"Ah... well... because... um..."
Stammering for a long time, Issei couldn't bring himself to admit that he had been caught peeping, which led to the beating.
Haruto sighed inwardly. This unlucky kid couldn't even lie properly—no wonder he kept getting tricked.
"I saw those girls still beating up two other guys, calling them perverts..."
Unable to stand it any longer, Haruto decided to give him an out.
"Did you just happen to pass by and get mistaken for being with them?"
Issei's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly. "Yeah, yeah! That's exactly what happened!"
He didn't even stop to think about who had been closest to the peeping spot—he couldn't even see through such an obvious lie.
"..."
Haruto was speechless for a moment, but then figured it was fine. A kid with no scheming mind was easy to fool...
Cough—no, he meant easy to get along with.
"Do you know those two peeping guys?" Haruto casually changed the subject to keep the conversation going.
Haruto's words reminded Issei of what had happened earlier.
They had all been peeping together, but Matsuda and Motohama not only abandoned him to escape alone—they even pushed him down before running, leaving him with no chance to flee.
His anger toward his two terrible friends momentarily overshadowed his fear of Haruto.
"No! I don't know those shameless perverts!"
Issei put on a righteous expression, as if he had genuinely forgotten he was one of them.
Suppressing the urge to call him out, Haruto agreed, "Yeah, peeping is really low. If you like a girl, just go after her properly."
Issei looked at Haruto with envy. "Haruto, I heard you have several girlfriends—is that true?"
Rather than fearing Haruto, it was more accurate to say Issei feared supernatural power.
Any normal person would feel panic and fear when faced with someone who could casually decide their life or death.
But realizing Haruto truly meant him no harm, Issei's curiosity quickly drove away what little fear remained.
Haruto scratched his head sheepishly. "That's just a rumor. I don't have any girlfriends."
"I knew it! There's no way someone could be dating multiple beautiful girls at once."
Issei patted Haruto's shoulder encouragingly. "Don't lose hope. I'm sure you'll find someone before graduation—"
"They're just my fuck buddies."
Issei froze mid-motion, his face cycling through pale, red, and finally settling on a look of sheer frustration.
"F-fuck buddies?!" He stared at Haruto with a mix of envy and resentment, unwilling to accept it. "The kind of fuck buddies I'm thinking of?"
Haruto blinked, delivering the cruelest words in the most innocent tone.
"Yep. The kind between a man and a woman—strictly physical."
Issei's eyes turned red with envy. Gripping Haruto's arm, he wailed in despair, "Damn it! Why can't I even get one girlfriend?!"
Because the moment you see a girl, you shamelessly stare at her chest like a creep...
Haruto silently retorted.
"Don't worry, I don't have a girlfriend either."
Issei grew even more indignant. "But you have so many friends with benefits, and they're all busty beauties!"
"Not at all. Yuki and Tsubaki-senpai are just average."
Watching Haruto's deadpan expression, Issei silently let go and took a few steps back.
He was mentally exhausted. He didn't want to stand too close to someone like this—a natural winner at life.
"Issei, let's talk again sometime."
Sensing that Issei was no longer afraid of him, Haruto took the initiative to say goodbye.
Not that he had much choice. The Boosted Gear would indeed choose Issei, but right now, Haruto couldn't even confirm whether Issei had already been chosen as its host.
Let alone figuring out how to extract it or intercept the Sacred Gear before it took root.
He didn't know how the fallen angel—who had disguised herself as Amano Yūma in his memories and deceived Issei's feelings—had detected the presence of the Sacred Gear.
If it was an innate ability, Haruto might have to seek her out for a little… discussion.
But leaving aside whether it was an innate ability or not, he didn't even know where she was right now.
After much deliberation, though reluctant, Haruto had no choice but to suppress his desire to seize the Sacred Gear for now.
"Haruto-kun, wait a second!"
Seeing Haruto about to leave, Issei stepped forward with a serious expression. "We're kind of friends now, right?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"Then… could you teach me how to get a girlfrie—no, how to get a… casual partner?"
Haruto spread his hands helplessly. "It's not that I won't teach you… but honestly, they're the ones who come to me."
Though later, he had taken the initiative with Tsubaki and Akeno—even setting his sights on Rias and Sona.
But in the beginning, it really was them who sought him out, tempting him with all sorts of perks and conditions.
Issei's hopeful expression froze, his entire body turning ashen.
That answer stabbed him right in the heart—again.
Not wanting to ruin the fragile friendship they'd just built, Haruto offered some consolation before leaving. "Issei, you're not bad-looking. If you tone down your personality a bit, getting a cute girlfriend shouldn't be too hard."
Issei weakly waved him off, his expression despondent.
Compared to his two troublemaker friends, Matsuda and Motohama, his looks were decent, and his physique wasn't bad either.
Issei knew that being too perverted would make girls keep their distance.
But asking him to suppress his lecherous nature…
If he could do that, would he even need Haruto to say it?
Before leaving, Haruto glanced at Issei's arm again, feeling a twinge of regret.
Support-type talents and skills really needed to be prioritized soon.
If he had some kind of tracking or surveillance ability, at least he could monitor Issei's situation.
Instead of being stuck like this, powerless and relying on sheer luck.
...
...
Since he couldn't seize an opportunity from the protagonist for now, Haruto had no choice but to stick to his original plan—finding the heroines.
He retraced his steps, heading back toward the kendo club.
But before he'd even walked a hundred meters, he ran into another familiar face.
"Haruto-kun, good morning."
Touko Sakuramachi, holding a stack of notebooks, looked perfectly serious—but her words were anything but.
"It's been over a week. Now that you've had your fun with Vice President Shinra… isn't it my turn?"
As a succubus, she could "smell" the traces of Haruto's recent activities.
Just as she'd expected, Tsubaki Shinra—under the guise of fulfilling her duties—had already slept with him.
Not only that, but she seemed intent on marking him as her exclusive property.
Touko was furious, but as a mere succubus, she didn't dare cause trouble with the student council.
Today, she finally found her chance when she spotted Haruto alone.
Haruto paused mid-step. He had merely intended to visit the kendo club to flirt with Sakura Miyajima and see if he could obtain a swordsmanship-related talent. Why did these so-called 'opportunities' keep falling into his lap?
The first 'opportunity' had been too overwhelming—he wasn't ready to handle it yet.
But this second one… he wouldn't hold back.
"Good morning, Touko."
Greeting her warmly, Haruto got straight to the point. "It's not that I didn't look for you—you left in such a hurry last time that we didn't even exchange contact info."
Touko's expression remained indifferent as she replied coolly, "I'm in the class next to yours. It shouldn't have been that hard to find me."
"Then why didn't you come looking for me?"
There was no need for pleasantries with this succubus. He coveted her talents, and she coveted his abilities and essence.
"I would've liked to, but lately, a certain someone has either been surrounded by the vice president or the deputy head of the Occult Research Club."
Touko snorted coldly, her gaze sharp as a blade.
"A mere ordinary student like me couldn't even get a word in."
"Uh…"
Haruto had no rebuttal. Recently, he hadn't even spent much time with Reina and the others, let alone this succubus he'd only met once.
If he hadn't used her to 'relieve stress' multiple times before, he might not even remember her existence…
"Touko, I really was busy these past few days. I only just—"
"No need to explain." She adjusted her glasses lightly. "Just answer one question…"
"Will you walk home with me after school today?"
Haruto smirked. "Absolutely. If you can't wait, we can head to the infirmary, the sports storage room, or the rooftop right now."
"I've waited this long—half a day won't make a difference."
A faint flush crept onto Touko's usually cold face as she licked her lips, her eyes turning sultry. "I hope you'll satisfy me tonight."
"As you wish."
Haruto playfully bowed like a knight fulfilling his duty.
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