Caleb shrugged. Why use a complicated method when a simple, quick one was available? It wasn't that he didn't want to use his brain, but deduction and forensics were simply outside his wheelhouse. He could think of gentler methods, but they would be incredibly troublesome to implement.
"There are too few clues. I have no connection to any of these three people, so I can't guess who it is."
Sona Shitori frowned. "Are you absolutely sure you haven't offended anyone?"
"Positive."
Caleb was certain. He hadn't even had time to fully court the targets he was interested in; where would he find the time to provoke others?
"Then why would someone target you?"
The suspects were identified, but the motive was missing. For a moment, Sona Shitori and Tsubaki Shinra had no good ideas.
"I don't know, maybe because I'm handsome," Caleb muttered, already accustomed to being targeted because of the Cuckold-Bait template.
"If you ask me, we should just grab all of them and interrogate them one by one. Starting with the third-year guy with the dyed blonde hair."
Caleb instigated. "Look at that shifty-eyed face; he's clearly trouble. Even if he didn't do this, he's definitely done other illegal things before."
Having spent a few days with Caleb, Tsubaki Shinra had grown used to his strong prejudice against boys with blonde hair.
"Uesugi, his hair is that color naturally because of his Youkai bloodline," Tsubaki Shinra explained.
Hearing that he was a natural blonde, Caleb became even more animated.
"It's him! It must be him! He definitely hid nearby that day and overheard my conversation with Tsubaki-senpai, then got jealous of me..."
Sona Shitori covered her ears, annoyed. "Tsubaki, escort him out!"
"Yes, President."
Tsubaki Shinra covered Caleb's mouth with her small hand and dragged him out of the Student Council room. Unable to resist, Caleb retaliated by leaving some drool on Tsubaki Shinra's hand.
Feeling the wet, warm tongue on her palm, Tsubaki Shinra's face flushed. Ugh... little pervert, taking advantage whenever he gets a chance.
Seeing Tsubaki Shinra blush, Caleb immediately wrapped his arm around her and pressed his lips against her small, cherry mouth—with her hand still in the way.
"Wuwuwu—"
With his mouth covered, Caleb could only produce unintelligible sounds.
Tsubaki Shinra reluctantly lowered her hand. "What do you want to say?"
Caleb didn't actually have anything to say; he was just trying to make Tsubaki Shinra drop her guard. Mission accomplished, he seized the opportunity to kiss her again.
When their lips met, Tsubaki Shinra froze for a second, realizing she had been tricked. Her instinct was to push Caleb away, but recalling their closeness over the past few days and the possibility of a future relationship, she ultimately let him continue.
After sampling her soft, red lips for a moment, Caleb tried to breach her clamped teeth. He dotted, tangled, circled, sucked, and licked—Caleb used every kissing technique he knew. His tongue was nearly numb, but Tsubaki Shinra kept her teeth tightly clenched, offering no opportunity. He wanted to cling to her mouth, but he was running out of breath, while Tsubaki Shinra's breathing rhythm hadn't changed at all. They were in the hallway, and Caleb couldn't use his hands or feet for a distraction. Moreover, he strongly suspected that if he did, Tsubaki Shinra would, in a fit of rage, use a submission hold to teach him a lesson: Don't mess around if you don't have the power.
After a brief stalemate, just as Caleb was about to give up, a slick, warm little tongue actively pressed against his. Following his tongue, it slipped right into his mouth.
Caleb looked at the beauty before him, momentarily stunned.
Tsubaki Shinra gave him a playful, charming look. She wrapped her arms around his neck, then slowly closed her wet, lustrous eyes.
As the saying goes, Heaven helps those who help themselves. The ancients did not lie.
The surprise was so sudden that Caleb collected himself and actively took the lead. Tsubaki Shinra's kissing technique was awkward, or rather, non-existent. After entering, she could only press and rub her tongue against his. Fortunately, she was very cooperative, and under Caleb's guidance, the two quickly found their rhythm.
Tangling, sucking, licking...
Amidst the sound of gulping, a wonderful prompt rang out in Caleb's mind.
[Ding, Talent Detected: Mirror Reflection] [Starting Copy...]
Ten minutes later, Caleb reluctantly released her red, delicious mouth, his desire unsatisfied. It turned out he needed the Beginner Physique Mastery talent even for kissing. He really would have suffocated during the kiss without it. Boosting my power is a priority!
Caleb lamented inwardly but couldn't help but savor the moment. Tsubaki Shinra's saliva tasted much better than Reina's and the others', with a faint, clean fragrance. He wasn't sure if it was because of her greater power or her reincarnation as a Devil. When kissing Reina and the girls, the taste of their saliva depended entirely on what they had eaten beforehand. Strawberry flavor if they had strawberries, sweet if they had cake, and if they had eaten... Caleb refused to kiss them then.
"Tsubaki-senpai, can we do it again?"
Caleb didn't know why Tsubaki Shinra suddenly became so proactive. Since he had the opportunity, he certainly wanted to try again.
Tsubaki Shinra rolled her eyes at him, annoyed. "You'll be late for class. Don't push your luck. Go to class quickly, and in the meantime, think hard about who might be targeting you."
"Tsubaki."
Wrapping his arms around Tsubaki Shinra's slender waist, Caleb pressed his advantage, cooing, "We've already kissed. Let's call each other by our first names from now on."
In Japan, only people with very close relationships called each other by their first names. For a man and a woman, it meant they were either family or lovers. Or their relationship was so close that it was more than lovers, like childhood friends.
"You already called me that, why ask?" Tsubaki Shinra said helplessly. "Alright, consider this your advanced payment for the day. Don't overthink things."
"If it's an advance payment, then advancing it a few more times shouldn't be a problem."
Tsubaki Shinra: "..."
He actually has a point.
Advancing it a few more times would also help in securing Caleb's loyalty.
And so, the two indulged in a few more intimate moments until Sona Shitori, watching from the Student Council room, couldn't take it anymore and came out to shoo them away.
Back in the classroom, Caleb looked triumphant. He had successfully reached second base with Tsubaki Shinra today. Was a home run far behind?
Just as Caleb was anticipating his sexually blissful future, his Dual Cultivation ability gave him another surprise.
[Copy Failed] [Obtained Talent: Mirror Reflection (Partial)] [Talent Description: Reflect 20% of damage taken back to the damage source.]
Only internal fluid exchange guarantees successful talent acquisition. Conversely, no internal fluid exchange means failure. Caleb had long considered this possibility but hadn't had a chance to test it.
Unexpectedly, not only did he get to test it this time, but he also gained an unexpected reward. He failed, but he didn't fail completely.
Caleb checked the time. About an hour had passed since he parted ways with Tsubaki Shinra. This meant that if no further fluid exchange occurred an hour after the initial exchange, the copy was deemed a failure. However, even upon failure, he could still obtain a partial version of the talent.