Chapter 23 Investigation
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
In the end, Aki still hadn’t given them a straight answer.
Rias and Shitori Sona were disappointed, but they also felt a significant sense of relief. As long as Aki hadn’t joined someone else’s Peerage1, they still had a chance.
Before leaving the Student Council room, Aki asked Shitori Sona to help him look into a few things. Between the info leaks and the blown-out-of-proportion rumors, he could tell someone was targeting him. It was an intuition honed by the Cuckold Template2. Well, you could call it victim paranoia and not be wrong.
Shitori Sona had agreed readily; she’d wanted to find the source of the leak anyway. For one, she was worried about a security breach within the Student Council itself. On the other hand, she really wanted to teach whoever was running their mouth a lesson. If the news hadn’t leaked, Rias wouldn’t have known, and Aki—having no other choice—would have surely agreed to become her servant.
Neither she nor Rias had even considered the possibility that Aki would say no. As the daughters of pure-blood Devil families and high-ranking Devils themselves, people were practically lining up to join their Peerages. Of course, their standards were incredibly high, but Aki just happened to check every box. He was weak but had massive potential. He was a bit of a pervert, but his heart was in the right place. He was young, had no prior contact with the Inner World, and was perfect for building a deep, personal bond. Plus, there was the fact that Aki was seriously easy on the eyes. That was just reality—no matter where you went, being hot was a major plus.
Unfortunately, a golden opportunity had been spoiled by some rat hiding in the shadows. Shitori Sona was pissed, and that usually meant trouble.
* * *
Monday.
The moment Aki stepped through the school gates, he was surrounded by staring eyes again. Because the Student Council had intentionally let things slide, the rumors had spent the last few days fermenting into something even more ridiculous. The goal was to flush out whoever was stoking the fire.
”Uesugi-kun, come with me for a second.”
Shinra Tsubaki hooked her arm through Aki’s, acting for all the world like they were inseparable. It was enough to make the other male students’ eyes turn red with envy. Rias, Himejima Akeno, Shitori Sona, and Shinra Tsubaki were all second-years. Yet, their popularity was already higher than it had been in Aki’s memory of the original plot. Since they were only second-years, nobody had bothered to give them those “Big Sister of the Campus” titles yet.
Tsubaki had been glued to Aki’s side lately, putting on a massive display of affection. Part of it was the plan to catch the rat. The other part? Shitori Sona was trying a honey trap of her own to win Aki over to her Peerage.
Rias’s counter-offensive had been swift. Once she heard rumors that Aki had an ability to boost his partner’s strength during fusion, she’d immediately sent Himejima Akeno to start the seductions. Sometimes, Rias would even happen to show up in front of Aki herself. However, compared to the aggressive approaches of Tsubaki and Akeno, Rias still seemed a bit too stiff to really let loose. Even so, having the three most popular girls in school all acting complicated with Aki was enough to cause a total uproar.
Aki sensed the shift in Tsubaki’s attitude. “Shinra-senpai, did we find something?”
”We aren’t certain yet, but it’s definitely one of these three,” she whispered into his ear, leaning into him with an intimate little shimmy.
Tsubaki’s breath tickled Aki’s neck, making him squirm. She shot him a playful glare. “Akeno can do it, but I can’t?”
”Senpai, I’m just ticklish…”
At first, Tsubaki had been shy, but ever since Akeno had joined the fray, she’d gotten bolder. At this rate, Aki felt like his defenses were about to crumble. The flirting continued right up to the Student Council doors. At the threshold, Tsubaki flicked her tongue out and gave the corner of Aki’s mouth a quick, light lick.
”Akeno hasn’t kissed you yet, has she?”
”No…” Aki’s face fell.
Just thinking about it made him annoyed. These two were playing on a completely different level. He’d just tried to catch her tongue with his teeth, but the moment he opened his mouth, a slender finger pressed against the tip of his nose and pushed him back. Tsubaki remained unmoved by Aki’s puppy dog eyes.
”Uesugi-kun, I’d be happy to date you. But first, you have to become my comrade.”
”Senpai, can’t we just keep things simple between us?” Aki asked, acting wounded.
Tsubaki opened the door and stepped into the room. She looked back with a mischievous grin. “Dame~”
”Tch…” Aki looked away and muttered a curse under his breath.
”Uesugi-kun, what are you doing standing at the door? Get in here,” Sona called from inside. “And remember to close the door tight.”
”Yeah, yeah…” Aki replied listlessly.
He shut the door and walked over to Sona’s desk. She handed him the list of suspects. “Uesugi, here’s the info on the three of them. Do any of these names ring a bell?”
Oida Taisei: Male, 3rd Year. Youkai bloodline. Specialist in concealment.
Abiki Mika: Female, 3rd Year. Low-level Mage. Specialist in mental magic.
Hakuda Tetsuya: Male, 1st Year. Youkai bloodline. Specialist in network tech.
”Nope. But if we’re sure it’s them, why don’t we just grab them all?”
Sona glared at him and started tidying the scattered papers. “The Student Council isn’t a gang. We handle rumor-mongering, but if we snatch people up without proof, we’re the ones who’ll have trouble later.”
”It’s not like they’re strong, right? Can’t we just beat a confession out of them?”
”Can’t you use your brain for once?” Tsubaki chimed in. “Why is your first instinct always violence?”
—
Summary:
Aki remains uncommitted to either Rias or Sona, fueling a high-stakes recruitment war that intensifies the school rumors. The Student Council uses these rumors as bait to identify a mole who is intentionally leaking information to disrupt Aki’s potential contracts. Tsubaki and Akeno escalate their physical seduction tactics, competing for Aki’s loyalty under the guise of ‘missions.’ By the end of the chapter, the investigation identifies three suspects with supernatural backgrounds. Aki’s preference for direct violence creates a sharp ideological contrast with Sona’s procedural management of the school’s hidden society.
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Subtle details and foreshadowing:
- Aki’s ‘Cuckold Template’ intuition: Suggests his past experiences or soul-memory from the ‘original plot’ are evolving into a tangible survival skill.
- Sona’s concern about ‘internal problems’: Hints that the mole might have higher backing or that the Student Council’s authority is being tested.
- The ‘rat’s’ motive: Sabotaging Aki’s choice suggests an external faction wants him to remain unaffiliated or join a third party.
—
Character and relationship dynamics:
The rivalry between Rias and Sona has shifted from passive interest to an active, manipulative contest using Tsubaki and Akeno as proxies. Tsubaki’s move from shyness to bold physical intimacy (‘Akeno can do it, but I can’t?’) marks a turning point where she treats the ‘mission’ as a competitive game, while Aki struggles with his lack of ‘Talent’ and physical power, leaving him vulnerable to their supernatural charms.
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Lore And Worldbuilding Context:
The ‘Inner World’ refers to the supernatural society hidden within the school. The Peerage system requires candidates to meet specific conditions (potential, character, compatibility), and Aki’s ability to boost fusion partners makes him a ‘Strategic Asset’ rather than just a foot soldier. The introduction of local Youkai and Mages as suspects shows the school’s population is densely populated with lower-tier supernatural beings.
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TL Notes:
The term ‘Dame’ (达咩) is kept as a phonetic loanword to preserve the specific ‘cutesy/meme’ refusal popular in modern web novel slang. The translation prioritizes ‘Cuckold Template’ over more generic terms to maintain the author’s explicit genre-aware humor.
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Glossary:
Notes:
• Aki – 16-year-old Kuoh Private Academy student with messy black hair, slender build, delicate features, and black-rimmed glasses. Reincarnated into a crossover doujin world with a ‘Loser’s Script’ (NTR/Victim template) that draws misfortune. Adopted by the Takamine family, he has Succubus/Incubus blood, replicates talents via dual cultivation and bodily fluids, boosts partners’ magic, and recently gained muscle/strength. Trained by a trio of girls at the Hidden Academy.
• Shitori Sona – Short black hair, often seen with glasses and a stern look, always well-dressed; from ‘High School DxD’. Student council president, highly competent and comes from a pure-blood demon family.
• Himejima Akeno – Mature beauty with long black hair and graceful aura, common in school attire; from ‘High School DxD’. Rias’s first retainer and confidante, known for her elegant demeanor.
• Shinra Tsubaki – Dark blue hair, refined and calm, constantly beside Sona in student council uniform; from ‘High School DxD’. Vice president, Sona’s ‘Queen’-type retainer, calm and collected, has the ‘Mirror Reflection’ and later ‘Demon Bloodline’ talent.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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