Kuoh Academy, Occult Research Club.
The clubroom felt different today.
A tense, solemn atmosphere hung in the air, like the calm before a storm.
Rias sat on the sofa in a red dress—the battle attire she had specially prepared for the Rating Game. Her crimson hair spilled across her shoulders, and determination shone in her blue-green eyes.
Akeno stood behind her, also dressed for battle. Her long black hair was tied back with a white ribbon, exposing her slender neck.
Yuuto leaned against the wall. His expression was composed, but his eyes burned with fighting spirit.
Koneko sat in the corner. The snack bag in her hands was already empty, yet unlike usual, she didn't reach for another one. She simply waited in silence.
Asia sat in a chair with her hands clasped before her chest. Her eyes were closed, and her lips trembled faintly as though she were praying.
Genichi stood beside the window with his back to everyone, gazing at the sky outside.
The weather was beautiful. The sun shone brightly from a cloudless sky, but he knew a storm was coming.
A crimson magic circle slowly rotated in the center of the clubroom. It was the teleportation circle that would carry them to the Rating Game's battlefield.
Once the appointed time arrived, they would be transported there to fight Riser and his peerage.
Just then, the clubroom door opened.
Sona entered, followed by the members of her peerage—Tsubaki, Reya, Momo, and several others whose names Genichi didn't know.
Sona wore a dark-colored uniform and glasses. Her expression was calm, but complicated emotions stirred in her eyes.
"Rias."
She spoke evenly. "Are you confident you can win this Rating Game?"
Rias raised her head and looked at her best friend and rival, a confident smile appearing on her face.
"Of course."
Her voice was firm and powerful.
"This Rating Game has only ever had one possible outcome. I will be the victor."
Sona looked at her brimming confidence and pursed her lips.
"I was actually hoping you would lose."
Rias's smile stiffened.
"Then I could take Genichi for myself," Sona added, her gaze falling on Genichi's back.
The atmosphere in the clubroom changed instantly.
Rias stared at Sona, a trace of displeasure flashing through her blue-green eyes.
"Don't even think about it. I'm never giving Genichi to you."
She huffed softly, as if declaring her ownership.
Rias was already certain that Genichi would never belong to only one person.
He had Demeter, Akeno, and her—and there might even be others she didn't know about.
She had already accepted that someone like Genichi could never be monopolized by a single woman.
However, there was one thing on which she would never compromise: Rias alone would remain the master of Genichi's Evil Pieces.
Rias had already made her position clear to Sona.
If Sona liked Genichi, Rias wouldn't stop her—but she wouldn't back down either.
Feelings weren't something she could control, nor did she want to.
But if Sona merely wanted to seize ownership of Genichi from her, then she could forget it.
That was Rias's bottom line—something no one was allowed to touch.
Sona ignored Rias's displeasure and continued looking at Genichi.
Complicated emotions flickered in her eyes—expectation, curiosity, and something that even Sona herself didn't fully understand.
"Are you confident?" she asked.
Genichi turned around, looked at her, and nodded.
"Of course."
Sona gave a slight nod. It was a subtle gesture, yet it carried a sense of relief.
"Then I look forward to seeing what you can do."
With that, she turned and left with her peerage.
Before leaving, Tsubaki glanced back at Genichi. A complicated look flashed through her eyes, but it vanished almost immediately.
The door closed, and the sound of their footsteps gradually faded.
Rias glared at the closed door, visibly irritated.
"Sona still hasn't given up. She's determined to steal you away from me."
Genichi merely smiled at her accusation.
"She was only teasing you."
"No, she wasn't."
A trace of grievance entered Rias's voice.
"You don't know Sona like I do. Once she sets her sights on something, she always gets it. She's paying far too much attention to you lately. She must be plotting something."
Genichi said nothing.
He knew Rias had a point.
Sona wasn't someone who gave up easily.
Now that she had set her sights on him, she would find ways to approach him, win him over, and sway his feelings.
It wasn't necessarily because she liked him.
It was because he was the host of the Red Dragon Emperor, a potential Satan-class combatant, and someone capable of shifting the balance of power between their two families.
Meanwhile, Sona and her peerage walked down the hallway toward the Student Council room.
Her stride was steady and her expression calm, but her heart was anything but peaceful.
"President."
Tsubaki stepped up beside her and spoke quietly.
"Weren't you afraid of angering Rias-sama by saying that?"
Sona didn't answer.
She was thinking about a single question.
What exactly did she feel toward Genichi?
She couldn't tell whether she was attracted to him or simply wanted to take ownership of him away from Rias.
The question had troubled her for a long time.
From the moment she first met Genichi, she had sensed that there was something unusual about him.
Back then, he had only just been reincarnated as a member of Rias's peerage. He was still merely a Low-class Devil, yet he possessed something her other peerage members lacked—his composure, his calmness, and that distant, almost untouchable air surrounding him.
Later, she learned that he was the host of the Red Dragon Emperor.
After that, she witnessed him defeat Tsubaki in another dimension, despite Tsubaki already being only one step away from reaching the level of a High-class Devil.
Every time, Genichi managed to surprise her in some new way.
His rate of growth and talent for battle far exceeded her expectations.
She began paying attention to him.
She began caring about him.
She started searching for ways to approach him.
But was that love?
Sona wasn't sure.
She had never fallen for anyone before, so she didn't know what love was supposed to feel like.
All she knew was that whenever she saw Genichi standing beside Rias, something inside her felt uncomfortable.
When Rias said, "Genichi is a member of my peerage," Sona felt unwilling to accept it.
When she imagined Genichi becoming Rias's man, she felt a trace of jealousy.
Perhaps that was love.
Or perhaps it was nothing more than possessiveness.
She couldn't tell the difference.
"President?"
Tsubaki's voice sounded again.
Sona returned to her senses and shook her head.
"It's nothing. There are just some things I haven't been able to understand."
Tsubaki looked at her but didn't ask any further questions.
As Sona's closest peerage member, she could sense the recent change in her president.
And that change had begun after Genichi appeared.
Sona stopped outside the Student Council room.
She turned and looked in the direction of the Occult Research Club.
The door was closed, and she couldn't see anything beyond it. But she knew that boy was inside.
"Tsubaki," she said quietly.
"Yes?"
"What kind of person do you think Genichi is?"
Tsubaki fell silent for a moment before answering.
"He's powerful, calm, and unique."
"Unique?"
Sona turned to look at her.
Tsubaki nodded.
"He's different from other Devils. He doesn't seek authority or status. He simply wants to become stronger. That kind of single-minded purity is rare among Devils."
Sona remained silent for a moment before smiling.
"Yes. He is very pure."
She opened the door and entered the Student Council room.
The office was quiet, with only the sound of her footsteps breaking the silence.
Sona walked to the window and gazed at the sky outside. The sun shone brightly from a cloudless sky, yet her heart remained shrouded in a thin mist, leaving her unable to see which direction she should take.
"Genichi," she murmured, her voice so quiet that only she could hear it.
What kind of spell have you cast to make me care about you so much?
She didn't know the answer.
But she knew she wouldn't give up.
Whether her feelings came from love or possessiveness, she would not abandon them.
After all, Sona had never been someone who gave up easily.
(End of Chapter)
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