DxD: The Sorcery System Chapter 57

Chapter 57: Kyoto Date (2/2)


"Hit it!"


"T-Trying!"


But she missed. Before she could even lower the rubber hammer, the mole had already retreated back inside.


"Ugh! This is so difficult!" she exclaimed, frustrated at not being able to hit even a single mole.


"One more time!" she said, shoving another coin into the machine to restart it.


Out of all the games, she had been particularly enjoying 'Whack-A-Mole.' Despite not being very good at it, she had surprisingly been at it for quite a while now.


"H-How do you even hit it on time?" she asked, clearly irritated by her constant misses.


"The trick is to keep a wider view," I explained as I stepped forward. "Don't focus too precisely on the holes. Instead, keep your view broad, and whenever you notice any movement, just hit."


I took the hammer from her and inserted a coin of my own.


"Let me show you."


She could have easily cleared the game, but she wasn’t using any of her powers or abilities. She was trying to replicate human senses, which was why she was having such a hard time.


"One… two… and three!"


As the mole popped out, I smacked it hard, enjoying the satisfaction of hitting something.


As one mole went down, another popped up randomly—so I smacked that one too.


"See, it's not that difficult."


I continued hitting the moles, making sure not to miss a single one.


The key was to keep an eye on the whole field and follow the rhythm.


But after hitting a few dozen and feeling satisfied with my performance, I glanced up at the scoreboard and was immediately humbled.


"Damn, are these records even human?"


I had forgotten how passionate some people were about arcade records, willing to spend their entire paycheck just to set a new high score. So, it made sense that even after such a flawless run, my name wasn’t even in the top list.


"I don’t know about them," she smiled, "but I think I can do it now."


She seemed more determined than ever as she quickly took the hammer back.


"Watch me!"


Her hammer was raised high, and I expected her to miss one or two because of it.


But guess what?


"One! Two! Three! Four!"


She didn’t.


She smacked them harder than I did, and I had been hitting them pretty hard.


One thing was for sure—she was a fast learner, a very fast learner.


It didn’t take her long to match my score, and I dare say that if she tried two or three more times, she could make it to the top of the leaderboard.


"I did it!" she exclaimed, thrilled with her score.


"It’s not so difficult once you figure out the trick, is it?" I asked, still amazed at how easily she had surpassed me.


"And it’s a great stress reliever," she said, taking a deep breath. "Thanks for bringing me here."


Whoa, I didn’t expect a thank you.


But I did know that she could use a break.


"You’re stuck with council work and Kuoh duty almost every day, so I thought this might help you de-stress a little," I shrugged. "I mean, it sure helped me."


There’s nothing better than hitting stuff—and hitting it hard.


She exhaled, relaxing. "Maybe you’re right. Things like this can help sometimes."


She placed the hammer back, and we walked around the arcade, looking for more games to try.


As we walked, I decided to ask, "Are you always this competitive?"


Not just with this game, but with pretty much everything she tried—she aimed to excel.


Studies, sports, and every other activity.


Her name was always at the top.


"Being second is never good enough," she said. "When you’re second, you’re always compared to the one who came first. And that’s a bitter feeling."


I saw a brief flash of disappointment and anger in her eyes.


"These aren’t just words, are they?" I asked, sensing there was more to her story. "You’ve felt this, haven’t you?"


She walked over to a pinball game, took out some coins, and put them into the machine.


I continued watching her from the side as she played silently.


But after a while, she spoke again.


"Do you know who my sister is?"


I did.


I had always been curious how Sona got her position, considering Rias’ family and her brother’s influence. So, I had asked Rias about it a long time ago.


"Satan Leviathan," I answered. "One of the four Satans of the Underworld."


Just like Rias’ brother was Satan Lucifer, Sona’s elder sister was Satan Leviathan.


I knew that, on a more acute scale, Lucifer had higher authority than Leviathan, but that didn’t diminish Leviathan's power, name, or authority in the slightest.


"She’s always been one of the strongest and most respected women in the devil world." She paused and shook her head, letting the pinball drop without setting a good score. "She’s one of the most respected devils in general."


I understood what she meant.


"During the war, revolution, and stabilization of the devil world, she, along with the other current Satans, took the lead, helping devils usher in a new era of peace and prosperity." She inserted a few more coins into the machine and restarted it. "Needless to say, she’s famous, and whenever people talk about the Sitri family, they only talk about her."


"You feel overshadowed by your sister’s success," I said, not sugarcoating my words.


"I love what she’s achieved. I’m happy for her, and I… I love her more than anyone in this world." She smiled, but I could tell it wasn’t genuine. "However…"


"I get it," I said, but she decided to continue.


"Ever since I was born, I’ve been compared to Serafall, my sister," she said, her voice growing softer. "Knowingly or unknowingly, I’ve always been compared to her by friends, family, and acquaintances alike."


I wouldn’t know—I don’t have any siblings. But I could imagine how she must have felt.


"Maybe that’s why I try so hard," she said, inserting more coins and losing again, unable to focus properly. "I want to be successful—successful enough that people talk about me without comparing me to Serafall, or without introducing me as Serafall’s sister. I want to be Sona Sitri, someone who is enough on her own."


Her goal was something I could respect. Everyone deserves their own recognition.


No one should have to rely on someone else’s fame to be known.


But this is the sad reality: unless you’re famous or powerful, no one cares.


And the only reason people might want to get close to someone is in the hope of being introduced to a more famous relative later.


"I have my own goals, struggles, and hopes. But no one cares about your story unless you’re successful," she sighed.


"Except for the people who are close to you and genuinely care about you," I said. "Your peerage does, your family does, Rias does, and I do."


She finally managed to get a decent score, smiling at both her accomplishment and my words.


"Thanks," she said. "Even if those are just words, they mean a lot."


Sometimes, letting out what’s in your heart can work wonders.


Seeing her relax and smile peacefully made me smile in turn.


"Thank you for sharing your story."


She shook her head. "No, thank you for listening. I didn’t know that sharing your worries could be so therapeutic."


She hadn’t even told me one percent of her full story, but even with the small part she shared, she felt lighter.


And that was what mattered most.


It always felt good to help others, make them feel better, and see them smile.


It takes nothing to be kind to someone, but being unkind can cost everything.


This was something my father taught me.


If you help someone and they find success, they never forget those who helped them get there.


However, if you help someone and they betray you, you learn a valuable lesson about their true character.


But if you wrong someone and they become successful, they might do everything in their power to make your life miserable.


So, always be good to others, because the price of being unkind is worse than you might imagine.


“I can see now why Rias talks about you so much and likes you so much,” she said with a bright smile. “You’re easy to talk to.”


“I just enjoy listening to others,” I replied. “It helps build connections.”


She chuckled. “Maybe.”


And connections meant everything when the future was uncertain.


“Let’s try a few more games and then call it a night. What do you say?”


She thought about it for a moment, checked the time, but ultimately nodded.


“We can do a game or two.”


So, we continued, walking around and looking for more games to play.


Eventually, I found one.


“How about that?” I pointed to an archery game.


The arrows were obviously blunt, but it looked like fun.


“We can do that,” she smiled.


It was nice to see her smile. She rarely did, but when she did, she looked really pretty.


“You can go first,” she suggested. I was eager to try, so I didn’t decline.


After inserting a few more coins into the machine, I took the bow that came out and pulled a few rubber-tipped arrows from the quiver attached to the machine. I aimed at the target balloons.


“Have you ever used a bow before?” she asked.


“I haven’t.”


Despite that, I felt surprisingly comfortable with the bow—almost as if it was natural.


And poof—the moment I released the arrow, it flew straight to the middle balloon, popping it instantly.


“That… was impressive.” Even Sona seemed amazed, as not only did I hit the middle balloon, but I hit the center of it.


It must have been a fluke, right?


So, I picked another arrow, this time aiming for the top right balloon.


“That’s…”


Guess what?


Another bullseye.


I continued, popping balloon after balloon, almost reaching the leaderboard before realizing that I had run out of arrows and needed to pay again to keep adding to the score.


Sadly, I didn’t have enough coins left.


However, I think I found something interesting.


“Sona?” I turned to her. “I think I might have found the event I’ll be registering for.”


As I looked at her, I saw a smile on her face.


“I can guess which one.”


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[[A/N: Will be posting another chapter in a couple of hours


P.S. Will be having some interesting fights soon, magical fights —Starting the next chapter XD.]]