Chapter 30 Surrender and Cut Your Losses
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The ground groaned.
Trunks snapped and dust erupted into the air. Hakada Tetsuya had barreled through a series of massive trees—each wide enough to require three men to circle them—yet he hadn’t managed to graze even the hem of Aki’s clothes.
He came to a halt, lungs burning as he drew ragged breaths, and fixed a murderous glare on Aki.
”Always dodging like a damn flea… what kind of man are you? Come at me head-on, like you were doing a second ago!”
Aki looked down at Hakada with pure disdain, as if he were staring at a total moron. “Don’t assume everyone is as brain-dead as you are.”
Truthfully, Aki was more than happy to keep yapping. Hakada’s second-stage transformation couldn’t possibly last much longer. If it could, the guy wouldn’t have waited until he’d been beaten into a mid-life crisis before triggering the ability.
”How much longer can you even hold that form?” Aki asked.
He stalled while desperately circulating his Mana¹ to recover his strength. “If you can keep this up for another ten minutes, I’ll throw in the towel.”
Hakada’s face, already hideous, twisted into something even uglier. He could tell Aki was also relying on some fleeting trick to maintain his evasiveness. Aki claimed he could last ten more minutes, but Hakada knew he was at his limit—he’d be lucky to last another five.
Seeing Hakada’s expression sour, Aki felt a surge of relief. If Hakada had just charged back in without a word, Aki would have had to seriously consider calling for backup. In reality, his own Mana reserves wouldn’t hold for ten minutes either—maybe seven or eight at most.
And the physical fallout afterward was going to be brutal.
”Surrender and cut your losses²,” Aki continued, milking the clock. “Walk away now, and we’ll call it even.”
Hakada wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, but he wasn’t a complete idiot either. He knew Aki was stalling, but his heart just wasn’t in the fight anymore. The simple, frustrating fact was… he just couldn’t touch the guy.
Suppressing his rage, Hakada growled, “You’re the one who picked this fight! And now you have the nerve to say we’ll ‘call it even’?”
”What? You want an apology too?” Aki asked.
He quirked an eyebrow. He was in the clear; he could see the guy was spent. Hakada squeezed his fists, wanting nothing more than to just snap and go for broke. But in the end, he forced himself to settle. His skill duration was seconds away from hitting zero.
Cough… hack…
The two stood there for a long moment, locked in a silent staring contest. Finally, Hakada collapsed onto his back, coughing up flecks of blood as his body slowly shrunk back into a human form.
”Tsk, tsk. All that hype for such a short duration? I’d be embarrassed to show my face,” Aki mocked.
He gave Hakada’s leg a sharp kick to make sure he wasn’t playing possum. Once he confirmed the guy was truly Retired³ and unable to move, he finally let his guard down.
Hakada wanted to fire back a retort, but the backlash of the skill was too severe. He didn’t even have the energy to form words. Now that the skill had expired, he was effectively a cripple. Aki could squash him like an ant if he felt like it. That realization was the only reason he’d taken the out Aki offered.
”That was a bit of a rush. Definitely a step up from bullying schoolyard punks,” Aki said.
He exhaled a long breath of turbid air. It wasn’t the prettiest win, but a win was a win—and a 1v1 win at that.
As for the other two third-years… Let’s be real, he thought. I need to play the long game. Time to go back and grind some more levels.
Leaving Hakada lying there like a dead dog, Aki walked over to Hyoudou Issei, who had been standing there in a daze the entire time.
”Hyoudou-kun.”
”…”
”Hyoudou-kun!”
”…”
”HYOUDOU-KUN!!!”
”Ah! Yes!” Hyoudou Issei replied.
He jumped, finally snapping back to reality. Aki clicked his tongue. About time. If he hadn’t reacted, Aki was going to resort to a physical wake-up call.
”I know today was a lot to take in,” Aki said.
He patted Issei’s shoulder with a forced, nice guy smile. “I’ve got some things to wrap up here. If you have questions, come find me tomorrow.”
”Ah… right. Don’t worry, I’ll keep it a secret!” Issei said.
He clapped a hand over his mouth, looking deadly serious.
”Er… honestly, it’s fine if you talk,” Aki replied. “Because other people also won’t believe you.”
Hyoudou Issei: “…”
”Of course, keeping it quiet is better.”
Aki’s eyes instinctively drifted to the boy’s arm. If the Boosted Gear hadn’t fully bonded with its host yet… To be blunt, Aki really wanted a Longinus for himself.
Issei had no idea what Aki was plotting; he just wanted to go home and sit in a dark room. “Um… Uesugi-kun, if you’re still busy, I’ll head out first. My mom is waiting for me to come home for dinner.”
”Oh, sure,” Aki said. “Need an escort?”
”No! No, I’m good!”
Issei’s head shook like a bobblehead as he stared at the bloodstains on Aki’s clothes. Aki waved him off and turned back to Hakada. The Sacred Gear situation could wait; he had to deal with the mess in front of him first.
Just as Aki grabbed Hakada by the ankle and began dragging him out like a sack of trash, Issei doubled back.
Aki: [?_??]
”Um… Uesugi-kun? I don’t actually know the way out…”
Issei’s face was a mask of misery. He was terrified Hakada might think they were in on this together. If he hadn’t been hopelessly lost, he never would have come back.
Aki patted his shoulder in a silent gesture of pity. “Fine. Just stick with me.”
He was planning to take Hakada to the Occult Research Club for a detailed interrogation anyway. Issei stole a cautious glance at the deathly pale Hakada. Seeing no reaction from the brute, he nodded his head as fast as a chicken pecking at grain.
”By the way, why were you even here with Hakada today?” Aki asked.
Issei’s legs went stiff. Cold sweat started pouring down his neck. If Aki found out he’d come here to help Hakada, there was a good chance he wouldn’t be walking out of here. Aki’s right hand was busy dragging a body, but his left hand was still perfectly free.
”Th-that… well…”
Issei stammered for ages without coming up with a decent lie. Eventually, he just folded and told the truth. Aki didn’t actually care that Issei had been Hakada’s backup. In a fight like that, Issei’s presence wouldn’t have changed a thing.
* * *
”I’m heading to my club now. Hyoudou-kun, you recognize the path from here, right?”
”Yeah! Yeah, I got it!” Issei shouted.
He stared at the club building. The moment they’d stepped out of the magic barrier and back onto the campus grounds, he’d been itching to bolt. Once Issei was gone, Aki finally allowed Shinra Tsubaki and Himejima Akeno to reveal themselves.
”Aki, why wouldn’t you let us show ourselves to that boy?” Tsubaki asked.
”Wouldn’t it have been much more convenient if we helped you move the prisoner?” Akeno added.
She looked at him with curiosity. “Plus, you should really get those injuries treated.”
Aki waved them off dismissively. “Just scratches. No big deal. If you two were seen, word might get out, and that would be a massive headache later. Hakada specifically brought a normal person along—I’m eighty percent sure that was his plan all along.”
Hakada couldn’t speak, but hearing Aki’s words, he let out a muffled groan. His plan had been completely dismantled. His instincts had been right: this pretty boy definitely had some dangerous women backing him up. If he hadn’t brought Issei along as a witness, he probably wouldn’t have even gotten the chance for a 1v1.
—
Summary:
Aki concludes his intense battle with Hakada Tetsuya by skillfully using a bluff to stall for time. Once Hakada’s transformation expires, he collapses, leaving Aki the victor of the 1v1 duel. Issei, having witnessed the supernatural struggle, is left in a state of shock before being dismissed by Aki. Aki secretly covets the legendary ‘Longinus’ power he suspects resides within Issei. After clearing the area, Aki meets with Tsubaki and Akeno to handle the incapacitated Hakada. The encounter reveals Aki’s cautious nature as he deliberately keeps his supernatural connections hidden from outsiders.
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Trivia:
- Aki’s interest in the Boosted Gear suggests he is not just a participant but an opportunist looking to increase his own power.
- The mention of ‘other third-years’ implies a larger hierarchy of antagonists Aki must eventually face.
- Hakada’s attempt to use Issei as a witness shows that even ‘dumb’ bruisers in this world think about social reputation and exposure
—
Character Insight:
The dynamic between Aki and Issei is established as a ‘mentor-protege’ facade masking Aki’s predatory interest in Issei’s potential. Aki’s relationship with Tsubaki and Akeno shows a level of professional trust, though he still maintains control over what information is revealed to whom.
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Lore And Worldbuilding Context:
Introduction of ‘Stage Two’ transformations and the concept of ‘Ability’ fatigue/backlash. The existence of Magic Barriers to hide supernatural battles from the public is confirmed.
—
TL Notes:
The title ‘Surrender Lose Half’ is a localization of a Chinese gambling idiom popular in crossover web novels, referencing a way to minimize losses when defeat is certain.
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Glossary:
Notes:
• Tetsuya – A third-year student with a monstrous ‘Stage Two’ transformation ability. He is physically imposing but lacks tactical depth.
• Aki – Sixteen-year-old first-year Kuoh Academy student, 170cm, with delicate features, messy black hair, and black-rimmed glasses, adopted by the Takamine sisters; a handsome “pretty boy” with high combat instincts, Perfect Muscle Control, and semi-automatic Mana absorption triggered when relaxed. Reincarnated with a Cuckold Template, he struggles with magic mastery despite exceptional Mana perception, trains under Koneko to build strength and evade feminization, and wields Mirror Reflection to copy abilities. Possesses succubus/incubus blood enabling dual-cultivation via fluid exchange to boost partners’ magic, recently gained muscle from Hidden Academy training. Peak D-rank, recently defeated Tetsuya Hakada, now a candidate for Rias’s peerage—pragmatic, cynical, and secretly plotting to seize the Boosted Gear while gatekeeping the original protagonist.
• Hyoudou Issei – Issei Hyoudou, a brown‑haired, average‑built high‑school student with a mischievous face, is the shocked normal student caught in the crossfire and the potential host of the Boosted Gear. Known as one of the “Three Perverts” for his lecherous antics, he is a comedic pervert from High School DxD.
• Issei – Issei Hyoudou, a brown‑haired, average‑built high‑school student with a mischievous face, is the shocked normal student caught in the crossfire and the potential host of the Boosted Gear. Known as one of the “Three Perverts” for his lecherous antics, he is a comedic pervert from High School DxD.
• Himejima Akeno – Akeno Himejima is a senior member of the Occult Research Club in High School DxD. She has long black hair, a graceful aura, and often wears school attire. Known for her elegant, mature beauty, she can generate golden lightning from her palms, possesses an icy temperament when provoked, and hides a sadistic streak behind a kind smile. She is Rias Gremory’s trusted retainer and confidante.
• 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.
• Tsubaki – A girl associated with the student council or supernatural groups, appearing after the barrier is lifted. A member of the Student Council who wears glasses. She is composed and assists in investigations using her analytical abilities. The Vice President of the Student Council. She wears a school uniform and maintains a professional, authoritative demeanor while investigating school incidents.
• Akeno – Akeno Himejima, a senior of the Occult Research Club and Rias Gremory’s trusted retainer, sports long black hair, a graceful aura and a voluptuous figure often adorned in school uniform. An A‑rank devil with lightning magic, she mentors Aki, teasing him while observing his growth, and hides a sadistic streak behind a kind smile.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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