My final record was as follows:
100 meters, 11.6 seconds.
Vertical jump, 83 centimeters.
Standing long jump, 291 centimeters.
3.6-kilometer run, 11 minutes 41 seconds.
If my memory is correct…
100 meters, 11.3 seconds.
Vertical jump, 91 centimeters.
Standing long jump, 298 centimeters.
3.6-kilometer run, 12 minutes 3 seconds.
As expected, Jack showed monstrous records.
Oh, and one more thing.
Tennessee Grosvenor's record was also quite impressive.
I think his 100 meters was around 12 seconds.
For someone who's not the type to give his all, that's decent enough, I guess.
Anyway, since the measurements were over, I thought the class would end here.
But it was right after Coach Devon gathered the students.
"Today, I'll announce the ones who will participate in the rugby tournament."
And then the names were called:
"Jack Grylls, Park Ji-hoon, Tennessee Grosvenor."
Among them,
"Woo-hoo!"
Only Jack let out a cheer.
"These three would fit perfectly as immediate starters, don't you think?"
Devon looked at us in turn.
"Let's see… Ji-hoon and Jack can take the left and right wings…"
What's a wing?
When I asked Jack for help, the answer came right away.
"It's similar to soccer. The role is to break through the opponent's defense."
"Do you need to be fast?"
"Yeah. You have to finish the attack."
Jack had a blissful expression on his face, as always.
Devon soon turned to Tennessee.
"You used to play as the last defender?"
"Yes."
"Then you can keep that position."
"I'd rather not play rugby anymore…"
"If you don't want to play rugby, there are plenty of other options. Like a jump rope or hula hoop competition, for example."
"…"
At that moment, the music signaling the end of class started playing.
"We'll talk more about it next time."
After greeting the teacher, we began walking back to the dormitory one by one.
Huh?
I saw a familiar face near the passage leading to the dorm.
It was Gary Pink, the homeroom teacher of the senior class.
Had he been waiting for the P.E. class to end?
He strode towards us.
"Jack, Park Ji-hoon, Peter."
"…?"
"Are any of you planning to hire a lawyer?"
What…?
"Before the disciplinary committee, there's a process where you need to make a statement, and all the sophomores have already hired lawyers."
"…!"
"They're already at school."
Ha!
I let out a laugh of disbelief.
***
Meanwhile, at the school administration office.
Four partner lawyers from Clifford Brookhouse, one of the top law firms in the UK, were present.
Maybe that's why.
The head of student affairs looked nervous.
"In any case, it's clear that seven students, including Jansen, barged into the freshman dormitory…"
"We've never denied that fact."
"…?"
"The important thing is the reason for visiting the freshman dorm."
"That was due to the tradition of hazing the freshmen…"
"Not at all."
"Excuse me?"
"That harmful practice was put to an end by sophomore class president, Carl Bernstein. This has already been communicated to the sophomore student council."
"Do you have any evidence to prove that?"
"Of course."
The lawyer showed the meeting minutes of the sophomore student council.
"Hmm."
There certainly was such content, but couldn't it have been written afterward?
"We have also attached a record that confirms the document was written at least six months ago."
It was a look that showed he already knew what doubts would be raised.
The head of student affairs straightened up and asked.
"So, you're saying they didn't go there to rough up the freshmen?"
"That's correct."
"I just have one more question."
"…?"
"Then why did they visit Park Ji-hoon?"
"To encourage him to join the rugby team."
"The rugby team?"
"Here is the list of the sophomore rugby team."
Sure enough, all seven of the students involved in the assault were part of the rugby team.
"Still, it's puzzling… How did they decide to recruit Park Ji-hoon without knowing his abilities?"
"They said they saw him exercising before the entrance ceremony."
"…"
"He ran a full lap around the campus and wasn't even winded. It means he has exceptional stamina."
The lawyer then took a videotape out of his briefcase.
"This is footage from the school's security cameras."
"What exactly is in this?"
"It's as I said. It shows Park Ji-hoon running around the campus."
The head of student affairs quietly stared at the videotape.
Lawyers are the kind who gather tons of information and craft the most favorable narrative for themselves.
If we were to turn them into enemies?
Being ousted as a corrupt staff member would be the least of my worries.
Perhaps recalling his own past wrongdoings, the head of student affairs quickly changed his expression and spoke.
"I'm sure you must feel wronged."
"Feeling wronged is an emotional issue. I am merely confirming the facts."
***
Jack sat confidently in the chair.
Opposite him sat the head of the student committee and the head of student affairs, side by side.
They were probably the equivalent of lieutenant colonels or colonels in military terms, right?
While Jack was momentarily distracted, they asked.
"Do you know what kind of situation this is?"
"It's the disciplinary committee."
"There are four students with fractures. If you don't properly explain yourself, you could face expulsion. You need to keep that in mind."
"…"
"We heard from Park Ji-hoon that the two of you assaulted the seniors together."
"The two of us?"
"Jack Grylls and Park Ji-hoon…"
"No. It was me. I knocked them down all by myself with this elbow."
"You fought seven people by yourself?"
Jack nodded.
His claim was simple from then on.
A senior was bullying his friend, so he fought back.
Perhaps sensing the situation was getting worse, the head of the student committee quickly interjected.
"Now that all the excitement has passed… do you regret your actions that day?"
"Not at all."
"Even though four of them were hospitalized?"
"Oh, I regret not being able to hospitalize all seven of them…"
"Are you joking right now?"
Jack shook his head.
"Are you trying to deliberately cause trouble and get expelled?"
Jack shook his head again.
"Then what is it? You need to show some sign of remorse if we're to consider leniency…"
"Why should I receive leniency?"
"Didn't you hear me? Four students were hospitalized."
"Oh, I deeply regret only being able to take down four…"
"Hah!"
At this point, they must have realized that having a normal conversation was impossible.
Expelling someone in the first week of school was a burden for them too, especially when the person in question was the son of the leader of the ruling party.
Whether Jack was aware of this or not.
"If I could go back, I would act the same way."
Jack concluded, still wearing a confident expression.
After Jack and Park Ji-hoon left, Peter was the last to sit down.
"You were there when the seniors came, right?"
"Yes."
"What was the atmosphere like? Don't be afraid of any retaliation, just be honest…"
"I'm not afraid."
"…?"
These guys had already brought a list of Oxford seniors as a form of intimidation.
'It's not like we're going to Oxford anyway, right?'
Grinding his teeth, Peter began to speak.
"The seniors kicked the door open and stormed in. Then they dragged Ji-hoon out."
"Was it threatening?"
"Of course. There were plenty of signs of violence."
Peter didn't leave out a single detail about the note the senior handed him.
But contrary to his expectations, the faculty members' reactions were rather indifferent.
"Showing you a list of Oxford students doesn't exactly qualify as a threat…"
"If that's not a threat, then what? Were they encouraging us to get into a good university, and I just overreacted?"
"What if it was a list of rugby alumni?"
"Excuse me?"
"If you join the rugby club, your chances of getting into Oxford increase. So how about you join the rugby club too? What if they came to recommend that?"
"What a ridiculous thing to say…"
But the expressions of the faculty members were too firm.
At that moment, Peter had a hunch.
The disciplinary committee was merely a formality; the decision had already been made.
His anger welled up.
'Damn it!'
Peter tightly shut his eyes.
***
Gym teacher Devon was sitting with his feet propped up on the desk, gazing out the window.
As he watched the sun slowly setting, he fell into thought for a moment.
"Rugby, huh…"
Luckily, there were three promising candidates.
Devon casually looked over the first-year measurement records.
First up, Jack.
If this kid trained seriously for three years?
He'd be good enough to play in the university league with a scholarship.
Second, what was his name? Park Ji-hoon?
"Why is his name so hard to pronounce?"
Hmm, let's see.
This guy's records were impressive, but the way he lifted that bench… that was something else.
It was like he wasn't even there to exercise…
During the measurements, his form was flawless, with full range of motion — was that even normal?
"Even now, it's baffling…"
If Ji-hoon had lifted like the others, he would've easily done over 20 reps.
Wait, 20 reps?
"How many could I lift at his age?"
Devon scratched his head.
At most, maybe one or two more than him.
Devon was lost in thought when a voice came from behind.
"Your posture is quite… relaxed."
Devon turned his head while still seated.
"Who's there?"
"I'm the head of student affairs."
"Oh, you're an important one, huh."
Devon took his feet off the desk but didn't stand up, just spread his legs and looked up at him.
"What brings you here?"
The head gave a look of clear disapproval.
Suppressing his emotions, he slowly spoke.
"The disciplinary committee is meeting. We need your written opinion."
"My opinion?"
"You're the rugby club advisor, aren't you?"
"So I've heard."
"It's not that you've heard; you are the advisor."
Devon nodded.
"Seems so."
"Ah, forget it."
"…?"
"Let's get to business. Just write a few lines here. Mention how the rugby club lacks members and how it's necessary for first-year students to join."
Devon received the document from the head.
It was filled with formal, rigid language, as if written by a lawyer.
He skimmed through it and got the gist.
"Shall I write it right now?"
"Yes."
"Go grab a coffee.
I'm not much of a writer, you see."
"Sigh."
Only after the head had stepped back did Devon start scribbling something down.
A while later…
"Is it done yet?"
"Almost… almost… Ah, finished."
"All you had to do was write two lines, why so long…"
The head, in an irritated tone, took the document back.
But his reaction was short-lived.
His face twisted in disbelief as he read it.
And for good reason.
What he read was as follows:
"(Omitted)…If seven of you went after one guy and got beat up, you should be ashamed, not bringing in a lawyer… (Omitted)…Should anyone dare to tarnish the sacred name of the rugby club again, as the righteous advisor, I vow to expel the entire second-year rugby team… (Omitted)…Anyway, since I've already received my salary in advance, feel free to fire me if you're upset."