He scanned the list. The fight with Lilithia had taught him one thing: his normal skills weren't enough for the top tier. He needed speed, and he needed defence against magic.

"The Flow State upgrades are mandatory," Akira decided. "I almost died waiting for that meter to charge, and the activation cost can be curse when I'm low on perv-points."

"Agreed. If you grab both, you become a powerhouse, darling."

[PURCHASE CONFIRMED: FLOW STATE COOLDOWN REDUCTION - 2,500 PP] [PURCHASE CONFIRMED: FLOW STATE MASTERY - 5,000 PP] [CURRENT PP: 11,470]

"That's a heavy investment," Akira muttered, watching the points drop. "But being able to trigger Flow State for free? That changes everything."

"You still have over 11,000 left. Don't be stingy."

"I'm not being stingy; I'm being strategic." Akira pointed to Combat Precognition. "Lilithia was fast. If I hadn't used the Lust Scan to predict her, I would be dead. I need that ability permanently."

[PURCHASE CONFIRMED: COMBAT PRECOGNITION (LEVEL 1) - 3,000 PP] [CURRENT PP: 8,470]

"And defense," he continued. "My physical durability is high, but magic attacks... that pink wave she threw at me hurt. And if the SPIU comes after me, they'll use mana rounds."

[PURCHASE CONFIRMED: ESSENCE SHIELD UPGRADE (LEVEL 3) - 1,500 PP] [CURRENT PP: 6,970]

"And finally... Perfect Recall," Akira said, tapping the utility section. "School is getting harder, and keeping track of all these lies I'm telling Rina, Mia, and the SPIU is becoming a full-time job. I need to remember every detail."

[PURCHASE CONFIRMED: PERFECT RECALL - 1,000 PP]

[CURRENT PP: 5,970]

"Solid choices," Ai applauded. "You're building a balanced build. Tanky, fast, and smart. You have roughly 6,000 PP left. Saving it?"

"Yeah. I want to keep a reserve in case I need to buy emergency potions or specific counter-items. Plus, I need to allocate my attribute points."

He pulled up his attribute screen. He had gained 10 free attribute points from leveling up after the S-Rank victory.

[AVAILABLE ATTRIBUTE POINTS: 10]

[CURRENT STATS]

[STRENGTH: 45]

[AGILITY: 42]

[INTELLIGENCE: 35]

[CHARM: 38]

[LUCK: 15]

He dumped 5 points into Intelligence and 5 points into Charm.

[UPDATED STATS]

[INTELLIGENCE: 40]

[CHARM: 43]

"You're becoming quite the dangerous man, Akira-kun," Ai teased. "The girls won't stand a chance."

"It's not about them not standing a chance," Akira said, finally standing up to stretch. "It's about keeping them safe."

He opened his inventory one last time to look at the Queen's Soul Seed. It sat in a grid slot, pulsating with a soft, violet light.

[ITEM: QUEEN'S SOUL SEED]

[DESCRIPTION: The crystallised core of an S-Rank Succubus. Can be implanted into a host with high compatibility to awaken latent lust-based abilities or drastically enhance existing ones.]

[COMPATIBLE HOSTS: Rina, Yuki, Ayaka.]

"Who gets the upgrade?" Ai asked softly.

Akira hesitated. "Not yet. That kind of power change... it changes a person. I need to be sure before I give this to anyone."

He closed the interface, feeling lighter, stronger, and more prepared than he had ever been.

Before he could move towards the bathroom, his phone rang… his mother.

Akira answered, forcing his voice to sound normal. "Hi, Mom."

"Akira! Finally! I've been trying to reach you all week!" His mother's voice was warm and slightly exasperated. "How are you? How's school? Are you eating properly?"

"I'm fine, Mom. Everything's good."

"Are you sure? You sound tired."

"Just had a late night studying. Nothing serious."

"Studying? You?" She laughed. "What happened to my son? Last month you could barely pass a test without help."

If only she knew how much he'd changed. "I'm turning over a new leaf. Trying to be better."

"Well, I'm proud of you. Your father sends his love too; he's at a conference right now, but he wanted me to check in." She paused. "Oh, and thank Mei-san for us. She sent us an email saying you're doing well and staying out of trouble."

Akira glanced toward the wall separating his apartment from Mei's. "I'll thank her."

They talked for a few more minutes… surface-level conversation about school, weather, and his mother's work. Nothing deep, nothing real. It was strange how distant his normal life felt now, like looking at someone else's memories.

After hanging up, Akira scrolled through his phone and saw news notifications about Club Obsidian.

"Mysterious Gas Leak at Popular Nightclub - 47 Hospitalized"

"Authorities Investigate Club Obsidian Incident - Chemical Analysis Pending"

"Witnesses Report 'Strange Fog' Before Mass Illness Outbreak"

Of course they were calling it a gas leak. What else could they say? That a Grade-S Lust demon had nearly consumed everyone's souls?

"The cover-up machine works fast," Akira muttered.

"SPIU probably confiscated all the security footage and fed the media their official story," Ai added. "Standard procedure for supernatural incidents."

"Do you think Sato knows it was me?"

"Nahh… after the test you took at school and the footage he found, I took the liberty of putting up a distortion disguise for you when you are viewed through a lens. But he's not stupid though; he'll connect the dots eventually, one way or another."

"Yeah, but till then…"

Akira's phone buzzed with new messages.

Rina: "Are you free? I was hoping we'd hang out."

Aoi: "I'd like to continue working on the festival backdrop this week after school if you're available."

Mia: "I'm home, babe."

"Your social calendar is getting crowded, darling," Ai observed.

"Tell me about it."

The door to his room unlocked, and Mia burst in, her eyes immediately finding Akira. "There you are! Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

"I'm sorry. I should have kept my phone charged."

"Damn right you should have!" She stormed over, grabbed his face, and kissed him hard… desperate and possessive. When she pulled back, her eyes were wet. "Don't ever disappear like that again. I thought something happened to you."

"Nothing happened. I just needed to clear my head."

"By going on a run first thing in the morning?"

"It helps me think."

Mia studied his face, clearly not entirely convinced, but she let it go. "Fine. But next time, wake me up. We'll run together."

"Deal."

She seemed satisfied with that, finally releasing him and sitting down on his lap possessively. "Promise me you won't keep secrets from me."

The irony of that request wasn't lost on Akira. "I promise I'll always come back to you."

It wasn't the promise she'd asked for, but it was the only one he could honestly give.

The rest of Sunday passed in relative peace. Akira split his time between Mia (who insisted on monopolizing him), reviewing his new skills mentally, and trying to process everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours.

By the time Monday morning arrived, he felt almost normal again. Almost.

—

School started the same as always… crowded hallways, gossiping students, the usual chaos. But Akira noticed the stares. More people were looking at him now, whispering as he passed.

"That's the new co-captain, right?"

"I heard the tests didn't find anything on him."

"He's gotten so hot. What happened to him?"

The attention was both flattering and irritating. Akira ignored them, heading straight to class. Mia was already at her desk, and she brightened when she saw him.

"Akira-kun! Good morning!" She patted the empty seat next to her. "Sit here."

He sat, and she immediately leaned close, her hand sliding onto his thigh under the desk. "Sleep well?"

"Well enough."

"Good." Her fingers squeezed. "Because I have plans for you after school. No excuses this time."

Before he could respond, the classroom door slid open. Their homeroom teacher, Satomi-sensei, walked in carrying a stack of papers.

"Good morning, everyone. Settle down."

The class quieted immediately.

Satomi-sensei set her papers on the desk and looked up with a small smile. "Before we start today's lesson, we have a new transfer student joining us. I know we've covered quite some things, but she's a promising student and the school accepted her. Please come in."

The door opened again, and a girl stepped through, making the entire classroom go silent.

She was beautiful in a way that felt cold and untouchable. Her long black hair fell straight down past her shoulders, framing a face with sharp features and pale skin.

She wore a spotless uniform: a white blouse buttoned up to the collar, a perfectly pressed skirt, and a small silver pendant hanging around her neck that seemed to catch the light unnaturally.

But it was her dark, intense, and calculating eyes that caught Akira's attention. They swept across the room like a predator assessing prey.

"Please introduce yourself, Shinomiya-san," Satomi-sensei prompted.

The girl bowed politely. "I'm Ayame Shinomiya. My family moved here for business. I look forward to learning with you all."

Her voice was calm and controlled, almost too perfect.

But when her gaze swept past Akira, it paused, just a fraction too long. Something flickered in those dark eyes… recognition? Suspicion?

Akira felt his system activate automatically.

[LUST SCAN (LVL 1) - AUTO ACTIVATED]

[TARGET: AYAME SHINOMIYA]

[WARNING: HOLY ENERGY DETECTED]

[ESSENCE TYPE: EXORCIST/PURIFIER]

[THREAT LEVEL: HIGH]

His blood ran cold. An exorcist? Here? In his class?

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