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For a real-valued irreducible character of a finite odd-order group, pairing $g$ with $g^{-1}$ gives $⟨\chi ,1_G⟩=(\chi (1)+2A)/|G|$, with $A$ an algebraic integer. If this inner product were zero, $\chi (1)$ would be even, since a rational algebraic integer is an integer. But an irreducible character degree divides the group order, so it is odd. Therefore the character is trivial.

Suppose $\chi$ is an irreducible character of a group of odd order and $\chi =\overline{\chi }$. Write $d=\chi (1)$. Every nonidentity element pairs with its distinct inverse, since there is no element of order $2$. Also $\chi (g^{-1})=\overline{\chi (g)}=\chi (g)$. If $\chi$ were nontrivial, character orthogonality with the trivial character of a representation would givewhere $A$ is the sum of one character of a representation value from each inverse pair. This $A$ is an algebraic integer, so $A=-d/2\in \mathbb{Q}$ is an integer. Hence $d$ is even.

But an irreducible character degree divides the group order, so $d$ must be odd. One quick justification of that divisibility is that the central class sum of a conjugacy class $C$ acts by the algebraic integer ${\lambda }_C=|C|\chi (g_C)/d$. Its integrality follows from its integer matrix on the regular group representation. Character orthogonality then givesa rational algebraic integer, hence an integer. The parity contradiction proves $\boxed{\chi =1_G}$: the trivial character is the only self-conjugate irreducible character of an odd-order group.

Let $|G|=p^2$. By irreducible character degree divides the group order, each irreducible degree divides $p^2$. A degree is at most $\sqrt{|G|}=p$ by the sum of squares of irreducible degrees. If a degree $p$ occurred, its square would already consume the entire sum $p^2$, leaving no room for the trivial character. Hence every irreducible degree is one. A finite group has only linear irreducible characters exactly when it is abelian, so every group of order $p^2$ is abelian.