"Legally he can do whatever he wants, but yeah I'm very sure. There is one thing I want, and it's the school, but...

"...Dai, I presume you know about my boyfriend."

"...the demon," he says, and then covers his mouth with both hands, widening his eyes in belated realisation of what he just said. To a man who does in fact control his future, right here.

...he actually cracks up. "Yes, the Shikiri Demon," he says, grinning.

Uh. Uh. Uh? Okay, Tōkan is... not mad.

He's not, no.

"Well, my father is hoping my reputation will go down the toilet with these legal proceedings against him—and they're bullshit, by the way, and I have Ōta & Ōta in my corner—"

Dai gasps again. Apparently that had not yet made its way to the public grapevine.

"—or that I will shape up, leave Inori, and become a proper heir. Or something. Well, fuck that. I'm gonna stick with Inori."

"Why, uh, did you even want to talk, then?"

"I wanted to figure out what exactly was going on here between you two and clearly what's going on is that my father has the price of your soul and is loudly and conspicuously debating whether he'll buy it while giving me furtive glances to see if I'll stop him. Have I mentioned that's a shitty thing to do to someone? You're not a thing, Dai, and your soul shouldn't be for sale, and he shouldn't be the one with the power to buy it.

"So here's the deal. I want him to make you his heir, but I want the school—"

"Ah, there's the catch."

"—do you want the school?"

"...uh... not... specifically..."

"I want the school. He's doing a shit job with the school, and I want to make it not shit, and also, you know, shape the next generation of elite alphas who'll rule the country and all that shit."

"Well that's not concerning or anything."

"Are you one of those alphas who think omegas are sex toys?"

"Not... as such?"

"Good job on escaping that place's brainwashing, then! I want to make that shit stop. That's all.

"...and also, you know, maybe make the place not be a den of vipers vying for status and prestige and maybe make it a place where people can have a normal fucking time but we'll see how that goes."

Dai hasn't managed to come up with something to say to that when the waitress shows back up with their order, and then after having some calming tea he finally has something to say. "What do you want me to do?"

"Nothing in particular. I mean, if you have strong objections to me having the school then you know by all means tell me them but right now I just kind of, I don't know, want to right some of this world's wrongs. I don't want you to be in constant anxiety about this or pressured by your parents or whatever.

"What, uh, I will need though is for you not to mention this to Father. He might want to take it from you to spite me if he learns that I like you."

"What?"

"My father is a bad person! If you want I can go into his psychology here for you and why he thinks this is an okay way to be but I've known him all my life and trust me, the way for you to get what you want is to make it seem like I don't want it."

Dai runs a nervous hand through his hair. "What do you plan to do?"

"I'm going to figure out what strings he's pulling to make this farcical case not have been dropped within five minutes of being brought up and then I'm going to use that to get him to name you heir and let you go to America and also to give me the school."

Dai's face has gone through some very interesting motions during that little speech. "I'm not sure I'm prepared for that much politicking. —you were implying blackmail there, right, I'm not imagining it?"

"Oh yes, I was." Tōkan lifts the tea to his lips now that it's finally cool enough to drink and makes a delighted noise when he sips it. "This is very good tea."