This results in a brawl between two champions of each side - Matz and one Wawerka - and a hard-fought snow-ball fight, both of which the six friends win, although they end up being reported by a student from the Prima (Year 13) for being late back to school.
As a "punishment" they are docked one afternoon's leave, which they are invited to spend with their amiable house teacher Mr Johann ("Justus") Bökh at his office (coffee and cake included) where he tells them a story about his own youth and his struggle with unreasonable prefects from the Prima.
His best friend, Matz, has in the past encouraged him to try to shed it, but he is horrified when he sees Uli about to jump off a tall climbing frame using an umbrella as a parachute.
[2] A short sequel, in which the characters visit the Winter Olympics of 1936 (held at Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria) was already written under the Nazi regime and was published only many years later, having less success than the original: Zwei Schüler sind verschwunden in Das Schwein beim Friseur (The Pig at the Barbershop).
In it, Kästner let his characters have a friendly encounter with visiting English boys, culminating in winning their British Gold Medal, at a time when their soon meeting each other as enemy soldiers on the battlefield was already a very real possibility.