"Good morning, Yamauchi!"
"Good morning, Ike!"
Ike and Yamauchi, the two problem children of my class, were greeting each other with a big smile. A week had passed since school began, and usually, the 'Idiot Trio' dragged themselves through the door seconds before the bell, looking like walking corpses. Today, however, they seemed very eager to come to class... oddly so.
"Man, I've been waiting for today like crazy," Yamauchi beamed. "I didn't even close my eyes last night!"
"Yeah, this school's unreal! Can't believe it's finally time for swimming class!" Ike grinned. "And when I say swimming, I mean the girls. And when I say girls, I mean the swimsuits!"
"..."
I watched them with an unimpressed look as they jabbered about the upcoming swimming class.
It was a coed session, or in their own words, an opportunity that they'd rather kill than to let it go to waste. Of course the said 'opportunity' was to get illegal pics of teenage girls in swimsuits.
"Professor, c'mere!" Ike called out.
"Uh, you called?" 'Professor' Sotomura with his burley stature approached them slowly.
He was called 'professor' because of his unconventional way of speaking. For example, he would use 'dono' honorifics when referring to someone, and would always end his sentences with the '-de gozaru' prefix. He was trying to mimic the ancient imperial speech, I assume..?
"Can you, uh, record the girls in their swimsuits for us?" Ike asked, voice barely a whisper.
"Leave it to me." Sotomura grinned. "I'll act like I'm sick, stay out of class, and 'observe.'"
Just then, Ayanokouji who had somehow stayed unnoticed till now glanced over looking confused. "Record them? What are you planning?" he innocently asked.
"The Professor is going to rank the girls' breast sizes for us. If we're lucky, he'll get some pictures with his phone." Ike explained audaciously. Give him a loud speaker at this point.
"Hey, hey!" Sudou stopped Ike from explaining any further. Seeing some common sense in him was a welcome sight. Although it was for a bullshit reason like this.
But despite Sudo's vigilance, their conversation didn't go unnoticed. The looks from the girls across the classroom ranged from contemptuous to outright murderous.
"Ayanokouji!" Ike suddenly called out to him.
"Wh-what?" the masterpiece of the white room stammered.
"Place your bets!"
Ayanokouji raised his eyebrow. "On what?"
"To tell you the truth, we're taking bets on the girls' chest sizes." said Ike.
"..."
Ayanokouji stared blankly back at him, clearly at a loss. He was hard to read as always... maybe more so today? I could tell he wasn't interested in their 'plan', but he was careful enough to show any obvious reactions.
"We've come up with some probabilities." The professor further explained as he took out a tablet and opened a spreadsheet. Being curious, I also took a peek at it.
The names of all the girls in our class were listed there. A rough estimation of their cup sizes were mentioned as well. Why the fuck would he make such a professional looking spreadsheet for such a bullshi–
"Hah~ whatever." I sighed in defeat before distancing myself from them.
I wouldn't call them bad people just for that, though. They were all just hormonal teenagers who were, a bit 'extra' curious about the opposite sex. Puberty makes you do some of the most questionable things in existence. I speak from experience.
I'm pretty sure if they had a future, most of them would reminisce about this day and would mentally kill themselves out of cringe.
"...Hm?!"
As I was heading back to my seat, Horikita happened to be walking in front of me after she entered the class. Perhaps she'd noticed my presence behind her, because she suddenly blocked the path and turned around.
"Why are you following me?" she asked with a glare.
I could sense the suspicion stuck with the tone of her question. Of course, she'd assume this had something to do with her.
"I have just as much freedom to move in the classroom as you do." I deadpanned.
"Are you mocking me?"
"A stupid question deserves a stupid answer." I shot back. "I was not following you."
I raised my backpack to show her my destination, which was my desk.
I half-expected her to ignore it and go back to her seat. But instead, she seemed to ponder about something.
"Why are you not joining them?" she pointed toward the idiot trio and the gang. "It looks like they're having fun."
"I'm not desperate enough." I replied.
"My, weren't you the one who said not having friends is a sign of insecurity?" she sneered.
"'Not wanting to have friends', I said. The mentality is the issue here, not the physical condition." I deadpanned.
"Making excuses now, aren't you?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well now it seems talking to you is the same as talking to wall." I shrugged. "And for your information, I do have at least two friends."
"Did I not tell you to stop deluding yourself as my-"
"Oh don't worry about that. You are excluded." I cut her off.
"..." Horikita was a bit taken aback by that. "W-Well, I'm not surprised about Ayanokouji-kun. But who's the other one? Don't tell me it's Hirata-kun?"
"Why not?" I replied, unperturbed. "It counts."
"Of course you'd say that.." Her expression turned smug. "But Hirata-kun is friends with practically everyone. You're just one among many, aren't you?"
"...It still counts," I replied.
She smirked slightly. "That's just how you justify it to yourself, isn't it?"
I didn't bother answering. I simply turned away and headed back to my seat instead.
Horikita and I had our usual clash of words, but today, it barely registered as a skirmish. I was willing to let her have that pity victory if it meant a few moments of mental peace.
CRRING...
The bell eventually rang. Chabashira entered the classroom. Her sharp gaze settled briefly on each of us as she took her place at the front. The homeroom class started, and the usual routine took over.
"Hm..."
Honestly, my mind wasn't entirely in the class that day. Aside from the swimming lessons, there was something else on my agenda today. It involved something no sane person in my shoes would try to commit.
But that's the part where I was different. I'm insane.
🄾🅄🅃🅂🄸🄳🄴🅁
"All right! The pool!" Ike's battlecry reverbrated across the hallway as soon as the lunch period ended.
It was finally time for what he and his crew had been waiting for. They could barely keep themselves from sprinting there. It didn't take too long for us to find the place.
"This place is incredible! This pool's like something out of a dream!" Ike's eyes widened as we entered the expansive indoor facility. "Way better than the city pool, right?"
The pool was impressive. A sparkling fifty-meter stretch of clear glassy water. The indoor setting meant that weather wouldn't interfere, creating an ideal atmosphere. It was simply Perfect.
Which was another reminder of how this school was anything but normal.
"What about the girls? Why aren't they here yet?" Yamauchi peered around, sniffing the air like a feral dog.
"They take a while to change, so they're probably not ready." Ayanokouji said.
"Man, I wonder what would happen if I just suddenly jumped into the girls' locker room?" Ike mused, half-jokingly.
"You'd probably get beaten, expelled, and then possibly arrested." Ayanokouji deadpanned.
"Ayo, don't give me that deadpan reality check, Ayanokouji!" Ike whined.
"If they catch you staring, you know they'll all hate you."
"You don't have to be such a buzzkill, bro! Let a man dream!" Ike suddenly turned to me. "Am I right, Levent? You feel it too, don't you? The primal urge? The boner?"
My face crumpled in disgust.
"Yeah, I indeed feel the urge to drown you right now." I muttered. "Keep it in your pants, Ike. If you get an erection in this swimsuit, there'll be no hiding it. You'll be socially executed."
"Gah—! Don't say it like that!" Ike covered his crotch defensively.
"Fuwahaha! Good one, Levent!" the guys howled with laughter as Ike's face flushed.
As laughter broke out, as soon as I threw under the bus. Thankfully that made Ike embarrassed and temporarily shut up.
The chaos among the boys eventually faded, and they started aimlessly walking around the pool waiting for the girls to arrive. Until..
"Wow! This place is huge! Way bigger than our junior high pool." A group of girls had arrived at the observation deck above, chatting amongst themselves.
Immediately, Ike straightened up with practically sparkling eyes. "Are they here?"
"Try not to be so obvious." I muttered, even though I knew it was useless.
"Wait...is that...?"
It was at that moment someone noticed a commotion on the observation deck.
All of us looked up at the same time toward "Professor" Sotomura who was standing at the railing, looking down at us in confusion.
"B-behind you, Professor!" Ike pointed and howled.
"What?!"
The situation had become clear. Right behind Sotomura stood the girls, arms crossed. They were watching our group with a disgusted expression on their face.
"What... what's going on?" he whispered, visibly crumbling as his gaze locked on them.
"Is this... some kind of punishment?" Ayanokouji muttered calmly, almost as if he'd expected it.
"No!" Ike was utterly shattered. He slumped down, burying his face in his hands. "All I wanted... was just to see... a little bit..."
I stared at him with dead eyes before turning to the girls above. They didn't even need to say anything. Just a glance at them, and I could tell how much they wanted Ike to die on that spot.
"Cheer up, man!" Just as I thought Ike would sink into the floor entirely, Yamauchi slapped his shoulder. "There are plenty of other girls out there, right?"
"Y-you're right... I can't lose hope now!" Ike replied.
"Bro!" said Yamauchi.
"Bro!" said Ike.
They clasped their hands like soldiers who went through thick and thin together.
"Oh? What are you two doing? That looks like fun."
Just then, a familiar voice chimed in, one that turned every head in the vicinity.
"K-K-Kushida-chan?!"
It was Kushida, who had appeared right behind them. She was wearing her school-issued swimsuit... a one-piece that, to put it mildly 'accentuated' her figure.
She was a lot bigger than I'd initially thought. Within less than a millisecond, most of the boy's eyes were glued to her. More specifically, to her bonkers.
"Ah..." I didn't plan to join them, but even I caught myself staring a moment too long. Realizing, I quickly averted my gaze. I couldn't let myself get distracted by Kushida of all people.
I guess Ike was right about what he said, after all?
"Fuu~" I took a breath, only to feel a piercing stare coming my way. I glanced up and saw Horikita standing nearby, observing me with a raised eyebrow.
"What's with the face?" I asked.
"You look like you're in pain."
"It's called an internal battle." I rolled my eyes.
She studied me for a moment, then smirked. "Right. You look more like someone trying to avoid indigestion."
I stared at her with a deadpan expression as if I was trying to ask 'are you serious right now?'. But I noticed she wasn't exactly looking at me eye to eye.
"Eyes up here..." Without missing a beat, I held both hands to hide my bare chest with a disgusted expression. "...Pervert."
"W-wait! That's not—" Her face flushed and her composure cracked. "I'm not looking at you like that!"
"Uh huh..."
She took a deep breath as if forcing herself back under control. "No, it's just... I couldn't help noticing your muscles. Your arm and our back muscles are more developed than I would've expected."
"Thanks... I guess?" I replied, a little amused.
Recovering her composure, she cleared her throat. "Say, Aozaki-kun... Do you exercise?"
"I do, but not that much. Why?" I asked, genuinely curious where this line of questioning was headed.
"Well..." She hesitated, briefly glancing at my forearms. "Judging by the development in your arms and back, you're way above average."
I raised an eyebrow considering what was the best way to respond to her probing.
"I think it's just good genetics." The words came out naturally. "The men in my family, they all have figures comparable to Greek sculptures."
"That's all?" Her tone carried a note of doubt. But she quickly hid it and shrugged it off. "Fine, if you insist."
There was a strange moment of silence between us. I'd known Horikita was observant, but she wasn't the type to deliberately poke around people she wasn't interested in. I wondered if the recent incidents involving her and Ayanokouji had led to me being part of the triangle.
"Are you guys good swimmers?"
Suddenly Kushida, who had been silently following our exchange till now finally interjected. Her voice was cheerful as always. Though I could tell based on the intensity of her gaze that she was focusing more towards Horikita.
"I wouldn't say I'm particularly skilled at it. I can manage." Horikita gave a flat answer.
"Oh, I see! I used to be awful at swimming in junior high, but I practiced like crazy. Now I'm not too bad." Kushida replied with an innocent smile.
"I see."
"....."
Awkward.
Horikita then nodded politely and quickly took a step back, making it clear she didn't wish to continue the conversation. Kushida understood that and slowly walked toward the other students.
My mind went back to the look in Kushida's eyes. Even though they were sparkling with her usual friendly energy on the surface...
...The way her eyes were always so wide as if they were being forced to stay like that made her true feelings pretty obvious.
🄾🅄🅃🅂🄸🄳🄴🅁
"All right, everyone, line up!"
The loud no-nonsense voice came from a middle-aged man with a body built like a tank. It was our PE teacher. He looked around at the group, sizing each of us up like we were fresh recruits.
"There are sixteen of you, huh?" he grunted. "Thought there'd be more, but we'll make do. Now, warm up, and then I want you all to swim for me. Let's see what you're made of."
One boy raised his hand hesitantly, barely able to look the teacher in the eye. "Um, sir? I... I'm not much of a swimmer..."
The teacher's gaze landed on him. "If I'm your teacher, you'll be swimming like a pro by summer. Don't worry about it."
"But, uh... is it really necessary?" one of the arriving girls mumbled. "It's not like we're training for the Olympics or anything."
"You may not understand the importance now, but trust me, knowing how to swim will come in handy later in life."
They didn't think much of it at the time—none of them did. But looking forward, it was a hint. A hint of something big, waiting for us down the line. A test that most of them could never ever imagine.
"All right." the teacher continued. "Fifty meters each. If you need to, feel free to keep your feet on the bottom."
I stepped in the water with a splash.
I hadn't been in a pool in ages, but my muscle memory quickly kicked in. There was a bit of fatigue because I was using muscles that I normally don't use, but it was ignorable. I reached the fifty-meter mark without a problem.
"Heh, easy win!" Ike crowed. "Did y'all catch my mad swimming skills?"
To be fair, Ike was indeed pretty decent.
"Well, seems like most of you can at least float," The teacher seemed unimpressed. "That's enough to get us started."
"Back in junior high, they called me 'The Flying Fish,' you know." Yamauchi puffed up his chest.
Unlike Ike, this 'Flying Bish' didn't have any skills.
The teacher didn't seem particularly impressed either. "Good. Then you're ready for a little competition. Fifty-meter freestyle. I'll be splitting you up by gender."
"C-competition?" The Flying Bish stammered, looking as if someone had slapped him with a fish.
"To make it interesting, I'm offering a special prize. First place gets 5000 points. And the last place..."
"...what about the last place?"
He gave a mischievous smirk. "Extra lessons every day until you improve. Now, get ready."
That got everyone's attention. With 5000 points, we could buy a lot. To everyone it was just a simple opportunity to earn free points.
But in my mind, I saw the bigger picture of this setup. A system of rewards and punishments, just like in the upcoming special exams. A small competition for now, but later down the line it'd turn into something far larger.
The girls were up first, and the boys eyes almost instinctively gravitated toward the pool. Especially Ike, whose gaze was already locked on a certain someone.
"Kushida-chan, Kushida-chan!" he whispered, unable to take his eyes off her.
"Dude, shut up. You're making everyone uncomfortable." I muttered.
"But look at her! She's just... amazing, right?!" Ike's voice was hushed but excited. "And those... uh... you know..."
Breasts, yes. I know.
"Keep that to yourself for now. Even Kushida's bound to get annoyed if you keep doing this." I replied, though I knew he wouldn't take the hint.
Ike turned to the other guys, even louder. "Everyone, burn these images into your mind! This is golden fap material!"
"Hell yeah!" the others joined in, throwing up a cheer party that made Hirata look at them as if they'd lost their minds.
Only he seemed unaffected, focusing on the pool as if it were just another activity.
"Fucking hell..." I'd lost interest altogether. You should remember that I was mentally a twenty two year old man. Watching high school girls with a bunch of giddy classmates wasn't exactly the idea of 'fun' I was into.
I slipped out of the pool and found a quiet spot away from the others. I felt the water drip down my back, and let my gaze wander while collecting my thoughts.
"Hm.."
But my solitude didn't last long. Ayanokouji followed me.
"Levent," he said, settling down beside me. "Are you interested in the 'competition'?"
"I'll let the girls finish first. When it's time for us, I'll join then." I replied.
"Hmm." He inclined his head, as if giving it some thought. "I suppose I can see why."
And with that, The silence settled around us again. We sat there, watching the class without speaking.
"....."
If I was right, then this moment was anything but coincidence. I'd noticed Ayanokouji observing me before, which were often side glances that were too carefully hidden to be casual. That's why during one of those side glances I motioned him to follow me here.
I took a deep breath and relaxed.
This will be a huge risk. One that would undoubtedly test the stability of our interactions. It wasn't too late to back off and rethink this decision.
But that'd make it harder for me to accomplish anything.
"Say, Ayanokouji... mind if I ask you something?"
"...Hm. Go ahead."
So, fuck everything, we ball.
"White Room."
Ayanokouji's head slowly twisted toward my direction.
"Does the term mean anything to you?"
"...."
The reaction was immediate. His eyes went wide for just a moment. As if I'd completely caught him off guard. For sure, his disinterest faded immediately and was replaced with something much sharper than before.
"You..."
His gaze locked onto mine with an intensity that I'd never felt from him before.
"Who the hell are you?" he asked in a low voice, edged with a faint trace of threat.
I simply smiled a little before turning back to the direction of the pool with a nonchalant expression.
"Who knows?"
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