"President Sona..." Ethan said tentatively as he entered the room, where the entire Student Council was gathered. "I heard you wanted to see me. Is it about me taking over the ORC?"
"Not quite," Sona replied firmly.
His headache worsened. Sona wanted him to take over as Student Council President as well. With Sona and Tsubaki Shinra graduating, the council needed a strong leader to manage the balance between the supernatural and the ordinary students.
"I'll do it," Ethan said, looking at Tsubaki. "But I have one condition. I need to recruit new members."
Sona agreed. She knew Ethan intended to be a "hands-off" leader, but she trusted him to keep the school running smoothly.
Tsubaki Shinra didn't give him time to breathe; she dropped a stack of documents in front of him. "I've categorized them by priority. If you have questions, ask Reya."
Ethan looked at Reya Kusaka, a cute girl with a massive chest and long chestnut hair. She was a Bishop with expertise in reconnaissance.
"Reya, I'll be in your care."
"Likewise, Lord Red Dragon Emperor," she giggled.
"Just call me Ethan. 'Red Dragon Emperor' is too weird."
"Understood, Ethan-kun."
Tsubaki rolled her eyes, already sensing that the Student Council room was about to become Ethan's second harem.
The current council consisted of Tsubaki Shinra (Queen), Yura Tsubasa (Rook), Meguri Tomoe (Knight), Bennia (Knight), Reya Kusaka (Bishop), Hanakai Momo (Bishop), and the newcomer Ruruko Nimura (Pawn).
Bannia was a particularly interesting case—a hybrid of a Reaper and a human, and the daughter of the high-level Reaper Orcus. She looked like a middle schooler with deep purple hair and golden eyes, often wearing a cute skull mask.
Ethan decided to delegate most of the work to the others while he acted as the "face" and the muscle of the council.
He applied the same logic to the ORC, appointing Asia Argento and Ravel Phenex to manage the club. Asia was kind, while Ravel was assertive—a perfect balance.
A few days later, the annual Kuoh Academy Sports Festival began. Because the school had recently gone co-ed and integrated the supernatural side, the festival had been delayed until the third semester.
Ethan had to sit in the announcer's booth as a "mascot" President. While he was bored, he spotted a familiar figure: Nanao Tachibana.
Nanao was a hybrid vampire with True Ancestor blood. At this point in time, Nanao hadn't decided on a gender. To Ethan's eyes, the blond "pretty boy" was currently genderless.
Like Gasper, Nanao had a set of Evil Eyes. However, while Gasper's were a Sacred Gear, Nanao's were a bloodline trait.
Nanao was constantly on the run from hunters because of her True Ancestor blood, which was why she kept her gender fluid—it made her harder to track.
"Can all vampires decide their gender later in life?" Ethan wondered aloud. If so, why did Gasper choose to be a boy when he made such a cute girl?
Yura Tsubasa, who was sitting next to him, tilted her head. She was a Rook who liked "wild" guys and had shoulder-length blue hair. "If you want to know, Ethan-kun, why don't you ask him yourself?"
She teased him about his "relationship" with Yuuki Kiba (who had recently revealed she was always a girl). "It's a shame, really. A lot of girls were rooting for the Ethan x Kiba ship."
"Yuuki was always a girl," Ethan retorted. "She just went back to her true form."
"Hehe, that's fine too. If Kiba-kun were really a guy, I couldn't accept it. I can't share my man with another man."
Ethan ignored her teasing. He stood up. "Stay here, I'll be back."
He knew Gasper, being socially anxious, wouldn't be participating in the festival. He was likely hiding somewhere with his game console. Ethan decided it was time to get some answers.