"I'll go out and find him now. Since he could say such things, it means he knows where your room is. You stay here and don't come out. Leave the rest to me."

Kaoru released Airi's soft body.

If he held on any longer, he might not be able to suppress his male instincts—in fact, there were already signs of arousal.

Airi finally snapped out of her daze and quickly grabbed his arm, her face full of concern.

"Won't it be dangerous?"

In the girl's eyes, the fact that the pervert had overpowered the shop clerk proved his strength shouldn't be underestimated.

What if he was even more cunning and vicious?

Even if Kaoru was strong, what if the guy had a knife?

What if he flew into a rage and suddenly pulled it out to attack?

Just the thought of such a possibility filled Airi with terror.

Violent and bloody images flashed through her mind, making the world outside the room seem suddenly dark and dangerous.

She began to regret agreeing to Kaoru's plan.

If something happened to him, what would she do?

This was a scenario Airi couldn't bear to imagine.

Her earlier fiery emotions slowly cooled, as if rationality had returned to her mind.

She gazed at Kaoru pleadingly, hoping he would stay.

"There won't be any danger. This is a student dormitory, and the hallways have surveillance. If anything happens, the administrators downstairs will see it," Kaoru reassured her.

"Besides, if he dares to make a move, I'll shout for help. He'll be the one panicking and running away."

With that said, Airi had no reason to stop him from leaving.

She felt both worried and comforted—no matter what happened, he would always stand by her side.

Looking back now, their first encounter seemed almost miraculous.

When she had been secretly taking photos, she had coincidentally run into Kaoru and Akane Tachibana.

Even when her camera broke, it was Kaoru who helped her get it repaired.

Not only that, what surprised Airi the most was how knowledgeable he was about idols and photography.

There were many things she hadn't even known about until he told her.

It made Airi feel like she had found a kindred spirit.

And after all the times Kaoru had helped her, she had almost grown accustomed to relying on him.

Though it sounded like she was taking advantage of him.

Kaoru put on his clothes and quickly got out of bed, then turned back to look at Airi.

He had originally intended to tell her how to deal with perverts in the future, but seeing her expression, his words took on a different meaning.

"Airi, your Shizuku-chan is adorable—not just because you yourself are cute, but because your Shizuku-chan touches people's hearts," Kaoru said with a smile.

"This world is never short of cute kids, but to fans, their idol is the one and only adorable child."

As he got out of bed, Airi had also sat up, kneeling on the bed in a "duck sit" pose.

She hadn't expected him to say something like that, and her cheeks instantly flushed red.

"So, Airi, don't worry or feel sad. Some people are just unreasonable. You focus on touching more hearts—I'll take care of getting rid of the trash for you."

From the very beginning, Kaoru had believed that trying to please everyone was an unreasonable notion in itself.

It was even more impossible to expect every fan to be rational, well-mannered, and normal.

Airi nodded subconsciously, but when she saw Kaoru stride decisively out of her room, her thoughts took an abrupt leap.

Just now… was he worried that she might be afraid to continue her idol path because of the incident with the clerk and the stalker?

Realizing this, Airi bit her lower lip.

It felt as if a feather had lightly brushed against her soft heart—ticklish, as though she might burst into laughter any moment, just like before.

But this time, the sensation was even lighter, making her lean back as if sinking into a giant cotton candy—soft and sweet.

The girl couldn't help but roll around a few times, her adorable face flushed crimson.

It seemed she had truly fallen for Kaoru.

If what she felt before was filled with gratitude and admiration, now her entire body tingled with an unfamiliar sensation.

Her cheeks burned, and the places where they had touched earlier felt scorching, as if she might melt at any second.

Airi instinctively reached her fingers downward but suddenly remembered something and slapped her own cheeks in embarrassment.

What was she even thinking?!

Right now, Kaoru was out there risking his life for her sake, yet here she was, consumed by indecent thoughts.

How shameful!

The memory of the stalker jolted her back to reality.

Airi quickly scrambled off the bed.

Though Kaoru had told her not to leave, how could she possibly stay put?

She hurriedly dressed, threw on a coat, and grabbed her phone.

After a moment's hesitation, she rummaged through her room—only the kitchen knife could serve as a weapon.

The moment she picked up the knife, her legs trembled uncontrollably.

But there was no other choice. Only violence could counter violence.

If anything happened to Kaoru, she would regret it for the rest of her life.

Airi walked to the entrance, then ran back to her room, only to dash to the entrance again, as if psyching herself up.

Finally, she mustered her courage and charged out of her room.

The outside air was cold.

She had only a coat wrapped around her, her slender, fair legs completely exposed beneath her shorts, shivering slightly in the wind.

The hallway was quiet, with only a few rooms still lit.

At this hour, most students were probably still hanging out at the Keyaki Mall.

Every step Airi took felt like it drained an immense amount of courage.

The slightest noise made her tense, slowing her pace, afraid that any sound might invite something terrifying.

Where were they?

Had Kaoru already encountered the stalker?

What should she do?

Countless thoughts raced through her mind as she clutched the knife in one hand and her phone in the other, ready to call the police at any moment.

"...So that's how it is. No wonder Master suddenly came out."

Airi froze.

A girl's voice came from the emergency stairwell not far away.

"We can't scare her anymore. If she completely gives up on her idol dreams because of this, I'd feel pretty terrible."

Then, Kaoru Mitoma's voice followed.

"I thought the master wouldn't have this self-awareness. Using a sock puppet to harass your own idol, then swooping in to take advantage—sounds pretty rotten."

Airi Sakura silently set down her fruit knife.

It seemed she didn't need to worry about Kaoru's safety anymore.

"When accusing others, it's best not to laugh while doing it," Kaoru paused, "Also, keep your voice down."

"As you wish. But master, is the reason you're getting close to that glasses girl because her chest is huge?"