Noon, student council office.
"Trade Evil Pieces?"
Hearing Roy's jaw-dropping proposal, Sona, unsurprisingly, froze.
After a moment, she adjusted her glasses, hesitating.
"Does… Rias know about this?"
"She does."
"No objections?"
"She had some, but I talked her into it."
"How?"
Sona's curiosity piqued.
"With this."
Roy pulled out a Sun Wukong mask, slipping it on under Sona's puzzled gaze.
"I can use magic to alter my appearance and build, then wear this to hide my identity."
"As long as I don't use the Boosted Gear in combat, no one'll know it's me."
"Got it. That could actually work to an extent."
A spark of interest flashed in Sona's eyes.
But after a brief pause, she shook her head at Roy.
"I appreciate the offer, but I'll pass on your help this time."
"Why not?"
"I know my peerage's strength is lacking, so I came up with a non-combat solution yesterday."
Sona tapped the desk, summoning a chessboard onto the table.
"I'm heading to the Underworld later. I'll challenge my fiancé to chess, claiming I won't marry an idiot."
"Ten matches—one loss, and I'm done. With those stakes, he'll bite."
"So you need to win all ten?"
"Yup, but I'm confident."
Sona's face radiated assurance.
Roy recalled her entry.
[Overclocked Mind (Red): Forces a calm state when problem-solving, massively speeding up thought into bullet time.]
With a fully activated Overclocked Mind, Sona held a clear edge in chess.
"Alright, good luck then."
Roy felt a twinge of regret.
He'd hoped for a repeat, another Rating Game to farm entries.
But with Sona's plan already set, his help wasn't needed.
Just as he turned to leave, Sona called out.
"Ahem, Roy, could you do me a favor?"
"Favor?"
"Yeah, I'd like you to practice with me."
Sona sat at the chessboard. "With your help, I could push my win rate to 100%."
"100%? You're overrating me."
Roy raised an eyebrow.
During his student council lessons, he'd picked up some chess basics.
Thanks to Infinite Potential, he learned fast.
But against Sona, a chess master, he was still outclassed.
To date, he'd only beaten her once—when she got careless.
"For chess, Rias would be a better sparring partner than me."
"No, you're the best fit."
Seeing Roy inch toward the exit, Sona thought fast and countered.
"How about this: win one game against me, and I'll spar with you."
"Deal!"
Roy's eyes lit up, and he plopped down across from her.
During those council lessons, he'd fought her peerage under the guise of sparring.
Sona herself always dodged, citing no time, delaying their match.
No way he'd miss this chance.
One hour later.
"Checkmate."
Roy set down his piece, sealing the game.
"…You win."
Sona stared at the board, her expression tangled.
She'd lost again.
Unlike last time's fluke, this was a straight-up defeat.
From the first game's strategic dominance, to the second's even match, to the third's total suppression.
Recalling Roy's visible growth across three games, Sona felt the gap between them anew.
"Per our deal, I'll spar with you. When're you free?"
Brushing off her mixed feelings, Sona asked.
"Right now."
Roy answered, then pivoted.
"But hold off on the spar, Sona."
"Playing you a few rounds, I realized you're not that great."
"You sure chess'll get you out of this engagement? My plan's still on the table."
That way, I can farm more entries.
"No worries, I've got this."
Sona replied, "Practice with me a few more days, and this plan's 100% locked."
"Really not considering my idea?"
"Sorry, on this one, I don't want to trouble you."
"…Fine, whatever."
Roy sighed, scheduling daily chess for lunch breaks, same as before.
After, he took Sona out of Kuoh Town for a quick spar.
[Congratulations! You defeated Sona Sitri, earning the purple entry 'Pure-Blood Devil'.]
[Pure-Blood Devil (Purple): Devil blood brims with vast potential, demonic power recovery +100%, training efficiency +300%.]
"Not bad."
Eyeing the entry dropped from Sona, Roy grinned, satisfied.
Training speed was his top priority for entries.
Though only purple, paired with Infinite Potential, it outshone even red entries.
Stashing the new entry in his inventory, Roy and Sona prepped to head back.
But then, a red glow flared from his pocket.
"Hm?"
Roy blinked, pulling out a flyer etched with a magic circle.
"What's up? Something happen?"
Sona asked, noticing.
"Yuji's in trouble."
Roy activated the flyer, summoning a magic circle underfoot.
"I'm checking it out. Cover for me at school, yeah?"
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