If any other student from Kuoh Academy were present to witness these four beauties meeting in the Student Council office, they would likely be overwhelmed with excitement.
These four were the recognized "Four Great Idols" of Kuoh Academy, occupying the top four spots in the school-wide popularity rankings.
In other words, they were the four "flowers on a high peak" of Kuoh Academy. The difference was that while Sobu High's four flowers were considered equal—divided only by the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter—Kuoh Academy's idols were ranked by popularity. In this regard, it was much like Sobu High's "Most Desired Partner" list, determined by public vote.
In terms of popularity index, Rias Gremory had ranked first for three consecutive years. Standing behind her, Akeno Himejima had consistently held second place. Sona Sitri had ranked third for three years running, and Tsubaki Shinra had remained steady at fourth.
Meaning, from the very year these four entered the academy, they had collectively dominated the popularity rankings, remaining unchallenged to this day.
Incidentally, the fifth rank belonged to another of Rias Gremory's servants, the first-year Koneko Toujou.
Well... the people voting for her were likely mostly lolicon, so that will be set aside for now.
"What wind blew you over to my place?"
Sona Sitri didn't bother asking if Rias was welcome, as there was simply no need.
Anyone who knew how close the relationship between the two was would never imagine Sona being unhappy to see Rias.
Though they were close, they both had their own daily responsibilities. While they weren't so busy that they couldn't sit down for tea, those were usually private pastimes. Opportunities to openly visit each other's office or club room like this were still rare.
Thus, Sona had raised the question.
"It was just a coincidence."
Rias held her tea, taking a sip with her eyes closed. Despite her casual posture, her movements were incredibly elegant. It was clear that her noble etiquette was etched into her very bones; there was no need for conscious effort.
"I just finished some work and happened to be passing by. Thinking I had nothing left to do later, I decided to stop in." Rias smiled and asked, "Why is it just the two of you? Where are the others?"
The Student Council naturally consisted of more than just Sona and Tsubaki; Sona's other servants were also members.
"They all have their own tasks. It just so happens only the two of us are left."
Sona took on a more relaxed demeanor, a side she only showed after finishing her work and in the presence of close friends.
"That is a bit of a shame," Rias said, setting down her teacup with a beaming smile. "I heard you've been paying quite a lot of attention to someone lately. I thought I might see him here."
"Regrettably, I am still evaluating him. Whether I will take him as a servant has not yet been decided." Sona pushed up her glasses and said, "Why? Are you interested?"
"I wouldn't say I'm not, considering he's a hidden Sacred Gear user. But since he's someone you've set your sights on, I naturally won't compete with you." Rias crossed her arms and legs, radiating charm. "With your abilities, Sona, you should be able to win him over soon enough, right?"
"If it were you, it would likely be the same." Sona ignored her childhood friend's teasing and said calmly, "If you want him, I can let you have him."
Though he was a rare Sacred Gear user, he wasn't so exceptional that the two of them needed to descend into a personal tug-of-war over him.
Otherwise, Sona wouldn't still be in the "evaluation" phase; she would have moved impatiently to secure him.
She had basically confirmed that the Sacred Gear he possessed was decent, but it hadn't reached the point where she felt compelled to act immediately.
That was the kind of person Sona was. Compared to future potential, she cared more about whether someone could integrate into her team and act in coordination with her tactics. She wouldn't act rashly just because someone was a Sacred Gear user.
Most of her current servants were originally ordinary humans, which spoke volumes about what she prioritized when recruiting.
Therefore, if Rias truly needed this servant, Sona wouldn't mind stepping aside. She also believed Rias needed talented servants more urgently than she did.
"Forget it." Rias seemed to know what Sona was thinking and shook her head. "I certainly want talented servants, but I'm not desperate enough to take what a friend has already taken an interest in."
"Are you sure?" Sona looked at Rias, speaking as a reminder. "We are both adults now. Before long, we will officially debut in the Underworld, and even lead our servants in Rating Games."
"By then, if your servant slots aren't filled, the impact on your reputation won't be small."
"Are you sure you still have time to search slowly?"
Currently, Sona had used six Evil Pieces and possessed six servants. Though she was far from a full house, she wasn't in a dire hurry.
In contrast, Rias had only used four Evil Pieces and had four servants, one of whom was currently sealed due to certain issues with no clear date for release.
Under such circumstances, Rias naturally had more reason to be anxious than Sona.
"I am the type who prefers quality over quantity. If I truly cannot find a servant I like, I would rather keep the slots empty." Rias gave a dazzling smile and added, "I'm actually a bit jealous of that little man you've been looking after. He's only been a High-Class Devil for a short time, yet he's already recruited several excellent servants. Even I'm starting to feel envious."
Upon hearing Rias say this, Akeno Himejima, who had been standing silently behind her, also cast a curious glance toward Sona.
Regarding that particular topic, Sona and Rias had been discussing it quite frequently lately.
Though Akeno had known for a while that Sona was secretly sponsoring him on behalf of the Sitri family, she couldn't help but be curious every time the topic came up.
After all, judging by Rias's attitude, this famously cold beauty of the Sitri family might have a rather deep connection with him.
How could she not listen in on that?
Unfortunately, Sona remained as poised and cool as ever, not losing her composure in the least despite Rias's teasing.
"You had better not say things like that in front of the person himself, or you'll likely scare him."
Sona spoke those words quite seriously.
"Is your little man really that timid?" Rias asked, somewhat surprised.
"If he were timid, he wouldn't have tangled with the Church in Chiba for so long, nor would he have directly killed the Fallen Angel who went after his servants." Sona let out a sigh, appearing somewhat helpless. "But no matter how brave one is, it's impossible not to be afraid when meeting someone like my sister."
Hearing Sona's explanation, Rias and Akeno were momentarily stunned before both burst into laughter simultaneously.
They were well aware of the temperament of Sona's older sister and understood exactly what Sona meant.
If a term like "little man" reached that person's ears, it would be a miracle if she didn't come directly to the human world to cause trouble for Leon.
Being targeted by a Maou was no stroke of luck; no wonder Sona said it would scare him.
"That one of yours is actually quite good already." After laughing, Rias spoke with a hint of self-deprecation. "Unlike mine, who can't wait to marry me off."
As she spoke, Rias's eyes dimmed slightly.
Sona's brow furrowed slightly as if she shared the sentiment. "Don't lose heart. There is still a long time before the marriage contract must be fulfilled. You still have a chance."
"I know." Rias took a deep breath, recovering her usual composure. "I'm not as clever as you, and the Phoenix family likely won't let that useless third son agree to a game of chess to decide the marriage. I can only do my best to find excellent servants and increase my strength. Hopefully, by participating in Rating Games and achieving certain results in the future, my family won't be able to ignore my opinion."
This was the other reason why Sona felt Rias needed talented servants more than she did.
"Let's not talk about that. Let's talk about your lit— about the descendant of the Eligos family." Rias changed the subject with a smile. "I heard he's been drawing quite a bit of attention from the Underworld's upper echelons lately. Even my brother seems to value him highly. My family even came to ask me for information about him."
"That was to be expected, wasn't it?" Sona expressed no surprise, speaking as if it were natural. "His mutation trait has basically been confirmed. He grows stronger simply by recruiting excellent servants. It would be stranger if such a unique trait didn't draw attention in the devil society."
"Besides, his first servant is the possessor of a Longinus. That makes it impossible not to pay attention."
"True. A Longinus possessor—who wouldn't pay attention?" Rias mused. "To find such an excellent servant right after promoting to High-Class Devil... I really am envious."
"I heard he recently took in another excellent servant, right? Plus the one he recruited while hunting stray devils a while ago. Even though he's only been a High-Class Devil for a very short time, the number of his servants is already catching up to mine."
"I just wonder, what makes these two new servants so exceptional?"
By this point, Rias's tone carried a clear note of probing.
Currently, most people, including Rias, only knew that Leon had a Longinus possessor under his command. As for the origins of the other two, few were in the loop.
After all, Yukino Yukinoshita had lost control before, so her status as a Longinus possessor was impossible to hide. But Yukino Yukinoshita and Shizuka Hiratsuka—rather, Yukino Yukinoshita, Mashiro Shiina, and Utaha Kasumigaoka—had never lost control. Aside from a few insiders, others naturally couldn't know their specific details.
Rias had only heard some whispers from her brother that these two were also excellent.
As for exactly how excellent, she didn't know.
"In that case, would you like to meet him?"
Seeing that Rias was truly curious, Sona suddenly made the suggestion.
"Oh?" Rias's eyes lit up. "Is that alright?"
"Of course. I've wanted to introduce the two of you for a while now," Sona said. "Why don't we set it up now and have a meeting?"
Rias did not hesitate and nodded readily.
Thus, Sona began to contact Leon.