The sun rose gently over Tokyo, casting gold on a peaceful suburban apartment. A bird chirped on the windowsill before immediately flying off—because inside, Ragna Maou, ex-Demon Lord of the Thirteenth Infernal Plane, was wrestling with a necktie.
"I hate this thing!" he hissed, practically growling at his reflection. "It's like a noose! A fashionable, choking noose!"
"You wore spiked armor and blood cloaks for centuries," said Suzuki Sakura, ex-Hero of Light and now caffeine-addicted office lady. She tugged her blazer sleeve and checked her hair in the hallway mirror. "You can wear a tie for three hours."
"Why do I even have to go to this thing? It's just a kindergarten show-and-tell," Ragna muttered, finally giving up and letting the tie hang awkwardly like a limp snake. "We can't both go. We'll terrify the humans."
From the living room, their daughter poked her head up over the sofa back.
"I'm already in the car!" chirped Lily Maou, age five, possibly the most adorable—and dangerous—being in all existence. Her twin buns wiggled like antennae as she bounced up and down. "It's Parent Day, Daddy! You promised! You're gonna bring your Fire Chili Curry Bento and Mommy's gonna talk about taxes!"
Sakura coughed.
"Actually, I'm doing a short speech titled 'How to File For Divorce Without Exploding Your Partner's Head.'"
"…Is that directed at me?"
She smiled sweetly. "Would I ever?"
---
Shirakawa Kindergarten – 9:02 AM
The classroom was decorated with sparkles, streamers, and colorful crayon drawings. Rows of overly excited parents sat on tiny chairs clearly never meant for adult use.
Ragna took up an entire row by himself.
"I swear these chairs are made of toothpicks."
"Shh," said Sakura. "You're making the other dads nervous."
Indeed, the man beside Ragna was sweating bullets. Another father whispered to his wife, "Honey, the tall guy with the red eyes just ate a whole pepper raw. Should we… call someone?"
Across the room, Lily was waving her arms like an airport marshaller.
"Sensei! Sensei! These are my parents! My mommy slays monsters and my daddy slays… the wok!"
Sakura bowed politely. "Pleased to meet you."
Ragna simply gave a thumbs-up and his best human smile. Which, unfortunately, looked exactly like a warlord about to set a kingdom on fire.
---
The event began with a round of "What Do Your Parents Do?" speeches. One child's mom was a nurse. Another's dad worked at a ramen shop. Lily walked up holding a paper drawing of her parents holding weapons in one hand and a spatula in the other.
"My mommy used to fight evil with swords! Now she fights evil with spreadsheets!"
Laughter.
"My daddy used to rule Hell, but now he just rules the kitchen!"
Scattered laughter again.
"He still burns stuff though!"
More laughter. And then—
BOOOOM.
The classroom shook slightly. A few crayons rolled off the desks. A shimmer of magic pulsed in the air.
Sakura's eyes narrowed.
Ragna stood immediately.
From the far end of the classroom, a boy named Yuki stood up too—except his eyes had gone pitch black, and behind him, two "parents" flickered in their seats.
They weren't parents. Not anymore.
---
Scene Shift: Magical Combat in a Classroom
The mother's skin peeled like wet wallpaper, revealing a horned assassin in silk robes, eyes glowing violet. The "father" turned into a shadowbeast wielding a scythe. Children screamed. Teachers dove behind tables.
"You never could just blend in," Sakura sighed as she took off her blazer.
"Target confirmed," hissed the demon assassin. "Ex-Hero Suzuki Sakura and Ragna Maou. Eliminating the bloodline."
"Bloodline?" Ragna cracked his neck, flames flaring around his fists. "I'll show you bloodline when you're coughing yours out."
Sakura sighed. "You always get theatrical."
"YOU married me."
"...Touché."
---
Fight Time.
Ragna kicks a chair into the assassin's gut and charges through a row of cubbies, exploding in fire.
Sakura summons her spirit blade (camouflaged in her purse), glowing with pale gold.
The demon swings a burning scythe, but Lily casually halts the blade with a juice box straw she magically hardened.
"No hurting Sensei. I like her," Lily said cheerfully.
Ragna went full-blown Hellfire Chef Mode, conjuring molten chili oil from his palms. He smacked the shadow-beast with a sizzling wok to the face. "This kitchen's CLOSED!"
Meanwhile, Sakura caught the assassin mid-air with a paper attendance sheet turned into binding light chains. "Still allergic to holy paper, huh?"
"You think your kid is safe?" the assassin rasped. "The Nine Rings know. They will come."
Ragna slammed him into the blackboard. "Let them come. I've got a damn apron and a flamethrower."
The shadowbeast exploded into ash. The demon bled black mist, curling into nonexistence.
---
Post-Fight: Still in the Classroom
The teachers peeked out from the closet. Kids applauded. One yelled, "Encore!"
Lily stood in the center, holding up a crayon drawing of the entire fight like it had been part of the plan.
"Wasn't that AWESOME?" she beamed.
Sakura wiped soot from her skirt.
"I think we're gonna need to find her a new school."
---
That Evening at Home
Ragna sat in front of the stove, stirring curry while humming. Sakura typed reports on her laptop, sipping tea.
Lily, wearing a makeshift crown and magical princess cloak, declared, "Today was the BEST!"
"You're not freaked out?" Sakura asked gently.
Lily shook her head. "Nah. I've seen you guys do way scarier stuff. Like when Dad made octopus curry. That was truly evil."
"Hey!"
"But..." Lily looked down at her hands. "Is it okay that I... liked it? The fighting?"
Sakura and Ragna exchanged glances.
Ragna knelt beside her. "Lily. You're allowed to like what you like. What matters is why you fight. Never forget that."
Sakura ruffled her hair. "And we'll always be there to fight beside you. Or behind you. Or in the ceiling tiles."
Ragna nodded. "And definitely not during PTA meetings again."
"Yeah, I think we're banned," Lily giggled.
Next Episode Preview:
> "A hero, a demon, and a magical five-year-old walk into a parent-teacher conference. But next time, someone's watching them from the shadows. Lily's powers grow… and so does the danger."