The next day, Tanaka Masao got up early in the morning.
Today was Monday. He needed to head to school early for morning training.
While Tanaka Masao was eating breakfast, Jahy came out of the bathroom in her slippers, yawning as she walked.
Watching the way she moved, Tanaka Masao was a little surprised.
Last night, he definitely hadn't held back when teaching Jahy a "lesson," but judging by her current state, she seemed completely fine.
"Good morning."
Jahy raised her head and looked at Tanaka Masao, who had greeted her.
Her body tensed up instinctively—clearly, last night's events had left a deep impression.
The reason Jahy seemed fine now was partly because she was a demon. Even without her full power, her physique was still far superior to that of an ordinary human.
Another reason was the lingering support of magic, which had allowed her to recover quickly.
The price, however, was that the magic stored in her magic stone had once again been completely drained.
Under the lingering sting of pain, Jahy analyzed the reason for her failed operation.
She had been too impatient.
She should have spent more time observing Tanaka Masao instead of rushing straight into action.
That said, it wasn't a total loss.
Through this operation, she had gained a certain understanding of Tanaka Masao's armor.
That armor was made up of countless tiny components, able to freely change shape like a liquid.
This discovery made Jahy even more covetous.
If the armor were custom-made, her body type was far too different from Tanaka Masao's—she wouldn't even be able to wear it, so she'd have given up.
But if its form could change freely, then it could perfectly adapt to her.
[Operation plan: first, learn Tanaka Masao's true capabilities and, if possible, make him a compliant servant.
Second, obtain his armor.
Worst-case scenario: ask him to help me find magic stones.]
A flurry of thoughts passed through Jahy's mind, though only a few seconds passed in reality.
Facing Tanaka Masao's greeting, she responded as well.
"Good morning."
Hearing Jahy greet him back, Tanaka Masao froze for a moment.
[She's being polite?
Looks like last night's beating really did the trick.
As expected, the most effective way to deal with a bratty demon girl is a good smack.]
He nodded at Jahy.
"Hurry up and eat breakfast. Mom's going to take you out later to register your personal information."
Jahy sat down, picked up a sandwich, and looked puzzled.
"What about you? Why are you up so early—are you going with us?"
"I'm not going with you. I'm going to school."
"A human school?"
Jahy tilted her head curiously. "What do you even study there?"
"Japanese, history, foreign languages, math…"
Hearing this list, Jahy looked visibly unimpressed.
"You don't study combat or how to strengthen yourselves? In the Demon Realm, we learn things like magic, potion-making, and alchemy."
"Oh, we have those too, but knowledge related to weapons and equipment isn't something just anyone can learn. If everyone knew how to make weapons, society would fall apart."
"There was even a case before where the top-ranked FPS player in Japan built his own weapon and successfully assassinated the prime minister."
That caught Jahy's interest.
"Assassinating the prime minister—and succeeding?"
She shook her head, her face full of mockery.
"Kukuku~ Looks like that prime minister was weak, and his guards weren't much better."
"When I, Jahy-sama, the Demon Realm's second-in-command, was around, assassination attempts were countless—but with my overwhelming strength, I crushed them all with ease."
After chatting for a bit, Tanaka Masao finished breakfast and stood up to head to school.
Before leaving, he reminded her:
"Jahy, don't cause trouble."
"What do you mean, 'cause trouble'?" Jahy protested indignantly.
"Why are you acting like I'm some troublesome little kid?"
Tanaka Masao really wanted to say "you absolutely are", but for the sake of keeping Jahy calm, he chose to stay silent.
...
At the Sobu High School track field, Tanaka Masao spotted a familiar figure and walked over.
"Good morning, Yukinoshita-san."
Yukinoshita Yukino gave a slight nod.
"Good morning. You're right on time. Seems the break didn't make you slack off."
Tanaka Masao puffed up proudly.
"Of course. Don't underestimate my willpower."
"Then let's begin."
"Already? We haven't seen each other for days—shouldn't we chat about our vacation or something first?"
At that, Yukinoshita Yukino didn't look pleased.
"I'm not interested in your vacation. As for mine…"
As she spoke, she glanced at Tanaka Masao, and once she confirmed she'd successfully piqued his interest, the corner of her mouth curled into a mischievous smile.
"I don't feel like telling you either."
"Hey, that's cruel."
Tanaka Masao had actually been hoping to hear about how Yukinoshita Yukino spent her break. He was instantly disappointed.
"Stop wasting time and get started. Or are you trying to stall?"
"Alright, I'll start."
Tanaka Masao began running around the track.
After resting for two days, the fatigue from a full week of continuous training had completely disappeared.
The training had clearly paid off—his running speed had increased, and his endurance had improved as well.
He didn't start slowing down until after running more than a thousand meters.
Watching his performance, Yukinoshita Yukino was quite satisfied.
As his stamina improved, Tanaka Masao would have more energy for training, and his weight loss would accelerate—forming a positive cycle.
...
One hour later.
Panting heavily, Tanaka Masao finished his morning workout.
He walked over to Yukinoshita Yukino and asked,
"Yukinoshita-san, have I gotten stronger?"
Yukinoshita Yukino crossed her arms and nodded calmly.
"Yes. You've gotten a little stronger."
Before Tanaka Masao could celebrate, she immediately followed up with a blow.
"But you're still far from a normal level. So, Tanaka-kun, please do your best to become a normal person."
"Hey, hey—now you're making it sound like I'm not human."
Faced with his complaint, Yukinoshita Yukino replied coolly.
"If we go by the world's generally accepted standards for human body weight, you are indeed outside the normal range."
Tanaka Masao was left speechless.
"From that perspective… yeah, you're not wrong."
Seeing Tanaka Masao at a loss, Yukinoshita Yukino felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.
"Hurry back. It's almost time for class."
"Got it."