High School DxD: Lustful Ascension

"Replication failed."

"Acquired talent: Intermediate Demon Bloodline · Remnant."

"Talent description: Increases magic affinity and enhances physical attributes."

With the notification, a warm surge flowed through Qingqiu's body before quickly fading. Snapping out of his daydream, Qingqiu tested his strength. He couldn't feel the magic affinity, and his physical boost wasn't as significant as when he activated his physical vitality. Still, any enhancement was an improvement.

Re-reading the talent description, he found no fault with it. Even a small increase was progress, boosting his confidence for tomorrow's plan.

"Hakata Tetsuya..." Qingqiu muttered, pondering how to provoke his first target.

Intuition told Qingqiu that the blond yokai was the most likely suspect, but for safety's sake, he decided to begin his "investigation" with Hakata Tetsuya, a fellow freshman. Qingqiu's practical experience was limited to dealing with delinquents, so he didn't want to overreach.

Under the envious and jealous gazes of his peers, Qingqiu, accompanied by Tsubaki and Akeno, arrived at Hakata Tetsuya's classroom. He walked to the podium and immediately spotted the face from the dossier.

"He's somewhat handsome, but still no match for me," Qingqiu began, conjuring false accusations. Tsubaki's face darkened with every word. "And yet, he had the audacity to confess to Tsubaki-senpai?"

"I'm telling you, Tsubaki-senpai is already mine. You'd better back off. If I see you again, I'll strip you and hang your clothes at the school gate."

Akeno, who was initially amused, was caught off guard when Qingqiu roped her into his tale. "And as for you, shamelessly going to Akeno-senpai after Tsubaki-senpai turned you down—hoping to be her lackey. Dream on! Without my permission, Akeno-senpai wouldn't even look at you."

Rumors about Qingqiu were already rampant, and with Akeno and Tsubaki constantly by his side, people speculated about their relationship. Qingqiu's speech seemed to confirm those suspicions. The male students were heartbroken, wondering why the two sophisticated senpais were interested in such a pretty boy.

Akeno, finding herself amused, pinched Qingqiu's waist, causing him to wince but continue his performance, signaling that it was all part of the act. Ideally, he would have preferred a discreet confrontation, but since Hakata Tetsuya wasn't easily approachable, this was the next best option.

Hakata Tetsuya, who had been slow to react, finally stood up, slamming his desk in anger. Though he had entertained thoughts about Tsubaki and Akeno, he knew his limitations. Deceiving ordinary people was one thing; aiming for powerful devil retainers was another—an act that could leave him nowhere to hide.

"You're talking nonsense! I don't even know these senpais..."

"Don't know them?" Qingqiu laughed dismissively. "Is there a boy at Kuoh Academy who doesn't know Tsubaki-senpai and Akeno-senpai?"

"I..."

"Whatever," Qingqiu interrupted, refusing to let Hakata Tetsuya continue. "If you have a problem, meet me after school in the grove."

Tsubaki and Akeno remained silent, but their lack of protest seemed like an endorsement to onlookers. The crowd slowly distanced themselves from Hakata Tetsuya, especially the girls who had been around him, now pretending they didn't know him.

Qingqiu stood confidently at the podium, hoping Hakata Tetsuya would lose his temper and confront him now, saving them the trouble of waiting until after school.

Hakata Tetsuya wanted to punch Qingqiu and bring his smug face down to his level. But seeing Tsubaki's angry expression and Akeno's playful smirk, he decided to hold back.

He had no intention of going to the grove after school, suspecting that Qingqiu's provocation might be orchestrated by the two women. Unlike ordinary students, those at the inner academy knew the strength of Tsubaki and Akeno. As a human-yokai hybrid, Hakata Tetsuya was confident he could handle Qingqiu, but he wasn't sure of the girls' intentions and opted to bide his time.

Internally cursing Qingqiu as a privileged pretty boy, Hakata Tetsuya's anger simmered. If not for his alliances, he would have loved nothing more than to mar Qingqiu's face. But he refrained, and Qingqiu, seeing no immediate confrontation forthcoming, left the classroom, disappointed.

Later, in the student council room, Qingqiu rubbed his sore waist. "Looks like plan B—ambush it is. Hakata Tetsuya's got more patience than I expected."

"Why not just confront him directly earlier?" someone asked.

"You can't ambush someone in front of witnesses. Unless you want to take them all out," Qingqiu retorted, rolling his eyes at Tsubaki. "After today, Hakata Tetsuya will likely be left alone for a while."

Meanwhile, Hakata Tetsuya found himself surrounded by three male classmates instead of his usual female admirers.

"Don't be upset, Hakata. You've still got us," one said.

"Yeah, if we'd known you were a fellow perv, we'd have invited you sooner. The Pervert Trio is actually a quartet—sounds cool, huh?"

Hakata Tetsuya: "...Cool my ass."

"But speaking of Akeno-senpai's assets, I prefer Rias-senpai's," said one.

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

[•———•——•———•]

𝙥𝗮𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣(.)𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

✨ • 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟲𝟬+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.

Watching the antics of Issei Hyoudou, Matsuda, and Motohama, Hakata Tetsuya felt a vein throbbing on his forehead. Being associated with the Pervert Trio meant social suicide at Kuoh Academy. Their reputation for open lechery was beyond notorious.

Suppressing his anger, Hakata Tetsuya forced a single word through clenched teeth. "Scram..."