YM778.TV Chapter 35 - Rules.
Inside the student council room, Leo and Sona were staring at each other, as a dreadful atmosphere filled the room. The student council members didn\'t dare to interfere in this matter as they felt the target will change to them.
Tsubaki was the most scared of this situation. This confrontation made her feel fear. She knows Sona can be scary sometimes, but she never knows there can be someone equally scary, especially after they pushed their glasses and reflected the light. She wants to complain about why she can\'t learn this skill.
Leo and Sona were staring at each other as they didn\'t do any other move except observing each other. Both of them reached the conclusion that the other party is very strict in his choices and won\'t back down easily. This made them identify each other as an enemy.
Leo felt this girl in front of him is a tough enemy, not in power, but in his way to prove that he\'s always right, which means that he has to put some effort into this.
Sona didn\'t feel any power from Leo\'s body or even anything that made him special which means he\'s a normal human, but this feeling of challenge and meeting a rival was very strong that she couldn\'t take him lightly.
{ Interesting...} Leo and Sona thought at the same time before the silence that lasted for over 3 minutes was broken.
"Like I said, welcome to the student council... Leo Arisaltek" Sona pushed her glasses again, as the light reflection disappeared.
" Nice to meet you... Even if I didn\'t want to be here" Leo also pushed his glasses removing the light reflection.
Sona giggled a little, but that giggle was so cold that made the student council members feel chills before she said " You\'re a funny one, isn\'t it?"
Leo laughed slightly making the atmosphere more awkward before he said " What I can say... I\'m doing my best"
"Is that so?" Sona stared at Leo in the eyes while he did the same before saying " Yes"
"It seems you really have a problem with our student council" The awkward and heavy atmosphere multiplied with Sona words as the student council members looked at Leo.
"Not really. However, I don\'t see an importance for me to be here" Leo didn\'t flinch from the Sona words before replying calmly.
"No importance? Then what about your little conversation in the morning?" Sona looked at Tsubaki, bringing all the attention towards her, which made her embarrassed.
"Oh? that..." Leo stared at Tsubaki before he said " She wanted a reason why I\'m wearing headphones, so why I won\'t say it?"
"This is the problem here, Leo Arisaltek..." Sona stared at Leo headphones before she said" It\'s forbidden to wear headphones in the school and having a club isn\'t helping you here"
Leo stared at Sona that became serious before he said " Oh? Then why making a club won\'t help?"
" Let\'s not talk about breaking the rules, but the condition to make a club is having members... Do you have members?" Sona said the first argument, which means the battle is officially started.
{Is this how you want to play?} Even without his flaw vision, Leo saw through Sona trick immediately before he said " Members? Of course, I have members... I just need to go and get them. Don\'t worry, I\'m very good at convincing people"
Sona stared at Leo and his smile before she thought { This guy is playing this game, huh?..}
"You have members, so how do you plan to make your club. If you don\'t mind me asking" Sona pushed her glasses before she said " And you won\'t mind showing me your members"
Leo stared at Sona in the eyes before he said " Oh? Well, I don\'t mind, but I need to call them first, and about my club... It\'s the freedom of the student to decide as long as it\'s in the rules, isn\'t it?"
{ To call them or to convince them?...} Sona eyebrow was twitching before she said " It seems you want to follow the rules... So why are you keeping those headphones?"
"Oh, this? I already told that girl that I need to show my talents and I might join a club, so I need them" Leo smiled while putting the headphones around his neck.
"Join a club?" Sona raised her eyebrow before Leo said " Yes, according to the rules I\'m free to do so... And don\'t worry, president"
"I\'m very good at convincing people" Leo repeated his earlier words as Sona frowned because she is losing the control over this conversation.
"Rules? A funny word comes from someone who doesn\'t follow those rules" Sona wanted to see Leo\'s reaction from this but she was greeted by a smile.
"Of course, I\'ll follow the rules sometimes. I mean that the rules are a very simple way to get things done" Leo shrugged his shoulders.
"Like how you did by skipping two days at school?" Sona put a new argument on the conversation before she smiled.
"Someone like you who likes to get things done by the rules won\'t just ditch two days for nothing" Sona leaned back on her chair while Leo frowned because the conversation advantage was taken from him.
"Well, to be fair, I didn\'t skip two days. I just skipped the first one which was justified by the way, and half the second day" Leo pushed his glasses before he said " So, I don\'t get where are you going with this conversation"
"You think the second day skipping is without consequences?" Sona asked before Leo said calmly " What consequences are you talking about? Detention?"
{Why do I feel this is going in circles} All the student council members shared the same thought while looking at Leo and Sona trying to find loopholes in the rules.
"Assuming you don\'t have a problem with the rules, then is your problem with... The school?" Sona said those words calmly, but the student council members felt that she\'s angry.
Sona has a dream of opening a school of rating game in the underworld, which got her as far as learning the system of human schools. If Leo was mocking the school, then he\'s also mocking her.
"The school? No, no , no... I think the school is a great place, be it in learning or preparing for the future, but for me... Its importance isn\'t that high" Leo shook his head before he said " So, I have a solution for both of us... After this conversation is over. I\'ll apply for a test from the teachers and get top grades in exams, then our problem is solved"
Sona widened her eyes from a second before she said " Are you fully aware of what are you saying?"
"Yes, like I said. I just have to get top grades and the problem is solved, and don\'t worry... I can get it easily" Leo stared at Sona seriously before he said " The teachers will also allow it because this is the rules"
The two stopped talking after this while Sona peerage was waiting for the conclusion of this conversation. Sona was tapping the desk with her finger before she sighed.
"It seems we can\'t reach an agreement from this..." Sona pushed her glasses while Leo did the same and said " We can agree to disagree"
Sona stared at Leo like she was looking at a challenge. She knows that opening her school is a very hard dream, but she never gave up, and Leo is one of the many challenges she\'ll face in her way. So, she refuses to use a simple solution like magic, and she wants to defeat him face to face.
"Then how about this..." Sona signaled Tsubaki to get her something before she said " Do you want to take a bet?"
{Gambling at school? Wait, this is a devil, so it\'s not that weird} Leo passed the point of returning so he said " It depends on the bet"
"We\'ll play a game of chess..." Sona said while Tsubaki put a chessboard on the desk and started to organize the chess pieces.
"Are you telling me that you want to ignore the 10 minutes\' conversation we had and play chess instead?" Leo asked the most obvious question now while Sona nodded and said " Yes"
"... I like that idea" Leo smiled at Sona way of thinking before he said " So, if I lose I\'ll put these headphones away and attend the school normally"
"Yes, and if I lose then you\'re free in your actions and have full support from me" Sona nodded before she looked at the chessboard.
Sona\'s peerage weren\'t worried about Sona\'s loss in chess as they finally could breathe a sigh of relief.
"It seems that even if it was a win or a loss, we\'ll forget about the headphones, isn\'t it" Leo nodded at Sona bet before he walked forwards the sat on a chair facing her.
"Yes, all the conditions are true" Sona stared at Leo with a smile before she said " Do you know how to play?"
" Do you think I\'d accept this bet without knowing how to play?" Leo frowned at Sona before he said " I know how to play even if I hate chess"
"Huh?" Sona glared at Leo as he stepped on one of Sona nerves at this moment.
Devils and especially a young one of this generation like chess or how would they have made a whole system with the theme of chess, so Leo now is hating one of the most common hobbies for devils, which made Sona decide that she\'ll go all out.
{How many times I have played this game with him... And I still hate this game} Leo stared at the chessboard before he closed his eyes for a moment.
{Anyway... Let\'s finish this quickly} Leo opened his eyes as he activated his Esper powers, but because of his headphones, no one noticed something, even if Leo doesn\'t think they can sense the AIM field.
Dust on the desk... The desk is tilted to the right by a half-millimeter... Sona\'s hair is slightly messy... There is a pawn slightly taller than the others.
{This ability brings me a headache...} Leo stared at the huge amount of useless flaws in front of him before he only focused on Sona.
Sona started first as she had the white pieces and moved a pawn to the front before Leo also moved a pawn.
The two players didn\'t stop for a second to think as they playing very fast before they slowed down a little, but for the student council members they were still fast.
{This guy isn\'t bad...} Sona stared at Leo that could keep up with her before she said " Why do you hate this school?"
"Hm? Why are you asking?" Leo raised his head as he frowned at Sona\'s question.
"Curious" Sona stared at Leo as she was wondering why he has this reaction to school. After all this conversation, Sona saw that Leo is a smart man, so she couldn\'t understand his reason. And maybe if she knew, then her dream can move a step closer.
"I don\'t really hate school nor the rules, but..." Leo tapped his rook with his finger as it was his habit when playing chess before he said " The system is slightly messy and need improvement"
"Improvement?" Sona didn\'t expect to hear this from Leo.
"Yes, improvement. Didn\'t you notice that something was missing in this school? How the student interact with each other, and that slight detachment from each other?" Leo\'s words made Sona think deeply for a moment before she said " What do you mean?"
"Well, it isn\'t hard to explain, but there will always be a distance between students as long as the current system continues" Leo tapped a pawn with his finger before he took down Sona rook.
"So what do you suggest?" Sona felt she kinda noticed this situation, so she\'s curious to hear Leo thoughts.
"Before we get any deeper into this I need to say... Do you know a little thing called..." Leo tapped a knight with his finger before he said "...Gender equality?"
"Huh?" Sona and her peerage were in total confusion by Leo\'s words.
"Think about it. This school was a girl\'s school, so the equality between the two genders is too off-balance. Here an example" Leo ignored the confused Sona and looked at a girl with reddish-brown hair. This is Tomoe Meguri.
"Imagine if you drop a bag in front of one of the boys in the school, what\'ll you do?" Leo said the question quickly without giving Tomoe a chance to answer.
"You don\'t have to answer because you\'ll expect him to pick it up, don\'t you? In the name of a stupid gentleman" Leo answered the question himself while he and Sona still playing before he said" But if the boy dropped his bag, you\'ll think it\'s his fault, and he has to pick it on his own"
The whole student council including Sona are baffled by Leo\'s words now and they don\'t know how to respond.
"And this doesn\'t stop here... You know that pervert trio" Leo asked the student council as they nodded subconsciously.
"The way you guys are dealing with them is wrong. Be it for them or the girls that keep beating them" Leo tapped the queen piece with his finger before saying" They don\'t deserve a beating like that from a bunch of girls, and honestly, that punishment is also unfair to the girls"
"So what do you suggest" Sona wasn\'t able to understand how this guy brain works, but strangely, she felt some logic in his words as she didn\'t even focus on the game.
"Easy, call their parents, which can serve as a normal punishment and those guys might learn something from it, unlike a pointless beating" Leo words made the whole student council think deeply about this problem, but at that moment.
"Checkmate" Leo said those words and brought the whole student council attention to him, but strangely, it was Sona\'s turn.
"I won?" Sona was confused by this win that she didn\'t even understand how she got it.
"Yeah, you did *Sigh* 4 to 4, I still hate this game" Leo sighed before he said " Well, at least someone will not feel bad"
Leo stood up from the chair and walked towards the student council exit, but Sona said " Where are you going?"
"Hm? What do you mean where?" Leo raised his eyebrow before he said " To put these headphones in the locker and attend school normally. As I said in the bet"
"Oh... Oh" Sona started to feel that there\'s something wrong going on, but she wasn\'t able to keep up with Leo\'s thoughts or actions, especially after the gender equality speech.
"Well, I\'ll go now, and by the way. You have a good dream, don\'t give up on it" Leo words made Sona startled before she said " Eh?"
"Goodbye" Leo waved his hand before leaving the student council room as he was thinking { I need to run before they figure it out}
Sona fixed her glasses that almost fell because the surprise Leo gave her before she heard Tsubaki voice " He doesn\'t seem like a bad person... Even if he was extremely rude"
"Yeah... What do you think about him, Tsubaki?" Sona asked her queen about the most important matter here.
" Do you want to add him to us?" Tsubaki didn\'t feel surprised by Sona decision, but there was something she was worried about.
"I know what do you want to say... He doesn\'t have a sacred gear nor an affinity with mana, so even if he became a devil, I\'ll just waste a piece" Sona frowned before she sighed. It very rare to see a smart person that can keep or even surpass her, but he didn\'t have any talent.
".....Hm?" Sona stared at the chessboard as she was sighing before noticing something wrong from it. Maybe because she was under the complete confusion of gender equality so she didn\'t notice it before, but Leo strangely paused on certain pieces, even if he was going fast during the game.
"This is wrong..." Sona stared at the chessboard before she called Tsubaki and made her sit in Leo\'s previous position.
" Do you remember the game?" Sona asked Tsubaki that nodded before Sona said " Do you remember the pieces he tapped with his finger? Play from them and face me seriously"
Under the surprised eyes of Sona and her peerage, Tsubaki played the pieces that Leo tapped in order as she won Sona four times in a row.
"President... This is" Tsubaki didn\'t believe what she\'s looking at while Sona was sitting there in silence.
4 to 4, I hate this game... At least someone will not feel bad. These two phrases kept playing in Sona\'s head as she realized that she won by... Pity.
"Leo... Arisaltek..." Sona said the name of Leo as the room temperature went down by a few degrees. Tsubaki and the others were shivering when they looked at Sona like this. They never imagined in their life that Sona will lose and even in this way. Honestly, they think this is 10 times worse than losing normally.
She\'s angry now, so angry that she wants to hit Leo\'s head with a chessboard. But Sona calmed down and thought.
{That wasn\'t something a normal human can just pull out in a short time...} Even if she didn\'t feel any power from Leo, but Sona felt something wrong before she said " Who are you... Leo Arisaltek"
Meanwhile, Leo was next to his locker as he fixed his stuff before closing it and looking at the Saji that was staring at him like he was looking at a ghost.
"What?" Leo asked before Saji said " You\'re okay?"
"Why shouldn\'t I be okay?" Leo didn\'t understand Saji\'s question. But Saji held Leo\'s shoulders and said " I mean the student council!!"
"Oh? that... Well, I had a bet and I lose, not a big deal" Leo removed Saji hands before shrugging his shoulders and said " It was about my headphones and attendance"
"Oh, it seems you ran out of luck this time, huh?... But can you tell me something" Saji nodded before he pointed at new headphones on Leo\'s head and said " What are those?"
"Oh? this... For you see, the deal was about these headphones" Leo tapped his locker before he pointed at his headphones and said " Not these headphones"
Leo just changed the design of his headphones and can call them new, which wasn\'t in the deal with Sona. However, Sona promised she\'ll never mention headphones again. So Leo did the art of winning by losing. He can\'t wait to see Sona\'s face when she knows.
"When did you put headphones in your locker?" Saji asked what he can\'t understand until now before Leo said " Don\'t ask questions you don\'t want their answer, Saji"
"..." Saji stood in his place for a second before he sighed and said " So, what now?"
"Attending the school normally..." Leo walked from his locker as Saji walked with him, but he was thinking { Using a clone is normal for me}
"But this isn\'t bad..." Leo said before Saji frowned and said " What do you mean?"
"I found some interesting people in this school and there is a \'winner\' who might challenge me soon so..." Leo smiled before he said " This school might not be that boring"
Saji sighed as he felt this school is on the countdown before he walked with Leo towards the classroom.