Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun Season 4 ‒ Episode 12

The music festival was great and all, but it was missing one very specific person: Ameri. Logically, there really wasn't a way to fit her into it, what with her not being either a misfit or a first-year. And the arc was really Purson's anyway. But now that it's over, it's time for everyone's favorite student council president to come back to the stage, and in that respect, you couldn't ask for anything more.

It's been touched on before, although perhaps not to this degree, that Ameri exists in a sort of liminal space between being a student and an adult. As the student council president, she's in a position of power that elevates her above most of the other Babylis kids, and people love her for it…from a distance. She's an object of adoration and quasi-worship. While that's likely to be good for her rank and future career, it's a rough place to be in as a teenage girl. With her larger build and authoritative attitude, it's easy to forget that Ameri is only a year older than Iruma. That makes her either fifteen or sixteen. If she doesn't often act like it, that's because of all the pressure brought to bear on her every action and thought.

It's easy to forget that Ameri rarely gets to just be herself. The flashback of her with her father as a little girl is a stark reminder that she's no different from any other kid and never has been. If we lose sight of that, though, it's safe to say that she never does. The scene with her sitting alone in her cavernous office, thinking about how excited she is to see Iruma and read more of the patently ridiculous First Love Memories with him, shows how important the reading sessions are. Yes, it's partially because she gets to spend time with her crush, but it's also one of the only times when she can just relax with someone who treats her like a person. Iruma doesn't worship at the shrine of Ameri; he just enjoys being with her, and that shows. Ameri may have liked him anyway, but this particular type of interaction is what truly endears him to her, and that truly does mean everything to a girl stuck between worlds like Ameri is.

The deviculum ball showcases that beautifully. Ameri, looking stunning in her ball gown, is largely playing a part before Iruma shows up. She's being the dutiful daughter of a powerful demon, even though her heart isn't in it. When Iruma walks in, it's like a fairy tale: he's come to rescue the princess from an uncomfortable situation. But true to himself and this series, it's not until the spotlight is off and they're in the garden that he becomes Ameri's prince – a sweet, gentle guy who doesn't know how to dance but asked her anyway because that's what Opera orchestrated told him to do. And true to form, both of them have much more fun when they're just able to be goofy kids.

Part of what's so great about this series is that it allows for both regular old-school antics and world-changing events. Now that the latter is over for a bit, it's soothing to get back to the former, with Lead pressing Iruma on what, exactly, his relationship with Ameri is (I'm not surprised Iruma doesn't know) and Iruma's upcoming birthday in the next episode. I'm sure we'll get back to the world-changing stuff soon enough, because we know that Kiriwo is on the move, but in the meantime, I'm looking forward to the return of Eggy-sensei and more Balam next week.

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Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.