Deep in the forest, time seemed to turn thick and sluggish.
Aside from the stream's soft babble, the only sound left was the girl's faint, restrained panting.
Shane kept the same oppressive posture, like a mountain pinning Mira's slim but rigid back to the ground. The savage aura that had terrified people earlier was rapidly dissolving with her mana depletion, leaving only exhaustion and humiliation behind.
"Tch!"
Cold sweat slid down Mira's cheek, smearing through a few blades of grass stuck to her face.
Even forced into submission, with too little mana left to truly resist, the "short fuse" she'd been born with flared right back up. She squeezed her potential dry, barely stabilizing the Satan Soul form. The splitting headache in her skull eased a little.
And in its place came something worse—
The crushing shame of being held down like a criminal.
And… pure, seething irritation.
"Bastard Shane…"
She twisted her head with effort and stabbed him with a murderous side-eye. It didn't look like some Satanic demon at all—more like a street punk who'd lost a fight and refused to accept it.
"How long are you gonna sit on me?!"
"You're heavy! What are you, a pig?!"
Mira snapped, wriggling again, trying to buck him off.
"Shut up."
Shane didn't budge. Instead, he freed one hand and flicked her smooth forehead—hard.
Thunk!
A crisp sound. A brutal amount of force.
For a "rebellious student" who dared call him by name and showed zero respect, Shane showed absolutely no mercy.
"Ugh!"
Mira yelped, tears almost shooting out. It felt like she'd been hit with a hammer; her brain buzzed as if it had been rattled loose.
"What the hell was that?! You violent maniac!"
She bared her teeth and tried to clutch her forehead—only to remember her arms were still pinned behind her back.
She thrashed like an upside-down turtle. Completely useless.
"Waking you up."
Shane's voice stayed cold, carrying an authority Mira couldn't help believing in—even as it made her want to fight it.
"Look at you. A mess. Arrogant. You don't even know who you are."
"How many times has this happened? You still haven't changed."
As he spoke, his hand slid down her spine—slowly, deliberately.
There wasn't even a hint of flirtation in the motion. It felt like a harsh craftsman inspecting a crude lump of iron, deciding where to strike and how to hammer it into something straight and sharp.
But to Mira, it felt completely different.
His fingertips over her skin brought a strange sensation—hot, hard. Her body, hypersensitive from mana exhaustion, reacted immediately.
"…Ngh."
Mira shuddered hard, a prickling jolt shooting up her back like electricity straight into her skull.
Her face went scarlet. Even her pointed demon ears flushed pink.
This bastard…
That look, those movements…
Is he treating me like a tool?
Mira caught it keenly—an icy, lifeless detachment in how he "evaluated" her, like she was an object.
And beneath his flat tone… heavy disappointment, as if he might toss this "scrap metal" away at any moment.
That fear of being rejected hurt more than a beating ever could.
"S-stop it! Quit putting your hands on me!"
She screeched like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, trying to mask her panic. Anger was there—but so was a flare of embarrassed heat she didn't even realize she'd revealed.
Damn it! Why do I care if he's disappointed?!
He's just a nasty jerk who bullies people!
I'm only thinking this because I got beaten too hard and my brain's busted!
Yeah. That's definitely it!
She grabbed onto the excuse, trying desperately to bury that unfamiliar feeling.
"Hm?"
Noticing her stiffening, Shane paused.
Was that embarrassment? Or anger?
He honestly felt wronged—he hadn't done anything "over the line."
And Mira, lawless Mira, could feel shy?
That shocked him so much he stared at her like she was a panda casually chewing bamboo.
This was the first girl his age he'd ever seen who actually knew embarrassment.
"If you can feel ashamed, your brain really is coming back online."
He pulled his hand away, disgust plain in his voice.
"If you could stay this normal in the guild and in daily life, I wouldn't have to do this."
"W-who's not normal?!"
Mira snapped back, voice loud but conviction thin.
"T-that's a side effect of Take-Over! It's the demon's influence! It's not like I want to turn into that!"
"Side effect?"
Shane let out a cold laugh.
Then he grabbed her chin and forced her head up, making her meet his eyes.
The angle—being made to look up at him—only made her feel more humiliated. She clenched her teeth and glared at his black eyes like she could kill him with pure spite.
Shane didn't even blink.
"Listen, idiot student."
"Take-Over is dragging a monster's soul into your body and borrowing its power."
"It's a double-edged blade. If your will isn't strong enough, the monster's instincts will take the reins."
"You think that loud, arrogant, eyes-up-to-the-sky brat just now was the demon?"
He scoffed.
"Wrong. That was you—your most primitive self, your arrogance—magnified a thousand times by Satan Soul."
He released her chin, then casually smacked her forehead again.
Not hard. Maximum disrespect.
"A real strong person controls power."
"They don't become power's slave."
"What you did was exactly like a toddler who gets a new toy, runs around showing off, and immediately breaks something."
"Stupid beyond belief."
Then, just to be sure it landed, he added:
"And not for the first time."
"Y-you…!"
Mira got verbally shredded. She opened her mouth to fight back, but nothing came out.
Because she knew he was right.
The moment she fully received Satan Soul, she had felt that swelling rush—like the world should revolve around her.
That high had made her ignore everything around her… and she'd nearly hurt her own guildmates.
Now, thinking back, her stomach twisted with shame and fear.
But with that stubborn, prideful mouth of hers, she'd rather die than admit it.
"Hmph…"
She turned her head away, forcing the bravado.
"I just got careless, that's all!"
"Next time—next time I'll control it perfectly!"
"Next time?"
Shane finally stood up, letting her back go.
He stared down at her sprawled on the ground.
"Then show me."
He dusted his hands slowly and pointed at the dense forest around them.
"Starting now, keep this form and run fifty laps around the forest."
"No stopping. No canceling the transformation."
"If you run out of mana and revert…"
He paused, then smiled—warm, friendly, absolutely terrifying.
"Then we'll do today's 'special training' again."
"And to make it really memorable, I'll invite Lisanna and Elfman so they can watch their big sister's 'heroic' moment up close."
"Same pose as just now. Sound good?"
"Fifty laps?! Are you a demon?!"
Mira's eyes went wide.
She could barely stand. Holding this high-consumption form while running was insane.
Shane didn't answer.
His Heartflame quietly flared, crackling.
The threat was crystal clear.
"Aaaagh! Bastard Shane! I'll remember this!"
Mira howled in grief and rage.
She knew he absolutely meant it.
And the instant she imagined being pinned and humiliated like this in front of her siblings, she decided she'd rather die.
So, for the sake of her pride as the eldest sister, she exploded with ridiculous willpower.
"Fine! I'll run!"
She gritted her teeth, squeezing out the last thread of strength, staggering upright and starting to move through the trees.
As she ran, she cursed nonstop, as if swearing fueled her legs:
"Shane, you bastard! Shane, you jerk! Heartless idiot!"
"One day I'm gonna step on you… I'll make you regret it… just you wait…!"
Little by little, her "I don't hate him" meter rocketed upward—until it nearly matched her hatred for Erza.
Watching Mira's battered, awkward run—her form already breaking down, yet her stubborn refusal to quit still blazing—Shane's eyes finally softened with a hint of amusement.
"Annoying brat… but that grit isn't bad."
And honestly? Her pride was working exactly as intended. She really was running.
Shane leaned back against a tree, smiling to himself.
"Good. From now on, the training gets way worse."
After all, she'd called him "Master."
If he was going to carry that title, he couldn't afford to be even slightly sloppy.
"Hang in there, Mira."
He watched her pace slowly pick up, grin widening.
"I've wanted you to learn the 'mana depletion' lesson for a while. This is… for your own good."
"And if you don't finish…"
His smile sharpened.
"I'm not going easy on you."
~~~
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