Classroom of the Elite, A Hypocritical Gray Life

"In any case, we definitely didn't know each other before." After saying that, I slumped over my desk again, gazing at the birds perched on the tree branch outside the window. Kanzaki didn't bother to refute me, simply letting out an "mm," and the surroundings returned to their usual bustle.

Aside from Kanzaki, within the two weeks since school started, I had successfully built familiar relationships with quite a few people, the number reaching as many as three. They were Shiratori Naoto, Takashima Yoji, and Okabe Kaito.

Neither side had initiated the acquaintance; strictly speaking, the four of us had absolutely no connection before we became close. That we could become friends was entirely due to our shared habit of not rushing to leave after school.

Although it sounds a bit illogical, that was the reality. Like me, they hadn't joined any clubs and had nowhere to go after school. While they did purchase some high-point electronic products, those were activities for after dinner.

Because of this, our group of five (Kanzaki would occasionally join) would often linger in the empty classroom after school. I don't know from which day it started, but we just grew close.

"This is really something to look forward to!"

After the homeroom meeting ended, we were greeted by the final bell of the day. With only the four of us left in the classroom, Shiratori let out a cry of longing that carried an inexplicable nuance. I, who was busy working on exercises, was startled by this strange outburst.

"You mean tomorrow, right? I'm looking forward to it too!" Takashima stood up passionately, his right hand clenched into a fist as if he were about to charge into battle the next moment.

"Well, interested in carrying out the traditional ceremony?" Shiratori looked at us with eyes shining.

"There's no need to even hold it; the answer is beyond doubt," Okabe said with disdain. "Do you really have any other candidates besides Ichinose?"

Is there something special about tomorrow...

Damn it, how much information have I missed while I was spacing out? Even the club orientation last time was like this.

"At the very least, the tradition must be carried on. Aren't there a few worthy rivals? Wouldn't you agree, Raku?"

"...Before that, can I ask a few questions?" After much hesitation, I decided to come clean.

"What is it?"

"The questions are a bit numerous. To start, I didn't understand what you meant by 'looking forward to tomorrow'."

"..."

"Did I say something wrong?"

I nervously endured the death stares from the three of them. It had been a long time since I'd encountered such heartfelt contempt from others. Is this what he meant by what I lack? This inability to share a common consciousness with other boys.

Come to think of it, is it actually possible for boys to share a consciousness? What kind of terrifying thing is that—a global network?!

"There's a swimming class tomorrow," Okabe coughed lightly, giving me a small hint.

"...Then what is the tradition, or the bet?"

However, they looked at me with expressions that combined "as expected" with "this guy is hopeless." Then, they stated this thought bluntly.

"Raku, you're hopeless."

"Yeah, you're completely hopeless. You might as well go back to the factory for a rebuild."

No, no, please don't deny the meaning of my existence. Give me some time, and I will definitely be able to connect to your shared network. Forget it, let's just destroy it instead!

"Has it really reached such a serious point..."

"Of course, you're already quite ill. Haven't you realized the charm of swimming class?"

"...Maybe I do?"

Quick, tell me what kind of network interface you guys are using. Is it an RJ-45, RJ-11, SC fiber optic, FDDI, AUI, BNC, Console, or something else?

"No, you don't! It seems you haven't clearly realized what the swimming class at this school is like. Then let me explain it to you properly!"

"Swimming is a sport that utilizes buoyancy, where you use continuous rhythmic movements in a relaxed state of body and mind to glide through the water. Because this activity engages your entire muscular system, you will feel exceptionally exhausted after swimming. Therefore, to continue swimming, we humans minimize our resistance in the water as much as possible."

Wow, what a powerful explanation! Although I don't understand it, I am deeply shocked.

"Looking at your expression, you still seem a bit lost. Then let me give you another reminder. Everything I just said is basically nonsense. The most critical point is that we minimize our resistance in the water. Once I put it that way, combined with your past experiences, Raku should understand by now, right?"

Takashima pushed up his glasses, a smile with an inexplicable meaning playing on his lips.

No, I still don't understand, so please explain it more clearly.

Shiratori noticed my confusion. "You don't mean to tell me you still don't get it?"

"I've been found out..."

"That shouldn't be. How could Raku not understand? Is Raku actually broken? That shouldn't be... Ah, I get it!" Shiratori's bright eyes shone with a flash of wisdom.

"I forgot to mention one thing: the swimming course at this school is co-ed. Now the truth is revealed."

...Is the focus on gender? Could it be—

"That's right. In other words, we'll be able to see Ichinose, Shiranami, Amikura... the girls' swimsuits, and... their exposed skin!"

"Most importantly, we'll be able to see—their breasts! Hahahaha—"

"..." Can such things really be said with such a proud tone?

"With this, it's time to update the ranking."

"Ranking?"

"The breast ranking, you didn't know?" Shiratori looked at me in confusion, and Okabe chimed in from the side.

"Now that you mention it, I don't think I've ever seen Raku send a message in the boys' group chat."

"You haven't been invited, have you?"

"That's not right. I remember we added every single boy in the class, didn't we?"

"But I really didn't see Raku in that group."

"I see. In that case, I'll proceed with the operation now."

"..."

Although it's a good thing, why does it feel like there's a trace of inexplicable sadness?

"OK, now that everyone is gathered, remember to take a look when you go back, Raku."

"Oh, yeah."

Hasn't this been completely dominated by hormones? It seems I need to change my line of thinking. The bets about 'who swims the fastest' or 'who has the best physique' are completely off the mark.

"But how do you guys even conduct these evaluations? Just looking at something like that isn't necessarily accurate, right?"

"It seems you aren't completely hopeless; you've already discovered the key point. You can rest easy on that front—we have professionals among us."

"Professionals..."

"Of course. After all, our dozen or so years of life experience weren't lived in vain."

Is life experience used for such strange things? You've got it completely wrong. What kind of career could such experience lead to in society?

Professional body measurers? Tailors?

I carried these complex thoughts with me until I parted ways with them. On the way back to the dormitory, I suddenly realized something.

If the boys at this stage are considering these kinds of things, then wouldn't the girls be doing the same?

Chapter 10: The Highly Anticipated Swimming Class

"Oh, here they come!"

The enthusiasm of the boys' group is extremely high, similar to novice soldiers on the battlefield who haven't been tempered by combat. Because they haven't experienced cruel beatings, they can maintain such high spirits.

We walked out of the changing room exit in a crowd. Although I don't know who is leading the charge or who is shouting, it's never wrong to be at the very back of the line. I relaxed my muscles to the extreme, even pulling in my abdominal strength a bit, deliberately creating the feeling of having a slight paunch.

As long as they don't scrutinize my body in detail, there shouldn't be any problems.

The scrutiny between boys is at most like comparing sizes; people adopt an attitude of turning a blind eye for the sake of the other person's face. Not examining the gap between others and oneself isn't because of inferiority or self-satisfaction, but simply [social convention].

After understanding this rule on a deeper level, I became even more convinced that this well-behaved class wouldn't do anything detrimental to me.

Of course, the bare minimum of questioning would still happen.

"Can you swim?" Kanzaki, who was walking side-by-side with me, asked.

"That's a bit too condescending, isn't it? I'm a normal human being who passed the childhood intelligence test."

"Who knows."

"..."

"I can swim, at least, though I'm not particularly good at it. When it comes to water, I still prefer the feeling of having my feet on solid ground." As I said this, I stomped on the floor twice, hard. "That hurts a little."

"I'm not sure if your intelligence is normal, but you're definitely the soft-skinned type."

"Yes, yes."

I've given up struggling against such remarks. No matter how I reason, Kanzaki has already labeled me as something close to a 'loser' in his heart—maybe even those exact two words.

"Come to think of it, your muscles seem unexpectedly refined."

"Your phrasing gives me the feeling of someone evaluating pork at a wet market. Is that my imagination?"

He didn't respond to my question, instead raising his hand to pinch my bicep.

"Soft... I knew it. What was I even expecting?"

"..."

I followed the topic he gave me and looked over his body, from head to toe.

"Whoa, abs." The distinct grid outline on Kanzaki's abdomen was exposed; those were the most genuine rectus abdominis muscles.

"Didn't I tell you? I used to be in the track and field club. We included planks and reverse crunches in our training."

"Does the track and field club need to do those exercises too?"

"I'm not sure. I just followed the teacher's instructions. Actually, I didn't have that much obsession with the track and field club myself; joining it was just a matter of coincidence."

"I see."

"If you had any affinity for exercise, you wouldn't be so flabby." As he spoke, he teased the 'fat' on my arm with his hand again.

"Perhaps I'm not suited for that kind of thing. In fact, I haven't really exercised in a long time. Now, I just move around a little to maintain my body's motor functions."

"Whoa! The swimming pool is pretty nice!"

"Ohhh, can I get in the water now?"

"Do warm-ups first!"

One sentence after another reached my ears at the back of the line, and a wall of people stood before me, blocking my view of the pool. I moved a few steps toward the empty area on the far side, and in the blink of an eye, the fifty-meter swimming pool appeared before me. This width isn't bad for forty people; even if everyone plays at the same time, they won't interfere with each other.

"The water quality looks pretty good, clear and clean," Kanzaki commented beside me.

"You even pay attention to things like that?"

"Hmm, I'd heard before that some people excrete metabolic waste in the pool, which I find physically hard to accept, so I've been a bit careful every time I go to the pool since then."

"...There's such a thing?"

"You haven't heard of it?"

"I rarely go to the pool, so I don't really know about that side of things..."

"Fair enough."

Just as Kanzaki said, the water was crystal clear, and because it was indoors, it wouldn't be affected by the weather outside.

"Have Ichinose and the others not arrived yet?" someone asked.

"Well, they're girls, so they're always a bit slower at changing clothes."

Not long after this conclusion was settled, I heard some noisy whispers erupt from the exit of the women's changing room, and immediately after, the girls led by Ichinose walked out, chatting and laughing.

"Oh, they're here, they're here!"

Because it was a course arranged by the school, the students' swimsuits were restricted. There's no need to mention the boys'; they were just those standard trunks. If it weren't for the school's restrictions, I think I would have worn something like a sharkskin swimsuit that covers the entire body. That would be great for masking the shape of my physique.

As for the girls, they were wearing Rose one-piece swimsuits. If I remember correctly, that's what they're called. They are generally made of nylon and Lycra fibers. This type of swimsuit can cover private areas well while still carrying a hint of allure. Setting that aside, the fully exposed thighs also became very eye-catching, most of them being smooth, fair, slender, and pretty.

Hm?

I glanced back at the group of boys, and in an instant, all of their gazes were fixed on Ichinose. To avoid any anomalies, I decided to look over as well.

Bigger than I imagined.

My observation on the bus before this was still too superficial; even though there were signs of the swimsuit digging in, it didn't stop me from gauging that she was between a D and an E cup. I'm not entirely sure of the actual situation, but it should be right around there.

Afterward, I immediately averted my gaze. Not for any other reason, but because I noticed that the gazes around me were starting to become unfocused.

They were clearly discussing things heatedly in the group chat, but in the end, it was just all talk. I remember there's a term for this kind of behavior, called... keyboard warrior-ing?

Still, it's another peaceful moment in the world; it really is nostalgic.