My Class C Has Its Own Circumstances (Mid-Autumn Festival Bonus 6/8) / I Keep Thinking This School Is Up to No Good (Mid-Autumn Festival Bonus 7/8)

You've got some nerve, Ryuen Shoko. So this is how you're going to handle swimming class?

He'd certainly made a fool of himself in front of the girls this time.

Shiina Hiyori, standing in the corner of the group, felt she could no longer look Hoya in the eye. She hadn't expected her opinion of him to change so drastically in just a few days.

At first, he'd seemed very reliable. Then he'd turned out to be cunning and sly, then a shameless idiot pinned to a desk and yelping, and now he was a pervert.

She had no idea how she was supposed to talk to him normally anymore.

But that was the most natural thing in the world. People couldn't be reduced to labels; everyone had many sides. Labels could capture a person's traits, but they couldn't encompass everything about them.

Although Hoya had made a complete fool of himself this time, the image of him as a fearsome fox was gradually fading in everyone's minds. He was an ordinary student, just like the rest of us.

Yeah, right. Just like us, my ass. Could someone who flirted with the boss every day really be the same as us?

Anyone with eyes could tell that Ryuen Shoko treated Hoya differently from everyone else. The kicks she'd planted on his chest had looked fierce, but compared to the force she'd used when beating up Albert, they were nothing. How was that punishment? It was more like she was playing BDSM with him.

The teacher, who hadn't arrived in time to see what happened, had no idea what everyone was thinking. He continued explaining the day's task. "For the next little while, we'll be learning to swim in PE. Are there any students who can't swim?"

A few students raised their hands.

"Good. I'll do my best to teach everyone how to swim. Swimming is an important sport at this school, and you may need it for future exams. So I hope you'll put aside any thoughts of fooling around and focus on learning. Also, to get everyone fired up, we'll hold a swimming competition during the last ten minutes of class. The top boy and girl will each receive a reward of five thousand points."

His announcement caused an uproar, but with Ryuen Shoko there, no one got too excited.

That was true. With Ryuen Shoko around, there was no doubt who would take first place among the girls. Even if someone could swim better than her, who would dare show it? They'd have to hold back and let her win.

There was no need to mention the boys. With Albert's imposing physique, he'd basically take first place too. The only possibility was that he'd let Hoya win.

That was the result of having a tyrant in charge. In a close-knit, friendly class, first place would go to whoever earned it. But here, the girls didn't stand a chance. Ryuen Shoko would definitely win.

All the boys could do was wait and see if Hoya wanted to bully an honest, hardworking guy.

Hoya didn't care much about the five thousand points. It was true that he was short on points, but that didn't mean he was desperate enough to snatch them without any dignity. Five thousand wasn't a lot, but it wasn't nothing either. What did it matter if Albert took them?

"All right. Those of you who can swim are free to do as you like. Those who can't, come with me and I'll teach you. Also, everyone in the class has to take part in the competition later. I don't want anyone lying to the teacher just so they can have fun. Fooling around might be fun for a while, but you'll have a swimming test later. If you don't want to fail, then work hard. All right, dismissed. Anyone who can't swim, stay here."

"Yes!"

Hoya could swim, and he was pretty good at it too.

He'd loved playing in rivers as a kid. In high school, he'd had no choice but to return to his hometown because of his household registration, and back then, he'd often gone to the river with his friends.

As for when he'd actually learned to swim, that was in college. His university had a pool, and PE classes were electives—students chose a sport to study—so he'd picked swimming because it was an easy way to earn credits.

So just as he was getting ready to jump in and play around in the water, someone grabbed him by the scruff of the neck.

"Hey, you can swim, right?"

Ryuen Shoko's terrifying voice came from behind him.

A chill ran down his spine.

Good grief, sis, can't you just let me play in the water? I haven't done that in ages. It's all I've been looking forward to!

"What is it, boss?"

"Do you know the different strokes?"

"Uh... yeah. I know all four."

"Good. Teach me."

"?!"

Hoya stared at Ryuen Shoko in confusion. Seriously, sis, if you can't swim, go learn from the teacher. Why come to me?

"I can swim, but I don't know any proper strokes. Got it?"

"Oh, so you can dog paddle... Ow, ow, ow!"

The instant he blurted out his reply, she punched him. Crouching down and clutching his nose, Hoya finally understood what Ryuen Shoko meant.

So she was comfortable in the water, but had never learned proper technique?

"Then why didn't you learn before, boss?"

"I don't like getting in the water."

Ryuen Shoko gave him a simple answer, then stepped on his foot. "All right, stop pretending. I know how hard I hit you. Get up."

"Yes!"

He immediately stood up ramrod straight, looking very obedient, though no matter how you looked at it, he seemed to be clowning around.

"Stop wasting time. Teach me to swim."

"Got it, got it. Let's learn over there."

Hoya put on the air of a loyal lackey and led Ryuen Shoko to a corner of the pool.

He frantically gestured with his eyes for the classmates swimming nearby to leave. They weren't stupid; chatting in twos and threes, they gradually moved away without making it obvious.

'Those two are going to show off their affection again. Let's get out of here before the boss starts keeping an eye on us.'

All right, they might have misunderstood things a little, but as long as they left, that was what mattered.

Once everyone had cleared out, Hoya turned back to Ryuen Shoko. "So, boss, which stroke should we learn?"

"Whichever one's easiest."

"Got it. Freestyle."

It was obvious which of the four strokes he should teach her. Compared with the tiring butterfly and the slow breaststroke, which could drag for beginners, freestyle was the easiest to learn. Beginners usually learned breaststroke because it helped them get a feel for the water. If you didn't feel comfortable in the water, you wouldn't dare turn on your side to breathe. You'd choke.

Chapter 44: My Class C Has Its Own Circumstances (Mid-Autumn Festival Bonus 6/8)

"Right, kick your legs. One, two, three, four. Great, again. One, two, three, four."

What was it like teaching Ryuen Shoko to swim?

Hoya's answer was: Have you ever seen an umbrella open?

Fortunately, they were in the water, so there was nothing else to do. Otherwise, her remarkable assets would have been on full display.

He held Ryuen Shoko by the ankles as she practiced her arm strokes. Freestyle didn't require much from the legs; all you had to do was kick up and down.

The tricky part was the upper body. After teaching her the basics, Hoya had to help her get used to turning her head to breathe.

The pool wasn't very deep, so she could stand up while practicing her breathing. But that wasn't a realistic exercise. When you actually swam, your body wasn't at the same height as the water's surface, so learning how to breathe was essential.

The first time Hoya had practiced breathing, someone had said, "You look like you're about to drown." That was because he'd stretched his neck way out and tipped his head back as far as he could.

That was what happened when you weren't comfortable in the water. He'd gradually practiced until he learned to breathe more naturally.

Now, however, he couldn't help feeling a little distracted as he touched Ryuen Shoko's skin.

He'd already had several chances to notice how delicate her feet were. Her ankles felt so fragile too. They weren't thick at all; in fact, they were slender.

If he were bold enough, he could slide his hands higher and feel her lean calves and shapely thighs. And if he were willing to go straight to the emergency room afterward, he could even feel the firm curve of her hips, perfect for childbirth.

Why had she become so sexy after turning into a girl? (Annoyed.)

The others watched Ryuen Shoko and Hoya interact, then quietly began gossiping in the corner again.

Ryuen Shoko seemed to have a good feel for the water. She definitely wasn't a beginner, so she must only be learning from Hoya to flirt with him.

One boy, who'd been beaten up on the first day, rubbed his face and sighed. He hadn't expected anyone to actually dare touch a tiger's backside.

That was just a figure of speech, of course. He hadn't really touched it. Otherwise, even Hoya wouldn't have made it out of the pool today alive.

"Hey, they seem to be having fun over there."

Unlike the ordinary students, the teacher was looking at the bigger picture. He could tell that Ryuen Shoko's movements weren't quite coordinated.

She was clearly learning a new stroke. As for why she'd asked a classmate instead of him... Well, that was perfectly normal.

They were all teenagers, full of hormones and curiosity about the opposite sex. It was only natural that they'd want to get to know each other better and start talking. The teacher was actually glad to see the students helping one another.

The PE teacher, completely unaware of the truth, was moved to tears.

"Shiina, are you sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine!"

Shiina Hiyori wasn't good at swimming.

Not only was she bad at it, she was also very uncomfortable in the water.

Seeing Shiina Hiyori hovering by the edge of the pool, the teacher sighed. "You have to believe in yourself, Shiina. Don't be scared. If you don't dare jump in, then climb down slowly from the edge of the pool. Take your time. The water over there is only one point three meters deep. Don't worry too much. You won't drown."

No matter how deep a pool was, there were always people who drowned in it. Once people panicked, they lost their heads. Unless the water was extremely shallow, even knowing it wasn't deep wouldn't stop them from worrying.

The teacher knew that it would be difficult for girls, especially timid ones, to get used to the water on their first day, even though they'd need to swim for a future test. This was something they had to take slowly.

Most girls like that were obedient. He could tell them to practice more on their own over the weekend, and they'd usually get over their fear. They wouldn't become great swimmers, but they'd at least be able to pass the test.

"Yes, I'm very sorry."

Listening to the teacher, Shiina Hiyori slowly climbed into the pool.

The diving area was two point two meters deep, to keep students from getting hurt when they jumped in. But that depth was more like a deep pit. As you swam forward, the water quickly became only one point three meters deep. The school was worried about accidents, so only the diving area was that deep.

Besides, there were teachers watching. They were acting as lifeguards, ready to rush over if any student got into trouble.

"Tweet!"

As they say, happy times never last. Soon, a whistle sounded, signaling that class was almost over.

That was only natural. PE took up two periods, but an hour and a half wasn't very long, especially since the last ten minutes were set aside for the test. That left everyone with only eighty minutes to play around.

Hoya had spent those eighty minutes suffering too.

Honestly, if the girl in front of him had been anyone else—Kushida, Shiina, or even Ayanokoji—it would've been better than having Ryuen Shoko there.

Was she beautiful? Absolutely. His body was wholeheartedly in agreement.

Was she dangerous? Absolutely. His mind was terrified of her.

So when his body and mind were in complete disagreement, he was left to suffer. It was like frantically rubbing until sparks flew, only to be unable to finish. It was maddening.

Or you could say it was like being unable to sleep when you desperately wanted to. It was frustrating. Really frustrating.

"What's with that expression?"

After eighty minutes of mental and physical torment, Hoya was in a terrible mood. Ryuen Shoko had been practicing diligently the whole time, and only now had she noticed his expression.

"Nothing. By the way, do you think you've got the hang of it?"

"I guess. It feels all right."

Fortunately, Hoya had made her try swimming a couple of laps on her own during the last few minutes. She was comfortable in the water, so once she'd learned the stroke, swimming wasn't a problem.

Now the other girls had to deal with the question of whether they could pretend not to be holding back while still holding back enough to let her win.

"All right, I'm going to call the names. When you hear your name, go get ready to swim. We'll start with the girls. Ryuen Shoko."

"Here."

"Ibuki Mio."

"Here."

"Manabe Shiho."

"Here."

The teacher called five girls in a row and sent them over to get ready for the race.

Several of the girls still couldn't swim very well, so they didn't need to compete. They could just watch.

"Ready... tweet!"

When the teacher blew the whistle, the five girls jumped into the water and started swimming.

Watching them swim, the teacher made a pained face.

"What's going on with the girls in your class?"

"Teacher, our class has its own circumstances. Could you just turn a blind eye?"

Chapter 45: I Keep Thinking This School Is Up to No Good (Mid-Autumn Festival Bonus 7/8)

Why was the teacher making such a pained face? Because he could clearly see that the girls were trying their best to pretend they couldn't swim.

Everyone except Ryuen Shoko.

She could swim, but only just. Was she fast? No, not really.