One sought to reform him, the other was willing to reform herself for him.

Their approaches couldn't have been more different.

After returning to his room from the emergency stairwell, Kaoru found himself pondering a question.

Regardless of what Karuizawa was thinking, what exactly did Honami believe needed changing about him?

Though she always claimed it wasn't solely about Kaoru—that she wanted to bring change to the school—he could still discern some of her thoughts.

In Honami's eyes, Kaoru was likely nothing more than a lecherous pervert.

To prevent him from targeting her friends, she had offered herself as the sacrificial lamb.

Judging from recent behavior, Honami was also enjoying the pleasure he brought.

As for the part about the Wish Machine's wishes, it was obviously impossible to tell anyone.

There was no way to explain that Kaoru initially treated them as mission NPCs.

Yes, precisely because of this mindset, not only Honami but even Sakayanagi could keenly sense his attitude.

Taking matters of intimacy too seriously was inherently unreasonable.

Even though they had no experience with carnal desires, their ability to read people's hearts clearly surpassed that of ordinary high school students.

In the previous world, for the same reason, Kaoru's relationships with the idols had once become extremely strained.

Now, Kaoru couldn't help but recall everything he had done so far.

Just as Honami had said, after going through so much, could he really bear to see women he'd been intimate with turn and embrace other men?

Probably not.

No normal man could endure that—such was the ugly nature of possessiveness.

Because he had always thought, 'Worst case, I'll just move to the next world—out of sight, out of mind', Kaoru had hanged himself without hesitation.

Yet even after reincarnating into another world, he still couldn't forget the idols.

Kaoru rubbed his face and sighed.

Could it be that he was the one now filled with regret?

Originally, he had wanted to conduct an experiment on possessiveness with Karuizawa—after becoming intimate, he would see if he truly couldn't stand the sight of her being close with her boyfriend.

But now, Karuizawa had outright refused to play along.

Of course, Kaoru wouldn't resent her for it.

He simply needed to reflect on himself—approaching someone without prior understanding had inevitably led to an unfavorable outcome.

"I'm heading out for a bit."

That night, after informing Hashimoto Masayoshi and the others, Kaoru left the room alone.

"Don't come back too late. Lights out at midnight," Hashimoto Masayoshi said, assuming he was meeting Sakayanagi, given that the exam results were about to be announced.

However, the person Kaoru was meeting tonight wasn't Sakayanagi Arisu.

*****

In the quiet of the night, moonlight spilled through the clouds, slowly diffusing across the deck, gradually blending with the neon lights until the boundaries became indistinct.

Moving slightly away from where students usually gathered, Kaoru soon spotted the figures of several girls.

They seemed to have just finished bathing.

The first to catch his eye was a petite girl, her slightly damp hair falling beside her ears, her delicate face wearing an expression of reverence.

The moment she saw him, she disregarded all onlookers and obediently knelt on the ground.

"I'm sorry for causing you trouble today, Master!"

Following her lead, the two girls behind her also prostrated themselves in fear, performing what could be called a textbook kneeling apology.

Kaoru looked at the girl before him—more precisely, at Shiho Manabe.

"Don't kneel. Stand up and speak."

"As you command!"

At Kaoru's order, Shiho Manabe obediently stood up, though her eyes still held a trace of nervousness.

"Since someone already knows about today's incident, the contract has failed. The penalty is absolute loyalty to me. Any objections?"

Yes, the moment Kaoru saw them bullying Karuizawa, he immediately knew what to do.

"No, serving our master is our honor," Shiho Manabe replied.

"Don't say that. Even though the contract effect has taken hold, I know you still have your own consciousness," Kaoru Mitoma said calmly.

"Doesn't it feel strange? Doesn't it feel terrifying?"

Shiho bit her lip and whispered, "It is terrifying... I don't know why, but my mind is now filled only with loyalty to you, Master."

The effect of the Reward Contract was akin to instant brainwashing—not only was the conditioning 100% complete, but it also preserved the target's self-awareness to the greatest extent.

Kaoru glanced at the other two girls and asked softly.

"What are your names?"

"Yamashita Saki," answered a girl with braided hair in a small voice.

"I'm Yabu Nanami," said the other, who had shoulder-length hair and wore an equally tense expression.

Neither of them harbored any wishes—they were clearly ordinary people.

However, Shiho Manabe herself didn't have many wishes either, even fewer than Morishita Ai and Miki Yamamura.

"Take off your clothes," Kaoru ordered Shiho.

Shiho stiffened, her face paling, but she merely pressed her lips together and nodded softly.

"As you command, Master."

Even though there might be passersby nearby, she still obediently carried out Kaoru's order.

Her hands moved to her shirt, slowly undoing the buttons one by one.

Under the moonlight, the faint outline of her slightly rounded chest became visible.

Shiho closed her eyes, her long lashes trembling slightly.

Her body was now exposed for the first time.

"One more," Kaoru continued.

The girl's hands trembled as she reached behind her back, fumbling clumsily.

After several attempts, a soft click sounded and the remaining garment slid down.

Her smooth shoulders and delicate collarbones were now fully exposed under the moonlight, her flawless skin glowing faintly.

Every inch of her was captivating, a stark contrast to the arrogant demeanor she had displayed during the day—now replaced with absolute submission.

Kaoru watched silently for a while.

Though Shiho tried to hide it, her awkward hands and the embarrassment and shyness in her eyes betrayed her inner turmoil.

"How do you feel?"

"V-very embarrassed..."

"Did you ever think about stopping or running away?"

"No... Whatever Master commands, I will obey."

"Put your clothes back on."

"Eh?"

Shiho stared at him in confusion, her voice tinged with panic, like a puppy suddenly abandoned.

"D-does Master not want to continue...?"

In her mind, since she had already undressed, what came next was obvious.

"I won't do it. I just wanted to test the effect," Kaoru said, pausing briefly. "Besides, even if I did, you'd still feel reluctant, wouldn't you?"

Shiho froze for a moment before silently putting her clothes back on.

Well, she hadn't actually taken them off completely—just unbuttoned her shirt, revealing her soft, small chest.

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