The Villainous Me Turned the Losers into Blackened Bosses-Chapter 36 - The Third Coin

“Ugh… why do you even believe what I say in my sleep?”

Will rubbed his head. Thankfully, Leah was short, so leaning on her shoulder hadn’t been too awkward.

Still, waking up to find himself sleeping on Leah’s shoulder was quite a shock for Will.

Earlier, Leah had been sitting far enough away that there was no way he could’ve accidentally leaned on her. It had even seemed like she was deliberately keeping her distance.

Well, it made sense. After all, who wouldn’t want to avoid someone after getting locked in a warehouse with their student because of a silly mistake?

But…

Somehow, after falling asleep, his head had “teleported” onto Leah’s shoulder?!

“You… you even complained in your sleep about me not being cute… that makes me even sadder!!”

“Why would you interpret it like that?!” Will sighed. “But seriously, why did you move so close all of a sudden?”

“You looked like… you were about to fall over from the cold. Your head kept nodding, and you were this close to collapsing. And… well, since I’m a fire-element witch, my magical circuits are pretty advantageous in this kind of environment. So… so I thought I’d lend you my shoulder.”

Leah sounded genuinely upset.

What she’d done was actually kind.

This made Will feel a little guilty.

It was starting to seem like he was the one in the wrong here!

Wait, wait, wait…

Even if it was just sleep talk, he really had borrowed her shoulder and then complained about her.

“Ah… I’m sorry!!!! Miss Leah, you’re the cutest in the world!”

“Ugh… don’t say it like that—it’s so fake and gross.”

Leah buried her face in her arms, hugging her knees to hide her blushing face.

“If… if you’re still cold, you can lean over again. I-I’m not asking you to, okay? But… I’d rather you not catch a cold. Like I said, I’m fine in this environment—I could sit here all night. But you? You’d be in trouble, wouldn’t you?”

Watching Leah switch back and forth between tsundere and directness, it was like her brain was fighting itself.

Even so, she still wanted him to lean on her for warmth. Will felt even more embarrassed.

—Well, if that’s the case, he might as well lean over.

“...Mm… ha…”

As Will leaned closer, Leah let out a soft, almost inaudible sigh, and her body trembled slightly.

Huh? So sensitive?

Wait…

This encounter had come so suddenly and wasn’t part of Will’s plans. He had completely forgotten… he was carrying today’s coin with him!

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Which meant… Leah’s earlier silence wasn’t because she was embarrassed or holding onto her tsundere tendencies. It was purely because…

She was reacting to the blood-red mint essential oil on him, making it hard for her to speak.

Even so, she still chose to get closer to him?

Wow!

She was getting closer to the proactive attitude he had imagined. Not bad.

But… was it really okay to let this state drag on for too long?

Leah was doing her best to suppress her thoughts and stabilize her magical circuits. Though she was calmer than usual, being near Will still caused her circuits to tremble.

On top of that, she hadn’t been sleeping well for several nights. Her mental state was like someone who had pulled multiple all-nighters and then chugged a giant cup of coffee. Even if her brain told her to rest, her body felt hyperactive. It was more of a mental torment than anything else.

But…

She still didn’t want her student to catch a cold.

Once they got out, she was definitely going to deal with those bullies who had been tormenting Will.

As Leah struggled to keep herself together…

“Oops, I dropped it.”

She heard the clinking sound of a coin hitting the ground.

Looking up, she saw Will tossing the coin away.

“W-Wait—”

She instinctively reached for it but was stopped by Will.

“It’s fine. This should make you feel a bit better, right?”

She could only watch as the round coin rolled a few meters away and settled under one of the shelves. It wasn’t far, but the distance was enough to ease Leah’s condition.

“You… you noticed?”

“I’m not blind, dumb, or dense. Of course, I noticed. But it’s fine—I have plenty of those.”

“P-Plenty?!”

Leah’s eyes widened in shock as she stared at Will.

She had assumed such a miraculous item was as rare as her witch coins. She had convinced herself that the coin’s effects came from some unknown catalyst because she had never heard of anything so potent in such small doses.

But now, he was casually saying he had plenty of them.

Will was quite pleased with her reaction.

“Think about it. You must’ve noticed during your experiments that these coins are of poor quality. They break easily, unlike the ones you’re used to.”

“That’s true.” Leah nodded, recalling her first experiment. “But… they were incredibly effective.”

“Exactly. If they were truly rare and valuable, do you think I’d let you steal such fragile items so easily?”

“…So that’s it? You’re saying the coin’s miraculous ability doesn’t come from the coin itself…”

Will couldn’t help but admire her sharp mind. As expected of a witch professor, she was quick to catch on.

“Wait, are you just going to leave me guessing? Are you planning to keep it a secret?”

Leah stopped mid-sentence, her suspicion evident.

“There’s no need to hide it. If we’re going to work together, it’s better to be transparent, don’t you think?”

Will smiled.

“If you think about it, isn’t it obvious? What if the effect comes from something coated or infused onto the coin?”

“That’s actually true? I considered it, but it seemed impossible. How could such a small amount of something be so effective?”

“Well… Leah, have you ever heard of something called…”

Will lowered his voice dramatically, as if sharing a great secret, even though they were the only two people in the room.

“Blood-red mint.”

“……”

Leah fell silent for a moment.

Then, in a deliberately clueless tone, she said:

“Never heard of it~”

“…Alright.”

Will sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Considering that Leah only discovered its use in the final battle in the original story, it was likely that her mother had deliberately kept it hidden from her.

“I’ve done some research. Blood-red mint is a plant that can make witches’ magical circuits more active, unlocking greater potential. These fake coins I gave you were soaked in a concentrated extract of it. The refined mint is incredibly potent, so even a tiny amount has a strong effect.”

“I see. From a logical standpoint… that does make sense. Ancient texts do mention similar phenomena…”

“So… your research isn’t stuck on material ratios. It’s stuck because your body can’t sustain the magic. If we work together, I can provide you with blood-red mint essential oil. We can experiment to find the optimal dosage, and you’ll be ready for the competition in four days.”

Will snapped his fingers.

“By the way, I still have some money left from my father. While the mint I have now was obtained for free, I can always buy more if needed. As for Frozen Ice Array, I only need to borrow it to study its contents. I don’t care about the book’s material or origin. If you need the original, I can have a copy made for you.”

Leah’s ears and face were still red as she crossed her arms, deep in thought.

To be honest, she had initially thought Will was just a lucky fool who had stumbled upon a rare treasure. But now, it was clear he had some skill. His analysis was thorough, and he had practical experience to back it up.

Leah’s mind felt muddled and tired. It wasn’t the cold—she could handle that. It was the mental fatigue from days of exhaustion and the lingering effects of the coin. She was naturally worn out.

“Leah, it seems like even after tossing the coin away, you’re still not feeling great… I have an idea you can try.”

“Hm?”

Will smiled and used the pin on Leah’s magical robe to pull her hand closer.

“This might sting a little. Bear with it, okay?”

“W-Wait, what are you—”

Before Leah could finish her thought, Will pricked her finger with the pin.

“Ouch…”

Leah was stunned. Will was so… so forceful! How could a student be like this?!

Before she could react, Will brought her finger to his mouth.