> "You don't chase shadows with light.
You drag them onto the stage and blind them with applause."
— Rias Gremory, smiling like the final boss of social warfare
---
[Location: Kuoh Academy – War Room 2-A (aka Sona's Office, Now Weaponized)]
Sona Shitori had a plan.
A full tactical breakdown labeled:
> Operation: Shadow Extraction – Goal: Force MC into Emotional/Plot Recognition via Controlled Exposure
Phase 1: Public Ambush
Phase 2: Tactical Flirting
Phase 3: Confession Containment Protocol (if things go wrong)
Tsubaki (concerned):
> "Should we be doing this?"
Sona (glasses gleaming):
> "If he won't step into the plot…
We bring the plot to him."
---
[Scene: Meanwhile, Rias Gremory Saw the Plan... and Laughed]
Rias (confident):
> "She's going to try and break his calm."
Akeno:
> "You're not stopping her?"
Rias:
> "Oh no, I'm just going to do it better.
Let's see who he emotionally flinches at first."
She clapped once.
> "Deploy Operation: 'Casual Proximity With Occasional Whispered Lore.'"
Kiba (deadpan):
> "That's not a plan, that's a fanfiction tag."
---
[Scene: Akeno, Meanwhile, Was Done Being Subtle]
She wrote a letter.
It began:
> "I like you."
Then scratched it out.
Rewrote:
> "You are fascinating and I think about electrocuting you affectionately."
Then scratched that out.
Final version:
> "If you dodge me again, I will kiss you or shock you. Your call."
She handed it to Koneko.
Koneko (munching):
> "This is either a love letter or a legally actionable curse."
---
[Scene: MC, Sitting at the Center of All This Like It's Tuesday]
He sipped tea.
A breeze passed.
The birds stayed quiet.
Then three things happened at once:
1. Sona cornered him at the gate with a "casual" smile and clipboard.
2. Rias sat beside him on the bench, sharing tea without invitation.
3. Akeno's letter landed on his desk, hissing softly with minor voltage.
MC (unbothered):
> "The trinity moves.
But shadows remain unmoved."
Issei (from five feet away):
> "HE'S DOING IT AGAIN! HE'S TURNING FLIRTING INTO EXISTENTIAL DREAD!"
---
[Scene: The "Emotional Trap" Backfires]
Sona (offering a lunchbox):
> "I made this.
Statistically speaking, sharing food increases interpersonal bonds by 43%."
MC:
> "Statistically, I've evaded 112 emotional setups. This is 113."
She blinks.
He vanishes.
Left behind: a napkin with a perfect counter-ratio scribbled in calligraphy.
Tsubaki faints from statistical shock.
---
Rias (next attempt):
> "Let's walk together after school."
MC (without blinking):
> "Only if the moon is at 87% and the hallway crows permit it."
She pauses.
Checks the moon phase app.
It's at 86%.
Rias:
> "...You win this round, weather."
---
Akeno (final attempt):
She cornered him on the roof.
Grabbed his tie.
> "One honest answer: Do you actually feel anything?"
MC (quietly):
> "Too much. That's why I don't show it."
She blinked.
The wind stopped.
Then he gently removed her hand.
> "But that doesn't mean I didn't notice.
You've all been loud. Beautifully loud."
Then he walked away.
Akeno (short-circuited):
> "...I'm in trouble."
---
[System Notification]
> Trait Gained:
"Emotional Evasion (Lv.2)" – You now deflect affection with honesty laced in narrative weight.
Targets affected suffer either romantic confusion or plot dependency.
---
End of Chapter 51: The Game Has Changed