Final Preparations

You En arrived at the third floor of the dormitory.

This floor was a dedicated female dormitory; he was here for Ando Sayo's room.

Incidentally, Horikita Suzune also lived on this floor.

For this weekend's supplementary lessons, Tsube Hitomi had suggested in the group chat holding a study session at Ando Sayo's dormitory.

Ando Sayo had surprisingly agreed, and Kobashi Yume and the others naturally had no objections.

You En knocked on the door and heard Tsube Hitomi's voice.

"Coming!"

Tsube Hitomi ran over and opened the door. She was wearing a tank top and soft slippers, completely unconcerned about her appearance:

"Sorry, You En-sensei. Sayo's not feeling well today, so we had to ask you to come to the dorm to give the lesson."

You En looked at her large expanse of wheat-colored skin and hinted:

"Shouldn't you two put on a jacket first before I come in?"

Tsube Hitomi already trusted You En completely, without any guard. She stepped forward and grabbed his wrist:

"What's the big deal? Come in, come in."

"Tsube! I told you to put on a jacket first!"

Ando Sayo hurried out, wearing a jacket draped over her shoulders. Her voice sounded weak, not as crisp as before.

She forcefully pulled Tsube Hitomi and made her put on her clothes, then looked at You En with some apology:

"Sorry, I'm not feeling well today. I was going to ask for leave, but that idiot Hitomi called everyone over. I'm really embarrassed."

You En felt warm air coming from inside—the heater must be on. He guessed it was probably Ando's period.

He looked at Ando Sayo and smiled generously: "It's fine. I like your room too. Are you saying you don't welcome me?"

"Of course not."

A small hint of delight rose in Ando Sayo's heart. She grabbed Tsube Hitomi to stop her from talking.

"Alright, let's go in together. I've prepared some tea and snacks for you."

"Then I came at the right time today."

You En said with a smile to the two of them.

Tsube Hitomi looked a bit proud.

"Sayo's tea ceremony and snacks are top-notch."

Kobashi Yume and another girl had also arrived.

The group began studying and chatting in the room.

With You En controlling the learning pace, Ando and the others weren't worried. The whole atmosphere was very comfortable.

You En didn't stop the casual conversation either. He mostly listened, occasionally throwing out interesting topics and finding ways to mix in survival knowledge.

Ando Sayo looked at You En and asked:

"I remember Ichinose saying that survival class seems pretty dangerous. If the first lesson is like that, won't it get more and more dangerous later?"

"It's actually not that bad."

You En thought for a moment.

"The first lesson is the only dangerous one. After that, it's mostly teaching and learning things. The trial can be taken or skipped."

Tsube Hitomi sat cross-legged, rocking back and forth.

"What trial?"

"Killing a wild wolf."

Hearing You En say that, Kobashi Yume looked a little scared.

"Really?"

You En nodded.

"Yeah, I'm going to challenge it tomorrow. Of course, someone's coming with me."

Ando Sayo said worriedly, "Isn't that a bit too risky? And what normal school would offer a class like this... Is it even necessary?"

You En didn't feel any pressure.

"It's nothing. I just feel like I should give it a try."

Ando Sayo and Tsube Hitomi exchanged glances. His tone sounded as simple as if he were planning to go out and buy a bottle of soda.

"Good luck."

Kobashi Yume didn't understand, but she didn't question it. Instead, she clasped her hands tightly over her chest.

"I'll pray for you!"

The three Ando girls also said, "Us too."

"Thank you."

You En felt that getting to know these girls was far more important to him than those personal points.

The tutoring went smoothly. Although Sayo wasn't feeling well, she still listened attentively.

After having dinner with them, evening arrived.

You En went to the agreed meeting spot—the Combat Club headquarters in the club building.

Seeing the two people at the entrance, he recognized them and greeted them.

The blue-haired girl with a petite build was Ibuki, and the other must be the senior Ibuki had mentioned, Chun-Li.

Chun-Li didn't give off the vibe of a student; she seemed more like an international police officer on a cross-border mission. She sized You En up and asked, "Interested in joining the Combat Club?"

You En greeted her first, then said, "Not for now. I'm already struggling with the Kyudo Club."

Chun-Li glanced into the distance, "Is that so? I heard from Qiao Heng that you're learning pretty fast. She was a good kid back then, and she has a good eye for people. Sure enough, you're a good kid too."

You En followed her gaze and realized she was looking toward the Kyudo Club building.

"Senior Chun-Li, I think I'm past the age of being called a kid."

"Say that after you finish your first year,"

Chun-Li ended the small talk and got down to business:

"Ibuki said you want to challenge the Beast. Honestly, surviving isn't that hard, but if you want to kill it, there's something you need to consider."

You En asked, "What?"

"Are you prepared to get hurt?"

Chun-Li's gaze turned serious. "Before a fight, you have to prepare for the worst. Anticipate the worst-case scenario. Have you thought about that?"

You En lowered his head in thought, then answered earnestly:

"...No. I only thought that Teacher Ed might step in at a critical moment. As for how to handle it, I never considered it."

Chun-Li nodded, appreciating his honesty.

"That's the problem. Since you're planning to fight with everything on the line, you need to be ready to get hurt—even to think about whether you might die.

So tonight, I'll help you get past that."

Ibuki looked a bit reluctant. She spoke up, "Master, You En isn't in the Combat Club, and he doesn't have any foundation. There's no need to train him specifically, right?"

"That's what she says,"

Chun-Li looked at You En. "What's your answer?"

You En didn't find it troublesome; instead, he thought it was only right:

"Since I'm planning to fight side by side, I have to take responsibility. And Senior, you're training me to prevent accidents, aren't you?"

"A bit of a decent man,"

Chun-Li patted Ibuki's head. "You've got good taste."

Ibuki felt her senior might have misunderstood something, but there was nothing she could do—she was her master, so she just had to take it.

"Come on, let's practice."

You En followed Ibuki and Senior Chun-Li into the Combat Club's interior. The school's building footprint and decor were still as extravagant as ever.

"The best way to overcome it is simple: get beaten up, let your body get used to it."

Chun-Li handed You En a set of training protective gear to put on.

"First, let Ibuki hit you a bit so you can adapt. Then I'll take over."

You En wanted to ask if this wouldn't leave him in terrible shape tomorrow.

But his physical condition seemed pretty good; even if he took some minor injuries, he'd be fine after a night's sleep.

Had she noticed that and decided to skip the talk and just get straight to it?

Ibuki was very interested, warming up her limbs. "You ready? I've wanted to hit you for a while. I'll go easy."

You En sighed. Once he got the hang of things at the Kyudo Club, he'd have to sign up for a close-combat club. Staying this passive all the time wasn't a solution.

The beating ended quickly, because Chun-Li discovered a problem: You En simply wasn't afraid of death. He didn't actually fear pain either—he just disliked it...

He didn't need to overcome any psychological barriers, just train his physical habits.

Correcting the latter was quick, but the former was extremely difficult for ordinary people.

"You..."

Chun-Li chose not to press further, because people like this often had pasts that were hard for others to imagine, some even having brushed the border of death, which was how they developed such a mindset.

"Let's move on to the next item. I'll teach you the simplest basic coordination. You need to start by familiarizing yourselves with each other's habits..."

After a brief lesson, Chun-Li began acting as a sparring partner. She allowed You En to use his own bow and arrows.

But You En didn't dare to do so, afraid of injuring her.

Chun-Li could only find him a batch of blunted arrowheads.

Once they started, the outcome for You En and Ibuki could only be described in two words: dismal.

However, after enduring a long beating, You En and Ibuki grew increasingly in sync. They had originally gotten along well, just hadn't practiced much. After the senior's training, they could often understand each other's meaning with just a glance.

By the end, the time they lasted against Chun-Li had doubled, though it was still very short. And neither You En nor Ibuki had managed to touch her even once.

"That's about enough."

Senior Chun-Li looked at the two lying on the ground, "If it were wild wolves, you should be able to get through now. But if something unexpected happens, you'll have to rely on yourselves."

You En felt as if she was hinting at something.

Could it be that the beasts provided might not all be the same?

If it wasn't wild wolves, then what would it be?

Carrying some doubt and anticipation, You En recovered a bit of energy with each breath, preparing to leave, and intending to send Ibuki back.

"No need. She'll stay with me tonight,"

Chun-Li said.

"She doesn't have your physical condition. To get her back to normal by tomorrow, I'll need to help regulate her."

"Then I'll take my leave first. Thank you, senior."

Chun-Li watched silently as he left. There was one thing she hadn't mentioned—

that in their coordination, most of the adjustment fell on You En to match Ibuki.

Because You En's understanding and tolerance were far stronger, he had to be the one to adapt to Ibuki.

Of course, this wasn't Ibuki's fault. Her ability and the unspoken understanding she shared with You En were already quite high.

The main issue was You En himself. Though he seemed to have learned nothing formally, he actually possessed various core abilities that others could hardly reach.

His personality and abilities would make him more suited to be a class leader or organizer, yet he insisted on solitude. One could only call it the eccentricity of a genius.

Chun-Li touched Ibuki's forehead.

Someone with Ibuki's talent and ability would actually still find it difficult to join an advanced club. It was only because Chun-Li really liked and admired her personality that she made an exception to let her in.

But this would make her suffer a lot, and she might not even survive.

Chun-Li had always worried about this.

Now, however, her worries had eased a little.

If these two partnered up, they should have no problem passing the first semester's final formal assessment.

Not to mention the final results, at least they could survive in the end?

Chun-Li shook her head.

It was still too early to talk about this.

Let's observe first. This month's first freshman assessment—

it's the fourth week now, so that would be next week.