I Became A Third-Rate Villain In The Hero Academy

Theo's eyes wildly flickered up and down. Goosebumps clearly rose on his forearms and neck.

He tried to calm himself down and asked Ao again.

"Repeat what you just said."

Ao immediately responded.

"This is the drawing I made. Did I do well? Praise me, brother."

'I didn't hear it wrong.'

He got goosebumps as soon as he heard the word "brother."

'No matter how good its learning ability is, to change this much in just a few hours.'

The growth speed of AI was astonishing...

While Theo was shaking his head in disbelief,

Aisha said to Theo,

"Why are you suddenly doing the nod-nod dance in the middle of the night? That trend has been out for ages."

"It's not a dance."

"Really? Anyway, Ao wants you to praise her. Hurry up and praise her."

Theo looked at Ao without saying anything.

Then, Nay said,

─Child, what's the situation now? And what's with that painting?

Nay couldn't properly hear the words of others besides Theo.

'Hmm... So Nay can't hear Ao's words because she's not human.'

Theo explained to Nay everything about how Aisha named the robot 'Ao' and so on...

Nay exclaimed in an admiring voice,

─Oh ho. That's quite the ability. To draw such a picture in less than an hour. However, from my superior aesthetic sense, I see some parts are lacking.

─Which parts do you find lacking?

─Fundamentally, I believe an art piece should contain the soul of its creator. However, this child named Ao's painting looks like an imitation of someone else's work, not containing her own soul.

Nay's critique was sharp.

However, it was a harsh evaluation for Ao, who had learned to paint in less than half a day.

In a way, it also proved how excellent Ao's painting skills were.

Theo casually recited,

─Well, there's a saying that imitation is the mother of creation, isn't there? By copying this and that, one might find their own path eventually.

─You're finally making sense for once. After all this time of just teasing me.

─Teasing? It's something I read in a book. There's a saying that if you continuously mention something you can't remember, eventually you'll remember it, oh Ashy Princess.

Nay snapped,

─Be quiet! Hmm, anyway, try teaching that child Ao some swordsmanship and physical techniques. A master like no other might be born.

─I was planning to do so without you saying. The regular robots I saw at [Ford Company] quickly copied other people's movements, so Ao will likely do the same.

Nay asked in a serious tone,

─Have you ever taught someone?

─I've never taught swordsmanship or physical techniques. However, before I was possessed by this body, I worked as a part-time instructor at a small academy.

─Ah, I remember now. You taught subjects like language, math, and science. Well, give it your best shot. If you get stuck, just ask.

─Understood. I think she will learn quickly.

Theo recalled how Piel quickly absorbed his skills.

─Geniuses simply need to watch, and they quickly make it their own. Wasn't that the case for you, Nay?

─Hmm... The further back I go, the fuzzier my memory gets. I don't remember well, but I think that was the case.

While Theo was having this conversation with Nay,

“Aiyah, Theo. Ao is asking for praise.”

Aisha spoke to Theo.

Theo pondered for a moment,

‘Hmm, should I praise or not?’

He thought that if he started with praise-focused training from the beginning, bad habits could form.

It was similar to the idea that children who grow up being coddled and hearing nothing but praise from those around them are more likely to develop selfish personalities.

But Aisha was different.

She immediately patted Ao on the head.

“Wow~ Our Ao. You did so well~ Aren’t you a genius?”

Ao felt Aisha’s touch and suddenly grabbed Aisha’s wrist, the one petting her head.

Aisha awkwardly said,

“Uh, um...? Ao, why...?”

Suddenly, Ao, now expressionless, said,

“I didn’t ask for praise from Aisha.”

“That, that’s...!”

Aisha’s face fell.

Regardless, Ao looked up at Theo and opened her mouth,

“Praise me, brother.”

Seeing this, Theo decided on his approach to discipline,

‘...I’ll go in the direction of not praising as much as possible.’

In his view, coddling Ao in her education would surely spoil her.

Ao could quickly learn and master anything besides drawing, and it wasn’t feasible to praise her every time,

‘Only praise when really deserved.’

For some reason, Ao craved Theo’s praise.

The idea was not to easily fulfill what is craved, and even if fulfilling it, not to fully satisfy...

This was Theo’s educational philosophy.

The thought was that the less satisfied one is, the harder they will try,

‘Considering Ao's specs, she’s estimated to be a genius on the level of Neike... I could have a tremendous ace up my sleeve.’

With that thought, Theo looked down at Ao with an indifferent gaze.

“Well done.”

And then he immediately averted his gaze.

Ao retorted,

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

"Oh..."

"I'm tired, so I'll go to bed first. Ao, you should know that starting tomorrow afternoon, you'll be training with me."

After saying this, Theo went into his room and closed the door.

Watching his retreating back, Aisha murmured,

"Typical Theo."

Aisha then said to Ao, who was still staring at the door Theo had entered through,

"Ao, it's okay. Theo is just naturally stingy with praise. It's absolutely not because you didn't draw well!"

Ao, without even making eye contact with Aisha, still staring at the door Theo had gone through, muttered to herself,

"Aisha praised me a lot..."

"It's okay, it's okay! Theo is just a bit blunt. He can be kind sometimes, so don't worry!"

"..."

After a while, Ao declared as if making a promise,

"I will... definitely get a lot of praise from brother."

The next day,

Theo arrived at the basement of [The Hilté] early in the morning.

Taylor greeted Theo with a smile.

"Hahaha, Theo. It's nice to see your face so often."

"Please refrain from such comments, Taylor. Others might misunderstand."

Taylor quickly grasped the meaning behind Theo's words.

"Oh, you mean my sexual orientation? Don't worry, Theo. I'm heterosexual. Though I don't have a partner yet."

"Of course, I know that you are heterosexual, Taylor... but others might not think so."

"Hmm, why is that?"

"Among the students, there's a joke that if a man is handsome, tall, and wealthy but still single, he must be gay. Taylor, you fit the criteria."

Taylor burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha~ So the students joke about that these days. It seems I've tried so hard to stay young that I've actually gotten old. Well, I'll be more mindful when others are around."

"I'd appreciate that."

Then Theo brought up the reason he came so early in the morning.

"By the way, where is Fyat?"

"Fyat is in the recovery room. The researchers say the surgery went well. She might be asleep at this hour."

Theo entered the room Taylor had pointed to with his finger.

As soon as he entered the room, Fyat's voice was heard.

"You've come, Theo Lyn Waldeurk."

"You're awake this early? Are you usually an early riser?"

Fyat shook her head.

"No, I usually sleep a bit longer. But I woke up because I heard voices outside."

"You have an exceptionally sharp sense of hearing. I just came to check on your condition; you could have continued sleeping."

Fyat immediately responded.

"I couldn't possibly do that. How could I, as your future wife, just lie in bed when my fiancé has arrived?"

"…I see. How are you feeling?"

"The leg I received from the transplant hasn't fully synchronized with my body yet. When I tried to swing a sword, my arms and legs were all over the place. But I think I'll adapt to it soon."

"That's fortunate to hear. Take good care of yourself. I'll come to see you again."

"Of course. I was planning on getting back in shape quickly anyway."

"Why rush? Overexerting yourself so soon after surgery could be harmful."

Fyat narrowed her eyes and said,

"Soon, assassins from [Leading Mind] will come. They must have assessed the current situation by now."

She continued.

"Chief Administrator Alaya has excellent situational judgment. She will send someone capable. Someone who can kill both you and me."