Ethan told Ravel that the treatments would be delayed. He planned to investigate the vampire incident throughout the night. The meeting of the Three Factions was approaching; if he didn't resolve this now, the matter might be dragged out for months, and by then, the "opportunity" would be long gone.
He was particularly concerned about the gender-shifter. If they settled on being male during this period, or if the "convergence of timelines" caused Basara Tojo to win them over, Ethan would have nowhere to cry. He actually liked that character quite a bit and, if possible, wanted to form a Soul Contract with her.
Her name was Nanaue Tachibana, a half-vampire with platinum-blonde, shoulder-length hair. Due to her mixed heritage, she would fluctuate between male and female until she reached adulthood, at which point her subconscious would decide her permanent gender. Her father was unknown, but her mother was the powerful "Red Lotus True Ancestor."
Of course, Ethan wasn't 100% sure if this world followed that exact lore, but the probability was high. So far, while this world was a bit chaotic, the major characters hadn't changed much—aside from Kiba Yuuto, who had simply shifted to an alternate "female" timeline that already existed in concept.
Ethan immediately sprang into action.
His first thought was Rias, but since he was a member of the Occult Research Club himself and had only heard the news through Basara, he doubted Rias knew much more. His hunch was correct. After checking the "Soul Network," he learned that the news was mostly spreading among the ordinary students. The ORC had been so busy lately—dealing with Mio Naruse and the Rating Game—that they hadn't paid it much mind. Rias was just about to start an investigation, so when she saw Ethan was already on it, she happily handed the task over to him.
Aside from the ORC, the most informed group in Kuoh Academy was the Student Council. Because of the contract situation, Ethan had been avoiding Sona Sitri since the Rating Game. Now, it seemed he couldn't hide anymore.
At 3:00 PM, as soon as school ended, he headed straight for the Student Council room.
Knock, knock.
"Come in."
Ethan slowly pushed the door open. Only Sona Sitri and Tsubaki Shinra were inside.
"Oh, if it isn't Ethan-sama. To what do we owe the honor of your presence? I assume you have business with us," Sona said, adjusting her glasses. Her tone was cool and neutral as she looked back down at her paperwork.
"President, sarcasm doesn't really suit your style," Ethan muttered.
The already cold atmosphere turned freezing. Just as Sona was about to angrily kick him out, Ethan spoke up: "President Sona, I'm actually here to explain the situation regarding the contracts..."
Sona took a deep breath, suppressing her irritation. She wanted to see what kind of excuse he had. She was technically "first in line," yet Ethan had been inseparable from Rias, helping her constantly and even signing a contract with her. Sona didn't necessarily want to force him into a contract, but his avoidant attitude had pissed her off.
Now that the Rating Game was over and Ravel had joined his side, there was no need to keep the truth of the Soul Contracts a secret anymore. Thus, Ethan explained everything that had happened since the succubus incident. Since the Council already knew about the succubus break-in, the explanation went smoothly.
"So, that's how it is," Ethan said, taking a sip of the water Tsubaki handed him to soothe his throat. "It's not that I don't want to sign with you, it's that I can't right now."
Understanding the nature of the Soul Contract, Sona couldn't stay mad. She was a rational person and immediately began weighing the pros and cons.