Chapter 20: Chapter 20: That's His Type
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After a moment of silence, Rias speculated, "Could it be an internal student council leak?"
Sona shook her head firmly. "Impossible."
"Why not? Not everyone in the council is your retainer."
"Because only Tsubaki and I knew about it."
Tsubaki had informed only Sona of Qingqiu's high magical aptitude. To prevent Qingqiu from boasting and leaking information, even he was kept in the dark.
Sona intended to personally assess Qingqiu today. If true, she'd aim to recruit him into the student council, if not immediately as a retainer.
Unexpectedly, by morning, rumors of Qingqiu's immense potential and dubious relations with Tsubaki, along with inappropriate behavior with other girls, had spread throughout the campus.
Gossip described a wild party with Qingqiu surrounded by girls, Tsubaki beneath him, kissing Touno, and fondling Sasaki Yukina's large breasts. Hamazaki Reina serviced him, Shinomura Yuki pushed from behind, and Kurumizaka Ruri served tea and cleaned up...
The gossip was so detailed it seemed like an eyewitness account, even making Tsubaki question its authenticity.
The first rumor was decipherable only by inner academy students. Qingqiu's odd looks this morning stemmed from the second rumor. His wild antics with Hamazaki Reina's group, occasionally observed in the girls' locker room, lent truth to the otherwise exaggerated tale. Even with the student council's intervention, the rumors would persist, as people cared more about Qingqiu's alleged escapades than the truth.
Rias pondered, "Could it be that your conversations were overheard?"
Qingqiu attempted to interject, "Um…"
Sona replied, "Tsubaki had a barrier up."
"And another strange thing is, why specifically spread rumors about Uesugi fooling around with girls?"
Qingqiu tried again, "Well, I…"
Rias asked, "You mean the person spreading the rumors wasn't trying to highlight Uesugi's potential?"
Qingqiu sighed internally, feeling sidelined in a discussion about his own situation. He looked up at the ceiling, thinking, "Well, you've got a point." With both Rias and Sona leading the conversation, Qingqiu found himself out of the loop, despite being the subject of their discussion.
Realizing he couldn't join the current discussion, Qingqiu decided to gather information from the other side. Unlike the competitive atmosphere between Rias and Sona, Himejima Akeno and Shinra Tsubaki, both Queens in their respective roles, seemed to get along well.
Both Akeno and Tsubaki were close friends, having been disowned by their exorcist families and reincarnated as devils to serve as Queens. Since Tsubaki had previously promised to explain things to Qingqiu, she took the initiative to clarify the situation while the others were preoccupied.
In simple terms, someone had spread semi-true rumors, drawing attention to Qingqiu. Sona had intended to recruit Qingqiu quietly, but Rias, having heard the rumors, sought to claim him for her own.
Naturally, Rias didn't want Qingqiu to attract too much attention, either. Both Sona and Rias needed strong retainers to achieve their goals and handle impending challenges. Neither wanted to give up on a retainer with great potential.
After understanding the situation, Qingqiu planned to feign ignorance and ask about things like retainers. Before he could inquire, Rias and Sona reached a temporary agreement.
"Uesugi-kun, here are some benefits and rules of the inner academy," Sona said, handing him a small booklet. "Regardless of who spread the rumors, you're now a member of the inner academy. Just make sure not to violate the rules."
Qingqiu accepted the booklet. It had a red cover, was thin, and contained little content. The rules mainly emphasized keeping the inner academy secret and not using supernatural powers for evil. As for the benefits, Qingqiu didn't pay much attention. Compared to the enhancements from his dual cultivation ability, the resources offered to freshmen seemed insignificant.
After familiarizing himself with the booklet, Sona asked, "How much do you know about the supernatural?"
"A little bit," Qingqiu replied, gesturing with his fingers to indicate a small amount.
Sona frowned slightly, "Such as?"
"Well, Hamazaki and the others told me…" Qingqiu thought for a moment and shared some basic knowledge of the hidden world, things that were common knowledge.
"For an ordinary freshman, that's more than enough. You'll naturally encounter more information as your strength grows," Rias said, tapping her cheek with a long finger. "However, as a retainer, you should at least know your master's situation."
Qingqiu wanted to claim he knew more than anyone, but he held back, standing obediently like a boy hoping for an older sister's care.
His expression melted Rias' heart, almost making her want to embrace him right then. However, someone else acted faster.
Feeling the soft, smooth sensation on his cheek and the fragrance wafting to his nose, Qingqiu took a deep breath.
"Akeno-senpai... Could you, um, ease up?" he said, his face nuzzling against her firm chest despite his words.
Akeno blushed, realizing she'd been deceived by his innocent demeanor. Qingqiu's appearance of vulnerability triggered her black-hearted, sadistic side, and she couldn't bring herself to let go.
Both Rias and Sona, as well as Tsubaki, were momentarily captivated by Qingqiu's pure act. However, Akeno was the quickest to act.
Qingqiu's seemingly weak and easily bullied appearance was precisely what appealed to Akeno's preferences. Even after realizing it, she was reluctant to release him.
If he was a little scoundrel, so be it. Akeno couldn't resist his charm.
Enjoying Akeno's embrace, Qingqiu settled into a more comfortable position as Rias continued explaining the supernatural world.
"We reside in the human world, but there's also the demon world and the divine realm… Demons, gods, humans, and dragons are the strongest races… But each race isn't monolithic…"
Listening to Rias' introduction to the world's grand structure, Qingqiu found it dull, already knowing these things. The information was too high-level to concern him.
Rias, noticing Qingqiu's distraction with Akeno, shot her a look of annoyance. "Uesugi, pay attention now, and keep your hands out of Akeno's clothes."
"Ara ara~" Akeno teased, capturing Qingqiu's restless hand. "Be good, and I'll reward you later."
[•———•——•———•]
𝙥𝗮𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣(.)𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧
✨ • 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟲𝟬+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.