Caleb looked at Rias, then at the chess piece on the coffee table, his expression bewildered. What's going on? Did Rias make a mistake and use an ordinary chess piece instead of an Evil Piece?
Rias blinked her ruby-like eyes, equally confused. She picked up the chess piece from the coffee table and carefully examined it twice. No mistake, it was the Rook-class Evil Piece. It had clearly merged into Caleb's body and the reincarnation had begun. Why did it suddenly fail at the last moment...
Rias had seen failed reincarnations before, but what happened to Caleb was completely different. If the piece was insufficient for the conversion and required a higher dose, the magic circle would usually remain active, and she would receive a prompt. Then, a different set of corrective measures would be applied. Rias had never heard of or seen a case where an Evil Piece was completely expelled from the body.
Caleb thought Rias had gotten a fake, low-quality product. Rias thought it wasn't her fault; it had to be Caleb's. The two stared at each other, wide-eyed.
"Slurp~" The white-haired Loli licked her popsicle, suggesting, "President, why don't you try another piece?"
"Hmm..." Rias rubbed the piece in her hand, deciding to try again. The expelled piece was still usable. The magic power within it hadn't diminished; in fact, the quality seemed to have improved. The originally pitch-black piece looked polished and shiny, now possessing a metallic sheen.
To rule out insufficient dosage, Rias used eight Pawn pieces this time.
"Buzz—" The black and red magic circle lit up again.
A moment later.
Looking at the eight chess pieces scattered on the coffee table, Rias was going crazy. After a moment of concentration, she put away the Pawn pieces and took out the only Mutated piece.
Caleb also sensed something was wrong now. One fake piece was possible, but all eight Pawn pieces couldn't be fake. Looking at the inky-black Mutated piece in Rias's hand, he gritted his teeth and offered his chest again.
"Buzz—" The magic circle lasted longer than when she used the eight Pawn pieces. Caleb clearly felt his strength and magic power rising, but this feeling gradually faded as time passed.
"Clang—"
Looking at the piece that fell onto the coffee table, Rias's face was calm. It was the expected result.
Having come this far, she simply decided to use all the remaining pieces in her hand. If it worked, she would make Caleb work himself to death. Excluding the three already used, Caleb would occupy twelve out of the fifteen Familiar slots. He should have to do the work of twelve people!
Caleb shivered involuntarily, seeing the predatory look in Rias's eyes. Forced by the Red-Haired Succubus Princess's unwavering resolve, he could only continue to cooperate.
A much larger magic circle than before lit up, enveloping Caleb entirely. Rias's red hair flew wildly, her magic power at full throttle as the twelve pieces flew one after another toward Caleb's chest.
...
"Clang—" x12
Rias stared at the Evil Pieces scattered across the coffee table, her eyes void of dreams. She considered herself experienced, but this was a first. He could absorb them all, but then he wouldn't keep a single one...
Looking at the pile of pieces, Rias felt cheated on. The crucial thing was that she had willingly offered them to Caleb to be used...
An illusion... it's all an illusion... it will pass. Rias chanted internally, hoping the pieces wouldn't truly take on Caleb's 'shape.'
Caleb rubbed his chest. After being kicked by Akeno Himejima, he had been penetrated repeatedly by the Evil Pieces. Although the latter didn't hurt, seeing his chest repeatedly entered made him instinctively check for injuries.
Hmm, there wasn't a mark, and even the faint footprint left by Akeno Himejima was almost gone. But Caleb didn't feel stronger; instead, he felt completely drained. Even the persistently proud Little Caleb was now drooping sadly. Clearly, the Familiar reincarnation wasn't a failure so much as it was an absolute impossibility.
"President, I'm heading back now." Caleb planned to sneak away before Akeno Himejima came out. The reincarnation had failed, which meant Akeno Himejima's efforts were for nothing. If he didn't leave now, would he wait for her to come out and kick him again? Those black, long legs were beautiful, but they kicked with considerable force.
Rias looked down at the pieces in her hand, waved him off, and told Caleb to scram. She didn't want to see Caleb or speak to him right now. The more Rias looked at her Evil Pieces, the more uneasy she felt. They feel... truly defiled.
Caleb was unaware of the changes to the Evil Pieces and simply assumed Rias was in a bad mood because the reincarnation failed.
Leaving the clubroom, Caleb tidied his clothes while contemplating the reason for the failed reincarnation. Logically, the conversion should have been smooth. He was just an ordinary person, with a slightly unique soul at most. Evil Pieces could reincarnate Dragons and Youkai. Why couldn't they handle him?
He thought for about ten seconds and came up completely empty. Accept it and move on. Rias should be the one struggling with the reasons. What he needed to do was act quickly before Sona Shitori learned the news. He needed to ahem, give Sona Shitori a chance, and at the same time, test it out again. He needed to see if the problem was him or Rias.
"I feel a little weak. I wonder if I can handle it..." Caleb changed direction and headed straight for the Student Council room.
I have to try. If Rias went to Sona Shitori to discuss the matter, he would lose his chance.
"Tsubaki-senpai, are you free right now?"
Tsubaki Shinra looked up, her expression serious. "Is something the matter?"
Caleb smiled sincerely and nodded obediently.
After a moment of hesitation, Tsubaki Shinra stood up and walked toward Caleb under the ambiguous gazes of the Student Council members. The two went into the single room next door.
As soon as they entered, Tsubaki Shinra scoffed. "Uesugi-kohai, what brings you to me?"
Caleb was momentarily stunned, wondering when he had offended the Vice President. "Tsubaki-senpai, why are you calling me Uesugi again? We agreed on first names." He shamelessly sidled up to Tsubaki Shinra, attempting to steal a kiss.
Tsubaki Shinra turned her head, denying him the kiss, but didn't push him away. "Hehe, I wouldn't dare call you by your first name. What if Akeno misunderstood?" Sarcasm laced with jealousy was thick in the air.
Caleb immediately understood what was happening. Since the rumor incident was resolved, he hadn't sought out Tsubaki Shinra even once. Not only did he ignore her, but he also ran to the Occult Research Club every day. Sona Shitori was merely disappointed that Caleb had ultimately chosen Rias. But Tsubaki Shinra was different. She had just given him her first kiss, only to find Caleb running off with someone else. How could she not be angry?
Caleb grimaced. My bad. His Scumbag game was still underdeveloped. Distracted by training, he had forgotten there was a ripe fruit waiting to be picked here.
"Tsubaki-senpai, I was forced." Caleb explained, mixing three parts truth with seven parts fabrication. "I went to the Occult Research Club for training. I didn't see anyone except getting beaten up by Koneko. I didn't even see Akeno-senpai." He focused on how badly he was beaten, making sure not to mention the sensual perks he received during the process.