Little Star

"Check." I say, clacking my bishop onto the board.

My opponent stares incredulously, before she sighs. "I lost again." She says, disappointed but not ashamed. She looks over the chessboard and immediately begins threading back the path that led to her loss.

I smile. "You're too predictable." I say. "Playing by the book is good and all, but playing so closely to the standard tactics will only make you more susceptible to counters."

Well, that, and the fact that I can cheat using my eyes.

She nods. "I see." She frowns for a moment. "Yes, that makes sense."

I look out the window. The sun's beginning to set outside. "Shouldn't you go home?" I ask. "It's about to become night."

She grimaces. "That's true." She waves her hand. The board and its pieces magically fade into sparkles. "Thank you for indulging me again, Hyoudou-san." She bows. "It's refreshing to play against someone like you."

I smile wryly. "No issue. Besides, it's finally nice to have someone to play against."

Sona Sitri smiles.

It's late afternoon now, and I've just won my fourth consecutive chess match against her. As I said, it's nice to finally have someone I can play chess against. I'm not the biggest fan of it—I like Go better—but it's still something I enjoy.

It's been nearly three weeks since I dealt with the Five Principal Clans. The days have gone by slowly. It's peaceful, if a little boring.

I got introduced to Sona Sitri three days ago. Serafall had brought her younger sister to Kuoh, and I was there to introduce her to the town she'd be staying in for the next several years.

She's rather different from her older sister. With her black hair cropped short, and her eyes a bright violet, accentuated by a pair of red-trimmed glasses. More than that, she's much more serious, though not pretentious.

She reminds me a lot of Shikaku actually, if he was a girl and not at risk of dying of overwork at every moment.

I quite like her. Not to diminish Serafall in any way, but meeting with her tires me out tremendously. It tempts my brain cells to commit suicide one by one; a feeling that's shared with Sona.

Her friend, Rias Gremory, has yet to appear though. Sona says that Rias is dealing with something at the moment, and that she won't be free for a few weeks.

"By the way, can I ask something?"

She blinks. "Is something wrong?"

I wave my hand. "No, no. I'm just curious," I lean forward. "Will you be fine about me being in the same grade as you?"

She stares. "Why is that an issue?"

I raise an eyebrow. "I am younger than you by a year, remember? I'll be skipping a year to enroll in Kuoh High."

Her jaw drops slightly. "...right." She eventually says, completely forgetting that I'm actually still in my eighth grade. "I'd forgotten. You're…younger than you look."

"A lot of people have said that. I mean," I smile wryly as I wave my hand down at myself. "I don't think most eighth graders look like I do. This is just me being me."

She huffs. "I think I'd be afraid if everyone looked like you at your age." She admits. "But yes, I am fine with that. It is your job to keep an eye on us, after all."

I smile. "That's good."

We wrap up shortly after. She bids me farewell and promptly teleports back to the underworld using the teleportation array drawn on the floor of the room. I give my shoulders a quick roll as I stand for the first time in hours.

I look around. This will be the room for the Kuoh High Chess Club, to be led by Sona herself. The room's pretty sparse at the moment; filled with nothing but a desk and a pair of chairs. This place will get furnished in time, but for now, it's a suitable place for our weekly chess meeting.

This place is only temporary, though. She says she plans on becoming the Student Council President, but she wishes to attain that position herself. Which is completely fine by me.

If anything, I'm kinda grateful. I'm already tired enough from all the politicking I had to do to get the two Devil heirs to come to Kuoh as guests.

I pull out an 'Invisibility' Ofuda and attach it to my sleeve. My form shimmers out of view immediately, and I can freely walk out into the hallways of Kuoh High, walking past teachers and staff members. Most of them are humans, but I walk past the occasional Low-Ranked Devil. They're servants of the Sitri Family, it seems.

It doesn't take long for me to walk out the school gates, and I begin walking home. The journey back is slow, my time taken watching this town I call home. There's nothing overly special about Kuoh, but that only makes it more homely, I suppose.

I make it home eventually. I lock the door behind me, and then blink when no one greets me. It takes me a second to realize that I'm the only one in this house. My parents are out, and so are Akeno and my big sister.

I can still feel them in Kuoh. I close my eyes for a moment, and I feel the entirety of the town in mind's eye. Immediately, I feel Akeno's distinctive energy; an electrifying cackle that fills the air with ozone. I feel the rest of my family with her as well, and I use my eyes to find out where they are.

And my vision comes to a…hospital? And not a clinic either.

My panic spikes. What are they doing there? Is something wrong? Why did they bring Akeno but not me? Is it something so-?

…ah? Wait a moment.

I narrow my eyes, and I let more information flow. They went in there an hour before, and they're talking with a doctor right now. No one's strapped to a hospital bed or anything. And more than that, my mom's really…happy? And my dad's practically passed out from joy. Even my big sister's caught in it, laughing loudly as she hugs the life out of Akeno.

My mom had felt off this morning, and the feeling had only grown as the day went. My big sister eventually told dad, and they brought them all to the hospital to see what's wrong. As it turns out, my mom's pregnant. It happened because of the Sunday 'dates' my parents have been doing for the past few months.

Huh. I guess it isn't anything life-threatening then. That's good.

I shut my eyes, and I sigh as I feel the panic ebb away.

…

What.

In a panic, I activate my eyes again to check if that's true. The same information flashes in my mind. My mom is pregnant. They just got it confirmed.

My mom is pregnant. I'm going to have a younger sibling.

Holy shit.

I stagger forward, and I proceed to plant my face straight onto the hardwood floor. The floor dents slightly beneath my face, but I'm still too shocked to think of fixing it.

It takes a full minute for the fact to fully process through my brain, and even then, it still feels unreal. My mom's pregnant, and in a year or so, I'll have a younger sibling.

But then I remember about how my parents' first child had been a stillborn, and I stand up with newfound determination. My big sister and I had come out alright, but that isn't always a guarantee.

I'll do everything I can to keep her healthy. I have more than enough money flowing into my pockets to keep the household stable, and I can keep my mom healthy using my Ofudas. Hell, I'll awaken her Primal Energy if I need to. Anything to make sure my younger sibling comes out well and healthy.

I take a deep breath to calm myself. It doesn't quite work.

I ultimately decide to go on a jog around town to calm down.

Though not before fixing the dent I made on the floor. Because I don't think I can withstand the disappointed stare she'd give me if she sees it.

After that, I quickly change into my tracksuit, and in minutes of returning home, I'm back outside, jogging around Kuoh at mildly concerning speeds.