High School DxD: Lustful Ascension

"Jerk!" Enraged, the delinquent swung a punch at Qingqiu's face. Seeing no more fun to be had, Qingqiu decided not to waste time. He effortlessly caught the punch, pulled the delinquent forward, and kneed him in the stomach.

"Ugh." The pain doubled the delinquent over, causing him to retch. Seeing he was still standing, Qingqiu brought his elbow down on the delinquent's temple. The delinquent, caught off guard by Qingqiu's decisive action, had no chance to resist and passed out on the spot.

The other delinquents, witnessing how swiftly Qingqiu ended the fight, began to reconsider. "Boss, what do we do? Maybe we should find another target?"

The leader, with a spiked hairstyle, glared at the subordinate who spoke. "We've got seven or eight of us. Are we really afraid of one guy?"

The subordinates: "..."

You were the one who said to back off if it looked troublesome... but you're the boss, so you're right.

"You guys, come with me." The leader gestured to his subordinates. "Remember, don't start a fight. We're just helping a friend who fainted on the street, not backing down."

The subordinates: "..."

"Boss, you're brilliant!"

Qingqiu nudged the unconscious delinquent with his foot, relieved to find he was only knocked out. "Seems like I need to hold back a bit more..."

Amidst the onlookers' astonishment, Qingqiu muttered to himself. With so many witnesses, he feared complications if something serious happened to the delinquent. The leader and his gang surrounded Qingqiu, causing the nearby pedestrians to scatter.

Compared to the yakuza, ordinary people were even less inclined to get involved with delinquents. Though the yakuza had some rules, delinquents, being minors, were difficult for the police to deal with, often only getting a few days of detention and a slap on the wrist.

Because of this, some yakuza would employ delinquents for arson or kidnapping. As the leader approached, Qingqiu squinted, recognizing him as a familiar face.

"Brother, it's all a misunderstanding," the leader said, having his men lift the unconscious delinquent, trying to appear conciliatory. "You see, my friend here got hurt. Pay a bit for medical expenses and we'll let this slide, okay?"

Qingqiu chuckled, "What if I say I don't have any money?"

"No worries, I'll cover it. Let's be friends," the leader grinned, revealing yellowed teeth. "I see you're capable. Want to join me?"

The subordinates admired their leader's bold words, realizing why he was in charge. They couldn't compete with his silver tongue.

"Join you?" Qingqiu laughed.

This was amusing. Before, he had dyed his hair yellow and tried to join them, only to be extorted for protection money. Now, they were inviting him.

Qingqiu didn't rush to fight, instead chatting with the leader. "Boss, seems you've forgotten me already?"

"Hm?" The leader was puzzled. "We've met?"

"Two months ago, Uesugi Qingqiu," Qingqiu reminded him. "You took a hefty 'joining fee' from me back then."

The leader didn't recall the time or name, but the mention of money sparked a memory. "So, you're one of us. I knew it was a misunderstanding."

He forced a laugh, sensing danger, and prepared to leave. "Well, let's meet up next time. I need to take my friend to the hospital."

"Hold on." Qingqiu stepped on his foot, smiling. "Since we're on the same side, shouldn't you return my 'joining fee'?"

Extorted and now extorting in return, the leader regretted his earlier bravado. If he'd just left, none of this would have happened.

"Uh... Uesugi, let's settle the money next time, okay?"

The leader tried to wriggle his foot free. "Fine, but I'll need some interest first."

Qingqiu pressed down hard, making the leader grimace in pain. "Damn it, you've got some nerve."

The leader, in agony, dropped the act. He didn't want big trouble, but being humiliated like this left him no choice. "Get him! Break his leg!"

The subordinates exchanged glances before charging. With the boss's orders, they had nothing to fear.

"Finally," Qingqiu said, launching a roundhouse kick and sending the leader flying. "I almost forgot about you guys, but you came looking for trouble."

With his Insightful Eye fully active and Basic Body Mastery in play, Qingqiu moved like a martial arts expert. The delinquents' attacks were easily dodged or blocked, while each of Qingqiu's strikes left someone on the ground.

Qingqiu targeted their pain points but ensured none were fatal. The leader, in particular, received special treatment. Even as he rolled on the ground, Qingqiu didn't spare him, occasionally adding a shoe print to his face.

Five minutes later, Qingqiu brushed off his crumpled uniform and walked away, leaving behind a group of unconscious delinquents. This gang had plagued the area for a long time, charging Qingqiu 'joining fees' and extorting him multiple times. Though he'd paid nearly three hundred thousand yen, he'd never been truly harmed.

After this lesson, they were even. The three hundred thousand yen would cover their medical expenses.

Meanwhile...

Hamazaki Reina and the others had finally completed all their tests. Their results were excellent, transforming them from bottom dwellers to promising dark horses. It had been only two months since the entrance exams. Two months ago, aside from the half-demon Shinomura Yuki, the other three were on the verge of expulsion. Even Yuki's mixed heritage wouldn't save her from being kicked out if her performance didn't improve.

Their rapid progress naturally drew curiosity. If it were just one of them, it might be attributed to talent, but all four?

Even if a king were present, no one would believe there wasn't a secret involved.

Though curious, no one was foolish enough to act impulsively. Having escaped the threat of expulsion, Hamazaki Reina and the others were ecstatic. Knowing the hidden world, they had no desire to return to ordinary life.

"Should we report Uesugi's situation?" one asked.

"We can't hide it anymore. Too many are watching us," another replied.

Feeling the greedy curiosity around them, the four reported Qingqiu's situation to the student council president present. Sona Shitori pushed up her glasses, glanced at the four, and said, "Understood. I'll send someone to verify. Once confirmed, you'll be contacted."

[•———•——•———•]

𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮. 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚!

𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼:

🌟 • 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗲𝗹 𝗘𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗿í𝗮 [𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀 𝗼𝗻 $𝟭𝟬]

🌟 • 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗺 𝗡𝗴𝗼 [𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀 𝗼𝗻 $𝟭𝟬]

⭐ • 𝙅𝙘𝟭𝟮𝟬𝟮 [𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀 𝗼𝗻 $𝟱]

⭐ • 𝘼𝙝𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙟𝙖𝙝 [𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀 𝗼𝗻 $𝟱]

⭐ • 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗼𝗯 𝗠𝗼𝗲𝗲 [𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀 𝗼𝗻 $𝟱]

𝗔𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸:

✨ • 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟭𝟴𝟱+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.

✨ • 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁-𝗢𝘂𝘁: 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩!

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗲𝘁, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀!

👉 𝙅𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙣𝙤𝙬: 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣.𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧