The awkward expressions on the girls' faces made Izumi immediately turn toward Asagi Aiba and protest.
"Seriously, enough already."
"Are you trying to destroy my reputation?"
"I'm not that kind of person."
"What exactly are you imagining?"
Izumi looked thoroughly dissatisfied at the blatant slander.
How was he supposed to maintain his image in front of so many adorable girls if Asagi kept saying things like that?
Without even looking up from her work, Asagi replied flatly,
"Oh? Aren't you?"
"...Ah."
Not a trace of fear could be found in her voice.
She simply continued typing away, completely unfazed by Izumi's complaints.
The exchange left the girls exchanging puzzled glances.
After a few more rounds of bickering, the two finally called a truce.
A little while later, Asagi stretched her arms.
"Done."
Then she turned toward Lala.
"Lala, let's go."
After finishing her work, Asagi shot Izumi a glare before grabbing Lala's arm.
Lala, meanwhile, was still happily attached to Izumi's side.
Asagi could only sigh.
Honestly, what a terrible teammate.
The guy is obviously flirting, and you don't even realize it.
Absolutely hopeless.
Muttering countless complaints internally, Asagi dragged the reluctant Lala away.
...
Once the two had left, Izumi turned his attention back to Kotori Minami and the others.
"Alright."
"Now that Asagi has finished the livestreaming platform, you should all give it a try."
"See if there's anything that needs improving."
"Let us know your thoughts."
The software itself had been simple enough.
After all, Asagi had practically copied the framework from existing streaming services.
The girls immediately pulled out their phones.
A moment later—
"...Huh?"
Several new applications had appeared.
Everyone froze.
"Wait a second..."
"Did it just install itself?"
Honoka Kōsaka stared blankly at the icon.
"Forced installation!?"
The idea sounded absurd.
Yet that was exactly what had happened.
Using administrator-level permissions, Asagi had pushed the application to every smartphone connected to the world's network.
Not just theirs.
Everyone's.
That was why the deployment had happened so quickly.
Opening the app, they were greeted by a surprising sight.
There were already countless livestreams running.
People all over the world had begun experimenting with the new service.
The girls couldn't hide their amazement.
"Wow..."
"This spread fast."
At that moment, Izumi spoke up.
"You should try livestreaming too."
"Now that the entire world's network is connected, content creation will probably become a huge industry."
"And honestly..."
He rubbed his chin.
"It sounds pretty fun."
The girls exchanged glances.
Then Ritsu Tainaka immediately raised her hand.
"Boss Izumi!"
"Can we livestream from here?"
"Honestly, I'd rather stream this place than perform on stage."
Izumi looked at her and immediately understood what she was thinking.
If people discovered a livestream originating from his residence—
The residence of the world's ruler—
The viewership would explode.
After all, countless people were curious about a place normally inaccessible to the public.
After a brief pause, he shrugged.
"If you want to stream, go ahead."
"I don't mind."
"Just remember one thing."
His expression became slightly more serious.
"If someone appears on camera, make sure you get their permission first."
"Understood?"
Ritsu's eyes immediately lit up.
Meanwhile, Honoka and the others clearly had the same idea.
After hesitating briefly, Honoka asked,
"Then..."
"Can we livestream here too?"
"We'd love to."
"No problem."
Izumi answered casually.
"Broadcast whenever you want."
"You can come here and hang out anytime."
"That's fine too."
The moment they received permission, the girls erupted with excitement.
They could visit this place whenever they wanted?
That was incredible.
Soon, everyone began enthusiastically discussing future streaming plans.
Izumi simply sat back and listened.
He genuinely enjoyed having these energetic girls around.
Their presence always made things livelier.
And that wasn't a bad thing.
...
While the others chatted, Kotori kept stealing glances at Izumi.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Her curiosity was practically overflowing.
Eventually, Izumi noticed.
Amused, he turned toward her.
"What is it?"
"Do you have a question?"
Kotori instantly froze.
Her face turned bright red.
"N-No!"
"Nothing at all!"
"S-Sorry!"
She hurriedly lowered her head.
Watching her reaction, Izumi couldn't help smiling.
She really was adorable when she got embarrassed.
Then—
A voice suddenly echoed directly inside her mind.
"Want to come over to my room tonight?"
Kotori's eyes widened.
Her entire body stiffened.
For a moment, panic completely overtook her.
Seeing her reaction, Izumi immediately laughed.
"Kidding."
"Relax."
Kotori let out a long breath of relief.
At the same time, her curiosity resurfaced.
Looking up, she asked,
"Izumi-kun..."
"About what you mentioned earlier..."
"The story where you said that you and I appear in a novel..."
"Is that really true?"
"I'm curious."
"Very curious."
Izumi's smile deepened.
"Oh?"
"You want to know?"
Kotori nodded so hard it looked as if her head might fall off.
Seeing that reaction, Izumi chuckled.
Without another word, he used his power to directly transmit the relevant information into Kotori's mind.
And thus, the truth behind that "story" began unfolding before her eyes.