"Ah... well... be-be-because..." Issei Hyodo stammered for a long time, unable to bring himself to say that he was beaten up after being caught peeping.
Caleb silently sighed. This poor guy couldn't even lie. No wonder he got shafted every time.
"I saw those girls still beating up two other people, saying something about perverts..." Seeing his struggle, Caleb had to proactively give him an out. "Did you just happen to be passing by and were mistaken for their accomplice?"
Issei Hyodo's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, exactly!" He didn't even consider who was closest to the scene of the peeping; he couldn't see through such an obvious lie.
"..." Speechless for a moment, Caleb decided this was fine. Simple-minded people are easy to deceive... Cough, cough, he misspoke, easy to befriend.
"Do you know those two peeping guys?" Caleb casually changed the topic and continued the conversation.
Caleb's words reminded Issei Hyodo of the earlier events. They had all been peeping together, yet Matsuda and Motohama not only abandoned him to escape but even pushed him down before fleeing, giving him no chance to run. His anger at his two lousy friends completely overwhelmed his fear of Caleb.
"No, I don't know those shameless peeping perverts!" Issei Hyodo declared with a righteous expression, as if he had truly forgotten he was one of them.
Suppressing the urge to comment, Caleb agreed. "Yes, peeping is indeed classless. If you like a girl, why not just go after her?"
Issei Hyodo looked at Caleb enviously. "Uesugi, I heard you have several girlfriends. Is that true?"
Issei Hyodo's fear of Caleb was rooted more in the supernatural power than in Caleb himself. Ordinary people facing a power that could casually determine their life and death would naturally be panicked and afraid to some extent. Discovering that Caleb genuinely held no ill will toward him, his curiosity about sex completely drove away his remaining fear.
Caleb gave an embarrassed smile. "It's just a rumor, a rumor. I don't have a girlfriend."
"I knew it! How could anyone possibly date several beautiful girls at the same time?" Issei Hyodo patted Caleb's shoulder, encouraging him. "Don't be discouraged. You'll definitely find one before graduation..."
"They're just my F-buddies."
Issei Hyodo's movement stiffened. His face cycled from white to red, finally settling on a look of utter gnashing of teeth. "F-f-buddies?" He looked at Caleb with a mix of envy, jealousy, and hatred, asking persistently, "Is that the kind of F-buddies I think it is?"
Caleb blinked, using the most innocent tone to say the most brutal words. "Yes, the kind of F-buddies between a man and a woman. The kind that's only physical."
Issei Hyodo's eyes turned red with envy. He grabbed Caleb's arm, crying out in grief and indignation, "Kuso! Why can't I even get a girlfriend!"
Because the moment you see a girl, you stare openly and fixedly at her breasts... Caleb silently complained.
"It's okay. I don't have a girlfriend either."
Issei Hyodo became even more distraught. "But you have so many F-buddies, and they're all big-breasted beauties!"
"Not all of them. Yuuki Shinamura and Tsubaki-senpai are just average."
Watching Caleb's serious expression, Issei Hyodo silently let go and backed away a few steps. He was exhausted. He didn't want to get too close to this kind of winner in life.
"Hyodo, let's talk again sometime." Feeling that Issei Hyodo was no longer afraid of him, Caleb proactively said goodbye. He had no choice but to leave. The Boosted Gear would indeed choose Issei Hyodo, but he couldn't even confirm whether it was currently hosted in Issei Hyodo. Not to mention finding a way to strip it, or intercepting the Sacred Gear before it was hosted.
He didn't know how the Fallen Angel, who disguised herself as Yuma Amano to deceive Issei Hyodo's feelings in his memory, judged the existence of a Sacred Gear. If it was a natural talent, Caleb would definitely seek her out for a fight. But even if it was a talent, he didn't even know where she was right now.
After much thought, though reluctant, Caleb had to temporarily suppress the idea of claiming the Sacred Gear.
"Uesugi-kun, wait a moment!" Seeing Caleb turn to leave, Issei Hyodo eagerly approached, stating seriously, "We're friends now, right?"
"Mhm, we are."
"Then... could you teach me how to get a girlfriend... how to get an F-buddy?"
Caleb spread his hands, helplessly. "It's not that I won't teach you... in fact, they all approached me." Although he had actively gone after Tsubaki Shinra and Akeno Himejima later, and was even considering Rias and Sona Shitori, at the beginning, they had truly come to him, tempting him with various benefits and conditions.
Issei Hyodo's hopeful expression froze. His entire body turned grayscale. This answer was another cruel stab to his heart.
To prevent their newly established friendship from fracturing too quickly, Caleb offered a parting consolation. "Hyodo, you're quite good-looking. If you tone down your personality, getting a cute girlfriend shouldn't be too difficult."
Issei Hyodo waved weakly, looking dejected. Compared to his two awful friends, Matsuda and Motohama, his appearance was indeed decent, and his physique was fine. Issei Hyodo also knew that being too perverted would scare girls away. But asking him to tone down his lustful nature... If he could do that, why would Caleb need to tell him?
Before leaving, Caleb glanced at Issei Hyodo's arm again, feeling a twinge of regret. Utility talents and skills definitely needed to be prioritized. If he had a tracking or surveillance ability, he could always keep tabs on Issei Hyodo's situation. That way, he wouldn't be completely helpless, relying only on luck.
...
...
Since he couldn't immediately gain a major advantage from the male protagonist, Caleb had to stick to his original plan and seek out the female protagonists. He returned the way he came, heading toward the Kendo Club.
He had walked less than a hundred meters when Caleb ran into another familiar face.
"Uesugi-kun, good morning." Touko Sakurauchi was carrying a stack of notebooks, her expression serious, but her words were anything but. "It's been over a week. Vice President Tsubaki had her fun. Isn't it my turn now?"
As a Succubus, she could 'smell' Caleb's aura. Just as she suspected, Tsubaki Shinra, under the guise of fulfilling her duty, had already been intimate with Caleb. Not only that, but she seemed to have claimed him as her exclusive property. Touko Sakurauchi was furious, but as a minor Succubus, she didn't dare provoke the Student Council. Today, she finally found her chance, spotting Caleb alone.
Caleb paused. He was just trying to approach Sakura Miyajima at the Kendo Club, hoping to gain a Swordsmanship talent. Why did 'opportunities' keep actively presenting themselves?
The first opportunity was too big, and he couldn't take it right now. This second one... he wouldn't be so polite.
"Sakurauchi-san, good morning." Greeting her enthusiastically, Caleb was just as direct. "It's not that I didn't look for you. It's just that you left in a hurry last time and didn't leave any contact information."
Touko Sakurauchi was expressionless, saying flatly, "I'm in the classroom next door to yours. Finding me shouldn't be that difficult."
"Then why didn't you come looking for me?" There was no need to be overly polite with this Succubus. He coveted her talent, and she coveted his ability and essence.
"I wanted to find you, but lately, a certain someone has either been next to Vice President Tsubaki or Vice President Akeno of the Occult Research Club." Touko Sakurauchi scoffed, her eyes sharp. "I'm just an ordinary student. I didn't even have a chance to talk to you."
"Uh..." Caleb was speechless. He hadn't spent much time with the Hamasaki group recently, let alone this Succubus he'd only met once. If he hadn't masturbated to her image numerous times, he might not even remember she existed...
"Sakurauchi-san, I was indeed busy a while ago. I'm free today..."
"No need to explain to me." Touko Sakurauchi gently pushed up her glasses. "I only have one question..."
"Will you come home with me after school today?"
Caleb smiled slightly. "Absolutely no problem. If you can't wait, we can go to the infirmary, the gym storage room, the rooftop, or any other place now."
"I've waited this long. I can wait half a day more." A flush spread across Touko Sakurauchi's cool face. She licked the corner of her lips, her eyes becoming seductive. "I hope you can satisfy me tonight."
"As you wish." Caleb bowed theatrically, like a knight fulfilling his duty.