Sunlight streamed through the windows of the Student Council office, casting a warm patch of light across the floor.
Sona sat behind her desk with a pen in hand, diligently working through a stack of documents. Her expression was focused and serious, her eyes gleaming sharply behind her glasses.
Tsubaki stood behind her, holding another stack of documents as she waited in silence.
The door opened.
Rias walked inside, her crimson hair looking especially radiant beneath the sunlight.
She wore casual clothes and had a faint smile on her face. She seemed to be in an excellent mood.
Sona looked up. When she saw Rias, she raised an eyebrow.
"Rias? What brings you here? Did something happen to Genichi?"
A trace of tension entered her voice, subtle enough that most people wouldn't have noticed it.
She understood Genichi's current situation perfectly well. All three factions were watching him, and trouble could erupt at any moment.
Rias shook her head.
"No. Genichi is fine."
Sona sighed in relief, only to frown immediately afterward.
"Then why did you come to see me?"
Rias didn't answer. She merely raised one hand.
Crimson demonic power gathered in her palm. It was so dense that it seemed on the verge of taking physical form, radiating a suffocating pressure.
The air distorted slightly as her power surged. Documents on the desk were swept into the air before fluttering back down.
Sona's expression changed.
Her pupils contracted sharply, and the pen slipped from her fingers, landing on the desk with a crisp clatter.
She stared at the demonic power in Rias's palm. Its intensity far surpassed that of an ordinary High-class Devil, and its density was something only an Ultimate-class Devil could possess.
Her face instantly turned pale.
"You… advanced to Ultimate-class?"
Her voice sounded dry, tinged with disbelief.
Rias withdrew her demonic power, and the corners of her lips curved upward.
"Mm-hmm. It happened a few days ago."
Sona fell silent.
She lowered her head and stared at the documents scattered across her desk, her fingers slowly tightening.
She and Rias had advanced to High-class Devil at almost exactly the same time.
Ever since then, they had always progressed at the same pace. Whenever Sona grew stronger, so did Rias. Whenever one improved, the other soon followed.
They had been like two parallel lines—always evenly matched, neither ever able to claim a decisive victory.
But now, those lines had separated.
Rias had already advanced to Ultimate-class, while Sona was still nowhere near reaching it herself.
An indescribable emotion welled up inside her.
It wasn't jealousy or simple resentment. It was something deeper and far more complicated, as though something had lodged inside her chest, leaving her unable to swallow it or force it out.
She was the heiress of the Sitri family. She was Sona, someone who had never willingly admitted defeat to anyone.
Yet now, she had lost.
She had lost to Rias, the rival she had competed against since childhood.
"How is that possible…?"
Her murmur was barely audible.
Rias felt a little guilty when she saw Sona like this.
But she offered no words of comfort. She knew Sona wasn't the kind of person who needed consolation.
What Sona needed was the truth. An answer. An opportunity to stand back up and continue moving forward.
"I didn't come here to show off."
Rias's voice became serious.
"Sona, do you want to know how I advanced to Ultimate-class?"
Sona raised her head and looked at her.
There was confusion in her eyes, along with frustration—and a trace of longing she hadn't even noticed herself.
"How did you do it?"
Her voice was quiet.
Rias stepped forward, bent down beside her, and whispered a few words into her ear.
Sona's expression changed from confusion to shock, from shock to disbelief, and then from disbelief to absolute mortification.
Her face turned scarlet. The blush spread from her cheeks to her ears, then all the way down her neck.
She opened her mouth to speak, only to discover that no words would come out.
"You… You're saying…"
Her voice came out in a stammer.
"Being intimate with Genichi… can actually…"
Rias nodded, her expression completely composed.
"Yes. Genichi devoured the Red Dragon Emperor's dragon soul, so the power of a Heavenly Dragon is stored inside his body. Becoming intimate with him accelerates the absorption of that power and increases one's demonic power."
Sona's mind went completely blank.
She remembered the feelings she had developed for Genichi. She remembered the confident expression she had worn when she told him the Sitri family could protect him.
She also remembered what Rias had whispered into her ear—that Genichi had spent the previous night with her.
So Rias hadn't simply been showing off.
She truly had become intimate with Genichi, and her power had increased tremendously as a result.
"So the reason you came to see me is…"
Sona's voice trembled slightly.
Rias smiled. There was a hint of teasing in her expression, a touch of slyness, and an air of complete matter-of-factness.
"When something good happens, it's only natural that I think of my best friend."
Sona stared at Rias's smiling face as complicated emotions surged through her.
She had thought of her because this was something good?
Well, it certainly was an extraordinary opportunity.
A chance to increase one's strength and advance to Ultimate-class—if the female Devils of the Underworld learned about something like this, they would probably drain Genichi of every last drop of energy.
The fact that Rias had thought of her proved that she genuinely considered Sona her best friend.
But this was still far too embarrassing.
Was she supposed to approach Genichi and tell him she wanted to become intimate with him?
Was she supposed to ask such a thing of someone in their circle?
Was she supposed to…
Sona didn't dare continue that train of thought.
"I need time to consider this."
When she finally spoke, her voice was very quiet.
Rias nodded.
"Time won't wait for you."
She paused, the corners of her lips rising slightly.
"And I can't speak to Genichi on your behalf. You'll have to ask him yourself."
Sona's face grew even redder.
"I know."
Rias turned and headed for the door. Just before leaving, she stopped and looked back at Sona.
"Sona, whatever you decide, I'll support you. You're my best friend, and I don't want to watch you fall further and further behind."
With that, she opened the door and left.
Silence returned to the office.
Sona remained seated with her head lowered, her thoughts impossible to read.
Tsubaki stood behind her and waited for a long time before finally speaking.
"President, what do you intend to do?"
Sona didn't answer.
She merely looked out the window. Sunlight fell across her face, yet it couldn't dispel the shadows in her eyes.
Two voices were arguing inside her mind.
One urged her to go.
This was an opportunity—an opportunity to grow stronger and catch up with Rias.
Hadn't she always wanted to defeat her?
Now that the chance was right in front of her, why shouldn't she seize it?
The other voice told her that she couldn't.
She was Sona, heiress to the Sitri family.
She had dignity. She had pride. She couldn't do something like this.
If she wanted to grow stronger, she should do it through her own effort.
The two voices argued for a long time, but neither could persuade the other.
Sona closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After slowly exhaling, she opened them again.
"Tsubaki."
Her voice was quiet.
"Yes?"
"Do you think I should go?"
Tsubaki remained silent for a moment before answering.
"President, you're the only one who can answer that question. But I can tell you what I think."
"Go ahead."
"You have feelings for Genichi-kun, don't you?"
Sona's body stiffened slightly.
She neither admitted nor denied it.
"If you already have feelings for him, then why not go?"
Tsubaki's voice remained calm.
"You've never been someone who cares about society's judgment. What matters to you is strength, your family, and your ideals. If being with Genichi-kun can make you stronger and strengthen the Sitri family, then why shouldn't you do it?"
Sona remained silent for a long time.
Then she smiled faintly, with a hint of self-mockery.
"Tsubaki, when did you become so persuasive?"
Tsubaki lowered her head.
"I'm only telling you the truth. Besides, I don't want to lose to Akeno either."
"Is that your only reason? You simply don't want to lose to Akeno?"
Sona rose and walked over to the window, gazing at the sky outside.
The sun was shining brightly, and there wasn't a cloud in sight. Yet her heart remained shrouded in mist, leaving her unable to see which direction she should take.
She pictured Genichi's face. She remembered his silhouette as he stood beside the window and the look in his eyes when they first met.
That young man truly was special.
She had feelings for him. That was undeniable.
But she wasn't sure whether those feelings were strong enough for her to take that step.
"Let me think about it a little longer."
Tsubaki nodded and said nothing more.
The office fell silent once again, broken only by the occasional chirping of birds outside.
Sona stood beside the window, staring into the distance as uncertainty continued to trouble her.
Should she go, or shouldn't she?
She didn't know.
She knew only that whatever decision she ultimately made, she wouldn't regret it.
After all, Sona had never been someone who dwelled on regret.
(End of Chapter)
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