The next morning, Masao was up with the sun.
It was Monday, and he had morning training to get to, at school.
He was halfway through his breakfast when Jahy shuffled out of the bathroom, her slippers scuffing the floor, a wide yawn on her face.
He watched her, surprised by her easy gait. After the lesson he'd tried to teach her last night, he'd expected her to be moving a lot more stiffly. He hadn't pulled his punches.
"Morning," he said.
Jahy's head snapped up at his voice. Her body went rigid, a clear testament to how vividly she remembered the night before.
Her quick recovery had two causes.
First, she was a demon; even powerless, her fundamental resilience was beyond a normal human's.
Second, she'd burned through the last dregs of magic power in her mana stone to accelerate her healing. The price was that her precious power source was once again completely inert.
The lingering pain of last night's spanking had given Jahy ample motivation to analyze her failure. The conclusion that she arrived at was simple: she'd been impulsive.
She should have observed her target longer, learned his routines, instead of charging in blindly.
Still, the mission wasn't a total loss. She'd learned something critical about his armor—it wasn't just a solid suit, but a mass of microscopic particles that could flow and reshape itself like liquid. The discovery made her want it even more.
A fixed suit of armor made for his frame was useless to her. But one that could adapt and change form? That was perfect.
[Revised Battle Plan]
· Primary Objective: Gather comprehensive intelligence on Tanaka Masao. Ultimate goal: secure his services as a loyal subordinate.
· Secondary Objective: Acquire the shape-shifting combat armor.
· Contingency Plan: Swallow any pride and formally request his assistance in locating the scattered mana stones.
The entire strategic review flashed through her mind in an instant. Hearing Masao's greeting, she forced a reply.
"Good morning."
Masao blinked.
'Since when is she polite? It has to be the… corrective measures from last night. It's true what they say: the most reliable cure for a brat is a good, firm spanking.'
He gave a curt nod. "Come eat. Mom will take you to get registered later."
Jahy slid into a chair and picked up a sandwich, a puzzled frown on her face.
"What about you? Why are you up so early? Are you coming too?"
"No. I have school."
"Human school?" Curiosity tinged her voice. "What do you learn there?"
"language, history, art, mathematics…"
Jahy's expression soured into open disdain.
"You don't learn to fight? To strengthen yourselves? In the Demon World, we study practical things. Magic. Potions. Alchemy."
"We have those subjects too," Masao countered. "But knowledge about weapons and gear isn't for everyone. If just anyone could make a gun, society would collapse. There was even a guy they called 'Japan's Premier Sharpshooter' who built his own firearm and assassinated a prime minister with it."
That caught her interest.
"An assassination? And he succeeded?" She let out a derisive chuckle. "Hehehe~ It seems your prime minister was weak, and his guards incompetent. As the second in command in the Demon World, I have faced countless assassination attempts. I thwarted them all with my overwhelming power."
After a few more minutes of conversation, Masao finished his meal and stood to leave. He paused at the door for a final warning.
"Behave yourself today, Jahy. No causing trouble."
"'Trouble'?" she retorted, offended. "You speak as if I were some child who needs supervision!"
He bit his tongue, the words "But you are" hanging unspoken in the air. For the sake of a peaceful morning, he let it go.
—
On the track field at Soubu High, Masao spotted the familiar, slender figure and approached.
"Good morning, Yukinoshita."
Yukino Yukinoshita acknowledged him with a slight nod.
"You're on time. It seems the break didn't erode your discipline."
Masao puffed out his chest.
"Of course not. Don't underestimate my willpower."
"Then let's begin."
"So soon?" he protested. "We haven't seen each other in days. Shouldn't we catch up? Talk about our breaks?"
Yukinoshita fixed him with a cool, unimpressed stare.
"I have zero interest in your holiday activities. As for mine…" She paused, a faint, almost imperceptible smirk touching her lips as she saw his curiosity pique. "…I have no intention of sharing."
"Aw, you can't do that!" Masao's shoulders slumped in disappointment.
He'd been curious about how someone like her spents her free time.
"Stop stalling. Begin your run. Unless, of course, this chatter is your attempt to stall?"
"Fine, fine, I'm going."
Masao set off around the track. The two-day rest had done him good, washing away the accumulated fatigue of his first week of training. The effort was already paying dividends; his pace was quicker, his breathing more controlled.
He managed a solid thousand meters before his speed began to flag.
Watching from the sideline, Yukinoshita felt a flicker of satisfaction. This was the positive feedback loop she'd hoped for: as his base fitness improved, he could train harder, accelerating his progress.
—
An hour later, a breathless Masao finished his cooldown and walked over to her.
"So? I've improved, right?"
Yukinoshita, arms crossed, offered a calm nod. "Hmm. Your performance has improved marginally."
Just as a grin started to form on his face, she delivered her trademark verbal jab.
"However, you remain significantly below the standard for an average individual. So, Masao-kun, please continue your efforts to become a normally functional human being."
"Hey! The way you say that makes it sound like I'm a complete outlier!"
In the face of his complaint, her reply was delivered with matter-of-factness.
"If we reference the globally accepted standards for healthy human weight, you are, by definition, statistically abnormal."
Masao was struck speechless.
"Well… from a purely statistical viewpoint, I suppose you're technically correct."
For reasons she couldn't quite articulate, seeing him so deflated gave Yukinoshita a sense of accomplishment.
"You should head back and get changed," she said, turning. "Class will be starting soon."
"Right."
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