Ichinose Honami showed no reaction to Sakayanagi Arisu's interruption, continuing to chat and laugh as she led everyone to the cinema.
Kaoru had wondered if she might try something in the theater, but all she did was quietly hold his hand in the darkness—nothing more.
"You've worked hard today," Ichinose Honami murmured, leaning slightly closer.
"Not really. There wasn't anything particularly tiring today, was there?" Kaoru glanced at her face, illuminated by the screen's glow, making her look even more pristine and alluring.
"are you looking forward to a date with just the two of us?" Ichinose Honami kept her eyes fixed on the screen but spoke in a volume only they could hear.
Denying it now would be a lie.
"If things progress too quickly, we might end up doing things couples do," Kaoru whispered, subtly stroking her small soft hand.
Ichinose Honami's cheeks flushed slightly, clearly understanding his implication.
Pressing her lips together, she whispered, "No... we're not really a couple yet."
What did 'really a couple' even mean?
Though she didn't say it outright, Kaoru understood her meaning.
Their relationship was far from pure.
Starting from blackmail, even if it progressed to the final step, no genuine feelings would ever form.
There was only one way to break this dynamic.
Kaoru remained silent, letting the screen's flickering light wash over him as the characters onscreen held hands, gazing up at fireworks blooming across the sky.
"Wow—"
Shiranami Chihiro let out a small gasp, intently watching the rare kissing scene.
Her ears reddened slightly, as if she had thought of something.
Meanwhile, Amikura Mako, seated beside Kaoru, grew increasingly engrossed as the movie's plot unfolded.
"Hey, you heard about Mako-chan's fortune earlier, right?" Ichinose Honami suddenly remarked.
"Love fortune-telling?" Kaoru Mitoma had noticed Amikura Mako's expression at the time.
"She wanted to have her true love divined. That old woman was being all mysterious—I have no idea what she was thinking."
Ichinose Honami suddenly tightened her grip on Kaoru Mitoma's hand, as if she was angry.
"Ow."
"I don't believe you. You must know what she's thinking."
"Didn't you tell me not to think about her?"
Ichinose Honami bit her lip, unsure what to say.
In her role as the older sister figure, she should be stopping either Kaoru Mitoma or Amikura Mako.
Yet ever since hearing Amikura Mako's troubles, she'd felt hesitant, while also blaming herself somewhat.
It seemed she'd done something wrong, resulting in Amikura Mako being caught in some kind of pain and conflict.
Honestly, if Kaoru Mitoma could just change his ways a little, Honami would probably be considering whether to set the two of them up.
"How do you feel about Mako-chan's true love?" Ichinose Honami asked nervously.
She knew some boys cared if a girl had liked someone before—it could bother them.
"Don't feel anything. I've never met the guy," Kaoru Mitoma said. "Though I am a little curious. She hasn't confessed, has she?"
"No, Mako-chan's never even been in a relationship." As she said this, Ichinose Honami suddenly realized she was just as inexperienced in love herself.
The closest she'd gotten to a boy was with Kaoru Mitoma.
Thinking about how she'd not only lost her first kiss to him, but also let him touch her legs, butt, and breasts—pretty much everywhere—the girl couldn't help feeling ashamed.
"That's pretty normal. I had a crush on a girl before too, but after not seeing her for a while, I can't even remember what she looked like."
The moment he finished speaking, Kaoru Mitoma clamped his mouth shut.
"Kaoru had a crush on a girl?"
Sure enough, Ichinose Honami turned her gaze on him.
"What kind of girl was she?"
Though he didn't detect any signs of anger, some primal instinct still made Kaoru tense up, as if a chill had shot straight through his organs.
"I can't remember anymore, sorry." Kaoru kept his cool.
He knew this was a conditioned reflex left over from his past life—being surrounded by women had inevitably made him sensitive.
Ichinose Honami watched him quietly for a moment before looking away.
Just when Kaoru thought the topic was over, she suddenly spoke again.
"By the way, what's your relationship with Sakayanagi-san?"
This was something Kaoru Mitoma also wanted to explain quickly.
In many people's eyes, he and Sakayanagi Arisu were practically a package deal.
During the deserted island test, Sakayanagi's faction had already treated him as one of their own.
"Classmates. And I guess you could say we're friends," Kaoru Mitoma said after some thought.
"You know about our bet—she lost recently and is a bit sore about it."
Ichinose Honami smiled faintly and said nothing more.
Faced with this situation, Kaoru Mitoma began sweating bullets.
Though the two of them weren't officially dating, for some reason Ichinose Honami carried herself with an unshakable composure that was no less imposing than Sakayanagi Arisu's.
Especially when remembering Karuizawa Kei's suggestion, Kaoru felt even more guilty.
At that moment, Ichinose Honami seemed to pick up on his mood, the corners of her lips quirking up slightly.
"I'm glad you could explain these things to me, Kaoru-kun."
Kaoru Mitoma froze for a moment, then immediately noticed she was tightly gripping his hand—just like a real girlfriend would—with a trace of bashfulness flashing through her eyes.
After that, the movie ended.
...
When Kaoru Mitoma returned to the dormitory, he found a girl squatting at his door.
"What are you doing here?"
"Waiting for you to come back, obviously. Hurry up and open the door—it's boiling out here."
Hearing her complaint, Kaoru was momentarily at a loss for words.
The girl was none other than Masumi Kamuro, whom he had just met at the Keyaki Mall.
He felt the need to emphasize this because Kaoru genuinely wondered if she was missing a screw or two sometimes.
"How long have you been waiting?" Kaoru asked while unlocking the door.
"Not long. I came down as soon as I saw your location." Masumi couldn't be bothered to hide it anymore—she'd already slipped up earlier.
"Did Sakayanagi send you to spy on me again?" Kaoru stepped inside.
"What do you want to drink?"
"Do you have hot cocoa?"
"No."
"Then never mind."
When Kaoru glanced back, he saw her bending over in the entryway, her small fingers hooking her shoes before slipping them off, revealing her clean bare feet.
"Disgusting stare, you foot fetishist." Masumi glared at him coldly.
"If you know I'm a foot fetishist and still walked in here, doesn't that make you the bigger pervert?" Kaoru retorted irritably.
"Why wouldn't I dare?" Masumi muttered under her breath. "I bet you've already licked your way through not just Class A but girls from other classes too, huh?"
To be honest, aside from Ichinose, Sakayanagi, and Horikita, Kamuro Masumi had been present for every one of Kaoru's "exploits"—practically the frontline reporter.
Though she'd only witnessed Kikyo Kushida firsthand.
Still, Masumi wasn't an idiot.
Some things were obvious just from context.
"Did you come here just to insult me?" Kaoru sighed.
Masumi scanned his room before unceremoniously plopping onto his bed, looking faintly surprised.
"I thought your room would be full of porn things, with you watching lewd stuff all day..."
Noticing Kaoru's expression darkening, she abruptly changed the subject.
"What was that about earlier?"
"What do you mean?"
"You were with that beauty from Class B. Shouldn't you at least try to tone it down a little?"
Amused, Kaoru studied her indifferent expression.
"Are you lecturing me, Kamuro?"
"Sakayanagi will lose to you sooner or later. She doesn't even resist your perverted demands, and you already have Kushida. Isn't that enough for you?" Masumi paused.
"Even if you get a girlfriend someday, do you really think she'd accept this side of you?"
Kaoru was taken aback—he hadn't expected her to have a sense of justice.
[Masumi Kamuro: Jealous, irritated, conflicted...]
[Recommendation: Comply with her words, comfort her, lick her thighs and fondle her breasts to significantly boost target's affection.]
Never mind.
He'd overestimated her.
"My stance is simple," Kaoru said quietly. "I like you—and I like everyone else too."
Masumi froze for a second, too stunned to even blush before anger took over.
"Hey, do you have any idea how awful it is to say that to a girl's face?"
"And? I've already licked all over you and now you want me to abandon my responsibility?" Kaoru Mitoma spread his hands.
"Besides, perversion isn't my goal—it's just a process to understand another person."
Masumi Kamuro remained unconvinced by his twisted logic and scoffed, "Even if you can handle a 'girlfriends', society won't let you build a harem."
"I'm working on solving that problem." Kaoru Mitoma was dead serious.
His accumulated rewards had grown considerably, and someday, he might truly bend society to his will.
Masumi Kamuro thought he was daydreaming and curled her lips, "Don't even think about it. If people can't take it anymore, you'll spend the rest of your life in prison."
She had witnessed Kaoru Mitoma threatening Kushida Kikyo before, and it had left her uneasy, dissatisfied with his methods.
For once, Kaoru Mitoma had no clever retort.
"I'll keep your advice in mind, Kamuro-san."
Masumi glanced at him before leaning back, sprawling across his bed.
Since she was wearing jeans, she didn't have to worry about accidental exposure like usual.
However, lying flat like this only accentuated the curves of her chest.
"Hey!"
"Say what you want."
"I'm annoyed. Seeing you like this is irritating."
Kaoru Mitoma sat below, pouring himself tea, utterly unfazed.
"Want to stomp on me a few times to vent your frustration?"
"No." Masumi immediately refused. "That would just be rewarding you. I won't indulge you."
Sometimes, dealing with a pervert was just impossible.
For normal people, being stepped on would be humiliating.
But for a freak like Kaoru Mitoma, he'd probably take the chance to lick her feet or peek under her skirt.
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