The convenience store was quieter than usual that morning. Most of the mess from the rotten cup noodles had been cleaned—or at least shoved into corners where no one had to see it. Feria floated silently down the aisles with her clipboard, muttering notes about stock efficiency, while Bella slouched against a shelf, still pale from the lingering effects of Vario's food poisoning. Nyx, as usual, was bouncing around, trying to organize Pokémon cards in ways only she could understand.
Vario, however, was far from his usual commanding self. Though he was still slightly green-tinged from the previous disaster, he had discovered something new amidst the abandoned tech and random electronics the store had somehow accumulated over time. A sleek tablet, glowing faintly in the corner near the magazine racks, caught his sharp eyes.
"What… is this?" he muttered, tilting the device toward the light. His crimson eyes scanned the screen, and then he froze. "Humans call this… hentai?"
Bella's head shot up. "Wait. What?!"
"Yes," Vario replied, his usual imperious tone strangely calm, though his claws twitched with curiosity. "Apparently… this is considered a form of… entertainment. A cultural artifact. I must… observe."
Nyx practically bounced in place, grinning like a maniac. "Ohhh! Yes! This is perfect! Finally, some real… cultural education! Let's all watch together!"
Bella groaned, burying her face in her hands. "No, absolutely not. I am not doing this."
The Demon King, Vario, ignored her entirely. He propped the tablet against a stack of soda cans, a faint green-tinged mist curling from his still-recovering form. "Curiosity is natural. Knowledge is power. And I—shall—observe," he said, leaning in as if analyzing an ancient scroll rather than an animated adult video.
Feria hovered over, clipboard trembling slightly in her grip. "I… I was aware of human artistic depictions… but this… this exceeds anything in recorded history. Even my studies did not prepare me for this."
Nyx squealed, bouncing in place again. "Yes! Finally! Group cultural enrichment! I love this!"
Bella groaned louder. "I've survived cursed relics, armies of demons, rotten cup noodles, and even Vario's vape-induced chaos… and now this is what breaks me?"
Despite Bella's protests, others began creeping toward the screen. Drogan leaned over a shelf, curiosity overcoming his usual laziness. "Well… I am curious too," he admitted.
Varkos muttered from a shadowed corner, cheeks bright red. "I… I think I… I need some air…"
Arthos, still slightly drunk from the night before, slurred, "This… this is… art! Cultural art!"
Vario's claws hovered over the screen as he pressed play. The room was suddenly illuminated with the bright, vivid colors of the content. Everyone froze. The lights, the movement, the exaggerated expressions—it was shocking.
Nyx couldn't contain herself. "Ohhh my god! Look at that! What are they even doing?!" She doubled over laughing, clutching her stomach.
Bella buried her face in her hands, muttering, "I cannot believe I agreed to work here. Or live. Or exist."
Feria pinched the bridge of her nose, clearly struggling to maintain composure. "I… I cannot unsee this. This is… highly inappropriate… and educational, somehow."
Vario leaned forward, analyzing the content with the precision of a scholar. "Fascinating. Humans… have strange desires. Very… intricate. There is… strategy… technique… emotional nuance. Truly remarkable."
Nyx bounced, still laughing uncontrollably. "YES! Exactly! Cultural exchange! Group study! This is amazing! We're all learning something important!"
Bella groaned. "We're learning that we all hate our lives."
By mid-afternoon, the entire store had become a strange, chaotic lecture hall. Some leaned over, trying to understand Vario's analysis, while others covered their eyes or tried to sneak peeks. Varkos had retreated to a corner, muttering about how he would never recover. Drogan kept leaning closer, occasionally whispering comments. Nyx scribbled notes, presumably for a "Pokémon-card-hentai analysis," and even Bella, despite herself, found her curiosity pricked in tiny, uncomfortable ways.
Vario, still pale and coughing occasionally, finally gestured to the group with a claw. "All of you… observe. Study. Learn the complexities of human… desires. This is knowledge. Knowledge is power."
Bella groaned louder than ever. "Knowledge?! This is… insanity!"
Nyx clapped, still bouncing. "YES! This is the best day of my life! I love group studies! I love hentai! I love chaos!"
Even the Demon King's Blue Bull, left nearby, seemed to vibrate slightly, as if it sensed that reality had reached an entirely new level of absurdity.
Hours passed. The group emerged from the haze of the screen, a mixture of horrified, confused, fascinated, and strangely contemplative. The aisles were slightly messier than before, soda cans teetered in precarious towers, and somewhere, a single cup noodle on the top shelf seemed to wobble knowingly, as if silently judging everyone for their poor life choices.
Vario leaned back, still analyzing. "Humans… are… peculiar creatures. And yet… enlightening."
Bella groaned again. "I survived demon armies, cursed relics, vaping, and rotten noodles… and this still beats everything."
Nyx clapped her hands with glee. "Best… cultural day ever! I'm taking notes!"
Feria pinched the bridge of her nose again, muttering, "Retail… truly is a battlefield of unimaginable horrors."
And somewhere, the cup noodle trembled in triumph, as if silently congratulating the Demon King on opening a new chapter of chaos in the convenience store.