"Master, I've completed the task you assigned."

The familiar form of address came not from Kushida Kikyo, but from Shiho Manabe, whom he hadn't seen in quite some time.

In the afternoon, the girl was bathed in the golden hues of the setting sun. S

he wore her school uniform, the skirt slightly short, deliberately revealing her smooth, snow-white thighs and faintly blushing knees.

Her slender calves were clad in black knee-high socks, and the black loafers she wore would surely be the delight of many foot fetishists.

Meeting Kaoru's gaze, the gyaru slightly curled her lips, her hands clasped behind her back, her eyes sparkling as if eagerly awaiting his praise.

It had been nearly two and a half months since they last met after summer break.

Shiho Manabe was practically wagging an invisible tail behind her, staring at him with longing eyes.

Kaoru Mitoma knew full well that she had completed her mission—intentionally provoking a conflict with Class 1-B students to draw Nagumo Miyabi away, paving the way for Mizuto Mizowaki's involvement.

As for how he knew...

"Black-framed Glasses"—a reward he had recently obtained.

Wearing them would make others mistake him for someone else, though in reality, nothing about him changed.

The effect lasted for half an hour.

Once used, it entered a 24-hour cooldown period, making it one of the most powerful rewards he had ever drawn.

While Nagumo Miyabi and Mizuto Mizowaki were confronting each other, Kaoru had been watching from the sidelines.

At one point, Mizuto even naively approached him for advice.

"Mhm, you did well," Kaoru said casually, reaching out to pat her head. "What about Yamashita and the others?"

"They're still studying. If they're not careful, they might get expelled soon," Shiho replied, her expression one of contentment.

For some reason, despite knowing she had fallen victim to something inexplicable—becoming his slave—she couldn't muster any desire to resist.

In fact, she had been feeling unusually distressed lately because Kaoru hadn't come to see them, as if she had been abandoned.

She couldn't focus on her classes at all.

Today, after finally receiving Kaoru's orders again, it was like hearing the voice of an angel to Shiho. Her spirits instantly lifted.

"Did Ryuen Kakeru suspect anything?" Kaoru asked as he sat on a bench.

Shiho deliberately leaned closer, secretly inhaling his scent.

Truth be told, having Shiho and the others make an appearance would inevitably draw Ryuen's attention, even though these girls were usually unruly delinquents.

The more frequently they appeared, the more suspicious Ryuen would become.

Those who frequented the streets had an unusually sharp instinct—otherwise, they'd quickly find themselves on the receiving end of a beer bottle to the head.

"Ahaha, don't worry, Master. That guy wouldn't suspect us at all," Shiho said with a dismissive smirk.

Though she used to fear Ryuen's violence, things were different now—she was her master's loyal puppy.

"If you're really worried about him, why not have Nana drop out with him?"

Due to the results of the minor exams, Nana Yabu was now Ryuen's exam partner.

If she handed in a blank paper, Ryuen would have to score exceptionally high on his own to avoid expulsion.

And as a delinquent, Ryuen likely didn't have the academic prowess to pull that off.

To take it even further, Shiho could have Nana plant cheat notes on Ryuen, ensuring both of them got expelled.

However, this plan carried significant risks.

Ryuen wasn't an idiot and would likely see through their scheme beforehand.

As for Nana thoughts, well, they now considered themselves Kaoru's slaves, their minds entirely occupied with how to serve him, eager to contribute in any way possible.

Perhaps then, Kaoru Mitoma might be pleased.

"No, it hasn't reached that point yet," Kaoru said with a strange expression.

Though he had originally intended to use these delinquent girls as human bombs, having them actively volunteer for the role—even more ruthlessly than he had planned—felt a little off.

"Understood." Shiho Manabe nodded obediently, but in her mind, she was already scheming on how to deepen her relationship with Mitoma.

He had once ordered her to strip, so he seemed quite the lecher.

Maybe she should just push him down right here and ride him?

"Keep an eye on Nagumo from the second year for me these next few days," Kaoru said, placing the Black-framed Glasses in her hands and explaining how to use them.

"If anything happens, report to me immediately."

The Wish Machine didn't restrict how he used his rewards.

As long as they could be exchanged, he could give them to others—otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to gift the Wedding Rings to Honami Ichinose and Kei Karuizawa before.

Shiho Manabe was now completely devoted to him, body and soul, his personal slave.

Letting her hold the Black-framed Glasses wasn't an issue.

"Leave it to me." Shiho patted her chest, a deliberate little gesture meant to draw a man's gaze—even if her bust wasn't particularly large.

Kaoru fell silent for a moment before wrapping an arm around the girl's slender waist.

Under her slightly surprised yet excited gaze, he pressed his lips to hers.

At the same time, his fingers trailed down her thigh, slipping beneath her skirt and making her whole body tremble.

Instinctively, she clenched her legs together, her face flushing crimson.

"Mmm…"

After playing around for a bit, Kaoru withdrew his fingers—now slick with moisture.

Seeing this, Shiho blushed furiously. Her first kiss was gone.

But as her master's little slave, she obediently stuck out her tongue, gently taking his fingers into her mouth to clean them.

"You're getting tutoring from second-year seniors now, right?" Kaoru took a deep breath.

If he didn't change the subject soon, he might not be able to stop himself from pushing her down right here.

"Yeah, Tonokawa-senpai and the others from second year," Shiho murmured after a moment of thought.

"I heard they're the ones making the exam questions. They won't let anyone from our class interfere."

Seems Ryuuen's secrecy measures are working, Kaoru mused.

Otherwise, Shiho would've told him about this much sooner.

"Hey, hey, Master, should I go steal the questions?" Shiho asked excitedly.

With the Black-framed Glasses, peeking at the exam would be child's play.

"Good. Handle it. On the day before the exam, disguise yourself as your homeroom teacher—only they receive the final version of the test." Kaoru was no honest man. If he had cheats, why not use them?

Shiho smiled brightly.

She had been terrified Kaoru would deem her useless and discard her.

Now, satisfying him had become her top priority.

Regarding this point, Shiho Manabe didn't see any problem at all.

Although the effects played a role, Kaoru's previous actions had convinced her that following this master was definitely a good choice.

Kaoru, however, fell into deep thought.

How should he explain the source of the exam questions to Class A?

After pondering for a while, Kaoru gave up on thinking about it—he didn't need to explain at all.

The more he explained, the less mysterious it would seem.

"By the way, if you feel like you might fail the exams, you can come to me. I'll do my best to tutor you."

"Eh, really?"

"But I don't have much time to spare."

"That's fine! Even if it's just an hour or half an hour, I want to be with Master!"

Kaoru clicked his tongue slightly. Somehow, compared to Kushida Kikyo, these delinquent girls seemed like the real good kids.

...

"Ah, I can't take it anymore! Let's take a break!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Hasebe Haruka flopped down without any restraint, her ample bosom pressing against the edge of the table, drawing sidelong glances.

By now, the café was packed.

With final exams approaching, most club activities had come to a halt, and students cramming for their studies occupied every corner.

Over the past few days, Kaoru and the others had moved between several cafés.

The most popular one among students, Palette Café, was probably too crowded to even enter now.

"You can take a break—after you finish this problem. I'll reward you with a coffee," Kaoru said, pointing at the notebook in front of her.

"If you finish all of them, I'll throw in your favorite dessert too."

"Do you think I'm some kind of dog?" Haruka whined, her voice practically pleading.

"If I keep going, I'll die. Let's stop now, Kaoru. Look, Airi's already out of it!"

Airi Sakura, who had been somewhat dazed, jolted at the sound of her name and stammered.

"I-I can still go on..."

"No way, Airi! You were muttering some terrifying incantation earlier—your soul was practically leaving your body," Haruka said with utmost seriousness.

"Honestly, I think studying isn't just about solving problems. Taking proper breaks is better for both physical and mental health."

"That... does make sense," Miki Yamamura agreed wholeheartedly.

Though her grades were decent, the strain of nonstop problem-solving was unbearable.

"Right, right! Let's chat for a bit. Miki, are you in any clubs?" Haruka perked up immediately.

Kaoru shot her a sidelong glance.

No wonder she had suggested studying at a café—she probably had this in mind all along.

"Eh, I'm not in any clubs."

"So, out of all of us, only Kaoru is in the student council. The rest of us are just going-home club members!"

"Haruka... you're not in any clubs either?"

"Because they're boring! Clubs and all that—I'd rather be alone. I'm not used to that kind of environment."

"O-oh, I see."

"By the way, Miki, Airi, where did you two go to middle school?"

"..."

The conversation seemed to have veered into close-friend territory.

Kaoru didn't interrupt their chatter.

The atmosphere felt like watching a slice-of-life moment from a group of high school girls—warm and nostalgic.

But with the mood like this, Haruka naturally didn't let Kaoru off the hook either.

"Where were you before, Kaoru?"

After getting responses from the other two, Hasebe Haruka turned to Kaoru, while Airi Sakura and Miki Yamamura also perked up their ears curiously.

Facing their gazes, Kaoru answered briefly, "Pretty much the same as now. I was active around the Tokyo area back then too."

Well, to be precise, it was the inspirational story of working as a producer at Agency, leading a group of high school girls to the grandest stage while the president was frequently absent and unreachable.

"Hey hey hey, that's basically saying nothing at all!" Hasebe Haruka seemed exasperated, then teased with a smirk.

Did you have a girlfriend back then?"

Airi Sakura grew tense, staring intently at Kaoru.

"You seem quite nosy, Haru-haru."

Hasebe Haruka nearly jumped at the nickname—it was definitely intentional and somehow gross.

"Nosy about what? Since you studied here before, weren't there any major, super popular stages two years ago?" The girl's face flushed slightly, but her tone was earnest.

"I really wanted to go, but couldn't get tickets, so I was wondering if you went."

Kaoru was speechless.

What did ticket scalping have to do with having a girlfriend?

"Never heard of it. I stayed home gaming every day back then, barely went out."

As soon as he finished speaking, Kaoru noticed Hasebe Haruka's strange look.

Before he could ponder it, a large hand clapped onto his shoulder.

"Sounds boring as hell. Your past life was a real failure, Mitoma."

With those words, Ryuuen Kakeru forcibly sat down beside Kaoru, followed by Ishizaki Daichi and others.

"Sorry, I'm not a social butterfly. My deepest apologies to you all." Kaoru's lips twitched slightly.

"Also, I'm not really used to shoulder-patting with guys."

Ryuuen Kakeru rolled his eyes.

Who was he kidding, hanging out with girls for tutoring every day?

If he wasn't a social butterfly, who was?