Chapter 251: Investigation
The effects of the soul contract were very appealing to Sona, and the idea of becoming true master and servant with Haruto was also quite tempting.
However, after thinking it over for a long time, the president regretfully decided to hold off on the contract for now.
It wasn't that she was worried about others finding out the truth and gossiping; it was just that her relationship with Haruto hadn't yet reached the same level as Rias's.
For the sake of her family and her sister, one of the Four Great Devil Kings, she needed to be cautious.
Unlike Sirzechs, Sona's sister, Serafall Sitri, was an extreme siscon.
Even after becoming a Devil King and changing her name to Serafall Leviathan, her personality hadn't improved in the slightest. She often talked about breaking boundaries with her sister Sona and engaging in forbidden sisterly yuri.
If Sona were to form a soul contract with Haruto and her sister Serafall found out, things would definitely become troublesome.
Although she had reservations, Tsubaki had no such concerns.
Akeno and Yuuma had already proven that the contracts didn't conflict with each other. So, Sona suggested, "Tsubaki, why don't you sign a contract with Haruto first next month?"
Tsubaki's cool expression remained unchanged as she gave a slight nod, though the faint blush on her fair skin betrayed her true feelings.
It felt like a long time had passed since their last dual cultivation with Haruto. Back then, Haruto had still been relatively innocent, untouched by the revelries, and their interactions had been purely affectionate.
But when she thought about the next full moon night, she knew she wouldn't be the only one...
Just the thought of it made the usually composed vice president's heart flutter with unease.
Hearing Sona's change in tone, Haruto also breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed her anger had subsided.
As for Tsubaki, Haruto stole a glance at her and figured there shouldn't be any issues there.
Thinking back, the vice president was the first female character he had successfully pursued in Kuoh Academy, holding a special significance for him.
Moreover, Tsubaki had been something of a lucky charm for him. Not only did she possess the Mirror Alice talent and Devil Bloodline, but she had also contributed a kendo skill.
It was a pity that, with his rapid rise in power, it hadn't proven very useful.
He felt somewhat guilty that Tsubaki's strength had remained stagnant at the peak of A-rank for so long, especially since he hadn't paid her much attention during this time.
Secretly resolving to make it up to her properly, he laid out the purpose of his visit.
Sona hadn't truly been angry either; after venting, she returned to her usual self.
"The student council is also investigating the vampire incident."
She pulled out a few documents from the files and adjusted her glasses. "We happen to be short-handed lately. Since you're looking into it, I'll leave this matter to you."
Haruto: ...
No wonder you and Rias are such good friends. Your behaviors aren't just similar—they're practically identical.
A slight smile tugged at Sona's lips, as if she had read Haruto's thoughts. "You're a member of the student council too. Consider this compensation for your absence lately."
"Yes, yes, Madam President."
Haruto took the student council documents and began reading. He had already promised Rias, so adding Sona to the list made little difference.
On second thought, since he was going to resolve this matter anyway, agreeing to both of them now seemed like he was actually coming out ahead.
After reviewing the documents, Haruto frowned.
The materials Sona provided included detailed accounts of the vampire incident and the registered vampires within the academy.
Unlike the numerous angels, devils, fallen angels, and youkai in this world, vampires were a relatively rare race here.
Moreover, they weren't accepted by most factions and were in a rather precarious position.
In the entire high school division of Kuoh Academy, there were only three vampires, one of whom was a name quite familiar to Haruto.
Tachibana Nanao, Class 2-C.
Height: 154 cm, Weight: 41 kg, Gender: Male.
In the photo, he had short hair, red eyes, and platinum-blond or light golden hair.
With his delicate features and petite build, he was the epitome of a fragile, beautiful young man.
After the vampire incident occurred, as one of the three prime suspects, Nanao had naturally been thoroughly investigated by the student council.
The fact that no results had been found so far indicated he wasn't the culprit.
Well, for now, he'd use "he." Nanao's gender likely hadn't been fully settled yet, but since he currently preferred to identify as male, Haruto would follow his lead.
Not only was Nanao not the culprit, but the suspicions against the other two vampires were also quickly dismissed.
After the student council had subdued the three vampires, anemic girls continued to appear.
So Tachibana Nanao was in Class C...
Just as Haruto remembered, she was a low-key and introverted person. Despite being only one classroom apart, he had never noticed her before.
He decided to postpone the idea of approaching her. Given her past experiences, Tachibana Nanao was psychologically sensitive. If he failed to make a good impression during their first meeting, the difficulty of winning her over would likely skyrocket to hellish levels.
Besides, the current prime suspect was a certain cross-dressing boy. Though he wasn't among the three vampires, that didn't mean he wasn't at Kuoh Academy.
The student council's registration was merely a basic information collection—not everyone would honestly disclose all their details.
"Tch, too bad I forgot that cross-dresser's name..."
Haruto muttered quietly. If he knew the name, he could quickly check the student roster to confirm whether the person was at Kuoh Academy.
He remembered the early plot of High School DxD and The Testament of Sister New Devil quite clearly since the first seasons had been officially released.
Later seasons, however, contained too much explicit content, so he had to find resources on his own.
And since he was searching for them himself, he naturally looked for uncensored versions.
Then his mind became filled with various milky-white bosoms and naked, delicate bodies—how could he remember much of the plot?
Fortunately, he still had vague impressions, so his advantage of foreknowledge hadn't completely vanished.
"President, I'm looking for someone—a boy with short golden hair, pointy ears resembling an elf's, a delicate face, and a slender figure."
Though he'd forgotten the name, Haruto remembered what the cross-dresser looked like. To be honest, the boy was even prettier than the male-form Tachibana Nanao and looked more like a girl.
"Does this person have something to do with the current incident?" Sona asked curiously.
"Not sure yet."
Haruto shook his head. Although he suspected the boy, he recalled that the cross-dresser wasn't a real vampire and had no interest in bloodsucking.
But if it wasn't him, then Haruto had no idea what was really going on.
The student council's investigation was much more detailed than the rumors suggested. The attacked girls weren't in life-threatening condition, but they had all lost excessive blood without any traces left on their bodies.
Literally, no traces—not even puncture wounds on their necks.
If he had to describe it, all the attacked girls were busty, and their nipples showed signs of having been sucked, leaving them rosy.
Sucking blood or energy from breasts... such an enviable—no, such a lewd—wait, such an evil act!
Sona didn't press Haruto on how he knew these details; she was already accustomed to his various peculiar abilities.
Just then, other student council members arrived one after another, so she directly instructed her peerage to search the entire high school student roster based on Haruto's description.
Many hands make light work, and since all the female members were devils, their efficiency and eyesight far surpassed ordinary humans. Soon, all matching photos were laid out before Haruto.
There weren't many—only five.
It was difficult to perfectly match Haruto's description. Among the five, most only met a few of the criteria.
"Gasper Vladi, Class 1-F, height 150cm, weight 40kg, gender: female..."
Haruto recognized the target at a glance, but the clearly marked "Female" gender made him less than 100% certain.
After seeing the name and photo, he had fully recalled and could confirm this was indeed the person he was looking for.
Had this cross-dressing boy become a genuine girl in this world?
"Haruto, is it her? Didn't you say it was a boy?" Tsubaki asked curiously while Haruto was wrestling with his thoughts.
Earlier, she had almost filtered out the profile when seeing "Female," but since all other criteria matched perfectly, she decided to retrieve it just to try.
"It should be hi... her..." (Note: In Japanese, the male pronoun "kare" and female pronoun "kanojo" are pronounced differently.)
Haruto decided to investigate personally. If Gasper could conceal his vampire identity, hiding his gender would be even easier.
If in this timeline, the other had become a real girl... that might not be so bad.
According to the records, Gasper Vladi was just an ordinary student. With many foreign students at Kuoh Academy, he didn't stand out.
Haruto found the homeroom teacher of Class 2-F and used the student council's name to obtain detailed information.
Class F was an ordinary class with regular students and teachers, making the student council's authority more effective than Rias's influence.