Ever since helping Airi Sakura drive off a certain shop employee, Kaoru Mitoma had been harassing her from time to time.

Having once worked as a producer, Kaoru was all too familiar with this kind of behavior—so much so that he didn't even need to think before casually typing out words that would make an idol's heart skip a beat.

Normally, idols rarely managed their own social media accounts.

With so many things to handle, they usually left it to their managers.

Sometimes, agencies would outright take control of an idol's accounts, believing it was the best way to protect them.

But Airi Sakura was alone.

Whether it was kindness from fans or malicious harassment, she had to endure it all by herself.

Kaoru stared at the messages on his phone, his mind drifting back to the wishes tied to her.

[Use Airi Sakura's photos as faping material right in front of her.]

[Take some questionable gravure shots of the little idol.]

[I love seeing Airi Sakura's flustered, helpless expression.]

[I want Shizuku-chan to reply instantly!]

[Wifey wifey, please marry me!]

There was no helping it—most of the wishes attached to her were outright deranged.

Kaoru suspected they came from her fans.

"Next time, send him a photo of my legs instead."

"Huh? Is that... okay?"

"I don't have leg hair, so he shouldn't be able to tell. But you shouldn't keep indulging his demands. Human desires only grow."

"O-Okay..."

Airi must have been struggling.

As the harassment grew worse, she had finally confessed her identity to Kaoru, who was now trying to help her deal with the problem.

Since Kaoru was a student council officer and had previously fixed Airi's camera, he was the only person she could trust right now.

"Sakura-san, I have an idea."

"What is it?"

"Try inviting him to meet in person. Tell him you'll agree to be with him. I'll be nearby to help you catch him."

"O-Okay!!!"

Airi seemed excited and immediately sent the message to Kaoru's alternate account.

Naturally, the alternate account rejected her invitation.

"Mitoma-kun... it didn't work. He said he just wants to watch over me from afar..."

Even through text, Kaoru could sense Airi's disappointment.

He casually comforted her and taught her some standard idol tactics for dealing with obsessive fans.

Not only that—as a veteran of the idol industry, Kaoru smoothly began feeding her grand promises, slowly drawing out her dreams and aspirations.

By the end of it, Airi's mood had clearly improved.

"Still, I can't quite understand why some people are so strange?"

Kaoru pondered briefly before answering Airi's question.

"Because there are many kinds of liking."

"Many kinds?" Airi seemed unable to grasp this concept.

Not just idols—any normal girl would find such harassment disgusting.

"Some are happy just looking at you, some want you to improve, some want to monopolize you, some want to vent all their desires on you, and some would rather destroy you than let you go..."

"Positive liking, negative liking—humans are contradictory emotional creatures."

These were common occurrences in the idol industry, at least for Kaoru, who had grown accustomed to them, though he often engaged in online battles with haters.

Airi remained silent for a long time.

As a minor internet celebrity, she must have encountered such fans occasionally.

"So... should I be more positive about it?"

Whether it was positive or negative affection from fans, should she respond with an enthusiastic smile and actively accept their feelings?

"Fans have the right to like you, and you have the right to dislike certain fans."

Kaoru understood Airi's mindset well.

Many idols struggled with this, convincing themselves it was unavoidable and then turning a blind eye.

In reality, there was always a faint, lingering thorn in their hearts—a slight disturbance would make them feel uneasy, instinctively avoiding comments or forcing themselves to accept malicious remarks.

Kaoru Mitoma had a solution for this.

"Next time something like this happens, treat them the same way you'd treat anyone you dislike."

For example, Madoka Higuchi mostly ignored such comments, while Fuyuko Mayuzumi's responses were somewhat terrifying.

"I'll try..."

Airi Sakura sounded uncertain, her unease could be feel even to Kaoru.

"Don't worry, I'll always be by your side."

...

The next day, Katsuragi delivered bad news to Class A.

Some students in Class D were dissatisfied.

Since this was a collaboration between two classes, conflicts over profit distribution were inevitable.

Beyond the grade rankings, even individual rewards could spark prolonged disputes.

There were two types of individual rewards: Personal Points and exam score bonuses.

Though most Class A students didn't care about individual rewards, when it came to points, they had no choice but to fight for them.

Naturally, this led to discontent in Class D.

Especially Sudou Ken, who saw these rewards and points as practically within his grasp—there was no need to share them with Class A.

Moreover, he was now Class D's commander.

However, some in Class D agreed with Katsuragi proposal, such as Horikita Suzune and Yukimura Teruhiko.

Their reasoning was simple: having Class A's involvement would reduce Class D's pressure.

Through fair distribution, they could balance the disadvantages of certain students, preventing them from falling too far behind.

Horikita Suzune's thoughts were even simpler.

She wanted to prioritize securing Class D's points, ensuring victory in the group battles while maintaining a high grade ranking.

Perhaps still harboring some illusions, she didn't fully agree to the collaboration.

Instead, she seized the opportunity to propose an idea.

Since Class D had many students skilled in sports, they couldn't let Class A dictate everything.

On the field, it would ultimately come down to hard skills, so each side's interests should be determined by their abilities.

In other words, Class A must compete against Class D to determine which class is stronger.

The stronger class will naturally secure more benefits.

"They plan to hold the competition this afternoon. Considering time constraints, only students skilled in sports will participate, though others are welcome to watch if interested."

After saying this, Katsuragi called out the names of over a dozen students, including Kaoru Mitoma and Kamuro Masumi.

"Tch, a bunch of trash daring to challenge us in Class A? Who even gave them the courage?" Totsuka Yahiko sneered at Class D's invitation.

Not just him, most of the students present shared similar thoughts.

After all, Class D's performance had been too conspicuous, leaving a deep impression on them.

Today should make them rein it in a bit.

Kaoru Mitoma recalled watching Class D's practice session yesterday.