Thanks to Rias's encouragement, every afternoon after school, Caleb would first head to the Occult Research Club and then follow Koneko Toujou to the woods for training.
It was called 'training,' but in reality, it was Caleb being unilaterally beaten by the white-haired girl. Koneko Toujou's close-combat skills were superb, but she was a terrible teacher. She hadn't been taught by an instructor herself; her skills were developed purely through her Devil Chess Piece traits and practical combat experience. Furthermore, the white-haired girl was naturally taciturn, leaning toward the 'Kuudere' (emotionless) archetype. She could only teach by example, not by lecture.
However, the white-haired girl was a very responsible teacher. Not only did she teach seriously, but she was also incredibly patient. If Caleb didn't understand a move after one attempt, Koneko Toujou would just spar with him a few more times, coaching him until he mastered it. If he got injured or exhausted, a healing spell was cast, and the combat training immediately resumed.
In this way, Caleb was both suffering and making progress. Getting beaten hurt, but his growth was visible. With his perfect muscle control, his fighting talent was naturally gifted. In just a few days, at equalized strength and speed, he could already parry Koneko Toujou's attacks. Occasionally, he could even attempt a counterattack, though he hadn't successfully landed one yet.
Caleb didn't slack off during the two weekend days either, training with Koneko Toujou at school as if on a retreat. To facilitate Caleb's training, Koneko Toujou had been excused from assignments recently, with her workload distributed among the others. She only needed to focus on instructing Caleb.
Monday.
Tsubaki Shinra and Sona Shitori sent a message: the investigation results were ready.
"Little Caleb, let's pause your training today." Rias called out to Caleb, who was about to dash off to the woods after greeting them.
"President, can we please use a different name..." Caleb complained weakly. Over the past few days, his relationship with Rias had warmed, and at some point, she had started affectionately calling him Little Caleb.
It was probably because he was younger, looked delicate, and wasn't as tall as Rias... Rias was 172cm (5'8"), and Caleb was only 170cm (5'7"). Before his ability awakened, he was even shorter. Though he had made great progress, Rias was still taller. Caleb had only just secured his place among the others, and now he had to endure a new round of affectionate teasing. What could Caleb do? He wasn't Rias's Familiar yet, but Rias treated him with the full attention a prospective member would receive. More importantly, he couldn't beat any of these women in a fight. He could only complain verbally while his body obediently accepted the nickname. Koneko Toujou, who was a few months younger than Caleb, also took advantage of her status as his 'master' and pompously called him Little Caleb.
The most effective way to foster friendship is definitely physical contact. Though not the kind you find in affection, being repeatedly hit by Koneko Toujou's little fists every day rapidly warmed their relationship. Especially since Caleb was intentionally friendly—offering care, gentle conversation, and his attractive features—Koneko Toujou, the pseudo-emotionless girl, saw her respect for him soar.
Aside from the issue of her older sister Kuroka, she told Caleb everything she knew, including the origin of the name Koneko Toujou. Koneko Toujou's original name was Shirone. That's right, just two syllables. After becoming Rias's Familiar, Rias gave her the name Koneko Toujou. The surname Toujou (Castle) was given for the Rook (Castle) piece. The nickname Koneko (Little Cat) was simpler, because she was a Cat Youkai. Since it seemed too informal, Rias claimed it was an endearment, and Koneko Toujou mostly used the name Shirone Toujou outside the club.
Rias ignored Caleb's complaint and smiled. "We've confirmed the identity of the person targeting you."
"Really?!"
Hearing the news, Caleb forgot his protest and quickly ran to Rias's side. "Who is it? Is it that blond Youkai?"
"You actually remember that? I thought you'd forgotten about it these past few days while training so intensely with Koneko."
Caleb: "..."
He had almost forgotten, but it was absolutely not because he was distracted; he was simply dedicated to his training.
Rias didn't keep him in suspense. She slowly said, "It is indeed Taisei Oida. I'm surprised your first instinct was right."
"I knew it was that guy!" Caleb said indignantly. "Blonde hair, monkey features—you can tell he's trouble just by looking at him."
"If you had listened to me earlier, we wouldn't have let that blonde Youkai gloat for so long."
"You just guessed right by chance. If Tetsuya Hoda hadn't provided the accounts and transaction records, we wouldn't have any proof against him."
Caleb argued back, "It wasn't a guess. I had evidence."
"What evidence?"
"Look at that blonde hair. The moment I saw the photo, I was 100% sure it was him..."
Blonde hair, blonde hair... Rias's ears were practically ringing. It all came back to intuition. What kind of evidence was that? She rolled her eyes at Caleb, not wanting to argue. Rias noticed Caleb had a strong bias against blond hair. Yuuto Kiba had visited the club several times these past few days. Caleb's attitude towards him was noticeably different from his attitude towards Koneko Toujou. Not outright hostile, but certainly not friendly. Rias had reason to suspect this was purely because Yuuto Kiba had spiky blonde hair.
Caleb didn't know Rias's thoughts, or he would loudly protest his innocence. He genuinely disliked Yuuto Kiba, but it was mostly because he suspected the guy was too cool and popular. As for the hair color... if he just changed it, Caleb could try to build a better relationship with him.
No choice. Dealing with the frustration of the investigation is probably the only way to get rid of this stress. If possible, Caleb wished he could encounter a Female Yuuto Kiba, not a male one, as it would avoid the 'rivalry' issue and gain another potential friend.
The revised text focuses on the school club, the combat training, the nickname dynamic, and the main plot point of identifying the antagonist, Taisei Oida, without any of the explicit or harmful sexual themes.