"So, how is it?" Sona asked, stepping out onto the wooden engawa of the shrine the morning after they arrived in Kuoh Town.
"It's fine. There isn't anything particularly special about it, though," Finn replied.
He was sitting cross-legged on the wooden porch, wearing a loose, dark yukata. He yawned lazily, holding a steaming mug of cheap coffee. He hadn't gotten nearly enough sleep—partially because Akeno had kept him awake until dawn—yet Sona had shown up unannounced to bother him.
"That's completely normal. It is just an ordinary city, after all," Sona admitted.
Even Sona couldn't pretend Kuoh Town was a luxury destination. Aside from being the hidden territory of two Devil heiresses, it was entirely generic. It didn't boast breathtaking natural scenery, high-end cuisine, or massive tourist attractions.
"But you have absolute security here," Sona pointed out proudly, adjusting her glasses.
Yes, while the city was incredibly boring, it was a tactical safe zone. Kuoh was officially governed by the little sisters of the two strongest Satans in the Underworld.
"You're right," Finn nodded.
If any major Shinto God or massive threat suddenly decided to attack him here, Finn could easily take advantages of the situation. He would simply call Sirzechs or Serafall. The Satans would instantly mobilize to protect their precious sisters, and Finn could comfortably sit back, letting the ultimate powerhouses do all the heavy lifting while he manipulated the political fallout to his advantage.
It was the perfect scenario to put the two Satans deeply in his debt.
Being the absolute strongest was a decent goal, but it was highly inefficient. Look at Ddraig, the Heavenly Dragon. It was immensely powerful, but because it fought entirely alone, it was eventually slaughtered and sealed into a gauntlet. The best way of life wasn't to fight alone; it was to build an unbreakable web of alliances, investments, and dependencies. You had to weave yourself into the world like a massive octopus. That way, if someone tried to cut off one of your tentacles, they dragged the entire ocean down with them.
Finn didn't want to be the bloody hero charging the front lines. He wanted to be the shadow governor, who sat in the back, eating popcorn while his competitors slaughtered each other, swooping in at the very end to aggressively acquire their assets.
So, what was his ultimate endgame? Was it just accumulating more money?
While liquid capital was incredibly important, it wasn't the absolute pinnacle of power. After all, if an apocalyptic God suddenly appeared and obliterated the planet, a massive bank account meant absolutely nothing.
However, until the apocalypse happened, money was the absolute best tool to aggressively manipulate humans, Devils, and even Gods. Everyone needed resources to survive. Finn might not be the strongest entity in the multiverse, but he had the financial leverage to make his enemies' lives so utterly miserable they would actively beg for death.
"Drinking cheap instant coffee out of a mug while sitting in a traditional Japanese shrine wearing a yukata..." Sona sighed heavily, sitting gracefully beside him on the porch. "You really should try to match the aesthetic, you know."
"It doesn't matter," Finn shrugged lazily, taking a long sip of his unrefined coffee. "If I still have to care about strict etiquette and rules after working so incredibly hard to secure absolute power and wealth, then what is the point of it all? I work hard so I can completely ignore the rules while everyone else is forced to orbit around me and follow my orders."
"..."
Sona was completely speechless. Her entire life had been strictly defined by following rigid protocols, maintaining appearances, and playing by the rules.
But...
"It might be nice... to be on the side that actually makes the rules..." Sona muttered softly, almost to herself.
Hearing her quiet confession, Finn stared at her for a long moment. He smiled, a dark, incredibly approving glint in his golden eyes. "Exactly. Build the power to rewrite the rules, Sona. Once we do that, we can control absolutely everything."
Sona giggled softly, a highly uncharacteristic sound. For a brief moment, sitting closely beside him on the sunlit porch, she completely dropped her strict facade. She ignored her heavy duties as the Sitri Heiress, her role as Kuoh Academy's Student Council President, and her absolute authority as the governor of the city. She just relaxed.
"Don't you have anything fun to play with around here?" Sona asked casually, leaning back slightly on her hands.
"I don't play video games," Finn replied. While he occasionally read a book or reviewed financial reports, he genuinely didn't have the time or interest for childish games. He was entirely too busy conquering markets. "Also, shouldn't you be at school right now?"
Sona was a third-year high school student. It was a Tuesday morning.
Finn's eyes lazily dragged over her crisp, pristine school uniform. Despite her modest chest, her face was breathtakingly sharp, and her incredibly smooth, slender legs were tightly wrapped in dark thigh-highs. The strict, unapproachable student council aesthetic combined with her alluring legs left him momentarily silent.
"There's absolutely no need to worry. Even if I skip a single day, the school will run perfectly fine," Sona waved a delicate hand dismissively.
"What a terrible, irresponsible President," Finn deadpanned.
"I might be," Sona shot him a gentle, highly naughty smile that made his heart skip a beat. "But my family literally owns the school, so it doesn't matter what I do."
"...Do you own the local university, too?"
"Yup."
Finn sighed heavily. "The Gremory Family is hopelessly losing to the Sitri Family in terms of long-term wealth management."
"Oh? And what about your family?" Sona asked, genuinely curious about the scope of the Balam empire.
"Let's see..." Finn closed his eyes, listing his assets casually. "Through shell corporations, I actively own the local water utility, the structural infrastructure, the major media outlets, the regional bank, the electricity grid, the railway logistics, bulk food distribution, commercial properties, and... roughly sixty percent of the convenience stores."
"..." Sona's jaw physically dropped.
They were playing two entirely different games. Yet, at their core, their strategies were identical: they sought absolute control over the vital needs of society. While Sona focused on shaping the future through 'soft power' like education, restrictive laws, and talent acquisition, Finn aggressively monopolized the sheer, biological necessities required to keep a city alive.
It made Sona realise just how different Finn was from the other arrogant young Devil heirs who merely spent their centuries flaunting their wealth and chasing women. The only incredibly frustrating thing about Finn was his stubborn refusal to participate in the Rating Games.
"Do you know how to play chess?" Sona asked suddenly.
"What's brought this on?" Finn asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Nothing. I simply want to play a game. Will you accompany me?" Sona asked. As she spoke, she shifted her legs, casually uncrossing them. The slight movement caused the hem of her skirt to ride up just a fraction, offering him a tantalizing, brief flash of her incredibly smooth, pale upper thighs above her stockings.
"...Alright," Finn agreed, his voice dropping slightly.
"Good," Sona smiled, her eyes crinkling in genuine amusement.
"....."
Finn was absolutely certain Sona knew exactly what she was doing. She knew he was staring at her legs, yet she deliberately allowed it—perhaps she even enjoyed the heavy, heated weight of his gaze.
What a perverted young woman, Finn thought approvingly.
A few minutes later, a highly intricate, magically enchanted chessboard was set up on the porch between them.
"I haven't played this game in a very long time," Finn noted, looking down at the carved pieces.
Truthfully, Finn hated playing chess. He despised being constrained by fair, rigid strategy games. Why? Because in the real world, the rules didn't matter, and Finn constantly trampled over them. People who strictly played by the rules—like an honest chess player—were always at a massive disadvantage against predators who simply bought the referee. The real world was brutally unfair; if you possessed enough money, backing, and raw power, you didn't have to play by the rules. You just flipped the board.
"Don't worry, we are just playing for fun," Sona smiled sweetly, though a fierce, deeply competitive fire burned in her eyes. "But, if you lose... you will have to pay a penalty."
She fully intended to utterly crush him and force him into participating in a Rating Game.
"And what happens if you lose?" Finn asked, leaning his chin on his hand.
"You can ask anything of me," Sona answered without a single second of hesitation.
"Anything?" Finn mused, his golden eyes slowly tracing the delicate lines of her face, before dropping down to the tantalizing sliver of skin on her thighs. Despite their hostile introduction, he had to admit her strict, demanding personality was incredibly alluring.
"Anything." Sona noticed his deeply lewd gaze, but instead of blushing and backing away, she met his eyes with absolute confidence. "That is... if you can actually beat me."
She had never lost a game of chess in her entire life. She didn't plan on starting today.
"Okay then," Finn smirked.
If this were standard Finn, he knew his corporate strategies wouldn't translate perfectly to a 64-square grid. Sona would have dismantled him. But he wasn't standard Finn anymore.
He seamlessly connected his consciousness to the Manager.
The highly advanced, omnipotent AI ability instantly mapped out millions of potential moves, calculating every single variable with terrifying, inhuman precision. As the game progressed, Finn was actually incredibly impressed that Sona managed to hold her own against a literal supercomputer for as long as she did.
But eventually, the inevitable result arrived.
"...Checkmate."
Sona's glasses nearly slid off her cute, pointy nose as she stared down at the board in absolute, shattered disbelief. Her King was hopelessly trapped.
Finn offered her a warm, incredibly dangerous smile. "Don't back down from your promise now, Sona."
Seeing the dark, deeply predatory intent swimming in his golden eyes, Sona's heart violently slammed against her ribs. Her face flushed a brilliant, heavy crimson as her mind flooded with the terrifying, highly degenerate things he might demand of her body.
Yet, just as the erotic tension reached its absolute peak, Finn's expression suddenly shifted, his eyes darting toward the shrine's entrance.
"...Is something wrong?" Sona asked, trying to steady her racing breath.
"Your servant is here."
"Hmm?"
Sona turned around just as the sliding doors opened. Tsubaki stood there, her usual perfect composure slightly strained. Behind the Vice-President, Sona's other peerage members—who had been waiting quietly at the entrance of the shrine—were huddled together anxiously.
"Sona-sama. I am deeply sorry to interrupt, but there is something urgent we require your help with," Tsubaki reported.
"Do you need my help?" Finn asked casually, looking past the board.
"No, it's completely fine," Sona stood up quickly, smoothing her skirt down. "Please, just relax here, Finn. I am the one who invited you to this city; you shouldn't be troubled by my problems."
"If the situation escalates, just say the word," Finn offered sincerely.
"I will," Sona nodded. She paused at the edge of the porch, looking back at him with a heavily flushed face. "When I finish handling this... there is something highly important I need to discuss with you."
"Okay?"
Finn watched her hurry away, slightly confused. As Sona's peerage rushed off into the woods, Finn noticed one of her servants, the male one, was crying and quietly wiping tears from his eyes.
Something is definitely wrong, Finn mused, as he ignored the guy.
Left entirely alone in the quiet shrine, Finn let out a soft sigh and lay back onto the warm tatami floor, staring up at the wooden ceiling.
"Maybe I should go for a walk..."