Once Tsubaki was fully dressed, Haruto felt a bit odd being the only one still naked.
He picked up his battered uniform—clearly on its last legs—and casually threw it on.
Looks like I need to stock up on more clothes…
Not only did Rias and the others have a habit of destroying outfits during intense battles, but Haruto was no exception.
The difference was that Rias and the others lost theirs during combat, while Haruto lost his before the fight even began…
Everything was ready—all that was missing was Sona.
Lazily reclining in a chair, Haruto gazed at the orange-red dusk outside the window.
"It's already this late…?"
He glanced at the wall clock. Engrossed in his "hard work," he hadn't noticed that club activities had long since ended.
"Haru, the president should be here soon. Just wait a little longer."
"Ah… Oh, it's fine. I'm not in a hurry to go home." Haruto waved his hand to reassure Tsubaki.
He'd already released his pent-up energy—Little Haruto was behaving for now.
Besides, after Sona used her Evil Pieces on him a few times later, he probably wouldn't have the energy left to have some fun with the Takamine sisters anyway.
About five minutes passed. Just as Haruto, bored out of his mind, was about to pull Tsubaki for another streamy session, a blue flash signaled the disappearance of the magic barrier.
Sona's slender figure appeared in the clubroom.
"There's a perfectly good door, yet none of you use it… Is teleportation magic really that impressive?"
Haruto muttered under his breath, his eyes lifeless.
He wasn't jealous—he just felt bad for the door.
Lightly landing on the floor, Sona wrinkled her nose and frowned.
"What's this smell? Did you two eat dried squid in here?"
Tsubaki's face flushed red as she hurried to open the windows for ventilation.
Having been immersed in the atmosphere, she had nearly forgotten about the lingering scent.
On top of that, the magic barrier had trapped the odors inside, preventing them from dissipating.
The evening breeze quickly diluted the thick, sweet-and-salty musk.
"President, good afternoon~"
Haruto was in high spirits—he had just acquired a new talent, taking another big step toward becoming a magic prodigy.
[Replication Failed]
[Talent Acquired: Lightning Radiance (Incomplete)]
[Talent Description: Greatly increases affinity with lightning elements. Greatly enhances the power of lightning-based magic.]
This was the talent he had detected earlier on Akeno. Due to Rias's "timely" interruption, Haruto hadn't been able to replicate it successfully.
But after an hour without further "fluid exchange" with Akeno, the incomplete version of the Lightning Radiance talent had naturally transferred to him.
"Uesugi… no, Haruto-kun. Good afternoon."
Remembering that his rebirth was imminent, Sona corrected herself and addressed him by his given name.
Haruto grinned, pleased.
Compared to "Seishu," "Haruto" sounded much better.
As for affectionate nicknames like "Haru" or "Haru-kun"—they weren't so bad after hearing them often enough.
Straightening up, Haruto composed himself and asked seriously, "President, shall we begin now?"
"Yes." Sona took out a set of Evil Pieces from her pocket. "Choose whichever class you prefer."
Though Sona seemed less outwardly enthusiastic than Rias, she valued Haruto just as much.
She simply had a different way of expressing it.
Haruto scratched his head. He was 99.9% sure it wouldn't work, but… just in case…
After some thought, he chose the Rook.
Sona also had only one Rook piece left. The other Rook was a tall, beautiful girl with indigo-blue mid-length hair—Tsubasa Yura, a first-year at Kuoh Academy.
Haruto had seen her a few times, but her indifferent attitude had discouraged further interaction.
As a Rook, Tsubasa Yura excelled in close combat.
"Haruto-kun, are you sure you want the Rook?"
Sona adjusted her glasses and explained, "Given your magic talent, the Bishop might suit you better."
If the Rook specialized in melee combat, the Bishop was tailored for spellcasters.
There was a significant improvement in magic resistance.
"President, didn't Rias mention it to you?" Haruto asked curiously. "My talent in close combat is even stronger than in magic."
Sona pondered for a moment before replying slowly, "Rias did mention it once, but I thought she was joking..."
Sona was almost certain Haruto would choose Rias, so she instinctively dismissed her words as mere bragging.
Moreover, judging by his demeanor and physique, Haruto seemed like the perfect candidate for a mage.
Sona didn't know why Haruto had suddenly changed his mind, but it was likely due to her vice president's influence.
After all this time, as she caught the same sweet yet metallic scent lingering on Tsubaki, she finally realized what that strange smell had been earlier.
Especially as Haruto drew closer, the mingled scent of Tsubaki's aura and his masculine hormones relentlessly invaded her senses...
Suppressing the odd sensation in her heart, Sona forced herself not to dwell on what had transpired here before.
She subtly took two steps back. "In that case, let's begin."
Haruto nodded, signaling he was ready.
"Haruto-kun, don't resist what comes next."
Sona revealed her true devil form, and a familiar magic circle appeared beneath Haruto's feet.
"Hum—"
...
A short while later, Haruto stared innocently at the black chess piece lying on the table.
Sona and Tsubaki were both dumbfounded, their eyes fixed on the Evil Pieces piece, their minds filled with confusion.
After picking up the piece and examining it for a moment, Sona ignored the strange scent on Haruto and moved closer, her hands roaming over him without restraint.
Haruto wasn't about to take this lying down—he immediately returned the favor.
A faint blush flashed across Sona's pale cheeks, but due to the angle and the cover of her glasses, neither Tsubaki nor Haruto noticed.
Seeing that Sona continued her thorough inspection without hesitation, Haruto didn't hold back either. Right in front of Tsubaki, he slipped his hands beneath Sona's uniform.
After an extended zero-distance examination, Sona found nothing unusual—no traces of a Sacred Gear residing within him.
Just as Haruto was about to test the waters with his fingers, Sona pulled away.
Who would've thought the seemingly slender president had such ample curves where it counted?
Suppressing his regret, Haruto wiped the stickiness from his fingers onto his clothes and helpfully suggested, "President, maybe you should try a different piece?"
Unable to find any other explanation, Sona reluctantly agreed to his proposal.
Under Haruto's "helpful" persuasion, Sona soon followed in Rias's footsteps—all her Evil Pieces were now tainted with Haruto's essence.
Sona noticed, but since the pieces were still usable—even seemingly enhanced—she didn't dwell on it.
"I'll look into this issue when I return to the Underworld during my break," Sona said, trying to comfort Haruto, who looked pale after the failed reincarnation. "There must be a solution. We can always hold the ceremony again later."
Haruto nodded weakly. "President, I think I'll head back for today..."
With that, he staggered toward the exit.
This wasn't an act—since awakening his Talent Extraction Ability, he hadn't felt this drained in a long time.
Every time a chess piece left his body, Haruto felt as though a part of his vitality was stripped away.
Once or twice was fine, but they couldn't withstand Rias and Sona going at it dozens upon dozens of times.
"Tsubaki, see Haruto off."
Watching Haruto's frail retreating figure, Sona felt uneasy and arranged for Tsubaki to protect him closely.
Successfully reincarnating strengthened one's power and physique, so it was only natural that failure would come with side effects...
Both Rias and Sona thought this way.
After all, since an unprecedented phenomenon had already occurred with Haruto, becoming weakened after failure seemed perfectly normal.
Nothing unusual happened on the way back—except that Tsubaki grew somewhat shy under the gazes of passersby.
The marks on her body were far too obvious. Never mind the large and small hickeys on her neck.
The dried white liquid that had trickled down her thighs had not only stiffened her black stockings but also left behind a large white stain.
...
At the Takamine household entrance.
Sayuri Takamine took Haruto from Tsubaki's hands. "Thank you, um...?"
"Tsubaki Shinra. Haruto's senior."
Tsubaki's expression was cold, the very image of an untouchable goddess.
Had it not been for the strange scent and the lingering traces of intimacy on her, Sayuri might have believed it.
Looking at Tsubaki, Sayuri felt as if she were seeing her past self.
Despite adoring Haruto and thoroughly enjoying their intimate moments, she had maintained a stern face every day, scolding the unruly Ayame with a straight face.
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