In the quiet of the morning, the student council room was bathed in the soft glow of sunlight streaming through the windows. Sona Sitri, the meticulous and composed president of Kuoh Academy's student council, sat at her desk with a furrowed brow, replaying footage from the Rating Game against Rias Gremory's peerage. Beside her, Tsubaki Shinra, her ever-dutiful vice president, watched the screen with a composed but noticeably tense expression.

The footage zoomed in on the moment where Tsubaki faced off against you during the battle. Sona's sharp eyes analyzed every movement, every strike, and every decision made during the duel. The replay showed Tsubaki confidently engaging Xenovia and ultimately emerging victorious in their bout. However, when the scene shifted to her confrontation with you, something was different. Despite her exceptional swordsmanship, Tsubaki had yielded after a heated exchange of strikes.

Sona paused the footage and leaned back in her chair, her fingers steepled thoughtfully. “Strange,” she muttered, glancing at Tsubaki. “You're not the type to surrender in a Rating Game unless you had no other choice. But from what I can see here, you had more fight left in you.”

Tsubaki’s cheeks colored slightly, but she maintained her composure. “I… miscalculated. His movements were unpredictable,” she replied, her voice steady but with an undercurrent of something else.

Sona’s calculating gaze lingered on her vice president. Then, as if a lightbulb had gone off in her head, a sly smirk crept onto her lips. “Or perhaps,” she began, her tone teasing, “you were distracted by something—or someone.”

Tsubaki’s composure cracked, her face flushing crimson. “P-President! That’s not—” she started to protest, but the way her voice wavered only confirmed Sona’s suspicion.

Sona leaned forward, her smile widening. “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about, Tsubaki. If anything, it softens the sting of losing. At least I know my vice president wasn’t defeated by incompetence but by... distraction.” She reached into her bag and slid a colorful manga book across the desk toward Tsubaki.

The vice president picked it up hesitantly, her eyes widening in shock. It was one of the infamous doujinshi circulating around the school, depicting you and Issei Hyoudou in a ridiculous and obviously fabricated romantic scenario. Tsubaki’s mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, her mortification evident.

“Don’t worry,” Sona said with a chuckle, her usual calm demeanor replaced by rare amusement. “I thought it might lighten the mood.”

Tsubaki’s grip on the book tightened, her expression a mixture of embarrassment and indignation. “This… this is garbage!” she declared, rising from her seat. “I’ll dispose of it immediately!”

Sona waved a hand dismissively, her smirk still in place. “Whatever you say, Tsubaki.”

Gathering her belongings and the offending manga, Tsubaki quickly exited the room, her mind a whirlwind of flustered thoughts. She hated that ridiculous rumor about you and Issei—hated it with a passion. But what truly unsettled her was how Sona had so effortlessly seen through her feelings for you.

As she walked through the hallway, lost in thought, she turned a corner and bumped into someone. The collision jolted her, and she stumbled slightly before looking up to see who it was.

“Ah!” she exclaimed, her heart skipping a beat when she realized it was you.

Before Tsubaki could say anything else, she noticed your gaze shift downward. Following it, her heart sank as she spotted the manga book lying on the floor between you. Her face turned an even deeper shade of red, and she scrambled to pick it up.

“It’s not what it looks like!” she blurted out, clutching the book to her chest as if it were a live grenade. “I don’t read stuff like this! I-I was just about to throw it away!”