Sona tilted her head just a degree, enough to seal the next stage.
"You will still have a choice."
The phrase lingered in the air, heavy, as if each syllable carried the weight of a sentence.
Issei swallowed hard, his body rigid in the chair. His short breaths betrayed the panic still dominating his chest. His eyes avoided Sona's cold gaze but instinctively slid toward Tsubaki.
The vice president's glasses reflected the filtered light from the window, but they couldn't hide the silent tension in her face. Her eyes tracked his every movement, and when she noticed the direction of Issei's gaze, her expression darkened.
'Tch… disgusting. Even in this situation, he's still thinking about indecent things.'
Tsubaki held her tongue, but the disgust was clear in her thoughts.
Nervous, Issei tried to regain composure. His heart pounded, but something even stronger inside him exploded: the hope of escaping expulsion.
Sona placed her hands on the table, posture upright, eyes fixed on him like a blade of ice.
"Hyoudou Issei, you have violated the school's discipline in a shameful way. The punishment would be immediate expulsion. However…"
She paused briefly, long enough for the silence to cut the air like a knife.
"I do not like waste. And I see in you… potential."
Issei blinked quickly, surprised. The word "potential" sounded so unexpected he almost couldn't believe he'd heard it.
"You will have two options."
Her eyes narrowed, calculating his every reaction.
"The first, accept expulsion and end your school life here."
Issei's body froze. His hands sweated, clutching his knees under the table.
"The second, join the Student Council and serve under my direct supervision."
His heart raced. The shock was immediate, but the wave of relief and euphoria almost made him smile right there.
'I can't believe it… the Student Council! Sona, Tsubaki… and all those beautiful girls… this is a dream!'
His mind burned with fleeting images, completely detached from the seriousness of the moment. Tsubaki noticed the unconscious gleam in his eyes, and her disdain only grew.
'Ridiculous. He's happy just imagining women near him. He has no discipline, no respect. Trusting him is a mistake.'
Sona, however, betrayed no trace of emotion. Her gaze remained steady, cold, as if calculating each cell of the boy before her.
"Choose now, Hyoudou Issei."
Issei swallowed, but the answer came immediately, almost tripping over itself.
"I accept, President Sona! I… I want to be part of the Student Council!"
His voice rang through the hall with awkward enthusiasm.
Tsubaki narrowed her eyes even further. Her usual calm gave way to a shadow of suspicion.
Sona's gaze did not waver.
"You accept to serve without questioning my orders, to take responsibility, and to uphold the discipline required in this place?"
"Yes! Yes, President Sona! I'll do whatever it takes!"
The spark in his eyes was not of discipline but of suppressed excitement. He couldn't hide it.
Sona noticed. Yet she didn't react. She nodded slowly, sealing the decision.
"Then it is decided. From now on, you are a member of the Student Council. Your conduct will be monitored closely. Any slip, and expulsion will be immediate."
The tone wasn't a threat. It was fact.
Issei tried to hide his wide smile, but it was impossible. His heart vibrated.
'I did it! Not only did I escape expulsion… now I'll be working with President Sona, with Tsubaki… this is unbelievable luck! The universe loves me!'
Tsubaki drew a deep breath, containing the irritation burning in her chest.
'It makes no sense. How can a pervert like Hyoudou Issei enter the president's peerage? He has no discipline, no bearing. This is unworthy of Sona-sama.'
Sona closed a document before her and handed it to Tsubaki.
"Tsubaki, record the new member."
The vice president took the paper without hesitation, but the coldness in her eyes when looking at Issei said everything. There was no welcome, no acceptance. Only vigilance.
Tok.
The pen slid across the paper. The dry sound marked the official beginning of Issei's new stage.
Silence returned, but it was different now. The tension remained, but behind it, a new structure: Issei was no longer just a common student. He was part of the Council.
Sona stood, adjusting her glasses.
"You may leave for today. Tomorrow you will present yourself at seven sharp to receive your first tasks."
Issei rose too quickly, the chair scraping against the floor with a harsh sound.
Screeech!
He nearly toppled it backward but managed to steady himself mid-gesture.
"Yes, President! I'll be here!"
He bowed clumsily and rushed out, his steps echoing down the corridor.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
The door slammed shut, returning silence to the room.
Thud.
The heavy sound echoed across the walls like a verdict.
Tsubaki kept her eyes on the wood still trembling from the impact, her gaze laden with criticism and distrust.
Sona calmly adjusted her glasses, sitting again. Her posture never wavered, but her cold eyes reflected constant calculation.
"You don't agree with me, do you, Tsubaki?"
The question wasn't an accusation but a simple statement.
Tsubaki inhaled deeply, keeping composure.
"President, it's not just about the Student Council. It's about your peerage. Allowing Hyoudou Issei to come this close… it isn't something typical of you."
Her words came respectful, yet firm.
"A boy like him does not match the standards you've always upheld. Why not follow the original plan? Why not pass his name to Rias?"
The name of Rias lingered in the air, heavy, like an invisible thread.
Sona briefly closed her eyes in reflection.
"I know exactly what you mean. The original plan was simple: tell Rias about Hyoudou, help her gather more members into her peerage, and strengthen her chances of breaking the engagement."
Her gaze returned to Tsubaki, cold as a blade.
"But when I got closer to Issei, I realized something. A hidden magical signature, faint but real. He is not an ordinary human. His behavior is a problem, yes… but problems are meant to be corrected, not discarded."
Sona's breathing was calm, controlled.
"This is my way of acting. I don't abandon potential just because it's imperfect. I mold it. I make it useful. Issei Hyoudou will be no different."
Tsubaki's eyes narrowed slightly, surprised at the clarity of her words.
"Potential?"
"Yes."
Sona leaned forward slightly, resting her elbows on the table.
"Issei has a Sacred Gear. I felt it when he entered the room, a dormant yet distinct presence. Energy doesn't lie. He is not an ordinary human."
The silence grew heavy. Tsubaki remained upright, but the impact was evident.
"I felt something too… a different pulse. At first, I thought it was just my imagination. But if you confirm it, then it's true."
Sona adjusted her glasses, the cold reflection hiding any emotion.
"It's true. And I will not waste it. Tomorrow, Hyoudou Issei will be reincarnated as a Devil. Under my peerage."
Her words echoed like an unbreakable order.
Tsubaki took a deep breath, trying to organize her thoughts. The memory of Issei's perverted gaze still burned in her mind, but she didn't dare let it show.
"Understood, President. If this is your decision, I will accept it. And I'll ensure that this boy is molded until he is useful to you and to the peerage."
The firmness in her words carried a definitive tone.
Sona nodded once, satisfied.
"That is what I expect from you, Tsubaki. He may be undisciplined, even ridiculous at times, but if this potential is refined, Hyoudou can become a key piece. Not just for me, but for the Sitri as a whole."
Tsubaki's gaze softened slightly, though it remained cold.
"Then I'll forget any thoughts about the Hyoudou I saw today. From tomorrow, he will no longer be just a student. He'll be a Devil. And as a Devil, it will also be my responsibility to train him."
Sona remained silent for a few moments, observing the firm loyalty in her Queen. For all Tsubaki's doubts, she knew how to respect boundaries.
The president adjusted her glasses, her gaze narrowing.
"Tsubaki, I need to be clear about something. Hyoudou will be the first man in my peerage. That alone carries risks."
The room plunged into absolute silence. The afternoon light cut through the blinds in straight beams, illuminating dust motes in the air.
"He carries thoughts I consider repulsive. I will not allow him to act perversely toward you, toward me, or toward any other girl."
Her words were firm, unhurried, like polished blades that cut without effort.
Tsubaki lifted her chin, eyes locked on the president.
"Understood. And if he crosses the line, even for an instant?"
Sona leaned forward slightly. The cold reflection of her glasses concealed any trace of emotion.
"You have total freedom. Use any means necessary to discipline him. Even if it's by force."
Her words echoed through the space, heavy, definitive.
Tsubaki breathed deeply, but not to contain disgust this time. A shadow of satisfaction flickered in her eyes.
"Then so be it."
The sound of the pen placed on the table broke the silence.
Clack.
The vice president remained upright, but inside, a new determination burned.
'This will be interesting. That Hyoudou will quickly learn the paradise he imagined here is, in truth, a hell of discipline. I will personally ensure it.'
Sona straightened a stack of papers beside her, restoring order to the room.
"I want him under constant watch. Every gesture, every word, every look. If he falls back into the ridiculous impulses we saw today, do not hesitate. Correct him immediately."
Tsubaki bowed her head slightly, a gesture of acceptance and loyalty.
"With pleasure, President."
Her tone wasn't just respectful. It carried a sharp firmness, like a blade finally authorized to be used.
Silence returned for a few seconds, heavy and solid. The wind crossed the blinds, making them vibrate with a low sound.
Fuuushhh.
Sona closed one of the documents before her and sighed discreetly.
"Hyoudou believes he gained a paradise. But in reality, he entered a prison where every rule will be enforced with rigor."
Her gaze shifted to the window, watching the sun sink into the horizon.
"And if he survives this discipline, perhaps he will prove himself worthy of standing at my side."
Tsubaki remained silent, but the gleam in her eyes said enough. For the first time, she didn't see only repulsion in Issei, but an opportunity. Not for him — but for herself, as the enforcer of Sona Sitri's relentless order.
That night, the fate of Issei Hyoudou had been sealed in two ways: by the calculating hands of the president and by the cold determination of her Queen.
What he believed to be the start of a dream was about to turn into a disciplined nightmare, with no room for mistakes.
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