Swimming Class

Although he'd learned all the procedures from Tachibana Akane, there was still one headache-inducing problem: a club needed at least three members to get started, and aside from himself, Shinjo couldn't find a single suitable ally.

"Man, the road to starting a business is as tough as ever. Oh well, I'll take it one step at a time."

He shook the mush from his head, picked up his backpack, and headed toward the school building.

Shinjo usually arrived ten minutes early and was seated in the classroom by then, but today he witnessed something that left him dumbfounded.

"Good morning, Yamauchi!"

"Morning, Ike!"

The Idiot Duo were already in the classroom, greeting each other with beaming smiles.

Usually, it was a good day if those two weren't late. He had no idea what had gotten into them today.

Still, they were both clearly in a good mood. They even greeted Shinjo as he came through the classroom door.

"Shinjo, you're a little late."

Perhaps because Shinjo usually got along fairly well with the girls, those two weren't exactly friendly toward him. Their behavior today was truly out of character.

"I always get here at this time. You two, on the other hand—did something good happen?"

At that, the two exchanged glances, then let out a lecherous laugh in unison.

"Hehehe. You seriously don't know what day it is?"

"Can't blame you, I guess. Your tastes aren't exactly like those of us normal guys..."

They probably meant his fondness for all kinds of sweets, though more than anything, this was just the two of them taking out their usual grudges against Shinjo.

"Well... heh, I really don't know what day it is."

Faced with their mockery, Shinjo didn't take it to heart. After all, if someone could understand the world of idiots, what would make him any different from one?

"Hahaha, you're something else. I'll tell you: today's class is going to be great!"

Class?

Shinjo thought it over for a moment, then gave a look of sudden understanding. No wonder those two were acting like they'd been injected with adrenaline.

Before he could say anything, Yamauchi launched into an excited speech about swimming class.

"I can't believe we're having swimming class this time of year! Swimming class means girls, and girls means... swimsuits, right?! This school is awesome!"

Swimming class was co-ed, and the girls in Class D were generally quite attractive. There was even a girl like Kushida with a voluptuous figure, so it was no wonder those two creeps were looking forward to it so much.

Shinjo Katsuya chuckled and stopped joining in their conversation.

A little while later, Ayanokoji arrived in the classroom. Shinjo didn't know when he'd become friends with those two idiots, but at least thanks to him, Ike and Yamauchi stopped pestering Shinjo and dragged Ayanokoji aside to chat instead.

As for what they talked about, it was swimsuits and the like, over and over.

Ayanokoji listened woodenly, nodding from time to time. But judging from his unruffled gaze and tone, it was hard to tell whether he was interested at all.

Suddenly, Yamauchi spoke in a small voice. That was what he called it, anyway; he wasn't actually making any effort to lower his volume.

"Hey, Ayanokoji. You know what? Sakura confessed to me!"

??????

Sakura?

Shinjo remembered her as a very inconspicuous girl who sat in the back row, wore glasses, and had her hair in twin ponytails. She didn't seem to have any friends, never spoke in front of others, and was rarely seen outside of class.

Someone like her had confessed to Yamauchi?

What a joke.

Considering how often the guy made things up, he'd probably invented the story to boost his so-called manly pride.

Of course, the worst part was still to come.

"Oh? Congratulations."

"What are you talking about? A frumpy girl like her isn't my type. At the very least, she'd have to be on the level of Kushida or Hasebe!"

Fortunately, Sakura wasn't there, so the guy's boastful talk was limited to the few of them hyping each other up.

Before long, afternoon arrived. Swimming class.

The boys had changed into their swimsuits early and lined up by the pool. Even Kōenji, who considered himself the protagonist, took the time to fix his hair.

"Hohohoho! As expected! My physique is the most perfect! I am the most beautiful!"

His personality had earned him plenty of enemies, but nobody could deny it at a time like this: Kōenji's muscles were exceptionally well-developed.

If anyone deserved to be called Tarzan, it was Kōenji!

Sudō, an athlete, also had a fine set of muscles, but compared with Kōenji, he still fell far short.

Of course, that wasn't what caught Shinjo's attention. What really drew his gaze was Ayanokoji.

He wasn't particularly bulky, but Shinjo had no doubt that his body held tremendous power.

That guy... could he be an assassin from some special organization? With that poker face and that dead-man's voice...

But as the saying went, when you stared into the abyss, the abyss stared back.

Ayanokoji was also sizing up Shinjo Katsuya.

The two seemed to share something in this regard. Shinjo wasn't as exaggerated as Kōenji, but his small frame held undeniable strength.

The main difference was probably the large scar on Shinjo's chest. Others might not have noticed, but Ayanokoji was certain it had been caused by some kind of explosive.

[Shinjo Katsuya...]

Their eyes met again. But after spending some time together, Shinjo had gradually come to believe Ayanokoji wasn't gay, so he no longer got goosebumps all over.

"What is it, Shinjo?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just wondering if you do some kind of training."

"Uh. Tea ceremony, calligraphy, piano."

Tea ceremony, calligraphy, and piano could build muscles like those?! Did he think Shinjo was an idiot?!

"Haha, Ayanokoji, you're quite the joker."

Seeing that Shinjo didn't believe him, Ayanokoji tried to change the subject.

"Enough about me. What's that on your—"

Naturally, Ayanokoji had asked what all the other boys wanted to know, too.

"Well... this is a little embarrassing to talk about. I used to be really into tempura, and even went out of my way to visit the God of Tempura Frying. I got this scar when I mishandled a fryer and burned myself."

Neither of them could manage a single honest sentence, so they wisely stopped asking questions.

The girls took quite a while to emerge from the changing rooms, one after another.

The Idiot Duo had been looking forward to this scene for ages... and they weren't the only ones. Nearly all the boys' gazes were drawn to the girls, including Shinjo's and Ayanokoji's.

Even though they were wearing school swimsuits, the girls' attractive figures were still easy to make out.

Kushida Kikyo even cheerfully stepped in front of the boys and spun around, instantly drawing the eyes of the Idiot Trio.

Why call them the Idiot Trio? Because their group had gained another member: Sudō, the red-haired, hot-tempered athlete.

"All right! It's class time. Everyone, line up!"