The Boy Named Satoshi Satonaka

"Do you want to touch mine, little Masumi?" Hashimoto said, flexing his arm. Although Hashimoto wasn't bad-looking, his sleazy aura always made him seem a bit greasy.

As expected, Kamuro didn't even glance at him. "Get lost."

"Oh—I'm so heartbroken to be scolded by little Masumi. I'll need you to cheer for me while I swim later to recover!"

"If you're thirsty, just say so. I'll shove your head into the water and let you drink your fill."

Amasawa Yuto watched the two bicker, then suddenly locked eyes with Kito Hayato in the distance. Kito immediately looked away.

Kamuro, Hashimoto, Kito—all three members of the Sakayanagi faction were paying attention to him. Was this some kind of mission Sakayanagi had assigned them?

Or had Sakayanagi leaked some information to them?

Furthermore, what was up with the gaze he had been feeling from the spectator stands since a moment ago?

He looked up at the stands, where only Sakayanagi sat.

She was sitting upright, her cane resting neatly by her leg. She waved at him with her free hand, while her other hand held a black, binocular-like object up to her eyes. It was clearly a pair of binoculars, no matter how you looked at it.

"Anyway, don't disappoint me later. I want to see just how good you are," Kamuro said, leaving him with those words before standing up and walking away.

"Little Masumi is always so dishonest. It's obvious she's just curious about you, Amasawa," Hashimoto said suddenly, watching Kamuro's retreating back.

"Sakayanagi must have told you something, Hashimoto."

"You really are sharp." He smiled and leaned in. "Sakayanagi told us you're as strong as she is and suggested we pay more attention to you. Maybe we could learn a thing or two."

You really sold me out, Sakayanagi.

He had thought that given her personality, she wouldn't broadcast his strength. But then again, he hadn't intended to hide it anyway. If he had wanted to stay hidden, Amasawa Yuto wouldn't have scored perfect marks on the entrance exam.

He would have just scored 50s on every subject, like Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.

Sakayanagi must have known that, which was why she revealed a little bit to her confidants.

It couldn't be helped. Since Sakayanagi was watching, he might as well show off a little bit of his strength.

"First place, Amasawa Yuto, 21.96 seconds!"

Ten seconds later, Hashimoto climbed onto the deck, panting. He spat out some water and took off his goggles. "You guy, you're like a flying fish. Are you sure you aren't 'practicing calligraphy while carrying a piano'?"

The PE teacher looked at the stopwatch in his hand, his face full of disbelief. The world record for the 50-meter freestyle, held by Brazilian swimmer César Cielo, was only 20.91 seconds. 21.96 seconds was already at the level of a recent Olympic champion.

After class, Amasawa Yuto left quite late because he had to find the teacher to collect his 5000-point prize for winning, while also firmly rejecting the teacher's suggestion that he join the swimming club.

He was just about to go take a shower when he discovered that someone had returned to the locker room even later than he had.

Satoshi Satonaka walked in from outside wearing a swimsuit, his long hair dripping wet. "Hello there, Amasawa-kun?"

He scanned the locker room. "Looks like it's just the two of us left."

"Did you stay behind to train in the pool a bit longer, Satonaka?"

"Ah, yeah, that's right. I still can't quite get the hang of breathing, so I practiced a little more." He gave an awkward laugh. "Sorry for making a fool of myself in front of you, Amasawa-kun. You're so good at swimming."

"I watched you during class. Your breathing motion is too exaggerated; you're struggling so hard to catch a breath that your body twists and sinks. Try focusing more on extending your opposite arm forward and kicking your legs faster."

Satoshi Satonaka listened intently. "I see. You're truly amazing, Amasawa-kun. You were able to point out a problem I couldn't even notice just by watching."

"Also, Satonaka, may I ask why you're wearing a swimsuit?"

"Eh? I just... I don't really like exposing my body, ahaha..."

And yet, when he was changing before class, he had said he didn't know what he was supposed to wear.

Amasawa Yuto stared at his chest, feeling he had guessed the truth of the matter. Since the person involved didn't want to talk about it, he decided not to press the issue.

Just as he was about to get up to take a shower, Satonaka called out to him.

"I feel a bit guilty keeping it a secret, especially since you were kind enough to give me pointers..." Satoshi Satonaka scratched his head, looking embarrassed.

"Actually, there's a reason I keep my upper body covered... Please don't be shocked, Amasawa-kun. You're the only guy in class I've told."

"Is there something on your body?"

Satoshi Satonaka's hand paused as he reached for his swimsuit. "Eh? You actually guessed it, Amasawa-kun?"

Satoshi Satonaka wasn't lacking in athleticism; he was a member of the school's badminton club. He hadn't hesitated to get into the water today, and there were no signs of him being afraid of the water.

The reason he avoided swimming class was clearly to hide his upper body. Even though the swimming pool had individual shower stalls with partitions, he still wasn't at ease. Coming back this late was likely to avoid showering with everyone else.

He took off the swimsuit that covered his upper body, revealing a terrifying scar on the right side of his chest. It was over thirty centimeters long, looking like something out of a yakuza movie.

"It must have hurt a lot," Amasawa Yuto nodded.

"I fell out of a car when I was a kid. I needed a lot of stitches, and it left this huge scar. I actually have one on my head too, but my long hair hides it, so you can't really tell. I feel a bit self-conscious about it now. Among the girls in class, only Momoe Rokkaku knows."

Still, it was a stroke of luck that it hadn't disfigured his handsome face.

"I understand. I won't tell anyone. If you need help covering for yourself in the future, I'd be happy to assist."

After all, Momoe Rokkaku was a girl; having a guy help provide cover would probably make things much easier for him.

"Really? Thank you so much, Amasawa-kun!" Satoshi Satonaka grabbed his hand, looking thrilled.

Perhaps it was because he had just been swimming, but Satonaka's hand was as soft and delicate as a girl's. His natural appearance was already more feminine than most girls, and paired with the happy expression on his face, it was quite striking.

If he hadn't just seen his bare upper body a moment ago, Amasawa Yuto would have doubted his gender.

"I don't think the other students will look at you any differently because of this. Isn't Sakayanagi in a similar situation?"

"I suppose I just can't reach the same level of ability as Sakayanagi. The thought of everyone looking at me like I'm some kind of oddity makes me feel terrible. I'm worried I won't be able to get along with everyone."

He suddenly waved his hands in a panic. "Ah, I didn't mean that everyone is bad. Shijo and Yoshida are both very friendly. It's just that I lack confidence in myself."

"It's alright, Risonaka. After all, it takes a lot of courage and determination to speak up about a physical defect. I hope that one day, you'll be able to show it off like a badge of honor. At the very least, in my eyes, a scar isn't a flaw in one's life, but a mark left on the flesh by the soul in its struggle to survive."

Risonaka listened in a daze, his face flushing slightly. "I get the feeling... that Amasawa doesn't seem like someone our age at all. You're very cool and mature. I... I'll do my best, Amasawa! After this... would it be alright if I talked to you more often?"

"No problem."

"Thank you, Amasawa!"