"Shitori-san? Can I trouble you for a minute?"

Sona Shitori, in truth Sona Sitri of the noble Devil clan of Sitri, looked up from the document she was reading. "Of course, Vice-Principal. Please, have a seat."

The middle-aged man nodded before moving away from the doorframe and further inside the Student Council's room. In appearance there was nothing remarkable about him, beside the beginning traces of hair loss Sona was sure he carefully hide every morning, and in regard to his work he was mostly an yes-man to the principal without a single original idea. Still, he did his duty efficiently and without complains: the heiress may not be impressed with the man, but as a student she respected him.

After another brief nod to the other members of the Council working in the room the Vice-Principal sit down on the chair she always kept in front of her desk, though Sona had to confess she had it switched to a more uncomfortable one when she was forced to summon a troublesome student. Maybe it was a little petty, but it reinforced the message she wanted to convey.

Then Sona noticed the five folders in the man's hand and realized this, contrary to the man's words, was about to take more than a minute to handle. Deciding to take the initiative she folded her fingers together and, resting her elbows on the desk, slightly leaned forward. It was a posture meant to show she was taking things very seriously, and certainly not as a homage to an anime cult as Rias once suggested. "How can I help you, Vice-Principal?"

"I...will go straight to the point." He lined the folders in front of her, continuing only after putting down the last one. "Kuoh is about to receive five transfer students."

Sona blinked, idly noting the silence that fell on the room as everyone else stopped working to follow the exchange. "Five transfer students? Forgive me, but this is highly irregular. I'm not saying it is against the rules, but there is a reason most schools only accept one or two transfer students per year. And to change school so soon after the beginning of the first semester..."

"I know, I know." His tapped his fingers on the first folder. "However, there are circumstances that made the Principal approve of it regardless of the irregularities."

Taking the hint Sona picked up the folder and, opening it, began to read while listening to the Vice-Principal.

"The transfer students are all girls from the same family, and sisters at that. Their family situation is...complicated."

Sona could see why. It wasn't explicit, she realized as she switched to the second folder, but those girls had the same father and different mothers. A father that died two years ago while leaving them a small fortune.

"I do not wish to speak ill of anyone, but I was lead to believe from Miss One that their remaining relatives were very insistent about retaining control of their father's fortune even after Miss Zero reached the age of majority." He pulled at the neck of his shirt, clearly uncomfortable with the subject. "Then Miss Zero's incident happened, and the Song sisters decided a change of surroundings was good for her recovering health."

She stopped reading the fourth folder and looked up. "From the United Kingdoms to Japan? The matter of the language difference aside, it's the other side of the world."

"Miss One insisted it was necessary, lest their relatives..." He coughed, his expression switching to embarrassed. "Miss Zero called them 'hyenas' and other expletives I don't wish to repeat."

As the heiress to one of the Seventy-two Pillars of the Underworld Sona was familiar with the level of infighting a family can develop, especially when money, or more generally power, is involved.

"The language difference is not a problem: as I am sure you know Kuoh has a specialized program to accommodate foreign students, and all five sisters are very bright and intelligent. The records from their previous school are very promising: already in the initial interview they have demonstrate a surprising understanding of Japanese for beginners."

'Except for Two. Seriously, who use numbers for their children's names?' Sona thought, slightly irritated at the irrationality of it. That aside, it was true the sisters' records more than qualified them for Kuoh: the girl called Two was only above average, but she made up for it in the physical classes.

Finished with the last folder Sona put it back into its previous place and looked at the Vice-Principal. "It seems to me the decision has already been made. What would the Council's part be in all of this?"

"The Principal wishes for the Student Council to be the ones to welcome the Song sisters to Kuoh and ease them into their new lives." He cupped his chin. "He believes they're more likely to trust people of the same age than adults."

That, Sona could understand. "The Student Council cannot show preferences." She reminded him. "But if the Song sisters are to become fellow school members, then it's our duty to aid them in their time of need. You can tell the Principal I accept the task."


The limousine moved down the road, towards the main gates of Kuoh Academy. Sona, with Tsubaki and Momo on her sides, watched as it stopped a few meters in front of them, the driver getting off and moving to open the passenger door on the right side. Before he could reach it the door on the left side opened on its own, and out of it came out a tall girl with short, messy blue hair and a flower on the left side of her head. The girl, who Sona recognized as Two, was admiring the academy with such vivid wonder and excitement in her blue eyes that Sona felt a bit of pride swelling inside. "Waaah! Everyone, you have to see this! Kuoh Academy is even more beautiful and big in person!"

"You don't use 'in person' when talking about a place, Two. You use 'the real thing'." Coming out next was one of Two's younger sisters, Four. She had long brown hair tied with two twin-tails in the back and two long locks coming down on both sides of her face, green eyes and a pair of green earrings. Though, Sona noticed her nails were kept strangely long.

Meanwhile the driver has reached the other door and opened it, standing to the side to let the passage free. "Thank you Andreas." With graceful movements a young-looking girl stepped out, her gaze moving to the school before immediately focusing on Sona. One, the second eldest of the Song sisters, had short blonde hair held back by a headband and peculiar crimson eyes. Like Four she had a pair of earrings, but colored ivory white.

Nodding to One the driver moved to the rear trunk and, after opening it, took out a collapsible wheelchair he rolled in front of the passenger door. "Out of the question." Someone still inside the car said, the voice's tone brooking no argument. "Put that back."

One held up a hand to stop the driver before addressing the one still in the car. "Elder Sister, please. It's necessary."

"Bullshit. I can walk on my own, I don't need to be carried around like a freaking invalid."

Sighing, if at the stubbornness or the coarse language Sona didn't know, the blonde girl pushed on. "The recovery period prescribed by the doctor has not ended yet. Until then, you need to move as little as possible."

"That guy is a quack. I am fine. Give it to Three, she needs it more."

"I don't wish to encourage her bad habits." One stated firmly before her expression softened. "Please Elder Sister, bear with it just a little more. It would ease my worries knowing you're taking care of yourself."

"...Not a second more. And when it ends, I'm setting fire on that infernal contraction myself."

Two sighed again. "As you wish, Elder Sister." A hand completely covered in bandages emerged from the open passage, followed by a pair of shapely legs bandaged in the same manner as the owner stepped out the car. Zero, the eldest of the Song sisters, was a young woman just at the cusp of adulthood: unlike her sisters, who wore the Kuoh female uniform, she was wearing a white dress that ended just above her knees, with long sleeves and a high neck, and over it a black jacket left open at the front. She had long, flowing silver hair tied at the back with a black ribbon, where they split into two like the tail of a swallow. Bandages also covered the right side of her face, leaving free only the mouth, the nose and the left eye. The latter was a lovely pink, reminding Sona of a rose, but Zero's beauty was marred by a pronounced scowl that seemed carved into her face. Without another word she sit on the wheelchair, crossed her arms and looked away.

"Aww, is my lovely big sister upset?" A mischievous, sultry voice commented as another blonde girl got out of the car after Zero. Despite being the youngest Five looked older than Zero, with generous curves and large breasts on par with Rias. Her whole behavior honestly reminded Sona of Akeno. Five's blonde hair were long, reaching her back, with a single braid moving from the top of her forehead to its right side and a beauty mark under the left one of her eyes, which were golden.

"What do you think?" Zero grumbled, moving her head to glare at Five, who just giggled in response.

"Where're Three?" One demanded.

On the other side of the car Two put her head back inside. "Three, we have arrived. Threeee!" She moved even further inside, until only her legs could be seen. "Wake up Three! We have arrived! You need to get out of the car!"

"Okaayyy..." A sleeping voice droned before Two helped the owner leave the car. Among the Song sisters Three was easily the most beautiful, her refined and delicate features those of a fashion model. Her intelligence was also top notch, constantly scoring perfect grades in all subjects. Her only flaw was a mild case of narcolepsy, as was clearly demonstrate there. Her long purple hair reached the shoulders, and her eyes were purple as well.

"Is everyone ready?" One looked at the other girls and nodded. "Good. Let's go."

"Oh! Oh!" With a cheerful smile Two walked behind Zero's wheelchair and grabbed the handles. "Big Sis! Let me push you!"

Zero stared at Two with a blank face. "Be careful. I mean it: if I fall, I will...Well, I don't know yet what I will do. But I can assure you will not like it."

"Yeees!" She grinned. "I'll be super-ultra-mega careful! Trust me, Big Sis!"

"Don't worry Big Sister Zero." Four rushed to the older girl's side and took her hand between her own. "I'll watch over Two and make sure she doesn't misuse that freakish strength of hers."

"It's not freakish..." Two pouted while Zero glared at Four and pulled her hand free of the younger sister's grasp.

"They are a lively bunch, uh?" Momo whispered to Sona's ear.

"Perhaps." She conceded. "Now hush, they're coming."

"Greetings." One said once they were close enough, giving Sona a formal bow. "You must be the representative from Kuoh Academy's Student Council."

"Sona Shitori, Student Council President. A pleasure to meet you." Sona reciprocated the bow and gestured to the girls at her sides. "Tsubaki Shinra, Vice-President, and Momo Hanakai, also of the Council. On the behalf of Kuoh Academy, let me welcome you to our school."


For the next hour Sona, Tsubaki and Momo gave the Song sisters a complete tour of the academy, illustrating in detail the strong points of its courses, the quality of its facilities and all the other characteristics that made Kuoh one of the best schools in Japan.

So what if Sona was sweetening the pill and avoiding mentioning black marks like the 'Three Perverts'? It was her duty as the Student Council President of Kuoh to make sure bright students like the five sisters behind her choose it instead of another school.

"And that concluded the tour." Sona said at the end. "I hope you enjoyed it."

"Yes, Shitori-san." One replied. "It was...illuminating."

"This is a very beautiful school. I'll be proud to attend it." Four offered Tsubaki a handshake, surprising the black-haired girl a little before she accepted it with a small smile.

"Now, if you excuse us we'll accompany Elder Sister Zero back to the car before going to our assigned classes." One continued.

"Of course." Sona nodded. "Please go on, I'll wait here for you."

Once the six sisters were out of earshot and no one else was present Two addressed the others with a beaming smile. "Big Sis One! This new school is amazing!"

"It's not: too few males." Five pouted. "I was so looking forward to taste Japanese cute boys..."

"Is that the only thing you think about?" Four scolded her younger sister. "Why do you have to be always so shameless? You could try to be more like...yes, like Shinra-san: she's graceful, polite and-"

"A Devil." One suddenly revealed. The others were either surprised or unconcerned about it, while Four looked positively aghast. "She's a Devil, and so are the other two. The whole Student Council is probably a Peerage or something."

"Oh my God!" Four slapped her right hand on the wall, dragging her palm over the rough surface before taking out a cleaning tissue and frantically rubbing her hand with a sneer of distaste. "I touched a Bat! Smiled at it! Gross! Disgusting!"

"Here we go again..." Zero rolled her eyes. "You know they're not infected or something, right?"

"Neither are worms, but you don't touch them either! Big Sister One, we must leave this filthy place at once!"

"We will do no such thing." One ignored Four's pleading look and continued. "The presence of Devils change nothing, this is still one of the best schools in Japan. I doubt they interfere with the lives of normal students, so as long as we keep under the radar no one will bother us."

"A Devil..." Three muttered while playing with her hair. "I wonder how they look inside..."

"Restrain yourself Three." One admonished the younger girl. "It is still too soon. When we will be ready to move I can see about finding you a few test subjects, but until then we must be careful to not jeopardize our mission."

"Your mission, you mean." Zero rested her cheek on her closed fist, the elbow propped on the wheelchair's arm. She was looking forward with an apathetic stare. "You're the one that decided we Intoners have to save the world or some shit like that. I only want my memories back."

"Elder Sister Zero." One moved in front of Zero and, dropping to one knee, held the silver-haired girl's left hand between her own. "I swear, I have not forgotten about that. I'll do everything in my power so that you can recall all the good times we spent together, when we only had each others to depend on." Her next words, while conserving the previous warmth, now contained also an unbreakable determination. "I have long thought about the meaning behind the existence of us Intoners and our powers. It is my firm belief that we were born to stop the exploit of humanity by the supernatural races and create a new, peaceful world." She looked down. "But I cannot do it alone. I need you, my sisters, by my side. My dream has no meaning unless we're all together."

For a while no one spoke, the other sisters waiting with baited breath Zero's response.

"..." Zero stared down at her younger sister before shaking off her hold and looking away. "As I am now, I don't really have any reason to care about humanity or the world in general. But, since all of you have already jumped on this 'saving the world' shit, I might as well follow for a while. There is no telling what kind of mess you'll cause if I'm not there to watch over."

"Awww." Five cooed. "My lovely big sister is so tsundere!"

"...Was that an insult?" Zero glared at Five.

"Big Sis! I knew we could count on you!" Two rushed to hug Zero.

And forgot to let go of the wheelchair's handles. As a result a bizarre application of the laws of physics took place, and Zero found herself flying in the air.

"MOTHERFU-!" She screamed before gravity took back her prize and she fell down, the landing luckily cushioned by one of the three boys that walked out of a nearby corner just in that moment.

"Woah! It's raining girls now?" A bespectacled boy shouted.

"YES! God answered our prayers!" The second boy, his head completely shaved, cried out to the heavens.

Meanwhile, half of a certain brown-haired boy was busy groaning from the pain. The other half was too engrossed by the two soft orbs pressing against his face to care. "Hoooly Shiiit! Are those, are those real bo-guh!"

The rest of that sentence piteously died in his throat when Zero, while pushing herself back on her feet, callously stomped on his groin. "Twoooo..." She growled, turning around to glare at the blue-haired girl before walking towards her. "I told you to be careful!"

"Eep! I'm sorry!" Two put her palms together and bowed. It was all for nothing, as Zero didn't even slow down when passing past the younger girl, her hand grabbing the back of Two's shirt neck.

"I'm going to teach you a lesson." Zero told Two while dragging her off.

"Forgive me Big Sis!"

"Uhm. Big Sister Zero?" Four muttered while following after them. "I'm not saying Two doesn't deserve some punishment for what she has done. It's just...I have the feeling what you have in mind is a little bit...excessive? Of course Big Sister knows best, and Two really deserves it, but..."

"Things are becoming interesting, don't you think so?" Five asked Three with a grin, only to grimace when she saw the purple-haired girl was sleeping. "Why I am even bothering...?"

"Oww..." The boy whined at the abuse unjustly inflicted on his precious 'equipment'. Lying on his back he opened his eyes.

And found himself face to face with One, who was leaning down to look closely at his face. The boy loved boobs, the bigger the better, yet even if the girl above him was almost flat he couldn't help but be mesmerized by her exotic beauty.

Then, to his utter embarrassment, the girl took a long sniff off him. "You." She said in English. "You have a peculiar smell."

He blushed. "Uh...What?"

"Your name?"

"Eh?"

"What. Is. Your. Name?" She repeated, this time in Japanese.

"...Issei." He finally answered. "Issei Hyodou."

"Issei Hyodou." She repeated his name, as if tasting it.

Then she abruptly stood up and walked away, waking up the purple-haired girl and dragging her and the blonde bombshell with her.

'What the hell just happened?!' Issei screamed in his mind.


As expected, the arrival of five transfer students from oversea all at once gathered much attention from the other students. That they were all girls of unconventional beauty, and sisters at that, only added fuel to the fire. One, as the oldest after Zero, was made into a third-year, though not in the same class as Sona. Two and Three, as the middle children, became second-years, while Four and Five, as the youngest, became first-years.

One's cool, serious and confident attitude immediately earned her many fans, followed by the teachers' respect once she demonstrated her high intelligence. Unlike Sona, who was famous for being strict, the blonde girl was more approachable and didn't mind helping others even in regard to matters that could be seen as silly: on the contrary, he actually thanked her classmates for giving her many opportunities to improve her understanding of Japanese.

By contrast, Two and Three made for a very odd duo. The blue-haired girl's bubbly and cheerful personality allowed her to befriend everyone in her class, and even the teachers showed indulgence at her antics. Once she started attending PE many sports clubs began vying for the chance to recruit her, which greatly embarrassed Two. Three's case was similar but at the same time opposite to that of her sister: her frequent naps, even during a lesson, apathetic tone when awake and the fact she would occasionally utter strange riddles, instead of turning people away actually contributed to give her a mysterious aura that some found really alluring. It was a common sight that of Two dragging Three along to some activity or trying to make her join a conversation, often with mixed results.

In the case of Four and Five, they seemed to perfectly embody the concept of 'Red Oni, Blue Oni' so popular in Japanese culture: Four was bright, energetic and slightly awkward most of the time...until Five teased her and the two began to fight like cat and dog. The blonde could compete with both Rias Gremory and Akeno Himejima, the two Great Ladies of Kuoh, in beauty, such that some doubted she truly was a first year, but unlike them she loved to flaunt it with supreme confidence, especially her breasts. Something that Four always chastised her for, even if it fell on deaf ears. It came as no surprise when it turned out Five was popular among the boys and unpopular among the girls, while the opposite was true for Four.

The five sisters only had two things in common: when asked they would speak high praises of their elder sister Zero, and when it was lunch break they always gathered together on the same table of the cafeteria. It was such a close-knit group that nobody had the courage to ask to join them, and even the intensely sociable Five would turn down invitations to dine with her sisters.

"How has your day been so far?" One began like always as the five sisters sit down and took out their lunches. All of them were home-packed, with each sister preparing their own except for Three, since she would either forget to make it or just pack up things that could be consumed fresh and without preparation.

"It was fun!" Two stuffed a large piece of well-seasoned meat inside her mouth and chewed thoroughly before continuing. "The track team asked me to give it a try, and Yura-sempai managed to keep up with me! It never happened before! Maybe I should join, but I don't want to disappoint the other clubs..."

"Choose what makes you happy. Even if someone ends up disappointed, it isn't a reason to put them before yourself. Do not mistaken reasonable preferences for selfishness." One wisely instructed her.

"Mmmh..." Three mumbled, one carrot hanging between her closed lips. She raised a sketchpad, over which she drew a doll dressed in a richly elaborated dress.

"It's beautiful. Well done, Three." One nodded with a small smile. "I assume you want the materials to make it?" She received a nod. "You'll have them, but as always you must promise to keep up your grades. Understood?"

"Mmmh..." Three mumbled again before biting the carrot in half and slowly chewing the piece in her mouth.

"Five has molested a sempai." Four suddenly said, shooting the blonde a disapproving glare that only elicited a giggle in response.

"What are you saying, my dear Four? It was just a bit of harmless flirting." Five coyly replied.

"You showed those bags of fat hanging from your chest in his face!"

"It couldn't be helped." Five pouted, looking down at her generous bosom as she lifted and let them bounce, much to Four's outrage. "Even when I told him I wanted to fuck behind the school building he kept blabbing and giving Four-like excuses such as 'It's not proper!'. At that point I just had to confirm if he was gay or not."

"What do you mean Four-like excuses?!" The brown-haired girl seethed. "Are you saying that if a man doesn't lust after you like a puppy in heat then he's obviously homosexual?!"

"My dear Four, did you hit your head somewhere?" Five looked at Four with pity, which only made her angrier.

"Stop it at once." One's commanding voice put an abrupt end to their argument, while her glare cowed them. "Five, I will not tell you how to handle your...romantic life. But initiating unwanted physical contact is crossing the line. Don't forget that your actions reflect on all of us. I want you to apologize with that sempai."

"I'm not saying no to an excuse to meet him again." She giggled. "He's one of the best cuties around here. Blond and with a mole under the left eye: clearly, we were made for each other."

"So you admit to be a narcissist. Just use a mirror and stop bothering others." Four scoffed.

"And Four." One's glare moved to Four, who immediately tensed up. "You did good in informing me, but stop needlessly antagonizing Five. You may not approve of her choices, but we aren't children anymore. You have to grow up."

"I...You're right, One. I apologize." She looked down. "I simply wish, like you said, to avoid having our family's name stained with reproval. In the future such a thing could be used against us, especially..." She trailed off, confident that her sisters would understand.

One nodded. "That's exactly why I said it. But I will not have the need to look good sow discord among us. We are a family, and as such we need to remain united."

Just then Tsubaki Shinra approached their table. "Excuse me. One-san?"

"Good morning, Shinra-san." The red-eyed girl greeted back. "How can I help you?"

"Kaichou would like to know if you're interested in a chess match after the lessons end."

"Chess, uh?" One closed her eyes for a few moments before opening them again and regarding Tsubaki with a cool look. "I would love to. Tell Shitori-san I'll come to the Student Council Room at the appointed time."

Tsubaki nodded with a smile. Then she noticed Four giving her a cold glare before looking away: while confused at the sudden change in attitude compared to their first meeting, Tsubaki didn't have the time to stand there and chat. "I will see you later then, One-san." She gave them a small bow before walking away.

"One." Four began with a deep scowl once the bespectacled girl was out of earshot. "You don't have to accept."

"What if I want to?" One calmly replied while going back to eating her food.

"...I don't like the idea of you being alone in a room full of Bats." Almost unconsciously Four raised her left hand and bit down on her thumbnail.

"Nail clippers, Four. You have a whole set of them." One calmly reminded her sister, the other girl blushing slightly when she realized she has fallen back to her childish habit. "Beside, it's just a game. I doubt they are going to try anything weird."

For their sake, she hoped they wouldn't.


Momo Hanakai was the one to open the door when One, after the last class ended, walked through the school to reach the Student Council Room. "Oh, Song-san. Please, do come in."

One followed the silver-haired girl inside the room, where Sona was already seated behind her desk with a chessboard in front of her. "Thank you for agreeing to my request, Song-san."

"Your challenge piqued my interest." One replied as she sit down on the other side of the desk.

"White or Black?" Sona asked.

"White."

Sona let One began the game, which she did by moving a pawn two spaces ahead without a single hint of hesitation. Two turns later the heiress immediately recognized the opening. "The Spanish Opening? I haven't seen it used often, even if it's one of the more popular openings in chess."

"Oh, so it already has a name? Good to know." The blonde replied while eyeing the board.

Sona's blinked, One's reply having left her stumped. "You...didn't know?"

"I never played chess before now." The nonchalant answer shocked Sona even further. "But I read up the rules: once you memorize the rules of a game, playing it isn't hard."

The bespectacled girl's eyes narrowed. She had seen how One played so far: the pieces were moved with a calm and relaxed, yet firm grasp between the tips of her fingers, and after each of Sona's moves the blonde girl barely waited before making her own. Due to that Sona thought One was also an accomplished chess player and that both of them were testing the waters, but was the blonde's lack of hesitation merely the result of her belief that playing chess would be 'easy' just because she memorized the basic rules?

In her eyes, One had both declared herself the better of the two without prior accomplishments and looked down at chess at the same moment. "You will find out chess is not as simple as that, Song-san."

One's head tilted to the side, her cool expression unchanged. "Is that so?"


"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Five hummed as she took out a folded piece of paper from within her shoe locker.

"What? What?" Two looked above Five's shoulder and gasped. "Is that a love letter, isn't?"

"A little dull-looking for my tastes, but boys are such simple creatures." She flipped it open and read the content, her smile widening as she did so. "'Meet me behind the main building after the lessons end'. Mmh, I see. I had no idea Kiba-sempai was so shy: that's very cute."

"And why, pray tell-" Four said with a dull stare as she held up by the shoulder a sleeping Three. "You think the message is from him? Is there his name on it?"

"No, but of course it's from him, my dear Four. It's the same place and time I proposed him: who else could it be?" Five put the folded note between her breasts and walked away with a wave. "Don't wait for me. Unless-" She stopped and looked over her shoulder, a coy smile on her lips. "You want to watch?"

"Wha-Wha-What!" Four stammered and spluttered, while Two was covering with both hands her blushing face. "You and him doing-Ew! Ew! Never! That's sick! Don't involve us in your perverted hobbies!" Scowling in both anger and embarrassment Four started to push Two and Three away.

"Good luck!" Two shouted out to Five before leaving with her sisters.

Humming happily Five sauntered through the school's premise, imagining all sort of plays she could try with her sempai. "He's so shy, I guess he likes being teased. Oooh, that's perfect: I love teasing!"

However, once she arrived at the designated place she found no one else around. That changed when four second-year girls stepped out from behind the trees, a deep scowl on their faces. "So you came."

"Oh my." Five put a finger over her lips, a puzzled look on her face. "Could it be? Was I mistaken? Kiba-sempai is not shy, but into sixsomes? So daring! It's fast even for-"

"Stop talking!" One of them shouted, a blush on her face. "God, how can you be so dumb? Since you are too stupid to understand anything complicated I'll keep it simple: stay away from Kiba-kun!"

"Mmh?" Five's eyes narrowed slightly, lips curving into a small frown. "Now, why should I listen to you?"

"You'll do it if you know what's good for you." Another girl stepped forward and sneered. "You came to our school, parading your body like a trophy, behaving without an ounce of shame and harassing others. I don't know how it was in your country, but here we don't tolerate people behaving like common whores. So learn your place, gaijin!"

"...Oh! I get it!" Looking as if she just realized something obvious Five put a fist over her palm. "This is bullying, right? You went through the trouble of leaving a letter in my shoe locker like a lil' virgin boy hoping for a quickie just for that? That's so quaint it loops back to being hilarious." She began chuckling while approaching the four girls.

That made them even more mad. "I don't think you understand-"

"What I understand-" Five interrupted her. "Is that someone has so little success with the boys that they let their jealousy towards the blessed and successful get them in over their heads." She gave them a glare that managed to drip with condescension while simultaneously undressing them with her eyes. "Trust me, it's not your looks the problem: you are. First, you need to take a nice, long bath and clean every bit of your body. Then get some powder and lipstick on your face, comb your hair... Find a dress that reveals juuust enough, and your inner woman will be set ablaze with passion! Finally, just drop all of that prudishness and outdated social norms and grab a man to invest in some quality time together."

The four second-years were so stunned by Five's speech that they failed to react until the blonde was right in front of them. Reaching out with a hand she cupped and lifted the chin of the girl that called her a gaijin. "Why, if you do it right even I may find you alluring." She whispered with a husky voice.

Then she locked lips with the girl.

The girl's eyes widened, a muffled sound of consternation coming out of her throat - before suddenly changing into a pained scream. She retreated in a hurry, hands pressed against her bleeding lips.

Five licked the blood left from when she bit the girl's lips with a slow, obscene gesture, delighting in the group's fear. "Sadly, as you're now I can barely stand to look at you. So be a dear and stay out of my business. Otherwise, next time you will bleed from a different set of lips." She raised two fingers and, keeping them together, wriggle them.

Giggling at the girls' simultaneous wince Five turned around and walked away, thinking of ways to make up for the wasted time.


The more the game continued the less Sona felt confident about her chances of winning. She considered herself, rightful so, possessor of considerable talent and skill with chess, to the point that she successfully used it to get out of an arranged marriage by beating her suitor and declaring that she would consider only someone who could beat her at chess.

One Song, she was forced to admit, may have all that and more. The blonde's skills grew by leaps and bounds as the game went on, each new move more polished than the precedent, until her initially cautious playing has changed to a highly aggressive one that pushed against Sona's defences while punishing any and all mistakes.

'This goes beyond mere talent.' Sona thought while stealing a quick glance at One: the blonde kept staring at the board with a cold, almost bored expression, only looking up at Sona when it was her turn to play. Not even once had her composure wavered. 'Is she truly learning on the fly?'

Sona considered the possibility her opponent has lied about this being her first game, but in truth it didn't fit with what she has been able to gather about the blonde's personality: One was proud, too proud to resort to lies, especially such a poor one. If there wasn't her own pride on the line Sona would think of herself lucky for seeing the blossoming of a true genius.

There was, however, a last chance: for all that she was logical and meticulous, One was reticent to sacrifice her pieces, even when doing so could have been greatly beneficial. It said good things about the blonde's character, and Sona almost felt bad taking advantage of it. Almost.

With a last glance at the current pieces' position she lowered her defenses to launch an attack at One's Queen. It was a high-risk, high-reward gambit that purposely let Sona open to a checkmate, but only if One decide to sacrifice her Queen. Considering what she has seen so far, Sona was confident One would never risk her Queen, thinking of the opening as a trap, and withdrawn. That would allow Sona to push forward and, after a few turns, call a checkmate. "Your turn, Song-san."

One looked down at the board and hummed. Without an ounce of hesitation she reached out to her Queen-

And tossed it into Sona's jaws. "Your turn, Shitori-san."

Sona froze, unable to understand how her trap turned against her so easily.

"What's wrong?" One tilted her head. "The only move you can do is to take my Queen. So why are you hesitating?"

"...It's nothing." Sona gritted her teeth and forced herself to take One's Queen with her Rook. "Just...wondering why you suddenly sacrificed your Queen. I thought you dislike sacrificing your pieces?"

"Of course I do. After all, if the player is a King, the pieces are supposed to represent the soldiers of his army." He gestured to the board. "A ruler must always care about his subjects, otherwise he isn't deserving of his position."

"Then, why?"

"Simple. To obtain victory, sometimes you must sacrifice something else. But if the sacrifice is totally unrelated to you, it just proves you were never worthy of that victory in the first place." One picked up one of the pieces she took from Sona and dangled it between her index finger and thumb above her line of sight. "It's when you're willing to sacrifice something precious to you, that it proves you're worthy."

Sona shivered at the pure, unaltered determination within the look One was giving her. The Devil heiress knew, without a trace of doubt, that the blonde fully believed her own words. Just how she knew that she had no desire to confirm how far she was willing to take those beliefs.

The game continued under heavy silence, Sona mechanically going through the following moves until their natural conclusion. "I believe...victory is yours, Song-san."

"Yes, it would seem so."

Standing up, One made her way towards the exit, ignoring both the other members' shock and Saji's hostility as she passed past them. When she reached the door she stopped and looked over her shoulder. "This has been a most enjoyable game. I'd love to do this again, Shitori-san."

Then, without another word she left the room and closed the door behind her.

Sona clenched her fists. "Tsubaki."

"Yes, Kaichou?"

"Find everything you can about the Song family. Especially One. Also, double-check all information within the dossiers they gave to the school."

There was no way One Song was a normal person. And Sona was going to find out why.


"Yes, I'm coming back on foot. No need to wait for me Andreas." Ending the call to her butler One put back the cellphone inside her bag and left the school's premise. Walking at a leisurely pace she let her body relax as she enjoyed the tranquility of the mostly deserted streets. Of course, since it was the first time she took that route she made sure to pay attention to the street signals and the traffic lights: it wouldn't do to let herself get lost just because she trusted muscle memory she had yet to develop.

Eventually her path took her closer to a small bridge. Over it a boy and a girl, him wearing the Kuoh uniform and her one she didn't recognize, were facing each other.

"Please go out with me." One heard the girl saying through her keen hearing. She was about to change path, not wishing to disturb what was obviously a private affair, when her equally keen nose caught two scents: one was that of the boy she met during her first day at Kuoh.

The other-

Fire. Ash. Screaming.

Ruthlessly suppressing the resurfacing memories she looked at the girl with a carefully neutral glare, only the eyes betraying her inner fury. As she watched the girl playing, rather poorly at that, the part of a heartstruck fool One's lips parted and uttered two words: "Fallen Angel."

It seemed the time to lie down was over.