"Please, take a seat," said Sona Sitri while pointing to a chair opposite her table.
The student council room had desks arranged in a U format with sunlight streaming in through the windows behind her. The only members of her peerage that were in the room with us were Meguri and Sona's queen, both of them now standing behind her on either side.
As I sat down in my chair, I noticed the simple wooden chessboard set up on the table with her as black and me as white. My eyes widened in recognition, 'Could this be the famous 'effortlessly beating Sona in chess' scene I've seen in so many fanfics?!'
Looking at me, Sona asked, "Do you play?"
I shook my head in response and replied, "I do know the basic rules, though."
Sona nodded, "That's good enough, let's play while we talk."
I nodded along and moved the pawn in front of my king to e4. She mirrored my move.
I moved my queen to h5 and she said, "Now, it's time to talk about what you have already glimpsed - the supernatural side of the world."
She moves her knight to c6 and continues, "This world is not as simple as it seems, full of dangers, especially for humans."
I move my bishop to c4, and she moves her pawn to g6.
Not wanting to give away too much information, I stay silent as she continues, "I want you to know that stepping into the supernatural world is a one-way trip; there is no going back to your regular life the moment you awakened your sacred gear, and the supernatural world won't care that you just stepped into it."
I move my queen to f3, and she moves her knight to d4.
"Now, it's time I introduce you to the most active faction, the Biblical faction."
I move my bishop to f7, and she captures it with her knight, moving it to f7.
"The biblical faction itself is made up of 3 factions that are currently in deadlock with each other."
I move my queen to d5, causing a check.
"Those three being angels, fallen angels, and," she moves her king to e8, removing the check, and looks at me in the eye, her gaze steady. Her voice lowers, deliberate, as though adding weight to the moment, "Devils." As soon as she said that, dark, leathery bat-like wings appeared on the backs of Tomoe, Tsubaki, and Sona herself.
I pause, not expecting her to reveal her true nature so soon, and chuckle while moving my queen to a5, "Damn, the student council president is a Devil. Maybe I should've been a more devout believer. Should I start praying for my soul or something?"
She moves her pawn to d6 and responds, "You don't need to do either. I know that religion has painted us to be the bad guys, but we are simply another sentient, intelligent race, like humans."
I raise an eyebrow and move my knight to f3. She moves her bishop to g4.
"I'll be honest with you, there are plenty of devils that do fit that bill, just like there are some bad people among the humans. It would be pointless to cast aside and judge an entire species based on a select group of individuals."
I move my pawn to h3, and she moves her bishop to f3, taking my knight.
"But we are getting off-topic. The point is that the supernatural world is dangerous for humans without a faction like you. Especially so because you possess a rare sacred gear."
I take her bishop with my pawn, moving it to f3. She moves her knight back to c6.
"I can provide you the backing that you need to survive this perilous world, along with more power to protect yourself."
My pawn to d3. Her bishop to e7.
"Especially because I am the heiress to one of the 72 pillar families, the Sitri family."
My knight to c3. She castles with the rook to her left.
"This means that those under me are under too much political protection for the other factions to carelessly touch. In fact, this protection would extend to your family, too."
My bishop to e3. Her queen to d7.
"But this is all just the sprinkles on the top. As you might expect, all this favour is not without return. What I offer is to change your race to a devil - a race that is virtually ageless with no known individuals having died from old age, increased physical athleticism to even further superhuman heights, and access to magic based on imagination - on top of all the other benifits I have listed before, in exchange you become a part of my peerage, taking up a spot in my 'team' so to speak, to help me fight in tournaments and help me undertake my duties as one of the devils in charge of this region."
I castle with the rook to my left. Her rook to e8.
"So you want me to become a devil?" I finally say.
My king to b1, her knight to e4, taking one of my pawns.
"Yes, that part of the contract is something not even I can change. Being reincarnated into a devil is something hardwired into the peerage system, I'm afraid. I would not mislead you on that." She answered calmly.
"Welp, I'd love to join, but it would be rude of me to accept without even listening to the other offer, considering I already agreed to meet them," I said, slowly getting up.
She closes her eyes and chuckles as she replies, "I suppose you do have a point there. I hope you do take my offer under careful consideration."
I gave her a polite nod, pushing my chair back with a little squeak while she just maintained a polite smile. I slipped out of the council room, the heavy wooden door clicking shut behind me. Honestly? The whole thing felt like a job interview, just with bat wings and magic. And hey, if Rias was pitching an invite next, maybe I'll get snacks out of it.
---
As the door closed behind Haruto, the room fell quiet for a moment. Dust motes drifted lazily in the sunlight, but Sona Sitri's expression remained still and thoughtful. Sona leaned back in her chair, her fingers brushing lightly across the chessboard as she stared at the last position they had left unfinished.
"…He was cautious," she finally said, her tone even, though there was a faint gleam of interest in her eyes. "Cautious, but not in the way most are. He gave off the impression of being casual, lighthearted even… but each of his moves, both on the board and in our exchange, was deliberate." A faint smile appeared on her lips when recalling that he had 'paid' Meguri for her services, even though she insisted on him paying her back later.
Tsubaki adjusted her glasses, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly, her voice calm but edged with curiosity. "You noticed it too, Kaichou. He played the part of the easygoing boy, but at the end… refusing without burning bridges... He intends to see what Rias has to offer before committing."
Meguri, less restrained, crossed her arms and frowned. "Yeah, but he didn't even flinch when you revealed yourself. Most people freeze up, panic, or immediately move to attack. He joked about his soul instead. Either he's braver than he looks… or reckless."
Sona's gaze flicked to the chessboard still lying between the empty chairs. The white queen was left stranded near the edge, a move that looked careless on the surface but had forced her into a defensive shift earlier in the game. She allowed herself a small exhale. She shook her head slightly. "Not reckless. He masks his wariness with humor. A subtle defense mechanism. That kind of composure at his age is rare."
Tsubaki's gaze flicked to her. "Then he's dangerous."
"Potentially," Sona admitted, tapping her finger against the chessboard thoughtfully. "But also promising. His interest in food, basketball, and the small joys of life… that could be genuine. Yet beneath that nonchalance is an intelligence he tried to hide. He avoided showing too much of himself during the negotiation while making it seem like he completely handed over the momentum of the negotiation."
Tomoe tilted her head. "So what do we do, Kaichou? If he's going to meet Rias next, she'll pitch her own offer. Do we try to sway him further?"
Sona closed her eyes briefly, considering. "No. Rias will attempt her pitch now, but I doubt he will commit so quickly. Pressing him now would be counterproductive. He's clearly the type to value choice — pushing him too hard will only drive him away. Let him see Rias. Let him compare." Her lips curved into a faint, calculating smile. "If he is as cautious as I suspect, then my transparency and restraint will linger in his thoughts when he weighs his options."
Sona rose gracefully, her expression composed but her mind already running through contingencies. "We will watch closely. If he is truly worth recruiting, he will come to recognize where his best interests lie."
Her fingers hovered over the board, moving her knight idly back into position. "Still, the fact that he left the door open to both of us means he understands leverage. He intends to play us against each other."
Tsubaki's eyebrow raised while disbelief crossed her face, "To intend to play two high-ranking devils against each other to elevate his value as a piece. He is either reckless, naive, or incredibly bold."
Sona glanced at the chessboard one last time, the pieces frozen mid-game. "A piece yet unclaimed. The real question is… whose side of the board he wishes to stand on."