High School DxD: Lustful Ascension

Thanks to Rias's arrangements, Qingqiu trained with Koneko Toujou in the woods after school every day.

Though called training, it was mainly Qingqiu being beaten by the white-haired loli.

Koneko Toujou excelled in close combat but couldn't teach.

Her skills came from the traits of her devil piece and practical experience, not formal instruction.

Moreover, being a bit of a kuudere, she wasn't great with words.

Her teaching style was purely physical demonstration.

And Koneko Toujou was a very responsible teacher, teaching with dedication and patience.

If Qingqiu didn't understand, she'd just hit him a few more times until he got it.

When injured or exhausted, he'd get a healing spell and continue the practical training.

Thus, Qingqiu found it painful yet rewarding.

The beatings hurt, but his growth was visibly evident.

With perfect muscle control, his combat potential was exceptional.

In just a few days, he could already withstand Koneko Toujou's attacks with equal strength and speed.

He even managed to counterattack occasionally, though he hadn't succeeded yet.

Even on weekends, Qingqiu didn't rest, treating it like a training camp with Koneko Toujou at school.

To accommodate Qingqiu's training, Koneko Toujou hadn't taken on any assignments lately.

Others handled them instead.

She just focused on guiding Qingqiu.

Monday.

Shinra Tsubaki and Sona Sitri sent messages—the investigation results were out.

"Little Aki, let's pause today's training," Rias called out as Qingqiu was about to head into the woods.

"President, could you call me something else..." Qingqiu weakly complained.

In recent days, Qingqiu's relationship with Rias had grown closer, and at some point, she began affectionately calling him "Little Aki."

Perhaps it was because he was young, had a delicate appearance, and was shorter than Rias...

Rias was 172 cm tall, while Qingqiu was only 170 cm. Before his abilities awakened, he wasn't even 170 cm.

Aside from lacking a chest, if he dressed up, he was prettier than most girls.

At one point, Qingqiu even feared he might have a storyline where he'd become effeminate, which left him sleepless for days.

His previous lack of strength, influenced by the "victim protagonist" trope, prevented him from growing taller or more robust.

As his strength increased, Qingqiu gradually shook off these influences, surpassed 170 cm in height, and gained muscle mass.

Not to say he was particularly masculine, but at least he no longer worried about becoming effeminate.

Moreover, he was only sixteen, with plenty of room to grow.

Because Rias called him "Little Aki," Himejima Akeno and Koneko Toujou followed suit and began calling him that too.

After some time of 'training,' the Takamine sisters had stopped calling Qingqiu "Little Aki" and instead addressed him as "Master."

Both in bed and out.

Just as he had started to enjoy this newfound family status, he found himself having to endure a new round of 'endurance and patience.'

What could Qingqiu do? He was at a disadvantage, both in terms of favors and strength.

He wasn't yet Rias's servant, but she treated him just like one.

The main point was that none of these people were ones Qingqiu could defeat.

He could only complain verbally, while his body accepted it quietly.

Koneko Toujou, younger by a few months, called him "Little Aki" in her teacherly manner, thanks to her role as his mentor.

Building relationships is most effective through physical interaction.

Even though it wasn't the kind that happened in bed, being punched in the chest daily by Koneko Toujou rapidly warmed their relationship.

Especially since Qingqiu made an effort to connect with her, showing care and concern, chatting gently, alongside his appealing looks and the victim protagonist's natural charm.

Koneko, a pseudo-emotionless loli, found her affection for him skyrocketing.

Except for not mentioning her elder sister Kuroka, she told Qingqiu everything she knew, including the origin of her name, Koneko.

Her original name was Shirone.

Yes, just two characters.

After becoming Rias's servant, Rias named her Koneko Toujou.

The surname Toujou was chosen for its meaning as a fortress.

The name Koneko was simpler, as she was a cat youkai.

Because it seemed too casual, Rias said it was a term of endearment, and outside, Koneko often used the name Shirone Toujou.

Qingqiu thought, just give him another week...

Two weeks at most, no more.

He'd certainly coax Koneko into bed, making her cry and beg for mercy.

Ignoring Qingqiu's complaints, Rias smiled and said, "We've identified who's targeting you."

"Really?!"

Hearing this, Qingqiu forgot his protests and hurried over to Rias. "Who is it? Is it that yellow-haired monster?"

"So you do remember this matter; I thought you might have forgotten with all your flirting with Koneko these days."

Qingqiu: "..."

He almost did forget, but not because of flirting with the white-haired loli, just getting engrossed in training.

Rias didn't keep him in suspense and slowly said, "It is indeed Daisei Oida. I didn't expect your first instinct to be so accurate."

"I knew it was him," Qingqiu fumed, "That yellow hair, monkey-like face—he's clearly up to no good."

"If you'd listened to me sooner, we wouldn't have let that yellow-haired monster get away with it for so long."

"It was just a lucky guess. Without the accounts and transaction records provided by Tetsuya Hakata, we wouldn't have had evidence to act on him."

Qingqiu protested, "It wasn't a guess; I have proof."

"What proof?"

"Just look at that yellow hair. From the first glance at the photo, I was a hundred percent sure it was him..."

Yellow hair, yellow hair...

Rias was tired of hearing it.

In the end, it was just intuition, not real evidence.

She rolled her eyes at Qingqiu, not bothering to respond.

Rias noticed Qingqiu had a strong aversion to blondes. When Yuuto Kiba had visited their club a few times, Qingqiu's attitude toward him was noticeably different from his attitude toward Koneko.

Not exactly hostile, but certainly not friendly.

Rias suspected it might be because Yuuto Kiba had blond hair.

Qingqiu didn't know Rias's thoughts; otherwise, he'd definitely claim innocence.

He didn't particularly like Yuuto Kiba, but more because he suspected Kiba might be gay.

Yuuto Kiba wasn't a beautiful girl, so there was no opportunity for talent acquisition.

As for his hair color...

As long as he changed it, Qingqiu could try getting along with him.

Unfortunately, Qingqiu had developed a reflex to distrust blondes due to past experiences.

If it were possible, Qingqiu wished for Yuuto Kiba to be Yuuto Yuko.

Not only would he not have to worry about the blonde issue, but there'd also be another potential talent acquisition target.

Yuuto Yuko had an official character design but no corresponding storyline.

In Qingqiu's memory, there was just a picture, without any memory of Yuuto Yuko.

The beta world line likely didn't exist, and who knew the official purpose behind that picture.

[•———•——•———•]

𝙥𝗮𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣(.)𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

✨ • 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟲𝟬+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.