(A few days have passed since then, but Emu's brothers are yet to make a clear move...)

(Nonetheless, we must remain on guard. We'll need to keep polishing our idea as well.)

Wait, Tsukasa! Let's try to figure out what kind of butterfly this caterpillar will turn into!

Eeeek...! Please, don't come near me!

What the...?! No, don't come this way! I have nothing to do with this...!

Oh! You can help too, Nene♪

What kind of butterfly will it turn into?!

Noooo!!

Hehe...

*Huff*... *Sigh*... J-Just put it back where you found it...

Okay! Let's play again Mr. Caterpillar!

W-We made it...

*Huff*... *Huff*... Rui, you could've helped us!

Oh, my apologies. You just seemed to be having so much fun.

It looks like she's back to her usual self, but doesn't something still seem a little off...?

I feel like she hasn't been adding Yahohoy! or Zoom! or any other nonsensical words to her sentences lately...

Wait, that's what you're worried about?

Ah, I see... Some time did pass before we heard her trademark Wonderhoy! again as well.

Exactly. The last time she said that was... When we all put our hands together and shouted that on stage, right?

Now that you mention it, she always said stuff like that every day...

Yes... Well, this is just me speculating but...

She has a tendency to emote using her unique vocabulary when she feels absolutely compelled to do so...

Hm? Wait, that means she...

Hasn't been able to feel that way lately. She may be choosing her words more carefully than normal.

So she still has something bottled up inside her?

Maybe we should just let her be? I mean, we just sort of vowed to work together so...

But...

If she really isn't able to genuinely enjoy anything, then we might need to intervene...

Hehe. Then why don't we put on a special show that'll make her smile no matter what as a present!

Together.

Hm?

Tsukasa! Nene! I said goodbye to Mr. Caterpillar... Huh?

Wait... We just cleaned up the stage, so why's there a pop-out up there now?

The inaugural... Don't Let the Demon Lord Escape Game Tournament!

Demon lord? Game?

This is a game that we've been planning for a while, but we thought that you should be the one to test it out, Emu.

In a nutshell... You, Emu, the hero will have to keep the evil Demon Lord Tsukasa, who's been cornered, from escaping your grasp.

Oh! That sounds fun♪

How do I stop him?

To do that, you'll need to use the ten Demon Lord buttons here.

Each will unleash a kind of magical trickery that will keep Tsukasa from escaping.

You win when he gives into these tricks.

But there are also buttons that can help the evil Demon Lord Tsukasa escape, so make sure not to press those.

Got it♪

Oh, but where's Tsukasa?

He's standing ready by that pop-out.

Okay! Oh, also. Nene! Rui! Are we gonna use this in a show too?

We'll have to make a few adjustments, but that would be nice.

And this is a valuable test for making that happen, so we'll be counting on you, Emu.

Yeah!!

Wait, Rui! About that magical trickery you were talking about... What exactly does that involve? Just no bug toys or anything falling on me, okay?

Hehehe. Using the same thing over and over again makes it stale. This just involves dumping water, pepper or flour on you, so I wouldn't worry.

Geez... No thanks...

Let's begin! Now, Emu, our hero...! Please choose a button from these ten to press!

Okay! Here we go♪

Hm... Uhh?

Hey, Rui...! A Styrofoam snow man just came down...!

Hehe. Depending on the button, many more will come crashing down, so I thought they should be nice to at least look at.

Ah, and the water will fall during the real thing in such a way that you won't get wet.

I see. In that case...

Wait... During the real thing?

Hmm... Which one should I press♪

How about this, Emu?

What do you want to see the most?

Well, water would make him cold, so that might be mean. But pepper might be fun☆ Sneezing all achoo, achoo♪

If you feel so bad for me, you can press the button that lets me go...

What?! Then the evil Demon Lord will escape...!

Oh! What's this one?!

Go♪

No, wait! I forgot that the pop-out could start moving too. Before you press anything, give me a chance to get ready!

Okay, I'll do a countdown☆

Here we go, Tsukasa...!

3, 2... Wonderhoy!

Oh... She said, Wonderhoy!

Hehehe. I didn't expect her to say that there but...

Huh? Wait, this is... A-Achoo! Achoo! Aaachooo!

Whoa! Tsukasa can't stop sneezing!

Then it might be nice for him to rinse that off with some nice water, no?

Oh! You're right☆

Achoo...! Huh? No!

Press the escape button... Achoo!

Heehee♪ Which button makes the water go splash☆

We may've gone a little overboard, but I think she's finally returning to her usual self...

Indeed. I think she'll be just fine now.