Tokyoites don't have martial virtue

[But only by pretending to be a boy could I be respected and less bullied... just like how my parents would only ever scold and beat me, never lecture my younger brother.]

Perhaps those senior colleagues were willing to help me because they thought I was a boy.

I need to continue interacting with them as a boy, otherwise they'll look down on me.

I just received an email; my light novel submission has been rejected by the editor again. This is my thirty-fifth time submitting something unsuccessfully.

【

I've clearly referenced and studied many works by predecessors and tried many different themes, so why do editors always say my writing is poor and unengaging?

[I'm so sad. Am I really incapable of doing anything right?]

But those senior authors don't seem to dislike light novels. Could I let them see my work and give me some advice?

No, no! It's too embarrassing! How could someone like me... have the nerve to let my seniors read my mediocre novel? It would cause them trouble... I got too carried away...

[Forget it, I'm not going to think about these worries anymore. I'm actually looking forward to school tomorrow... This is the first time I've felt this way!]

After finishing writing her diary entry for the day, the girl locked it in the desk drawer.

21. The Special Training for Real Men!

"We've made up our minds! Starting today, we're going to put you through the 'Real Man Training'!"

During the lunch break the next day, Tang Zegui solemnly announced.

"Huh? Real Man Training?" Mizuhashi Eiji, holding the bento box in his hand, was stunned and at a loss.

"What is that?" Kyushu Makoto was also very curious.

"We're your seniors, we can't protect you until graduation," Suzuki Yuuji explained enthusiastically, hands on his hips.

"There's an old Chinese saying: 'Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.' Starting today, we'll give Shuiqiao special training to make him a strong and independent man who will never be bullied again!"

"Oh, that sounds great!" Kyushu Makoto exclaimed, suddenly realizing something. "I think this is a wonderful idea!"

However, he still glanced at his junior, Mizuhashi, with concern.

The three scoundrels had no idea that this "junior" was actually a girl, and that they might ask her to do something outrageous.

However, since Mizuhashi wants to embark on the thorny path of "becoming a man," he naturally has to pay the price with sweat and effort. All Kyushu Makoto can do is silently support him from behind.

"Mizuhashi-kun's body is very delicate, we can't go too far!" Kyushu Makoto earnestly instructed the three delinquents.

"I'll be watching you from the sidelines. If Mizuhashi-kun can't keep going, I'll call a halt immediately!"

"OK, OK! We'll know our limits!" Tang Zegui readily agreed.

After everyone finished lunch, Suzuki Yuujin announced the first special training task for the day:

"To be a true man, you need to have a bold and imposing presence! I don't think Mizuhashi's posture is manly enough!"

"Huh? My sitting posture...?" Mizuhashi Eiji quickly looked down at himself.

Generally speaking, teenage boys like to sit with their legs apart in a carefree manner, and some boys also like to cross their legs.

However, Eiji Mizuhashi's sitting posture was the obedient one with his legs together and his hands resting on his knees, making him look like a well-behaved girl.

"Your posture is so effeminate! No wonder people bully you!" Tang Zegui bluntly commented, "You need to spread your legs, lift your head, and sit like a man!"

As he spoke, Tang Zegui spread his legs apart and patted his knees with his palms.

"Uh...but...but..." Mizuhashi's face flushed red as he shook his head frantically, "This is too...embarrassing..."

"Go for it, you can do it!" Yuji Suzuki encouraged him. "Be bold, believe in yourself!"

"Then I... will try..." Under everyone's gaze, Mizuhashi Eiji's cheeks flushed crimson, and he barely managed to spread his legs about twenty centimeters apart, his whole body trembling with shame.

"Hmph, isn't that a bit more manly?" Genji Takatsuki said with a cold snort, arms crossed.

Having received recognition, Mizuhashi finally breathed a sigh of relief, his chin dripping with sweat from exhaustion.

"Then the first level is over, and the second level is next!" Suzuki Yujin clapped his hands happily.

"To become a true man, you must excel at a sport!" Tang Zegui said with a booming voice, "What sport do you like, Mizuhashi-kun?"

"I...I..." Eiji Mizuhashi racked his brains for a long time before answering blankly, "Write light novels..."

"Hey! Writing light novels isn't a sport!" Takashi Tang said, half-laughing and half-crying. "Well... mental exercise should count as exercise, right..."

"If you don't have a particular sport you like, how about you practice baseball with Gen-nii?" Suzuki Yujin suggested.

"Baseball...?" Mizuhashi looked at the tall, slick-haired man, timidly sizing him up.

"Genji was a star player on the school baseball team back in junior high!" Takashi Karasawa praised eagerly. "He can definitely train you to be a baseball pro!"

With plenty of time left during their lunch break, the five of them went to the school's baseball field.

Eiji Mizuhashi gripped a baseball bat tightly; the length of the bat was almost half her height.

"Get ready, rookie!" Genji Takatsuki picked up a white baseball, raised his front leg high, and prepared to throw the ball.

"Go!" Takatsuki Genji shouted, and the baseball flew through the air, leaving a trail of afterimages, heading towards Mizuhashi.

The baseball's trajectory was very strange, constantly circling in the air, and its speed varied, clearly requiring extremely high skill to throw.

"Wait... that's Gen's ultimate move, 'Super Big Ball Spiral Variable Speed ​​Throw'!" Suzuki Yuujin cried out in alarm, "Wait a minute! Don't use your ultimate move on a newbie!"

However, Suzuki's shout came too late; the white ball flew toward Mizuhashi Eiji's face in an unpredictable trajectory.

"Quickly, cover your head and squat down!" Kyushu Makoto shouted decisively.

Upon hearing this, Eiji Mizuhashi decisively dropped his bat, crouched down to cover his head, and managed to let the baseball graz his head.

"It's...it's so scary..." Mizuhashi trembled as he got up from the ground, his eyes filled with fear as he looked at Genji Takatsuki.

"Brother Yuan, what are you doing?" Suzuki Yuujin complained, "He's obviously a newbie, don't get serious!"

"Huh? I only used 30% of my strength..." Genji Takatsuki pouted, unknowingly defending himself.

Kyushu Makoto sighed and suggested, "Takatsuki-kun can just sit back and give instructions. The rest of us will come and help Mizuhashi-kun practice."

Next, Kyushu Makoto and the other two took turns pitching to Mizuhashi. However, Mizuhashi had very poor athletic ability; he couldn't even hit the simplest slow, straight pitch and almost got hit in the face by the baseball.

Twenty minutes later, the class bell was about to ring, and the noon "Real Man Training" had to come to a temporary end.

"I'm sorry... I couldn't even catch a single ball..." Mizuhashi Eiji said dejectedly, his face falling. "It's so embarrassing. I made my seniors waste their time."

Kyushu Makoto patted his junior, Mizuhashi, on the small shoulder and comforted him, "You have to believe that hard work pays off. The more you practice, the better you'll become. As long as you persevere, you'll definitely become a real man!"

"Yes! I'll do my best!" Encouraged by his senior, Eiji Mizuhashi felt a warm glow in his heart, and his frustration vanished.

"Thank you so much, seniors! This is the first time I've ever had such a fun time at school."

"Then I promise, the days ahead will become more and more interesting," Kyushu Makoto replied with a smile, hands on his hips.

"We'll be giving you 'Real Man Training' tomorrow too." Suzuki Yuujin also gave a kind smile: "Good students can't skip class, you know~"

"Yes! Thank you, seniors!" Mizuhashi Eiji's eyes became much clearer, and he revealed a genuine and comfortable smile.

He bowed to the group and quickly ran back to the first-grade classroom.

......

After school, Kyushu Makoto went to the teachers' office.

"Teacher Jiangniao, I have something I'd like to ask you."

Kyushu Makoto walked up to the homeroom teacher's desk and began to speak.

Upon seeing Makoto Kyushu arrive, Ms. Etori was on high alert and could only force a smile: "Kyushu-kun... is there anything I can help you with?"

Kyushu Makoto tossed the student ID onto Etori-sensei's desk and asked, "Do you know a first-year student named 'Mizuhashi Eiki'?"

"..." Teacher Jiangniao stared at the certificate for a while, then nodded and said, "A colleague who teaches first grade told me that there was a girl in their class who dressed up as a boy and even begged the teacher to treat her as a boy."

"So Mizuhashi-san really is a girl..." Kyushu Makoto sat down at his desk, pondering, "In a way, she's kind of a 'problem student,' right?"

"Yes, that student is a real headache..." Teacher Jiang asked tentatively, "Did Kyushu want to see her about something?"

"First, please return this student ID to Mizuhashi-kun, just say it was found by the school janitor," Kyushu Makoto instructed.

"Secondly, please keep an eye on Mizuhashi's situation. She is being bullied in class, and I hope you can intervene and check on her. If it's convenient, please get her a brand new desk and chair."

After saying that, Kyushu Makoto also sent a photo of Mizuhashi's desk and chair to Etori-sensei's phone.

Teacher Jiangniao looked at the photos on her phone, but a troubled expression appeared on her face:

"Returning the student ID is no problem, but... I'm not a first-year teacher, so I have no right to get involved in that kind of thing. I hope you'll find someone else to help you."

Upon hearing this, Kyushu Makoto slammed his hand on the table, his tone suddenly turning angry:

"Are you kidding me? If you don't have a stance, then create one for me! Just because of such a ridiculous reason as 'not having a stance,' does a teacher have the right to stand by and watch a student in dire straits go unhelped?!"

"But I..."

"This is an order."

"... "

Teacher Jiang Niao froze, then nodded as if being forced to do so:

"Understood...I will do as instructed."