I straightened up, keeping my hands visible and my voice calm. "Hello again, Serafall-sama."
"Leon-kun!" She clapped her hands together, bouncing on her toes. "How wonderful to see you again!"
Sona had gone completely rigid beside me, her face cycling through about fifteen different shades of red. "Onee-sama"
She paused, looking suddenly bashful. "Oh dear. I suppose I interrupted you guys."
For the first time since she'd appeared, Serafall actually looked a bit embarrassed. Her usual confident demeanor faltered slightly as she fidgeted with her wand.
"Anyway," she continued, brightening. "I'm glad you're here, Leon-kun! I was about to ask So-tan to arrange a meeting with you."
That caught my attention. My mind immediately shifted gears, fading as business instincts kicked in. "Oh? What kind of meeting?"
Serafall cleared her throat and straightened up, her playful demeanor shifting to something more formal and serious.
"We - the Maous - would like Mishima Corporation to arrange and stand as a third, neutral party in upcoming negotiations."
"What kind of negotiations?"
"We're currently in preliminary talks with Heaven and the Grigori," she said. "A potential peace treaty."
I knew from the original timeline that these would eventually happen, but they were supposed to be much later, after Issei had grown stronger, after more conflicts had played out. But here was Serafall, asking me to facilitate them months ahead of schedule.
My appearance in this world was accelerating events. The butterfly effect was in full swing.
In the original timeline, these talks had been delicate, fraught with tension and the constant threat of extremists from all sides trying to sabotage them. And now they wanted my company - me - right in the center of it all.
"Why us?" I asked, but I already have an idea why.
The three biblical factions have been at each other's throats for millennia. Devils, fallen angels, and angels. Each side has grievances going back to the Great War. Each side has reasons not to trust the others.
The Mishima Corporation has something none of the supernatural factions can claim. Proven neutrality. Decades of successfully mediating supernatural disputes without taking sides.
They want Mishima Corporation to be the official mediator. The neutral party that enforces compliance, handles violations, and manages the day-to-day reality of the peace.
"Because," Serafall said, her eyes meeting mine with surprising intensity, "you're the only neutral party that all three factions respect. Heaven and The Grigori knows and have seen your power firsthand. And we devils..." She glanced meaningfully at Sona. "Well, we have our reasons to trust you."
Of course. My recent displays of power had made me a player they couldn't ignore.
"What exactly would this neutrality entail?" I leaned back slightly, my tone becoming more business-like even as my mind raced through possibilities and dangers. "Mishima Corporation doesn't get involved in supernatural politics without clear parameters and protections."
This was dangerous territory. In the canon timeline, these peace talks had been targeted by extremist factions. If I agreed to this, I'd be painting a target on my company, my employees, everyone I cared about.
"There would be comprehensive protections," Serafall assured me, her tone becoming more formal. "Not just political guarantees, but structural safeguards built into the economic framework itself. Your company's neutrality becomes a cornerstone of the entire system."
"And of course this arrangement will only be valid towards the three biblical factions." She continued.
"What about enforcement?" I asked, my mind already working through potential problems. "What happens when someone violates treaty terms? How do we ensure compliance without compromising our neutral status?"
"That's where your unique position becomes invaluable," she explained. "Mishima Corporation can impose economic sanctions that hurt violators while benefiting those who comply. Restrict technology access, limit investment opportunities, redirect profitable contracts. Financial consequences that transcend political authority."
I was beginning to see the full picture now. This wasn't just about hosting peace talks - they wanted to create an entirely new model for supernatural governance. One based on economic incentives rather than military threats.
"And the extremist factions?" I pressed. "They won't just accept this peacefully."
Serafall's expression grew more serious. "That's where your personal capabilities become relevant. You've already proven you can handle supernatural threats. Combined with your economic influence and the protection of all invested factions..." She paused meaningfully. "Anyone attacking these negotiations would face unprecedented opposition."
"Besides you'd have the authority, and the backing of all three factions, to stop them." Her smile turned predatory. "Imagine having the combined military might of Heaven, Hell, and the fallen angels at your disposal when dealing with troublemakers."
That was... actually pretty appealing, attacking Mishima Corporation wouldn't just mean facing my personal power or corporate security - it would mean facing the combined wrath of every faction that had financial stakes in our success. Even extremists would have to think twice about that level of unified retaliation.
"You're talking about fundamentally restructuring supernatural society," I said slowly. "Moving from a military balance of power to an economic one."
"Exactly," Serafall confirmed. "And the Mishima Corporation already has the foundation for it. What we're proposing is formalizing and expanding what you've created into a comprehensive peace framework."
"I'll need comprehensive details," I said finally, my decision crystallizing as I weighed the unprecedented opportunity against the risks. "Timeline, specific roles and responsibilities, security protocols, compensation structures, and most importantly - detailed frameworks for how this economic integration would actually work."
This was bigger than just peace talks. They were proposing to make Mishima Corporation the central nervous system of a new supernatural world order. My knowledge of the future knows even without me some form of peace would eventually emerge, but this approach could make it far more stable and lasting than anything from the original timeline.
"Of course," Serafall said, her relief evident. "I can have a full proposal covering all aspects - venue logistics, financial mediation protocols, compliance monitoring systems, joint venture frameworks, everything - to you within forty-eight hours."
I nodded then said. "I'll need time to review it with my legal team, security advisors, and financial strategists. This isn't just about hosting negotiations - you're proposing to restructure how supernatural society operates. That requires comprehensive analysis."
"Deal," she said, extending her hand. "Though I should mention - this proposal has already been preliminarily approved by all three faction leaders. Michael, Azazel, and all four Maous are on board with using Mishima Corporation as the institutional foundation for peace for the biblical factions."
Then Serafall's expression softened back to something more familiar, the Leviathan mask sliding away to reveal the doting big sister underneath.
"Well then," she said, her cheerful demeanor returning as if the serious discussion about reshaping supernatural civilization had never happened, "now that we've potentially just made you the most important person in the supernatural world... back to the really important matter of my sister's love life!"
Sona, who had been quietly observing our negotiation with increasingly wide eyes, immediately turned red again. "Onee-sama, please..."
I couldn't help but smile at that.
But even as I tried to return to the lighter mood, part of my mind was still spinning through possibilities and consequences. I'd just potentially agreed to transform Mishima Corporation from a successful business into the institutional backbone of a new world order. The butterfly effect wasn't just accelerating anymore - I was about to become the engine driving it.
But there was something deeper driving my interest in this proposal.
Humans. Regular, ordinary humans who had no idea what was happening around them every day.
I know how helpless humanity really was.
When supernatural conflicts spilled into the human world, who spoke for the hundreds if not billions of people caught in the crossfire? When a stray devil went on a rampage, when extremists targeted civilian populations, when gods decided to play their games on Earth - humans just suffered. And died. And they never even knew why.
Sure, the Hero Faction existed, but they were a joke. A handful of humans with Sacred Gears who thought they could fight gods with righteous anger and ignorance. They had no real plan, no sustainable strategy, no understanding of the bigger picture. They were more likely to make things worse than better.
And Heaven? Heaven was still licking its wounds from the Great War, still reeling from God's death, still struggling just to maintain basic functionality. Michael was doing his best, but they were too busy trying not to collapse to worry about protecting humanity.
This peace framework Serafall was proposing... it could be the perfect opportunity. If Mishima Corporation became the central mediating authority, I could build in protections for humans. Create transparency measures. Ensure that humanity wasn't completely blind to supernatural activities that affected them.
I could become humanity's advocate in supernatural affairs, and none of the factions would see it coming until it was too late to stop. Unlike the Hero Faction's misguided crusade or Heaven's weakened state, I actually had the resources and position to make real change happen.
While I was thinking about the implications, Sona was looking at me with an expression I couldn't quite read, while Serafall bugged her.
Midway I saw her mouth "help me" with pure desperation.
I chuckled.
"Good!" Her cheerful demeanor returned instantly. "Now, I should let you two have some privacy to be properly romantic. Young couples need time to bond!"
She winked at us both.
"Just remember - no funny business!" With that cheerful warning, she spun around once more and vanished in her signature shower of sparkles and blue light.
The silence that followed was tense.
Sona and I looked at each other across the student council room, the weight of everything that had just happened settling between us. The peace negotiations, the transformation of my company into something that could reshape supernatural society, and underneath it all, the simple fact that we'd been interrupted in the middle of something important.
"So," I said finally, breaking the silence.
"So," she echoed, adjusting her glasses in that way she did when she was trying to regain her composure.
"Where were we?" I asked softly, echoing her words from earlier.
I moved closer to where she was standing by her desk, noting how her breathing quickened as I approached.
"I believe," she said, her voice dropping to barely above a whisper, "we were discussing a very important topic."
"Ah yes," I said, reaching out to trace my fingers along her jawline. "Very important topic."
I leaned down to kiss her. We lost ourselves in each other for a while, trading soft kisses and whispered words in the quiet room.
"We should probably stop," she said eventually, though her hands were still tangled in my hair.
"Probably," I agreed, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth.
"Onee-sama did say to save the fun stuff for after marriage."
"She did say that."
"And we're in a school."
"Very inappropriate," I murmured against her lips.
Despite our words, neither of us moved to separate. Instead, she tilted her head as I kissed along her jaw, drawing a soft sigh from her lips.
"Leon," she said, her voice breathless.
"Mmm?"
"About what happened earlier. With the peace negotiations."
I pulled back to look at her, noting how her eyes had sharpened even as her cheeks remained flushed. "What about it?"
"You're really going to do it, aren't you? "
"Yes.." I said. "Is there something wrong?"
She was quiet for a moment then her hands tightened in my shirt. "It terrifies me."
I cupped her face gently, thumbs brushing across her cheekbones. "Hey. I can handle whatever comes."
"I know you can," she said softly. "But that doesn't mean I have to like the idea of you being in danger."
"Sona."
"I love you." she said, the words coming out in a rush.
"Sona…"
I kissed her again, but as the kiss deepened, her hands tightened in my shirt and she pressed closer against me, I felt my control starting to slip. The rational part of my mind was screaming warnings, but they were getting fainter by the second.
"Leon," she whispered against my lips, and there was something in her voice that made my pulse race.
"Sona," I breathed back, my hands moving to frame her face as I kissed her more deeply.
She responded eagerly, her careful composure completely gone now. When I lifted her to sit on the edge of her desk, she wrapped her legs around my waist and pulled me closer, drawing a soft groan from my throat.
Every instinct I had was screaming at me to continue, to give in to what we both obviously wanted. But something held me back. I want that when we took that step, I wanted it to be somewhere special. Somewhere worthy of her. Not in here.
"We should stop," I said reluctantly, pulling back to look at her. Her lips were swollen from kissing, her glasses askew, her cheeks flushed pink. She looked absolutely beautiful and mesmerizing.
"Should we?" she asked breathlessly, her fingers threading through my hair.
"Yes," I said, reaching up to straighten her glasses gently. "Not here. Not like this."
Her eyes widened slightly at my words, and a deeper blush colored her cheeks. "Leon..."
"You deserve better than a student council room," I said softly, my thumbs brushing across her cheekbones.
She stared at me for a long moment, her violet eyes bright with emotion. "You're being impossibly romantic," she said finally.
"Is that a problem?"
"I'm not used to being swept off my feet." she admitted with a shaky laugh.
"Get used to it," I said, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.
She sighed and leaned into me, resting her head against my chest.
We stayed like that for a few more minutes, just holding each other in the quiet of the student council room.
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