Ignoring Haruto's rambling, Rias strode toward the student council room.
"President, wait for me!" Haruto hurried after her.
Sona and Tsubaki had been waiting for a while. Once the two arrived, they got straight to business.
"President, I told you it was that Blonde Devil..." Haruto started babbling again, but no one paid him any attention.
"We've confirmed that Taisei Oida, a third-year, was the mastermind behind this. The accounts and transaction records all match up."
Sona handed Rias a few documents—clearly the evidence from their investigation.
"Is it possible that Mika Anbiki used mental magic to control Taisei Oida?" Rias skimmed through them and raised the last remaining possibility.
"The two had contact recently, but Taisei Oida's motive still isn't entirely clear."
"Unlikely. Mika Anbiki isn't strong enough to control Taisei Oida." Sona considered carefully before adding, "Without a doubt, Taisei Oida is already B-rank—possibly even A-rank in strength."
Rias nodded thoughtfully. If that was the case, it made sense how the information had leaked.
Tsubaki only had A-rank strength. If Taisei Oida's power had risen to B-rank or even A-rank, his already proficient concealment techniques would have significantly improved as well.
With premeditation against an unprepared target, it was perfectly normal that the casually set up barrier by Tsubaki failed to work.
Haruto had initially wanted to personally teach Taisei Oida a lesson, but upon hearing their conversation, he immediately backed down.
The "Cuckold Protagonist Template" played dirty—what was once just an ordinary delinquent had suddenly transformed into a major villainous rival, completely defying conventions.
Haruto thought of another unlucky fellow and asked, "President, what about Tetsuya Hakuta? Did he drop out?"
"No. We found the victimized girl, and she said she wouldn't pursue the matter."
Sona tried her best to keep her tone neutral, but Haruto could still detect a hint of resignation.
"That girl took a liking to Tetsuya Hakuta and seems to have awakened some strange preferences. She wants him to be her boyfriend but won't let him stop her from seeing other people..."
Haruto was dumbfounded. "What the...?"
If Tetsuya genuinely liked that girl, this would probably hurt more than outright expulsion.
If not...
Well, trash belongs with trash.
He wished those two a happy century together—just as long as they didn't go around ruining other people's lives.
Truly, the hidden side of the otaku world never failed to surprise Haruto with the world's cruelty.
"As for Taisei Oida, at most his actions warrant suspension, not expulsion," Sona said to Haruto. "During our investigation, we discovered Taisei Oida has further plans—after tarnishing your reputation, he intends to take your life."
"Haruto, are you really unaware of why Taisei Oida is targeting you?" Rias's gaze sharpened, radiating a dangerous aura. "This doesn't seem like simple jealousy."
Haruto shrugged helplessly.
What could he do? Being handsome just naturally attracted envy.
"President, I really don't know," Haruto frowned. "To be honest, this isn't the first time I've been targeted like this, but it's the first time I've known for sure someone wants me dead."
Rias believed Haruto, which meant the problem lay with Taisei Oida.
"Sona, what do you plan to do?"
Sona adjusted her glasses. "Rias, Kuoh Town is under your jurisdiction."
The implication was clear—the student council would stay out of it, leaving Rias free to act as she saw fit.
Sona was the nominal administrator, but anyone with any background knew the area around Kuoh Academy belonged to the Gremory family.
Rias's crimson hair fluttered as she declared resolutely, "Fine. I'll deal with him personally."
She had a strong personality and never waited passively for things to happen.
Since Taisei Oida had already set his sights on Haruto, she would crush him before he could act.
It felt great to have powerful backing. Haruto was seriously considering just surrendering already.
Becoming Rias's servant would not only free him from worrying about external threats but also bring him closer to beautiful girls.
Sona glanced at Haruto's excited expression and sighed inwardly.
The servant she had her eye on was most likely a lost cause now.
The Gremory family's rich emotional capacity indeed gives them a natural advantage in nurturing relationships.
They say sincerity can't compete with tactics, but Rias possesses both sincerity and tactics—who could possibly resist that?
...
Returning to the Occult Research Club, Rias instructed Koneko to continue training Haruto, preferably keeping him by her side twenty-four hours a day.
This arrangement would last until she dealt with the matter of Taisei Oida.
Though framed as training, it was essentially protection.
Three days later, Haruto was informed that the issue had been resolved.
Taisei Oida vanished without a trace, as if he had never existed at Kuoh Academy.
Just like that, without even laying eyes on the so-called "yellow-haired monster," the most dangerous enemy Haruto had faced thus far was eliminated.
Haruto marveled at how fair and long Rias's legs were.
Then he resolved to cling even tighter to her in the future.
Though the crisis had passed, Haruto continued training daily with Koneko, rushing to the Occult Research Club whenever he had free time.
Not officially a member, yet more involved than most.
This deterred the many girls who coveted Haruto, leaving them to admire from afar rather than approach.
Aside from being outmatched by Rias in strength, they couldn't compete with her in looks or figure either.
They wallowed in self-pity while secretly seething with resentment.
Among them, the most aggrieved were Reina's trio and Touko Sakuramachi.
Having tasted Haruto's "essence," Reina's trio found themselves unable to tolerate other men, their lust left unfulfilled.
But Haruto only gave them half-hearted attention, nothing like his former enthusiasm.
As for Touko, having been stood up for nearly two weeks, she had fully transformed into a resentful woman.
Preoccupied with thoughts of Haruto's essence, she—a succubus—couldn't even muster the interest to seduce other men.
During this time, Haruto's relationship with Rias and the others progressed rapidly, reaching a critical juncture.
The two incomplete talents provided by Tsubaki proved that quantity couldn't compare to quality.
Successfully winning over any one of them would allow Haruto to instantly level up three times.
Naturally, he had no time to fool around with Reina's group.
Well, he just didn't have the time.
Haruto had been an ordinary person before, making him easy to investigate.
If Rias wanted, she could trace his family tree back three generations.
As for his ambiguous relationships with other girls, she had known about those all along.
...
The grove.
Haruto was sent flying, crashing through two trees before finally coming to a stop.
"Koneko... didn't we agree to use the same level of strength?"
"..."
The white-haired loli turned her head away, hands behind her back as she whistled innocently.
Haruto: (▼ヘ▼#)
Koneko looked up at the sky, her expression screaming, "Wasn't me, I know nothing."
"Whatever, let's stop. This isn't fun anymore."
Haruto pouted. The white-haired loli played dirty—seeing she might lose, she simply overpowered him with brute strength.
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