Chapter 790

Chapter 790: Chapter 790

The dark clouds pressed low over the dim sea as a fine rain swept through the primeval forest covering the uninhabited island.

The wind continued to strengthen, shaking the branches until droplets scattered from the leaves, while the endless curtain of rain blurred every direction and swallowed what little sunlight remained, draining nearly all color from the world.

Kaoru had not expected the weather to deteriorate this badly.

The swollen clouds seemed to have been holding a grudge for days, and when they finally broke, rain poured down like a waterfall, hammering against the forest with a deafening roar.

By the time he found Kei and the others, he was soaked from head to toe, his clothes plastered tightly against his body.

The girls stared at him in surprise, but when Kaoru asked whether they wanted to withdraw from the exam, they agreed almost immediately.

Kei rose onto her toes and promptly pulled part of her raincoat over his head, all while complaining that he was an idiot for walking through weather like this and apparently had no intention of taking care of himself.

Kaoru could only smile awkwardly.

He had not originally planned to come looking for them at all, but once the rain became this violent, he started worrying that Kei and the others might get sick.

He led them out of the forest and back toward the school’s harbor, and when he glanced behind him, the entire island had disappeared beneath a gray veil of rain.

Under conditions like these, continuing the exam normally was impossible, and the school had already announced a temporary suspension until the weather improved.

Kaoru did not know exactly how Honami, Arisu, and the others were doing, but they should all have rain gear, which meant they were probably sheltering at their camps instead of recklessly forcing their way through the storm.

He had already told them that if things ever became too dangerous, they were to withdraw immediately.

That said, Honami and Arisu were unlikely to give up over a single downpour.

Neither were Fūka and Mio. Fūka still wanted to earn more private points, while Mio remained stubbornly determined to surpass Kaoru’s score.

Kaoru had failed to persuade either of them, so he ultimately let them make their own decisions.

They both had tents, at least, so there was little danger of them standing exposed in the wilderness and letting themselves get drenched.

Given the storm, Kaoru also changed his mind about having Tsukishiro summon Tsubasa.

Making a girl cross half the island in weather like this just because he wanted to talk to her would have been so inconsiderate that even the densest man alive ought to know better.

So he decided to leave the conversation until after the exam.

Tsukishiro was certainly efficient, though in this particular case, it would have been more accurate to say Tsubasa came looking for Kaoru on her own.

Not long after Kaoru returned to the cruise ship, he saw her hurrying toward him and could not help looking surprised.

"Y-you already know?"

Tsubasa asked cautiously.

She looked thoroughly bedraggled.

Her clothes were soaked through, several wet strands of hair clung to her forehead, and droplets still ran down beside her ears. She had clearly run all the way over without taking even a moment to tidy herself up.

"I told Tsukishiro you didn’t need to come over anymore."

Kaoru frowned.

"Why did you run through weather like this? You’re going to catch a cold tomorrow."

Tsubasa immediately heard the displeasure in his voice.

The capable, composed girl who had helped deal with Hōsen only yesterday seemed to vanish, leaving her visibly flustered.

"I-I came on my own. Tsukishiro-san didn’t know."

She had rushed over the moment she received Tsukishiro’s original message and had never seen the later update telling her not to come.

Kaoru found the situation almost funny, though mostly because he had no idea what else to say.

"Forget it. I didn’t think it through either. I should’ve considered the possibility of rain before asking him to contact you."

Tsubasa’s cheeks warmed slightly.

Her clothes were completely soaked, and she was painfully conscious of how little protection they now provided, but before she could react, Kaoru reached out and caught her wrist.

"Eh?"

She barely had time to register what was happening before he started walking, forcing her to stumble after him.

Kaoru brought her straight to his room.

He had already showered after returning from the island and had only encountered this dripping-wet girl while passing through the corridor.

"We can talk afterward."

He guided her toward the bathroom.

"Take a hot shower first. Use my towel and clothes for now. With weather like this, you’ll get sick if you stay wet."

Tsubasa stood there in a daze, looking around the bathroom before noticing a laundry basket containing several of Kaoru’s damp clothes.

Her face grew warmer.

This was the first time she had ever entered a boy’s room, much less used a boy’s bathroom, even if they were on a cruise ship.

After hesitating for a while, Tsubasa obediently followed his instructions. She changed out of her wet clothes, turned on the hot water, and decided to use the opportunity to collect her thoughts.

Tsukishiro had told her that everything had been exposed.

Kaoru wanted to speak with her.

The moment she heard that, her heart had nearly stopped as terrifying possibilities flashed through her mind.

She had failed again.

After finally finding a way to be useful, she had somehow managed to ruin another assignment.

What was she supposed to do now?

Tsukishiro’s attitude toward her had not visibly changed, but Tsubasa could not stop worrying that if she failed this mission as well, her standing would inevitably decline.

Tsubasa was not from the White Room. More precisely, she belonged to Tsukishiro.

He was her employer, and she was one of the tools he could use.

Tsukishiro operated an organization that handled unpleasant work for powerful people, moving through the gray areas between legitimate business and outright criminality.

Its jobs ranged from sabotage and intimidation to cleaning up scandals and helping influential clients distance themselves from inconvenient problems.

In effect, it functioned as the kind of disposable intermediary powerful people preferred using when they wanted their own hands to remain clean.

Naturally, Tsukishiro could not handle an operation like that alone. He employed numerous subordinates and cultivated people who could be useful in very specific situations.

Tsubasa was one of them.

Despite her age, there were many things she could help with, particularly because influential people often lowered their guard around young, harmless-looking assistants.

Tsukishiro had no interest in running anything as crude as an escort business; instead, he preferred cultivating capable young people who could eventually be placed near important targets, where they could observe, gather information, and quietly influence situations.

The reason he had found Tsubasa was painfully simple.

Her family had fallen into serious debt.

Resolving her parents’ financial crisis had cost Tsukishiro almost nothing, and once he did, securing their cooperation—and Tsubasa’s—had been easy.

Tsubasa felt deeply conflicted about him.

Part of her remained grateful because he had saved her family, yet she also understood perfectly well what he had intended from the beginning.

In Tsukishiro’s eyes, she was an investment, something he would eventually use the moment an appropriate opportunity appeared.

Her enrollment at Advanced Nurturing High School was an obvious example. Once Tsukishiro needed a suitable student for the assignment, he selected Tsubasa and sent her in without hesitation.

That was precisely why she was so desperate to prove she possessed value beyond simply being useful as someone’s pawn.

She had genuinely tried to assist Tsukishiro with Kiyotaka, hoping to make Ayanokōji understand the frightening scale of the White Room and stop treating its threat so casually.

Then Tsukishiro suddenly changed her assignment.

Now she was supposed to get close to Kaoru.

That was the instruction Tsubasa feared most, because it made her feel as though every other quality she possessed had been discarded and only her appearance mattered.

An order was still an order, so Tsubasa had gritted her teeth and tried to interpret it differently.

If she could earn Kaoru’s genuine trust through other means, surely that would still count as completing the mission.

At first, she had truly worried that Kaoru might take advantage of the situation.

Yet after spending time with him, she discovered that although he constantly joked about abusing his position or teasing girls, he usually stopped at provoking her and watching her reaction.

There had only been one occasion in the Student Council office that still made her face heat up whenever she remembered it, and even that had been far less serious than the scenarios she had originally feared.

Now, however, her entire plan had fallen apart before it even succeeded.

Kaoru had discovered she was acting as a spy.

What would happen to her next?

The thought of being driven out of the school and sent away in disgrace filled Tsubasa with a profound sense of helplessness.

She knew Tsukishiro was wary of Kaoru, and if even Yagami could be expelled so abruptly, there was every possibility that she would be next.

She did not want that.

She had wanted another chance to prove herself.

"I left some clothes and a towel outside."

Kaoru’s voice suddenly came from beyond the bathroom, startling Tsubasa badly enough that she instinctively covered herself before realizing he had not entered.

He had simply placed everything in a clean basket by the door.

Relieved, she quickly finished her shower.

When she picked up the towel, she noticed that Kaoru had left her one of his white shirts.

She vaguely remembered seeing him wear it before.

For some reason, that realization made her stare at it longer than necessary, and she felt an unfamiliar flutter somewhere deep in her chest.

By the time she noticed what she was doing, she was already holding the shirt close enough to catch the faint scent of laundry detergent.

There was nothing special about it.

That somehow made the situation even more embarrassing.

Once she had put on Kaoru’s clothes, Tsubasa realized the shirt fit awkwardly because of the difference in their builds, while the pants were noticeably looser than what she normally wore.

Only after she had finished dressing did she become painfully aware that she had no dry undergarments to change into.

’He probably won’t notice... right?’

The moment that thought appeared, Tsubasa’s face turned completely red.

A short while later, she finally stepped out.

Kaoru looked toward her and immediately realized that lending her his clothes had been a tactical mistake.

Tsubasa stood there wearing his old white shirt, clearly uncomfortable and refusing to meet his eyes.

Rather than dwell on the awkwardness, Kaoru forcibly redirected his attention to the conversation that actually mattered.

"What exactly is your relationship with Tsukishiro?"

Tsubasa pressed her lips together.

She knew there was no point hiding anything anymore. Tsukishiro had probably already told Kaoru most of the truth, so she explained her circumstances honestly.

"He’s your employer, and you’re basically one of his assets?"

Kaoru sounded genuinely surprised.

"You work for him?"

"Yes. My family owed a lot of money."

Tsubasa lowered her head.

In practical terms, she knew her family had effectively handed her future over to Tsukishiro in exchange for resolving their debts.

Kaoru remained silent for a moment before asking, "Tsukishiro told me there’s a contract. Do you know how many years you’re supposed to work for him?"

"I do."

Tsubasa bit her lip.

She had already been working under Tsukishiro since the previous year.

Her employer was not a charitable man. In some ways, she had been fortunate that he regarded her primarily as a useful operative rather than something worse.

Given her temperament and physical ability, Tsubasa suspected that if circumstances had been different, Tsukishiro might just as easily have trained her for far more dangerous work.

"He ordered you to get close to me. How did you feel about that?"

"I... couldn’t disobey him."

Tsubasa answered quietly.

Kaoru’s expression became strange.

Had she genuinely been attempting to seduce him?

She spent most of her time looking serious, arguing with him, and acting as though she refused to yield an inch. If that was seduction, then she desperately needed better training.

Tsubasa seemed to read his expression, because a trace of grievance appeared in her eyes.

She had never wanted to seduce anyone in the first place. How was she supposed to know how?

Kaoru was, in fact, the first boy she had ever allowed anywhere near this close to her.

"Alright, alright. Don’t look at me like that."

Kaoru softened his voice.

"I already had Tsukishiro transfer your contract to me. Starting today, you answer to me instead."

"Eh?"

Tsubasa stared at him.

"Why are you so surprised?"

Kaoru smiled.

"Didn’t I tell you before? I said I’d help you deal with Tsukishiro and the White Room."

Tsubasa felt faintly dizzy.

"You... aren’t angry?"

"What exactly am I supposed to be angry about?"

Kaoru looked genuinely puzzled.

"You never actually harmed me. If anything, I kind of liked how stubbornly you kept trying to prove yourself."

Tsubasa’s face grew warmer.

Was that what he meant by the way she always looked dissatisfied with him?

Somehow, hearing him say it aloud was unbearably embarrassing.

"And besides, I already have such a cute prospective secretary."

Kaoru laughed.

"I’d much rather keep teasing you myself. You can complain all you want, but that part probably isn’t changing."

Logically, Tsubasa should have felt despair at the idea that she had merely been transferred from Tsukishiro’s control into Kaoru’s hands.

Yet strangely, she felt none of that.

Instead, the tension that had been crushing her chest since she received Tsukishiro’s message began to ease.

"You... are you..."

Tsubasa almost asked who Kaoru really was and how he could possibly possess enough influence to make Tsukishiro hand over her contract.

Halfway through, she stopped herself.

Perhaps she felt she had no right to pry into something like that.

Kaoru noticed but did not force the question.

Instead, he smiled and said, "I’m going to take a temporary leave from school."

Tsubasa’s mouth fell open.

Before she could ask why, Kaoru continued.

"Until I come back, live like a normal student. Stop thinking about being someone’s tool or completing assignments. Ayanokōji and Tsukishiro are no longer your responsibility."

Tsubasa simply stared at him.

Her mind had been overloaded from the moment she arrived.

First, she learned that her mission had been exposed; then she discovered she had somehow been transferred under Kaoru; now he was casually announcing that he intended to leave the school for a while and, at the same time, telling her to abandon the entire life she had been conditioned to accept.

"But... my family’s debt..."

"I’ll pay it off."

Kaoru answered immediately.

"In exchange, you’ll stay with me permanently."

Tsubasa’s eyes widened.

Given Kaoru’s reputation, there was no way her thoughts would not wander in a dangerous direction.

Staying with him permanently sounded suspiciously like he intended to keep her for himself.

"If you want to confirm any of this with Tsukishiro, you can ask him whenever you like."

Kaoru glanced at her outfit again and sighed.

"But before that, you should probably finish buttoning your shirt properly."

Tsubasa’s entire face turned scarlet.

This had already been the boldest thing she had ever done. Because Kaoru had shown almost no reaction, she had convinced herself he simply had not noticed.

Apparently, he had noticed everything.

She hurriedly covered herself and reached for the buttons, but just as her fingers touched one, she stopped.

"Why... are you doing all this for me?"

Tsubasa lowered her head.

It was similar to the question she had almost asked earlier, yet fundamentally different.

She had not demonstrated any special value to him.

So what reason did Kaoru have to help her?

Was it genuinely only because he thought she was attractive?

If so, the answer would be more depressing than flattering.

"You’re very pretty."

Kaoru answered without hesitation.

Tsubasa visibly deflated.

Then he smiled.

"That’s why I’m willing to wait until the day Nanase-san proves to me what else she can do."

There were other reasons Kaoru kept to himself, including the strange opportunities and rewards that always seemed to gather around people with strong desires, but Tsubasa knew nothing about any of that.

All she heard was that he was willing to wait.

Her eyes slowly brightened.