[Copy Failed] [Obtained Talent: Middle-Class Devil Bloodline (Partial)] [Talent Description: Increases Magic Affinity, Enhances Physical Constitution]
Accompanying the prompt, a rush of heat surged through his body, but it quickly faded.
Snapping out of his daydream, Caleb tried testing his strength with a punch. He didn't feel any difference in magic affinity, and as for physical constitution... the improvement was less than what he gained from Yukina Sasaki's Physical Activation talent.
No matter how small the increase, it was still an enhancement. Revisiting the talent description, there were no flaws in the wording. An increase, however small, was still an increase. With his strength slightly boosted, Caleb felt even more confident about his plan for tomorrow.
"Tetsuya Hoda…"
Caleb muttered the name of his first target, contemplating how to provoke him. His gut feeling told him the yellow-haired Youkai was the most likely suspect. However, to be safe, he decided to start the 'investigation' with Tetsuya Hoda, who was also a freshman. After all, Caleb's combat experience was limited to bullying delinquents.
Ignoring the envious and resentful gazes of his peers, he arrived at Tetsuya Hoda's classroom, accompanied by Tsubaki Shinra and Akeno Himejima.
"Tetsuya Hoda."
Caleb walked to the front of the classroom and immediately spotted the face from the file.
"He's moderately handsome, I guess, but still a step below me. And with that level of attractiveness, he had the audacity to confess to Tsubaki-senpai?" Caleb began fabricating lies out of thin air, and Tsubaki Shinra's face darkened increasingly beside him.
"Let me tell you, Tsubaki-senpai is mine now, so get lost! If I ever see you again, I'll strip you naked and hang you up by the school gate!"
Akeno Himejima was stifling a laugh until Caleb's next sentence dragged her into the drama.
"And you shameless bastard! After Tsubaki-senpai rejected you, you still shamelessly went after Akeno-senpai, saying you'd even be her lapdog if she would just let you follow her!" Caleb sneered. "Forget about it. Akeno-senpai won't even look at you without my permission."
Rumors about Caleb were already rampant, and Akeno Himejima and Tsubaki Shinra constantly sticking to him had already led people to secretly speculate about their relationship. Caleb's statement was a direct confirmation.
The male students watched Tsubaki Shinra and Akeno Himejima, their hearts shattering. Were the two beautiful and mature seniors visually impaired? Why else would they be interested in this pretty boy?
Akeno Himejima, having been dragged into the spectacle, pinched Caleb's lower back. Caleb endured it, continuing his furious taunting while signaling with his eyes that this was necessary for the "plot." If he could, he'd prefer a quick sneak attack; it was easier and wouldn't damage his image. However, Tetsuya Hoda wasn't actively flirting; he was being flirted with. If he hadn't lacked the classic blonde hair, Caleb would have suspected him first.
Provoking this type of person was relatively simple. The target had built a persona as a cold, aloof heartthrob, so Caleb slapped the label of lapdog on him instead. This not only provoked him but also made the girls who were being deceived wake up.
As expected, after snapping out of his initial shock, Tetsuya Hoda immediately jumped up, slamming his hand on the desk. He had admired Tsubaki Shinra and Akeno Himejima, but he also knew his limits. A low-tier boy like him could fool ordinary people, but trying to touch powerful Devil familiars? He might as well find a nice cemetery to save everyone the trouble of burying him.
"You're full of crap! I don't even know the two seniors..."
"You don't know them?" Caleb scoffed. "There's a guy at Kuoh Academy who doesn't know Tsubaki-senpai and Akeno-senpai?"
"I..."
"I what, I what! I'm telling you, if you ever appear in front of me again," Caleb cut off Tetsuya Hoda's chance to retort. "If you've got a problem, meet me in the woods after school."
Tsubaki Shinra and Akeno Himejima didn't say a word throughout the entire exchange, but to the onlookers, their silence was acceptance. The crowd slowly moved away from Tetsuya Hoda, especially the girls who had been surrounding him. They looked like they wanted to claim they didn't know him.
Caleb remained standing on the podium, looking completely arrogant. Ideally, Tetsuya Hoda would lose his temper right now and come up for a fight. That way, they wouldn't even have to wait for the woods after school.
Tetsuya Hoda truly wanted to rush up and punch Caleb's face, dragging that obnoxious, handsome face down to his level. However, he looked at the dark-faced Tsubaki Shinra, then at the deceptively smiling Akeno Himejima... He decided to hold back for now. He also didn't plan on going to the woods after school. Who knew if Caleb's deliberate provocation was orchestrated by those two women? Students in the Underworld Academy, unlike the regular students, knew the power of the two seniors. As a human-Youkai hybrid, Tetsuya Hoda's attractiveness was above average, and so was his strength. He believed he could easily handle Caleb, who was just a normal human. But he held back because he was unsure of Tsubaki Shinra's and Akeno Himejima's true intentions. He could only inwardly curse Caleb as a pretty boy and a paper tiger who relied on two powerful women. If not for his powerful backing, he'd smash that face to pieces.
Tetsuya Hoda's face was gloomy, but he never rushed forward. Caleb was somewhat disappointed. He had brought Tsubaki Shinra and Akeno Himejima along to enhance his persuasive power and to take advantage of them, but it seemed to have backfired. Since Tetsuya Hoda didn't react, Caleb had no choice but to leave. He wanted to continue taunting, but the soft flesh on his lower back wouldn't allow it. Even with Beginner Physique Mastery fully activated, he couldn't resist Akeno Himejima's two slender fingers. The power gap was too wide. Caleb shook his head, lamenting his situation.
Student Council Room.
"It looks like it will have to be a sneak attack after all."
Caleb rubbed his lower back, wincing. "Tetsuya Hoda is more patient than I thought."
"Then why didn't you just attack him earlier?"
"A sneak attack can't be seen by others, unless I knock everyone else out too." Caleb rolled his eyes at Tsubaki Shinra. "After today's show, Tetsuya Hoda won't have anyone surrounding him for the next few days."
While Caleb was plotting his sneak attack in the Student Council room, the gaggle of girls around Tetsuya Hoda had indeed vanished. However, he was now surrounded by three boys.
"Hoda, don't be sad. You still have us."
"Yeah, if we'd known you were a pervert too, we would have invited you earlier. A four-man pervert group, hehehe, that sounds kind of cool."
Tetsuya Hoda: "...Cool my ass."
"But I prefer Rias-senpai's breasts over Akeno-senpai's."
"+1"
"+1"
Watching Issei Hyoudou, Matsuda, and Motohama puff out their chests, the veins on Tetsuya Hoda's forehead bulged. If he was mistaken for a member of the Pervert Trio, his social life would truly be over. The Pervert Trio was famously unpopular with the girls at Kuoh Academy because their pervertedness was completely unconcealed.
Tetsuya Hoda suppressed his anger and ground out a single word through gritted teeth.
"Get... out..."