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On Anos and Le Fay's side—
If you're going shopping, you go to the mall.
"Whoa…"
Le Fay stood in front of an entire wall of games, her mouth slightly open in awe.
"So," Anos asked casually, "what kind of genre are you into?"
He only had one silent hope.
Please don't say boys' love.
Please don't say boys' love.
PLEASE PLEASE Please don't say boys' love.
The idea of the girl walking beside you secretly imagining you paired off with some other guy was… emotionally devastating.
"I think magical girl games would be amazing!"
Le Fay shot her hand up excitedly.
If you're a magical girl, you have to play magical girl games. That was a matter of principle.
"I can recommend a few."
Anos thought for a moment.
"Anos-onii, you're the best~"
She wrapped herself around his arm with complete familiarity.
The real reason he was recommending titles was simple.
He was trying to protect her.
The magical girl genre was a minefield.
He had no intention of watching a bright, hopeful magical girl get emotionally nuked into something dark and tragic.
Step one. Nothing adult-rated.
Very important.
"Hm?"
As they entered the magical girl section, Anos spotted a familiar figure.
Black twin-tails. Rose-colored eyes scanning the shelves with intense focus.
Then her hand trembled slightly as she picked up a particular game.
Anos caught the cover out of the corner of his eye.
Tentacle x Magical Girl: Corruption Fall.
"…Right."
He decided it was safer to increase the distance.
So that's her thing?
What could he even say? A Demon King's tastes were beyond mortal comprehension.
Most people who bought that genre self-inserted as the tentacles.
She, without question, was self-inserting as the magical girl.
Anos suddenly remembered an old saying he'd once heard.
Newcomers to NTR stories imagine themselves as the betrayed boyfriend. Veterans imagine themselves as the homewrecker. True masters imagine themselves as the heroine torn between love and desire.
So Serafall was in the final tier, huh?
"Anos-onii? That big sister looks like she found something interesting, Can I see what she's holding?"
Le Fay had noticed her too.
Serafall wasn't in her magical girl outfit today, so Le Fay hadn't recognized her at first glance.
"No, absolutely not."
Anos answered with grave seriousness.
That direction led straight into the abyss.
He wasn't letting her take even one step toward it.
"Hm?"
Serafall, still riding her excitement, suddenly felt eyes on her and turned.
"Oh! You're Sona-chan's…!"
She recognized him instantly.
The guy from the student council photo that sat framed in Sona's room. The one in the center.
They had even met yesterday.
"But the girl next to him isn't…"
Then something much worse occurred to her.
The girl beside him—
Wasn't that the one she had chased yesterday?
Why was she with him now?
Were they together?
Did that mean Anos had been working with the so-called terrorists all along? Was yesterday staged?
In the span of seconds, Serafall constructed an elaborate conspiracy. Anos is getting close to Sona to earn her trust. Hidden agendas. Secret alliances.
In a certain sense, she wasn't entirely wrong.
Just not entirely right either.
"Relax, Serafall."
Anos could tell from her expression that she was spiraling into dramatic overthinking.
"Hmph! You deceived Sona-chan. As a Demon King, I shall judge you!"
Apparently, she wasn't in the mood for logic.
"You say that," Anos replied dryly, "but you're the one browsing Tentacle x Magical Girl: Corruption Fall. Are you really in a position to act righteous?"
"…!"
Serafall froze.
She had disguised herself specifically to avoid being recognized, It wasn't that she was ashamed of her hobby.
She just didn't want people to know about it.
Otherwise, she could have sent someone else to buy it.
"I think I should introduce you to Vali," Le Fay said earnestly. "He's not aligned with the Old Maou faction."
She had now recognized Serafall as a Demon King But she wasn't afraid.
After all, Vali's group hadn't committed any terrorist acts yet.
And as for figures like Katerea Leviathan or Shalba Beelzebub—
Those were dealt with only after their rebellion was confirmed.
"Aligned with? What do you mean aligned with?"
Compared to Vali's reputation, that phrase caught Serafall's attention far more.
If someone was "aligned" with the Old Maou faction—
That meant they were doing something dirty.
"Well, aligned with means…"
---
A few minutes later, Le Fay had enthusiastically explained her entire understanding of Vali's character.
And, in the process, exposed quite a bit about the Old Maou faction's internal situation.
Anos felt his eyebrow twitch.
He silently offered prayers for those unfortunate extremists.
They had just been discovered far earlier than in the original timeline.
Would they be crushed ahead of schedule?
"The Old Maou faction still hasn't given up…"
Serafall's playful demeanor vanished.
She needed to speak with Sirzechs and Ajuka immediately.
"Hey, you forgot your game."
Anos picked up the box Serafall had hastily put back.
It was a classic, after all.
She'd clearly been interested.
It would be a shame if she missed the experience.
"…Mm."
She stared at the cover.
Hesitated.
Then, cheeks flushed, quietly tucked it into her coat.
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