Perhaps never expecting someone to appear here, Airi Sakura froze completely for half a minute before letting out a startled "Wah!" and nearly jumping out of her skin.
"W-w-w-what are you doing here!?"
No sooner had she spoken than, in her flustered state, she instinctively tried to retreat—only to tilt too far back and topple over along with her chair, creating an even louder crash.
"Oww... it hurts, it hurts..."
Tears welled up in Airi's eyes as she felt like her head had been struck, buzzing and throbbing with pain.
More importantly, her entire body ached.
"Is it really that surprising to see me here?"
Kaoru was startled by her sudden fall.
Closing the door behind him, he quickly approached. "Where did you hit? Are you—"
His voice cut off abruptly. The fall had left the girl's skirt in complete disarray, hiked up past her thighs, revealing a stretch of dazzlingly fair skin.
Even more eye-catching was the childish light-pink undergarment hugging the gradually rounding curves of her hips, faintly outlining a small, rising mound.
At the same time, a notification of a fulfilled wish flashed briefly across his vision.
"Wah!"
Noticing Kaoru's gaze, Airi flushed crimson and hurriedly adjusted her skirt, pressing both hands firmly against it, unable to utter a single word.
At this moment, the girl's brain simply couldn't process any coherent thoughts.
Someone she thought was worlds away had suddenly appeared right before her—anyone would be stunned in such a situation.
"Were you taking photos here?"
Kaoru felt somewhat awkward, though his eyes had already caught sight of the nearby bag and camera.
The phone screen was even pointed toward Airi, suggesting quite a few shots had been taken.
"Guh... y-you saw everything?"
Airi stammered as she looked up at him, her pain momentarily forgotten as panic over being discovered flooded her mind.
What should she do now?
Wait, why was she even worried about this? Kaoru already knew, didn't he?
The moment the words left her mouth, she relaxed slightly. As long as it wasn't anyone other than Kaoru who saw, it was fine.
"I saw. You looked adorable."
Seeing that she was unharmed, Kaoru felt relieved. "Without your glasses and with your hair slightly styled, you really do look prettier than usual."
Anyone who saw Airi now would surely be shocked.
The rustic braids she usually wore were undone, her smooth, long hair cascading like a waterfall down to her waist.
Her delicate shoulders made her appear even more slender and endearing.
The bothersome glasses were gone, leaving only her clear, beautiful eyes, slightly upturned nose, and flawless cheeks fully exposed without any concealment.
Not only that, Kaoru noticed she wasn't wearing any makeup—her beauty was entirely natural.
Upon closer inspection, she might even surpass Karuizawa and Kushida in looks.
Even without deliberately staring, it was hard to miss the buttons on her blouse.
With her outer coat unbuttoned, the shirt beneath was partially visible, barely containing the plump curves beneath—soft and full like ripe papayas, exuding a tantalizingly sweet allure.
Airi Sakura's face flushed red.
She knew Kaoru was staring at her—it wasn't like she hadn't encountered such gazes before.
Normally, people would notice her ample chest, let alone now.
"I-I'm not doing anything weird."
The girl sounded guilty. "This... this is just normal photography. P-please don't get the wrong idea, and also, stop staring at me like that, waaah..."
No one would have thought anything strange until you said that—now it's even easier to misunderstand.
"Can you stand up?"
Kaoru extended his hand toward her.
Even though the classroom had heating, sitting on the floor for too long wasn't a good idea.
Airi hesitated for a moment before slowly taking his hand. In her daze, she seemed to see that scene again—exactly like now.
"Waaah!"
Once she was on her feet, Airi finally realized how much the fall had hurt. Instinctively, she covered her bottom—aside from her head, this was probably the sorest spot.
"Does it hurt back there?" Kaoru asked tactfully.
Airi took a few steps back, waving her hands frantically, her cheeks burning as she denied it.
"N-no!"
"If not, then why are you covering your butt?"
Kaoru pulled out a [Painkiller] from his pocket—a reward he had obtained earlier. Its effect was quick pain relief and HP recovery.
"Here, take this. It's just one capsule. Hurry up and swallow it."
Regardless of Airi's thoughts, Kaoru shoved the [Painkiller] into her hand, his gaze compelling her to take it.
Unsurprisingly, this assertive approach worked well on Airi.
Though she had some reservations about the [Painkiller], trusting Kaoru implicitly, she swallowed the pill without a second thought.
"Are you still updating your tweets?"
Since the medicine would take a moment to work, Kaoru casually brought up the photos.
"N-no, I won't update anymore."
Airi denied in a small voice. "I'll keep these photos as mementos. Maybe I'll post a little bit later."
Photos involving ANHS definitely couldn't be shared, but who would care if she posted selfies?
Admittedly, some fans could be as obsessive as that store clerk from before, but they were in the minority.
Airi had been considering whether to continue as an idol.
Especially after talking with Kaoru—she realized the entertainment industry was far bigger than she thought, with many areas she had never explored.
She had assumed that appearing in a magazine and having a few thousand followers was already impressive, but it turned out she was just getting started.
"Have there been any weird people following you lately?" Kaoru asked again.
Airi blinked, trying hard to recall. If there had been a stalker, she would have noticed, right?
Aside from Haruki Yamauchi from class sneaking glances at her, nothing particularly strange had happened recently.
Wait—was he warning her?
"K-Kaoru, do you think there might be a stalker recently?"
Airi looked at Kaoru cautiously. She remembered his alt account saying he would watch her every day, always keeping an eye on her.
Stalking an idol—such extreme behavior was indeed terrifying. But considering it was Kaoru's kink, Airi could reluctantly accept it.
Wait, that didn't seem right. If it was stalking, couldn't it just be walking to school together or going home together?
At that thought, Airi felt happy.
A stalker like that—she wasn't afraid at all."There might be, but since you didn't find it strange, perhaps it's just my imagination."
Kaoru had no intention of mentioning Haruki Yamauchi's matter. Since they were in the same class, telling Airi Sakura might frighten her.
However, his tone inadvertently led Airi Sakura to misunderstand.
"T-this is fine too… it's okay…"
The girl muttered softly, her words unclear, but she sounded oddly happy.
"Ahem, did I interrupt your photo session?"
Kaoru assumed she was muttering about that. Seeing the girl's flushed face today had been quite impactful.
Moreover, Kaoru couldn't quite grasp Airi Sakura's thoughts.
Airi Sakura knew about his alternate account—something he had indirectly revealed.
Yet, she showed no reaction, nor any signs of dislike toward him.
Although Kaoru usually maintained their relationship carefully, it seemed to have little effect.