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Chapter 13

Victor stood outside the Student Council room, steeling himself. His usually stoic demeanor cracked slightly as beads of sweat formed on his forehead. This wasn't a battle of strength, magic, or wit against a Blood Breed—it was something far worse: a bureaucratic negotiation.

Taking a deep breath, Victor knocked on the door. It opened to reveal Tsubaki Shinra, the vice president of the Student Council. Her sharp gaze softened slightly when she recognized him.

"Ah, Victor-san," she greeted politely. "President Souna is out at the moment. Please, come in and wait."

Victor nodded stiffly, stepping inside the pristine office. The air was heavy with order and professionalism, something that made him feel out of place. He sat in one of the chairs, his tall frame awkwardly squeezed into the relatively small space. Tsubaki took a seat across from him, silently observing his unusual fidgeting.

"Is something bothering you, Victor-san?" Tsubaki asked, breaking the silence.

Victor cleared his throat, attempting to compose himself. "Nothing. Just... not a fan of enclosed spaces like this."

Tsubaki raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "I see. Well, the President shouldn't be long."

As they exchanged some idle small talk about the weather and school affairs, the door to the office swung open. Souna Shitori stepped in, her presence commanding yet elegant, followed by a boy carrying a stack of books. Victor didn't bother to look at him, his focus solely on the woman before him.

"Ah, Victor-san," Souna greeted, adjusting her glasses. "What brings you here today?"

Victor rose from his chair, standing straight and formal. "I'm here to request a three-month leave for Issei Hyoudou. Family business."

Souna studied him for a moment, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Three months, you say? That's quite a long time."

Victor nodded. "It's important."

The room was silent as Souna considered his words. Then, a small, knowing smile appeared on her lips. "I'll allow it—but only on one condition."

Victor's eyes narrowed. "Name it."

Souna gestured toward the chessboard on her desk. "Defeat me in a chess match."

Victor's stomach dropped. Chess. Of course, it had to be chess. He glanced at the board, his knowledge of the game amounting to basic moves and vague memories of pawns, kings, and knights.

"What happens if I lose?" he asked cautiously.

Souna's smile widened slightly. "If you lose, you'll assist the Student Council in administrative work until Issei returns."

Victor froze. The thought of being buried under piles of paperwork made his soul cry out. But there was no backing down now. He sat down across from Souna, his expression grim, as if he were about to face a demon lord.

"Very well," he said. "Let's play."

Victor sat across from Souna at the chessboard, his large frame making the already elegant student council room feel smaller. Souna adjusted her glasses with a confident smile, exuding an aura of calm authority.

Victor, on the other hand, looked anything but calm. His hand hovered nervously over the pieces, and his brow furrowed with concentration.

"Are you sure about this wager?" Souna asked casually, folding her hands in front of her.

Victor exhaled sharply. "I don't have much of a choice. Besides..." He leaned forward, tapping the table. "It's just chess. How hard can it be?"

Souna's smile deepened, but she said nothing.

Victor finally reached for a pawn. "Pawn to E5."

A straightforward opening, but not one typically used by skilled players. It left the center weak and gave Souna the initiative to dictate the flow of the game.

Souna responded immediately. "Pawn to E4."

She mirrored Victor's pawn, controlling the center and opening up pathways for her pieces.

Victor decided to develop his knight next. "Knight to C6."

"Knight to F3," Souna replied, bringing her knight into play and targeting the E5 pawn Victor had just advanced.

Victor scratched his head and mimicked her move. "Knight to F6."

"Copying me already?" Souna teased lightly, placing her bishop with practiced precision. "Bishop to C4."

Victor frowned, feeling like he should do something to defend his position. He pushed a pawn. "Pawn to D6."

Souna's lips curved slightly. "Pawn to D4."

A bold move. Souna was already asserting control of the board, using her pawns to dominate the center and force Victor into defensive play.

Victor hesitated but captured her pawn. "Pawn takes D4."

Souna didn't miss a beat. "Knight takes D4."

Victor felt the pressure mounting and decided to develop his bishop. "Bishop to G4."

This move seemed logical at first, pinning Souna's knight to her queen, but it ignored the immediate danger in the center. A critical misstep.

"Queen to D2," Souna said, connecting her rooks and breaking the pin on her knight.

Victor tried to shore up his position. "Pawn to H6."

"Bishop to H4," Souna replied smoothly, keeping the pin on Victor's knight intact.

Victor shuffled in his seat, bringing out his other bishop. "Bishop to E7."

"Knight to F5," Souna said, her knight diving into Victor's territory.

Victor frowned, moving his queen. "Queen to D7."

"Bishop takes E7," Souna said without hesitation, removing a key piece from Victor's defense.

Victor grumbled, picking up his king. "King takes E7."

Souna brought her queen into the fray. "Queen to F3."

This was a decisive move. Her queen now loomed over Victor's vulnerable king, preparing for an attack that he wasn't ready to handle.

Victor moved his knight in desperation. "Knight to E5."

Souna remained calm. "Queen to G3."

Victor scrambled to protect his king. "Rook to F8."

Souna advanced her pawn. "Pawn to F4."

Victor frowned, realizing too late that his pieces were becoming trapped. He moved his king forward. "King to F6."

"Pawn to G4," Souna said, her pieces closing in like a noose.

Victor tried to make a bold counterplay. "Queen to B5."

"Pawn to G5," Souna said, forcing Victor's king into an uncomfortable corner.

Victor moved his king again. "King to G6."

"Rook to F3," Souna said, bringing another piece into the attack.

Victor panicked, moving his knight. "Knight to G4."

"Rook to H3," Souna said, her rook now perfectly positioned.

Victor's movements slowed as he slid his king over. "King to H7."

Souna delivered the final blow with precision. "Queen to G7. Checkmate."

Victor froze, staring at the board. His shoulders sagged as he realized there was no escape. He leaned back in his chair, visibly deflated.

"You played... boldly," Souna said, clearly restraining a laugh.

Victor sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Boldness doesn't seem to count for much in chess."

"It's a start," she replied, standing and offering her hand. "You'll make an excellent addition to the student council."

Victor grumbled under his breath but shook her hand. For a man who had faced life-threatening battles, losing to a chessboard—and agreeing to paperwork—was a humbling experience.

The next three months were nothing short of torture for Victor von Reinherz. For a man who had once exterminated the Tepes faction, stared down High-Class Devils, and mastered the deadly Brain Grid Blood Battle Technique, the relentless onslaught of paperwork proved to be his most formidable foe.

At first, he approached the role with his usual stoicism, determined to fulfill his obligation to Souna Shitori after his humiliating chess loss. But the reality of the student council's duties hit him like a ton of bricks.

Stacks upon stacks of documents were shoved onto his desk every day. Some were reports on school events, others were requests from the town council, and a good chunk of them were mundane tasks like managing the budgeting for the school's clubs. To Victor's utter horror, most of these documents were written in Japanese—a language he could only partially speak and barely read.

Victor sat hunched over his desk, squinting at a report about the tennis club's upcoming tournament. His massive hand dwarfed the pen as he scrawled his name on the wrong line for the third time. He sighed deeply, leaning back in his chair, his face more lifeless than usual.

"Victor-san, you've signed the club expenses form in the section meant for club advisor approval," Tsubaki Shinra, the student council vice president, said calmly as she placed another stack of papers beside him.

Victor pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering something about divine punishment under his breath. "How many more of these do I have to finish today?"

"Just this stack," Tsubaki said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Victor glanced at the "stack." It was tall enough to obscure his view of the student council room's clock.

By the second week, Victor's usual routine of visiting Taiga Tan—a small café he frequented to enjoy tea and pastries—had been reduced to a fleeting luxury. Taiga Tan's owner, an elderly woman named Hisako, noticed his absence immediately. On the rare occasion Victor managed to stop by, she looked at him with concern as she placed a teacup in front of him.

"Victor-san," Hisako said softly, her wrinkled face etched with worry, "you look terrible. Are you eating enough? Sleeping enough?"

Victor, seated with his broad shoulders slumped and dark circles under his eyes, nodded silently. He took a sip of his tea but barely registered the flavor.

"You're working too hard," Hisako scolded gently. "Whatever it is, you need to take better care of yourself."

Victor wanted to reassure her, but his energy was so drained that he could only offer a faint grunt in response.

Back at the student council room, Souna Shitori, ever the epitome of composure, seemed utterly unfazed by the workload. She moved through the stacks of papers like a whirlwind, her pen gliding across forms with mechanical precision. Victor, on the other hand, was drowning.

"Do you ever stop?" Victor asked one evening as Souna reviewed a document from the Kuoh town council.

Souna looked up, adjusting her glasses. "Running Kuoh Academy is only a fraction of the student council's responsibilities. As the heir to the Sitri clan, overseeing Kuoh Town is part of my duties. That includes managing its magical and mundane affairs."

Victor groaned inwardly. He'd heard whispers about the immense workload of Devil nobility, but experiencing it firsthand was another matter entirely.

"And the other ruler of Kuoh Town?" Victor asked, more out of desperation than curiosity.

"My counterpart, Rias Gremory, handles the combat-related issues," Souna explained. "However, most administrative matters fall to me, as I'm better suited for them."

Victor leaned forward, his face buried in his hands. "So, you're telling me... this entire town is essentially run by you, and I've been roped into doing your paperwork?"

Souna's lips curled into a faint smile. "Precisely. And you're doing an admirable job for someone with no prior experience."

Victor didn't know whether to feel flattered or insulted. His pen hovered over a document for several seconds before he sighed deeply and resumed signing.

By the end of the third month, Victor's appearance had deteriorated to the point that even his friends began to worry. His usually immaculate posture was slouched, his piercing eyes dulled, and his perpetually frowning face now looked utterly lifeless.

When Valerie Tepes saw him one evening, she gasped. "Victor, what happened to you? You look like you've been through a war!"

Victor didn't have the strength to respond. He simply collapsed onto the nearest chair in their shared home and muttered, "Paperwork... endless paperwork..."

Valerie tilted her head, utterly perplexed. "You've faced armies of vampires without breaking a sweat. How is paperwork defeating you?"

"Because armies don't require me to decipher Kanji," Victor replied flatly, staring at the ceiling like a man who had lost his soul.

As the final week of his temporary tenure approached, Victor began to count down the days like a prisoner awaiting release. On the last day, when he finally handed in his last stack of completed documents, he stood before Souna and Tsubaki with a mixture of relief and exhaustion.

"Your time with the student council is officially over," Souna said, offering him a rare smile. "I must admit, you've exceeded my expectations, Victor-san."

Victor didn't respond. He simply turned and walked out of the room, his movements slow and deliberate, like a man carrying an invisible weight.

When he arrived at Taiga Tan that evening, Hisako greeted him with a wide smile and a steaming pot of tea. "Welcome back, Victor-san. You look... slightly better than before."

Victor sat down with a faint grunt, took a sip of the tea, and closed his eyes. For the first time in three months, he felt a small semblance of peace.

The morning sun rose, casting its golden rays across Kuoh Town. However, for Victor von Reinherz, the day was anything but bright. He trudged toward the student council room with the weight of despair dragging him down. His usually composed and stern demeanor had been replaced by an expression of sheer dread.

In his hand was the letter—a cruel harbinger of his extended torment.

The contents of the letter replayed in his mind like a haunting melody:

"Victor, I have concluded Issei Hyoudou's training. However, I have deemed it necessary to send him to another mentor to refine his abilities. He will now train under Elias von Ainsworth, the last true magician, for the next three months. This is a critical step in his development.

Regards,

Raju Jugei Shizuyoshi"

Victor had barely finished reading it earlier that morning before the world spun and he promptly fainted. Valerie, alarmed by the thud of his collapse, had spent the better part of an hour trying to wake him.

Now, as he approached the student council room once more, Victor had steeled his heart. His resolve burned with an intensity that could make even the bravest warriors tremble. If he was to face Souna Shitori again, he would not fail. Not this time.

The door to the student council room slid open, and Victor stepped inside. His sheer aura of battle intent was palpable, causing the members of the student council to freeze mid-task. Tsubaki Shinra instinctively reached for her sword.

"Victor-san," she said cautiously, "what brings you here?"

Victor's eyes locked onto Souna, who sat calmly at her desk. "I need to extend Issei's leave... another three months."

Souna raised an eyebrow, an amused smile curling on her lips. "Oh? And you came in looking like you were ready to declare war on me. I almost thought you intended to overthrow the student council."

Victor ignored her jab, instead presenting the letter with a trembling hand. "This morning, I received this. Please approve the extension."

Souna took the letter, scanned its contents, and chuckled softly. "It seems Hyoudou-kun's growth is progressing in quite the... unconventional manner." She placed the letter down and leaned forward. "But as with last time, I'll require compensation."

Victor's jaw tightened. "Another game?"

"Another game," Souna confirmed with a nod.

Victor's aura flared, his battle spirit practically radiating from his body. "This time, I won't lose."

Souna's eyes sparkled with amusement as she gestured toward the chessboard. "Very well, Victor-san. Let's begin."

The council members watched with bated breath as Victor and Souna sat across from each other. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife. Victor cracked his knuckles, his brows furrowed in deep concentration.

"Let's begin," Victor said with an uncharacteristic fervor. "I won't lose again."

The game began, and Victor moved his pawn forward. His focus was unshakable, his hand steady. Souna, on the other hand, moved with the ease of a grandmaster.

Knight to C3.

Pawn to D5.

Bishop to C4.

The board was quickly falling into Souna's control. Victor, however, was oblivious. He was too focused on setting up an aggressive counterplay that existed only in his imagination.

Then, on her fourth move, Souna brought her queen to F3.

"Checkmate," Souna said, her voice calm but tinged with mirth.

Victor stared at the board in stunned silence. His jaw dropped slightly, and his hand froze mid-air. Slowly, his gaze moved from the board to Souna, then back to the board.

"I... what?"

"You've lost, Victor-san," Souna said, her smile widening ever so slightly.

Victor's body leaned back as if struck by an invisible force. His chair creaked ominously, and then, with a sudden crash, it toppled backward. Victor lay sprawled on the floor, his soul seemingly leaving his body.

The council members rushed to help him up, but Victor didn't move. He simply stared at the ceiling, utterly defeated.

When he finally sat up, a single tear slid down his cheek. "Three more months..." he whispered, the words carrying the weight of his despair.

Souna, ever composed, handed him a fresh stack of paperwork. "Congratulations, Victor-san. Welcome back to the student council."

As he accepted the papers with trembling hands, Victor's lifeless gaze reflected the grim reality of his situation. The sound of Souna's victorious laughter echoed in his ears as he shuffled out of the room, the embodiment of a broken man

For the next three months, Victor's misery knew no bounds. The mountain of paperwork that awaited him daily had somehow doubled in size. His inability to read Japanese slowed his progress to a crawl, forcing him to spend hours cross-referencing characters in a dictionary.

"Victor-san, this form is overdue," Tsubaki would often say as she handed him yet another stack.

Victor's only response was a guttural groan, his willpower long since drained.

His usual visits to Taiga Tan were reduced to a mere trickle, worrying Hisako even further. "Victor-san, you're pale as a ghost," she said during one of his rare appearances. "What are they doing to you over there?"

Victor simply sipped his tea in silence, his face devoid of emotion.

By the end of the extended term, Victor was a shell of his former self. The once-mighty "Mad Dog of the Underworld" had been brought to his knees—not by a powerful foe, but by the endless onslaught of administrative work.

When his temporary tenure finally came to an end, Victor stood before Souna, his face gaunt but filled with the faintest glimmer of hope. "Am I free?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

Souna nodded, her expression softening ever so slightly. "Yes, Victor-san. You've done well."

Victor didn't respond. He simply turned and walked away, leaving the student council room without so much as a backward glance.

As he stepped outside and felt the sun on his face, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH" He screamed on top of his lungs finally,he is free. Unbeknownst to him Chain sumeragi was recording all of his sufferings and is sending it to his father while laughing maiacally whenever she think about it..