Classroom of the Elite, After the Intel Refreshed, They Always Want to Conquer Me! 19

This innate body of mine truly possessed an astonishing athletic talent.

"That Captain Sato... he seems to think quite highly of you."

On the way back to the classroom, Karuizawa Kei suddenly broke the silence.

Shimizu Akira shrugged. "He's just coveting this sturdy physique of mine."

Karuizawa Kei's footsteps suddenly faltered.

At that moment, she realized that she was no different from that boisterous Boxing Club captain.

"Asking you to rely on that captain... I feel a bit guilty about it, haha."

Karuizawa Kei tried to mask her embarrassment with a light laugh.

Shimizu Akira spread his hands. "After all, eighty thousand points aren't exactly free."

"Speaking of which—why did you protect Sakura Airi earlier? Don't tell me... she signed some secret contract with you too?"

"That's not the case."

"Eh—? No? That's too cunning! I paid a solid eighty thousand points!"

"You didn't buy exclusive protection rights."

Karuizawa Kei pouted in dissatisfaction, but Shimizu Akira merely glanced at her indifferently, acting as if he hadn't heard her.

—The money she paid bought his protection, but there was no rule stating he could only protect her.

By the time afternoon swimming class arrived, the students headed toward their respective changing rooms one after another.

Only then did Shimizu Akira notice the peculiarities of swimming class in a Japanese high school—

The girls wore modest one-piece swimsuits, while the boys were only required to wear a pair of athletic trunks.

This was practically a public execution of one's physique.

Watching several thin-bodied boys awkwardly hugging their arms, Shimizu Akira couldn't help but shake his head inwardly—in this setting, boys who lacked exercise were likely a hundred times more embarrassed than the girls in their swimsuits.

However, for him personally, being shirtless was hardly a big deal.

Inside the changing room, as Shimizu Akira stood there bare-chested, he suddenly noticed that Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's physique was unexpectedly outstanding as well.

His muscle definition was very balanced, with every fiber presenting a perfect, streamlined shape.

This refined physique even surpassed the sturdiness of Hirata Yosuke and the brawn of Sudo Ken, displaying a restrained yet ultimate aesthetic of power.

Looking across the entire class, perhaps only the near-perfect physique of Kouenji Rokusuke, along with Shimizu Akira's own, could be mentioned in the same breath.

The gazes of the surrounding boys were involuntarily drawn to these three; some subconsciously touched their own flat abdomens, while others straightened their backs without realizing it.

Beyond the silent comparisons of certain unspeakable dimensions, the contest of muscles was also a silent war.

"Shimizu, Ayanokouji, how on earth did you two train to get bodies like that?!" Ike Kanji suddenly leaned in, his eyes flashing with a mix of envy and suspicion.

Shimizu Akira crossed his arms and answered with a straight face: "It's simple: 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10-kilometer run every single day, and I never turn on the air conditioning no matter how hot it gets."

Ayanokouji remained expressionless, his tone as flat as if he were stating the weather: "Nothing special, I just inherited my parents' constitution."

"Hey! You two!" Ike Kanji's mouth twitched, and he couldn't help but retort loudly, "One is clearly spouting nonsense from reading too much manga, and the other didn't even bother to make up an excuse! Who are you trying to fool with such perfunctory answers?!"

The surrounding boys couldn't help but laugh, yet their eyes still lingered for a few extra seconds on those two near-perfect bodies—no matter how they tried to hide it, that envy and jealousy couldn't be concealed.

Not long after the boys arrived at the pool area, the girls appeared in twos and threes at the entrance of the changing room.

Surprisingly, however, several girls like Hasebe Haruka and Sakura Airi did not head directly to the pool, but instead appeared on the second-floor observation deck.

Yet, before the boys could feel regret over Hasebe's absence, a commotion erupted at the pool entrance the very next second—Kushida Kikyou had arrived.

She walked with a light gait, the sunlight reflecting off the water to outline the perfect curves of her figure.

Her fair thighs trembled slightly with each step, her full hips looked even more perky wrapped in her swimsuit, and the proud arc of her chest made the boys hold their breath in unison.

"Whoa!"

"That's incredible!"

Exclamations erupted one after another among the boys.

Shimizu Akira couldn't help but steal a few glances at her before slowly withdrawing his gaze.

(I have to admit, Kushida Kikyou's figure is truly beyond reproach.)

033 Kushida Kikyou is still far behind the gold-diggers

In Class D, if one were to talk about looks and figure, Kushida Kikyou might not be the most outstanding person.

But Kushida Kikyou possessed a unique charm—that subtle temperament between a girl's innocence and a woman's allure made her the recognized sexiest girl in the class.

When she spoke with the boys, that defenseless, innocent demeanor—the way she tilted her head slightly, the natural smile—was even more heart-stirring than deliberate seductiveness.

She didn't even try to pose; she simply displayed her youthful curves generously, and that natural sexiness made the boys of Class D sigh in their hearts in unison:

—Kushida-san is truly unfair.

Shimizu Akira sat on the edge of the pool, silently watching Kushida Kikyou, who was surrounded by the boys like stars around the moon.

She was brushing back her damp hair, droplets sliding down her neck into the hollow of her collarbone, drawing a wave of restrained agitation from the boys nearby.

(What a practiced performance...)

He recalled how Yamauchi Haruki and his group had chased after Hasebe Haruka like lapdogs at the start of the term, only to become loyal followers of Kushida now.

This seemingly sunny and cheerful girl was clearly far more shrewd than she appeared—she knew exactly how to use distant yet lingering gazes and perfectly timed physical contact to make boys willingly revolve around her.

Shimizu Akira narrowed his eyes, his memory suddenly flashing back to his university days.

Weren't those girls in the neighboring department who specialized in "keeping fish" exactly the same? His roommate had been played like a fiddle, saving even his meal money just to buy them gifts.

Kushida Kikyou was clearly nothing like those so-called "gold diggers"—at least as far as Shimizu Akira knew, she had never accepted gifts or points from any male classmate.

On the contrary, this girl often paid out of her own pocket to buy snacks, enthusiastically distributing them to her classmates.

She was obsessed with building friendships with everyone in the class.

If she were truly that calculating, she would likely only be fawning over wealthy second-generation heirs.

What Kushida Kikyou truly craved was the attention of her classmates. She longed to be looked at with eyes full of admiration and longing.

Shimizu Akira remembered once seeing Kushida crouched in the corner of the classroom, patiently teaching the somewhat introverted Wang Meiyu how to fold paper cranes.

The light in her eyes then was far more genuine than when she was surrounded by boys now.

At the end of the day, all she craved was sincere attention and recognition from others—this vanity, so typical of adolescence, actually made Shimizu Akira find her somewhat endearing.

Compared to those materialistic social climbers, Kushida's "little schemes" were as pure as a performance in a teen drama.

It was just a very low-level game.

Immediately after, Horikita Suzune walked over with a brisk, decisive gait.

Although she wasn't as curvaceous as Kushida Kikyou, the fabric clinging to her skin clearly traced her graceful physique—a slender yet not fragile waist, a perfectly proportioned bust line, and firm leg muscles sculpted by long-term exercise.

Shimizu Akira's gaze lingered on Horikita Suzune for a few extra seconds as well.

After all, he had learned her measurements through the information system on the second day of school—79/54/79.

He still couldn't understand why Yamauchi Haruki always used the word "frail" to describe her.

This was clearly a well-proportioned body honed by rigorous training; every curve was just right, retaining a girl's slenderness while containing a sense of restrained power.

As he was pondering this, Horikita walked straight toward him.

Her sharp gaze swept over his well-defined upper body without hesitation, her cold eyes narrowing slightly with a professional, scrutinizing air.

"Your muscle definition is very balanced," she said, getting straight to the point. "What kind of training do you usually do?"

"Just the basics," Shimizu Akira told her the literal truth. "100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10-kilometer run every day."

Horikita's eyebrows twitched imperceptibly: "I couldn't tell. You're that strict with yourself?"

"It's just the basic requirement to maintain bodily function." He rotated his shoulder joint. "Moderate exercise keeps both mind and body in peak condition."

"Is that so?" Horikita's gaze lingered on his taut back muscles for a moment. "My training volume doesn't reach your level; I just stick to morning runs and basic physical conditioning."

Shimizu Akira noticed the girl subconsciously straightening her back as she spoke. "Horikita-san, your physique is well-managed. Your physical fitness is likely the best among the girls in our class."

She narrowed her eyes slightly upon hearing this. "Oh? The premise of your conclusion is... that you've carefully examined the 'physical fitness' of every girl in the class? That doesn't seem to fit your persona."

Shimizu Akira shrugged, a calm, frank curve appearing at the corner of his mouth: "After all, I am a physically and mentally healthy high school boy. I have some instinctive curiosity. It's perfectly normal for boys and girls at this age to be curious about the opposite sex."

"By the way, what kind of image have you built of me in your mind?" He keenly caught the oddity in her words and countered.

Horikita Suzune turned her face slightly away. "...I just feel that you are somewhat similar to someone."

"Wait." Shimizu Akira had a bold guess. "You wouldn't happen to be comparing me to your brother, would you?"

The girl's shoulders stiffened almost imperceptibly.

This reaction confirmed to Shimizu Akira that his guess was correct—after all, given Horikita Suzune's social circle, there was no one else she would compare him to but that older brother of hers.

"Horikita-san," he stepped back half a pace, a helpless smile in his tone. "I didn't expect my evaluation in your mind to be this high."

Horikita Manabu was already the leader of Class A in the third year and the Student Council president standing at the pinnacle of the school.

He could almost be called the number one person among the current student body.

He was also a genius figure praised by all the teachers as "the most outstanding Student Council president since the school's founding," bar none.

Shimizu Akira never expected that Horikita Suzune had already placed him on the same starting line as her brother.

Horikita Suzune's eyes turned cold instantly. "...Don't get ahead of yourself!"

Before the words had even faded, her right hand struck down as sharply as a blade—only to be firmly intercepted in mid-air.

Shimizu Akira had caught her wrist before she knew it, his fingertips pressing right against her pulse, clearly feeling her racing heartbeat.

"If we're going to discuss something, let's discuss it." Shimizu Akira slowly tightened his grip. "Why the sneak attack? Besides, I think this counts as self-defense."

The distance between the two closed abruptly due to this movement; Horikita could even feel his steady breathing. This realization made her yank her hand back, while the latter waved his hand, maintaining his usual indifferent expression.

034 Kushida Kikyou: Bitch, go die, go die!

Shimizu Akira didn't pay much mind to Horikita Suzune, who was deliberately keeping her distance from him.

That remark had clearly touched a nerve.

--Sis-cons are just like that.

Honestly, the weather was scorching.

The sun baked the tiles around the edge of the pool, and even his backside could feel the searing heat.

Shimizu Akira raised a hand to wipe away the beads of sweat constantly seeping from his forehead.

In this kind of heat... I need to find somewhere cool.

His gaze drifted involuntarily toward the shimmering pool.

Thanks to the school's climate control system, the water temperature was always kept at a pleasant level, neither heated by the blazing sun nor chilled by the shadows.

A few impatient classmates had already dove into the water, their joyful splashing echoing across the surface.

During the gap while the physical education teacher had yet to appear, most of the students were still gathered in small groups by the poolside, chatting away.

"I should jump in and cool off."

Shimizu Akira scanned the area, his eyes locking onto the third lane, which was currently unoccupied.

On the other side of the pool, Kushida Kikyou deliberately stepped away from the crowd and walked slowly toward Horikita Suzune, who was standing alone.

"Horikita-san, where did Shimizu-kun go?"

"Is something wrong with your eyes? Can't you even tell the difference between a man and a woman?"

"Hehe, but you two are always inseparable~" Kushida's smile didn't waver in the slightest. "By the way, how is your swimming, Horikita-san?"

"...I can manage well enough." Horikita replied curtly, her tone distant.

"My swimming grades were never great in middle school, but after some hard training, I finally made some progress," Kushida Kikyou said softly, her gaze drifting toward the pool in thought.

"If you're looking for praise, go find someone else." Horikita responded coldly.