"Great!"
Will snapped his fingers with excitement—a habit he had whenever something made him happy.
"When the sauna temperature hit 200 degrees before, your body would stay overheated for an hour, leaving you with a high fever. That was bad for you in the long run." He looked proud of himself.
"I exchanged letters with Mr. S for a month about this. He suggested a balance between fire and ice. For example, mixing flame dragon gastric juices with ice dragon gastric juices. However, since magic circuits are hidden deep in the arteries, the only way to cool the body safely is to enlarge the cross-sections of the arteries little by little. It needs daily adjustments to avoid a sudden clash between ice and fire magic."
Snap!
Will snapped his fingers again, clearly pleased.
"After much thought, I finally came up with the perfect solution."
Snap!
"A collar! It has a large contact area, is easy to carry, and works perfectly!"
"Eh?" Yiel tilted her head, her face pale. "A collar? Wait... gastric juices? This thing has gastric juices in it?! Is the indescribable stuff… gastric juice?!"
She knew her young master had some strange ideas, but this sounded outright crazy.
"It's for your own good! Just like how I trained that dog before!"
Will thought to himself: if he could train a dog to fight monsters, surely he could train Yiel, who already had magical potential in the original story.
Yiel, on the other hand, felt deeply moved. Even if it was a little gross, the young master truly cared for her—even treating her like a dog! She felt so overwhelmed with gratitude she could cry.
"Now, Yiel…"
Will reached out and adjusted the collar around her neck, gently rubbing it against her throat. The touch made her giggle slightly—it tickled.
"Since this is the first experiment, let me know if you feel any discomfort. We'll adjust it as needed. I want to give you the best."
"Okay…"
"Oh, and you don't need to wear it every time you practice. It'll affect the results."
"Got it!"
"For now, put it on every morning and take it off before bed. I estimate that within a year, your resistance to high temperatures will improve significantly."
"Yes, Master!"
"Then today—"
Before he could finish, Yiel hugged him tightly.
Her damp towel pressed against him, and he could feel her warmth.
"You're still wet!" Will protested.
"Thank you, Master, for taking care of me! I'll be your loyal dog forever! Woof woof! Uh… why is your nose bleeding again?"
Will stiffened.
So cute.
So clingy.
So… canine.
But something felt wrong. Wasn't she supposed to be darkening into a yandere by now? Why was she still so pure and cheerful?
"Ahem. Yiel, meet me in the back garden this afternoon. I need to give you a proper lesson."
The System family's back garden was bright and serene, full of blooming flowers.
In a small white pavilion sat a steaming cup of tea prepared by Yiel. A cartoonish blackboard nearby featured drawings of Will and Yiel's heads, both lifelike and adorable.
"Master?"
"Call me Teacher Will," he corrected, pushing his glasses up dramatically.
"Okay, Teacher Will. But if you don't drink your tea soon, it'll get cold."
"It's fine."
Will sipped the tea. It was excellent—Yiel's skills had improved dramatically over the years. But he set the cup down, remembering his strict teacher back in his previous life.
"Let's review what we learned in class before," he announced.
"Got it!"
Yiel pulled out a notebook. Though her handwriting was clumsy, it was clear she had put a lot of effort into each letter.
"All right. What are the three basic theorems of blackened love?"
Yiel hesitated. She didn't fully understand what "blackened" meant but had memorized the lessons nonetheless.
"First: You can't win a man's heart unless you actively pursue him!"
"Correct."
"Second: Men are stupid. You have to infect them with your passion to win them over!"
"Good."
"Third: The strongest love is expressed in the wildest ways!"
"Perfect!"
Will felt proud. The lessons he had repeated to her were finally sinking in.
"Great work, Yiel. Let's test you with a few questions from Three Hundred Questions About Darkness."
"Yes, Master!"
Will opened his self-written book and began the quiz.
"What should you do if you see someone you like while shopping with friends?"
"Track them and record their whereabouts!"
"How do you confess your feelings?"
"Smile, show your teeth, and say, 'I like you the most!'"
"What if they reject you?"
"Tie them up in a basement and make them listen to your feelings!"
"What if they still reject you after many attempts?"
"Kill them! Then we can be together forever!"
"Excellent! You've studied well."
Will smirked. Slowly but surely, Yiel was internalizing the dark yandere principles he had written. He felt a sense of accomplishment.
"But, Master…" Yiel hesitated. "Why do I need to learn all this? It seems… a little strange."
Will chuckled. "Let me tell you a story."
"Once upon a time, there was a little hound who loved its owner but didn't know how to express it. Whenever its owner was bullied, the hound stayed silent, too afraid to stand up for him.
"One day, the owner was driven away by the adventure team. The hound watched helplessly as he disappeared into the snow, unable to do anything. Years later, the owner returned—but this time, he had a new pet, a fire-breathing dragon. The hound's kennel was reduced to ashes, and it realized too late that its love had gone unanswered."
Will leaned back, pleased with his simplified retelling of the original story.
"So, Yiel, you must study hard. If you don't, you'll end up like that pitiful hound, crying in the flames!"
But as he turned to look at her, he saw Yiel's teary eyes.
"Master… are you going to leave me for a fire-breathing dragon?"
"What?!"
Before Will could answer, a servant entered the garden.
"Master Will, the Adventurer's Association has delivered an anonymous letter for you."
Will's heart skipped a beat. Could it be…
"Is it Mr. S's reply?! Has he found a way to restore the Extreme Flame Meteor?!"