Yukari stirred in her sleep, curled up on the cold, rocky floor of the cave. As usual, no blankets, just the radiating warmth of Hinote who, of course, didn't feel cold like a normal person. At least that fiery bird of misery was good for something.
"Hey, brat, wake up," Hinote's voice echoed through the cave.
Yukari groaned, burying her face deeper into her arm, trying to ignore him. "Five more minutes…"
"Five more seconds," he snapped back, "Get up or I'll roast your backside so well, it'll be the only warm thing you've got."
Yukari jolted up, glaring at the giant bird looming over her. "You're seriously the worst, you know that?"
Hinote tilted his head, his flames flickering in amusement. "And yet, here you are, still following me around like a lost kitten. Now, get up. We're going for a run."
"A what?" Yukari blinked, horrified. "It's still dark out! The sun isn't even up yet!"
"Exactly," Hinote said, sounding entirely too pleased with himself. "The early bird catches the worm, or in your case, becomes less useless. Now move it."
Yukari muttered curses under her breath but complied, dragging herself out of the cave. Outside, it was pitch black, the stars twinkling above them. The air was cold, making her shiver, but of course, Hinote, the walking furnace, was just fine.
He flapped his wings lazily, lifting into the air as if this was all a joke. "Alright, kid. Run."
"Run?" Yukari repeated, her eyes wide. "Where?"
"Anywhere. Just run," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Yukari grumbled but started jogging. It wasn't too bad at first, but after a while, her legs started to burn, and she was out of breath. "You could, I don't know, fly me somewhere like you usually do."
Hinote snorted from above, gliding effortlessly while Yukari struggled below. "What's the point of me doing all the work when you're the one who needs it? If you want to improve your magic, you need to strengthen your body too. Or do you want to stay as weak as a wet tissue?"
"I hate you so much right now," Yukari wheezed, glaring up at him.
"Good. Channel that hate into your legs and keep running."
By the time the sun was rising, Yukari felt like she was dying. Her legs were jelly, and her lungs burned. "Can… we… stop now?"
"Sure," Hinote said, landing beside her, completely unaffected. "Now, drop down and give me some push-ups."
"Push-ups?!" Yukari's jaw dropped. "You're joking, right?"
"Do I look like I'm joking?" His eyes flared as if daring her to defy him.
Yukari collapsed onto the ground, too tired to argue. "You… are a sadist. A flaming, feathered sadist."
"And you're a whiner. Now, push-ups. Then squats. Then, maybe, if you're still alive, I'll let you rest."
Somehow, Yukari survived the torture. After what felt like hours of hellish exercises, she collapsed on the ground, panting. "I hate everything."
Hinote landed beside her, tossing her a fruit like always. "Eat up."
Yukari glared at the fruit in her hand. "Do you know how much I despise eating these every day? I want meat, Hinote! Something with actual taste!"
"Then go hunt it yourself," he shot back with a smirk.
Yukari sighed, biting into the fruit. "One day, I swear, I'm going to turn you into roast phoenix."
"I'd like to see you try," he replied, completely unbothered.
After breakfast, Hinote stretched his wings. "Alright, let's see if you've improved any. Show me your 'Dawn Flame.'"
Yukari perked up, glad to finally do something more magical than jogging. She stood up, focusing as golden flames flickered in her hands. The light grew brighter as the sun rose, the flames taking on a life of their own. She shaped them into a ball, larger than before, and hurled it into the air.
Hinote watched, unimpressed. "Huh. Better than last time, I'll give you that. But still weak."
Yukari's eye twitched. "Better than last time? You realize I'm a five-year-old, right?! This is pretty impressive!"
"Impressive for a toddler, maybe," he teased, blowing on her flames, extinguishing them in an instant. "But you're not going to win any battles with that little flicker."
Yukari threw her arms in the air. "You just love making me feel like a failure, don't you?"
"That's what mentors are for," he said with a smirk. "Now, pay attention. I'm going to teach you something new."
Yukari's eyes lit up with excitement despite herself. "Really?"
Hinote nodded. "I'm going to show you two new spells today. First, 'Dawn Burst.'" He raised his talon, and a small, golden flame appeared before it exploded into a blinding flash, the shockwave knocking a nearby boulder into pieces.
Yukari stared, wide-eyed. "Okay… that was pretty cool."
"Of course, it was. It's my spell," Hinote said smugly. "Now you try."
Yukari attempted to recreate the spell, but her flames were much smaller and less flashy. She threw the tiny ball of fire, but it fizzled out before it hit anything.
Hinote snickered. "That was adorable. Maybe next time, it'll actually explode."
Yukari glared at him. "You're insufferable."
"And you're still weak. Let's move on." He extended his wing, forming a glowing shield of golden flames around him. "This is 'Dawn Shield.' It'll protect you from most attacks. You should be able to do this once you've figured out how to actually control your flames. Give it a shot."
Yukari concentrated, trying to summon the same shield. She managed to create a small barrier, but it flickered and vanished almost immediately.
Hinote sighed dramatically. "Honestly, you're like a baby bird trying to fly for the first time. It's painful to watch."
Yukari clenched her fists. "I'll get it! Just… stop making fun of me!"
"Where's the fun in that?" He smirked, then flared his wings, sending out a pulse of warmth. "Keep practicing, and maybe one day you'll actually be a decent mage."
"Or maybe one day I'll set you on fire," Yukari muttered under her breath.
Hinote heard and laughed. "If you could actually pull that off, I'd be proud. Now stop whining and get back to work."
Yukari groaned but did as she was told, determined to master the new spells. After all, if she was going to survive Hinote's brutal training, she needed all the magic she could get.