'Super Tyrannosaurus Rex'

On the third day, the students continued following the school's prescribed curriculum.

Lezheng had become their group's acknowledged leader, and Katsuragi had no objections. As long as a team had a leader most of its members trusted, its work would become far more efficient.

Although someone would always make a noise during the required period of seated meditation, Lezheng did not punish them with his fists as Ryuuen did. This put Komiya, who had only recently joined, at ease.

The two students from Class C and Class D were also shocked by the Class A students' absurdly efficient execution. They could not help comparing their own class leaders with Lezheng, only to find that neither measured up.

In their eyes, Lezheng had good grades, strong leadership skills, respect for rules, and excellent physical abilities. He was practically a born leader, and he could even save lives.

Yesterday, a Class A student had slipped while fooling around in the woods and nearly rolled down the mountain. Lezheng had caught him by the back of his collar in time.

What they did not know, however, was that Lezheng intended to use the most primitive method tonight to teach Nagumo what it meant to be strong.

"Nagumo, you came alone?" Lezheng looked at him in puzzlement.

"Of course. After all, I'm going to make you accept your defeat wholeheartedly."

As soon as Nagumo finished speaking, he threw a punch straight at Lezheng's face. Lezheng crossed his arms to block, then kicked out. Nagumo raised his left arm in front of himself to block it, but he had not expected Lezheng to be so strong. The kick sent him stumbling back two steps.

He shook out the left hand he had just used to block. The waves of pain told him his opponent was no pushover, but his pride would not let him back down.

Lezheng charged forward and swung a low punch at Nagumo's stomach. Nagumo blocked with both hands, but Lezheng's left fist landed squarely on his right cheek. Nagumo staggered away to the left and shouted.

"W-wait! Don't you think deciding who's stronger like this is too crude? I think we should try another..."

Before Nagumo finished speaking, the hand he had secretly slipped into his pocket flung a handful of powder at Lezheng.

Lezheng dodged to his right and, using the momentum of his charge while holding back some of his strength, drove a straight punch into Nagumo's face.

Nagumo went down stiffly after taking the blow.

Lezheng stood quietly where he was and watched for a moment. Once he confirmed that Nagumo had passed out, he found somewhere nearby to sit. The powder Nagumo had just thrown was probably chili powder used for cooking.

"This guy's tricks are on par with Ryuuen's."

About five minutes later, Nagumo twitched and woke up. He first touched his nose and discovered that it had started bleeding at some point.

"Awake? I'll head back, then." Seeing that he had woken up, Lezheng turned to leave.

"I'll remember you, you barbarian." Nagumo struggled to his feet.

Lezheng ignored him and continued toward the dormitory.

The fourth day was a day off during the training camp, but they still had to make their own breakfast.

Still, gossip about someone as prominent as Nagumo spread.

"Did you hear? Vice President Nagumo fell and bloodied his nose going to the bathroom at night."

"Seriously? That's some rotten luck."

Lezheng strolled through the boys' activity area, listening to other people's conversations.

Looks like Miyabi Nagumo still cares about saving face. He actually passed off getting beaten up as a fall.

"Lezheng... Lezheng." A quiet voice kept calling his name.

"Oh, it's you, Shiina." Lezheng followed the voice and found Shiina in the girls' activity area. His eyes lit up.

A wire fence separated the boys' and girls' activity areas into two sections, looking very much like a prison in a television drama.

"What were you thinking about so intently?" Shiina found a large leaf and sat down on it to the right of the fence.

"Oh, how miserable Vice President Nagumo must have looked after falling and bloodying his nose." Lezheng sat down to the left of the fence.

The two began chatting through the fence. No one noticed this secluded corner, though. Most of the students had returned to their dorm rooms and started bragging.

When Lezheng returned to the dormitory, he found the whole place livelier than usual. Curious, he pushed open his room's door and saw four extra people inside.

They were Nagumo, Kiriyama, and two students from Class 3-B, Tsunoda and Ishikura.

"Hey, Lezheng. I'm back again." Nagumo stood to greet him, though the hand in his pocket was not as calm as he appeared.

"Where did you get these?" Lezheng ignored Nagumo and asked about the playing cards they were using instead.

"We brought them, of course. It's not our first time here, after all." Nagumo was still all smiles.

"Watch what you say, Nagumo. You might bloody your nose again."

"Haha, no need to worry about that, Lezheng. Consider this deck a gift from a caring upperclassman. I hope all you underclassmen watch your step when you go to the bathroom tonight."

Nagumo shoved the door open hard and left with the other three.

"Lezheng, should we carry on, then?" Yahiko asked tentatively.

"Count me in." Lezheng closed the door and rubbed his hands as he joined them.

By evening, the boys' bathhouse was bustling with voices, as though a party were underway.

"Make way, make way! Katsuragi's here!" Yahiko pulled a slightly blushing Katsuragi inside.

"Katsuragi, yours is about the same as mine, isn't it?" Ryuuen yanked off his bath towel.

"Ryuen takes first place!" Ishizaki cheered from the sidelines.

"Then I win by a narrow margin." Hashimoto stood up in the hot spring.

"Let me show you what racial advantages look like." Kanda led Yamada around for a lap.

"Man!" Yamada struck an athletic pose.

"Whoa, there's no competing with that."

"That's cheating! It's not fair!"

The spectators loudly voiced their dissatisfaction.

"Then allow me to show you my beautiful self." Koenji made a dazzling entrance.

"We've got another one here." Sudo and the others pushed Ayanokoji forward and helped put him on display.

For a moment, the spectators could not tell which of the two was bigger.

"Ayanokoji-boy, to think you could match my beautiful self."

"I was born this way."

Just as everyone was looking at the two and feeling ashamed by comparison, another formidable contender appeared.

"Ohhh! Behold my super Tyrannosaurus rex!" Lezheng whipped off his towel, kicking off some hot-spring birdwatching.

"Holy crap, is that real?"

"There's another contender?"

"Hahaha! This is the first time I've met a boy more beautiful than me!" Koenji laughed and jumped into the hot spring.

"Anyone else? If not, first place goes to Lezheng!" Yahiko egged them on.

Lezheng kept showing himself off, striking all sorts of flashy poses.

"In you go!"

At some point, Ryuuen had climbed out and circled behind Lezheng. He kicked him straight into the water.

"Ryuuen, you ***!"

Compared with the wild scene in the boys' hot spring, things on the girls' side were relatively restrained.