The store was quiet for once. The chaotic energy of the day—rotten noodles, vaping disasters, and hentai-fueled group viewing—had settled into a low hum of exhaustion. Vario, the Demon King, reclined on his throne-like chair behind the counter, still clutching the remnants of his Blue Bull.
But as night fell and the lights dimmed, his mind did not rest.
In the realm of sleep, Vario drifted into a dream that was… unsettlingly vivid.
He was back in the store—but not the store he knew. The shelves glowed unnaturally, soda towers towered impossibly high, and the air shimmered with the lingering aura of magical chaos. Nyx and Bella were nowhere in sight. Only he and Yuwen, the Demon Mage Succubus, remained.
The events of the day—the explicit scenes he had watched—had twisted themselves into this dream. Yuwen's usual confidence and sly smirk were amplified, and every motion she made was charged with an odd, hypnotic energy that mirrored the human media they had observed.
Vario's eyes widened, and even in his dream he was vaguely aware of the impropriety. "This… cannot be… appropriate," he muttered, though a part of him could not deny the pull of the images the dream presented.
Yuwen tilted her head, floating closer. "Oh? And what, my lord, do you find… disturbing?" Her voice, both sultry and teasing, echoed around the magically warped aisles.
Vario coughed, realizing his composure had fled even in the dream world. "This… is most improper. We are… rulers… generals… not… these… humans."
But the images pressed on. The dream, fueled by the forbidden curiosity of the group's viewing earlier, wrapped the Demon King and Yuwen in surreal scenarios that felt impossibly real. Vario tried to focus, tried to assert control, but Yuwen's dream-self laughed, circling him with a teasing sway.
"…Enough," Vario whispered, more to himself than anyone else. "I… must… awaken…"
The aisles shimmered, warped into nothingness, and with a sudden jolt, he woke up in his chair behind the counter. His claws gripped the edges tightly, and a faint greenish haze hovered around him—not from sickness, but from sheer embarrassment.
Bella, who had been dozing nearby after her own exhausted day, blinked awake. "You… okay?" she asked cautiously.
Vario straightened, forcing his usual imperious posture. "I… am… fine. Merely… dreaming. Inconsequential."
Nyx, who had sneaked in a few minutes earlier to check on him, grinned mischievously. "Ooooh, dreaming, huh? I hope it wasn't… boring."
Vario's crimson eyes narrowed. "Nyx… you… you dare mock me?"
Nyx laughed, bouncing on the counter. "Relax! Dreams are weird! Besides… you watched the human stuff today. You knew this could happen!"
Vario groaned, burying his face in his claws. "I… knew nothing! Dreams… are treacherous!"
Bella muttered, shaking her head. "I swear… if I survive this store, I'm writing a book: How to Survive Demons, Noodles, and Hentai in Retail."
Even Feria, perched silently with her clipboard, sighed. "Truly… retail is a battlefield of unimaginable horrors… and apparently, psychological ones as well."
Vario sat in silence, silently vowing to himself: never again watch human media… at least not while awake.
But somewhere, deep in the aisles, the faint glow of a single cup noodle seemed to flicker, as if already anticipating the next chaotic day.