Though she was in the bath, Kaoru had no intention of peeking.
Instead, he answered a call from Kushida.
At first, she might have called him with an overwhelming sense of humiliation, but as time passed, Kushida had grown comfortable enough to call him casually—even enjoying their conversations.
"Perverted foot fetishist, I need to pee now!"
"Address me properly."
"Perverted Master."
"Never mind, hold it in."
"Master~ I really need to pee~"
Listening to her carefree laughter, Kaoru didn't know how to respond.
Their exchanges were neither like a normal couple's nor like a typical master-servant relationship.
Not only that, but Kushida sometimes used these calls to vent about her day.
The pure little angel, who usually maintained her sweet persona by patiently listening to others' troubles, completely dropped the act in front of Kaoru.
She openly criticized the idiots in their class, spewing nothing but negativity.
Today, however, she seemed to be in a good mood.
Instead of complaining, Kushida spent the call teasing Kaoru.
"Hey hey, pervy master, wanna see how I look right now?"
The sound of splashing water came from the other end - even an idiot would know what situation she was currently in.
"Sure, send me a video," Kaoru replied without hesitation.
"You really don't hesitate at all, do you?" Kushida pouted, then suddenly changed her tone to a sweet voice.
"No way I'm sending a video~ But if you come up here, I'll give you a 100% live show?"
"You just want to know what I'm doing tonight, don't you?" Kaoru saw through her intentions.
"Hah, you think I care that much about you?" Kushida sounded displeased. "It's just that your Ichinose is so clueless - carrying a whole bag of stuff up to the second floor. Everyone knows what you're up to!"
"We're not doing anything. She's just staying over for a few days," Kaoru explained.
"Staying over?" Kushida couldn't hold back. "Even I haven't stayed over yet! Just how many games are you two playing?"
"I told you, nothing's happened between us." Kaoru genuinely wasn't planning anything - these past few days had been too comfortable, and he didn't want to get caught up in daily battles and female temptations.
"Heh." Kushida didn't believe him at all, then asked somewhat nervously, "Does she know about... us?"
"Actually, I wanted to tell you - she wants everyone to meet up. You should come by when you're free these next few days."
Kushida muttered something under her breath.
This "meeting" was probably just Ichinose trying to establish her position.
Everyone knew only the main wife could call such gatherings.
Then again, why should she care about such things?
She wasn't competing for status anyway.
It might be more fun to see how others would react.
Besides, with so many people together... doing naughty things would be extra exciting, wouldn't it?
Kushida's mind filled with images of mischief.
Their last "duet" had left a deep impression - nothing was more satisfying than watching Horikita Suzune transform from her haughty self into a dazed, lustful woman.
Now she realized she might get to witness even more scenes like that!
What expression would Ichinose make? How would Karuizawa react? Would Sakayanagi stick out her tongue?
Kushida grew excited.
Under normal circumstances, she'd never get to see these people's fallen expressions - especially not those geniuses and popular figures she'd once envied.
Just imagining them now being in the same position as herself made the last traces of unease and humiliation in Kushida's heart completely vanish.
So Kushida readily agreed, hanging up before Kaoru could react.
Kaoru couldn't quite understand her thoughts.
Without being able to use Emotion Perception right now, he couldn't tell if she was angry, shy, or nervous.
Soon after, Ichinose emerged cautiously from the bathroom, wearing only thin pajamas.
Perhaps due to having just bathed, her hair carried a damp sheen, with glistening droplets moistening the strands by her ears.
The faint scent of shampoo made the girl appear even softer and more delicate.
Her fair skin was smooth and refined, while the thin fabric strained against her prominently raised chest, revealing just a hint beneath.
The buttons accentuated her slender waist, so narrow it seemed one could encircle it with a single hand.
The full curve of her hips tapered into slightly loose sleep pants, leaving her bare feet exposed—dainty and exquisite like porcelain, with pink-tinged soles resting soundlessly against the floor, leaving only faint footprints.
It was only then that Kaoru realized he had forgotten to prepare slippers for her and hurriedly fetched a pair of disposable ones.
Girls tend to be particular about their personal belongings, and he couldn't possibly let Ichinose wear Karuizawa slippers—both of them would feel uncomfortable.
"Your turn to bathe, Kaoru," Ichinose said shyly.
It was the first time she had appeared before Kaoru in such a state, and she felt utterly self-conscious, as if he could see right through her.
"Your hair isn't dry yet, let me blow-dry it for a while." Kaoru noticed that most of the girls kept their hair quite long—except for Ibuki and Manabe, everyone had long hair.
Ichinose Honami had initially planned to do it herself, but then she realized that having him blow-dry her hair was a first-time experience, and she couldn't help but feel a flutter in her heart.
However, she had underestimated just how overwhelming this "first time" would be.
When Kaoru's fingers ran through her hair, she sat with her back to him, a shiver running down her spine.
Then came the warm breeze from the hairdryer, making her feel as if her entire body was floating.
"Mm…" Ichinose shifted slightly, her shoulders hunching as she buried her face in embarrassment.
Who knew having someone blow-dry your hair could be this mortifying?
Kaoru had helped many girls with their hair before, so he was quite skilled at it.
One should never underestimate a girl's long hair—if mishandled, they might just kill you.
"Um, is Nagumo-senpai problem going to be alright?" Ichinose asked, trying to distract herself from her shyness.
"Don't worry, he's the one who should be anxious right now." Kaoru gently stroked her hair—it was smooth and silky.
The nape of her neck was fair and flawless.
Given how prominent the girl's chest was, Kaoru could even catch glimpses of the snow-white, voluptuous peaks from behind, the deep crevice between them almost mesmerizing.
"Thank goodness the school stepped in to stop it. That was way too reckless." Ichinose puffed up her cheeks, completely unaware of how much she was exposing.
Even if she knew, she probably wouldn't care.
Kaoru nodded in agreement, then suddenly realized something was off and cautiously asked.
"Aren't you going to ask me about it, Honami?"
"Huh? About you, Kaoru?" Ichinose didn't quite understand what he meant.
"The Shinomiya Financial Group thing," Kaoru said, surprised that someone wouldn't be curious about it.
"Oh, that? I saw it, but what about it?" Ichinose still didn't get it.
Kaoru fell silent for a moment.
Though she could be sharp at times, she could also be incredibly naive.
Even if she knew her boyfriend was wealthy, she probably wouldn't think much of it.
After all, giant financial groups were something far removed from ordinary people's lives.
"Never mind. So, Honami, when do you plan to get married?"
"M-Married?!"
The sudden question nearly made Ichinose Honami bite her tongue, her face turning bright red.
"Yeah, you can get married right after high school, right?" Kaoru recalled Japan's legal age—she was clearly old enough now.
Not that he intended to strictly follow the law anyway.
"Mmm…" Ichinose Honami lowered her head deeply, her voice barely above a whisper, her crimson ears looking utterly delicious.
Kaoru smiled.
It didn't matter if his girlfriend didn't understand the influence of a financial group—she'd find out soon enough after marriage.