Allen, of course, had taken a bit of damage too.
Shoulders drooping, he stared silently at the notes he had written.
"Is this not interesting... then what is the correct answer?"
“On the contrary, there is no right answer nya.”
Miaha laid a gentle hand on Allen’s shoulder, her expression unusually kind.
“What really matters is what you want to do for her nya. Instead of relying on some manual, what you should look to is the time you’ve spent with Charlotte-san up until now nya.”
"The days up until now..."
“Yes nya. If your goal is to make Charlotte-san happy… then what is it you want to do for her nya?”
Miaha’s question echoed through Allen’s heart.
"I... for Charlotte...!"
What do I want to do for her?
That answer hadn’t changed since the very beginning.
“I want to teach her all the pleasures of this world, make her addicted to every last one… melt her into a puddle with my own hands, make it so she can’t live without me…!”
“Dude, could you please work on your phrasing!?”
“I’m sorry… He sounds hopelessly like a villain, but he’s really not a bad guy… So, uh, please don’t call the cops, okay…?”
Groh howled in protest, while Magus and the others scrambled to calm down the stunned customers.
And yet, Miaha just nodded in deep satisfaction.
“That’s the Demon Lord I know nya. You don’t have to force yourself to be someone you’re not. Just be your usual self nya.”
“Miaha… Thank you. You’re a true savior…”
Allen holds Miach's hand and thanks her in a high-pitched voice.
Although he had been so worried, now his vision had cleared as if by magic. He could even say that he had attained enlightenment.
Just as he was basking in that glow.
“A-Allen-san…?”
“...!”
A timid voice called out from behind him.
He turned to see Charlotte standing there. Her outfit was the same as always, yet somehow it dazzled Allen more than ever.
He swallowed hard before opening his mouth.
“Ah, oh. So the review’s over? "Ah, yeah. Is the audition over already? How did it go?"
"Yes. Everything went well..."
She looked over her shoulder, where Gousetsu and Luu stood waiting.
Gousetsu was wearing a brand-new bandana around his neck and looked quite pleased with himself.
『Hoho… It was a challenge hardly worth the effort. 』
『Grandma, try not to overdo it. Here's an apple for your hard work. 』
『Ohh, thank you kindly, Lady Luu. 』
Luu quietly handed Gousetsu an apple.
Maybe it was because she had a lot of siblings, but Luu was naturally good at taking care of others. With her watching and Gousetsu advising, the two made quite the solid team.
Thanks to that, both had officially been approved as Charlotte’s attendants.
But Charlotte… didn’t look very happy.
“What’s wrong, Charlotte? Did something happen?”
“N-no… it’s just…”
"W-wait, wait a second, Demon King...!?"
Glancing at Allen, Charlotte frowned anxiously.
Meanwhile, Miaha started to panic for some reason.
“Um… were you in the middle of a talk with Miaha-san? If so, I’ll wait over there with Luu-chan and the others.”
“Huh…? Why would you...”
He started to ask, then froze.
Impressed by the advice from earlier, he had continued to hold Miaha's hand.
“T-this isn’t what it looks like! I swear it’s not!”
“Kya!”
He hurriedly let go of Miah and instead grabbed Charlotte’s hand in a firm grip.
Looking her straight in the eye, he desperately pleaded.
“I was just getting some advice from Miaha, that’s all. There’s nothing shady going on. I swear to the heavens and gods above. I’m devoted to you alone. Please believe me.”
"Uh, ah, uh...y-yes..."
Whether his sincerity came through or not, Charlotte blushed bright red and looked down.
Allen let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, a unanimous ‘Uwaah’ kind of vibe spread through the entire store.