That evening, during dinner, Kaoru met with Shiho Manabe to get a general idea of the situation among the girls.
Unlike the straightforward approach of the boys, the girls mostly kept to themselves, with many small cliques forming within groups.
Even so, they had reluctantly made the same decision as the boys—each group consisted of students from all four classes, led by their respective leaders.
However, in the group that should have been led by Ichinose from Class 1-B, she had taken in quite a few problem children.
Aside from her close friends, her group was mostly filled with troublemakers from other classes, like Ibuki Mio.
According to Shiho Manabe, Ibuki Mio had almost no friends in her class, so it was natural for her to be excluded.
In truth, it wasn't just Ibuki Mio—Shiho Manabe herself was also a troublemaker.
"So, the one who became the leader in your group is Rika?"
At his question, Shiho Manabe nodded and added, "Right. Ryuuen pushed us to make Rika the leader, but he didn't tell us why."
Shiho Manabe's group was centered around Class C, with nine members from their class alone, while the other classes only contributed six members in total.
Meanwhile, Ibuki Mio was in a different group.
It was unclear how they had divided things up.
Still, Kaoru remembered Rika, the girl Shiho Manabe and her small group of delinquents had been looking out for.
During summer vacation, Karuizawa Kei had bumped into Rika without apologizing, which had angered Shiho Manabe and the others.
"Master, is there a problem?"
Shiho Manabe looked worried.
More than anything about Rika, she was now concerned about Kaoru's safety.
"Should we try to frame Ryuuen and Nagumo?"
"Frame them how?"
Kaoru found it strange.
"Like… sexual harassment or something."
Shiho Manabe was eager. "Besides, I know Ryuuen gets into fights all the time. I'll provoke him on purpose, and you can film it. Then we can report him for bullying!"
Kaoru flicked her forehead with his finger. "If I wanted to frame him, I wouldn't need you to sacrifice yourselves."
Leaving aside the harassment angle, did she really expect him to stand by and watch his own people get beaten up?
"Oww…"
Shiho Manabe clutched her forehead, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes.
"Today's just the first day. If he's planning anything, he'll probably give you instructions tomorrow." Kaoru had already reviewed the school's schedule for the upcoming exams, which consisted of four subjects.
Zen meditation, public speaking, relay races, and written exams.
Starting tomorrow morning, students would begin with seated meditation and labor in the dojo, followed by breakfast, then either study sessions or speeches.
The afternoon would bring new assignments, continuing until evening.
Just reading the materials alone made it hard to grasp what exactly was expected.
Zen meditation was likely spiritual training, public speaking would build confidence and mental fortitude, and the relay races were probably athletic events?
"Understood. I'll report to you daily, Master."
Shiho Manabe's voice interrupted Kaoru's thoughts.
She licked her lips, her eyes seductive and half-lidded. "But shouldn't Master also reward his little servant?"
She had bathed earlier in the afternoon and was now dressed in athletic wear.
Beneath her jacket, only the slight curve of her chest was visible, while her long, straight legs were entirely hidden beneath the track pants—only a small section of white socks peeked out, her petite feet clad in black indoor shoes.
Though her figure wasn't fully on display, the faintly outlined curves carried a youthful allure.
Under the flickering light, her delicate face was partially obscured, her flushed lips slightly parted, revealing a glimpse of pink.
"What kind of reward do you want?"
"Anything from Master is fine~"
"It's only been a few days, and you've gotten even better at seduction. Hard to believe you used to be a delinquent."
Kaoru lifted her chin, studying her face.
He could feel her breathing grow slightly uneven, her eyes glistening with moisture.
"With Master, even if I was a delinquent, now I'm just your most loyal pet."
Shiho's throat moved as if craving something. "If Master doesn't like it, maybe you should punish this delinquent?"
How should he punish her?
Kaoru sealed her lips with his own, then quietly pressed his hand over the rapid pulse at her chest.
His slightly rough handling only made her eyes light up with delight, as if she had finally received the acknowledgment she longed for.
Far from resisting, Shiho even adjusted her posture to make it easier for him.
"Mmm… Nngh…"
Before long, Shiho was straightening her clothes, her face flushed.
Her mood had improved drastically—even if she saw Sakayanagi putting on airs later, she'd probably just ignore her.
Meanwhile, Kaoru let out a deep exhale.
He had to admit, delinquents really knew how to play.
If this kept up, he'd be completely drained sooner or later.
Ding-ding—
The school bell rang. It was about time to head back.
"Starting tomorrow night, we'll meet here every day."
Kaoru gave Shiho the instruction—life without a phone was truly inconvenient.
"Absolutely!"
Shiho was overjoyed.
She would have loved nothing more than to cling to her Master twenty-four hours a day, her thoughts consumed by him.
Kaoru pinched her cheek affectionately before urging her to leave early, avoiding any chance of being seen together.
By the time he returned to the dormitory, Hashimoto and the others were already back, even inviting him to join them for a bath.
After a long day, a bath was definitely in order.
The baths were separated by gender, and the girls' side was guarded by teachers—much to the disappointment of many male students.
Since lights-out was at 10 PM, after taking showers, everyone had nothing to do.
After chatting for a while, they fell asleep.
By the next morning, the alarm rang again.
"This sound is so annoying!"
"Seems like we have to get up at 6 AM every day—earlier than usual for classes."
"There are no surveillance cameras here, so why not just skip it?"
"Idiot, they'll definitely do a roll call later!"
Kaoru listened to their complaints, feeling somewhat unaccustomed to it.
He usually wouldn't hear such voices—normally, it would be Kushida calling to wake him up.
Speaking of which, Kushida must be used to making those calls by now.
Could she still use the bathroom normally?
For a fleeting moment, Kaoru had this strange thought.
She probably could, right?
"Hey, where's Kouenji?"
Hashimoto noticed something was off—their dorm was missing a person.
"Did he run away?"
Ishizaki Daichi speculated maliciously.
Given how terrible Kouenji's reputation was, everyone thought it was entirely possible.
However, Kaoru quickly informed them that Kouenji had just gone out for morning training.
"So, Mitoma-kun woke up early too?"
"A little earlier than you guys."
"Lucky you."
While Hashimoto and the others were getting dressed and washing up, Kouenji also returned, his forehead covered in fine sweat.
"Hey, you're all awake!"
"Wait, you actually went out for morning exercise?"
"I was feeling pretty good today, so I decided to go for a workout."
"Hey, it's still winter, you know. What if you get sick? We'll lose points!"
"Hahaha, my body isn't that weak."
No matter what was said, Kouenji wore an indifferent expression.
Ishizaki glanced around and realized he seemed to be the only one bothered, so he gave up on scolding Kouenji.
"Seriously, this group is full of weirdos. We might actually end up in last place."
This complaint was less of a mutter to himself and more directed at most of the group—especially their leader, Kaoru, who had chosen them.
Kaoru shot him a glance, and he immediately shut his mouth.
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