Fight Like a Lion

Monday.

You En arrived at the classroom.

Wang Meiyu saw You En, mustered her courage, and greeted him:

"Morning, You En-kun... What's with you?"

You En was carrying two bow cases of equal size. One was the Heart Bamboo that the senior had given him; the other was a longbow he had made himself over the past few days, modeled after Heart Bamboo. Among the many flawed attempts, this one felt the most comfortable to use.

Besides that, he also had a quiver slung over him, filled with self-made bamboo arrows. The arrowheads were grooved ones provided by the senior. He could have crafted those himself, of course, but it would have taken time and effort. The senior said it would be fine as is, so he let it go.

You En snapped out of his thoughts and replied:

"This is for club activities."

Wang Meiyu studied the bow cases. "Musical instruments? Doesn't quite feel like it."

"It's a kind of performance too."

You En recalled drawing the bowstring, pulling back his shoulders, and releasing the arrow. The sound the bowstring made in that moment—could that also count as an instrument?

"If you're interested, you can come visit the club."

Wang Meiyu did seem to be spurred by something.

"O-okay! I'll definitely go!"

You En exchanged a few more words with Wang Meiyu before ending the conversation and returning to his seat.

"Club activities keeping you that busy?"

Horikita Suzune reached out and tapped his shoulder.

You En turned around to see her looking a bit displeased.

He remembered that because of the intense training this week, he had missed having breakfast and dinner with her many times. Only lunch was consistently shared with Horikita.

"I regret it too, not being able to eat with Suzune-san."

Hearing this, Horikita Suzune first closed her eyes, let out an almost imperceptible hmph, then opened them and said, "I never intended to eat with you. I just thought you looked pitiful, so I threw you my leftovers."

Tsundere is outdated, Miss Suzune.

You En felt she was actually a lot like her brother. One was a tsun-tsun-tsundere, the other a tsun-tsun-tsun-tsun... tsundere. They had to be blood-related.

Horikita Suzune glared at him with her big eyes.

"I feel like you're thinking something that would annoy me."

"Can you read minds?"

You En asked.

"All your emotions are written in your eyes,"

Horikita Suzune met his gaze and said slowly, "I can see them."

You En thought for a moment.

"If you can really read emotions from my eyes and guess my thoughts, then I suggest you look into the Psychology Club, or maybe the Deduction Club."

"I don't plan to join any clubs,"

Horikita Suzune said firmly.

"I'm definitely joining the Student Council."

"I'm just suggesting."

You En himself didn't want anyone to dictate his life or choices. Likewise, his interference in others was limited. He gave advice out of friendship, but he wouldn't force it.

"There's a pretty important assessment this afternoon, so I plan to go back and nap after the morning exams. I won't eat lunch together."

Horikita Suzune pinched her chin, thought for a brief moment, and nodded lightly:

"Okay."

She didn't ask why. There were many things she didn't understand that she would ask You En about, but when it came to his own choices, if he didn't want to say, she wouldn't ask.

Just like he had never tried to persuade her about the Student Council or her obsession with catching up to Horikita Manabu. Instead, he had helped her see herself clearly and strengthen her resolve.

And so, You En slept through the entire morning.

When the first afternoon class—Swimming—came, he only did a light warm-up before relaxing himself, adjusting his state as much as possible, and sensing the "Second Self."

Finally, he arrived at the door of the elective classroom. Ibuki was also ready and waiting.

Ibuki helped You En put on some common protective gear: a leather jacket, wrist guards, and leg armor.

She let out a soft sigh, feeling that her learning ability and hands-on skills were still somewhat lacking.

"I didn't finish the helmet and shoes for you—not enough time, and the rhino hide was too hard to work with. Those half-finished pieces might even affect your condition."

You En asked, "It's fine, I don't need them anyway. You're the one in the most danger—have you prepared your own?"

"No, I only made one more shoe than you. Forget the headpiece; it's not like I'll get hit there anyway."

Ibuki was very confident. After this period of practice, she felt that Wild Wolves were nothing special. Even alone, she'd at most suffer minor injuries. With You En around, there was nothing to fear.

You En was confident and optimistic, but not without caution. He reminded her, "Be careful."

Ibuki felt like she was in her element.

"Whether it's fighting or sparring, I've got way more experience than you. You're the one who needs to be careful. Remember, don't stray too far from me."

"Mm."

You En said nothing more. Instead, he noticed that the door to the Survival Class classroom was open, not locked. He pushed it open and looked at Ibuki.

"Go in?"

"Then let's go in and wait."

Ibuki was a little excited and stepped inside first.

"Perfect chance to take a look at that Gray Wolf."

You En followed her in. Out of caution, he left the door ajar, not closing it.

There was no teacher in the classroom. The huge partition curtain still hung in the center.

You En set down both bow bags, first pulling out the Heart Bamboo bow in his left hand, nocking an arrow with his right, while holding another between his fingers.

Ibuki intended to go in and take a look.

Just as she reached out to touch the partition curtain—

You En heard it. The low growl of a beast, and the faint, almost imperceptible sound of paws scraping against the floor.

He didn't hesitate. He shot an arrow toward the partition curtain directly in front of Ibuki, aiming slightly to the side.

The curtain was pulled open by Ibuki, and she stared defenselessly at an orange-yellow Jaguar hurtling toward her at full speed, claws and fangs inches away.

Not a Gray Wolf?!

Ibuki stared at the brown-yellow beast. The sudden attack stirred a flicker of fear in her. She didn't even think to counterattack, and even began to wonder if the teacher had already been killed.

"Swoosh—"

In that moment of her daze, an arrow struck the Jaguar below its neck, burying deep into its flesh. It slightly slowed the beast's terrifying momentum, but it still lunged at her!

Ibuki Mio's panic at the ambush lessened when she saw You En's arrow appear in her field of vision. Instinctively, she crouched to shift her center of gravity, then rolled to the side, narrowly dodging the Jaguar's pounce.

But because of that dodge—

The Jaguar crossed the classroom's midline, landing directly in front of You En.

Five meters? Or eight?

You En wasn't sure. He only knew the beast was right before him. He had only two arrows in hand—one already fired, the other now nocked.

If he shot and the beast dodged, it would take him at least two to three seconds to grab another arrow from the quiver and nock it. That was enough time for the Jaguar to reach him.

The Jaguar had explosive power and a bite force second only to tigers and lions. Its high bite quotient meant it could tear flesh and even crush skulls with ease.

He had no close-combat training. In maybe a dozen seconds, it could bite through his neck and kill him.

You En stared at the beast, no fear in his eyes. His pitch-black pupils met the brown-yellow beast's gaze—pure hostility against brutal killing intent.

The Jaguar tried to paw the arrow out, but after struggling for a while, it only managed to bite through the shaft. The arrowhead remained embedded.

The pain in its neck told the Jaguar that this human wasn't easy to mess with. But at the same time, the pain stirred its most primal wildness and ferocity, driving it to tear open flesh.

Its beastly eyes shifted away, landing on Ibuki, who still hadn't fully composed herself. Judging by size, this prey seemed easier to handle—maybe a cub or an immature individual.

You En watched this, assessing Ibuki's state. Could she really dodge the Jaguar's next pounce?

"Don't be afraid."

That low, lion-like roar of a shout—

Like a spring of sweet water rising in the desert, it finally calmed Ibuki's restless mind.

She had misjudged. She had been too confident, too blind... and that had put her in danger.

At the very least, she had to let You En escape safely. This was her mistake; she shouldn't let him sacrifice himself for her.

Ibuki's peripheral vision swept toward the door. It was still open. You En was only about three meters from the entrance. If she could find a way out and close the door, he'd be completely safe.

But only one person could go.

And You En chose to trust her. He believed that together, he and Ibuki could defeat this beast—just as they had agreed.

"Dodge!!"

"You go first."

They both acted at the same time, practically shouting their decisions at each other.

Ibuki's sudden movement made You En abruptly pull back his bowstring.

To avoid hitting his teammate, he released the arrow into the air.

The deflected arrow struck his left forearm, stinging with pain.

Ibuki Mio sidestepped the jaguar's attack and landed a vicious kick to its abdomen.

If that kick had hit a person, most would have lost the ability to fight back.

But the problem was that this was a jaguar.

The jaguar only slid a short distance across the ground before steadying itself again; the damage from that blow felt far less significant than the arrow earlier.

Its judgment was correct—this prey was the one to take down first.

The tips of You En's right fingers also ached, blood seeping from between them, but he didn't stop. Instead, he immediately drew three arrows, nocking one and holding the other two in reserve.

Ibuki Mio took the chance to come to You En's side. "Listen to me. You go first."

You En didn't look at her, keeping his eyes locked on their opponent without a moment's pause, pressing down with his gaze and aura.

Even without a teammate, he would still accomplish his goal.

"You leave. My odds of survival are higher than yours."

His calm tone sent a chill through Ibuki. She had wanted to make You En flee based on emotion, but he countered with the cruelest rationality, stating a truth.

"Hah—"

Ibuki took a deep breath. She couldn't run away now. She set her stance, shielding You En, letting her actions speak for her.

She would become his hunting hound, guarding him to complete this hunt.

You En grinned. In this dangerous situation, he actually laughed.

"Then let's do it, Ibuki. Watch my arrows."

The jaguar launched another assault, but it could no longer succeed. No matter how fast it was, with limited distance and no running start, it couldn't outpace You En's arrows.

Even if an arrow missed due to the beast's high-speed movement and agile dodging, it couldn't close in on him.

Because a certain girl was blocking it in the most brutal way. She knew that to drive it back, she had to inflict real damage—

—to give it a greater shock.

All her kicks aimed as much as possible at the arrow wounds You En had left on the jaguar's body.

There was no retreat, no reliance on luck.

Just one desperate gamble after another.

As the beast collapsed nearby, lying prone on the ground, You En drew his last remaining arrow, focused, and released. The arrow flew almost in a straight line at close range, heading straight for the jaguar's eye socket, driving deep into its brain.

The jaguar twitched once, then went completely still...

It was dead.

You En's left arm had gone completely numb, as had the fingertips of his right hand.

Ibuki watched as he picked up a stray arrow from the ground, held it in his right hand, and walked toward the lifeless prey to deliver another finishing blow.

After confirming the kill, You En turned, came to Ibuki's side, and said to her, "We're safe."

Ibuki's body went limp, pressing entirely against You En's chest, her heart pounding rapidly.

You En said nothing, just wrapped his arms around her, gently stroking her back.

Grateful for this victory.

"Congratulations on completing this trial,"

Teacher Edward said as he stepped out from the doorway, clapping enthusiastically, then added with some apology, "I'm sorry for arranging such a test for you, but the most dangerous aspect of a wild beast isn't a frontal fight—it's ambush and stealth."

Ibuki buried her face in You En's arms, soaking in his scent, unwilling to respond even when she heard the teacher's voice.

You En kept his hand on Ibuki's back and asked Edward, "Teacher, you were actually outside the whole time. If danger arose, you would have protected us, right?"

Edward nodded. "I would have intervened before it became life-threatening, but I couldn't guarantee you wouldn't get hurt."

"Then there's no problem,"

You En said, looking at the jaguar. He asked, "Me killing this jaguar—it's not illegal, is it?"

Teacher Edward shook his head, speaking with certainty.

"No, no one can restrain this school. No law can."

You En found this increasingly intriguing.

"Ha, that's quite different from the propaganda."

"The propaganda you see is merely what you want to see. In reality, each of you browses a different school website."

Edward had said a lot, seemingly because passing this trial made him willing to share some information with You En.

You En nodded. "Is that so? That's quite something."

He wanted to ask other questions, but saw the other man shake his head with a smile—clearly, he had already said enough.

Edward was truly satisfied with this student, whether in classroom learning, practical combat, or even casual conversation—everything was measured and appropriate.

He pulled a folded beast-hide map from his chest.

"When I was young, I survived across the world and discovered some small islands. I drew them into this map—it's only a memento, but perhaps it can offer you some help."

You En took the map. It was a sea chart, dotted with thirty or forty small islands and one larger island farther away.

The small islands looked close, but based on the actual scale, they were separated by considerable distances.

A souvenir?

You En wasn't disappointed. He tucked it away.

"Are there more lessons to come?"

"Of course,"

Edward smiled, revealing two rows of big white teeth.

"But before that, you and this young lady should go get some treatment first. I'll cover the cost."

You En thanked him. Ibuki seemed reluctant to leave him, clinging to his waist, so he could only walk out of the classroom like that.

"Oh, right, if you two have any matters to settle,"

Edward flashed a knowing smile that any man would understand.

"We still have time to wait here."

You En looked down at Ibuki, who was shy and clingy, completely different from her usual self.

If he proposed doing that with her right now, she would 100% not refuse.

Under such extreme stimulation, human instinct drives people toward reproduction—whether male or female, it was perfectly normal.

"You En..."

Ibuki Mio had also heard what was just said. She finally recovered some of her usual state, reluctantly pulling away from You En's embrace.

"If you want it..."

This once-strong-willed girl lowered her head with a hint of guilt.

"I can do it."