Kuoh Private Academy is one of Japan's most elite high schools.
Its founder is rumored to be a Demon Lord, and any supernatural being in human form within Japan can attend—provided they pass the entrance exam.
For ordinary people, admission requires not only excellent academic results but also deep pockets. Caleb's foster parents, though wealthy, could only afford the tuition for him to enter this private high school, not the Takamine sisters, due to the exorbitant cost of Kuoh Academy.
However, the high price was justified. Beyond the excellent teaching, environment, and dedicated teachers, the most crucial benefit was the chance for ordinary students to undergo a transformation. There was a story of a regular male student who, out of kindness, rescued a dying black cat. Afterward, he not only gained a Catgirl as a wife for free but also successfully cultivated magic power, eventually becoming a formidable Magician.
Caleb looked at the luxurious club building, silently marveling at Kuoh Academy's wealth.
While the Occult Research Club's building, which emphasized discretion, was substantial, its visual impact couldn't compare to the grand sports clubs, which received the most funding.
Unlike some schools that had separate clubs for "Boys' Kendo Club" and "Girls' Kendo Club," Kuoh Academy combined them. Although the locker rooms were separate, training took place in the same location. Kuoh provided each sports club with a very large activity room—essentially a small indoor stadium—which eliminated the need for clubs to rotate training space and allowed male and female members to train separately yet simultaneously.
This arrangement prevented the formation of separate boys' and girls' clubs, which was also convenient for Caleb's plan.
Following his memory, Caleb arrived at the Kendo Club.
As soon as he entered, a member came forward to greet him.
"Student, are you looking for someone?"
"No, I've become interested in kendo recently and would like to try an introductory experience session."
Caleb scanned the area, a bit disappointed.
Because they were training, most of the members on the field were fully covered in gear; he couldn't see their faces, let alone their figures. He could only distinguish genders from the occasional training yell. Only a dozen new recruits were practicing basic swings in the corner of the Dōjō without face masks.
Caleb used his Insight Eye to observe them but didn't find any suitable targets.
After wandering around for a couple of minutes, he excused himself and left.
Leaving Kendo, Caleb went to the Archery Club, then the Tennis Club, Swimming Club, Gymnastics Club, Taekwondo Club, Karate Club, and so on.
His excuse was always the same: recent interest and a desire for an introductory experience session. Regardless of the enthusiasm of the club members, Caleb always said he needed to "go home and consider it" and would give his answer in a few days.
Caleb's criteria for selecting clubs was strategic, with the most important factor being potential combat power. The second factor was that there needed to be a good number of female members, particularly outstanding ones. Powerful female athletes were more likely to possess combat-enhancing talents. While not a guarantee, the odds were certainly higher than simply searching randomly.
After completing his rounds, Caleb had a surprising number of prospects.
Putting aside everything else, he spotted several beautiful girls familiar from those types of Japanese fiction: Sakura Miyajima from Kendo, Saya Sakuramiya and Hinata Sakuramiya from Archery, Mizuki Suzumori from Track and Field, Akane Nanao from Baseball, and Natsuha Murasakino from Karate.
Compared to these Hentai heroines, the real surprises were Hana Uzaki from the Swimming Club and Nanako Echizen from the Tennis Club. Authentic mainstream anime characters were extremely rare compared to the numerous characters from the "Underworld" fiction. To use an analogy, the genuine anime characters in this world were like SSR-tier rare cards—regardless of their strength, their drop rate was extremely low.
Despite discovering a few "innocent lilies," Caleb hadn't changed his view of the world. Even in a Lovecraftian setting, people sometimes revert to normal. Similarly, the appearance of a few genuine characters didn't mean this wasn't an "Underworld" setting.
As dusk fell, Caleb had visited most of the sports clubs. He secretly noted his top targets, planning to approach them one by one—not just the familiar heroines, but also high-performing girls in each club. They might not be as enticing as the well-known beauties, but their looks and bodies were still well above average.
Two kilometers southwest of Kuoh Academy's main gate, a group of delinquents squatted in an alley, observing passing pedestrians.
"Boss, what about that kid? He looks like an easy mark."
"Yeah, him. Kuoh Academy students are all fat sheep."
The leader, a guy with a pompadour, tossed down his cigarette butt. "Be careful, though. Go test the waters first."
As habitual troublemakers in the area, they were aware of certain risks. Kuoh Academy students, while rich, sometimes turned out to be tough opponents. Some looked weak but could easily take on ten people. Others were secretly followed by bodyguards, or had powerful family backgrounds, like a Yakuza heir or the Police Chief's daughter.
"Alright, I'll go check him out."
The delinquent who made the suggestion stood up and walked slowly toward Caleb, who was deep in thought.
The moment they brushed past each other, the delinquent suddenly slammed his shoulder into Caleb.
Caleb's body slightly swayed but easily maintained its balance. Instead, the delinquent stumbled from the unexpected counter-force.
Caleb stopped and looked at the delinquent, whose hair was dyed various colors, with an innocent expression. "Excuse me, is something wrong?"
The delinquent was confused but automatically went into character. "Huh? What's wrong?" He glared fiercely, clutching his chest dramatically. "Didn't you just bump into me?"
Caleb maintained his innocent and naive look. "Oh, you were bumped? I'm truly sorry about that."
"You think 'sorry' is enough?"
"Well... do you want to bump me back?" Caleb tilted his head, asking a question in return.
The delinquent shouted with a dark expression, "Who the hell wants to bump you!"
"Then what do you want?"
Caleb subtly moved two steps back, avoiding the delinquent's spitting as he secretly observed the others in the alley.
The delinquent stepped forward and grabbed Caleb's collar.
"I'm telling you, this isn't over for less than 100,000 Yen!"
"Oh, you want money. You should have said so earlier," Caleb said, feigning realization. "But I don't carry that much cash. I'll need to go to the bank."
Thanks to the Cuckold-Bait template, he could now handle these situations with practiced ease. Caleb calculated that the peaceful quiet period was probably over. Sure enough, the moment he didn't walk with Reina and the girls today, trouble immediately found him.
Seeing how obedient Caleb was, the delinquent clearly paused, thinking he had run into a total bookworm.
"I'm too lazy to go to the bank. How much cash do you have on you right now? Give it all to me first."
"But I don't have a single cent on me right now," Caleb tilted his head. "How about you bump me back after all?"
Delinquent: "..."
"Fuck! Are you messing with me, kid?!"
Caleb regrettably shook his head. He figured it out too quickly. I wasn't done playing yet.