Following the blue-haired girl (Chise) chasing clouds, I pulled out my phone to seek advice.
Me: This is roughly the situation. What do you think?
Niya: Nyehahaha∼ Isn't it great∼
Niya: Being lucky enough to go on a date with our top-tier idol Chise, sensei, you can quietly enjoy it∼
Me: Isn't it actually the other way around?
In this world of extreme female dominance in Kiwotos, it's clearly me who's more in demand, and Chise is the one who should be secretly delighted.
Unfortunately, it seemed someone hadn't fully grasped this indisputable fact.
Niya: ?
Niya: …Nyehahaha.
Niya: Anyway, I'll leave Chise in your care today.
Niya: As a trade-off, I'll keep this a secret from Kaho∼
Kaho is the vice head of the Yin-Yang Club, right? Why keep it from her? Could it be that she's a yandere secretly in love with me?
I couldn't help but wonder, but didn't dwell on it. After agreeing to return Chise to the Yin-Yang Club earlier, I put away my phone and quickened my pace to catch up with her. Following her gaze, I looked toward the distance:
"Chise, the clouds you're looking for… are they those over there?"
She shook her head, her blue hair swaying behind her in a braided twist: "No. The clouds I'm looking for are softer… lighter∼."
"Lighter∼ clouds…?"
Ignoring my question, Chise silently turned her gaze, as if shifting her target, and slowly walked in a new direction.
I kept up, strolling with her through Hyakkiyako's streets, waiting for the right moment to ask what kind of cloud she sought.
Before I could, another event collided with us first—
"Eh?" A student walking toward us suddenly noticed the blue-haired girl staring at the sky ahead, and called out in surprise, "Chise-sama? That's Chise-sama, right!?"
"Huh…?" Chise looked confused.
The student immediately became excited, even cracking his voice: "I-It's her! It's really Chise-sama!"
With that scream, the once-quiet street erupted. Passersby turned to stare, converging from all directions, and before I realized it, we were completely surrounded.
"What? Chise-sama!?"
"Princess Chise came to a place like this!? Where is she, where!?"
"Yaaah! Chise-sama!"
I realized I had underestimated Chise's popularity at Hyakkiyako, and the situation was starting to feel precarious.
At that moment, a sharp snap sounded. Instinctively, I spread my arms and shielded Chise, who tilted her head in confusion, pulling her behind me and shouting:
"Please don't take photos without permission!"
"Ah, sorry! I'll delete it right away…" The student who had just taken a picture fiddled with their phone mid-action. "Wait, who are you?"
Others quickly noticed me beside Chise and began asking in a flurry:
"Yeah, who are you? Why are you so close to Chise-sama?"
"Is he her manager? But isn't Kaho usually the one who seems more like the head than the Yin-Yang Club president?"
"No, maybe he's a creepy stalker!"
Hearing that, I felt the already unfriendly glares pierce me like needles.
I raised my voice: "That's right! I am Chise's manager today! Please, fans, don't crowd her. Chise still has important things to do… right, Chise?"
Chise blinked blankly and nodded: "Looking for clouds…"
With their idol speaking, the fans regained some composure, either asking what kind of cloud Chise wanted or requesting she recite haiku, while some whispered among themselves:
"Hmm, this producer… doesn't he have some charm too…"
"Tch, what good is being handsome? Only someone like Princess Chise, both cute and talented, deserves admiration! So, when will this manager debut? I want to judge his acting skills."
"So… could he actually be her boyfriend!? Don't! Chise-sama having a boyfriend… That can wait at least ten years until I'm gone!"
Naturally, this was understandable.
Even filtered through fandom, my charm still shone like a light in the dark, impossible to ignore.
I originally planned to quickly pull Chise away, but seeing she didn't mind interacting with her fans, I thought it wouldn't hurt to stay a bit longer.
"By the way," someone suddenly asked, "don't you think this so-called manager looks kind of familiar?"
My body stiffened. Of course, it had to happen sooner or later...
That's right, I am the savior of the Abydos debt crisis, the protector of the Cherry Blossom Festival, the temporary instructor at Plum Blossom Garden, the one who helped Cherino regain the student council presidency during Red Winter's coup, the one who overpowered the Millennium's Boss, frustrated the Gehenna Pandemonium President, triggered the internal chaos at the Trinity tea party, the direct victim of the Mika kiss incident, and already a dream figure for thousands of students in Kivotos, the sensei of Schale!
Yet here I was, lacking even a shred of celebrity awareness.
I put on a smile, squared my shoulders, and prepared to greet the student who recognized me.
"Ah! I remember now!" the student pointed at me, shouting. "This guy! Isn't he the scum who hugged everyone at the Momoyo Hall Spring Cherry Blossom Festival!?"
At that moment, my smile froze. The atmosphere instantly went icy.
More than three months ago, I had been on a date with Wakamo, but coincidentally met Izuna. To soothe both girls, I had indeed held them close in public…
Why do they remember that so vividly!? Have they been in love with my charming self and imagined themselves being held every day for three months!?
Seething, I instinctively activated my [Wings of Resistance], retaining only basic composure.
Then, I took a deep breath:
"Move!!!"
Like a clap of thunder, my roar froze Chise's fans in place, some even stepping aside instinctively.
This was Iori's power, though used for the first time, and it worked surprisingly well. Similar to Serika's ability, yet with subtle differences in focus.
Clearly, this was no time to ponder such distinctions.
I grabbed Chise's hand and pushed through the crowd, fleeing toward a distant street.
But soon, the fans who had caught on began shouting behind us: "Take down the scum! Save the princess!"
I couldn't risk it. Better to escape quickly.