Meimei didn't cry from the first performance! No really, she didn't! She didn't shed a tear from the instrumentals, she didn't start weeping at the vocalist who was clearly singing about the noble demon she loved, and she didn't get absolutely PISSED that Amudacus had the GALL to say it wasn't absolutely perfect in every single way! No, she wasn't mad! She really wasn't!

And now she had to start watching this show with impartialness! Keep it together woman, you were made to judge. Remove all negative emotions … and breathe out. Now she would watch this play … with complete serenity. The curtains shifted … and out came a woman with a pink robe and a white mask.

The curtains didn't open, it was just her coming out. Sitting down, she gently strummed her instrument, a shamisen. Gently a slow and simple melody played. This was it? Where was the dramatism? It was a war right?

The strings seemed off for a moment, and she had to focus and realize why. They were using the sound to channel magic, the color of the curtains changing as they began to slowly move, but not open, as if dancing tentatively. Quickly unseen instrument joined, quickly building into a frantic passion wishing to be shared with the world.

The curtains were thrown apart to reveal … just that. A world, covered in rainbow petals, a forest of beauty with a castle in its center. Paint was splattered across the sky.

War of Love: Act 1

Oh, a musical this time. Well, hopefully this one wouldn't be so soul shattering and make her want to find whoever the hero from the first performance was in real life and give them a hug.

The masked lady expanded her wings and gave them a shake, flying while remaining both sitting and playing. "Our tale begins." She stated. Oh, it was normal talking with musical accompaniment. Very well then. "With a love, so young, so beautiful, yet ending so tragically." Oh come on! She needed to have some water left in her eyes after this!

"And who is to start this story off, but with a knight, dedicated to their queen." On stage walked a knight with … pink armor?

The Inflamed One

"WHYYYYYYY!?"


Asmodeus could only facepalm at the sight on the stage. "Ah, what exactly is this play about again?" Izuku asked as he sat down by his friends. Izuku finally got out of his mental funk again and was sandwiched between Eiko and Clara. The boy's recent reality check made him extra jittery around the former, who clinged to his arm as she always did, oblivious to the full impact of what her song did to Izuku, and the rest of the crowd.

Though that didn't matter as much as the current situation: The Asmodeus name was about to be utterly dragged through the mud. "We'll as far as I can tell, it's about how all of us die in a ball of embarrassment." He stated. "Gaako, would you like to double down on that?"

"You're moms gonna find out." … Well he can kiss his happiness goodbye. "Also my dad is never going to let me live this down."

"Come on, it'll be fun." Eiko spoke, watching the boy on screen enter a castle and kneel before queen Dosanko. "… Casting could have been better."

"My royal hotness, my ever burning love, why have you intruded into my private quarters?" The Eyestalk actually said that with a threatening voice. "One mustn't disturb my daily worship. The Love Bunny is cruel as he is merciful."

"Oh come on! I didn't get that title till the war ended!" Izuku buried his face into his hands. "And why is she worshiping me like I'm a deity?"

"I wasn't in the war at all, clearly they went off script." Asmodeus muttered.

"My dominatrix queen, trouble brews on the horizon." Asmodeus wanted to cry. "The right winged Bird makes an approach to the neutral territory of the impenetrable castle. An army of thousands makes way, fur and feathers left in their wake."

"Oh, and they seek my help? Is the wandering swordsman, fluffes, unsure about victory?" Gaako groaned and banged her head against the arm rest. He patted her head as condolence, the scales smooth in his hand.

"I'm afraid not. The Queen of Beasts, the false spirit of the forest, approaches. She marches on with threats of conquest, all the land blessed by the Love Bunny threatens to decay into nothing if I don't advance now."

"I'm not even mad, they portrayed me perfectly." Kerori spoke without a hint of remorse.

"Why am I called fluffles?" Goemon asked.

"Better than being called feathers." Kaumi grumbled. "They make me sound like some sort of pet!"

"Better a pet than Love Bunny." Izuku groaned. "That name is never going to leave now." Eiko scooted closer to him.

"Don't worry, your little hamster is here to make you feel more comfortable." Izuku actually squealed at that, which caused the girl to blink in confusion. Wow, complete roll reversal there.

"If you're to leave me, embrace me one last time." What? "I need your fire to warm me through this cold winter. I need your body to lavish me with all that molten passion you've promised me." Molten pass..oh no. No, no!nonononononononono!

"Uh, this is pg rated, right?" Gaako asked.

Eiko pulled out the guideline sheet. "Let's see .. mhm … I see …" she flipped a page. "Interesting … right."

"You memorized it, why are you doing that?"

"Trying to hold off telling you there are no ratings as long as you can keep it beautiful and entertaining." No! NO!

"I HAVE TO KILL THEM NOW!" Azz leapt out of his seat, but something froze his feat to the ground.

"I will not be disqualified from Azz of all people! Restrain him!" Kerori shouted, already using ice as the others grabbed him. Those monsters! Don't do this to him!

"This is why I'm only nice to Izuku, you know!"


Amaryllis smiled, giddy to record it as the knight went on his journey. "They went to third base …" She could hear Inko mutter.

"Oh, so you knew about my little Cotton Candy's budding relationship? Oh Inko, I thought I knew you." She teased, the eye roll from Inko was so worth it.

"Their one request was to make sure their parents don't find out." She replied.

"That's my daughter, already having a pet to overthrow me … they grow up so fast." The king shed a genuine tear.

"Ugh, you and your dom kink." Peach muttered, looking at Amaryllis. "Kidnapping me isn't the only reason why we never dated." Oh, that would be a problem in the long run. It was always nice to establish dominance so you could agree.

"I see you've made it." The voice of Kalego spoke. "After Class A's performance, I felt it necessary to check on you, Inko. I hope it wasn't too painful for you." The man actually talked in what some could say a caring tone to the mother as he sat down next to Inko.

… Okay, maybe her cotton candy was onto something. He was never this nice to people.

"Oh I'm fine … it was just so sudden is all … this is actually warming me back down, it's quite interesting."

"I am the wandering samurai, Gaaaaarp the fuzzzzy! Who dares to approach this kingdom of juuuustice and hooooonooooor!?"

"Kaw! Kaw! Feathers serve Samurai till the end! Feathers serve only Fuzzy!"

"This is probably driving those Misfits insane … Class B has my vote." Inko giggled at that.

"We'll know that you've confirmed her safety, do you plan on staying?" Henri asked with a glare.

"I could say the same thing to the father of a second year student." Oh come on! There was never this much competition with Alice's father! Where was he nowadays anyway?

"This is our special Father-daughter time. We're bonding very closely." Henri pointed to his daughter, who was curled up in her seat, cradling an Izuku doll in her arms.

"It's okay Izzy-kun, it's alright. I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you. No need to cry, not to hurt yourself ever again. I'll help you stand. I'll help you walk. I'm your rock. Please stand by me..please keep standing by me.." Huh, so that's why Eiko was so determined about that three-way.

"Where I come from, we have an expression called the more the merrier." Inko said with a smile.

'What kind of messed up culture is that?' Thought everyone, barring one exception.

"Yep, when you have more people it's more food and more fun. I still have so many questions for Kalego-sensei." Valac already changed into her tux.

"Ah, no need for singing, Valac-chan! We don't want to mess up the student's fun!" Inko pacified the woman.

"I have been stabbed!" They all blinked in confusion, turning to the pink knight. "It pains me so, to never know again the sweet tender touch of my queen's lips!"

"You were born on the wrong side. I can heal your injuries … if thou bows before me, oh inflamed knight."

"Never! Thy Icy gaze is no match for my dom queens eternal sexiness! I'd rather die before submitting to any queen other than my sensual lover! You could never hope to compare!" Oh yes, she was very glad this was recorded.


Gaako watched as, for the next thirty minutes, the 'sexy dragon queen' continued to be violent from the fall of her lover, destroying forest after forest. She was resigned of course, Calamity Cult gets you called crazy … but this was too far! "Oh come on! I know I was a little scary in my Wicked Phase, but I wasn't a sex-hungry lizard that killed everything in my path!"

"..." She could feel stares, turning to see Picero and Goemon silently looking at her.

"What, I wasn't."

"You called Azz your boy toy."

"You'd tried to rip the throats out of anyone that even mentioned his name."

"You also built a lava bridge for the sole purpose of dropping it to sacrifice enemies and allies alike."

"You kept eating all the boar and tigers alive, skin, bone, and all."

"And you did get really horny after getting exposed to Midnight Special." Kerori, you bitch! To think you were once the same girl she could count on to be sane!

"You got horny too!"

"And I embrace my mistakes. I got to be queen of animals … people still refuse to bow however." Kerori looked at the group.

"My life is ruined!" Gaako shouted as she put her head in her hands. Azz gently patted her back, it felt warm and nice.

"Don't worry, at least your presence still commands respect. That's more than what can be said about my life now." Azz rolled his eyes. "Though I don't exactly mind being known as your 'inflamed knight.'"

"You're known as her lover." Eiko corrected.

"Don't ruin the moment." Gaako and Azz retorted simultaneously. "And you're not so secret yourself." Azz continued.

"What, all I said in that song was how much I wanted to help Izu. What else is there?"

"What about all the imagery of holding him tightly and longing for him as the boy caught a minor panic attack?" Jazz retorted. The boy in question blushed and looked away.

"Izu did what now?" Eiko looked at her crush. "You know what I was saying, right? You'll always have me by your side, you know that, right?"

"Yeah...I know.." Izuku was having a hard time trying to look her straight in the eye. "I...know so much now." To think Gaako just got used to him being the oblivious one.

"Stop this ceaseless war!" The loud voice let them turn to a fuzzy and ethereal Skvader on stage. "So says I, Love Bunny!"

"... So I'm a god now." Izuku spoke in the most done tone she's ever heard from someone.

"I shall build a temple in your honor." Schnieder sounded a hundred percent serious.

"War is never the answer, it leads to violence, peace is the truest-" The man was cut off as her horrid duplicate on stage, using a talisman, shoved the love bunny into a well. "I appear to be falling to my doooooooom! Remember loooooove!" Okay, didn't see that one coming.

"If I can't love, then no one can! There will be no peace, only eternal war until every last life is dead!" Dosanko laughed maniacally as the world of the stage started flickering, as if the sky was flashing multiple colors of light as the sun started to die. The ground shook, the trees shriveled, the ground grew gray and decayed.

"Okay, so that happened." Azz was the only one who could speak at the moment. "... Would you destroy the world if I passed?"

"Huh, I didn't think about it before." Gaako took a minute to pause in self reflection. "Maybe half of it, but I'd leave SOME people alive."

"...I'm adding this to the reasons to become Demon King." Izuku muttered. "Eiko, write that down to remind me."

"Done." She responded in an instant, already having a full memorized list in her head.


The play finally took an end as the performers and stage crew bowed. That was super fun, really nice to laugh at as well. Brought Robin back up. "Alright then, time for our scores!" The judges all grabbed a ballot, holding it dramatically with a drumroll, supplied by Amducias of course, before showing it to the crowd.

"A five from Meimei-sama, a six from Cuppa-sama, and … a three from Amducias." Oh yeah, super critical. The four might actually be the best he was going to give all night. At least this didn't infuriate him like the last one. That was a super-not fun move.

"You, the lead!" Amducias pointed a finger. "I honestly have no real complaints. Your presence is strong and commanding, and I feel how despair can lead demons to craziness, but the others were too weak. You stole the show far too much for anyone else to shine."

"I understand sir, I'll try to be less sexy next time." She bowed. That was sexy?

"You, you ran backgrounds right? It was incredible artwork and an eye for tapestry, but I occasionally noticed a splotch here or there. Try to make sure when you focus on changing a specific part, or keeping it up, you don't lose focus on the finer details in other sections."

"Got it." No one was surprised at the former crow being super nitpicky. If the last performance couldn't move him, nothing would.

"You, the love bunny!" He pointed at the one demon. "... I'm going to be honest, you showed up to just die, that's a Deus Ex Machina at its worst."

"Damn it! I knew we should've kept the original ending!" A blonde student shouted out. "But no, everyone was too uncomfortable depicting an orgy!" Ah...that's just wrong. Just...what the hell?

"Speaking of, the sex scene." Everyone gulped. "... Would have been better male on male, but that's personal bias, so I won't judge you." Not what Robin was expecting in all honesty.

Cuppa looked at the lead strummer, who played the instrument the whole time. "Your really good kid, kept up the melody even during the ruff patches, give me your number and I'll get back to you."

"Of course, thank you!" Bowed a blue haired demon.

Everyone waited for Meimiei's comment. After all, she was the only other judge that didn't give an answer. "You already used music through the whole thing, it just felt right to make it a musical." She shrugged. Wow, somehow that was really critical and petty at the same time.

"I knew we should've spent less time praising the false empress during rehearsal." A pink haired demon pouted.

Eventually they all left, the chattering among demons was much lighter than it was before.

"So our kids fought in a war?"

"Lucky! I never did anything that fun during my time at Bablys!"

"I don't know whether to laugh at the hilarity of the play, or to laugh at the absurdity that this is mostly based on something that happened less than two months ago."

Oh yeah, this was a definite improvement.