I Will Create a Good Ending for the Yandere Villainess

[Next Morning]

The next day was the weekend, fortunately. But... It felt more like a curse rather than a blessing. The first thing Marionette did in the morning was wake her up to go on a run.

"Ha... Ha..."

Lillian leaned her back against a tree, breathing raggedly as she wiped the sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand. She was currently wearing a dark blue tracksuit and white trainers.

Off to the side, Marionette was staring at her with folded arms. She was wearing a black tracksuit and dark red trainers, whilst not looking even the least bit tired.

"Another lap." The Assassin stated, leaving the tired girl shocked.

"We just went around the Academy twice! Each being around 10 miles!" Lillian stated.

In the past, they would go for a single lap around before heading to Virtual Reality to polish her skills.

Marionette shook her head, "Not enough. We have to train your stamina more." She unfolded her arms, summoning a metal canteen and passing it to the girl. It was the Purified Quench.

"Here. We'll rest for a bit before beginning again."

Lillian stared at her unwillingly before sighing. After drinking from the canteen that seemingly held an endless supply of water, they rested for a moment before running again.

After running for 1 or 2 laps, Marionette decided to call it off.

They then made their way towards the Technological Building, which besides acting as a place of innovation and creation, was also a gym of sorts.

With their status as Priority Students, they were allowed to more equipment to further their potential.

Marionette stood before a dark pillar, with Lillian off to the side, watching.

The Assassin raised her fist, pulled her arm back. It then glowed a faint blue light, becoming coated in it.

It was Mana.

With a fluid twist of her body, she unleashed a blow on the pillar.

DUM!

The pillar shook at her punch, vibrating slightly before stabilising. Then, a holographic screen of numbers appeared above it.

It read:

[100.26]

Marionette gave a satisfied hum before turning around and saying:

"Your turn."

Lillian grimaced. She smiled wryly, running her fingers over her knuckles.

"Do I have to, though...?"

Marionette stared at her blankly, then nodded:

"Yes."

Lillian let out a groan and walked past her while muttering, "I already know it's gonna be low..."

She stood before the pillar. This sort of equipment was called a "Force Scaler" — a machine that measures the force applied to it and outputs a number. The number that Marionette dealt with may seem small, but...

'1 equals to about 100 Newtons... So...' She stared grimly at the number [100.26] and glanced back at Marionette, finding her nonchalant about it.

The force behind her punch was exactly 10,026 Newtons of force. Although she wasn't sure how strong that exactly was, she knew it would no doubt be devastating.

Lillian raised her hand, glancing at it with a look of doubt. She twisted her torso around, bringing back her arm. Just like Marionette, she enhanced her arm with mana before—

Bam...!

Lillian stared with a deadpan expression at the unfazed pillar, which outputted her result.

[25.4]

Lillian cringed at the result, feeling a bit embarrassed before feeling a hand land on her back.

Marionette patted her back, comfortingly, and said:

"Not bad, Lillian."

"Eh... Really? It's extremely low compared to yours."

Marionette blinked at her before tilting her head, "You have an awful habit to compare, don't you?"

Lillian rubbed the back of her head, looking away slightly, "I guess I'm just a bit pessimistic..."

"Is that so..."

The Assassin moved her hand from Lillian's back, moving it towards the top of her head. Marionette's fingers brushed through her hair, stroking her scalp.

Lillian raised an eyebrow at the tall woman, finding her staring down with an amused expression.

"Self-awareness is a good trait. Nothing entirely wrong with being pessimistic... You cannot guarantee everything, after all — especially growth." She moved her hand to Lillian's cheek, patting it.

"But you must have more faith in your strength, Lillian. Even the most humble man, who had honed his skills for years, would feel assurance of his profession. No matter what... Faith is the strongest foundation for growth and strength."

Lillian stared at her silently. Her lips then curled up into a smirk.

She brushed off the hand on her cheek and said:

"Thanks. But I must say... You sure do have a habit of making these sorts of speeches." She used the Assassin's own words against her.

Marionette gave an amused huff, "You act like you don't quietly sit through them."

Lillian shrugged with a smile, "Who wouldn't when you're the one saying them?"

Marionette gave a short hum. She folded her arms and held her chin, pondering. She then gave a smug look, "I suppose you are right."

"Ehh... Not even a bit of humbleness?"

"... Who knows, Lillian... Now then... It's time to go build your muscles. Off to the weights."

Lillian let out a groan before stretching her back. She still wondered why Marionette had decided to change how she trained her, perhaps it was because she had seen her lazy past self reveal itself more as time went on.

But, she wasn't going to ask, for there would be no point. Marionette was taking time out of her day and effort to train her. She had to at least put in the same effort.

The longer she trained, the more she felt like the day was never going to end. However...

Marionette, off to the side, watched as Lillian tightly clutched a long, curved handle before pulling it down. The weights attached by a wire were then lifted — it was a lat pull-down.

Her ears twitched at the girl's ragged breathing, then smiled, satisfied.

Lillian's motivation to train had begun to return.

Perhaps it was because of the Student Council Head's reward. Perhaps it was the remembrance of the countless time and effort Marionette put into her. Or... Perhaps It was because of the incoming dangers...