Akeno Himejima's intuition was sharp. She felt things weren't that simple.
"Is that really all there is to it?"
Caleb stated emphatically, "That's exactly all there is to it."
As for the Longinus, the former male protagonist, and all that... The world line wasn't immutable. Since he had arrived in this world, Caleb never planned on meekly accepting fate. Regardless of what happened later, keeping the girls away from Issei Hyoudou for now only had advantages.
First, it minimized changes to the plot, allowing his 'Precognition' ability to remain effective for a while longer. Second, it made it easier to scheme for the Boosted Gear. The precognition wasn't really the priority; the second point was where Caleb's true interest lay.
He had considered approaching Issei Hyoudou directly, but that would be too obviously calculated, and he didn't have a good excuse. If someone deliberately investigated, they would easily discover his hidden agenda. He never expected Tetsuya Hoda to provide such a perfect opportunity.
To show his gratitude, if Tetsuya Hoda cooperated fully, Caleb would spare him the torture.
Under the cover of magic, Tetsuya Hoda was successfully transported to the Occult Research Club activity room.
"Tsk tsk. Didn't you say the club was almost defunct? This doesn't look like it at all."
This was Caleb's first time in the Occult Research Club's activity room. The space was larger than a classroom, entirely covered in red carpet, and illuminated by a dazzling crystal chandelier. There were leather sofas, solid wood coffee tables... Even the furniture looked too expensive for ordinary people. In short, it looked nothing like a failing club; it was several classes above the Student Council room.
Akeno Himejima smiled without commenting. Since the academy belonged to the Gremory family, the future head's club room had to be the best. Tsubaki Shinra, however, offered a brief explanation.
"The original Occult Research Club wasn't here. Rather than saying Rias and Akeno took over a failing club, they simply used the name and re-established their own club."
Considering the composition of the Occult Research Club's members, Caleb fully agreed with Tsubaki Shinra. Rias was the club president, and all the members were her familiars. This place was set up entirely for meetings and handling requests.
"Uesugi-kun, do you plan to interrogate him yourself, or wait for the President?"
Akeno Himejima gave a friendly smile. "Of course, I can also help you interrogate him."
"Akeno-senpai, your expression is rather dangerous..." Caleb put away his curiosity and stopped looking around.
Akeno Himejima looked surprised. "Oh my, I'm just showing a normal expression."
Caleb: "..."
"I'll handle it myself. I won't trouble Akeno-senpai."
Handing Tetsuya Hoda over to the sadistic girl would likely result in a miscarriage of justice. Akeno Himejima tilted her head, maintaining an innocent look.
Ignoring the girl's playful act, Caleb squatted down and poked Tetsuya Hoda.
"Hey, can you talk now?"
Tetsuya Hoda: "...(mad face)"
"Oh, I guess not."
Caleb scratched his head. Did he need to send the guy to the infirmary first?
"Seriously, why did you have to exhaust yourself like that?"
Tetsuya Hoda's most severe injuries came from the side effects of his transformation, followed by the damage from being dragged around by Caleb, and finally, the injuries from their 1V1 battle. Since neither of them knew fighting techniques, the direct blows looked terrifying but mainly hit muscle and fat, resulting mostly in swelling and bruises.
There's a saying: to learn how to attack, you must first learn how to take a hit. Caleb agreed. With Mirror Reflection, he definitely wouldn't lose out. Tetsuya Hoda didn't understand this and didn't want to get beaten, so he ended up gravely injuring himself.
Facing Caleb's teasing, Tetsuya Hoda was on the verge of tears. He hadn't wanted this, but he'd truly lost his temper earlier. If he had known Akeno Himejima and Tsubaki Shinra were watching the whole time, he would have stuck to the 1V1 fight and avoided the Second Stage Transformation. Because regardless of whether he transformed or not, the final result was the same.
Just as Caleb was getting a headache, Akeno Himejima spoke with a smile.
"I know a little healing magic."
Caleb: "And? Use it already, why don't you?"
"I wonder who said they wouldn't trouble me just now."
Caleb: "..."
This sadistic woman not only enjoys teasing people, but she also holds grudges. Under the circumstances, Caleb had to concede. He apologized obediently.
"Akeno-senpai, I was wrong."
Akeno Himejima's smile grew even more delightful. She waved her hand, sprinkling a patch of green light over Tetsuya Hoda.
"I'm not an expert in healing magic, but restoring him enough to speak is no problem."
"That's all I need."
Caleb squatted down in front of Tetsuya Hoda again. "Hey, stop playing dead. You heard everything, right? Start confessing."
Tetsuya Hoda: "..."
"Still not talking? Do you want a beating?"
"Why don't you ask me a question first?" Tetsuya Hoda said, feeling wronged and angry. "You haven't asked anything, so what am I supposed to confess?"
Caleb scoffed. "Tsk, looks like it really wasn't you."
He hadn't been genuinely playing dumb; he was trying to pressure Tetsuya Hoda. If Tetsuya Hoda had been the one targeting him, his reaction would have been completely different. Caleb had always thought the guy looked too simple-minded to pull off such a sophisticated, behind-the-scenes move.
He still had to go through the motions.
"Name."
"Tetsuya Hoda."
"Age."
"Sixteen."
"Gender."
Tetsuya Hoda: "..."
Caleb glanced at him and repeated, "Gender."
"Bro, I'm calling you 'bro.' Stop messing with me. Can you just ask what you want to know?" Tetsuya Hoda was on the verge of a breakdown. He couldn't fathom how he had provoked Caleb.
"You know what you did!" Caleb's eyes widened, bluffing. "The victim came to us and asked for our help to get revenge."
Tetsuya Hoda: "Is it about selling pictures?"
Caleb's eyes brightened, but he remained calm. "No."
"Then... is it about the drugs?"
"Also no."
"It couldn't be about me stealing underwear, could it?"
"Hehehe."
After laughing until Tetsuya Hoda started to doubt his life choices, Caleb looked up at Tsubaki Shinra.
"Tsubaki-senpai, I told you these people aren't clean. We were right to grab him and interrogate him."
Tsubaki Shinra shook her head helplessly. "Not everyone is as foolish as he is."
"True." Caleb agreed profoundly.
At that moment, Tetsuya Hoda finally realized what was happening. "What do you mean? You tricked me?!"
Caleb gave him a look of pity. "We'll talk about the things you just mentioned in detail back at the Student Council. Now, let me ask you about..."
Caleb briefly explained the cause of the rumors to Tetsuya Hoda. The answer was as expected: it had nothing to do with him.
"Why did you suspect me?" Tetsuya Hoda, furious about his undeserved troubles, couldn't help but ask.
"The rumors first appeared on the school forum, but the original post was deleted and untraceable." Tsubaki Shinra pushed up her glasses. "According to our investigation, the account you used was involved in spreading the rumors, and you also had the technical ability to prevent others from tracing the source back to you."