure, slow-witted, hesitant in speech, extremely timid, always wearing a gloomy expression, like some tasteless, plain girl with no presence at all."

Airi froze.

Was she really that awful?

"But who says a background character can't have something interesting about her?"

"In places we don't see, she secretly uses her camera to document her life. Because the sunset is beautiful, she hides in a classroom of the special teaching building to take photos. Because the sports festival is important, she sneaks around alone, snapping pictures of others."

"Despite being a beautiful idol, she dresses like a complete frump. When faced with a creep, she doesn't dare resist and flees in fear, even going so far as to delude herself by wearing a trench coat and sunglasses, wrapping herself up like a rice dumpling. When criticized online, she doesn't dare clap back, instead trying to explain herself. When harassed, she leaves messages on 'read,' thinking she can avoid it all."

"Even though she's cowardly and afraid, she still chooses to attend my study sessions. Her grades aren't bad, but they're not great either. Though she struggles, she pretends 'I'm not worried,' too scared to ask questions or meet my eyes, terrified her lie of pretending to understand will be exposed."

"Still, I haven't yet grasped more of her inner self. Or rather, it'd be far too arrogant to assume I could deduce what kind of person she is from just a few conversations."

Hearing these words, Airi touched her cheeks—something warm was streaming down.

How strange.

She hadn't planned to cry, yet tears kept falling.

Her whole body trembled, wrapped in a comforting warmth that enveloped her tender heart.

For the first time, Airi learned Kaoru's thoughts—and for the first time, she realized someone could see her this way.

"It seems the master has already fallen for her." The girl's voice dripped with resentment.

"After we 'deal with' this creep tonight, she might just throw herself into your arms. After all, the master isn't a creep—she'd feel safe with you, right?"

Airi grew flustered.

She hadn't thrown herself into anyone's arms yet!

"A creep?" Kaoru sounded puzzled. "Who said I'm not a creep?"

"Eh?" Both the girl and Airi were stunned.

"I said it earlier, didn't I? The reason I harassed her with a burner account is because I genuinely had those thoughts. From an idol's perspective, I quite like her."

"Wait, so master was actually her fan all along?!"

"I suppose I'm a new fan."

"No, no, no, no—this is too weird! Were the things master sent her real? Were all those messages truly the master's honest thoughts?"

"Some weren't. I was just riding the mood and spouting nonsense."

"..."

Airi stood frozen, utterly dumbfounded.

So Kaoru really did have strange feelings for her?

The messages she'd received were his genuine thoughts?

From Kaoru deceiving her, to Kaoru training her, and now to Kaoru being a genuine pervert—these revelations were far too overwhelming for Airi Sakura.

"If that's the case, Master, you shouldn't give up on your alt account. Wouldn't it be fun to tease her every day?"

"There has to be a limit to teasing. Airi is really uneasy right now—I can't just ignore her feelings and keep acting recklessly."

"It's not like you'd actually do it!"

"She doesn't know that. For her, all of this could very well become reality someday."

"But deep down, Master really wants to do weird things to her, doesn't he?"

"..."

Airi Sakura desperately covered her mouth.

She no longer felt sadness or distress.

After hearing Kaoru's words, she believed this was the same Kaoru she had always known—his true nature hadn't changed at all.

However, she never expected that Kaoru would be her fan and harbor such feelings toward her.

Just the thought that all the messages Kaoru had sent her under his alternate account were genuine made Airi Sakura flustered beyond belief.

So, this was how he had always seen her—how he had always restrained his feelings.

No, she had to get back to her room quickly!

The girl, who hadn't fled earlier, now abandoned all hesitation, dashing back to her room like a startled deer.

Hearing the footsteps, Kaoru glanced back.

"She heard everything, Master." Shiho Manabe smiled faintly. "To have guessed even this… as expected of you."

As she spoke, she wrapped her arms around Kaoru's, pressing her slightly plump chest close enough for him to feel its softness.

Though it couldn't compare to Airi's proportions, it was still nothing to scoff at.

The person Kaoru had just contacted was Shiho Manabe.

Tonight's plan could only involve those he trusted completely—Kushida Kikyo wouldn't do.

"If you're going to do something like that, you should at least give her an explanation. Since I couldn't tell her directly, I figured letting her overhear would be the next best thing." Kaoru had known all along that Airi was eavesdropping.

In fact, he had planned it that way.

Despite Airi's usual timid demeanor, she had a strong desire to change.

Given the right push, she could convince herself to break free from her cowardice.

"How cruel. Now she's completely fallen into your hands, hasn't she?" Shiho couldn't help feeling a little jealous.

Even if Kaoru was setting a trap, at least his words had been sweet.

She wouldn't mind being deceived like that just once.

"You think I'm lying to her?" Kaoru glanced at her but didn't pull his arm from her embrace.

"Aren't you?" Shiho was puzzled.

If he knew Airi would eavesdrop, a little white lie wouldn't have been hard to pull off.

Airi probably wouldn't have noticed and would've believed it wholeheartedly.

Recognizing her thoughts, Kaoru chuckled softly.

"This time, it's the truth. I really do want to understand her better."

Shiho's eyes widened in shock, and she froze for a long moment.

...

To sell the act, Kaoru lingered outside a while longer, as if tying up loose ends, before finally returning to Airi's room alone.

Ding—

The doorbell rang, but Airi didn't come to answer it right away.

Kaoru steadied himself.

Though everything tonight—even the deliberate closeness with Airi in bed—had been orchestrated for this moment, to ensure she wouldn't build too many walls in her heart, he was no omnipotent god.

Sometimes, a girl's heart was hard to decipher.

He didn't know if Airi could accept him as he was.

Just as he was about to press the doorbell again, the door suddenly opened—only for a pair of stockings to appear right before his eyes.

They seemed to still carry their owner's warmth, the very stockings Airi had taken off not long ago.

"U-Um, p-please… make full use of these stockings!"

For some reason, Airi bowed deeply, her face burning red, as if offering a sacred tribute.

The gesture left Kaoru momentarily stunned.

"...Use them?"

"Y-Yes, no matter what Kaoru-kun wants to do with these... stockings, I'll pretend not to see anything!"

Kaoru Mitoma fell silent.

What exactly did she think he wanted to do with the stockings?