Investigation Initiation

Rimuru POV

I'm currently working through all the records that Sullivan gave me access to, and let me tell you, it's a lot! So many financial and attendance records, endless seas of words on paper. It's nostalgic and annoying at the same time, making me think of home. It's not as boring though since instead of the normal drudgery I'm used to, this stuff has a more interesting purpose.

I sense someone running in the hallway toward the door to the room I'm in and I quickly notice that it's Iruma. He seems pretty frantic about something. It doesn't take long before he's bursting through the door, looking desperate and panicked.

"Rimuru, we have a big problem!" Iruma shouts as he rushes through the door frantically.

"What's up?" I ask calmly.

"This Ronove guy is going to try to dissolve the Student Council! He wants to create a new one where he's in charge!" Iruma sputters out in between his gasps for air. He must've run to get here.

Him again?!

I let out an irritated sigh, not wanting to deal with that buffoon again.

"Oh great…that guy?"

"You know about him already?" Iruma asks, looking confused.

"Yeah, I ran into him once while helping the Council. He tried to coax me into joining his battler, but I said no since he was so annoying. I also didn't want to go back on my word either, since I promised Ameri I'd become a member of the Student Council." I briefly explain.

"What are we going to do?! He had a big list of signatures from people who want the Student Council to be disbanded! With how she is right now, I'm not sure how Ameri can defend herself!"

I sigh again and set down what I was working on.

"This is exactly what I warned her about…"

"What?" asks Iruma.

"If that many people want to take her down, that's a consequence of how she ran things. I told her how ruling primarily with fear and dominance isn't sustainable, but she didn't listen to my advice. You personally saw how things are run in Tempest; my people adore me for what I did for them, they aren't simply terrified of my strength. If anything, they take comfort in it as it shows I have the power to back up what I say."

"That doesn't mean that she needs to lose her job as President of the Student Council…" Iruma mutters in protest.

"Maybe it does," I say seriously.

"Wha-…how could you say that?!" sputters Iruma.

I sigh, "Mistakes have consequences, she'll learn from this in the long run. Although…I wouldn't exactly like to have Ronove in charge of the student body…"

"So are you going to help? Please, Rimuru, I don't want Ameri to lose her position, she cares so much about it!" Iruma pleads desperately.

What do you think, Ciel? Does that guy have what it takes to actually bring Ameri down? He doesn't seem to be smart enough to do that.

[[It is highly unlikely that the individual Ronove Romiere will successfully usurp the Student Council President position, Master.]]

Great to know, thanks, Ciel.

Still, this definitely moves him up my suspect list. Ronove now has made it clear he has a motivation to cause this and is benefiting from Ameri's current condition. I'll have to keep a closer eye on him.

"I really don't think it's my place to get too involved…let's see how things play out and I'll do something if it looks like I'll need to. I'm already dealing with this investigation so I'll leave the election stuff to you, Ameri, and the rest of the Student Council for now."

"Okay…but please do something if it seems like Ameri is going to lose!" Iruma pleads.

"We'll see, Iruma. I think you should have more faith in your girlfriend. I bet she'll shake that spell off like nothing in no time and stop Ronove from stealing her spot without my help."

"If you say so…and she's not my g-girlfriend!" Iruma says insistently, pink spotting his cheeks.

At least he's not looking so upset now; a little teasing to distract Iruma from his worries.

"Hahaha…you better get back to her now, I have work to do," I say as I gesture towards the door.

"But…I…she's not…" Iruma begins to protest, still flustered from me calling Ameri his girlfriend.

The only response I give to Iruma's complaining is an exaggerated wink before gently pushing him out the door without another word.

Iruma POV

Why does Rimuru always call Ameri that…

"Well, Rimuru isn't wrong, you know Iruma-boy. That girl of yours might as well be your girlfriend!" I hear a playful voice come from right next to me.

"Wha-...Ali?!" I ask, looking down at my ring. He's popped out with no warning, startling me.

"Yes, it's me, your trusty companion! Here to help you in your time of need!" he says cheerfully as he floats up to eye-level with me.

"Can you help with this mess? How? Can you remove that spell that's affecting Ameri?" I ask, hoping that he can fix Ameri.

"Oh, no, that's nearly impossible. If Rimuru can't do it, I surely don't have a chance at all! I know some of what that fellow is capable of and let me tell you, I'm nothing in comparison." Ali says with a chuckle, dashing my hopes.

"Oh…"

Wait…how can he possibly know more about Rimuru than me? I guess what I've seen might be enough for Ali to know that Rimuru is superior to him…yeah, that must be it.

"Don't look so down Iruma-boy! It doesn't mean I can't advise you on what to do! Be there for your girl in her time of need, swoop in, and be her knight in shining armor! You've already done something similar when Ronove was making moves on her! You stepped in, took her back, and showed him that Ameri is your woman!"

"That's not why I did that! He was being rude to her…I couldn't just stand there and watch that…" I protest.

"That's not how she saw it though, I saw how her eyes lit up when you saved her from that menace!" Ali speaks. If he had a mouth, I bet he'd be grinning widely at me.

"Stop teasing me!" I say, trying to hide my embarrassment.

"If you insist, kiddo. Still, until Ameri gets over that nasty case of magic, you should be there for her."

"Yes, I've already decided to do that, Ali."

"That's great!"

"Hmm…what about that 'Missy' lady you mentioned? Do you think she can help?"

"T-there's no way I could ask her for anything with the mood she is in currently! I don't even want to think about what Miss C would do to me if I asked her for a favor right now…"

"Sorry I asked…"

He looks terrified of this 'Missy' person…I wonder who she is…it's really weird that he knows someone that I don't.

"Oh no, someone is coming!" Ali says frantically before disappearing back into the Gluttonous Feeder Ring.

I look in the direction Ali did before retreating and see a man approaching. I recognize him; it's Ameri's scary dad, Henri Azazel. We lock eyes and he seems to speed up, now making a beeline for me.

"Iruma! Tell me, where is my daughter?! I need to see her!" he demands desperately, grabbing me and shaking me by the shoulders.

"I-I can take you to her!" I respond.

"Quickly." Henri insists, finally letting go of me after a tense moment.

Mr. Azazel seems very upset about something; I bet he heard about what happened to Ameri. She's said he's very protective and overbearing in the past and I can see that side of him right now.

I lead him right to the Student Council's room where I knew Ameri was the last time I saw her.

Henri POV

I hurried to Babyls' campus as soon as I could get out of work. I was 'kindly' informed by Rimuru about what happened to my daughter.

"Ameri's personality has been altered by someone unknown, the school is investigating, figured you should know as her father and police in case it's someone like Kiriwo."

That's all she said over the phone before abruptly hanging up.

I came as soon as I could and quickly ran into someone who should know where Ameri is currently; the human boy she's taken a liking to.

"Iruma! Tell me; Where is my daughter?! I need to see her!" I demand, desperate to see my daughter after hearing that she was hurt by someone.

"I-I can take you to her!" Iruma responds, evidently shaken by how aggressive I'm being.

I back off a little, realizing that I'm letting my emotions get the best of me.

"Quickly." I insist, urging the boy to hurry.

I start following him through Babyls. He nervously looks back at me a few times but keeps up a decent enough pace.

"S-she's in there, I think," Iruma says shakily as he gestures at the door to one of the rooms.

I swiftly open it and go inside.

"F-father!" Ameri calls out when she notices me.

She's changed; I can already tell. Whatever was done to her has mellowed her out drastically.

How troubling…

"Ameri!" I rush forward to hug and comfort her. She accepts it gratefully, embracing it.

"I heard about what happened! Are you alright? Have they figured out a way to remove the spell?" I ask as I pull out of the hug but stay close.

"Th-they said it will w-wear off on its own over time...the teachers did…" she explains quietly.

The students in the room, outside of Ameri, realize that I want to have a personal moment with my daughter and step out without me asking.

I talk with Ameri for a few minutes and she tells me about how she's scared and worried and I reassure her that everything will be alright. After ensuring her safety, I step outside the room with a head full of troubling thoughts.

What if the teachers are wrong and this change is permanent?

It's disturbing to think about, but a small part of me would be okay with that…no, that is not something I should accept!

I have to admit, though, that a small shred of me misses the days when my precious daughter would run to me for comfort, rely on me as her father, and not be as independent as she is nowadays. The Ameri I interacted with a moment ago reminded me of those pleasant times of the past when my little girl was still a little girl and not the strong young woman she's become.

How selfish of you Henri…how dare you even consider preferring your daughter to stay like this!

I'm angry…angry at myself for thinking this way. It's absolutely disgusting! I need to resolve this case and help my daughter return to normal, that's my duty as her father!

I look and see that I'm being watched by the children that kindly stepped out for my interaction with Ameri, so I hide the internal conflict I'm having. It's a simple task, really, hiding my emotions in most cases. Someone in my line of work must be good at that art in order to do their job properly.

I must find out what countermeasures Lord Sullivan is taking and what their plan is for finding the responsible party. I think I heard something about a staff meeting from a passing janitor along the way; I should attend that so I can see what that man is doing about this predicament.

Third Person POV

The day continues, with Rimuru narrowing down the suspects and Iruma sticking by Ameri's side and offering her support. Rumors have begun to spread about something happening to Ameri Azazel; a model student, President of the Student Council, and daughter of one of the Thirteen Crowns.

Sullivan, realizing that he can't let things continue like this, calls all the teachers into a meeting at the end of the day once classes are over. Only a few of them are already aware of exactly what's going on with the rest only having heard bits and pieces.

The students are all gossiping and order within Babyls is already starting to show cracks under the weight of the unrest caused by this situation. Ameri surely isn't solely responsible for stability among the student body, but her influence is definitely an influential factor.

After a few minutes of waiting for everyone to arrive, Sullivan stands up and raises one hand to silence everyone. The room goes quiet and all the teachers direct their attention to the tall old man at the head of the room. They can all tell that Sullivan is serious, something he normally isn't.

"As many of you have probably heard, one of our students has been unwillingly altered by magic, cast on her by an unknown person. After the incident that happened at the Battler Party, I am giving this issue the utmost attention. This was a direct, well-planned attack and we must find who is responsible."

Sullivan pauses for a moment, expecting questions but everyone remains silent.

"You may ask some questions if you like. I want everyone to properly understand the situation." He says to encourage questions from all the teachers.

Many of the teachers ask further questions which Sullivan calmly answers to the best of his ability.

As Sullivan is about to continue speaking, the door to the room opens, averting everyone's attention.

"May I participate in this meeting." Henri Azazel says as he steps into the room.

Sullivan is surprised by his sudden arrival since he hasn't gotten the chance to contact the man yet. His daughter is the student that's been affected by this incident so he planned on calling Henri as soon as this staff meeting was over, but here he is without prompting.

"Ah, Henri. Sure, go right ahead." Sullivan nods, trying to hide his confusion about how Henri found out about all this.

The meeting continues with Henri Azazel standing off to the side, leaning against the wall, and watching the teachers. He scans their expressions and reactions, looking for any indication of guilt in their body language.

He doesn't need to listen to Sullivan's words since he's already been informed about what happened. The student he already is suspicious of, Rimuru, surprisingly, contacted him right away thinking he should know since Ameri is his daughter. The main reason he's in this room is to gauge whether a staff member might be involved.

By the end of the meeting, Henri hadn't moved at all from his spot leaning against the wall. He remained silent throughout, simply observing and nothing else.

Sullivan, sensing that the man likely wants to talk with him, sticks around after the rest of Babyls' teachers leave the room and return to their classrooms.

Henri POV

"I suppose someone informed you of the situation and that's what brought you here, am I correct?" Sullivan asks, finally addressing me directly now that we are the only two demons in the room.

"Yes, it was Rimuru who let me know, actually." I reply.

"She did, did she?" Sullivan asks me, chuckling lightly.

"I was just as surprised as you. Does that mean that she's involved in this investigation?"

Sullivan chuckles proudly, "Rimuru is actually in charge of it. She was quite enthusiastic about finding the culprit herself, but I suppose she might appreciate your help."

"My…help?! B-but, Lord Sullivan, why would you put a student in charge of something so important?!" I ask, shocked that he would put someone like that in charge. I realize that Rimuru is very intelligent, but having a student piloting the whole investigation seems very Ill-advised to me.

"You are already aware of Rimuru's true position here at Babyls, so don't play dumb Henri. You know exactly why I trust Rimuru to take care of this herself." Sullivan adds in a serious tone.

Of course, that girl told him what she revealed to me…I should have known…

It doesn't make any sense to me why she'd want to investigate this incident; I know that Rimuru has promised to protect that human along with the school but nothing else.

"Lord Sullivan, please let me take over in this case. This is more my jurisdiction than Rimuru's; you know that. Ameri is my daughter for Netherworld's sake!" I plead. Even if I know some about Rimuru's capabilities, that doesn't mean I am comfortable with letting her head something so important related to Ameri.

"I can't do that; Rimuru said she wanted to investigate, so I agreed to it. I can't say no when my granddaughter is this 'enthusiastic' about something." Sullivan replies gravely.

I get the impression that he means something different than enthusiastic when Sullivan says that. If I were to guess, Sullivan meant 'I can't say no to a person like Rimuru; you should understand that.'.

Does that girl really have that much influence over this man; one of the strongest demons in the Netherworld?

This thought immediately makes me raise my guard since Sullivan is not easily swayed. He may act carefree most of the time but I have seen his serious and intimidating side as well. He's no pushover, that's for certain. How much influence does she have?

"I suppose I should approach her about working together then. Where is Rimuru right now?" I ask.

Sullivan leads me down the hallways until we arrive at the room I assume he allowed Rimuru to use for the purposes of this investigation.

The room I walk into is filled with papers, stacks upon stacks scattered around. I wouldn't call it disorderly, but it's far more chaotic and intimidating to look at than I would prefer for such an important case.

Seated in the middle of it all is exactly the person I was expecting; Rimuru.

She's rifling through various papers, shuffling them around and looking at their contents before setting them in different stacks. Rimuru doesn't even seem to have noticed my arrival since she hasn't bothered to look in my direction, insteadRimuru is continuing to work as if she's still alone.

"Need something, Henri?" She abruptly asks while still not looking up from the many papers in her hands and surrounding her.

How did she know it was me without looking? Her back is to me so there's no way Rimuru could have seen who I was…

"Yes, I've come to help," I respond.

"Help? No thanks." Rimuru says in a flat, dismissive tone.

"But this pertains to my daughter and her safety, I insist on being directly involved in this investigation!" I reiterate vehemently.

Rimuru sighs and sets down the stack in her hands before finally looking up at me.

"When I told you about what was going on, it wasn't so you would rush here to help. I've got things under control and I don't need any help, okay? I understand you're protective of Ameri and are very capable as an investigator since that's literally your job, but I really don't need anyone's help on this."

I push forward, wanting to take command, "Why is that? There shouldn't be any reason for you to refuse help from someone like me if you truly want to solve this."

In a monotone response from Rimuru, "My reason is that I simply want to do this on my own; nothing more, nothing less."

I give Rimuru a stern, resolute glare. There is no way I won't get involved in something so crucial that involves my daughter. Rimuru doesn't seem bothered at all by my intensity like most people are which makes me feel mildly apprehensive. I know she claims to be a Demon Lord of all things, but still, it feels off-putting to not have my tried-and-true tactics work on someone.

After an awkward moment of silence with the tension being thick enough to be cut with a knife, Rimuru finally responds.

"You're not going to take no for an answer, are you?" Rimuru asks, sighing deeply. "I suppose you could help out, but I'm still doing this my way so don't complain if it's not how you normally do this kind of stuff. You can help me sort through all these attendance records; I'm trying to rule out the people that couldn't possibly be responsible."

This is an opportunity for me to gauge Rimuru's intelligence…even though I would love to take charge right away, especially since my daughter is involved, I might as well see what this girl is planning first.

"Do you have anybody in particular that you are suspicious of?" I ask.

"I have a few…there's this one boy who seems to benefit the most from this, but I honestly think he's not the type to scheme like this. That doesn't rule him out though so he's still a top suspect. I'm also keeping an eye on the rest of the Student Council members. They seem very loyal to Ameri, they were the first people to find her in that state so there's a chance one of them is responsible, directly or indirectly."

"What do you mean by him benefiting the most?"

"He's currently trying to take down the Council in a dissolution election. Ameri being in her current state makes that exponentially easier for him. He was pretty quick to spring into action too, making him even more suspicious." she states as she switches out some paper.

"That is very troubling; my daughter takes great pride in being in charge of the Student Council. If someone were to take that away from her…"

"Yes, I know, she'd be devastated," Rimuru states in a uniform tone.

"A dissolution election shouldn't even be allowed when one of the parties is under the influence of a spell! I should go have a talk with Lord Sullivan about this!"

"If you want to, go ahead, it's not like I'm going to try to stop you. As far as I know, though, this election is a student matter so I don't think he'll step in and stop it."

"Ugh, I can't believe all of this! Taking advantage of the situation when my daughter is in a weakened state! It's absolutely deplorable!" I say, my voice beginning to rise in volume as I get further upset thinking about Ameri.

"Hey, I know you're super protective of Ameri, but calm down. I'll tell you the same thing I told Iruma, have a little more faith in Ameri. I think she'll pull through just fine in the end." Rimuru says calmly while wearing a blank expression.

"How can you possibly know that?!"

"I just do, okay?"

I don't understand how this girl can say that with so much confidence…

It doesn't make any sense to me. Rimuru is saying that as if she already knows what will happen with complete certainty like she can predict the future.

"Oh, did I say something that alarmed you?" Rimuru says with a slight grin, noticing my unease.

"Not at all," I say, letting out a light chuckle to hide my true feelings.

"Well, if you're going to help, we should get started on all this," Rimuru says while clapping their hands together and smiling widely. There's a glint of excitement in her eyes.

"Yes, we need to find out who is responsible as soon as we can," I reply, determined to get to the bottom of this.

I really need to keep my guard up around this person, she's just too hard to read…but for the sake of finding who hurt my precious little girl, I need to work with Rimuru.

**The Next Morning**

Rimuru POV

Iruma and I both ended up staying overnight at the school; Iruma so he could stay near Ameri and me so I can continue to work on the investigation. Henri helped me a lot that evening and was surprisingly efficient and reasonable. I guess I should've expected that from someone of his stature. I wasn't exactly thinking he'd be that cooperative with me taking charge, especially since Henri seemed so skeptical at the start, but he quickly accepted it and worked well with me. He's a capable man, that's for sure.

He left as it started getting late and I stayed behind for the night and skipped sleeping again. Iruma probably slept in the dorms the Student Council uses.

With the time I've put in, I've narrowed things down enough that I can start questioning some people today. Not just suspects, but people that might know what's required to create a spell like this. I did a bit of reading as well over the night (since Ciel isn't letting me access all the information she absorbed for me, she's still a little upset about me not letting her help with this), so I know that this is most likely not a type of spell that previously existed. It's something custom; a new invention by whoever created it.

You know, it wouldn't have been spoilers to let me access all that stuff from the library, Ciel.

[[Hmph.]]

Yup, she's definitely still mad.

Anyways…this means whoever is responsible has talent and intelligence, which will make things trickier.

I'm starting to get more concerned about this having possible connections to the 'back to basics' movement Babyls has had issues with in the past. Personality alteration…it's definitely concerning stuff. If used the right way, it could cause some real problems. I personally don't have anything to worry about, but if something drastic happens related to that, I'll have to do something drastic myself to fix it. Drastic enough that my identity would be revealed in the process, most likely. It would end up being the end of my fun in this place.

Well, I should just continue investigating just like I was before and try not to worry too much about that. It's only a possibility, not a certainty.

While brooding over this, my thoughts are interrupted by a sudden opening of the door to the room I haven't left since yesterday. I look over my shoulder and see that it's just Henri coming back after leaving for the night.

"You are here again awful early," Henri says dully.

"Here early? I didn't bother going home last night, actually." I reply.

"Where did you sleep then?!" Henri asks, surprised, his stoic expression shattering.

"I didn't."

"I am glad you are taking this so seriously, but…" Henri grumbles.

Is he actually concerned for me? I guess his paternal instincts are kicking in since he has a daughter that looks around the same age as me.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine."

Henri narrows his eyes at me skeptically for a moment before seemingly accepting it.

"Hey, can I ask you a few things?" I ask suddenly, wanting to move on from this awkwardness.

"What?" Henri asks, pushing up his glasses on his face.

"So… are there any other demon families that have a bone to pick with yours? Anyone that might want to hurt you or your family for any reason?" I point to some lists of names pinned to the wall across me*

"Well, as you probably are already aware, I have been investigating Baal ever since the battler party, but I don't see him doing something this sneaky…someone of my position has inevitably made some enemies along the way, but I don't know anyone in particular that would have the gall to attack my daughter in this way."

"Hmm…so no leads from that angle then? That's a shame."

I should probably just focus on the students and staff for now…it's unlikely anyone would be able to slip in from the outside and do this.

Henri POV

I came to Babyls first thing in the morning, expecting Rimuru not to even be here yet. I know for a fact that she was here late last night, so she would most likely sleep in this morning, but somehow Rimuru got here before I did, working away in the same place I left her.

Rimuru claims to have not slept, and I would normally be concerned for someone's health if they said that, but she shows no signs of fatigue. It's baffling; maybe it has something to do with her being a Demon Lord? I'm still not fully convinced she truly is one of those monstrosities.

Then, she started probing me for personal information about my family and its ties with the others of the Netherworld. This could have just been for the investigation, but I can't let my guard down around Rimuru despite her innocent appearance. She could easily be trying to gather intel on me and Ameri for unknown nefarious purposes. But, then again, I'm doing the same with her in a way. Part of my reasons for going along with her plans is so I can gather vital information about Rimuru and assess how big of a threat she is.

Despite the friendly interactions we're having, I feel like we're playing mind-games with each other, trying to get a read on the other party as we seemingly work together on something completely separate. It's honestly exhausting.

**A Little Later**

Rimuru POV

I step outside after hearing a commotion and find what can only be described as a mess.

"The Disciplinary Battler's noble President, I, Ronove Romiere have declared a one-on-one battle with the Student Council!" Ronove declares from the ostentatious stage he and his crew have set up in one of the main hallways of Babyls.

I watch on from a distance, skeptical of what the boy is doing. He's drawn in quite the crowd with that attention-bending magic he has.

"Once I have the honor of becoming the Student Council President, I will cut our class days in half and we'll go on vacation instead! More recreation spots on campus and tests will be eliminated for good!"

Are you serious?!

I know the Student Council President position has some influence on how the school runs, but there's no way anything close to that would be allowed.

"We'll have a juice fountain; a tree that grows meat! But, what we'll have the most of is fun!"

Okay, now he's just talking nonsense.

A tree that grows meat does sound appealing though, even if it's weird…I wonder if I could make something like that?

Realizing that I'm getting distracted, I shake my head a little and continue listening to Ronove's nonsense. There's no way he's capable of anything he's proposed so far.

"Say, Ronove…?" A student asks, raising his hand.

"Yes, I am he!"

"Can you…actually do all that stuff?" the boy asks.

Finally, someone is seeing through Ronove's bullshit!

"I make no promises!" Ronove declares with absolute confidence.

There's an awkward moment of silence.

"What?" the crowd collectively asks in disbelief.

"I've never made a promise in my life!" he continues.

I facepalm at his answer.

Ugh…at least he admits it…

Almost immediately the crowd begins to disperse.

"Wait!" Ronove pleads.

Everyone stops, their attention grabbed again by Ronove's bloodline magic. I roll my eyes at this, but I think it might actually have to do with that stupid magic of Ronove's. It makes me glad that I'm immune to that sort of thing.

"But, I, Ronove Romiere will be the best 'Ronove' possible!" Ronove declares, striking a pose for the collection of students.

What does that even mean?!

I feel like I'm going to get a headache from all this insanity…is this how Guy feels whenever I do something out of the ordinary? Probably…but I actually get stuff done, unlike this dude…wait, doesn't that make me worse? If we're talking from Guy's perspective, maybe, but in my opinion, that makes me better. I'm a capable leader that keeps his promises instead of making empty ones like Ronove.

[[Hmph…'capable'…]]

Hey! I'm a capable leader! I'm not as good of one without you, but I'm still decent!

[[Heh.]]

I swear…

"Because I am willing to take a chance and see if any of these things stick and strive to make Babyls as fun as can be! Which means…I will promise to gift you way more fun than the current Student Council ever allowed!" Ronove continues, interrupting my internal banter with Ciel.

The students all cheer, completely on board with this plan.

"I can't listen to this anymore…" I say out loud, getting sick of all this.

I give a quick glance to Ameri, who's standing on a much smaller stage/platform trying her very best to state her case to the students, but with how timid and quiet she is right now, people only seem to be listening out of pity.

Iruma and the Student Council members are standing nearby, looking troubled by the current state of things. I don't blame them; with what I'm seeing, things seem grim to me too. If it wasn't for Ciel's reassurances, I would think Ameri didn't stand a chance.

They seem to be trying to help her with cue cards and encouragement, but it's not enough for her to be like her normal self.