There was a deviation from our daily peaceful routine as we entered the final months of middle school. The volunteering club activities changed for the worse.

There was a change in members because students graduate and enroll.

But even the fresh blood in our ranks didn't change the fact that I was mistreated... evident by our current situation-

Standing right next to the middle school entrance, our volunteering club was getting ready for our activities. The sun was far from setting and the day was far from cold. In the midst of our preparation, JiiJii clapped his hands.

"Listen up everybody." He called as he circled around our group on a sunny afternoon. He had an even more serious look on his face than the usual one. "We are in what many would call a pinch. You see, the principal finally cracked and decided to push down on our volunteering activities to show results. A classic tale of oppression."

"Aren't we doing good deeds? Why would the principal restrict us on that?" Pepe rightfully asked.

For the past years, we had been spending our evenings helping the elderly and getting cookie points. There was no way a school wouldn't appreciate that.

In fact, I was half expecting them to celebrate us on a podium. I, for one, was a brilliant helper.

"I don't know. Apparently, getting things in return for having underaged kids work after school didn't sit right with him." JiiJii clicked his tongue. "So stupid."

.

.

.

I wasn't even surprised by this old man's B.S.

"So you were secretly doing business, after all." I sighed.

"Look, a little more produce sent to our farm didn't harm anyone. Plus if you're talking about underhanded business the fact that Yuuno and you are the only ones staying at our plac-"

"SHHHHH!" Yuuno, worrying about her image, covered the old man's mouth with her sleeve. She wanted to be the dependable, cool senpai. Having our kouhai know about how we bribed our way into an exclusive house would have been a blow to her image.

'It will help through the tough times' she said a month or two ago.

"Tchk." With a click of the tongue, the cranky man stepped back. By his attitude you'd expect him to be menopausal but I mean- guys are technically menopaused since birth. "Anyways, the principal is now asking for tangible results." He reiterated.

"Just show them all the work we've done around town." Shady business aside, we had nothing to do with it.

JiiJii was the one responsible for everything. We had been helping out without compensation. Any way you looked at it we were the victims!

"Nope. The results need to be limited to the club and our activities within school." He finally stopped circling.

"SO I WAS RIGHT ALL ALONG! WE WERE WASTING ALL OUR TIME OUTSIDE SCHOOL! Haah! None of you listened when I said that years ago."

"Yes, Mao, you were correct I was wrong. But now we are in this boat together. I made some misjudgements. I might be going senile with age. I am sorry everyone."

"Oi, old man. Stop playing the pity card-"

"Did you decide on something?" The new concerned recruits cut me off.

"I wouldn't be so confident if I didn't." He finally put his stick down. "I- as your sports teacher- will teach all of you the art of self-defence. That will yield results and it's also the only other thing I'm good at."

We all stopped thinking for a while before I said what was on everyone's mind.

"Stop kidding yourself old man, your withered body can barely stand without a stick. So why don't you just sit back and forge some evidence like you usually do." The sly fox was more than capable of doing that.

"Ohoho~ Quite the assumption you got there. I'll have you know that I was somewhat of a warrior back in my days." Pff.. as if!

"Yeah, maybe back in your days, right now the only war you can fight is the war to age more than a century."

"It isn't like I have to fight… I just need to teach you all to produce some decent results."

Looks like he was hell-bent on this. But his little declaration had an unintended side effect. Yuuno, who came back to stand next to me was smiling wide.

'Oh noooo.'

I grabbed her upper arm slightly.

[Just so you know, I'll do the bare minimum to get stronger. No- I won't get noticeable strong at all!] I clarified. If I got excessively strong, she'd start with her 'JoIN ThE MILiTAry' crap again. It took her three years to get off my back. I won't let her climb back on!

[Sure sure, whatever you say~] Yuuno's smirk grew wider.

"Where is our gym then?" Popo asked. He looked the most excited of the bunch.

"Gym? Right there." A finger pointed straight at a tree… a tree with a tire hanging off it. "Line up next to it. Remember from now on this is how I'll grade you." JiiJii directed those words right at me.

We were all lined up in no particular order.

"Yuuno, you can sit this one out. The rest of you squat."

"Squat?"

Make a 90-degree angle between your thigh and calf and hold.

"What are we doing? Warming up for tennis?" I quipped.

"Just do it. There's no way you'd get through training with those supermodel's legs. You need muscle boy." The man shamed my skinny legs.

Honestly? Thicc legs? You wouldn't see me complaining.

Squats? EZ.

.

.

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EZ MY ASS! ASS THAT HURTS!

We had been doing this for at least 20 minutes and even in my somewhat strengthened body, I could feel my gluteus maximus tearing into smithereens.

Was this torture? Was the whole talk with the principal a ruse? I wouldn't put it past that sadist fox of an old man!

'I DON'T CARE ANYMORE JUST GET ME OFF THIS!'

I tried to straighten up, but JiiJii slapped the back of my knee which made me fall shin first. It was either get cramps or do squats. Both were terrible choices. I reluctantly got back up again. The kids around me were in just as much pain.

The worst thing about this was that it had nothing to do with martial arts. Or maybe that fact alone was a saving grace. I mean it meant that I-for one did not have to worry about getting much stronger.

The point is I was almost certain that if I did this for a month my ass would look like two planets playing derby. Hell nah! I didn't want to be a Pixur mom.

The whole ordeal lasted for 15 more minutes. 15 minutes that felt an eternity longer than an hour.

"And up!" JiiJii said.

None of us stood up, we just fell on the ground together. He let us catch our breath. This was actually horrendous. I think the man broke child protection laws by subjecting us to that.

"Next up, you will kick that tire." He hit our spines and forces us to get up.

"Our legs are dead… you can't possibly expect us to-"

"Grades, Mao. Grades." DAMN IT!

"Screw you old man." I whispered under my breath.

"Ah, another thing… Wear these before you do it." He handed some bracelets and braces to us. I originally thought they were there to keep our joints in check, but nope. Each one of the accessories weighed at least 10 kilos.

"Oi geezer, this isn't dragon ball… Stop tryna act like a hermit teacher. There's no way I'm putting thi-"

"I'll give you the 20 kilo weights if you complain."

"As if-"

He replaced them with 20 kilos weights.

"You real-"

"30 kilos?"

"N-No." I gave in. If he weren't that much older than me, I would have unapologetically knocked the lights out of him. Not only did he have control over my marks, but he was also my landlord.

This sucked. Even a dictator would have been more compassionate.

Under his command, all of us stood up. The others with 40 kilos on their body and me with 80 on mine. Needless to say, everyone noticed that I was slightly stronger than a normal human (probably because I had been working that chonky hoe on the farm). But even for me, these weights were a chore. I was barely able to keep my back straight.

One thing I figured through this life was having a normal body was difficult.

In my previous life, I didn't have to go through anything as tedious as training or learn anything as pointless as martial arts. I could do an infinite amount of actions with that strength of mine. That was all still a possibility in this life. A possibility that I rejected.

My mind kept getting worn out earlier than my body. There was no scent of motivation left behind any of my actions.

From what I have studied, around 20-60 per cent of a person's personality is strictly based on the body. The way the physically mass of the brain functions means that hormones dictate our temperament.

At this point, both Yuuno and I should have lost our original identity and taken the role of the kid in our bodies. But just because of how solidified our souls were into our roles, we maintained what we were.

As time went on, I started thinking about my past memories as just some wisdom imparted to me, rather than the separate entity I once was. And that is somewhat scary.

A real-life example of whatever philosophical words I spouted was my immediate instinct to throw a tantrum.

It was my turn now and lifting my leg was so- UUU!

I overshot my strength and instead of kicking the tyre, my leg went through its hole and the bottom hit the place where the sun didn't shine.

"GAH!!!" I shouted before cupping the two eggs that hung below. Even I- who was numb to pain felt this. "Noooo. Mao Jr please don't cripple... You need to make baby batter!" For a second I forgot that demons didn't shag. And then I fell to the ground.

"Oi, Mao get up! Who said that you could rest?"

"Leave me aloneeeee."

"Just know that you need good grades to make good money."

What was this some S&M training?

I reluctantly got up and huffed for a minute, as Yuuno patted my back.

"Get to it."

"UUUU!"

With that, I spent the rest of the training kicking the tyre while cupping my balls.

###

"Okay that's it!" JiiJii clapped. With me- the final member getting the shit beaten out of me by an inanimate tyre- the task at hand was over.

I fell to the ground and reached out to the braces.

"What are you doing?" A stick hit the back of my palm. I immediately pulled my hand away knowing that it was also the stick JiiJii used to check manure.

"I am taking these shackles off." I pointed. Did age make him blind?

"Why?" He asked.

"Why not?"

"Because you'll be wearing these for a month."

And I was legitimately screwed.

The rest of our year was screwed.