The Villainous Me Turned the Losers into Blackened Bosses-Chapter 23 - Act? No Act!

In the cramped little office, both Will and Leah began scheming how to set their traps.

Leah was the first to make her move.

“Ahem. You… you really need to take the practical exam seriously,” Leah coughed twice, trying to sound like an experienced teacher. But her youthful voice and the way she nervously twirled her golden twin-tails with her finger betrayed her unease.

“Here’s the thing. At our academy, students must mutually select a mentor within their first year. Otherwise, they’ll be held back. Without practical exam scores, you won’t be able to choose a mentor this year. Ahem, so, Will, you need to take the makeup exam seriously!”

Leah pretended to be explaining the importance of the makeup exam, but in reality, she was calculating how to make her move—she could feel it, the witch coin was still on Will.

Hmph, this young master looked like a naive, sheltered boy who wouldn’t recognize her. Surely, she could trick him easily.

“Ahem. I also noticed your physical test results weren’t very impressive. Uh… actually, actually, teachers can check magical circuits, you know. L-Let me check if your circuits are healthy.”

Though her words were awkward, Leah wasn’t trying to harass her student.

Magical conduction through direct contact was far more effective than through air. Since Will carried the coin on him, it was likely in one of his pockets.

If she could touch his clothing and activate a detection spell, she’d pinpoint the coin’s location within two minutes. Then, a quick teleportation spell would let her snatch it.

Leah felt like a genius.

“So, w-what do you think? Would you consider it?”

She avoided looking directly at Will as she spoke.

How strange. Ever since they entered the same room, her heart had been racing.

Looking closely, Will’s physique wasn’t bad. He wasn’t particularly muscular, but he seemed fit and lean. Maybe touching him wouldn’t feel so bad?

No, no, no! Why was she even thinking about touching him? Was she the type to fall for a student just because of this?

“Oh, is that so? Unfortunately, my makeup exam might still be a long way off,” Will replied, feigning innocence.

He scratched his head and stood up from the chair Leah had pulled over for him.

“How about this, Miss~ Leah~ Teacher~? Once my hand heals…”

Taking advantage of Leah’s momentary distraction, Will closed the distance in two steps. Using his uninjured left hand, he grabbed Leah’s wrist and pinned her against the desk.

The gap between them disappeared in an instant.

Leah could feel the roughness of his grip, a faint pain spreading from her wrist.

And a strange, inexplicable warmth.

“You… y-you…”

Caught off guard, Leah completely forgot her teacherly facade. Her tongue stumbled over her words.

Her meticulously crafted plan evaporated from her mind, leaving only the image of Will’s face and the glint in his eyes behind his glasses.

A moment ago, Will had been playing the role of an obedient student. Now, his voice dropped to a dangerous tone as he leaned closer and said:

“—How about I let you examine me, Miss Leah?”

Yes.

This was Will’s plan.

Why wait passively when he could take the initiative?

The only way to deal with a tsundere putting on an act was to confront her head-on.

Still acting? Fine.

Pretending to be a homeroom teacher? Fine.

Playing the role of a good little professor? Fine.

She was probably calling him a “weakling” in her head already, wasn’t she?

Well, he’d make her drop the act right now!

Feeling smug, Will tightened his grip slightly.

“You-you-you—what are you doing?! Y-you can’t treat a teacher like this! L-let go of my hand!”

The closer Will got, the harder it was for Leah to maintain her composure. Her voice trembled more with each word.

“I know,” Will began, his voice calm but pointed, “that the person standing in front of my carriage that day… was you, wasn’t it?”

“You call that a carriage? That was an armored vehicle! I blasted it several times, and it didn’t even get a scratch!”

“I know,” Will continued, ignoring her outburst, “that the one who attacked my poor, defenseless maid with Extreme Flame Meteor… was you, wasn’t it?”

“You call her defenseless? I almost got killed by that muscle-bound monster maid of yours!”

“And finally…”

Will reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the coin Leah had been waiting for. He held it up, letting it glint in the light.

“I know… that the one who left this behind at the scene and fled in disgrace… was you, wasn’t it?”

At last, he dangled the bait in front of the fish that had been circling him.

Leah could feel Will’s breath, close enough to touch.

He-he-he was too close.

And for some reason…

At this distance, looking into his blue eyes through his glasses, her heart raced even faster.

She could feel her magical circuits, buried deep in her bloodline, spinning at an alarming speed.

Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump—

Gurgle-gurgle-gurgle—

Not only could she hear her heartbeat, but she could also hear the hum of her circuits.

What was happening to her?

Could this…

Could this be love?

Being this close and still feeling this way… it had to be real!

Leah averted her gaze, focusing instead on the coin Will was twirling in his hand. As her eyes fixated on the spinning coin, she could make out the faint image of the witch in the oversized hat.

Yaar’s Coin!

The ultra-efficient magical medium, indestructible and handcrafted by the legendary witch Yaar 500 years ago, known only to witches.

In her desperation to complete Extreme Flame Meteor, she had recklessly used it.

This was it!

And he had it right there!

No problem. Now that it was in front of her, she could just take it by force—

Leah, overcome with excitement, lunged for the coin in Will’s hand.

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“This is mine! Give it back!”

But…

Will stepped back, twirling the coin between his fingers before slipping it back into his jacket pocket.

“Now, now, Miss Leah. That’s not how you should talk. This was left behind after your defeat—it’s my rightful spoils.”

Leah puffed out her cheeks in frustration.

“Hmph! You-you-you dodged?! How is a weakling like you this quick? Have you been practicing dodging slimes or something?!”

Will flinched. As a cannon fodder character destined to be crushed by a slime, dodging them was indeed something he wished he could do.

Leah flipped her hair, crossing her arms as she tried to regain her composure.

“Think about your magical aptitude for a second. You couldn’t even withstand one of my fireballs!”

“Oh? Maybe so, but this is the academy. Are you willing to risk getting fired just to beat me up?”

Leah froze at his retort.

He was right. While she occasionally took shady jobs to fund her research, she valued her position at the academy.

At least…

At least until she got Frozen Ice Array from the Vice Principal, she couldn’t afford to leave.

Damn it!

She hadn’t expected to lose an argument to this weakling!

Leah clenched her fists.

If intimidation wouldn’t work…

Then she’d have to resort to persuasion.

Leah slowly unclenched her fists.